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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 92

CHAPTER 92: NINA’S POWER

We tied the poachers’ hands and feet together and made them wear blindfolds and chew on rag gags just in case they were able to cast some magic, even the most basic.

With that being done, we moved to the base camp that the poachers were using until not all that long ago.

I tamed a bear we met on the way there and asked it to carry our captives for us……

And once we arrived at the base camp, we threw the poachers together in a suitable tent and locked it tight.

This might be a little bit of a rough treatment there, but they were criminals, so it was not like we were actually feeling sorry for them or anything like that.

There’s no need to be more concerned about their well-being than absolutely necessary.

Besides, even if we were to leave them there for a day or two, it’s not like it would be that much of a problem.

Now then.

Now that we have got the poachers out of the way, we needed to get ready to make the camp for the night.

「How are things going over there, Kanade?」

「Yeah! No problem, I think this will work just fine, nya!」

I called out to Kanade, who was examining the tent opposite of the side of the camp that I was inspecting.

Kanade peeked out of the tent’s entrance and responded with a smirk.

Since we never would have expected for this request to take so long, we didn’t bring any tents or sleeping bags or any kind of basic camping equipment with us.

Doing so would only slow us down and make the march even harder than it had to be.

That is why I was glad that we could use the poachers’ tents for our own convenience.

「What about Ogg and Kreutz……?」

「…… Ah, those two? They said that we could use this place ourselves, and they would make their own camp a little bit further away. Then they just went their own way and that was it.」

「Hmm, is that so?」

Honestly, I did not expect that kind of generosity from them.

On the other hand, I was at least prepared to be told that they would be the ones to take this campsite, and that we would be the ones who would have to leave.

「For people who were so obsessed about this whole “seniority” thing, that was actually awfully nice of them…… Or maybe they are hoping to reconcile that way?」

「Yeah, right. There is no way that’s actually true.」

「Yes, that’s right. I think that Tanya is correct here.」

「I’m sure that those two are thinking of something really stupid, like how they are going to get back at us or something equally as stupid.」

It seems that my companions were of one mind about those two.

Well, I can’t really criticize them for that, because my own opinion about those two was actually really close to theirs.

People who tend to act so high and mighty around others don’t have a sudden change of heart, and not so suddenly like that.

It was far better and far safer for us to just assume that those two were obviously plotting something.

Let’s see…… Yeah.

It’s best for us to stay vigilant, just in case.

「Hey, Tanya? Where did you say Ogg and Kreuz would be camped?」

「Hmm, I didn’t really consider it to be that important, so I wasn’t really listening when they were saying it……」

「It’s actually not that far from here. They’re going to camp by the river, about fifty yards to the north.」

「I see. Well then……」

I still have a temporary contract with the bear we have met along the way.

For the time being I had him waiting at the entrance to the poachers’ base camp.

It was time for me to make use of that bear, so I gave it new orders.

「Let me know right away if anyone approaches the tent that we are using for the night……」

「GAOO!」

The bear barked in response as if to say, “I’ll take care of it!”

「Huh?」

Nina shivered in response to the bear’s cry.

Even though Nina is much stronger than that single bear, but……

I guess she’s still just a child, so it’s a small wonder that she got scared.

It actually made me giggle a little bit under my nose.

「AWOOO!!!」

In the meantime, apart from the bear, the pack of wild dogs that I had made a temporary contract with have returned.

They each had a tree branch in their mouths.

I had them gather them up to make a nice little campfire.

「……………」

The next thing I knew, Nina was staring at me.

「Hm? What’s wrong?」

「Rein…… That’s really amazing…… For someone to be able to tame so many animals at once…… I didn’t know that something like this was even possible……」

「I mean, is it really so amazing? As far as I am concerned, this is something completely natural.」

「「Yes, yes it is amazing and unnatural!」」

Kanade and Tania’s voices overlapped with one another.

「Hmm…… By the way, Rein? Are your skills as a Beast Tamer the same as before? Or could it be that they started to grow stronger as well?」

「You think so? Well, truth to be told, when compared to how I was before, I get a feeling that I am actually growing stronger. Or maybe, more adept would be the right word here? The time it takes me to sign the temporary contracts is getting progressively shorter, and I feel like the number of creatures I can tame at once has also gone up.」

「Oh, I see.」

「Is there something that you were wondering about that fact, Luna?」

「No, it’s just that I was wondering about that one matter…… I was wondering if Rein’s extraordinary talent as a BEast Tamer has anything to do with the Hero’s ability to grow. You know, like the one in that legend that you told us about.」

「The power of the Hero to be able to grow constantly without limitations? What do you mean by that?」

「Don’t worry about that too much, it’s just a random thought, that’s all. I just thought it sounded just like you right about now.」

My power as a Beast Tamer being similar to the power that the Hero possesses……?

