Ore Dake Kaereru Kurasu Teni - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Well, this is a dense… forest? How do I say it… while walking through this place filled with extraordinary tall and ancient trees, a mamono appears . It’s a horn rat like we saw on the first day…it’s red . With that through, I focus my attention on it . Doing so brings up the mamono’s name within my field of view .

[Red Horn-Rat]

“Red?”

“They seem to have different colored fur . It might be a subspecies?”

“Is there a difference in strength?”

“Somewhat…I haven’t finished analyzing, but according to Taniizumi-kun and the others, they have attribute resistances corresponding to their colors .

Well, it’s within the margin of error . Now that I think about it, Taniizumi-kun and the others would often return carrying mamono corpses of various colors .

That’s when 3 of the red horn-rats approach us . Not 1, but 3 . I’m bewildered by the sudden numbers .

“JU-!”

The red horn-rats notice us, and charge with clear hostility .

“They’re coming! Everybody, get your weapons ready!”

“Un-Understood!”

Hiyama-san, despite being the only one to have been promoted by Taniizumi, belittles herself . No, although she has combat experience, this time she’s fighting as the vanguard . She can be said to have no experience in this . When those guys with combat related abilities go out, they only use them on small fry . The combat experience they have is actually pretty thin . Regardless, we of the base group have abilities unsuitable for battle . Just how much will we accomplish with our current weapons…?

“Dou[1]! Ah…I missed!”

Hiyama-san slashes at the red horn-rat with her nimble movements . Yet, despite her posture and form, she misreads the distance and misses due to being unfamiliar with her weapon .

“JU-!”

The red horn-rat doesn’t miss the opening . It points it horn at Hiyama-san and charges . I step in and catch the horn with my onion shield .

Doshin, the overpowering shock from the impact makes me drop my shield . It’s… somewhat stuck to the shield . Without this shield, I would’ve died!? Eh, wasn’t this supposed to be good quality equipment?

Damn… my teleportation ability… doesn’t work in battle!

The red horn-rat moves scurries around the place as I try to target it with my teleportation ability . After that, it attacks me .

My teleportation ability takes 5 minutes to activate . Furthermore, it isn’t reactive like Taniizumi’s . Even if I were to wait those 5 minutes, the red horn-rat will have moved someplace else . I could also die in those 5 minutes if I’m not careful . It’s natural, of course, but fighting with this ability is difficult .  

Actually, could I even win the normal way? There are three of them, but just one is tough . If I wasn’t in a party, I would be dead already by now . Anyway, since using my ability is impossible, I have no choice but to defeat it with a sword .

“Hiyama-san! Go!”

“Y-yes!”

I block the red horn-rat’s attack for the second time . Shigenobu matches his breath with mine and aims for it while its horn is caught on the shield . He calls out to Hiyama-san as he raises his sword overhead .

“JU-?!”

Gass

The red horn-rat seems shaken and shocked by Shigenobu’s attack, but is still alive .

“Ku… tougher than I thought . ”

“Go down!”

With those words, Hiyama-san follows up . Then, with a good gass sound ringing out, red horn-rat’s body collapses in on itself . The impact broke a bone . A considerable difference lays between Shigenobu and Hiyama-san . Must be from the massive difference in LV .

“Chuuuu…”

As the caught red horn-rat’s horn slips out of the shield, it lets out a cry and dies .

“Alright!”

“Don’t lower your guard!”

I turn my attention behind me to Himeno-san . She was given a staff along with armor equal to ours . I was worried about fighting, but with my shield in both hands, I am able to block the attacks from the red horn-rats .

“Th-this is a real battle!”

Was it the vigor of the red horn-rats…? For us, who lived peacefully in Japan, our first experience of killing a live animal is an unsettling sensation . Just a little, I wonder about why we’re doing something like this . But if we don’t, we might end up become the slaves of Taniizumi and the others . I think that thought is what pushes our fighting spirit .

While I’m pondering such, the corpses of 3 red horn-rats appear before us .

“Haa…haa…so the first battle…is something like this…”

Shigenobu says, while out of breath . That said, I’m in the same sorry state . On the first day, Taniizumi and the others were killing these with a single blow? Eh? What? Is there really such a difference in ability?

Or rather, does Hiyama-san have an opinion on Taniizumi, who can do things like this? Amazing… I seriously have to respect that . I’ve learned with my whole body how the combat groupcame to be under Taniizumi’s control . I speak as soon as I catch my breath .

“That was harder than I thought . Completely different from how I imagined . ”

“That’s right . Still…it’s something we have to do . ”

“Uwa… nobody hurt?”

Himeno-san calls out to us in worry . Hagisawa seems to be out of breath just like the rest of us .

“I’m fine . Are you guys uninjured?”

“Ah, probably cause we were given good equipment? It’ll be harsh, but it’s doable . ”

I blocked it was a shield to block, but I also took a charge from a red horn-rat . Still, it might only be with equipment, but I am able to fight .

“Honestly, weren’t these just small fries?”

