Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata ~Senjou wo Kakeru Kaifuku Youin~

　After returning to the Kingdom of Lingle completing the journey to deliver the letter, my body has finally become accustomed to the cycle of life in the Rescue Squad.

　I hadn’t missed a single training session during my journey, but the training at the rescue squad was completely different. If you’re training alone, you’ve got the group Tongs to push you, to get you going and to make you work harder.

　…… No, it’s just a matter of buying and selling words, which leads to running at full speed.

　It’s such an easy environment to move in for me, but one thing has been bothering me lately.

“Bluerin, you …… got fat, huh?”

“Fugua?”

　I noticed it early in the morning when I was feeding Bluerin at the stables.

　He’s always been big, but now he’s kind of …… rotund.

　For me, it’s a good weight to carry and run with! I didn’t mind it, but I couldn’t overlook it if he got so bulky that I could see it.

“I walked all the time on the trip, so I didn’t gain any weight, but …… you’ve been eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping a lot lately.”

“…… Guh.”

“It’s no good, isn’t it?”

　After finishing his fruit and trying to coast to sleep, Bluerin shakes his body and looks up.

　Seeing him like that, I made up my mind to make him exercise.

“You’re a rescue squad too.”

“Grrr.”

“You can’t just shake your head like that. You know that, right? You know you can’t do this.”

　He was still shaking his head.

　…… I had no choice. I didn’t want to do this, but…

“Oh well, I’ll leave it to the Leader.”

“Grrr! Gurruffa!”

“I see. So you’re motivated! I’m glad you’re motivated!”

　I smiled at Bluerin, who got up in a ball and punched me in the leg to show his motivation.

　If that’s the case, let’s get started today.

　Today’s menu was to run with Tong and the others.

　Normally, I run with Bluerin on my back, but today I decided to have him run with me.

　Although he has gained weight, he has been my partner in this journey.

　The potential of the Blue Grizzly is not something to be trifled with. He’s breathing hard, but he’s keeping up with the pace of me and the thugs.

“Oh, Usato. You didn’t bring Nea with you?”

　Alec in front of me asked that as we were running through the city.

“Nea is being trained at the rescue squad’s training grounds.”

“That means she’s with Nack and Ferrum?”

“Yeah, well, as far as she’s concerned, it’s just running.”

　Naturally, Nea was reluctant to participate in the training.

　She didn’t want to, to the point of regressing into an infant.

　However, crying it out was not an option for me, who had a heart of gold —– but I felt sorry for forcing her to participate, so I decided to change my approach.

　After my initial attempts to persuade her failed, I went to her room to see if I could find a time when Ferrum and Nea would be together.

[Ferrum is able to do it normally, but well, guess we can’t do anything about it if you can’t do it. Ferrum was able to do it though.]

[……!]

[Ferrum. Just like we talked about, let’s just leave our conversation as is. Nea can’t seem to keep up with you.]

[Eh? A-A-Aaahhh yeah! O-Of course it’s normal! As if some run off the beat demon can keep up with me! What’s more, there’s no way I’m going to lose to that lump of fat on her chest!]

[Y-You dare say that to meeeeeeeee!!]

　To sum it up in a very simple way, Nea = choroi. And thus that is how she got involved in training.

　In fact, it was a decision that was reached after an hour of questioning and fighting.

　Now it would be time for her to compete with Ferrum in a death-defying race.

“You’re a pretty gruesome guy, aren’t you?”

“I think you’re starting to look like Leader.”

“Oh, come on, the Leader would have used force in the first place, so it’s totally different. I’m still on the gentle side.”

　When I refuted Gomu and Mir’s words, the tough guys sighed in disgust.

　Why are they sighing at me? But I’m pretty annoyed when these guys sigh at me.

“Oh, by the way, you’re going to have a mock battle training with the Leader?”

“…… Ah, yeah, I guess so.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I’ll ask you the opposite, do you think you’ll be okay?”

　When I replied to Tong’s words, all the thugs answered in unison, “I don’t think so.”

　Well, no shit.

　These guys know Rose’s fears better than anyone. And because they know, they understand and respect her unbelievable ability.

　Of course, that includes me.

“Nihihi, who would you like to bet on who will win, Usato or the Leader?”

“Well, I’ll bet on you to win.”

“It’s obvious who’s going to win.”

“Guld. There’s nothing worse than a bet that you …… know who’s going to win.”

“There’s no bet that tastes as good as this one.”

“Well, the rescue squad doesn’t allow gambling. Idiots.”

　I agreed that there was a winner and a loser, but it annoyed me that they were making it a bet.

　I was annoyed enough that I would have charged Rose if Alec hadn’t stopped me.

