Konjiki no Moji Tsukai

The monster, who was slightly knocked back, scowled at Camus

Desert Monster [ Guraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ]

As things didnt go its way, a current of anger flowed through the monster as it became enraged. As if expressing irritation, it showed off the severed tail that swung hummingly from side to side.

Camus [ Are you okay? ]

Jin-u [ C-ChiefIm sorry. ]

Jin-us face was distorted by pain as he apologized while bitterly thinking he had caused someone trouble.

Hiiro [ Oi, whats that? ]

Taken aback by Hiiros words, they glanced in the monsters direction. The sight that met them had shocked them both.

Desert Monster [ Gurururururu! ]

Somehow, the severed part of the tail had grown back.

Hiiro [ Oi Oi, it can even regenerate itself? I guess the usual methods wont work, huh. ]

Silva [ How shall we proceed, Hiiro-sama? ]

Hiiro [Lets see, Ive got something in mind, but]

Honestly, if all he had to do was kill it, Hiiro could somehow manage it alone. However, in this case, he had restricted himself to being a helper since the|Ashura Tribes|Chief Camus was the person expected to defeat the monster.

Silva [ As I thought, we will be exclusively supporting Camus until the end? ]

Hiiro [ Hou, you seem to understand, huh Jii-san. ]

Silva [ Nofofofofo! Well then, let us try our best to do that! ]

At that moment, the shadow at Silvas feet twisted and coiled upward into his hand, taking the shape of, what appeared to be, a table knife.

Silva [ Lets go! Chaotic Butler toss! ]

Silva flew up into the sky as dozens of knives rained down upon the monster. However, the wall of sand materialized next to the monster once again, blocking them.

During this, Hiiro approached Camus and whispered to him.

Hiiro [ Listen up similar to before, Ill make the sand surrounding its body become soft. Although the sand covering the tail seems to have quite a lot of strength, its got nothing to do with defeating him. As such, your attacks should pass through. Focus all your efforts into piercing the core. ]

Camus [ Got it. ]

As he took his hands away from Jin-u, he glared at the monster with a piercing gaze.

Hiiro [ When I give the signal, move forward. ]

Camus [ Yes. ]

Although Silva was still attacking, when the wall of sand suddenly collapsed, the monster was nowhere to be seen.

Silva [Mu?]

Upon also noticing the situation, Silva furrowed his brow.

*Dobaa-!*

Silva [ What is going on!? ]

The monster somehow flung itself upwards underneath Silva while he was still in the air. It appears that the monster had burrowed itself under the sand.The stinger on its tail pierced Silvas body.

Silva [ Muu! ]

As expected, Hiiro also opened his eyes wide upon witnessing such a sight. Certainly, the monsters stinger was similar to a mad scorpions. Upon lodging its stinger into the body, it would release a paralysing neurotoxin that deprives the victims movement. Following this, it would seem that the scorpion would then eat its prey, little by little. A similar stinger was currently lodged in Silvas body.

Of course, Camus began to move in an attempt to try and save Silva. However, Hiiro stopped him by holding his arm in front of Camus.

Camus [ Hiiro? ]

Hiiro [ Be still. ]

Camus [ ButJii-chan is ]

Hiiro [ Listenbe quiet and watch. ]

Camus tilted his head, giving off the feeling that he did not understand what Hiiros was talking about. Why shouldnt he try to save a wounded ally? Although he doubted Hiiros actions, Camus looked up and watched Silva and the monster.

Desert Monster [ Gururururu! ]

Silva [ Gufu.uh uu ]

Silva looked like he was going through intense pain. Looking at it, you would think the monster already had him. However, he somehow grabbed the tail.

Desert Monster [ ? ]

Silva [ Ku..Nofofo, did you perhaps think that I was taken out? ]

Silva, who was just suffering a second ago, loosely puffed his mouth.

Silva [ Shall I hold onto this dangerous thing? ]

As he said thus, Silva lifted his right hand, as if he were lifting a wineglass. Following this, a black sphere appeared in his palm. It seemed to be about 20cm in diameter. Next, he gripped the tail with his left hand. Finally, the globe disappeared as it was absorbed into the tail.

Silva [ Pool Ball ]

At that moment, an extremely thin rectangular object appeared from where the sphere had been absorbed. It was clearly caused by the black globe absorbed a moment ago.

