The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 66

Episode 66: Hearty Eater

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“…Huh?”

The sound of metal clashing echoed from somewhere.

Because I was inside the tent and everyone was making a commotion, I was slow to notice… but it was quite close.

Noticing my ears twitching on top of my head, everyone turned their gazes toward me.

“Minami-chan? What’s wrong?”

Airi-sama, who had been helping Noa-san pick out clothes, tilted her head as she approached me.

At first, everyone had been afraid of Noa-san because she was a Demon, but the moment Master recognized her as a companion, their attitudes became more flexible.

Of course, that included me as well.

That’s why, after changing her out of her tattered clothes, she had now become something of a dress-up doll, wearing my and Shiro-san’s spare clothes.

“I hear the sounds of battle nearby. It’s not like they’re coming straight toward us, but… I’ll inform Master and the others just in case.”

“Minami, take care.”

With a wave, I hurriedly stepped out of the tent.

Outside, the men were cooking—Nishida-sama, Azuma-sama, and Nakajima-sama.

…Huh?

“Mm? What’s up, Minami-chan? Did Noa-chan finish changing?”

“Food’s gonna take a bit longer. Our best cook is slacking off, so it’s taking a little more time.”

“…? Did something happen, Minami-san?”

Master—Kitayama-sama—was missing.

I had a bad feeling, a chill running down my spine.

“Um… where is Kitayama-sama?”

“Kou-chan said he was going to the restroom and ran off that way.”

“We might’ve teased him a little too much about his catchphrase. He’s probably sulking somewhere.”

They pointed in a direction—the same direction from which I had heard the sounds of battle.

“No… No, we can’t! We need to go, now!”

“Minami-san? What in the world—”

“From that direction, I can hear the sounds of combat! And it’s not just one or two people!”

“…!”

The moment I said that, Azuma-sama stomped out the campfire, and Nishida-sama dashed toward the tent.

“Wait! Nishida-san!? Noa’s still changing—”

“Battle preparations! We’re moving out! Hurry!”

He just shouted that and immediately returned.

But we had a problem.

The magic bag containing our weapons was with Master.

Of course, we all had the bare minimum of equipment nearby, but…

Without our usual weapons, we wouldn’t be able to fight the way we always did—switching weapons mid-battle, using them up and discarding them.

“What do we do, Master…? Damn it!”

Out of habit, I almost looked to Master for guidance.

Even though he might be in danger right now, I was still relying on him. How foolish of me.

We had to hurry.

“Sorry for the wait!”

“Ana and Kua stay. Naka-san too. We can’t leave Noa alone.”

The ones who rushed out of the tent were Airi-sama and Shiro-san.

Those heading out were Azuma, Nishida, Minami—me—and Airi-sama and Shiro-san.

With Annabelle-sama and Nakajima-sama remaining at the base camp, there was no need to worry about its defense.

“Let’s go! This way!”

With a shout, we sprinted forward.

It wasn’t far.

If we ran at full speed, we’d get there in no time.

And the person there was Master.

There was no way he wouldn’t be safe.

After all, he had charged into a horde of over a hundred magical beasts, faced off against unknown higher species, and always came back smiling.

Yet, for some reason, unease lingered in my heart.

Something caught in my chest, as if a voice were asking, “Are you really sure?”

No, it was fine. It had to be fine.

Master was strong. Stronger than anyone.

There was no way he could lose.

I repeated that to myself—until the moment we broke through the forest.

“Restrain him, damn it! Don’t just stand around—hold down the Black Armor!”

“Hah!? That’s a foul, isn’t it!?”

A voice shouted.

And then—

We saw Master, surrounded by a large number of Walkers.

This was bad.

No matter how strong he was, he wouldn’t get away unscathed from this.

“Goshujin-sa—!”

“Holy Blade!”

Just as I was about to call out to him, the sword of a man standing in the river shone brightly.

I knew that light.

The same light that had brought misfortune to everyone during the Stampede.

It wasn’t as large this time, but it was just as thin and sharp.

That light pierced through Master.

And then—

“Eh?”

I couldn’t form words.

The others were the same, frozen as they watched the scene unfold.

Because—what?

This couldn’t be real.

Why had Master let go of his spear?

Why was that tattered man grinning?

Why—

Why was Master’s severed arm still clutching the spear as it was sent flying?

“—GAAAAAAAHHHH!”

The moment I heard Master’s scream, I snapped back to my senses.

