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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 32 Part 2

CHAPTER 32: THE PERSUASION PART 2

「Yeah, it’s nice to meet you, too, Sora.」

Sora then held out her hand towards me, and……

I did the same thing. Gently, we shook hands.

***

「I see, so that’s how it is…… Instead of the Hero’s Party, it is you who came in here in search of the “Shield of Truth”, Rein. Yes, I see it now.」

When we explained our situation to Sora, she seemed to agree with us for the time being, and she had a hint of understanding in his eyes.

It seems that she believed the story that we told her without any doubt, which was a relief

「That place over there, the tree where the ward is supposed to be and where you first appeared…… What was that all about?」

「Yes, there is a ward there. And it was developed by Sora.」

「Oh, I see, so it was you who created it, Sora…… So, if that’s the case, this also means that you can disarm that ward, right? Can you let us through to the center of the forest, please?」

「I’m afraid that I can’t do that.」

「Huh? But why?」

「That ward is the only thing that blocks the path leading to the Spirit Tribe’s village. We can’t just carelessly disarm it and put our people in danger like that.」

「Are you sure that it’s not actually meant to protect some monster or demon dwelling in the center of the forest?」

「To begin with, let me clear that misconception of yours: there are no monsters or demons who are in the possession of the “Shield of Truth” in this forest. It is the Spirit Tribe who has the “Shield of Truth” in our custody.」

Hmm, that differs greatly from what Arios and the others had told us.

Have we been lied to by them?

No, they actually had no real reason to do that. Not with the Shield of Truth at stake.

Then…… I guess that they must have been wrong about this place from the start.

Maybe Arios and the others took hold of some sort of gossip and decided to believe in it as the absolute truth. I most certainly can see them doing something like that.

「What exactly do you mean by that?」

「The Shield of Truth is kept in possession of Sora and the other Spirit Tribe members. It is our sacred duty to relieve the shield to the Hero in case he arrives in the forest and proclaims that he needs it in order to defeat the Demon Lord. And while it is true that we Spirit Tribe detest humans, it is actually the demons that we really hate more than anything else in this world.」

「So, are you sure that it’s okay to give it just like that?」

「There’s no problem about that. It is precisely because of that that we have kept it hidden, out of anyone’s grasp. Now, if you’d be so kind as to wait here for a moment.」

Saying that, Sora disappeared like a mirage.

Perhaps she has moved beyond the wards around this place.

And then, after a moment……

The space right in front of us shook and distorted, and Sora reappeared right in front of us.

But unlike when she disappeared, she held a shield in both of her hands right now.

「Here you go.」

「So, this is the Shield of Truth, huh……?」

It was surprisingly easy to get our hands on it, all things considered.

And honestly, it was actually a little bit of a letdown that things ended up like that.

「Nyah…… But even so, we did have a really rough start with one another, but you happened to believe us quite easily. Why’s that?」

「That’s easy. I looked into your memories to confirm your story.」

「…… Nyan? What did you do?」

「While we were talking earlier, I did a light peek into Rein’s memories with the help of my magic. As a result, Sora determined that Rein wasn’t lying.」

「When did you manage to do that……?」

「And she cast that spell without chanting the incantation, so I did not even notice what she was doing…… But I guess that’s to be expected from someone of the Spirit Tribe. After all they are the Ultimate Species with the most pronounced gift for magic using.」

「But if that’s the case, then when we tried to break the ward earlier, why didn’t you just search our memories instead of attacking us? That way we could have saved some time and avoided this entire misunderstanding in the first place!」

「I didn’t do that because I couldn’t be bothered to do something so troublesome. Besides, people are the enemy of the Spirit Tribe. We don’t have to listen to them if there is not a good reason to do so. But that being said…… I have decided to listen to Rein’s story for a bit, so it’s alright.」

「I see…… Well, thank you for believing in me.」

「I-It was nothing, really……」

「At any rate, our job is pretty much done here. Let’s get out of here.」

Tanya and Kanade turned around and looked ready to leave, but……

I was still stuck in place.

For some reason, I was worried about Sora.

And so, before I even knew it, I found myself talking to her once more.

「Look…… Is there anything I can do for you to thank you for this?」

「Thank me for this……?」

「You did us a favor, didn’t you? So I want to thank you for that. I just don’t think it’s right to do nothing when you went out of your way to help us.」

「’There’s no need for you to do that. Handing over the Shield of Truth to the Hero was originally agreed upon by Sora and the other Spirit Tribe members many years ago. So it’s only natural that Sora has to obey that agreement. So you don’t have to think too much about it.

「But when you put it that way……」

「I’m telling you, it’s fine. You really don’t have to worry about it.」

「But, but! I think that this is the best part about Rein~ ♪ Even though you say to him that he doesn’t have to worry about something, he cannot help but to worry about it.」

「Are you perhaps having trouble with anything?　If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it.」

「T-This is……」

Sora’s lips were pressed together and she turned over from us, as if trying to escape from my gaze.

For the first time, I felt like her emotions were really shaken.

She looked like a child who was at a loss for what to do in the face of a difficult situation, not knowing what to do.

「So, do you really have something that is troubling you at the current moment? If so, then why don’t you tell us all about it? Maybe we can actually help you.」

「B-But……」

「If you have some problems, Sora, then I don’t want to leave you all alone with them.」

「W-Why would you even go to such lengths for someone completely unrelated to you……?」

「Well, I mean…… You can’t just abandon someone in need, can you now?」

「……………」

Sora was all giddy for a moment out there, and then……

There was a slight, small smile blooming on her lips.

「Could it be that you are a really kind-hearted person, Rein? Almost to a fault?」

「You think so? I personally don’t think so, but……」

「So, you are basically unaware of your own traits like that? But…… That’s not something I would say that I actually dislike.」

「Nyah! I think Rein managed to raise yet another strange flag of sorts!」

「Do you think that our Master is actually some secret ladykiller or something like that?」

For some reason, both Tanya and Kanade started to stare at me really intently.

I didn’t do anything to upset them just now, did I……?

「I understand.」

「So, that means……」

「Rein is human, but I have decided that he is worthy of our trust. The same goes for Kanade and Tania. I will be open and honest about the situation Sora finds herself in right now.」

「Thank you for believing in us.」

「But once you hear the story, there’s no turning back. We don’t know what kind of situation awaits us. Still……」

「I don’t mind.」

「…… But Sora did not even manage to tell you what the story is all about.」

「I don’t really care what the risks are. I’ve decided… we’re going to help Sora. Don’t we, guys?」

「Yeah. I’ll do my best for Sora~♪!」

「Well, I’m in it for the long haul. I’ll help you out as well.」

「…… Thank you very much.」

As if to hold back her overflowing emotions, Sora bit the edge of her lip and……..

She bowed her head in front of the three of us.