The black rectangle quickly sliced apart the monsters armor. It was like paper being cut with a razor. Once again, the monsters tail was severed from its body.

Desert Monster [ Gura-!? ]

Silva [ On account of this sultry embrace, kindly separate from me. ]

*Buuuun!*

The black rectangular object morphed back into a sphere and shot out like a cannonball.

*Doga-!*

The monsters body bent forward as the sphere superbly struck the monsters stomach. The attacked monster had a dumbfounded expression, as it crashed into the ground without any means of protection.

Silva, who was stabbed by the monsters stinger, nonchalantly left the location .

Hiiro [ Oi, isnt there something stuck in your stomach? ]

Silva [ Oya? How inconsiderate of me. ]

Silva gently plucked the tail out of his body and tossed it on the ground.

Hiiro [ Heh, you were fine after all ]

Silva [ Im afraid I am not fine. It made a hole in one of my good suits ]

Hiiro [ .Youre basically unharmedSeriously what in the world is your body made of? ]

Silva [ Nofofofofo! Its because I am a butler! Nofofofofo! ]

After he spoke these words, Silva was dismayed due to the fact that he will be scolded by Ojousama about his tattered uniform. Meanwhile, Camus and Jin-u were blinking in surprise as they watched the embodiment of strangeness known as Silva.

Camus [ Eto..you arefine? ]

Camus couldnt bear remaining silent and asked thus. However, Silva, who seemed to have his usual appearance, expressed a smile.

Silva [ Nofofofofo! My apologies for having worried you! As you see, Im quite well! ]

When Hiiro saw how he bowed politely, he did not notice anything abnormal in his physical condition. Although he wasnt surprised at this inexplicable situation because hed seen it before, it was different for the other two. Still, Camus could now understand the reason Hiiro stopped him from helping Silva.

Camus ( He was trusted..by Hiiro.Thats somehow nice. that sort of thing )

As Camus had definitely felt their mutual trust, he was slightly envious of it.

Hiiro disregarded the gaze of the pair who seemed to want an explanation since he did not have time to explain in detail. Their top priority was to eliminate the enraged existence in front of them.

Hiiro [ Jii-san, can you destroy that monsters wall of sand again? ]

Silva [ Nofo? Most certainly! ]

Silva headed toward the monster again after he said that.

Hiiro [ Listen, Ill say it again. We will have a chance after this. Promptly.Kill it. ]

Camus [ u.un ]

He swallowed loudly before nodding.

Immediately after Hiiro confirmed his response, he channeled magic into his fingertip.

|Tracking| ||

Hiiro ( With this, I can find it no matter where it hides. )

In response to Silvas knife attack, the monster erected another wall of sand, all according to plan. Following this, it then disappeared by once again diving into the ground. However, this time, Hiiros senses were able to capture the monsters position. It was as if his eyes were capable of locating his targets position via use of thermography. Hiiro knew that it was moving through the sand with incredible velocity.

Hiiro [ ..Alright. ]

Hiiro quickly wrote a word and waited for the moment when the monster tried to go out of the sand. Following this, Hiiro clenched his fist in anticipation. And,

zuba!

At the same moment the monster came out of the sand, Hiiro vanished. He then reappeared next to the monster. He had used the character|Transfer| ||, a two word spell he had set up before this fight. He was thankful for his lvl 80 abilities as he was now able to instantly activate|Two-Word Chain|spells without having to write them on the spot.

The monsters eyes were wide with surprise when Hiiro suddenly appeared before it. Following this, Hiiro pointed his fingertips at the monster. Hiiro proceeded to shoot the other word he had written. Normally, he would be hard pressed to hitting such a quick foe, however, it was currently caught off-guard. The situation was similar to how a moving car is unable to make a sudden stop.

Hiiro ( In other words, it cant avoid this! )

Hiiro activated the effect of the word he set up before teleporting close to the monster. He used|Soft||| the same one he had used before. With this, the defensive power of the sand armor was nullified.

Hiiro [ Next is this! ]

The back of Hiiros fist shone as he activated another word he had set up using ||Word Magic||.

|Colossal Strength|||

He felt power gather in his right hand.

bakiii-!

