Chapter 24: The Fifth Rank

“No!”

Surprisingly, it was Renji-san, not my father, who was the first to reject my idea.

“Do you understand, Itsuki-kun? What you’re trying to do?”

“……Yes, I know what I’m doing.”

I nodded in agreement to Renji-san’s words.

And then I continued.

“But if you follow my plan, the monsters will definitely come back.”

“They will come back. But that means you’ll be the bait. I can’t allow that.”

Renji-san gripped the steering wheel.

But my father remained silent and seemed to be examining what I had said.

“…… Itsuki. That’s why you said that, because you think we’re going to beat the monsters that are coming back, right?”

“Yes, I do. Otherwise I wouldn’t be saying this.”

When I said that, he let out a deep breath.

I could see the deep thought that was going through his face.

It’s not that they are against my plan because it’s difficult.

In fact, the strategy itself is very simple.

After all, all I had to do was to let the magic out without using Kaijutsu or Shijutsu.

Until I reached this age, I had always wondered why monsters attacked me.

After all, monsters come in search of more magic power.

If that is the case, it is not surprising that I, a “Seventh Rank,” would be targeted by more monsters.

That is why Akane-san of the Kamiarizuki family thought so and gave me the monster breaking tag.

However, it has been several months since I turned five years old, and I have been attacked by monsters three times so far, including today.

There must be a reason why I have been attacked only three times.

I thought about it and came up with the hypothesis that I had been controlling my magical power inside my body with Kaijutsu, so my magic power didn’t leak outside and as a result, I was not exposed.

No monster can sense something that has not leaked outside.

But I thought that if I took advantage of that and let the magic energy flow out, any monster would come after me.

Of course, I’m not saying that without thinking.

I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to be targeted by monsters.

But I’m a little stronger than before.

I think I’ve become strong enough that I won’t die if I fight them head on.

So even if I am targeted, I should be okay for a little while.

That’s what I suggested.

“…… Renji.”

But my father smiled back at Renji-san.

“The kid’s told us this much. Don’t you think we’d be disqualified adults if we didn’t respond?”

“Soichiro? What are you talking about?”

“Let’s do as Itsuki says.”

At that moment, Renji-san involuntarily turned to my father.

“Y-You idiot! You’re using the kid as bait!”

“I don’t think so. The release of magic power performed by Itsuki is instantaneous. The fifth rank monster that is now moving towards the heart of the city only needs to notice it. It’s enough to slow it down.”

“..It is.”

Renji-san must have thought that he had a point, so he went silent.

“That way, the damage can be suppressed. Even you know that, Renji.”

“I know that. Just for a moment.”

Then he nodded reluctantly.

“Itsuki. Can I leave it to you?”

“Yes, you can.”

I nodded back at my father, who looked back at me from the passenger seat, and pointed my hand toward the ceiling.

I think back to a few years ago, I was having a very hard time getting the magic out of my body.

I well remember that I could not hide my shock when the method of excreting magic power, which I thought was only one way to get magic power out of the body, was actually a weird style as well.

“I’ll let it out just a little bit.”

But that was a long time ago.

I said so that they could both hear me, and I leaked a small amount of magic from my hand.

The next moment, the air shook.

The inside of the car was hit with a jolt, as if by an earthquake.

The trees along the road roared.

The leaves that had been dancing around the car were all blown away.

It was all due to the energy of my magic power.

“As I thought, Itsuki’s magic power is unbelievable.”

“When you’re a ‘seventh rank,’ it’s violent just to let the magic power out of you…..”

Even though it was only for a moment that I let out magic power, I was embarrassed by the way it was said in such a big way. The reason I was silent was because I was embarrassed.

The spirit mark on the paper map that my father had placed on the front board slowly began to change course. The spirit sign pointed to the location of the Fifth Rank monster.

That meant that it had switched its aim from the city center to me.

Seeing this with one eye, Renji-san slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop.

“Soichiro. We’re going to intercept it here.”

“Oh dear. I didn’t expect two fights on the same day.”

“It’s business as usual.”

—was this a daily occurrence after all?

At the moment I was feeling a little bad about my future, a tree branch was reaching out toward me.

“……!”

Reflexively, I created a wall and blocked the tree branch by using “Trait transformation: Hard”.

This is definitely a direct attack by “Attribute Change: Wood”.

And using magic on a human being is not…

“Ah, yes. Now, dodge it. 』

It must be a monster.

When did they come there?

A young man stood there, his right eye shining bright and golden.

But it is not only the eyes that are deformed.

His arms were strange.

He had four arms.

He was clearly not human.

“There’s someone with extraordinary magic power. Come on out. Let’s be friends. 』

It’s a monster.

“Itsuki! Don’t get out of the car!”

“Aya. Stay close to Itsuki-kun!”

The reaction of the two men in front of him was swift.

My father kicked the door open and jumped out, then rushed forward with his right leg and right arm strengthened in iai stance.

Renji-san watched him as he deployed his Guiding Thread Silvate and launched his magic at the monster.

“Ah, yes. You won’t answer me. I miss you. 』

Geez!

However, the monster stopped my father’s iai with his right arm.

The magic released by Renji-san was repelled by the trees growing from the ground.

”Okay then, good, if we narrow it down one by one, we’ll find them.』

As soon as the young man said this, his golden right eye twinkled.

At that moment, the air was filled with a whoosh!

The next moment, the dismembered trees began to move.

Leaves that had fallen to the ground rose up.

Insects that happened to be nearby grow to huge sizes.

“Making monsters.”

Aya let out a small whisper in the car.

Oh, yes, that’s right. I’m certain.

This is the mastermind behind all this.

I let out a breath and stretched out countless guide thread silvate.

A moment later, multiple bursts of sound echoed through the forest.

It was the sound of the newly created monsters exploding all at once.

“Soichiro!”

“…..Ah.”

The two looked at me for a moment.

I nodded to them.

–I’ll take down the small fry.

They seemed to have gotten the message, and turned to face the monster.

But they weren’t the only ones who saw me.

The monster in the shape of a young man was also looking at me.

“Ah, yes. That’s what you do.”

The next moment, the monster hit both arms.

With a clap, a sound so dry that it was almost too much for a clap, my father and Renji-san disappeared.

“Papa! Renji-san!”

“Eh, ah, yes. This is a surprise.”

In an instant, the young man who made them both disappear somewhere rolls his eyes.

“It’s just ‘transfer magic’ though.”

He scratched his head in annoyance and pointed at me.

“The magic power from just now, is that you? Ah, no need to answer. I understand.』

I knew that Aya-chan, who was next to me, was holding me with a trembling hand.

『Transfer Magic』.

I know what he did from the name, but I have no idea how to do it.

Not only that.

Neither my father or Renji-san is here.

I don’t even know how far they’ve been sent by the transfer magic.

The plan to lure the monster out and then have our fathers defeat them was destroyed with a single move. My heart pulsed strongly.

Death.

For the first time in a long time, the concept of death gripped my heart.

I gripped it tightly and felt my breathing become shallow.

“……Itsuki-kun!”

“……!”

I felt my consciousness being jolted back to reality at the sound of that voice.

That’s it. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to die.

And I’m not the only one here.

“It’s okay, Aya-chan!”

I said as I opened the car door.

Aya-chan can’t fight.

If Renji-san or my father aren’t here.

“I’ll exorcise you.”

There is no other choice.

“Oh, yeah? I don’t think that’s possible.”

Late at night, in the mountains.

–The battle against the fifth rank monster began, unseen by others.

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