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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 116

CHAPTER 116: THE STRONGEST OF THE STRONG *4*

I could feel all of the strength gradually fading away from my body.

My knees were all wobbly and about ready to give up, and I could barely even stand on my feet.

I felt like if I let my mind wander even for a little bit, I’d just fall down to the ground and never get up again.

「Not…… yet……」

Desperately trying to hold on to my consciousness, I looked forward.

Suzu-san was the first to show in my field of vision, holding a defensive stance against Kamui’s blow.

I remembered that much.

I also remembered that there was a definite response from the blow, that it surely connected.

But I don’t know much more than that.

Right now, the dust from Kamui’s blow had left me with poor visibility, and I couldn’t see anything all that well.

I wonder if I managed to reach Suzu-san with that attack?

Will this be the end?

I can’t fall down until I see the results.

「Rein! Are you okay!?」

「Y-Yeah…… Somehow…… But more importantly……」

「Mom……」

Soon, the dust cloud has cleared.

I scolded my body for not listening to me, and set up Kamui to get ready for another blow if there would be a need for one. That was all that I could do now.

If it comes down to it, I’m going to shoot her with those empowered blows in a rapid succession.

When the dust cleared……

「Ngh……」

There, Suzu-san was standing right there.

Although she was battered and bruised all over the place……

She seemed to be rather healthy and her feet were standing firm on the ground.

…… Hey, are you kidding me?

Is this woman an actual monster or what?

I don’t mean to be rude here, but I can’t help but think something like that.

「Good job with this one. I could certainly feel that blow across my entire body.」

「I would have liked you to fall down from that if possible……」

「I have one question for you, if you don’t mind?」

「What is it?」

「All of a sudden, you started to move faster and attack stronger, Rein-san. What was that all about?」

「Well…… I just used an ability enhancement spell.」

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. After all, there was no merit in me revealing my trump card to the enemy.

However, for some reason I found myself saying it honestly to her.

Maybe it’s Suzu-san’s personality that makes it so that you want to answer her honestly.

「Hmm, I see…… But that spell was divided into several levels, was it not?」

「I just kept on putting one layer of the spell onto another.」

「How is that even possible?」

「It was my first time doing this and I was kind of improvising, I’m not going to lie. Well, but I guess what’s important is that it worked out.」

「But from the look on your face, Rein-san, wasn’t that something that was really reckless and dangerous?」

「Well, I mean……」

Truth to be told, my body hurts all over.

Even the slightest movement of my fingertips causes me unimaginable pain as if I was being pricked by thousands of small needles.

It was probably a reaction to overworking my body beyond its limits.

「You are being way too reckless. You don’t know what will happen if you do such a thing to your own body……. Why do you go to such lengths?　Do you want to be with Kanade-chan that badly?」

「Well, of course.」

I answered immediately.

Do you want to stay with Kanade?

Do you want Kanade to leave?

The answers to those questions would always be the same.

Of course I want us to stay together.

Of course I don’t want to be separated from her..

Kanade is the first “real” friend and comrade I have ever made.

When I was at my wits’ end after being expelled from the Hero’s Party……

Kanade greeted me with a bright smile on her face.

It may be an exaggeration, but I could say that she saved my life.

That’s how much I felt indebted to Kanade.

Oh well, let’s not get too sentimental here. Now is neither the place nor the time for that.

Apart from the feeling of gratitude and all that other stuff……

I want to continue to be with Kanade. I really think so.

I want to be with her.

That’s all I want to do for now.

「Oh, is that so? I…… I see……」

「…… Huh?」

Suzu-san kept on asking me questions, as if she wanted to make sure that she knows what is going on with us.

For some reason, she did not seem so eager to continue the fight.

What’s going on here?

Could it be that Suzu-san suffered a lot of damage just now, just like me?

Could it be that she’s barely even able to stand her ground?

…… I guess not.

It looks like she still has some energy left to spare.

Unlike our wounded and exhausted party over here.

But if that was the case here, then what was that all about……?

「…… Fuh.」

With a small exhale, Suzu-san looked somewhat sad.

And yet, she smiled happily.

It might be a contradiction, but that was the expression on her face that we could currently see.