Hiiros fist shot towards the face of the monster, upon impact it made an unpleasant sound, as of flesh and bone being smashed. Blood trailed behind the monster as it was sent flying away.

*dosun-!

It plummeted to the ground and created a plume of sand. With the defense of the sand armor nullified, in addition to the increased attack power from the word|Colossal Strength|,the monster received a lot of damage, even though the soft sand broke its fall.

The monster rose unsteadily.

Hiiro [ Heres another one! ]

Hiiro used|AirWriting|to write|Hard| ||and shot it at the sand under the monster. Like the time with Camus, it has now been rendered unable to manipulate the sand.

Hiiro [ Now! Do it! ]

Hiiro shouted at Camus who was nearby waiting for orders. Hearing the voice, Camus narrowed his eyes and gripped the twin katanas in his hands.

Camus [ . Daddy ]

From where he was standing, Camus charged full-speed at the monster. The pulsing core in the monsters stomach was reflected in his eyes. As far as Hiiro was concerned, the sands defensive force was practically non existence. Furthermore, the monster could no longer erect a defensive wall as the sand had been rendered unusable due to the word |Hard| ||. If Camus reacted too late, he might suffer some damage. However, if he attacked now, he would definitely defeat the monster.

Camus [ kill.I will kill it ]

In that moment, the question of [Who was he to kill?] surfaced in his mind. Following this, his fathers smiling face flashed before him. A nostalgic scent tickled Camus nose.

Camus [ ..Daddy? ]

Everyone thought it was over. Thanks to Hiiros plan, they were perfectly prepared. Although Jin-u suffered a little damage, no one was killed. Above all, they were all liberated from the monsters terror.

Watching from afar, the people of the|Ashura Tribe|were confident in their victoryuntil just now.

Involuntarily, everyone stiffened at the unforeseen spectacle reflected in their eyes.

Hiiro [ That idiot! ]

Hiiro was the only one that, in response to that spectacle, hadactually, Hiiro couldnt help but reveal his frustrations towards the author of such a spectacle.

Because next to the monsters core, the crossed katanas had stopped. Looking closely, the monster was still standing. Although it wasnt that the monster somehow stopped the attack. Actually, Camus intentionally stopped his ongoing assault.

Camus [ ku. ]

His dual katanas trembled slightly. No, it wasnt just the katanas, it was Camus entire body that was trembling. Still leaning forward, his face was slightly raised. Even though his eyes were set on the monster, Camus face was distorted by sorrow.

Camus [ I cant..do it. ]

Also puzzled by the unexpected action, the monster remained still.

Camus [ Because Daddy.his smell was there ]

Hiiro [ What are you doing! Quickly! Give it the finishing blow!]

Hiiro descended from the sky and shouted at Camus.

Camus [ I..I. ]

As he said thus, a single teardrop was shed from Camus eye.

Camus [ I..cant do itDaddy ]

Upon seeing the tear, the monster was taken aback. In that moment, Hiiro clearly felt the monsters blood thirst diminish. However, this was truly only for an instant. The monsters lust for blood and rage surged, surpassing their previous levels.

Following this, the imperceptibly regenerated tails stinger moved in an attempt to stab Camus.

Jin-u: [ CHIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFFFFFF!!!!!!! ]

Jin-u embraced Camus as he jumped to the side. However, they did not completely dodge it. The stinger had gouged a chunk of flesh from Jin-us back.

Jin-u [ Guu-! ]

Camus [ Jin-u!? ]

The two simply fell to the ground in such a state. Camus used his body to cushion Jin-us fall.

Hiiro [ Jii-san! Buy me some time! ]

Silva [ As you command! ]

It would seem that Silva grasped the current situation. He created another one of those knives and threw it. However, the monster avoided it by jumping away from its current location.

Hiiro ( Chi, and just like that, its already recovered! )

The monster appeared to have recovered from Hiiros attacks as its movement had been restored

Desert Monster [ Gururururu! ]

As the monster provokingly looked at Hiiro and the others, it opened its mouth wide and-

*kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

It released a considerably high pitched tone. As they were struck with an unpleasant, almost ear-ringing sensation, Hiiro involuntarily frowned.