He was bleeding.

Not just an ordinary wound—he had lost a limb.

There was no way we could leave this alone.

“Master!”

I sprinted forward, loosing arrows to drive back the rabble surrounding him, and caught my collapsing master in my arms.

“Master! Master!”

I called out to him over and over, but only his groans of pain answered me.

No other response came.

Don’t mess with me.

Don’t mess with me!

Who the hell do you think you are?

What right do you have—to do this to my Master?

“Oi, beastkin, are you with that black-armored guy?”

The voice came from the man who had just severed Master’s arm.

Ah, so this guy is the leader of these worthless lackeys.

This bastard… it’s all his fault.

“What—?! Gahhh!”

With a soft pshew, a small bolt from my crossbow pierced through his palm.

Just one, a single tiny bolt, merely putting a hole in his hand—

And yet, the man flailed around in the riverbed, dropping his sword.

How pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

“I’ll kill you soon enough, so stay quiet for a bit… Right now, stopping Master’s bleeding comes first.”

Saying that, I pulled off my belt and wrapped it around Master’s arm.

“Guh…!?”

“I’m sorry, Master, it hurts, doesn’t it? Just a little more, please bear with it a little longer. I’ll bring Kua-sama here right away, so please…”

I tied the belt tightly around the base of the severed arm, stopping any further blood loss.

I should be taking Master straight to Kua-sama, but… these trash are in the way.

As I quietly scanned my surroundings, I thought—

“Not a single one of you is getting away…”

“You’ve really done it now, haven’t you?”

“What the hell did you do to our leader? Who even are you people?”

“Die.”

Slowly, the members of Hearty Eater approached.

The killing intent they exuded was unmistakable.

The reason I didn’t feel afraid of it was probably because… I was in the same state of mind as them.

“You lot! Are you with that man—”

“Shut up.”

“Gaaahhh!”

The Walker near me barely had time to scream before Nishida-sama appeared behind him in an instant, slicing through the tendons in his leg.

“What the hell are these guys?!”

“We’re not as kind as Kita-kun, you know.”

“Guh?!”

A man was sent flying like trash after being struck by Azuma-sama’s greatshield.

With that kind of force, his bones must have been completely shattered.

“What are you standing around for?! Hurry up and capture them—”

“Hero, long time no see. You’re the noisiest one here.”

“Huh? Eh? Wha—?! Aaaahhh!”

Shiro-san’s arrow pierced the knee of the man they called “Hero.”

He fell back into the river, thrashing like an insect drowning in the water.

That’s… a hero? That pathetic thing?

The fool who got in Master’s way during the defense battle?

Ah, I see.

Then, I have to kill him.

“Hiiiii!? N-No, stop—!”

“Did our leader scream like that when you surrounded him? If you’re a man, at least have the resolve to hold your sword properly!”

Grabbing a Walker by the ankle, Airi-sama swung him around, smashing him into his allies.

This party is truly strong.

Our entire clan is strong.

And yet, they used cowardly tricks to bring down our leader—Master.

That crime must be punished.

“W-What the hell are you people?! Nozomi! Nozomiii! Heal me, now!”

So they have a healer? How annoying.

Thinking that, I loosed three arrows into his hand as he climbed out of the river.

He was wearing impressive armor.

My arrows wouldn’t even scratch it unless they hit a gap.

Despite that, his so-called helmet left his face exposed… and the armor over his stomach was deeply dented, probably from Master’s attack.

As expected of him. No matter the opponent, he never backs down.

“Stop! Stop it! No more!”

“Shut up, weakling. No matter how much you rely on cheats, you’ll never surpass Kita.”

“Gyaaahhh!”

Shiro-san embedded another arrow into his remaining knee, and the so-called Hero squirmed on the ground like a crushed insect.

Ah, how disgraceful.

This is humanity’s hope? What a joke.

Because of people like him—

The ones summoned from another world all suffer…

“This is the end. Pray to your god as you die… Though, whether a god who’d save you even exists, I wouldn’t know.”

Murmuring that, I pressed my crossbow against the man’s forehead.

I was about to kill him.

And yet, I felt nothing. My heart was eerily calm.

Of course, it was.

Because this man…

Had hurt the one more precious to me than the world, than any god.

And left a wound that would never heal.

That alone—was a crime worthy of death.

“Stop!”

“Ahh, just as Shiro-san said… Truly a noisy insect.”

