Chapter 36: 36

36 – Before the Camping Trip with Leo

I’ve gotten a little fatter.

One of the Big Four has agreed to help me lose weight.

That person is a large, male Demon with the head of a lion, Leo.

Seems like he’s responsible for managing the army.

Eleanor is leading an elite group who have been approved for independent investigations. I also heard that they rely on her Teleportation spell, so she’s given a lot of jobs.

Incidentally, the intelligence department is under the Demon King’s direct jurisdiction, so Vivi’s boss is not Eleanor, but old man Demon King himself.

As for the remaining two members of the Big Four, one of them is the head of the magic-user squad and the last one seems to be a farmer.

……A farmer?

I was curious for a moment, but then again, food is quite important.

To be promoted to the ranks of the Big Four must mean that that person has something great.

「Alright, first, we head to that mountain on horseback.」

By the way, I teleported the Saint Marie back to Human Territory.

Eleanor wanted to tag along, but she’s a very busy woman.

She headed for a mission with her subordinates who came to pick her up.

「Huh? Can’t we just teleport there?」

「…It is that laziness that made you fat.」

「Guh…」

This is a trap set by the Teleportation spell! Its over-convenience is not good.

That said, even though I used it all the time, Space Elemental magic can only be used to teleport a short distance despite the enormous amount of mana it consumes.

A while ago, I teleported over and over again to save the white fox, but Eleanor, who was with us, was losing mana rapidly.

In other words, I’m one of the only people in the world who can say that…using Teleportation too much and not using your legs will make you fat.

I’m getting a little embarrassed.

「Oh well. I feel like it’s been a while since I rode a horse anyway.」

「I wouldn’t say playing indoors is a bad thing, but I think taking a long ride on a horse is good too.」

「Ah, I see.」

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey, huh?

I’ve never really experienced that, so this will be a new sensation.

「By the way, why did you decide to take me camping with you, Leo?」

I can understand the Seven, a term coined by my partner, Mika the holy sword.

They are a group of seven women who I saved in the past and they feel indebted to me, so I understand them doing things for me.

But I’ve never even met Leo before.

「I was able to get some free time.」

「Is that so?」

The Demon King, the big cheese, is constantly maintaining the barrier that protects this country from the miasma.

The Big Four has no such thing as free time.

In fact, Eleanor makes use of the spare time in between her busy hours to come to see me.

Also recently, I have been given money to use freely, like pocket money.

I asked about the currency situation in this country, and it seems that I was given roughly the monthly income of an adult male.

I get that much every week.

…I am becoming more and more of a freeloader as the days go by.

No, I am undeniably a freeloader.

I can’t even think of what to use it for, so I’ve been saving it.

If I decline, she looks so sad, so I can’t refuse.

…I’ve gone off-topic. Anyway, there’s no way Leo has free time.

If there’s any reason to spare precious time with me, excluding something for the good of the Demon King Army, it’s most likely…

「Rain.」

「Yeah?」

We left the room, walked down the corridor, down the stairs, and headed outside.

「I hear that your body is in good shape.」

I knew it.

「Yeah, it’s pretty good. I think I’ve gotten stronger than when I was in Human Territory. It looks fat, though.」

Leo let out a faint「Heh.」and then went back to a serious expression,

「Are you already aware of fighting within Demon Territo-no, within miasma soil?」

「I found out recently.」

Miasma, that which fills Makai.

It alters the surrounding flora and fauna and erodes the soil.

This miasma seeps in through the Rifts that connect this world and Makai. Also, it seems there is a portion of Demons who know a way of spreading the miasma, and even if the miasma is left alone, it spreads by itself gradually.

The lands afflicted by the miasma are called miasma soil and are no longer an environment that people can live in.

It is very difficult to purify the land, putting Humanity into a situation where they have to defend themselves while slowly losing land.

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Recently, it seems that they have been having an easier time defending, but the threat of the miasma is still a big problem.

「You have gained a tremendous amount of power in a short period of time.」

「Looks that way.」

I don’t know what role the miasma plays in this, but it would seem that killing someone on miasma soil allows the killer to steal the dead guy’s power.

In other words, you can become stronger just by killing the enemy.

I have already killed several Kings of Whatevers and have grown in power by an alarming amount.

「Has your mind experienced any abnormalities?」

「I’m fine. I was thoroughly examined.」　

By the Saint Marie.

She wanted me to be naked for that for some reason, but Eleanor and gang put a stop to that.

Anyway, there seem to be many whose personalities become more and more ferocious as they get stronger this way.

Rather than attaining the enemy’s strength, I think it’s more accurate to say that the soul of the murdered is being taken in.

If I think of it as getting stronger by taking in the soul of those that were just killed…I can see why many would start going weird.

In my case, I think the Hero Crest may have something to do with it.

「…Hm, it’s true that there doesn’t seem to be a problem.」

I guess this is something a military man who climbed his way up to the Big Four can tell just by observing me directly.

「That’s cos I’m a Savior.」

「…Yeah, you’re right.」

For a brief moment, Leo’s face showed mixed feelings.

Leo is a colleague of Eleanor’s. He might feel conflicted about me having worked as a Savior since I was a child.

I can somehow sense that his gaze is kind.

「Well, now that you’ve asked what you wanted to ask… Are we still going camping?」

「Mm. It would not do for you to look down on me. I am Leo, and once I make a promise, I always keep it. Let us begin.」

「Yeah.」

After a pause, Leo smiled, baring his teeth.

「I’m already in the mood for camping. I won’t be able to get any work done until I’ve had my fill.」

「Ahaha, good. I’m kinda looking forward to this too.」

I knew he was kidding, but he said it so joyfully that I couldn’t help but laugh.

『Rain the freeloader. If you wish to ride, do it on me, rather than a horse.』

Now, when I was about to ride a horse, the white fox appeared out of nowhere.

He deftly held Mika in his mouth.

『Hey, be careful, fluffy. This is a new sheath. I won’t let you off easy if you leave any bite marks on it, okay?』

My partner, Mika, is the same as ever.

With a wry smile, I take her from the white fox.

Mika and the white fox both sensed my movements and followed me here.

I thought that the white fox would be guarding the fox-eared Ur, but when I asked, it seems that the kids are currently with the black-haired maid Lejie and the red-haired maid Azla.

There certainly isn’t any need to worry about those escorts.

I feel that way too, I wonder why. I guess it’s just a feeling.

『Passing the time within the castle isn’t bad, but it is nice to run on the ground, is it not?』

So it is a feeling. I guess even sacred beasts need a break.

「Sure, let’s go. Is that alright, Leo?」

「…I knew of its existence, but for you to truly have a friendly relationship with a sacred beast… As expected of a Hero…I suppose.」

He seems shocked for some reason.

But I don’t think he’s against it.

『Were you trying to leave me behind?』

「I didn’t wanna interrupt your time with Louto.」

『You don’t have to worry about that, just take me wherever you go.』

「You got it, partner.」

『Th-then it’s fine…!』

She seems happy.

「The sheath feels good.」

『…! Th-thanks.』

Alright, she’s totally in a good mood now.

Leo straddled a black horse, while I got on the white fox.

「Let’s go.」

「I’ll say this first, once we get to the foot of the mountain, we’re climbing it on foot.」

「…Understood.」

I didn’t think that I would be climbing it while riding the white fox or using Teleportation.

At any rate, camping, huh?

I wonder what the meals are gonna be like.

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