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

　A child's scream echoed in the dark forest.

　Hearing it, senpai and I run as fast as we can toward the voice, and we emerge from the forest into a space that is one of the most open spaces.

　First, a village-like area with a number of old houses comes into view.

"Usato-kun! That!!"

　I look in the direction where senpai, clad in lightning, is pointing.

　In front of the door of a house that is one size larger than the others, a man of the demon tribe is lying in front of the door, bleeding from his legs, and two children are crying by his side. And there is a girl standing in front of a group of monsters, hang wolves, as if protecting the wounded man.

"Go away! Don't get closer!!"

　At the girl's feet, a shadow swayed and something like a tentacle flew into the air and swung around to keep the monsters away, but it was weak.

『That kid, she used dark magic......!?』

"Right now, it's better to do something about the monsters first!"

"That's right!"

　Furthermore, senpai, who wore her hood deeply, accelerated at once while covered in lightning flash all over her body, and delivered a powerful flying kick to a hang wolf that was about to attack a girl who used dark magic.

"———Eh?"

"Ah, so cute!?"

　I ignore senpai's shout who saw the girl.

　I need to tend to the injured while senpai deals with the hang wolf that tried to attack the children.

"Senpai, please keep the monsters away from here!"

"Leave it to me"

　Senpai shoots lightning attacks to the front to keep the monsters away from us.

　Meanwhile, I approach the two children who are crying and clinging to the male demon tribe.

"Don't come any closer! W-Who are you? Who are you people!!"

　A girl using dark magic stands between them as if she is wary.

　Crouching in front of the girl whose voice was trembling, I bent down to make eye contact with her and spoke to her in as calm a voice as possible.

"Don't worry. I'm just trying to help."

"......, B-But ......."

　Judging by her age, she is a little older than the crying children?

　The girl has dark silver hair and small horns. From the looks of her, she appears to be close in age to Nack.

　It is not surprising that they are wary of me, a stranger, and with my face hidden by a hood.

『——— Haa, it can’t be helped. Let's give it a try』

　Ferrum?

　I feel something push the hood on my head off as she mumbles that quietly in me.

　Along with that, I feel a little bit of discomfort with the black magic that covers my body.

『Usato, it's okay to take off the hood.』

"Eh, but..."

『Just do it!』

　The black magic forces the hood to move, exposing my true face.

　I quickly tried to hide my face, but unexpectedly, the children who saw my face were not surprised.

　Nea, who was as surprised, whispered to me from my shoulder.

"Usato, you have horns. And your hair is whitish, and your skin becomes like a demon's..."

"Eh? Eh?"

　I was puzzled and put my hand on my head, and indeed there was a horn around the side of my head.

　Rather, when I look at my hands, they have the brown skin of a demon tribe.

『I used the power of assimilation to make only the color of your skin match mine. The horns are a magical creation, so you don't have to worry about anything weird.』

　Can assimilation do that?

　No, it's a little more complicated, but it seems to have helped to put the kids in front of me off their guard.

　I took a deep breath and regained my composure while facing the girl.

"I want to treat him. Do you mind?"

"U-Un! Help Gref!! Uncle!"

　...Uncle?

　I slightly worry about being called uncle, and look at the wounds of the demon man called Gref.

　He must have been bitten by a hang wolf.

　If it is this bad, I can heal it with healing magic――――, but if I show my healing magic carelessly, they will know I am human, so I casually apply healing magic while wrapping a bandage for first aid that I have taken out of my bag.

"It's okay now"

"R-Really!?"

"Yes, but he's fainted, so you guys just wait here for a bit. We'll get rid of the monsters that attacked."

　After tying the bandage properly, I stand up and walk toward the senior who is releasing lightning.

　Healing magic is a system of magic that only manifests in humans. It is better to fight without healing magic because those who know will understand.

　Covering my arms with black magic, I let a whip grow out of my back to protect the children behind me.

"Wah, the same dark magic as mine..."

　I can hear the girl's voice behind me, but for now, let's focus on what's in front of me.

"I have healed the injured person. Now we just need to get rid of these guys."

"U-Usato-kun, is it okay if I retort your appearance?"

"Do that later ... Really, it's only the appearance that looks like a demon tribe..."

　No matter how much I tried to warn people, I never thought I would look like a demon myself.

　Senpai also seemed to understand the general situation when she saw the children of the demon tribe behind me.

"Then, let's clean this up quickly!"

　As soon as senpai draws her sword, she is covered with lightning, and with a gushing sound, she heads toward Hang Wolf.

　Switching my attention, I aim at the nearest hang wolf and raise my left arm.

"Stretch out!"

　Extending the black magic of my left arm, I grab the hang wolf by the neck and pull it to me.

　The hang wolf rampages half-crazed, but my arms, made of black magic, do not get a single scratch.

"Ba, vuauh!?"

"So~oi!!"

"Kuu————n!?"

　When it groans in pain, I throw it toward the forest.

　Two hang wolves, which had seen their companions disappear into the woods with a cry of grief, continued to charge at me.

　Soon after, Ferrum transformed my left arm into the shape of a shield, so I pushed my left arm forward and launched a body blow.

『You're using it wrong!?』

　I have no idea what you're talking about, but thank you!!

　I grab one of them by the neck, the one I frightened and the other one that attacked me as it was.

　Then I can just throw it in the forest——,

"Watch out!"

"Hn?"

""Gaauh!""

　At the same time as the girl's voice, I hear something jumping at me from both sides.

