8 – N-Not There!
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“If you so much as speak a word of what you saw…”

Yuu shook his head. “Relax, Eir. I know all about terrible names. You won’t hear a word from me about it.”

Eir stared at Yuu with narrowed eyes and then gave him a curt nod. “Fine. I will trust your word. But if I find that you have broken it…”

“You’ll string me up by the neck and eviscerate me to have the crows tear out my insides, yeah, yeah.” Yuu shook his head and said, “You’ve been saying this for the past hour now… Are you that paranoid?”

Eir sighed. “…My apologies. It is just… Life. Life can be quite stressful.” She frowned and said, “It does not help that my father is acting like such a fool running around to start battles for no reason either.”

Yuu shrugged and then glanced back at the sheet the receptionist handed to him.

While the paperwork to register as a party and adventurers was straightforward, the actual process was a bit more complicated. There wasn’t actually any gold required to register, but there was a mission that the two of them had to fulfill in order to be considered initiated and qualified to work. As for what that was…

“So we’ve gotta find this Medica Herb, huh?” Yuu said.

Eir nodded. “It appears so.” She sighed and glanced around the surroundings. “Were this any other place, it would be a simple matter. Yet here on the frontier…”

“It’s hard.”

“Indeed.”

Yuu frowned and cast his gaze around the surroundings.

Tier Village, as expected of being almost undescribed in the navigation window, was out in the middle of nowhere. The edge of the frontier, not far from the Demon Country… Demon Realm… or whatever it was called in Arpigee. As a result, there was a lot of wild grass, greenery, and occasional copses of trees. Monsters as well, but those had started to avoid the pair after Eir vented a bit more on a sneaky snake that thought it was smart to try and tie her ankle up.

Yuu glanced another time at the sheet, reading the details over once more to confirm.

The initiation mission was to gather a bushel of Medica Herbs. A small bag, or a dozen, whichever was more convenient to carry.

A bit lax in Yuu’s opinion, but he wasn’t going to complain about that.

From the sheet, the Medica Herbs were supposed to be easy to spot. Since they had magical restorative properties, they glowed white beneath the sunlight. Against the dull green scenery, it should have been simple. But…

Yuu lowered the sheet and looked up. “Not a single one.”

Eir frowned and then turned to look at Yuu. “This is frustrating. Do you not think it would be more efficient to simply… procure a bushel from a passerby?”

Another confirmation that Eir was a dangerous woman. To immediately jump to mugging someone… Well, once again Yuu was glad he wasn’t on her bad side. But to answer her question, Yuu shook his head and said, “It won’t work. They’re supposed to be fresh, and it’d be easy to tell that they weren’t if we did that.”

Eir sighed. “I suppose that is true… but what a damnable and irritating task. To think that I of all people would be reduced to-“ She cut herself off and shook her head. “No. I suppose it was my decision to set off on this quest.”

That felt like trouble, so Yuu pointedly ignored Eir’s musings. Instead, he decided to see if any of his new skills would help him. Maybe that Inquiry one-

[Inquiry MAX activating]
[Searching for Medica Herbs… A hundred results found.]

“Eh?”

“Hm?” Eir glanced at Yuu and said, “Have you found something?”

“I… maybe?” He glanced at the navigation pane, focusing on the new lights popping up in the display.

Their position was marked by a blue and green dot, and the Medica Herbs were showing up as yellow dots, like quest markers. The closest one was supposedly a few steps in front of them.

Yuu frowned and knelt to the ground, brushing the grass aside. The moment he did- “Huh.”

What was just ordinary grass changed, immediately shining a bright white color.

“That’s… weird?” Yuu glanced back at the sheet and said, “It doesn’t say anything about Medica Herbs camouflaging themselves.”

Eir walked over and squatted, peering at the glowing grass… or rather, at the Medica Herb. “Indeed. Ordinary Medica Herbs do not hide. For these to have grown in such a way, it is almost as if they are hiding from a predator.”

Yuu froze. “A predator?”

Eir stood up. “Indeed. Like how rodents learn to hide in burrows to evade birds of prey, these Medica Herbs seemed to have adapted to avoid being taken.” She frowned and placed a hand on her chin. “But for what reason would mere herbs have to change in such a manner?“

“That’s-“

A rumble passed through the ground.

Yuu let out a long sigh. “I just can’t catch a break, can I?”

Eir turned towards the source of the disturbance and drew her sword. Afterwards, she turned her head back slightly towards Yuu and said, “It seems that the time has come for us to be acquainted with the other’s fighting style.”

Yuu ignored her, bending over to pick the Medica Herbs instead.

“Eh?” Eir blinked and then frowned when she noticed Yuu’s actions. “What are you doing?”

“Finishing the mission. Nothing in it said that we had to fight anything, just grab the herbs.” Yuu looked up at Eir and said, “If you feel like sticking around to fight though, feel free.”

Eir turned her head to look at the rumbling ground and then sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Perhaps I have more of my father in me than I care to admit…” She shook her head and then nodded. “I applaud your focus, Yuu…suke?”

Yuu paused, a giant bundle of herbs clutched in his arms. “What?”

