Tilea’s Worries

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

No sooner had the roar come from above, did the ceiling crumble and break. Martial General Basten made his appearance. He looked like a wolf which made him a beastman, but his strength was on another level. The mana that clad him was on a different magnitude to a beastman’s. Together with his dignity, he was clearly different from a normal vampire. It made sense that he called himself a general.

“Girl. Your name?”

Basten spoke to Tilea-san. But Tilea-san didn’t realise he was talking to her, and started looking around.

Nono, Tilea-san, however you look at it, he’s talking to you. Please think back to all the things you’ve done.

“I think he’s talking to you, Tilea-san.”

“Eh!? Eh!? M-, Me?”

“Indeed. Arcune, Horus, Bebe… I want to know the name of the one who defeated three of four, proud Malferand Knights.”

“H-, How did you know it was me?”

“Hmph. I followed the scent on their corpses. Every one of them have your scent on them.”

“B-, By scent…”

“Indeed. With my sense of smell, it was an easy task… Well? Your name?”

“What’s wrong? Your name! HURRY AND SPEAKK!”

“Y-, Yes, it’s Tilea.”

“I see. Then Tilea, I shall be avenging my comrades!”

Basten prepared for battle. The atmosphere began to quake as the mana transmitted through the air.

W-, What incredible mana!

Demons really are on a different scale to us. But even so, Tilea-san can do something about this.

“Now, Tilea-san. Please use your kukanomi as usual to…”

“I-, It’s no good… H-, How could this happen.”

“Tilea-san?”

“W-, Why is it a werewolf! T-, THE WEAKPOINT HAS CHAAAAAANGEEEEDDDDDDD!”

Eh? What’s that mean? She won’t be throwing kukanomi like usual?

“UWAHH! I’ll be killed! S-, Somebody… I-, I know! I-, It’s your turnnn! Slaughter Sword Ozuma-san! Blue Comet Shaben-san! Samidare Shogun Shana-san!”

Tilea-san began begging the F-rank adventurers to save her. Everyone seemed to be stunned by the sudden appearance of the demon, but Tilea-san’s loud voice woke them up.

“UWAHHHH! D-, DON’T DRAG ME INTO THISS!”

“S-, Somebody call the Public Safety Forcee!”

“H-, Hiii! W-Why is a demon here!?”

They discarded their prided weapons and ran left and right. Even if it’s a demon, aren’t you guys too panicked? Even a new student at the Academy wouldn’t act so shamefully.

Well, maybe it can’t be helped. Even an A-ranked adventurer wouldn’t stand a chance against this Basten demon.

To say nothing of F-rankers…

“Tsk. A noisy bunch of flies, aren’t you.”

In that instant, a flash of demonic light struck from his hands. It was so fast I didn’t even see him move. All the adventurers were killed in an instant. Some of them had their heads sliced in two, the brain tissue spilling out. Others were bisected from top to bottom, and all kinds of viscera splashed from inside.

“Now then, the nuisances are out of the way. Time to――”

“I-, It’s bad! A demon’s appeared! Enemy attack!”

Hearing the noise, the guards a.s.sembled. Every one of them had their weapons in hand as they faced Basten down.

“Impertinent! The first thing I’ll do is tidy up you riffraff!”

Basten roared and sent the guards flying.

Aahh, they really were no match. We were already lacking all the strongest members like Remilia-sama to begin with. I need to get Tilea-san to fight somehow.

“Tilea-sa――”

“Jessica-chan, n-now’s our chance to run!”

“Eh!? W-, Wait a mo――”

Tilea-san grabbed my hand and forcefully dragged me outside.

Why is Tilea-san running?

“Tilea-san, why won’t you fight like usual?”

“Jessica-chan, it’s impossible this time. The enemy is a werewolf. Kukanomi won’t work.”

“But why? Even a werewolf should be fine for you. Please just try throwing the kukanomi.”

“Jessica-chan, it won’t work. Kukanomi and crosses won’t work against a werewolf. Aaahh, if only I had a silver bullet…”

Silver boolet?

Tilea-san started fixating on something weird again. Even though a kukanomi would work just fine…

What should I do? How can I persuade her? Or would it be faster just to play along with her?

“Tilea-san, I don’t quite know what a boolet is, but would a lump of silver work?”