　Judging from the sound, are they trying to attack me by sandwiching me?

　However———,

『Won't let you!』

"I can see it!"

　———In this form, I have no blind spots...!

　From around my shoulder blades, an arm with sharp claws, resembling a black knight's gauntlet, reaches out and grabs the two that tried to surprise me, simultaneously applying a restraint spell on them.

"Did you think you could bite me so easily if I couldn't use my arm, you doggies...!"

"Uwaah, this is the devil, combined with the appearance of the devil..."

　When I think about it calmly, I look pretty dangerous right now, don't I?

　I'm in the form of a demon tribe, and I've got two black knight's arms-like things growing out of my back.

　In addition, each hand holds a hang wolf.

　... No, let's not worry about that now.

"To the sky!"

「「「「Ku――――n!?」」」」」

　For now, I'll just grab them up and throw the four into the forest.

"Well"

　As I flap my hands and look toward senpai, I see a hang wolf, paralyzed by an electric shock, lying on the ground, convulsing.

　Senpai seems to have cleaned up her side.

"As for my side... Hmm?"

「「「!?」」」

　When I glared at the rest of the hang wolves, they realized that they would be subjected to the same thing as the ones I had thrown, and they fled at full speed in the direction from which their friends had been thrown, with their whole fur all over their bodies.

"...Recently, I feel like the monsters are getting more and more scared of me."

『You were aware of that, huh?』

　She mutters something like that as she returns the black magic that has grown from my back.

　It's good that we repelled the pack of hang wolves, but I'm not sure if I should continue to be involved with them that were here.

　Even if only I disguise myself as a demon tribe, senpai and everyone else who has yet to arrive will have to hide their faces with hoods.

　As I was thinking about what I should do while checking on senpai who was rushing toward me, Nea suddenly jumped up from my shoulder.

"... Nea, what's wrong?"

"I've got an idea. I'll be back in a minute."

"Ah, oi!"

　Flapping her wings, Nea flew into the shadow of a building.

　I know she didn't go far, but what was she doing there...?

"Usato-kun, what are we going to do?"

"I'd like to wait until everyone else arrives, but first we should carry him back into the building, where he's collapsed."

"... you know, Usato-kun."

"I'll talk to those kids. Senpai is kind of, well, dangerous"

"What do you think I am?"

　No, the first thing that comes to your mind when you see a child using dark magic is, "Cute!" What are you talking about?

　If I leave it to senpai, it's going to be a mess in an instant, as I was about to speak to them again, Nea came out from the shadows of the house where she had flown away, transformed from an owl to a humanoid form.

　Nea ran up to me as if she were chasing us, her head covered with goat-like horns, and her skin had turned the same brown as that of the demon tribe.

"I've transformed into a demon. If it's like this, it won't be suspicious."

"Ne-Nea has a demon girl attribute...!? How many attributes does this girl have!?"

"You are..."

『This girl could do anything...』

　But it will definitely make communication much easier than if I were to speak to them alone.

　In that sense, it is a nice decision.

　With a very flustered senpai behind us, Nea and I approach the girl and the two children who have been staring at me since a while ago.

"E-Etto, nice to meet you. My name is Usato, Usato Ken."

"Hello. I'm Nea and I'm accompanying him on his journey."

　The two children tear up and hide behind the girl's back as I speak to them, trying not to scare them as much as possible.

　Uwh, this is not good. I can't close the distance.

　Perhaps unable to look at me like that, Nea opened her mouth with a smile on her face.

"I am his wife♪"

"What are you lying to the children for?"

"Kyan!?"

　Hit Nea's forehead with a healing finger bullet thrown from my gauntlet.

　Ignoring her writhing in agony with a voice not unlike a girl's, I regain my composure and talk to the children, who look stunned.

"May I know your name?"

"... Keira. These children are Rose and Ram."

"Well then, Keira. The monsters might attack again, so for now, let's carry this person who is unconscious to a nearby house."

"...Un"

　After confirming that Keira nodded her head, I carried the man of the demon tribe called Gref.

"Senpai. When Kazuki and the others arrive, may I ask you to explain to them?"

"Either way, that seems to be all I can do right now ... Understood. After I meet up with Kazuki-kun and the others, I'll be standing nearby."

　The first thing we need to do is to confirm the safety of this person who seems to be their guardian.

　When I put my hand on the front door of the nearby house where Gref-san had fallen, I hear the creaking of wood and smell the musty odor, as if it hasn't been used for years.

"...Are the other houses like this?"

　As it is, when I try to step into the building with Nea, the hem of my clothes is tugged from behind.

　When I turned around, the girl, who identified herself as Keira, somewhat flustered, removed her hand from the hem of my corps uniform.

"U-Uhm, uncle, uh...thank you very much."

"Uncle ......"

"Pu, fufu, uncle, she said."

　Ignoring Nea who was holding back her laughter, I looked at myself reflected in the glass window at the entrance.

　It is blurred and dirty with dust, but there is my face, which has grown black horns and changed to the brown skin characteristic of the demon tribe.

　I put my hand on my chin, thinking of Lloyd-sama, Sigurth-san, Lucas-sama, and Hyde-san.

　Although it would have been shocking to be called an uncle before ... Un.

"Was I that ...... dandy?"

"You're not that dissatisfied, are you..."

『You are so stupid sometimes』

　It just feels a little fresh to me because every time they say it, all I get is that I look like Rose.

　I just don't care because I've been called worse than "uncle," okay?