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

　I carried the injured demon, a man named Gref, into a nearby house, and after checking to make sure no one was inside for the time being, I decided to put him on a bed close at hand.

"Has it been quite a while since the house was unoccupied...?"

　After lightly brushing the dust off the bed, I put Gref-san to bed.

　He was a male of about 40 years old, with brown color and rather large horns, making him look a little frail for a demon tribe.

　When I was wondering why he was surrounded by monsters with two kids by his side ――― Roze and Ram a boy about eight years old, and they rushed over to his side.

"Uncle Gref..."

"..."

　Is that Gref-san's kid?

　... No, he said uncle, so it's wrong?

"Is Gref's injury ...... okay?"

"I've given him first aid, so don't worry."

"But... there was a lot of blood... recovery magic is not..."

　Keira, who was watching Gref-san at a distance one step away from Roze and Ram, muttered anxiously.

　This girl seems to understand how deep his wounds were.

　Nea spoke to Keira in a calm tone, perhaps because she couldn't stand my hesitation.

"Don't worry about that. He is very good at recovery magic. So he'll be fine now."

"...Really?"

"Yeah, I'm not lying. Right? Isn't that right?"

"Y-Yeah"

　Smooth words make smooth ways, so I'm glad that Nea is here.

　Or rather, I'm too bad at deceiving people.

　Keira, who patted her chest in relief, looked up at me with a determined look on her face and said, "Ah!"

"Hmm?"

"I-I'm sorry! I called you uncle...onii-san...right?"

『This kid was simply unaware of it?』

　With these horns and brown skin, did she not recognize me as a demon?

　Come to think of it, except for the first look, I've only shown my back to this girl, so it's not surprising that she's mistaken.

　But...

"Not because I'm elegant and cool, huh..."

『Where's that?』

"Eh, lie, you're depressed?"

　Depressed, I laugh at Keira, who looks anxious.

"I'm not mad at you, so don't worry. And I don't mind being called uncle at all."

"I-Is that so..."

"But more importantly, can you tell me about you guys? I don't mind being told to some extent."

　Keira, who glanced at Gref-san, showed hesitation before opening her mouth.

"...We, everyone were heading to the center of the demon king's territory ...... and on the way, we were attacked by monsters and got separated..."

"Everyone? Were you moving in a group?"

"Yes. About twenty people... They said that monsters are active now and it's dangerous, so we should move to a new place to live..."

　Were they moving toward the center of the demon king's territory to escape the monsters?

　In the middle of that, they were attacked by monsters and then Gref-san, Keira and the others got separated from the group, so they came here to find a safe place to stay ―――― That's fine, but at that timing, they were attacked by a pack of hangwolves.

"Do you have a plan to meet up with the group?"

"According to Gref, there is another "abandoned settlement" beyond the ruins, and we are supposed to meet up with them there."

　Ruins...?　

　No, more importantly, so they have a way to rejoin the group in case of emergency.

　In that case, should we not get involved any further? ...No, in the meantime, I should hear the story directly from Gref-san.

"Uhm, onii-san... Usato-san, why are you here? Are you heading to the center like us?"

"Hmm? Well, we're just the same. I was just passing by and heard your screams and rushed over."

　I can't even talk about my real goal of defeating the Demon King.

　That said, if I were to deceive them in any way, I would look suspicious, so let's just say that I am here for the same purpose as the girls.

　...It’s about time Kazuki and the others arrived.

"Nea, look at these kids and Gref-san. I'll explain to everyone."

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on them properly, so don't worry."

　I asked Nea to stay here and leave the room.

　Immediately after that, Keira shouted to me from behind.

"U-Uhm! Are you a dark magic user like me!?"

"..."

　I can't help but stop in my tracks with my back to Keira.

　What was contained in her voice was the anxiety of having called herself a dark magic user and the joy of having met a dark magic user just like herself.

『Give a nod, or she'll get suspicious.』

　Ferrum's voice brought me back to myself, and I smiled as best I could, my cheeks twitching, and turned to Keira.

"...Yeah, you're right. I am a dark mage. We'll talk about this later."