“Yeah, as long as it’s made of silver…”

I quietly picked up a stone from the roadside, and alchemised it into lead. I might not be able to create gold or silver, but I’m plenty skilled enough to create lead.

“Tilea-san, the truth is I have some silver with me.”

Saying that, I handed the lead stone to Tilea-san.

“EEH!? Really? What a coincidence! With this, we can beat him… Waii, is this really silver? It’s not really shining, and dull, almost like lead…”

Tilea-san made an obviously suspicious expression. Well of course. It really is a clump of lead.

“Tilea-san, that stone is actually an heirloom pa.s.sed down in my Nichol family. Over the hundreds of years that we’ve had it, it’s gained a dignified tinge to it. But I can a.s.sure you that it’s silver.”

I wonder if my excuse was a bit lame. I don’t think even Tilea-san would be fooled by――

“I see! Now that you mention it, it really does look kind of elegant and silvery.”

SHE BELIEVED IT! I just blurted some nonsense. As Tilea-san took a good look at the lead, she praised “The skill of a craftsman sure shines, huh~” and nodded.

“Then Tilea-san, please don’t be shy. Please throw that at Basten in place of the kukanomi.”

“Yeah… Are you really okay with this? It’s an heirloom, isn’t it?”

“It’s fine, Tilea-san. In fact, I think that my ancestors would be happy as well, if they knew it was used to defeat a demon.”

Tilea-san, it’s just a clump of lead I created at random, so you don’t have to worry about that.

“I see. Then I won’t hold back――Oh no, that won’t work!”

Tilea-san lamented. Apparently there was yet another problem.

“Tilea-san, what’s the matter this time?”

“Jessica-chan, you know, when it comes to silver bullets they can’t be thrown by hand. They’re only as small as a bullet after all. You need a pistol to shoot it.”

Aahh, so annoying. Can’t be helped. I’ll just deceive her somehow.

But what’s a ‘pistel’ anyway?

Hmm~ From what she said, I’m a.s.suming it’s a weapon like a bowgun. After all, she said that you can’t just throw it.

Huhu, if Tilea-san would just throw it, it would reach speeds impossible for a bowgun though. But even if I said that, I doubt Tilea-san would believe me.

In that case…

I know! As I recall, Tilea-san said that she could use elementary magic, didn’t she. I’ll have her throw it with magic. Besides, her ‘elementary magic’ is definitely going to end up being a match for our ‘final tier magic’. If it’s Tilea-san, I think she’ll be able to beat him with magic as well.

“If you can’t just throw it, then you can release the silver with magic, Tilea-san. You said that you could use magic, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Only elementary magic though.”

“There’s no problem. Even elementary magic can produce incredible speeds. It can reach an itchimilicon per second.”

I’m honestly astounded by myself. I bet even a child wouldn’t be fooled, but… it should be fine since it’s her, right?

“I see! I don’t really get it, but that sounds really fast! Definitely as fast as a pistol. No, maybe even more. As expected of a fantasy world.”

Yep, I knew it! She started muttering words I didn’t understand again, but it seems that I convinced her at least.

“So this is where you were. I’ve crushed all the garbage inside. Now then, shall the strongest begin their fight!”

After finishing with the Headquarters, Basten appeared and roared fearlessly at her.

“Jessica-chan, stand back. Leave this to me…”

“Y-, Yes.”

I obediently left things to Tilea-san. Thank goodness. She’s motivated now.

“You defeated Bebe and the others. I’ll begin at full power! HAAAHH!”

Basten’s mana suddenly surged.

N-, No way. The already high mana rose even further. C-, Could this be the same amount as the huge mana I detected?

Then, Basten created a high density flame.

A-, Amazing. This isn’t anywhere near kilo, or mega anymore.

Giga… No, perhaps the legendary Terafire[Greatest Flame Spell]…

I was overwhelmed by Basten’s flame spell. On the other hand, Tilea-san seemed happy with the lead I alchemised. She was filled with confidence, or perhaps I could even say that she was acting careless.

This won’t do. Even if it’s Tilea-san, if she’s. .h.i.t by that…

I was about to warn her but… my body suddenly swayed.

N-, No good. This again. A demon’s pressure. At this range, I can’t hold on.

Ahh, no good, my consciousness is fading. T-, Tilea-san, the rest is up to you.