Hiiro [ I-I see, this is! ]

At the same time Hiiro realized the meaning of the monsters behavior, in response to the monsters cry, similar cries sounded nearby. Following this, the sand from both sides of the Desert Monster ascended into the air with a bashing/spluttering sound. From within the sand, new monsters emerged.

Hiiro [ As I thought, this is the monsters ability to call reinforcements! ]

Silva [ It seems to be so. Apparently, they are coming here in groups from afar?]

It was as Silva had indicated. Even though it was quite a distance away, they were able to discover several monster-like shadows scattered here and there.

Upon confirming thus, there were people that could be seen attacking the monsters in the distancethey were the|Ashura Tribe|. This situation was one that they group had more or less expected. As such, it was unlikely that the surrounding monsters reinforcements that headed in this direction would not be capable of approaching Hiiros location.

Hiiro (Maa, Aka-Loli did say that shed move if push comes to shove. I guess it should be fine to ignore the other monsters. The real problem isthese three here.)

Naturally, one of which was the Desert Monster. With regards to the other two, one was a giant monster known as the|Gray Golem|. The remaining monster was called|Mud Man|, a monster that possessed a mud-like body.

They had only heard about the information regarding these monsters from the Ashura Tribe. They were Rank S monsters. In all honesty, they had wanted to resolve this before the Desert Monster had called for reinforcements. However, now that it has come to this, it was imperative for them to think of an alternative method to resolve the situation.

Hiiro [ Jii-san, mind me leaving the rest to you for a bit? ]

Silva [ What are you planning to do, may I ask? ]

Hiiro [ Im gonna give that idiot a wake up call. ]

As he shot those words out while wearing a disgruntled expression, a blue vein surfaced onto Hiiros forehead.

Silva [ Nofofofofo! Oh dear, oh dear. In which case, I shall also strive to try my hardest. ]

As Silva sharpened his gaze, he stood in front of the three monsters. Upon seeing this, Hiiro changed the direction of his body quickly before moving his feet. In front of the direction he was heading in wasthe place where Camus was currently in.

Upon seeing Jin-u raising a voice of agony due to receiving the attack from the stinger, Camus was flustered. As Jin-us face grew pale, the wounds he received on his back began to painfully ooze crimson blood.

Camus [ Jin-uII ]

It was clearly Camus own fault that Jin-u had received such an injury. As he was torn between the self that was unable to do anything for Jin-u and the self that had his will to fight warped, Camus had fallen into a state of panic.

At this time, Hiiro had approached. As Camus thought that Hiiro would be able to do something, he raised his head.

*Baki-!*

However, before he had been aware of it, Camus face was distorted due to a stinging in his cheek, sand heated by daylight entering his mouth. Camus had now understood that he had fallen to the ground. Furthermore, he realized that Hiiro had hit him.

As he slowly got up, Camus simply stared at Hiiro, his eyes opened wide. It was an expression that indicated that he was unable to comprehend why Hiiro had hit him. In the face of such a Camus-

Hiiro [ Youre really unsightly, arent you? ]

Camus [ eh? ]

As Hiiro pierced Camus with a chilling glare, he folded his arms and looked down upon him.

Hiiro [ Howd this situation happen? ]

Camus [ ]

Hiiro [ You made your resolve, right? Even so, whats with that shocking display? There are limits to how unsightly one can be. ]

Camus [ H-Hiiro ]

In the face of those ruthlessly ejected words, Camus was rendered unable to answer.

Hiiro [ The reason for that Top Knot Bastards suffering is because of you. The fact that the Desert Monster was able to call for reinforcements, turning this into a pain in the ass is also your fault. Most importantly, the reason why Im so damned frustrated is also your fault! ]

Hiiros words, loaded with anger, continued.

Hiiro [ That stinger probably has a neurotoxin, right? A poison that steals away ones ability to move. But if the place it lands is near the heart, it will stop even the hearts beat. The one receiving the attack will die. ]

Camus [ T-that cant be! We have to do something! B-because of me, Jin-u is! ]

Baki!

Hiiro hits Camuss face once more.

Hiiro: [ Aa, thats right. All of this is your fault. Incidentally, those from your |Ashura Tribe| who are fighting other monsters may make a mistake and end up receiving a fatal wound. That would be your fault as well. ]

Camus [ Uu I I ]

Camus grinded his teeth as he slowly shed tears once more.

