Chapter 53

From the small town of Brook to the neutral commercial city of Frein, it takes about six days by carriage.

They set out before sunrise and began preparations for camping before sunset. This was the third time they had done this. Aichi and his companions had arrived at a point three days away from Frein. They had already covered half the journey, and nothing particularly unusual had happened as they proceeded smoothly. Aichi and his companions were assigned to guard the rear of the caravan, which was quite leisurely.

Nothing particularly unusual happened on this day either, and they began preparing for camping in the evening. Adventurers would eat while being vigilant of their surroundings. If the caravan members ate with them, it would be difficult for them to remain calm, so it was an unwritten rule that adventurers and caravan members ate separately. Moreover, since the adventurers had to pay for their own meals, they ate as simply as possible during missions. Preparing more elaborate meals would only add to the luggage and be cumbersome in critical moments. Instead, they had a theory that after reaching a town and receiving their reward, they would immediately indulge in a feast.

Over the past few days, Aichi and his companions had heard these things from other adventurers. Aichi and his companions had prepared a luxurious stew and were eating it with soft, fluffy bread.

"Ah—, happiness! Really, it's delicious~. No wonder, it's Shia! Now, I don't care if you're a demi-human, will you marry me?"

"Crunch, gulp! You're too quick! Shia is my daughter-in-law!"

"What? What are you, a dirty loser, saying? Don't overestimate yourself. Also, Shia, how about we go eat together after we reach the town? Of course, I'll treat you."

"Then, I'm Yue! Yue, let's eat together!"

"Yue's spoon... ha ha..."

The adventurers kept eating the stew prepared by Shia. On the first day, when they were gnawing on their own dried meat and earth-colored compressed biscuits, Aichi and his companions, as usual, started cooking with ingredients and utensils taken from the [Treasure Vault]. The aroma of the food naturally drew their attention. As Aichi and his companions ate their hot and delicious meal elegantly, the other adventurers drooled like waterfalls and stared with bloodshot eyes. This situation made Shia feel very uncomfortable, so she suggested sharing the food, which led to the current state.

At first, Aichi ate quite calmly in front of the hungry adventurers, not even considering sharing a spoonful of soup. However, since Shia took charge of cooking during camping, they relied on her to prepare delicious meals. Although Aichi and Yue could cook, they couldn't make anything as delicious. Aichi's cooking was more masculine, and Yue, being of royal descent, lacked experience. Therefore, when Shia, who could prepare delicious meals, suggested sharing, even Aichi found it hard to refuse.

Thus, the adventurers gathered like hyenas at mealtime, and the initially shy ones gradually became more brazen, making light-hearted advances towards Yue and Shia.

The adventurers chattered noisily, and Aichi silently activated [Intimidation]. The adventurers, warmed by the hot stew, suddenly felt a chill, their faces turning pale, and their teeth chattering. Aichi swallowed the stew in his mouth and slowly raised his gaze to the stew, muttering in a not particularly loud voice.

"Then? Who wants to vomit everything in their stomach?"

"‘‘‘‘Sorry for getting carried away!!!’’’’"

The adventurers fell to their knees in unison, immediately apologizing. Most of them were senior adventurers older than Aichi, but now they had no dignity. Although Aichi's [Intimidation] was far from his full strength, everyone kneeling knew what Aichi had done in Brook, so no one dared to defy him.

"Really, Mr. Aichi. It's a rare mealtime, isn't it? A little liveliness isn't bad. And, and, no matter what anyone says, I, I am Mr. Aichi's, right?"

"That's fine."

"Huh!?"

Blushing, Shia casually objected to Aichi, but was dismissed with a single sentence.

"...Aichi"

"Hmm? ...What is it, Yue?"

Yue's gaze was reproachful, and Aichi slightly flinched. Then, she raised her index finger in front of Aichi and said, "...NO." In short, it was about the previous agreement to be a bit gentler with Shia. To Aichi, he didn't have romantic feelings for Shia, so he thought treating her like a friend was enough... but Yue seemed to think otherwise.

"Mr. Aichi! If you keep that attitude, I won't give you the [Perfectly Charred] skewers!"

(Ps: It's written as 'perfectly charred' but read as 'perfectly black'... This isn't Japan, right?)

Moreover, recently, Shia had become even more persistent. Her only-tough-no-cute remarks towards Aichi no longer shocked her. Even if she was hurt, she would quickly recover and continue to approach him assertively and positively, repeating this cycle.

"...So why do you know that reference... No, never mind. I understand, just hand over the meat quickly."

"Hehe, want to eat? Then, say it~ hmm"

"..."

Shia, blushing, extended the freshly grilled skewer to Aichi's mouth. Should I eat it? Aichi seemed to be thinking this as he quickly glanced at Yue. Yue was happily holding a skewer, ready to serve. Probably, after Shia's "hmm," she planned to do the same.

Feeling the gazes of the adventurers, Aichi sighed and opened his mouth to Shia. Shia's expression brightened.

"Hmm"

"..."

Aichi chewed the meat silently. Shia watched Aichi with a "hmm" expression. Then, this time, a skewer was offered from the other side.

"...Hmm"

"..."

He bit down again. Silent chewing. Then, once more, he bit from the opposite side, where Shia offered "hmm." From Yue, "hmm."

Objectively, the men watching this scene couldn't bear it. Their inner cries were perfectly synchronized: "Please, explode!!" Even their inner voices used polite language, reflecting the vast power gap with Aichi, which was a profound emptiness.

