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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 173

CHAPTER 173: GETTING PREPARED

I was able to successfully overcome the trial of the Spirit Triber that the Village Elder presented to me.

However, that didn’t mean that we could just take our Legendary Item to serve as a vessel for the seal and just waltz out of the Spirit Tribe village with it right away.

Apparently, the Legendary Class Items are strictly controlled and cannot be taken out easily from their vaults.

The multiple seals that were placed on them must be broken one by one, with no way of speeding up the process.

According to the Village Elder, it was the process that would take some time to complete.

And apparently there was also a whole lot of paperwork that needed to be done for the entire process to go smoothly from the administrative side.

I guess that bureaucratic work is always the same, no matter where you go or what race you are.

I heard that when Arios asked me to bring him the “Shield of Truth”, the procedures were omitted because the one who was asking for it was the Hero himself, but……

This time, since I was a normal human being, I couldn’t possibly skip the entire process and had to go through the lengthy procedures the “legitimate” way.

That, and there was also one more thing.

Sora and Luna needed some time to learn and master the magic that would be used to seal Iris away for good.

Of course, the one teaching them how to do it was none other than Aru-san.

According to Aru-san, it was originally going to take about a month to learn that particular magic, but……

Sora and Luna would be able to learn it in about a week’s time or so.

That’s just how magically talented they were, and it was only going to show their determination to go through with the sealing process.

So we were going to stay in the Spirit Tribe’s village for at least a week.

It was so frustrating.

The fact that we wouldn’t be able to do anything for an entire week or so.

What were we going to do if Iris happened to heal her wounds and come back to the Jizu village before we would be ready with our own preparations?

And what were we going to do if we were too late?

Thinking about things like that, I was simply unable to stay still and do nothing.

「Nyah, Rain?」

When I came back to my senses, I noticed that Kanade was standing by my side.

It was as if I hadn’t noticed her presence until she called out to me while standing right next to me.

It was like I was caught in a whirlpool of my own thoughts, thinking too much about this and that, unable to notice what was happening in my immediate surroundings.

「You have a really difficult look on your face. Are you thinking about Iris, perhaps?」

「…… Yeah, that’s right.」

「I-I know that it’s not because of THAT reasons, but still…… Muuuh, I can’t help it but to feel a little jealous when you are thinking about some other woman so openly……」

「Huh?」

「N-Nothing! It’s nothing, nya!」

All of a sudden, Kaande started to act strangely flustered, waving her hands and shaking her head from side to side in a panic.

「You should really try to calm yourself down a little bit, you know? There’s no good reason for us to be in a hurry here, so for the time being we have no other choice but to wait.」

「Yes, I do realize that, but still…… I can’t really help it but to think about it……」

「N-Nyah……」

For a moment out there, Kanade also looked as if she was lost in her own thoughts.

And then.

「Nyah!」

She suddenly leapt forward while giving me a tight hug.

「K-Kanade……!? What are you……!?」

「……………」

Because of how sudden Kanade’s action was, it came to me as a huge surprise.

Kanade’s face turned bright red in an instant……

Squeezing me, she hugged me even tighter than before.

It was as if she was trying to calm my anxiety.

It was as if she was trying to share her warmth with me……

I was a little bit embarrassed, but at the same time it made me feel strangely calm for some reason.

「So……? How is it……?」

「How……? I don’t really know what to say here……」

「Have you managed to calm down for the time being?」

「Y-Yeah, a little, I guess.」

「Heh. That’s good to hear.」

Kanade then smiled at me.

「You know, my Mom did that for me once in the past, when I was really anxious and worried. But after that, I have become so much calmer and it made me feel so warm that it almost seemed unreal to me……」

「Oh, is that so……?」

「Umm, this is…… Which is why! I’m just doing this because I want you to calm down, Rein! I-It most certainly doesn’t mean anything weird, okay!? There is no hidden meaning behind that action whatsoever!」

「Yes, I know. And don’t worry. I will make sure to not misunderstand it in any weird way.」

「Muuh…… It wouldn’t hurt here if you were going to misunderstand my intentions JUST A LITTLE BIT, you know?」

So what is it that you want me to do here?

「Anyways, thank you, Kanade.」

「Nyafuh.」

Kanade gently pulled away from me and I stroked her head in return.

Kanade’s tail wagged happily in response to my caress.

However, that expression of happiness did not last all that long.

Her expression soon changed to one of melancholy.

「…… Say, Rein?」

「Yes?」

「I know it’s probably wrong of me to ask you this when we are about to go and battle with Iris to seal her away, but…… I really need to make sure of something. So, is it okay for me to ask?」

「Yes, what is it?」

「What if…… What if things actually end up getting out of control with Iris? What will you do then?」

Kanade’s question managed to pierce me really, really deep.

There was nothing that I could do about it.

After all, it was Iris that we were talking about here.

We will try to seal her away, as it was our original goal……

But what if that doesn’t work?

What if we won’t even be able to stop her rampage by using force?

What if we won’t be able to restrain her, no matter what we do?

When all other means will be lost.

What will we do then?

Kanade must have been asking me that kind of question.

「I……」

I close my eyes and think for a moment.

What would I do then?

What do I want to do with Iris?

How do I want this entire matter to end?

I thought, I thought, and then I thought some more about it……

But still, no matter how hard I was trying to ponder my head, my answer was still pretty much the same.

It was the same one that I managed to arrive at from the very beginning.

「I don’t want to give up on Iris. I’m not gonna give up on you.

I said that while opening my eyes and explaining slowly and clearly.

「Nyah…… Rein.」

「I will risk my life to stop Iris. I will do everything in my power to stop her. That is what I am going to do, right up until the end. I will fight her until the last moment, right up to the moment that my body won’t be able to move anymore. I am going to save Iris. She suffered so much up until now, her life was filled with almost nothing but bad and painful memories…… Isn’t that way too terrible of a fate for one person to bear? So I want to see it…… a day when Iris will be able to smile in an honest and sincere way, without hatred in her heart. That is my answer here.」

Strangely enough, putting my thoughts into words made me feel even more prepared for what was about to come than ever.

Normally, I might have to be prepared to kill Iris if the worst would come to pass.

But wouldn’t that only be a way for me to escape?

I have sworn to Iris that I would save her, and killing her would be equal to bailing out on that promise at the last possible moment…… That’s not something that a real man does. It would be a sign of weakness and shaky convictions.

I don’t want that to happen, no matter what……

I hope that I can follow through with this line of thinking all the way until the very end.

Now that I have clearly set my mind to what needed to be done.

Against such a decision of mine, Kanade……..

「Nyah! That’s my Rein! This is what you are all about!」

She smiled happily to herself.