“So, how are you actually going to fight this?”

“I don’t know… I guess I’ll just use …… Nea’s help and just go hand to hand combat ……. She’s probably going to use her bare hands to knock down any long range attacks.”

　Probably the restraining spell won’t even buy me time as well as Karon’s.

　However, there’s no point in doing the same thing to fight Rose, whose everything is organized at a higher level than mine.

“For now, the first thing I need to do is avoid the Leader’s first blow. Then, I’ll take a shot at her.”

　I have an image of what I want to do, but I know that Rose will move beyond my image, so I go in with the idea of moving beyond my expectations.

　The corners of his mouth naturally turned up, and the thugs saw it and frowned at his rugged face.

“I guess the only one who doesn’t notice is him.”

“When he first came here, he was just some little shit. ……right?”

“Now he’s a monster second only to Anego(sis)?”

“And when he gets mad, he changes. Sometimes it seems like there are two of Anego. ……”

“No, that can’t be helped, can it?　It’s not unreasonable for him to become like this if he’s been seriously trained by Anego.”

　The blood vessels in my forehead popped out.

　I can’t just lose my temper without saying anything to these people.

　I tried my best to smile and squeezed out my voice without revealing my inner anger.

“Ha- ha- ha- ha-, say whatever you want, you monsters.”

“”Ah?””

“”Ah?””

　I glare at them as I run.

　Bluerin, who was running beside me, looked at me and the thugs in turn, but we didn’t stop glaring at each other.

“You’ve been on a roll lately, haven’t you? We’re your senpais okay.”

“Senpai my ass. Do you really think that’s going to scare me off? If that’s the case, I wonder what you’ve been watching all these years.”

“……”

“……”

　Silence reigned in the room.

　The only sounds were the sound of running footsteps and the sighs of the kingdom’s people, who seemed to be saying, “Not again …….”　

　After a ten-second silence, Tung uttered a pressured voice.

” …… The goal is the rescue squad quarters. There is only one winner.”

“Sabotage, agitation, shortcuts, anything goes.”

“This is not a fight. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, of course. This is—–“

　I looked sideways at Tong, who was running closest to me, and sucked in a lungful of air.

“”A raceeeeeeeeeeeee yeaaaaaaaaaah!!!””

　I unleashed a no-motion side kick at Tong, but I guess everyone was thinking the same thing, because all six of us kicked at the same time, interrupting each other.

　The timing of the kicks was wrong, and they were both blown away at the same time by the kicks to the abdomen, but they quickly got up and started running separately.

　Bluerin, who can’t fully grasp the situation, is pacing left and right in a panic, but I give him a thumbs-up and shout.

“If you skip out while I’m not looking, no food for you!”

“Gua?!”

　With a shocked Bluerin at my back, I kicked the ground and ran from the scene, looking at the thugs running ahead of me.

　As you would expect from someone who has been given a black uniform, his legs are not those of an ordinary person.

　But then again, so am I.

“I’m not going to lose!

　If I lost to these guys with my legs, it would be no shame at all.

　If I’m going to do this, I’m definitely going to win.

　I made up my mind to do so, and started running to catch up with the thugs in front of me.

“So, is there anything else you should say?”

“”I’m sorry…….””

　I had just barely won the battle against the tough guys in the rescue squad, but what was waiting for me was Rose, who was giving me a cold stare that would make even the Grim Reaper run away barefoot.

　The six of us who had reached the rescue squad were immediately captured by Rose, and were currently being forced to sit on the ground.

“Seriously you lots…..I can’t believe you’re fighting over something this trivial. I don’t care if you’re making noise, but how many times must I tell you not to bother the people around you? Are y’all bird for brains that you can’t understand a simple rule?”

“Leader. With all due respect, I don’t think it’s right to lump me in with this monster in human skin.”

“That’s right, Anego. Please don’t lump us in with these herbivore skinned super creatures.”

“Shut up!”

　Rose grabbed me by the face and lifted me up with one hand, and the screams of Tong and I echoed through the deserted forest.

　Seeing us like that, Alec and the others only looked down, their faces turning pale.

“You know what will happen to you…… if you do the same thing next time, don’t you?”

“”Ye-yes ……!””

　I was released from the Iron Claw and dropped to the ground, Tong and I barely responded as we stumbled around on the ground.

　After looking down at us and sighing in disbelief, Rose nailed Alec and the others as well, and then turned in the opposite direction of the rescue squad quarters.

　Alec also wondered, and asked Rose.

“Leader, are you going somewhere?”

“I’ve been summoned to the castle. I’ll be back by nightfall.”

