Chapter 215
To the base for the first time in about a week.
Perhaps because the battle with the Demon King's army had been over for some time, the supplies and weapons in the base had been packed up, and the many knights were about to return to their respective countries.
After getting off the carriage, we were divided into senpai and Kazuki, who were to report to Sigurth-san on the details of the "journey to defeat the Demon King," and me, who was going to meet Rose, my direct boss.
Leona-san accompanied Senpai and Kazuki, while I was accompanied by Nea, Ferrum, Rescue Squad Nack, and Amako.
Kukuru got out of the carriage and immediately went somewhere, but, well, I knew where he was headed, so I let him go.
"... Is it right for me to come here?"
Nack, who looked around the base as we were heading to where Rose and the others were, muttered anxiously.
The knights I passed had scowls on their faces as if they were exhausted, and some of them had blood-soaked bandages on. Just because the battle is over doesn't mean it's over.
Talk to him to reassure him that he will be aware of this again.
"It'll be fine. If something goes wrong, all I have to do is take a beating."
"So you're assuming you're going to get punched, not get scolded..."
Amako looks stunned.
To cheer up Nack, who is looking gloomy, I will tell him a joke here.
"Well, it ends with a beating, it's quicker that way. Hahaha."
""""...""""
"Oh, guys. I'm kidding, okay? It was a joke, so don't try to keep Nack away from me."
Ferrum looks at me like, "Seriously, this guy?" meanwhile, Nea and Amako keep Nack, who is pulling away from me just as much as Ferrum is.
As expected, I didn't say I'd rather be punched, either?
It's just a quick way to get the thing done, you know?
"...I know. Usato likes pain, right? Do you want me to hit you?"
"If I nod, I'm finished as a human being!!"
I was told in a very gentle voice that I was going to get hit.
Moreover, she has a rare bright smile.
"You are already finished as a species who is called a human being."
"Indeed"
You're noisy! Vampire and demon-kin girl over there!!
Seeing my reaction, Amako broke into a smile and touched both cheeks as she leaned forward.
"Nn, just kidding."
"Eh..."
"I wouldn't do that to Usato."
Before I knew it, the joke was returned with a joke.
... I should come up with a milder joke next time.
As we exchange these words, we can see the base of operations of the rescue squad. The many tents lined up in a row, the supplies piled up, though somewhat reduced―,
"U-Usato-kun!!"
Among them, we find the figure of a woman who looked at us and raised a surprised voice.
I wave to Ururu-san, the woman who dropped the box she was holding and came over to us.
"Ah"
"Hmm? Amako, what's wrong?"
"Unn. Well, this is okay, I guess. Unn."
"Haa?"
While listening to the conversation between Amako and Nea next to me, I tried to speak to Ururu-san, but she showed no sign of stopping.
Eh? At the moment Ururu-san, who did not stop, caught me off guard, she jumped toward me with such force that it could be mistaken for a body blow.
"Usato-kuuuun!? I'm glad you're okaaaay!!"
"Ogoh!?"
Even though Nea, who used to play a village girl, has done the same thing to me before, but the momentum is so strong.
As I manage to step back and let the impact go so as not to hurt her, I notice that Ururu-san is crying.
"I've been worried for a long time when I heard that Usato-kun collapsed and had to be carried to the kingdom...!"
"Ururu-san..."
"Tong and the others weren't worried at all, but I couldn't help but feel uneasy..."
"I'll hit those tough-looking guys later."
They should at least worry about me a little.
...I’ve caused Ururu-san to worry.
I know this person is not whiny, but she continued to heal the wounded on the battlefield until today.
The burden and the anxiety she has had to this day must be considerable.
Understanding that, instead of pulling Ururu-san off of me, I decided to wait until she stopped crying.
After a little while, Ururu-san regained her composure and welcomed us into the base of operations with an embarrassed smile.
Once inside the tent, there were few injuries.
After the battle, this place would have been full of injured people, but I guess it means that everyone in the rescue squad had been working hard until today.