"Y-Yes!"

　I turn my back on her who looks happy and go outside.

"I've done something bad..."

『You're not wrong. Now that you've assimilated me, you're a dark mage.』

"You say that, but..."

　I don't feel very good about deceiving a child like Keira, even if it is to prevent her from finding out who we are.

『...Perhaps that child was abandoned by her parents.』

"How do you know? She could be Gref-san's daughter, right?"

『It's a hunch. I intuitively thought so.』

　Only a hunch, of all things.

　... There is a person called Rose who has an almost certain intuition, so I can’t deny it.

『Don't go into it too much. They'll be dependent on you. Even you, you're easy to be liked by weirdos like Koga.』

"Why, of all things, Koga...?"

『Because he's the most dangerous guy』

　I should have denied it, but I was unconsciously convinced.

　Abababa, I could imagine Koga smiling and attacking me...!

　While I was thinking about it, I spotted Senpai, Kazuki and the others on the outskirts of the village where we were now.

　I wonder if senpai was properly informed of the situation, because all of them, except for Blurin, are hiding their heads with hoods.

"First of all, I have to explain the situation."

『... Right』

　While concerned about Ferrum, who was a little listless, I ran up to them to meet up with senpai and the others once they arrived.

●

　First of all, they were surprised to see me in my demon form.

　Senpai seemed to have explained it to them at least, but Kazuki and Leona-san were amazed at how my appearance had changed, and Amako frowned and said, "I couldn't prevent it...!" she muttered in frustration.

　Well, as for my appearance, it will return to normal once I unassimilate with Ferrum, but first I decided to visit an empty house nearby and report the situation up to this point.

　By the way, Blurin is waiting at the entrance of the house.

"... a demon tribe man and three children, huh?"

　In what appears to be a living room, Leona-san puts her hand on her chin when she hears my report.

　The living room had a wooden table.

"They were cute kids."

"..."

"Usato-kun, I don't mean any harm, okay? So there's no need to distance yourself, okay?"

　Senpai grabs my arm firmly as I try to keep my distance from her.

　Did she read my actions in advance!? I-It's strong...!

　She smiled fearlessly at me who was intimidated, and called out to Leona-san who was pondering.

"Leona, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

"Fumu, there is a risk that the demon tribe will find out who we are... When you think about it, it doesn't hurt us all that much."

"Eh, why?"

　Leona-san answered Kazuki's question.

"In the worst case scenario, we could always ask Nea for help."

"Is it Nea's power as a vampire..."

　Nea can manipulate her targets by sucking the blood from their necks.

　It is an extraordinary power that can manipulate a wide range from actions to memories.

"However, I would not want to use this too often. It should only be considered as a last resort."

"Right. Even if you manipulate them on this occasion, they might get suspicious later on."

　Besides, Nea wouldn't want to manipulate such a young child either.

　Based on her reaction to children at the Hidden Village of Hinomoto and earlier, we know that she likes children.

　This should be considered only as a last resort.

"So what are we going to do now? Should we leave immediately?"

"... No, in a way this is a good opportunity."

　Leona-san's reply to senpai made me tilt my head.

"We are all a bit tired from the many battles we have fought on our journey to this day. Although the house is empty, we have a place to rest our bodies, and we should take a rest, even if only for a short time."

"Indeed, everyone was fighting the whole way through..."

　Amako, who had been watching the monsters attack, nodded her head in approval.

　I can heal the physical body as much as I want with my healing magic, but as I said, healing magic is not as effective as it is when it comes to the spirit.

　As Leona-san says, we have to take proper rest to rest our minds.

"We don't have to worry about the water supply, as there was a nearby well that had not dried up. Also, ...... we should gather some food. We still have plenty of food to spare, but in anticipation of future trips, we should get some on the way."

"The first portion will not be enough."

　After all, it's enough food for eight people, including Blurin.

　We have to get it from somewhere, at the end, it will reach the limit.

　When I was convinced by her words, Amako raised her hand.

"If so, I heard the sound of a river running nearby when we were coming here. I don't know if there are fish there or not, but it's worth a try."

