CH 113

[Dazed]

“Then, ‘Woodtaker’s’ main body is the bird?” (Higaki)

“Yeah. You might be fooled by the form of that stupidly huge human-faced tree, but its main body is actually the bird in the canopy. That guy has his damn long tail stretched all over inside the tree to manipulate the human-faced tree. So, it’s quicker to get rid of the bird in the canopy than to deal with the human-faced tree itself.” (Sakurai)

“Hihiiin?”

“I don’t understand what you said, keep your eyes to the front, Horsie.” (Sakurai)

“Hihiin.” (Horsie)

At dusk, on our way back to the academy after collecting the requested items.

I’m teaching Higaki my knowledge about the human-faced tree-shaped monster ‘Woodtaker’, the boss of ‘Matière Forest Cave’, while we are on Horsie’s back.

I hold the reins with one hand and swing my still sheathed sword with the other.

I use the strength from my waist down to keep my balance so that my posture doesn’t break every time I swing.

By doing this, I could get a moderate amount of experience points for Horse-Riding and slight amount for Swordsmanship.

If I was alone, I could have raised the experience points gain efficiency a little higher by standing on Horsie’s back while swinging, but I couldn’t do so with Higaki behind me, holding onto my waist.

Because I was the one who asked her to accompany me to the off-campus dungeon, I couldn’t just flatly tell her to get off; that was why I decided to go home quietly in this manner.

That said, it took 6 hours to travel to and from even a quite close off-campus dungeon, huh.

If I consider the travel time to other off-campus dungeons, looks like I have no reason to go there unless I have a pressing matter at hand… after all, devoting my time to farm experience points in the academy dungeon will be far more efficient.

“Hi! Hihiiin! Hiiin!”

“Hm? What’s that?” (Sakurai)

“What’s wrong, Sakurai?” (Higaki)

After we arrived at the academy, when I’m about to head for Iris’s place to unload our luggage, Horsie suddenly cries.

He shakes his as if to say “Look over there”, so I turn my gaze in the direction he indicates; there I can see a large number of people rushing in front of the bulletin board.

When Higaki, who is on the back, leans over and see the scene, she asks me with her eyes “Did you do something again?”, but I have no idea as to what it is all about, so I deny her with silence.

“Ah, isn’t that Iris and Ethel. O~i.” (Sakurai)

“Hm? If it isn’t Sakurai.” (Ethel)

“Sakurai-san! Sakurai-saaaan! Emergency, it’s an emergencyyy!” (Iris)

When we get close to confirm the cause of the commotion, I find Ethel and Iris among the crowd, so I call out to them.

As soon as we get off Horsie, Iris jumps at me, so I deflect her and push her against Higaki. For some reason, Iris screams in protest, “Whyyy!?”, behind me, but let’s ignore her for now.

After all, an unspecified large number of students are gathering here now, and I don’t know how many eyes are looking in our direction. Under such circumstances, if an eye-catching beauty who has a good style and wears a clothing with a high degree of exposure like Iris clings to a mob character like me, it may give a strange misunderstanding to the surroundings.

Before, when Anubis entrusted Iris to us, he ordered us that if she get entangled with a troublesome male student, we are to send him to the hospital or straight to the ‘Netherworld’.

Even like this, being upright and clean-handed is my selling point, I don’t want to have to make the students to do a ‘Netherwold’-reaching challenge.

“So, what the heck happened?” (Sakurai)

“Ah~, that is, you see… Hmm, I don’t think saying it to Tōru is a good idea…” (Ethel)

I throw coins to Ethel who is troubled at my question.

But she’s still hesitating to say even after receiving the coins; she’s seemingly concerned about me for some reason.

But that attitude of hers shows that this commotion somehow has something to do with me.

In that case, that is all the more reason for me to make her talk.

“Ethel.” (Sakurai)

I gently put my left hand on Ethel’s shoulder and hold her hand firmly with my right.

Inside my hand is additional money. After lifting up our linked hands to the front of our faces, I meet her eyes and says powerfully,

“Please tell me.” (Sakurai)

“Thank you for your patronage~!” (Ethel)

“This money-grubber!!” (Sakurai)

I knock her hand away, separating our hands, and the money falls to the ground. Ethel then begins to collect the money from the ground while grinning stupidly, whereas I keep looking at her with a cold gaze.

Even if it’s to give the beautiful blonde blue-eyed elf girl a gap moe attribute, I can’t help but wonder why did the creators choose money-grubber of all traits out there.

“Ehehe moneeeey ehehe.” (Ethel)

Well, even like this… she’s still one of the heroines in the original storyline, so no matter how much of a money-grubber she is, there’s a line she will never cross.

Her true nature is good. That’s why, she seemingly concerned about me, too, must be because she is concerned about me, no doubt.

That aside, she’s a money-grubber, though.

(But well, conversely, it proves that it is something unimportant enough that I can get her to talk with money, huh.)

If that is the case, looks like I don’t need to take it too seriously.

Iris is still yelling “Emergency, it’s an emergency,” but I’m sure she’s just over-exaggerating the matter.

“So, what exactly happened?”

“Eh? Ah, e~rr, u~mm.” (Ethel)

What’s with that “I’ve done it now” face, if you don’t open your mouth soon, I’m gonna confiscate the money I gave you, y’know, you money-grubbing elf.

“……Un, alright. Tōru, listen calmly, okay?” (Ethel)

“Just spit it out already.” (Sakurai)

“Don’t get angry, okay?” (Ethel)

“If you drag it out one more time, I’ll have you give my money back.” (Sakurai)

“Anything but that! I’ll say it, I’ll say it, alright!” (Ethel)

Ethel, who has finally succumbed to my threat, puts the money in herbreast pocket as though to calm herself, then she puts hands over it, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath as though to brace herself.

And then, as if she has made her resolve, she opens her eyes, brings her face closer to me, and says,

“The entrance of the academy dungeon has been completely blocked and no one can go in or out.” (Ethel)

…….

…………?

Eh? Hah?

“Ain’t that… an emergency…” (Sakurai)

When humans hear an unacceptable information to them, their thinking ability may become completely paralyzed.

On this day, I, who have heard the terrible news – the entrance of the academy dungeon has been completely blocked – am no exception to that example.

Because my brain can’t accept the sudden news, words that can make others question my sanity spill out of my mouth intermittently.