Chapter 142: The two small miracles (1/2)

Chapter 142: The two small miracles

Ah…

I crumble down in front of it.

‘There’s no problem, we just need to rebuild it later. That’s why I took the store’s sign and disposed of the store’

When I went to hear about the situation, Tomoe told me this without hesitation.

By the time I noticed, I was already here.

My mental state was as if someone told me: ‘hey your house is burning’.

There’s no traces of it being burned though.

Without thinking, I was on my hands and feet, and looking at the place that has turned into rubble.

Kuzunoha Company.

The first store I had.

I didn’t even have previous part-time job experience, left a lot of the work to others, and can only remember lots of bad experiences though.

There were lots of painful memories but… but!

When I see it destroyed like this, I feel sad.

There wasn’t anything important left and it isn’t like my rights for the lot will be gone.

And the things Tomoe said were plausible.

The inventory has all been stowed away in the storage of Asora.

Also, if the stores around are all destroyed and only my store remains safe, it would only bring about unnecessary misunderstandings.

Well the store itself was only furniture and goods, and the renovation was done in a single day.

If I wanted to make it again from 0, I just have to ask the eldwas and it wouldn’t even take 3 days.

Even so…

I understand all the reasons, but since it was heavy, a sigh leaks out from my mouth.

It still doesn’t change my sadness.

The buildings at both sides are also destroyed completely and the one opposite to us has smoke coming out from the rubbles.

Yeah.

Destroying the store was an appropriate move.

I can tell that a variant unluckily appeared around this area.

I don’t know their conduct principle, but if their target is the teleport formations, there was a part of me that thought the damage in town wouldn’t be that bad.

That’s why I had small hopes in seeing my store safe.

Hah…

Things like Asora and military power… Let’s try putting them to practical use.

Is what I resolved to do not that long ago.

Or is she telling me to set sail anew from an empty lot?

… Let’s take it in a positive manner.

Change of attitude.

“If the guy who made all this place a mass of rubble was around here, I would still be able to take it down but…” (Makoto)

The remains of what seem to be the results of a fireball crashing. No, it is as if something of high-temperature charged through the place.

Was this done by a variant resembling a fire element wild boar, or something like that?

When I try to picture the offender, the only common point I can find is the gray color skin of the two I have already seen.

The chances that it has a shape I can’t even imagine are pretty high. Even so, with small hope, I look around.

But to my disappointment, the area around here is already quiet.

Looks like the residents have already evacuated, and even when I can hear commotion from afar, there’s nothing like that in these areas.

My store is gone, so they probably finished evacuating the people in the early stages of the uproar.

Well, physical things will one day break.

I do have lingering affection towards my store, but for now let’s just go to where the students have evacuated.

It wouldn’t be strange for a temporary teacher to be there and it is safe.

“N?”

I think I heard something.

I perk up my ears.

Yeah, I really do hear something.

A scream.

And it is pretty close.

Several people are screaming intermittently.

That direction is… directly straight from the back of my store.

Wait.

Isn’t that the brothel avenue?

There’s a variant in such a place too?

The current mission of the Kuzunoha Company is evacuation.

As the representative, I’m no exception.

Or more like, the chances it is the same one that laid waste to this place is pretty high.

It might be the opportunity for retribution.

The equipment the eldwas made for me, the open version jacket. I activate the speed mode.

In the spacious street that has turned slightly athletic-like because of the rubble, I run directly towards the direction of the scream.

Even so, the brothels, a place that would normally not be an objective in a battlefield.

I wonder what reason Rona had to place a variant in such a place.

And in this timing nonetheless.

If the variants rampage following their instincts, their uses would be quite limited, but if their objective is the teleport formations, maybe there’s one in that area and she chose to place a variant there?

No, that’s not it.

Ilumgand was a student.

He transformed in the tournament grounds.

In the first place, the chances of ending only as a disturbance if they are driven by instinct is pretty high.

Thinking that she did this even when she withdrew her subordinates, means this plan should not be assured to succeed.

No. What if the demon race is still unable to control the timing of the activation in this tactic?

There’s the possibility that they spread the medicine and accessories to the people that get close to their target locations frequently.