"Ururu-san, where is Olga-san..."
"Onii-chan... collapsed yesterday."
"Eh!? Where is he!?"
"Ah, aah! When I say "collapsed," I mean overworked! As long as he rests, he'll be fine! Besides, Sharun-san is with him!"
"I see... That's good..."
Olga-san, who is frail, was healing people to the limit to the point of collapse.
Ururu-san is also acting strong, but it is clear that she is quite forcing herself.
The other members of the group were cleaning up supplies and disused tents, so we left the tent for the time being, only to find something approaching us.
"Hmm?"
I look at Ururu-san and feel a bit of déjà vu, but when I turn toward him, a blue mass approaches with thudding, heavy footsteps.
"Gruar!"
"Bluerin!!"
Recognizing him, Bluerin, I spread my arms wide to catch him as he leaps at me.
Unlike with Ururu-san, thanks to being prepared in advance, he puts down Bluerin without much recoil.
"Did you miss me!?"
"Gruar!"
"Hahaha, don't bite, don't bite, I'm happy to see you again. You're not causing trouble for everyone, are you?"
"Guruu!!"
As if to say, "Of course", I stroked the bottom of Bluerin's chin.
Bluerin really worked hard.
He carried wounded people on his back, and he ran into the enemy with me.
"This guy didn't even back away when he just got rammed by Bluerin, did he...?"
When I was dealing with Bluerin, who was playing around with his front paws, Ferrum muttered something like that behind me.
I thought it was nothing to worry about and tried to let it pass, but then Nea and the others responded to her voice.
"That shouldn't be a surprise now, right?"
"Yes"
"If it's Usato-san, well..."
"You guys may be used to it, but I'm not...!!"
As for me, I'm not sure if I should be happy about that.
"Amako, can I leave Bluerin to you?"
"Fine, but... What do you want to do, Usato?"
"It's time for me to go see the Commander. Nack's coming too, right?"
"Yes!"
Nodding to Knack, who replies, I ask Ururu-san where Rose is.
"Ururu-san, where is the Commander?"
"She's resting in the tent over there."
"I heard she was injured..."
"It looks like she's still in a state where her injuries can't be healed yet ... I think. but I think he'll be fine. But the Commander is a person who forces herself as much as Usato-kun does..."
... Well, there is no way that person would behave in a way that would make Ururu-san and the others uneasy.
First, I would have to see Rose and ask her about the condition of the wound to know for sure.
After a short break from Amako and the others, I walk with Nack to the tent where Rose is staying.
"..."
The last time I saw her was when she was swallowed by the tornado created by Nero Agence's lineage strengthening.
From beginning to end, Nero Agence was taking it easy on me.
And even though he took it easy on me, I still got slashed on top of the magic resistance... if he got serious, I might have been killed without being able to do anything.
When I heard that she was injured fighting such an opponent, how could I not have considered the possibility of what might have happened?
In silence, we reach the entrance to the tent where Rose is supposed to be, and Nack and I speak out so that she can hear us inside.
"Commander, this is Usato. I have just returned from the Kingdom of Lingle."
After a few seconds or so, a short reply comes back, 'Come in,' in the same voice as usual.
I walked through the entrance and stepped into the tent with Nack to find Rose sitting on two wooden bunks that had been laid out.
She wears her usual squad uniform over her shoulders, with a black inner garment underneath. Her wounds do not seem to have healed yet, as she supports her left arm as if it were threaded through a cloth around her neck.
And, as might be expected, on her uninjured right shoulder was Kukuru, who had been with us not long ago.
"I just now changed the bandages."
"Kyu"
Looking at it, a blood-soaked bandage is discarded on the bunk on which Rose is sitting.
Nack gasps at the sight of blood.
... First of all, I should explain about bringing Nack with me.
"I've already heard that you and the heroes are going on a journey with a letter from the Kingdom."
"Yes. I, a healing magic user, was chosen to support Senpai and Kazuki."
"After the battle, another battle, huh... Good grief, you don't have time to rest, do you."