「Children can grow up so much the moment their parents turn their eyes away from them, huh?」

「…… Nyah? Mom?」

「Oh no! You’ve got me there!」

With a loud *THUD!*, Suzu-san collapsed to the ground while saying something completely incomprehensible.

I don’t understand what’s going on.

Suddenly, not to mention me, everyone else was taken aback by the suddenness of the situation.

「Umm……?」

「What’s going on?　You’re not pleased with this outcome?　Rein-san and the others, you have won, right?」

No, I mean, when you say something like that with such a cheerful expression on her face……

I’m not really convinced, or rather, this development was way too abrupt for us to understand in the first place.

What does it all mean?

「Say, Mom?」

「What is it, Kanade-chan?」

「Mom, the truth is that you are fine, right? You are not injured at all, right?」

「Oh, no, no, no! You managed to get me! And you managed to get me really good! That blow just now was so incredibly powerful that even I was unable to fully prepare for receiving it! And now I can’t even stand anymore! Kyauh!」

Yeah, it seems that she was putting up a show on purpose here.

Suzu-san might have overwhelming power, but she doesn’t seem to have any acting skills at all.

「…… Say, Mom? What do you mean?　I don’t know what to do when you suddenly start joking around like that.」

「I’m not kidding, Kanade-chan.」

Even though Suzu-san said something like that, the look on her face was saying something quite the opposite.

「It’s my loss here.」

「But……」

「I thought Kanade-chan would be better off in the village but……. Apparently, I was wrong about that. When Kanade-chan was in the village, she wasn’t this lively and perky. She hadn’t grown up like this. They say that cute girls need to travel the world in order to grow big and strong, and it seems that they were right in saying that. Because of her exposure to the outside world, Kanade-chan was able to grow up so much in such a short amount of time. Then I won’t try to bring her back with me anymore.」

「Mom……」

Kanade was so touched by Suzu-san’s understanding words, that she had tears starting to well-up in her eyes.

「Umm, there is one thing that I would like to correct here.」

「Yes? What is it?」

「I didn’t grow up because I went out into the world. It’s because I met Rein.」

「Rein-san……」

「I’m the person I am today because I was able to meet Rein and stay with him.」

Kanade then smiled at me.

Could it be that meeting with me was the catalyst that helped Kanade to grow so much?　

I’m so glad Kanade said that.

「I see. If that’s the case, even more so, I can’t bring Kanade-chan back home with me. I guess I was wrong.」

「Mom…… Thank you.」

「I have to say thank you, too. Thank you for bringing Kanade-chan up to this point. Rein-san.」

「Oh, no, I really didn’t……」

「At times like this, the appropriate thing to say is “You’re welcome”. Wouldn’t you agree?」

「E-Even if you say that……」

I’m the one who always receives help from others, and I’m not doing anything at all in return for that……」

「Rein, Rein.」

Kanade then stood in front of me and smiled brightly.

「I’m so glad that you have fought so valiantly for my sake, you know?」

「Kanade……」

「Besides, you guys have helped me out in so many different way, you don’t even have a clue…… So it’s not like you have done nothing for me at all. See? We have been able to help one another out quite a lot.」

「I see.」

「Thanks, Rein.」

「You’re welcome. And……」

「Nyah?」

「Let’s keep up the good work from now on.」

「Yeah!」

Kanade smiled happily.

I don’t want to see her ever losing that smile.

Oh, thank goodness.
　
I’m really glad this matter is finally over.

「Fufufu…… I know that I have brought this matter onto everyone here myself, but I guess that settles things, huh?」

「Yes, that’s right. It’s all your fault, Mom! So don’t even think that a mere apology is going to……」

「I’m really sorry.」

「Geez!」

Kanade and Suzu-san were so close and laughing together that it was hard to believe they were fighting with all their might just a moment ago.

For what it’s worth, they are really getting along, huh?

Honestly, I’m a bit jealous of that.

「…… Huh……? Oh no…….」

The tension has finally been lifted here.

And in an instant, both pain and fatigue and all sorts of other things came crashing down onto me all at once.

I could barely stand up to begin with.

There was no way I could bear the burden of those things right now……

「Nyah! Rein!」

As my consciousness started to fail me, I heard Kanade’s voice somewhere in the distance.