Chapter 32: Villainous Aristocrat Encounters Mid-Boss

The next morning,

I woke up as the morning sun rose and stepped out of the tent.

“Good morning, Kunou-kun.”

“Good morning, Kunou-sama!!”

“Both of you are up early. Good morning.”

It seems Felsy and Eleanor had already woken up.

I bowed to them and returned their greetings.

“Um, Kunou-kun? Are you okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, if you don’t remember, it’s fine, Kunou-sama… If you skillfully use the co-sleeping with Kunou-sama… mumble mumble… But there’s also the possibility of everything being proved by Felsy-nee-sama… mumble mumble.”

Eleanor muttered something under her breath, but I couldn’t quite hear it.

Did something happen before I went to sleep yesterday?

My memories are a bit fuzzy. I remember feeling strangely happy, yet as if I were about to die.

I recall sneaking out of the tent once and getting a sharp right straight from Viola, but…

I can’t remember anything after that.

Well, if I forgot, it probably wasn’t that important.

I’ll just move on without worrying about it.

“Mmm. Good morning.”

“Morning!”

“Good morning… yawn, I slept well.”

“…yawn, good… morning…”

Kotori, Sid, and Viola emerged from their respective tents, albeit a bit later.

Looking at them like this, you can really see everyone’s personalities in the morning, huh?

Kotori and Sid seem strong in the morning, but Viola looks sleepy, rubbing his eyes.

Maria is speaking Japanese.

Well, it’s probably just because she’s not fully awake yet.

I glanced at Viola, and our eyes met.

“W-What are you looking at?”

“I’m not looking at anything, haha.”

I laughed, trying to brush it off.

“Now, what should we do today?”

“For now, it’s a good idea to gather food like we did yesterday. You can never have too much food.”

“Then let’s expand the exploration area from yesterday. If we encounter monsters, don’t push it; just run away. Safety first!!”

Eleanor incorporated my suggestion and decided on the activities for the second day.

Now, I transformed into a predator like a hunter in G◯G◯ to catch my prey— 

The next moment, my instincts sensed danger.

It was a chilling feeling, akin to a rabbit being stared down by a lion.

I felt a fear that words couldn’t describe.”

“Everyone, stand back.”

Felsy stepped forward and issued the command.

Facing whoever was approaching from deep within the forest, she showed a trembling determination to fight.

“I’m suspending the S-class outdoor class with my authority as a supervisor. Let’s go to the teachers immediately.”

“Nee-san, come with us!! It’s dangerous!!”

“No, Kunou-kun. We don’t know who or what it is, but it’s approaching us at an incredible speed. Someone has to stay behind and fight—”

That moment arrived.

“How boring, meow. All of you are just kids, not worth my time, meow.”

“T-That way of speaking…”

I knew that woman.

To be more accurate, I knew the woman who spoke in that distinctive manner.

Ah, it was my first time meeting her in person.

I only knew her as a character from the game, after all.

We instinctively turned our heads toward the source of the voice.

“What? Are you all weaklings, meow?”

At first glance, she appeared to be a cat-eared girl.

She wore an outfit that was excessively revealing, her hair was black with golden tips, and her eyes were a deep, blood-red hue.

However, I felt “fear” rather than “cuteness.”

Despite her charming appearance, the aura of magic surrounding her was ominous.

“Demon race…”

Felsy correctly identified the girl’s race.

The demon race evolved from monsters, gaining advanced intelligence and language abilities.

Although they may resemble beastfolk in appearance, demons constantly emit a distinctive and ominous magical energy from their entire bodies.

That’s why you can tell at a glance.

“Nya? There seem to be some moderately strong ones here. Well, it doesn’t seem like they’re my enemies, meow.”

“…Who are you?”

The girl nodded as if impressed when she looked at Felsy, and Felsy asked her.

“I am one of the Seven Supreme Commanders of the Demon King Army, under the command of Lord Gessai, Wendel-sama, Kito, nya.”

“Wh- Demon King, Army…”

“Nya? Was that not a good thing to say? Well, if I eliminate everyone, the problem is solved, meow.”

“Wendel, the Fang Crusher,” that’s the name of the main boss the protagonist encounters on their journey.

And Kito is one of his subordinates, a mid-boss who relentlessly corners the protagonist multiple times.

They’re legitimate boss characters, not like me who dies easily in three seconds.