If they don’t care about the numbers they produce and the amount of casualties, they would probably put the plan in motion.

As usual, I can’t imagine what Rona is thinking, but while I was thinking about this and that, I arrived at the source of the scream.

As I thought, it really was the brothel avenue.

In this place the damage to the buildings is not that high. But in the corners of that place, the sounds of screams and destruction resounded.

Over there huh.

Without losing my way I head there, and from the window of a store, a cluster of something comes flying at me.

Oh, a boulder.

A cluster made up of a stove or something of the sort.

It flew at me with quite the speed, but without even touching my jacket, it stopped about 1 meter away from me with magic power and changed directions before falling.

A heavy noise sounds in a place a bit far from me.

Several clusters continued flying towards me, but they all ended up with the same result. Without minding it, I step into the brothel store where the screams come from.

To think that my first step into the sex industry would be in this manner.

Pardon my intrusion~

“Looks like this is not the one. An octopus?” (Makoto)

It didn’t have the shape I was expecting and I clicked my tongue.

The variant there is an octopus.

No, the details are slightly different.

It has 8 legs, but 2 of those are strangely developed and long. At the tip it looks like the hands of a person.

But the impression it gives is that of a white octopus.

For such a creature to be attacking the prostitute *Onee-sans*, how maniac.

One woman is holding an edged tool that doesn’t look battle oriented and confronting it.

What a brave woman.

And also, there are several Onee-sans at the back showing a fighting stance.

Some were crying, some weak on their knees; there were many varieties.

Since I entered the fray, the situation changed and the body of the octopus faced towards me and had its legs wind.

Was this the one that was throwing stuff at me? Did it do it while against this Onee-san? That’s pretty handy. Moreover, it used some sort of method to detect me before I even arrived and began attacking me.

This one also has a special power?

I think that just moving all your legs as an individual being is a pretty impressive power in itself though.

Well, from what I see, it doesn’t look like it is that strong.

An opponent that I don’t need to mind about what power it has.

Thanks to the fact that it noticed me quick, there’s definitely Onee-sans that were saved, so it was actually a good thing.

There’s the scent of blood in here as well, so there’s no doubt casualties have already happened though.

Even if I begin to think about how many stores that octopus has already attacked, nothing will change.

If that woman with the edged tool that looks like a fruit knife weren’t here doing her best, there would definitely be more casualties.

“H-Help us!!”

The words of one of the prostitutes served as the cue. Several high-pitched voices seeking for help came out from their mouths.

No need to tell me, I came with that purpose in mind.

Hm, but the one I defeated with Brid a while ago, exploded.

I don’t want to get splashed indoors.

The store’s interior has a strong scent drifting about and right now the smell of blood and fat are not that strong, but if the meat of the variant scatters, it would be difficult to clean up in the close future.

[I will take care of this, so take this chance to leave the store. I will guide you to the evacuation point]

“?!! Boy, this guy is pretty strong. I am grateful that you came to help us, but… I will try to somehow hold it back, so please save the girls at the back”

First bring everyone out.

I don’t know if she understood what I said, but I tried to tell her that I would be guiding them later to the evacuation point so wait.

But it seems the woman that is fighting didn’t accept it.

Saying something that can only be taken as self-sacrifice, she asked me to help the others escape.

When I check, I see that the Onee-sans are beginning their mobilization for escape, but the people that are weak on their knees just… can’t move the way they want to.

In a situation where it wouldn’t be strange to just run away without caring, everyone still lent their shoulders to the Onee-sans that can’t move properly to escape together.

Their sense of camaraderie is strong.

But you know…

Between joining the Onee-sans and guiding them to escape, or defeating the variant; the “easiest” one for me would be, without doubt, the latter.

Actually, I should be the one defeating this thing, and that woman should put away that knife and guide the Onee-sans.

The octopus tried to move, but it restraint itself and stopped its movements.

Looks like it at least has enough intelligence to be wary.

“Boy, stop! This is a really dangerous monster! It has already killed several people. Even if I look like this, I was a former adventurer. From the people here, I am the one that knows about battle the most, that why…”

Heh~, a former adventurer.

There are few adventurers in Rotsgard.

The main reason is that there’s no existing guild here that gives out requests, but it is also because there’s few profitable hunting grounds.

