NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: (2)
Around at the same time. Team Tanaka had been continuously proceeding eastward and was close to reaching the center of the Kingdom.
It was a hilly area with forests dotted around. Compared to the wastelands, it was more inhabited, and there were vast plots of lands that had been developed into farmlands.
The military patrolled the area on a regular basis, so the safety was also good. Moreover, said military had also driven the monsters into the scattered forests. In one of such forests, Team Tanaka continued to hunt and move eastward at a steady pace. However, the leader, Tanaka, was no longer the cheerful and lively person he used to be.
「He seems as listless as ever-degozaru.」
「I guess it’s because we made that Victory Pose under the rain without him…. that guy, he’s surprisingly easy to get lonely, huh….」
That fateful day. Ever since they welcomed him in the victory pose they newly developed, Tanaka had been listless. The two of them were worried about him, but they had done nothing in particular about it. That was because they believed in Tanaka. The bond of comradery they had cultivated up to this point wasn’t one that was easy to shake.
「I believe in him. That before long, he will definitely show us a pose that will blow us out of our minds.」
「You’re right-degozaru. It’s a moment of obscurity before the advent of transcendental idea-degozaru.」
Suke-san and Kaku-san continued to wait. The day Tanaka would rise up again. There was not even a shred of doubt about it in their minds. As they were preoccupied with the expectation of the mark of growth he’d show them in the near future. Men were creatures who always strove for even greater heights.
And speaking of the person in question, Tanaka was certainly shocked by their Victory Pose under the rain. However, he had already received an even more shocking problem prior to that.
That was, of course, the problem of having his power being stolen by the hero. Even now, half a month after that, he had yet to find a countermeasure to overcome this problem. Nevertheless, the reason why he continued to head eastward and did not neglect his daily training was because he was afraid of the danger that was lurking beyond this problem. If he neglected his training and the absorption of the hero were to occur when he only had little vitality left…, when push came to shove, he might end up dying. There was no guarantee if that was indeed that case, but it was too dangerous of a problem to be ascertained first hand. Thus, for the time being, he had no choice but to continue struggling. Believing that there was a light beyond this darkness–.
And then, speaking of another problem at the moment, it was that they could not get too close to human settlements. The area was frequently patrolled by the military. Tanaka, who wanted to avoid getting in any trouble with them, had no choice but to avoid going to a town or moving through the highway. It was a waste of Suke-san’s brand new equipment, but it could not be helped. Even if they didn’t find out that he was a demon, his appearance alone was very suspicious to begin with. If they were to head to a town, they would without a doubt get themselves involved in some kind of trouble. Tanaka, who had arrived at the conclusion that they had no choice but to go through the forest from that point of view, might actually be a fortunate man.
Thus, team Tanaka continued to head eastward while avoiding the eyes of people.
As usual, they were hunting in the forest, but—
「From this point onward is the village of the horned tribe. Humans are not allowed to step in. Begone!」
A man suddenly appeared in front of them. His physique showed that he was quite well trained. And then, he had a magnificent horn protruding out of his forehead. The horn was akin to a sparkling jewel. Tanaka couldn’t help but give it a curious look. Seeing his action, the man misunderstood it as Tanaka being unwilling to leave. The man came at him furiously.
「You lowly humans! I’ll will drive you away by force then!」
With a lance in hand, he rushed at him. However, that ability of his was an insignificant one in the eyes of Team Tanaka. As they easily evaded the lance that the man had brandished with all his might.
「Fuh.」
Even as he was overcome with despair and lacking in spirit, the one standing there was nonetheless a man who always paid attention to how cool he appeared. He magnificently evaded the attack with his hair flashily fluttering in the air. Suke-san swiftly grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it to make him let go of his weapon. It was truly a great teamwork.
「Guoo…, wha, what in the hell, you lot are….」
The man who had been so easily neutralized could do nothing but groan.
「Hey—! What are you doing?!」
The one who rushed over while letting out such a voice was a beautiful girl. The horn on her forehead told them that she was of the same tribe as the man. It was the first time in a long while that Tanaka had seen a beautiful girl, so it cheered him up a little. However, the unshakable little man spirit in him didn’t forget to stay alert.
And then, the situation took an unexpected turn. Surprisingly, the beautiful girl smacked the seized man on the head.
「Murgai! Is your brain made of muscle? Didn’t we all agree to reconcile with humans? So why are you attacking these people?」
The beautiful girl kept hitting the head of the man called Murgai. As Tanaka watched her, he fell into thought. He immediately looked through the database in his brain for energetic heroine capture strategies and began to analyze them. As you would expect of a man who once aspired to become a first-class flag raiser, his judgment was impeccable.
「Ah, young lady. How about you spare him with only that much?」
Tanaka initiated the first contact in a gentlemanly attitude. His posture was so calm that it was incongruous with the energetic girl. This was an offensive move that put his outstanding wisdom on full display, calculating the tendency of energetic-type beauties to seek after something they lacked. What a terrifying strategy.
「Ah…, I’m sorry! For the rudeness of this muscle head!」
The girl apologized while vigorously bowing her head. Unexpectedly, this encounter started with Tanaka in an advantageous position. As far as Tanaka was concerned, he couldn’t afford to cut the conversation short in order not to let this chance go.
「No, no, no, he seems to have reflected on his actions, so you don’t have to worry about it, young lady. My name is Echigoya. I run a clothing wholesale store in the Haru Empire. I’m currently on my way to return to the Empire after finishing a job, but… Oh right, if you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could kindly tell me your name, young lady?」
He casually used Echigoya’s name. Concealing his real name to protect his own safety, you couldn’t expect less of this man. Moreover, the way he shallowly came up with such an idea without considering the off chance the person in question, Echigoya, learned about it, all you could say was, as expected of Tanaka.