A chill creeps up my spine when I hear the familiar, drawling tone. A massive monster pushes through the crowd of beastkin.
“Th-this can’t be happening. Why now?!”
The orc—the ruler of this town—Bunogeos is headed right for us! After taking us in, he scratches the back of his neck, then casually says:
“Ohhh, are you the Hero and Goddess? It’s just like what that tawny-haired demon saaaid: ‘A messenger of the gods will soon arrive to free the slaves.’”
A demon with tawny hair? One who’s aware of what we’re doing? Was the werewolf who invaded the spirit world guided by this demon, too?
Beastkin begin circling around Seiya and me, seemingly relieved now that Bunogeos is here. It’s only a few seconds until there are dozens of them. However, Bunogeos shakes his hand at them.
“You guys can fall baaack. I’ll handle thiiis.”
This could be our only chance! I subtly whisper to Seiya:
“Seiya! Now’s our chance! Use Maximum Inferno to create a smoke screen, then grab the slaves and run!”
“Run? When the boss is already here?”
“You can’t beat him, Seiya! Besides, the slaves’ lives are our priority, right?!”
“Well…I guess.”
I somehow manage to talk Seiya out of engaging, but Bunogeos lets out a vile chuckle as if he knows exactly what we’re going to do.
“You’re not gettin’ away from meee. Well, you could run if you wanted, but I’d just chop this slave’s head right offfff.”
Before I even realize, the orc is holding a woman in tattered clothes in one hand. She struggles in agony as he tightens his grip around her neck. That’s when the Hero’s piercing gaze locks onto Bunogeos.
“Goddess, I can’t just abandon that hostage and run. I’m going to defeat Bunogeos here and save all the slaves.”
Mn…! What he’s saying is very heroic, b-but there’s no way he can beat that orc!
Once he realizes that Seiya is willing to fight, Bunogeos tosses the woman behind him and reaches for the ax on his back.
“Chain Destruction…was it? Once I hit ya with this, neither yooou nor the goddess will be able to come back to liiife.”
“Wh-why do you have that?! Did that demon give you that, too?!”
“That’s none o’ yer busineeeeess.”
…While I distract Bunogeos, Seiya infuses his sword with flames. Before Bunogeos can even draw his ax…
“Die…! Phoenix Drive!”
Seiya unleashes an attack with a powerful roar, but Bunogeos deeply inhales with an air of confidence. Immediately, my hair and dress start fluttering as everything around me is sucked in. Bunogeos expels the air he inhaled directly at the charging Hero.
“Mn…!”
The powerful gale stops Seiya in his tracks and extinguishes the flames on his sword as if blowing out a birthday candle.
“Weeee-hee-hee. Wouldn’t want to start a fire, now, would weee?”
Bunogeos neutralizes the magic sword through sheer force alone, but Seiya still leaps at him.
“Then how about this? Eternal Sword!”
Since he can’t use Phoenix Drive anymore, Seiya switches to Adenela’s special attack without missing a beat. I inwardly applaud Seiya for his quick judgment, but…
“Hmm? That ticklesss.”
The orc takes each one of Seiya’s consecutive hits yet shows no sign of injury. But Seiya doesn’t give up. He continues attacking with Eternal Sword until his arm suddenly stops. That’s when I notice…that Bunogeos is holding the platinum sword’s blade!
“It doesn’t really hurt, buuut…you’re starting to annoy meeeeee!”
With his other thick arm, he buries a punch right into Seiya’s stomach. Seiya’s feet lift off the ground with a thud.
“Urgh…!”
“Seiya!!”
The Hero crumbles with just a single punch, and Bunogeos’s expression can only be described as disgust.
“Whaaat? That’s it? I didn’t even need my ax. Didn’t think the Hero would be this weeeak. Wait. Am I just too strooong?”
I-it was like fighting a baby! Seiya didn’t stand a chance! It’s exactly how I imagined it would go down, though. Seiya’s attack power isn’t even high enough to leave a scratch on Bunogeos. There’s just too big a gap between their stats.