Lately, they have been selling a medicinal plant that can be gathered in a part of the area and is high priced, so the situation has improved a bit though.

By the way, I think the reason might be because of the medicine recipe I exhibited in the church.

It is also the medicinal plant that my students brought to me as a souvenir in summer vacation.

The recipe that we taught the church was created by Shiki and the Arkes with that medicinal plant as the base.

I was surprised when Shiki and the Arkes said they would be able to make it, but thanks to that, my students were able to gain pocket money from it.

It is a bit sad that this is the main way for adventurers to gain money in this place though.

And for a former adventurer who’s a prostitute (probably) to be in this town.

… Now that I think about it, what do adventurers do when they retire?

I think being a prostitute should be in the rare side though. Don’t really know.

If it’s men, I think something with a tough atmosphere like a bar, or the master of a cafe.

[In that case, I am a temporary teacher working in the academy. If you stay by those girls’ side, they will definitely feel safer. I will be fine. I will rejoin you later outside, so please go with them]

“A teacher… from the academy? I see. Then you would be a lot better than a *rotor* like me. Is it really okay to leave it to you?”

I know a few prostitutes here that have come to my shop before, but I haven’t seen this one.

If she knew me beforehand, I wouldn’t need to do unnecessary explanation.

While I was feeling a bit troubled, the octopus, without learning its lesson, throws something at me.

Of course, that didn’t hit me and was repelled by my magic power.

“?!”

Even if the woman who was talking to me didn’t know what I used to defend myself with, it seems she does know that I did something to defend against it.

The way she looked at me changed again.

Looks like she revised her thoughts.

What was thrown was… Geh, the head of someone.

Even if she was beautiful, if it is only a head, there’s no way to be charmed by it.

[Don’t worry. Please wait outside. If possible, it would be great if you were to guide everyone in the other buildings as well. I will guide everyone to the evacuation point later]

“Not being able to gauge the strength of someone so close to me, I have really grown old. That thing’s regeneration ability is quite strong, beware of it. I have wounded it several times, but it regenerated it all”

[I appreciate the information]

“… I owe you one. Don’t go dying”

Seems like she consented. She joined the prostitutes that were watching and with clear instructions, they began moving.

That’s great.

And so, the only ones left inside the building are the octopus and me.

Ah~, I was nervous there.

Maybe I am not used to battle situations where so many girls are looking at me, I felt a strange pressure.

It was a different nervousness to that of being in a party.

The woman just now was in a wine red short dress that had quite the high exposure rate, and on top of that, she tore a part of it to make it easier to move, so I was troubled settling my eyes.

To be in the brothels and feel calmer around an octopus instead of being surrounded by girls makes me sad though.

‘Your appearance is poison to my eyes, I will be looking forward to the reward. Now, escape quickly’ is something I don’t think I will be able to say.

“Sorry but, the Onee-sans around this place are regulars that come often to buy my energy drinks. Having you kill them is troublesome” (Makoto)

Luckily, this thing only says ‘Shukoshuko’ and I can’t understand what it is saying.

Ilumgand’s case might have been a rare one.

Let’s finish this.

I gather magic power to my right hand.

She said something about regeneration, so I do an aria of a single word for rapid-fire Brid.

On the palm of my right hand, a white ball of light is born.

The size is close to that of a baseball.

I turn my palm towards the octopus.

Several short bullet-sized arrow Brids were created from the light ball and they all pierce the octopus one after the other.

It is trying to block with its tentacles, but without caring, I continue shooting several tens of arrows.

It gradually backs off, and in the end, the octopus is sewed in the wall.

The firing continues.

In time, there was a change.

The head of the octopus gets bigger than its original size and then, it began to swell irregularly.

That doesn’t look like regeneration.

It is done huh.

I make an earth element aria, and from the floor, a wall is created as if hiding that thing’s body.

I don’t want it splattering on me after all.

If I were to hit the weak point properly, it might not scatter and turn into a lump of meat like Ilumgand though.

It would be troublesome to search for it all the time, and with things like: effective element, resistances, and absorption, it makes it even more troublesome.

In that case, it is easier to just damage it till its regeneration limit and finish it.