Hiiro [ What is it that you want to do? ]

Camus [ Uu uu ]

Hiiro [ When you said you wanted to protect everything, was it a lie? ]

Camus [ It was no lie ]

Hiiro [ You said it, right. That you could smell your fathers scent from that monster. ]

With tears still running down his face, Camus turned his eyes to Hiiro.

Hiiro [ Then perhaps a fragment of your fathers consciousness continues to dwell in that monster. ]

Camus [ -!? ]

Camus took a deep breath as he looked at the monster. He saw the figure of the monster matching blows with Silva, an incredibly angry expression plastered on its face. It definitely didnt seem like the sort of expression his father would make. Still, it was undeniable that the scent of his father, Rigund, emanated from the monster.

Following this, a different scene entered Hiiros eyes. For a brief moment, upon seeing Camuss tears, the monsters hostility abated. Perhaps it was the sliver of Rigund that continued to dwell within the monster. His response to seeing his sons expression of sorrow.

Hiiro [ Watch closely. ]

Hiiro glared at the monster.

Hiiro [ If that monsters your father, then will you do nothing but cry in his presence? Is that all you can do? ]

Camus [ Daddy ]

Hiiro [ Dont mistake what youre showing for kindness. ]

Camus [ ]

Hiiro [ Familial piety. Youre thinking of your family. Even when he looks like that, you cant kill your father? ]

Camus silently hung his head. Hiiro took that as a sign of affirmation

Hiiro [ If thats your father, then isnt that all the more reason for you to end this with your own hands? ]

Camus [ My own hands? ]

Hiiro [ Not hurting your family. That isnt kindness; its just you acting spoiled. Looking at him now, you know what you have to do. You know what you need to do for your father, dont you? And all you can do is cry? ]

Camus [ I am ]

Hiiro [ True kindness only has meaning when you can use it as strength. At the very least, thats what I believe. ]

Camus [ Hiiro ]

In truth, it was a line he had read in a book once before. However, it was also true that it had left quite an impression on him.

As the twos eyes met, Hiiro slowly opened his mouth.

Hiiro [ Go save him. With no hands other than your own. ]

Camus [ . ]

Hiiro [ The one who can truly free him from his suffering is no one but his son. Are you sure that youre just going to watch him without doing anything? ]

Life returned to the pupils of Camuss eyes.

Hiiro [ Or will you let a simple traveler, an uninvolved bystander like me kill him? Your father? Its not like I really care though?. ]

Camus [ No. ]

Hiiro [? ]

Camus [ I wont let you do that. ]

Hiiro [ Then what will you do ?]

Camus placed his hand on the fallen Jin-us shoulder.

Camus [ Jin-u Im sorry. But Itll be alright. ]

As he spoke, Jin-u faintly opened his seemingly heavy eyelids that had been closed until now. A slight smile floated on his face.

Jin-u [ Yyes Ill leave Rigund-sama in your hands. ]

Camus [ Un. ]

Camus gave a strong nod, and stood up straight. He turned to Hiiro.

Camus [ Take care of Jin-u. ]

Hiiro [ Just go put an end to this already. ]

Camus [ Yeah! ]

Camus started off in the monsters direction. Hiiro moved his eyes towards Jin-u.

Hiiro [ Oi topknot. This is a loan. Youll pay it back later. ]

Jin-u[ Ha? ]

Although Jin-u was unable to understand the words that flowed out of Hiiros mouth, his body was suddenly enveloped in a warm light.

Jin-u ( W-what is this light it feels nice )

It was as if he was resting under a warm sun, experiencing the sensation of a cool breeze massaging his body. It was a sensation that resembled being immersed in a bath, its warmth adjusted to the perfect temperature. As he was overcome by the urge to continue experiencing this phenomenon forever, his eyelids naturally began to gradually descended over his vision.

|Complete Recover| ||

By the word Hiiro used, all of the wounds Jin-u sustained began to close themselves. Moreover, Hiiros magic gently wrapped around Jin-us body, and a whimsical expression appeared on his face as the power lulled him to sleep.

Hiiro felt some fatigue well up in his body. That one cost quite a bit of MP. He took out an MP Recovery item from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth. He had made it a regular practice to carry them with him just in case.

Hiiro ( Good, now all thats left is that idiot over there. )