"Hahaha..."
I gave a wry smile to Rose who sighed in amazement.
She shifted her gaze from me, who was laughing, to Nack, who was nervous.
"I can guess it, but... Why did you bring Nack?"
"I brought Nack here because we are going on a journey and he will be alone. Even though he is twelve years old, he is also a fine member of the Rescue Squad. We can't let him join the fight, but he should be able to help with the work here."
When I put that much into words, Nack, who is standing by my side, steps forward.
At the sight of Rose's gaze, he looks frightened, but he still raises his voice.
"I-I! I came here because I want to help everyone! I will never complain!!"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Rose opened her mouth.
"Because you've come this far... Fine."
"! Thank you!!"
"Alex and the others are cleaning up the base outside. Go help them."
"Yes!"
Nack's face lit up and he said, "Excuse me!" He bowed deeply and walked out of the tent with a short run.
After seeing his happy back, I turned to face Rose in front of me again.
"May I sit down?"
"Suit yourself"
I sit in the other bunk next to the one Rose is sitting in.
"Are you okay with your injuries?"
"It's not as serious as it looks. It's not a problem for me as long as I behave properly"
"Eh? Are you sure you're okay? It's not like you're just being cheerful, is it?"
I heard that she got a slash on her left shoulder.
She sighed at me, doubting that she was really well with that.
"Who do you think I am?"
"..."
What should I do? Those words alone make me think she is okay now.
To tell the truth, I was really, really worried about her, but seeing her in front of me like this reminds me that my fears were groundless.
... Although she is my mentor, she is truly a supernormal person.
"Is the curse of the magic sword of Nero Agence still remaining?"
"The curse other than on me was lifted in about four days."
"...What about the curse on you, Commander?"
"The annoying thing is, it's still there. This."
With a look of great disgust on her face, Rose put her hand on her left shoulder.
"That irksome guy, When I hit that blonde, I had no choice but to take his sword with my left shoulder, and he seemed to be putting a lot of force into it, too. I guess that has put a stronger curse on my shoulder wound than the others."
"... So that's how persistent he is"
"I guess so. It's nothing more than a nuisance to me."
Rose's expression of annoyance suggests that Nero's presence may be perceived by Rose as "just another enemy standing in the way".
"Can the curse be lifted?"
"It will take a little time, but it can be lifted. In the meantime, my left arm will be useless."
Actually, I tried on the battlefield to see if I could manage to break it with Nea's Release Spell, but I couldn't.
The power of Nero's magic sword is a curse, but it seems that it is not a magic curse, but a simpler one, a pure feeling of human hatred that is imprinted on the sword as a curse.
I am not surprised that he can wield such a thing normally and remain unaffected by it.
Isn't it likely that it's possessed by a ghost or something? At the very least, I would have been so freaked out the moment I held it that I would have smashed it on the spot.
After thinking that far, I suddenly look at Rose's left arm and a thought comes to mind.
"...If I were to fight you right now, would I win?"
"Haa, if you think you can win, try it."
"..."
Ah, it's impossible.
Even if she can't use both arms, I can't imagine winning.
I can easily imagine myself being kicked to the far side of the room with a full strength spinning kick.
Rose smiled happily at me as I quietly acknowledged my defeat.
"You seem to have gone on a rampage this time as well."
"For me, it wasn't my intention... Near death, being followed by an annoying stalker, And to top it all off, they call me devil baselessly, you know?"
"Haa, the devil? That's pretty hilarious, oi."
"It's no laughing matter..."
Calling me the devil is not so widespread, though, so I don't mind.
"Whatever the case, I'm glad you made it back alive "
"...Yes"
"Oops, you're not going to start crying this time?"
"You bring that out now?"
When the first battle was over, I unconsciously cried when Rose praised me.
I remember it vividly as an honestly embarrassing memory at the time, and my face gets hot when it is mentioned now.
"Haha, don't glare at me. My bad."
As Rose laughed when she saw me, I felt even more embarrassed, and I tried to think of something to say back to her.
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