Kujonin

Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
—

The sky was so blue it was refreshing, and it was peaceful.
Feeling the wind of the wasteland with my whole body, I stood up.

I called Ayl with the communication bag, straightened out my broken arms, and put recovery potion on them.
When I straightened out my arms a sharp pain ran through them, but I was able to endure it somehow.
I was pretty surprised when my fractures healed so quickly in a few seconds from the recovery potion I made. Come to think of it, I don"t get much of a chance to use it myself.
I had Ayl lift my body up, pulling my legs out of the ground.
Ayl was using a great amount of strength, so when she pulled me out I was flung five meters backwards, but I was able to endure it somehow.
I lightly gave Ayl my thanks, then rushed into the forest of wind-breaker trees.
While running, I undid the zipper of the coverall.
This coverall uniform has one weakness.
It"s difficult to take off.
Running while taking off the coverall was laborious work.
I was taking mental attacks, like panic, regret, stupidity, and awkwardness, but I was able to endure it.
In the end, I ended up taking off the clothes I wore inside, my T-shirt and shorts, along the way, but who cares about that.
I plunged in so forcefully that I left the forest and ended up in the wasteland, but who cares about that.
Within my greatest release, I was able to let out everything that I had been enduring.

"The wind feels nice."
These are words of the victor.
I showed I could endure.
I am literally a man, naked, standing in the wasteland.

Finishing off the aftercare, I used Cleanup on my entire body.
I realized that I was lucky; if I had Cleanup, it"s fine even if I can"t wipe my a.s.s.
Sticking my chest proudly out, I entered the forest.
I picked up the clothes I had dropped along the way, used Cleanup, and put them on.

When I returned to the burnt out plantation, Ayl was waiting there, carrying Garcisan on her back.

"How was it?"
"Wasn"t anything major."
I showed her my victor"s composure.
"What are you saying? Both arms were broken."
"Ah, you mean that. Ayl, spirits are strong. He broke my defensive barrier really easily."
"I,is that so?"
"Honestly, I thought I was dead."
"I also thought you were dead, but the thing that appeared, what was that black shadow?"
Black shadow? Aah, Evil G.o.d, huh?
Come to think of it, G.o.d said how people see him differs from person to person, but Evil G.o.d is the same, huh?
"That was also a requester. He saved me this time. How are the dragons?"
"They"re burning the fields on the opposite side."
When I looked in the direction Ayl pointed, the hill was completely gone, and the dragons were burning the plantation with their fire breath.
"Don"t you think we should give them recovery potions?"
The dragons were also fighting the spirit.
"That"s true."
"Ah, and also this."
Ayl showed me the crystal-like item in her hand.
The crystal-like thing was cubic and gave off a pale yellow light.
"What"s this?"
"No, well, it dropped where that monster … spirit was. It seemed kinda dangerous, so I picked it up."
"It does seem kinda dangerous."
I took it from Ayl and sealed it into the depths of my item bag.

Ayl continued carrying Garcisan to the village.
I delivered recovery potions to the dragons.
"Ou, we"ve already burnt most of it."
Red Dragon approached and spoke to me in the dragonkin language.
"Thank you very much! Sorry for calling you out while you were eating."
"Aah, don"t worry about it. I"m just repaying my favor. However, just what was that golem?"
The dragons saw it, but looks like they didn"t really get what was going on.
Anyway, I was being attacked so they went to save me, they said.
I explained that it was a golem the spirit raised, that it became a demon, and that the Evil G.o.d saved me to Black Dragon-san and Red Dragon.
"You did well to survive."
Black Dragon-san turned to me and said.
"I was just lucky."
"You fought a spirit that we can"t even cross swords with and survived; it wasn"t just luck."
"I"d made preparations, but it didn"t go according to plan. The spirit completely defeated me."
"Probably because this is a request from G.o.d."
"That"s right! This seriously annoying thing. I need to file a complaint."
"You completed the request. Be proud of it. The survivor is the victor. Winning or losing doesn"t matter if you die, after all."
"That"s how things are, ne. Ah, if you have any wounds, show me. I"ll heal them."
I healed the dragons" wounds by putting recovery potion on them.
The dragons said, "We"ll burn a little bit more then go back to the mountains to eat," and once again began to burn down the cotton fields left over.
"Afterwards, turn into a human and come to the village. I might need your a.s.sistance again with the aftercare."
"Got it."
"Sorry. I"m giving you trouble."
"Don"t worry about it."
The dragons lightly slapped my back with their tails and returned to their work.

When I returned to the village, the traveling merchants, who only had light symptoms of ghoul disease, were rushing around packing their things together.
Did they simply want to run from the dragons, or do they have no use for this place anymore with the cotton fields burnt?
There were also people trying to force sales of shoes and clothes with the villagers in order to reduce their baggage,
Their merchants" spirit is indomitable.

The water in the river running straight through the middle of village is gradually becoming less.
Looks like Seth is doing his job upstream.
The villagers are watching it in a daze.

However, most of the villagers and peddlers seem to be gathering at the church.
Since the Hero Garcia was carried to the church.
Garcisan doesn"t have the Hero t.i.tle anymore, but the only ones who know would only be our company"s employees.

Anyway, I haven"t even eaten breakfast, so I"m hungry.
"Good work."
I said to Ayl as she left the church.
"Aah, I left Garcisan to the Sisters. He"ll wake up soon, probably."
"Where"s Velsa? Is she not inside?"
"She wasn"t."
"I see. Are you hungry? I didn"t eat breakfast."
"Aah, we didn"t either."
"Then let"s eat for a bit."
I called Velsa with the communication bag.
"Velsa, where are you right now?"
["Hm? Aah, I"m in Pastor Romeo"s room right now. I was thinking it would be easier to dowse if we had a magic stone with water magic power in it."]
Is there a magic stone like that?
Either way, our company"s employees work fast.
"Won"t you come eat for a bit? Skipping breakfast is bad for you."
["OK."]
Cutting off communication, I then called Seth.
"How is it? Seth."
["Ah, President. I was able to dam up the waterway with rocks, but it seems like we"ll need fine stones to stop it completely."]
"Got it. For now, we"ll be having a meal so return to the inn."
["OK-ssu!"]
Cutting off the communication, this time I called Merumo.
"Merumo, where are you right now?"
["President! Right now, I"m at Garcisan"s warehouse. Sob sob."]
Is she crying?
"Why are you crying?"
["Garcisan"s daughter and Garcisan"s wife are having a touching meeting, sob."]
So Cynthia is over there?
"Come have food at the inn. As for Cynthia… we"ll bring her back later. Merumo, come back by yourself. If might be better to leave the parent and child alone."
["Got it."]
Merumo"s voice is trembling.
I wonder what Cynthia is doing.
"Well, if it"s something she decided herself it should be fine?"
"Hm?"
My Vice President reacted to my monologue.

… Oi. I decided to squeeze in the last chapter of the arc and there"s a cliff hanger?
… Oh well. I tried.>