If you’d ask me, I don’t feel like that’s it at all……

It’s probably just Luna’s imagination running wild.

「Fumuh, but this is the first time that my intuition has been so off mark, I must say……」

「Alright, enough about that for now. It’s time to prepare dinner.」

「Nyah! Dinner~! Dinner~!」

「Nina, if you’d be so kind.」

「…… Yeah.」

Nina reached out her hand towards the empty space in front of her……

The space shook and swayed like a mirage and the tip of her hand disappeared momentarily.

「Let’s see…… First the vegetables…… then the meat…… and then the spices……」

When she pulled out her hand from that distorted space, there were vegetables, meat and spices in Nina’s hands.

It was the ability that Nina possessed as the member of the God Tribe — “Dimensional Storage”.

She could store things in a pocket dimension that only she had access to, and take them out at any time.

Nina was still a child, so she could only store the ingredients for one full meal in that pocket dimension, but……

For us, it was actually more than enough.

It was an ability that was of huge help, especially since we didn’t have to bother with procuring the ingredients locally.

I had them prepared just in case we had to camp out completely out of the blue, and it was a great decision on my end.

「Hmm……?」

Suddenly, Kanade stared at Nina.

「What’s…… wrong?」

「So hey…… would a living person be able to fit inside of this pocket dimension?」

「…… Huh? K-Kanade…… You have the weirdest hobbies out there, girl……」

「Hm? Hobby? What hobby?」

「No, it’s nothing. Maybe it’s even better that you have no idea what I’m talking about here……」

「Would it be…… possible to store…… living things…… inside of it……? W-Well, technically it…… should be possible……」

「Oh wow! That’s actually so neat! Hey, hey, do you think I could try and get in there for a moment? Think there will be enough space to fit me in?」

「I-I think there is, but…… I wouldn’t really…… recommend it……」

「Huh? Why not, nya?」

「I-Inside of that space…… it’s really dark…… and there is no sound as well…… and you cannot really move around freely…… It’s really scary……」

A pitch black space with no sound to it and taking away your ability to move around freely……

Isn’t that basically what being sealed away feels like?

Kanade’s ears drooped as she seemed to have been frightened by the picture that Nina’s description painted inside of her mind, and then she just hung her head low.

「Y-Yeah, you’re right. It’s better not to do it……」

「…… Yeah.」

「But then again, you’re actually amazing, Nina.」

「Fueh?」

I patted Nina’s head with a pomp, and her body shook with a sudden twitch.

Could it be that I startled her?

But as I tried to take my hand away from her head, Nina stopped me from doing that.

「…… You can pet me some more.」

「Are you sure?」

「…… Yes.」

Nina nodded her head in a persistent way, so I just stroked her head once again.

「What do you mean…… by saying that I…… am being amazing………?」

「I mean, isn’t it amazing that you can use that kind of power when your body is so small?」

「I…… I guess that’s true…… But for me…… it’s something so natural that…… I don’t really know……」

「Yes, I think it’s really something amazing. We, the Cat Spirit Tribe, are unable to do something like that, so I’m actually kind of jealous.」

「I can’t do something like that, either, you know.」

「Sora and Luna can do something similar, but on a much smaller and limited scale.」

「Yeah, that’s right. It’s no match for Nina’s technique! I mean, Dimensional Storage? Can you imagine?」

「Umm, umm…… thank you, I guess?」

When she was being praised like that, Nina’s small body slumped down in apparent embarrassment.

But she also seemed to be happy, and her three tails were wagging restlessly.

It was honestly adorable.

「Alright then, I’m going to fix us some dinner really quick, so make sure to wait just a moment, okay?」

「Let me help you with that!」

「Then Sora will also……」

「Please don’t Sister Dearest. Otherwise it will no longer be food. It’s going to become poison.」

「I’ve been wondering for a while now, what kind of food does Sora even make……?」

「I’m kind of interested…… but I’m also kind of scared, so maybe I’ll pass on that……」

「Just what do you all think Sora’s cooking is!?」

I heard Sora’s angry voice and……

Next thing I knew, everyone started laughing.

***

「GAAAOOOHHH!!!」

「HUH!?」

Later. At night.

We finished our meal, went into our respective tents and went to sleep……

But then all of a sudden, there was a sharp roar outside that jolted us all awake.

「Was that……?」

The roar of the bear that I tamed earlier?

That means that we have an intruder in the camp.

I set it up just in case, but who, where, and how would they even be here in this place?

…… No, now was not that time to think about things like that.

I hurriedly put on my gear and ran out of the tent.