“Yeah, they’re the weakest of all the mamono . ”

Seriously… we’re having a hard time against the weakest mamono even with decently good equipment .

“The combat group fights against mamono like these every trip . ”

Fighting without abilities and only weapons, it’s harsh . If we had fought empty-handed, our party might have been destroyed . It took two weeks to prepare this equipment, but it really was the correct decision .

“I’m sure I’m depending on my ability, but fighting was pretty fun . ”

“This is fun? Hmm…”

I just endured all that, so I’m not too sure myself . Would it be fun if I could easily defeat my opponents?

“Strangely, I’m not really feeling much of a rush after that…”

Shigenobu also tilts his head some .

“But our first match was a victory!”

Himeno-san’s words captures everyones feelings of victory . Certainly, that is an unmistakable fact . More important than anything else is that this is proof we can fight mamono . Never again will we be designated as noncombatants .

“For now, Yukinari, can you transport this mamono corpses to my house’s workshop?”

“Yeah, I’ll try . ”

I transport the remains of the mamono to Shigenobu’s home . Since I had already decided where to send the killed mamono from the start, it was easy to create an image . Although long chants are a disadvantage, Shigenobu uses that time to check the wear on everybody’s equipment while Himeno-san heals the group . Hiyama-san turns her attention to Hagisawa, who also looks to Hiyama-san for help . Eventually the red horn-rat corpses in front of me disappear .

“I also got a few points . ”

“Ah, although this was a 2 hour expedition, even just earning a little isn’t a loss . Let’s continuing fighting like this and get used to it . ”

We nod at Shigenobu’s words and start moving . Next to appear are the 5 greenish rhinoceros beetles known as the Opal Green Beetles . Honestly, I think it looks more like a jewel beetle with its strange coloration and large size . Overall, it’s about fifty centimeters long . This feels like a monster hunting game .

And… I reach a conclusion . This, isn’t a place members of the base group can venture alone . This isn’t good, 5 mamono… the previous 3 mamono were hard enough, now we have to fight 2 more . Without a flame ability like Taniizumi’s, this’ll be tough .

“—–”

With a strange chirp that doesn’t become a voice, the Opal Green Beetles attack .

“They’re too fast . I can’t hit them!” 

Hiyama-san is used to fighting them . She dodges the attack of an Opal Green Beetle, flanks it and thrusts her sword into the gap between its head and torso before snapping it in two .

Paki, a good sound rings… uwa, gross! The Opal Green Beetle’s head splits from its torso as it dies .

“This is its weak spot . Remember it!”

“Got it!”

“Although I can deal with their speed, I think it would be better for all of you to counter right after it strikes . ”

“Understood!”

With that, we aim for each of the rhinoceros beetles’ necks . I deflect a rhinoceros beetle my shield and Himeno-san comes to strike it down . She’s more spirited than I thought .  

“Well…actually I’m not good with insects . ”

“Neither am I . ”

Himeno-san agrees with me . Honestly, there isn’t much of a difference between rhinoceros beetles and cockroaches . I’m also bad with cicadas . I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not into girls who like insects . Hiyama-san… I wonder if she likes them?

“Yotto!”

I too put my strength into it, and defeat a rhinoceros beetle the same way Hiyama-san did . That’s when I notice all the rhinoceros beetles are being defeated one at a turn . …Looks like they’re manageable if you know the strategy .

“However, the shells of these Opal Green Beetles are excellent materials for weapons and armor . ”

Shigenobu says with a thumbs up . I see, they’re good from the perspective of raw materials . There are many games where equipment can be made from insect materials .

“Dismantling these…”

The base group is tasked with dismantling the mamono brought back by the combat group . At any rate, all the troublesome matters seem to be done by the base group .

“Hanebashi-kun, looks like you’re fine with anything other than insects, huh?”

“Hm? Well…I’m just used to it . I do it like I would a fish . Rather than say I like this, I dislike it . ”

I’m just bad with bugs . Like…one time when I was small, a dragonfly got stuck to my clothes . I flicked it away with my hand . Seeing only its head remaining attached to my

Clothes left me traumatized . It’s a bad memory .

Another time was when I was walking around my house in the dark one night and accidently stepped on and crushed a cockroach with my bare feet . Another was when I got stung by a hornet . They’re just stupid traumas I can’t do anything about .

Most recently was summer of last year . I was heading to Shigenobu’s house and saw Ono collecting insects in the woods . I approached him, wondering what he was doing, when I heard the dreadful shrill of a cicada . I took a peek and saw that he was

plucking the wings of cicada with a smile on his face . That sight and sound were burned into my eyes and ears . Naturally, I felt uncomfortable and escaped from that place . Fortunately, Ono didn’t notice me .  

Well, that’s the real reason I dislike Ono . Whenever I see him, I feel like I can hear the shrills of those cicada . It’s not like I actually hate insects or anything .

“He’s been bad with cicadas and rhinoceros beetles ever since we were young . Bees get the strongest reaction out of him . ”

“Shut up!”

They’re something I’d avoid if I could . That said, we’re not in a situation where I can .

[1] Pretty sure this is a kendo term