We’re no longer in any position to save the slaves! We need to find a way to escape!
I instinctively sprint toward Seiya, but the dog beastkin stops in front of me before chopping my neck with his hand.
“Hng…!”
And just like that, I collapse at Seiya’s side. As I slowly fade out of consciousness, I see the ax on Bunogeos’s back out of the corner of my eye.
Oh… He’s going to use that ax and destroy our souls… Our journey ends here…
“M-mn…”
How much time has passed? I place a hand on my bruised neck while sitting up. The area is dark, but I see thick iron bars before me. It looks like I’m in a cell of some sort. There’s another cell next to mine…
“Seiya?!”
Seiya is curled up on the floor, disarmed and lying on his side.
“Are you okay?! Seiya, wake up!”
“Y-yeah…”
Seiya sits up as if he heard my cries. He clutches his stomach like he’s in pain, but it doesn’t seem to be life-threatening.
“Thank goodness you’re okay!”
But without missing a beat…
“I wouldn’t get so excited if I were you…”
I hear a voice coming from right behind me. I turn around to find the girl Bunogeos took hostage sitting in the corner of the cell. I’m relieved.
“Thank goodness you’re okay, too! What about the other slaves?”
“No clue. Seeing as they’re not here, I’m guessing Bunogeos temporarily removed the curse of the spell stone and sold them somewhere outside of town.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Oh, don’t worry about them. They’re the lucky ones. They’re still alive. We should be more worried about ourselves…”
She continues to speak as if she was talking about something mundane like the weather.
“Because you and me—we’re about to be Bunogeos’s food.”
“H-huh?! You mean he’s gonna eat us?! I thought this town produced slaves?! Bunogeos said—”
“That’s what he says when others are listening. But he secretly likes to eat young women. Oh…speak of the devil. Here he comes.”
The massive orc heavily drags his feet this way. First, he looks at Seiya in his cell and smirks.
“Lord Grandleon’s gonna be thrilled when I hand ya over to himmm. Weeee-hee-hee.”
Cheerfully rubbing his stomach, he walks over to our cell next and carefully stares at me through the iron bars like he’s examining me.
“I caught the Hero. I deserve a special rewarrrd.”
Drool drips down his vile chin.
“Hmm… I think I’ll start with the Goddessssss.”
CHAPTER 6
The End of the World
It doesn’t matter how immortal goddesses are if he swallows me whole! Once my body dissolves, I’ll be sent straight back to the spirit world!
“Y-you’re kidding, right?”
But Bunogeos unlocks the cell and barges right in.
“B-Bunogeos, stop!”
Seiya yells out in agony in the cell beside mine. Paying no heed to his cries, the orc grabs me by the arm and forces me to my feet. He then lowers his head below mine, huffing and puffing on my chest in excitement.
“N-no, don’t…! Stop…!”
Bunogeos vulgarly stares at me as I tremble…but out of nowhere, his expression suddenly clouds over.
“Hmm? Hmmmm? Hmmmmmm? This Goddess smells sour…”
“Huh?!”
“Well, this is no goooood. Can’t eat rotten foooood.”
“What the—?! You’re kidding, right?!”
Bunogeos lets go of me, and I crumple
to the ground. I can hear Seiya call out to me with a mirthful note.
“Goddess! It’s a good thing you stink, huh?”
The orc speaks up, responding to Seiya.
“I’m a foodie. I don’t wanna waste space in my stomach with something rottennn.”
I’m trembling, but this time not in fear.
“Who are you calling rotten?! I’m a goddess! You take that back, you pig!!”
“The nose doesn’t lie. Weeee-hee-hee.”
“I don’t smell bad! Eat me! At least take a bite!!”
I’m so humiliated that I’d rather be eaten! Ignoring my rage-filled ramblings, Bunogeos walks over to the woman behind me.
“Yep. I’m gonna go with this one.”
“What?! No, you’re gonna eat me first!”
Furious, I stand in between them, but he casually knocks me away and picks up the woman before leaving the cell and locking it. Bunogeos places his fat finger on the woman’s chin and pushes her head up as if he wants Seiya and me to watch.