Thus, two more days passed. When only one day's journey remained, finally, a group that disrupted the peaceful journey and showed no consideration appeared.

Shia was the first to notice. Her rabbit ears turned towards the forest beside the road, twitching, and she tightened her relaxed expression, issuing a warning.

"Enemy attack! Over a hundred! Coming from the forest!"

Upon hearing the warning, the atmosphere among the adventurers became tense. The road they were on, adjacent to the forest, was not supposed to be dangerous. Regardless, this was the road leading to the continent's first commercial city, and the safety of the road was guaranteed. So, even if they encountered monsters, it was usually around twenty, and at most forty.

"Damn, over a hundred?? I haven't heard of any attacks recently. Did they all save up for this? Really, the changes in the road need to be investigated!"

The leader of the guard, Gridim, cursed and wore a bitter expression. The caravan's guards numbered fifteen, and with Yue and Shia, there were seventeen. It was difficult to protect the caravan without casualties with this number, as they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Incidentally, the rabbit-eared Shia, known for her gentle nature, was naturally counted as part of the fighting force because, in Brook, when a part of the [Shia's Slave Team] took extreme actions, she had blown away the perverts with a single punch. This incident, along with the fear of Shia, was well-known among the adventurers.

As Gridim began to consider abandoning most of the caravan's goods and having everyone run away, a suggestion interrupted his thoughts.

"If you're troubled, shall we kill them all?"

"Huh?"

It sounded like a casual suggestion, "Let's go shopping today," but the one making this unbelievable proposal was none other than Aichi. Gridim couldn't understand Aichi's meaning and involuntarily asked in a foolish voice.

"I mean, shall we annihilate them? That's what I'm saying."

"No, that's true. It's difficult to protect the caravan without casualties as it is... Can you do it? The monsters in this area aren't very strong, but the numbers..."

"Numbers are not a problem. It will be over soon. Yue."

Aichi said this, placing his hand on Yue's shoulder, who was standing beside him. Yue didn't seem particularly arrogant, but her response, "This kind of work is Very Easy," conveyed that she could handle it easily.

Gridim looked around. He had heard rumors that Yue was a user of rare magic. Even if she couldn't annihilate them as she said, given Aichi's attitude, they should be able to reduce the numbers significantly. Therefore, it was better to fight steadily rather than risk dispersing their forces and having the caravan flee.

"Understood. The first strike will be up to Yue. Even if you can't annihilate them, reducing their numbers significantly will be enough. We will continue to reduce their numbers with our magic and then defeat them one by one. Everyone, understood?"

"‘‘‘Understood!’’’"

The other adventurers responded with voices full of determination. It seemed they didn't particularly believe that Yue could annihilate them. Aichi thought, "That worry is unnecessary," but also, "A magic user who can annihilate over a hundred monsters with one strike doesn't exist in common sense, so their judgment is understandable," and shrugged.

The adventurers formed a line in front of the caravan. The air was tense, and they had a determined look, with no trace of the playful atmosphere from mealtime. Along the way, Aichi had heard various stories from experienced adventurers, and seeing this, he nodded. Indeed, they looked like seasoned adventurers. The people of the caravan, hearing that a large group of monsters was coming, showed fear, peeking out from the shadows of the wagons.

Aichi and his companions were on the roof of the caravan wagons.

"Yue, pretend to chant. Otherwise, it will be troublesome later."

"…Chant… Chant…?"

"…Don't you know?"

"…No worries, it's fine."

"No, that reference… Never mind."

"Enemy in ten seconds~"

To avoid being questioned by the surroundings, Aichi told Yue to chant, but Yue, who usually chanted silently, had a "?" above her head. Even if she didn't know, a soft mutter would suffice, but for some reason, Yue's response was particularly intense, making Aichi feel uneasy.

While they were talking, Shia's report interrupted. Yue raised her right hand towards the deep forest and began chanting in a clear voice.

"Thou who brings the crimson light to the eternal darkness, shatters the ancient prison, and dispels the endless barrier, with the mightiest slice, thou and I, together, shine with the light that devours the sky, [Thunder Dragon]"

(Quasi-quasi commentary: Is this really a chant? Why does it feel so familiar...)

From the middle of the chant, the sky was covered by dark clouds. When Yue finished chanting, the trigger for the magic was pulled. A dragon appeared from the dark thunderclouds. Its form was that of an oriental dragon, resembling a snake.

"Wh-What is that…?"

This was someone's mutter. Ignoring the approaching monster horde, everyone, as if under a spell, looked up at the sky, staring at the strange, intensely electrified Thunder Dragon. Even the rear guard of the caravan, who were skilled in magic, were stunned by this unseen and unheard-of magic. Moreover, the monsters, filled with the intent to devour the prey in the forest, stopped in the middle of the caravan and the forest, looking up at the massive Thunder Dragon that towered over them, as if they were frogs hypnotized by a snake.

Then, like a judgment from the sky, Yue's delicate and beautiful fingers (baton) waved, and the Thunder Dragon, capable of swallowing the sky and the trees, lunged at the monsters and opened its jaws.

Gaaaaaaah!!!

"Waaaah!?"

"Uaaaaah!?"

"Jaaaaah!!!"

As the Thunder Dragon opened its mouth, a terrifying roar echoed, and the monsters were all swallowed into its jaws