With my finger on the crossbow’s trigger, I applied pressure.

At that moment—

—Crash!

With that sound, my crossbow crumbled before my eyes.

“…Huh?”

There was no mistaking it—the thing that had just passed in front of me was… Master’s black spear.

“Stop it… Minami.”

When I turned my gaze, Master, who had lost an arm, was standing there, having just thrown his weapon, his breath ragged.

His breathing was heavy, and I had no way of knowing how much blood he had lost. His body trembled slightly.

But.

“Stop. That is not a burden you should bear.”

His voice, as always, was strong.

“Do not kill.”

That was the order given to me.

“Yes, Master. As you command.”

I lowered my head smoothly and returned to his side.

That insect no longer mattered—right now, I just wanted to be near him.

“Master!”

“Haha, sorry. I worried you, huh? I’m… not exactly okay, though.”

As I threw myself into his chest, he placed his hand on my head like always.

A quick glance revealed his severed arm—painfully cut off.

The bleeding was suppressed, but… we had to hurry.

“Kou-chan!”

“Kita-kun!”

Nishida-sama and Azuma-sama, who seemed to have finished taking down the remaining men, returned.

“Kitayama-san! What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!”

“Kita! You idiot! That was reckless!”

With that, Airi-sama and Shiro-san also regrouped.

We had to hurry back and get Kua-sama to heal him—just as that thought crossed my mind—

“Don’t screw with me! Don’t screw with me, all of you! If I use my magic, I could erase you all in an instant—!”

“Your magic won’t activate without your sword. Have you forgotten even that?”

The insect let out another grating screech, and beside it stood a woman dressed entirely in black.

In her hand—Master’s black spear, the one he had just thrown.

Had she been here before?

I didn’t recall seeing her during the battle.

“You’ve lost, Shibata. No, you were already defeated by the leader of Hearty Eater. And yet, you dragged others into it, and this is the result.”

“Hatsumi! Whose side are you on?!”

“Certainly not yours.”

This was turning into a farce.

Honestly, I didn’t care.

Master’s treatment took priority.

And yet, she walked toward us and bowed her head.

“I apologize for the intrusion, members of Hearty Eater. I am Kagemori Hatsumi, formerly of the Hero’s Party. I sincerely apologize for what has transpired—”

“Is greetings all you came for? If so, you should disappear from our sight immediately. I might just kill you on impulse.”

“…I truly am sorry. But, that—”

Ugh, how irritating.

What right did she have to waste our time like this?

As Hearty Eater began to move, ready to ignore her—

“Oh, it’s been a while. You helped me out during the defense battle.”

“…Master?”

The one being carried by everyone—Master—responded to her bow.

“You… remember me?”

“I don’t forget someone who stayed by my side until the end. So? What brings you here? You didn’t just come to return my spear, did you? Shouldn’t you be treating the Hero? Or is there something else?”

Master’s breathing was heavy.

He was forcing himself to speak.

We didn’t have time for this.

“Um… I… that is…”

“Hurry up and state your business. We don’t have time.”

Irritated by her hesitation, I raised my voice.

Master placed his hand on my head, as if to tell me to calm down.

“Want to come with us? You look like you’re struggling.”

Huh?

What did he just say?

She was part of the Hero’s Party—the very people who had harmed Master—so why…?

“Would… that be alright? I… I…”

“You’ve got a lot on your shoulders, huh? You look miserable. I’ll hear you out later.”

“…Yes. Please take me with you.”

“Alright.”

W-wait, wait, wait!

This was dangerous, no matter how you looked at it!

“Master! She was with the Hero! She could be trying to spy on us!”

“If that’s the case, she’s a damn good actor. While the brat and I were fighting one-on-one, she seemed to be cheering me on quite a bit.”

“…Cheering?”

“We’ll talk later. I’m about to pass out from the pain… Nishida, mind grabbing my arm for me?”

“You damn fool! Already done! Now shut up and let’s get back!”

“I’ll carry Kita-kun! I’ll try not to jostle you too much, but hang in there!”

With everyone shouting at each other, we made our way back to the camp.

With a new member in tow.

I couldn’t accept it—not at all—but…

This was Master’s decision.

I had no intention of protesting. None, but…

Once he recovered, I’d have him explain properly.

Otherwise, there was no way—no way—I could ever recognize this Kagemori as one of us.

As we returned to the others, Master’s condition became clear, and the group erupted in horrified screams.