“Her skin is so milky white and yummy-looking. Don’tcha agreeeee? Would be a waste making her a slaaave.”
He suddenly stops rubbing her chin and stabs her cheek with a black claw coming out of his index finger.
“…!”
The woman faintly screams as red blood trickles down her cheek. Licking the blood off his finger causes the orc’s lips to curl.
“Awww, yeah. That’s the stuff. This is some high-quality meeeat. Wish I could enjoy it for the next couple of hours, but I’d be setting a bad example if any of the other beastkin found meee. Oh well. Guess I’ll just eat her here.”
His insolent behavior sends me into a fit of blind rage, but I simultaneously feel sick at the thought of him eating a human in front of me. Seiya, in the nearby cell, seems to feel the same.
“Bunogeos, stop! Get your hands off her!”
Bunogeos seems amused as he watches Seiya aggressively rattle the iron bars.
“Nooope. I’m gonna eat her, and you two are gonna watch.”
“B-Bunogeos, please stop!”
I assail the bars of my cell as well, but there’s no way I’ll be able to break them if Seiya couldn’t. The orc seems to be enjoying watching us struggle.
“You’re wasting yer time. Even I’d have trouble breaking those baaarsss, so there’s no way you’re gonna be able to do it.”
“Tch…!”
I punch the iron bars.
“Oh?”
Bunogeos turns a curious gaze on me.
“Why? Why did it have to be like this?! If the old Seiya were here—if the cautious Hero were here…then this would have never happened!”
The resentment slips off my tongue.
“…Goddess.”
Though I failed to notice earlier, Seiya is looking at me.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who caused your amnesia, which led to this.”
“I get that I have amnesia, but…would I be able to save that woman if I had my memories back?”
Logically, I don’t think a change in personality would help us get out of this tight corner, and yet, I still get this sense of hope. I feel almost as if that overly cautious, cool and collected, clear-sighted Hero would be able to reverse any situation, regardless of how grave it might seem.
“It’s possible. Knowing how you failed last time on Ixphoria would help you become mentally strong to an extent.”
“…I see.”
Thereupon, I hear a violent bang peeling from the cell next door.
“What the…?!”
I turn to find Seiya banging his head against the iron bars!
“S-Seiya?!”
Bunogeos is also taken aback by Seiya’s bizarre action.
“Uhhh… Whatcha doin’ there?”
Blood pours down Seiya’s forehead after repeatedly ramming his head against the bars, but even then, he doesn’t stop.
“I don’t care what happens to me…if it means I can save that woman.”
“B-but what you’re doing is reckless!”
“I’ll be fine. I once fixed a TV back in my world by doing this.”
“…?! Seiya, you’re not a TV!”
He’s out of his mind…but he’s doing his best. I can feel just how desperate he is, and it breaks my heart.
…How many times has he hit his head already? Bunogeos seemed to be enjoying himself at first, but now he’s yawning out of boredom.
“Well, I guess it’s about time I aaate.”
He looks at the slave and licks his lips. In the depth of despair…
“It’s okay.”
I hear a sudden voice.
“Don’t worry about me.”
It’s the voice of the woman Bunogeos is holding.
“I’m afraid to be eaten, but once I move past the pain, I will finally be able to escape this hell…”
“Wh-what are you…?”
Even though she’s about to be eaten, she gives me a gentle smile.
“The end of the world…has already come and gone. That’s why…”
It’s the voice of a woman who has already resigned herself.
Creak! Crack! Snap!
I hear something crumble in the cell next to mine.
“Wh-what was thaaat?”
In tandem with Bunogeos, I look over at Seiya’s cell…and can’t believe what I’m seeing! The hard iron bars have shattered and fallen to the floor! His head slick with blood, Seiya slowly crawls through the opening.
“How many times…am I going to repeat this? I should have figured it out last time… I can’t save the world like this…”
His lower tone makes my heart skip a beat.
W-wait…?! But it has to be! He’s the same person, but the air around him has gotten tense!
Seiya brushes back his blood-soaked hair, then lets out a small breath and walks over to Bunogeos.