　Had Lloyd-sama called her?

　Maybe I’m being self-conscious, but most of the times Rose has been called to the castle, I’ve been involved, so I’m a little curious.

　As the pain receded from my face, I got up normally and Rose, who was about to head for the castle, suddenly remembered something and turned to me.

“Ah, right. Usato.”

“Yes?”

“We’re going to have a mock battle tomorrow, so get ready.”

　…….

“That’s all I have to say. So don’t skip the training.”

　Rose ignored me, her face stiff and unable to move, and went straight to the castle.

　Tomorrow? Isn’t tomorrow too soon?

　If you had told me a week or so before, I could have prepared for a lot of things.

“I can’t even make fun of this.”

“I feel sorry for you, seriously.”

“Well, hit it and shatter it. Worst-case scenario, it might really shatter, but good luck.”

“Don’t die, Usato.”

“From the looks of it, it looks like Anego is looking forward to it.”

“You guys think it’s someone else’s problem……!”

　Receiving the sympathetic glances of the thugs, I walked unsteadily to the training ground to tell Nea about tomorrow’s mock battle with Rose.

　On the way there, I spotted a blue blob laying down in a big heap.

“Oh, Bluerin.”

“…… Guoo!”

　Noticing me, Bluerin wakes up with a bang and runs towards me with great vigor.

　He reveals anger in his eyes and launches a physical attack on me — but I catch it head-on.

“Mumumumu!”

“Grrrrr ……!”

　I back away slightly, but I still catch it completely, and I apologize for leaving Bluerin behind earlier.

“Haha, I’m sorry for leaving you here. You’ve worked hard today, and I’ll have more food as a way of apologizing.”

“Guffoo.”

　I smiled at Bluerin, who sat there sniffling, thinking that was good.

　I’m not sure if he did what I told him to do, but I’m heading to the training grounds while casting a healing spell on his exhausted body.

“I’m sure Nea, Ferrum, and Nack will be at the training grounds. ……”

[That’s not fair! You used some sort of weird technique to interrupt me! Are you even human!]

[Hoohohohou! You idiot! Precisely because I’m a demon that it’s unfair! Stuuupid- Stuupid!]

[W-What did you say!]

　When we arrive in sight of the training ground, we see the strange sight of Nea and Ferrum lying in the middle of it, with Nack watching them with his forehead pressed down.

　Nea and Ferrum are not unconscious, they are just too exhausted to move while collapsed, but instead they are cursing each other.

　Needless to say, it’s a very surreal scene.

“Oh, Usato-san! I was just about to call for you.”

“Nack, what the hell happened here?”

　I asked Nack, who had rushed over to me, how he got into this situation and why.

　Then, with a subtle expression on his face, he began to explain how this happened.

“No, well, at first we were just running around the training grounds as usual, but then Ferrum-san and Nea-san started fighting and started competing with each other to see who could finish their quota faster…….”

“Oh, I see.”

　They fought, but they understood that fighting was not allowed in the rescue squad, so they tried to settle it in another way.

　They were doing what we were doing earlier.

　But why is it that Ferrum is down? I’m not sure that Nea can match Ferrum’s physical strength, even if I were to look at it favorably.

“Nea aside, why is Ferrum on the ground too?”

“Apparently Nea-san casted some kind of strange purple magic on Ferrum-san. Ferrum who didn’t notice it got hit by it and lost to Nea-san ……”

“Ahh okay, I kinda get it.”

　So Nea really didn’t want to lose.

　Ferrum should also notice …… restraint spell is not that hard to understand…….

　For now, I can’t watch, so I touch the backs of the two still slumped over and cursing each other, and apply healing magic.

“Usato, listen to me! I defeated this unsavory demon race!”

“You cheated, you bastard! Damn it, losing to you ……!”

“…… Sigh.”

　I didn’t know what to make of the big smile on Nea’s face and the half-crying Ferrum.

　I’m sighing, but at the same time I’m smiling. …… Yeah, we’re kind of similar, aren’t we?

　For now, I’ll let Nea know about the mock battle with the Leader while I’m at it.

“Nea?”

“Hmph, what? If you’re going to praise me, it’s fine if you overreact, okay?”

“The mock battle with the Leader is set for tomorrow.”

“……”

　Nea froze with a piquant smile on her face.

　I know how you feel, but I have to accept it.

　You have to be prepared for a lot of things in a fight with Rose.

　It will be painful, that’s for sure.

　I’m so frightened that I’m shaking.

　However, somewhere in my heart, I still want to show Rose, my mentor, how much I’ve grown.

“Also, I hate to lose. ……?”

　It’s the only strength that hasn’t changed since the original world.