　When I think of fish, what comes to my mind is the figure of senpai catching fish in the darkness of Lingle before.

"Then, it's Senpai's turn."

"Usato-kun. As for me, I don't mind being depended on by you, but I have a complicated feeling that my role is a fish catcher, you know?"

"It's because I trust you."

"The quota is 100 fish, is it okay?"

　Isn't that too much?

　As I chuckled at senpai, who was filled with a strange sense of motivation, Kazuki then spoke up to Leona-san.

"But aren't we taking too long?"

"Our ultimate goal is to defeat the Demon King. That's why it's meaningless if we get beaten up by monsters on the way ...... Usato's healing magic isn't flawless either. We should be more cautious than necessary on this journey."

"...Indeed"

　Kazuki seemed convinced by those words.

　After concluding that she had gained understanding from the others, Leona-san looked around at us once more and opened her mouth.

"While we rest in this vacant house, Usato, Ferrum, and Nea will deal with and monitor the demons who are here. Kazuki, Suzune, Amako and I will be mainly responsible for gathering food. Whenever possible, two or more people should work together to procure food."

　When you say "monitoring," do you mean monitoring in the sense of keeping our true identities from being discovered?

　Disguising myself as a demon tribe is a bit uncomfortable even for me, but I can't be selfish.

"Ah, Leona-san."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Amako?"

"I don't think it will be a problem if they find out that I am a beastman. It seems that beastmen are closer to demons than to humans."

"If that's the case, I'll leave it to you to support Usato."

　Will Amako come too?

　This is a group of people that reminds me of the time when I was traveling to deliver a letter.

　It would be perfect if Arc-san was here ...... But he's also doing his best in Kingdom of Lingle.

"I'll do my best too... Ferrum, Amako, we'll go to Keira and the others. I'll have to introduce you to them."

"... Right"

"Yeah, I got it"

　Ferrum's body sinks into the shadows and assimilates with me.

　In addition, the power of her assimilation changes my skin color and hair color, and a horn made of black magic grows on my head.

"Okay, I guess we're good to go."

"When you transform right in front of me, it's really strange..."

"Ogre becomes a demon. ...Demonization?"

　I smile wryly at Kazuki, who looks at me in admiration.

　Amako's mutterings didn't reach my ears, but I'll have her a little payback later, yes.

　As I was checking to see if I had horns on my head, senpai next to me put her hand on my shoulder.

"Usato-kun, be careful not to reveal your true identity."

"Yes. Senpai, watch out for the monsters too."

"I know. But you have a tendency to unintentionally accumulate a lot of worries ... That's why I thought I'd let you know that you have us, your friends."

"Senpai..."

　I nodded to senpai who said to me in her own words, "It's called a little meddling".

　After all, whatever the case may be, senpai is respectable to me――――,

"Afterwards, tell those girls, so they will be impressed with me."

"..."

『You've ruined it』

　She said such a ruined thing with a sharp look on her face.

　Ferrum, who has been assimilating with me, is also becoming somewhat discouraged.

　Aa, Aa, right. This is also senpai... Yeah.

　I replied while shrugging my shoulders.

"I refuse"

"Then let me touch your horns later."

"No"

"Then, next time, use your magic to grow cat ears."

"Of course, no."

　What do you mean, "Then"? Not a single compromise has been made, and another terrible request has been added.

　When I forgot even the honorifics that I always use and pulled back, the dignified-looking senpai had a fearless smile on her face.

"You're so stubborn...! But, Usato-kun must be like that...!"

"You are more complicated than ever today!?"

　I mean, that's not the kind of thing you say to a man, is it?

　Why are you in a position to conquer me? I'm a bit pushed today because senpai is rather strong.

"If you push and it doesn't work, pull. If you pull and it doesn't work, push through, Usato-kun!"

"Senpai, I don't understand the meaning at all..."

　As usual, I am a little disappointed with senpai, who is always three steps ahead of the average person, but on the other hand, I find myself enjoying such silly exchange.

　I have some concerns about the future, but with this person in my life, I may be able to stay as I am.