“The hell? How did ya break those iron baaars?”
As Seiya stands right in front of Bunogeos, I use Scan and check his status.
Yes!! He healed his amnesia! The cautious Hero is back! B-but even if his personality changed, that doesn’t mean his stats improved! There’s no way he can defeat Bunogeos like this! What is he going to do?!
Seiya suddenly places his bloody hand on Bunogeos’s thigh, and the orc’s demeanor immediately changes.
“Ya filthy humaaaaaan! How dare ya touch me with yer shit-stained haaands!”
“I didn’t just touch your leg. I destroyed it.”
“…Huh?”
Ker-splat! Bunogeos’s thigh tears right open, releasing a torrent of jet-black blood. It sounds like an overripe apple falling from a tree.
“Hmm…? Ah… Ahhhhhh!!”
Finally realizing what happened, Bunogeos’s face twists in agony. After he falls to one knee and screams, Seiya talks over him with a cold air.
“First Valkyrja: Shattered Break!”
That’s one of Valkyrie’s techniques of destruction! H-he remembered how to do that?! But…oh! That move ignores defense! That’s why he was able to break such sturdy iron bars and even use it on an enemy on a higher level than he is!
While Bunogeos crouches in pain, Seiya breaks the iron bars to my cell as well. But when I rush out to his side…
“Rista, stay back.”
He signals me with his hand to move back, but I’m secretly overjoyed because he finally called me by my name!
“H-h-h-humaaan!”
Holding his wounded leg, Bunogeos stands up again.
“Impossible! How could such a weak human do this…?!”
Bunogeos shows his true colors. Red-eyed, he bares his fangs and fiercely glares at Seiya. But the Hero doesn’t even blink.
“A ‘weak human’? It would be in your best interest to forget the man you fought earlier.”
Thereupon, flames shoot out of Seiya’s body, surrounding the slave and me to protect us.
“A
llow me to show you the ultimate attack I learned from the Goddess of Destruction.”
“Heh. Funny! Just try it, you little shiiiiiit! I’ll crush yer little skuuulll!”
…Panting, Seiya sprints up the stairs holding the woman’s hand, with me following closely behind.
“Once we climb the stairs, it’s a…right, I believe. After that, we’ll be able to escape this dungeon…”
As the woman helps navigate Seiya through the dungeon, I ask:
“W-we’re running? After all that trash talking?”
“Yeah. That move was the only Valkyrja technique I could remember, so our lives were really in danger back there.”
“Oh, no wonder…”
“I bet he wasn’t expecting we’d run. Even if he did and tried to chase us, it would be difficult with only one leg. We should be able to escape with no problem once we get past the other beastkin.”
“Oh! Seiya, listen! We won’t be able to return to the unified spirit world even if we do escape! They have a magic item that’s preventing me from creating a gate!”
“I still have my memories from when I was reckless, so I understand the situation. If we can’t return to the spirit world, then we’ll just have to go to Little Light to prepare.”
“‘P-prepare’? For what?”
“Defeating the enemy, of course.”
H-he plans on defeating Bunogeos without training in the spirit world?! B-but…!
Looking at his sharp, dignified profile, I think to myself:
Wh-what is this sense of security?! This is it! This is how Seiya Ryuuguuin has to be! This is the love of my life!
Almost moved to tears, I try to wrap my arm around his—but he knocks my hand away.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off me.”
“Huh…?”
Wh-what…? I thought he got his memories back? I-is he embarrassed? Is that it? Y-yeah… That has to be it…
CHAPTER 7
A Punch and a Promise
We run into a few beastkin along the way, but Seiya uses his fire magic to vanquish them. After escaping the dungeon, we eventually make it to the staircase leading to Little Light beneath the floorboards of the shack.
I’m glad we were able to get away from Bunogeos, but I get depressed when I think back to how they treated us in Little Light. We were unable to defeat the orc, and the only slave we saved is this woman behind us. It’s better than nothing, but I can already imagine how enraged Braht and the other villagers are going to be.
The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3 Page 6