I never expected to encounter a boss character in a place like this…

Why the hell are you here!! You’re the type who suddenly appears in the story and challenges the protagonist out of nowhere, aren’t you!!

Save this kind of surprise entrance for the protagonist, damn it!!

Let’s be clear about that.

In the current state, Felsy can’t possibly win.

Kito specializes in speed and always launches a preemptive attack in battle.

Above all, what makes this tricky is one of her special abilities.

“Well, there’s no need for me to get directly involved. Everyone, take care of them.”

“””Grrrrr…”””

Her tricky aspect is her ability to summon allies.

It seemed we were already surrounded, as wolf-like monsters emerged from the bushes.

We were clearly in a dire situation.

“Icicle Burst――!!”

Felsy was the first to act.

Presumably, she used her most powerful magic, freezing the monsters on the opposite side of where Kito stood.

We secured a way out, creating an escape route.

“Run now!!”

It was a commanding voice reminiscent of Karina.

At the sound of that voice, all the S-class members bolted from the scene simultaneously.

They moved with a determination that didn’t leave room for indecision, showcasing the remarkable quality of the S-class.

That’s precisely why I hesitated.

Running away wasn’t the best choice for me.

And that hesitation led to the worst outcome.

“How boring, meow.”

*Kaha!*

Kito’s claws pierced through Felsy’s body.

“You should’ve just thought about killing me and the monsters, regardless of the weaklings, meow.”

“Guh, you said you didn’t have to do it directly…?”

“That was a lie, meow. I could do it faster myself.”

Saying that, Kito threw Felsy aside.

Felsy, bleeding from her abdomen, crashed into a tree. I hurriedly ran to her.

Red.

Bright red blood was gushing out of Felsy’s body in large quantities.

I calmly cast a healing spell.

“Kunou-sama!”

“No, Princess!! Right now, the priority is to escape!”

“Damn it, what… what should we do?”

“Yeah. The movements of that demon were too fast to see. Even if we team up, we’ll just be slaughtered. We need to run.”

“It’s impossible for you to just run and leave us behind, right?!”

My classmates and Maria were in chaos in the distance.

At this rate, would they all be pierced and killed by Kito’s claws?

“Kunou-kun…”

“I’m alright, Onee-sama.”

Felsy’s bleeding had been stopped.

However, it was just a makeshift solution. It would be dangerous if we didn’t get her proper healing from a specialist.

That’s why I needed to end this quickly.

“Nya? More weaklings coming out, huh? Do you want to experience the same fate as that female over there, meow?”

“Nya-nya, shut up. I’ll kill you.”

A voice came out from me sharper than I imagined.

Oh, right. I probably am genuinely angry. 

I rarely got angry in my past life, so this feeling was new to me.

“You weakling. Don’t get ahead of yourselves, meow.”

“Your insults are so one-dimensional. Work on your vocabulary.”

“…What?”

“Well, considering you guys just gather and boast, your wordplay isn’t bad for mere lackeys. ‘Weakling’ suits you perfectly.”

“Die!!”

“You don’t even have resistance against provocation? You should consider allocating some stats to intelligence, weaklings.”

Kito kicked the ground, aiming to kill me.

If things continued this way, I would suffer significant damage just like Felsy.

However, I wasn’t provoking Kito without a plan.

I discreetly pulled out a magic bag I had brought with me from my pocket.

It’s an emergency situation now. It should be safe to use it… hopefully.

Thinking such carefree thoughts, I took something out from the magic bag.

“W-What is that?!!”

“It’s just a regular Gatling gun.”

The weapon I held now, with six rotating barrels, was the most efficient tool in my arsenal for annihilating enemies.

I was probably very angry.

Under normal circumstances, I would hesitate to reveal the existence of this weapon, let alone use it.

However, by having this weapon, I created the option to fight, leading to indecision, and Felsy ended up severely injured.

It was my responsibility. I was at fault for hesitating this time.

I should have either fled immediately or fought alongside Felsy.

If I did something wrong, I needed to take responsibility for it.

“Die.”

I channeled my magical energy, and the six barrels started rotating rapidly with a high-pitched whirring sound.

I’ll say it again: I was extremely angry.

But my mind was incredibly calm, silently boiling with rage.

—Stay calm and let your anger out.

I aimed the gun at Kito, who had stopped due to the danger she sensed, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

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