Eir glanced around the surroundings, specifically at the barren grassland that had just been filled with herbs. “How did you- No. I suppose it does not matter. Shall we return?”

Yuu nodded, inwardly grateful that Eir didn’t ask any further questions and also pointedly ignoring the latest skill acquisition of [Herb Gathering MAX] in the middle of his vision. “After you.” He waved his hand, gesturing back to the village while simultaneously dismissing the message.

The ground rumbled again and a low roar echoed through the air.

Yuu frowned, preparing to run away at a moment’s notice. While he didn’t mind fighting… he was scared of what other skills might pop up when he did. Considering everything else that had occurred, if he wasn’t careful that might just result in something like ‘Monster Hunter MAX’ or something, making rare encounters with monsters more frequent or something-

[Mutated Monster: Undying Earthworm detected]
[Monster Hunter MAX obtained]

“Son of a-!”

Kami-sama must have been listening in on his thoughts. There was no other explanation.

Yuu shoved a bundle of herbs into Eir’s arms.

“H-Huh? Yuusuke, what is-“

“We’re leaving. Now.”

Eir frowned. “Yes. That was the plan, but why-“

Yuu glanced at his minimap, focusing on the giant red dot swiftly growing in size under their position. “Tch. Looks like we won’t make it in time.” He quickly weighed the options in his head.

On one hand, Eir had already said this partnership was  temporary.

On the other hand, he wasn’t really the type of person to leave a girl behind when they needed help.

Before Yuu could decide, the ground erupted, sending grass and dirt in every direction.

A shrill squeal cut through the air as a grotesque monster came into view. True to the name, it was a giant worm. If it were just that, it would have been fine. However, the Undying Earthworm was no mere worm.

Seeing the thing pop up, even though Yuu knew he was the epitome of a Cheat Character, he couldn’t help but take a step back.

Rippling pink flesh with pulsating violet veins. A gaping maw that split open to reveal rows upon rows of jagged teeth. But most importantly of all, there were the tentacles. Thousands- No, millions of squirming tendrils running along every portion of the worm’s body, wriggling in the air.

“Yeah… Fighting that’s a no.” Yuu turned to Eir and said, “I’ll distract it so- Huh?“

His supposed trusty partner, the woman who should have been standing beside him was gone. The herbs were lying on the ground unharmed, so it couldn’t have been because of the monster. That meant…

Yuu’s eyes widened and he turned back. “Eir, wait-!“

“HAH!” A brilliant slash. Clutching an obsidian longsword in her right hand, Eir leapt towards the Undying Worm and cut it in half. Dark flames spread, enveloping the worm and searing its flesh.

Yuu froze, staring at the monster. At the same time, he glanced at his minimap.

Eir landed on the ground and then turned, a smug smile on her face. “What were you worried about, Yuusu-“

“It’s not dead!”

“E-Eh?!” Eir blinked and turned back towards the monster. The moment she did, something flew towards her. It was a viscous glob of spit, shining an ominous lime green.

Yuu’s eyes widened and he started to run towards Eir. At that moment, a loud alarm blared, followed by a flashing red window immediately in front of his eyes.

[Danger! Undying Earthworm is far above your combat potential! Advance at your own peril!]

“Damned Kami-sama! Say stuff like this sooner!” Yuu grit his teeth and wracked his brain.

Eir wobbled, her skin turning red from the worm’s spit. At the same time, her clothes were sizzling, slowly dissolving. As that happened, the Undying Worm pulsated, slowly reforming. The tendrils that were cut off from the body wriggled on the ground, swiftly making their way towards Eir like snakes.

Yuu’s eyes widened. He had seen and played enough games to know how this was going to end up, and he was definitely not about to watch it play out in front of him.

[Heroic Resolve MAX obtained!]

Yuu smiled at the message and said, “About time you come up with something useful!”

Time seemed to slow down. The flailing tendrils froze and the Undying Worm was stiff, like a grotesque stone statue.

At the same time, Yuu felt power coursing through his veins. So, before the boost vanished, he charged.

Time began to return to its normal speed. In the distance, Eir lost strength in her body and slowly collapsed, falling to the ground.

But before she collapsed, Yuu was there.

Eir’s eyes blinked, half-lidded. “Yuusuke-“

“We’re going!”

[Escape MAX activated!]

Yuu hugged Eir’s body close to his own, ignoring the slimy sensation and her ragged breaths for the moment, and then jumped.

A blur of colors, howling wind… and then the surroundings resolved into an unfamiliar scenery.

Yuu blinked and took a look around.

Ominous obsidian trees, crackling sulfur geysers, crimson grass…

Yuu frowned. “Did I end up in hell?”

A pained moan and ragged gasps.

Hearing that, Yuu remembered that there was a more pressing concern and quickly set Eir on the ground.

She winced, but didn’t move.

Yuu knelt beside her and then pulled out a few herbs that he tucked into his pockets before they made their escape. After shaking them a bit to make sure the dirt was gone, he tore off a piece and stuck it in Eir’s mouth, the same way that manual said it should be used. “This better work, or I swear to god…”

[Restoration MAX obtained!]

For once, Yuu cracked a smile at the ridiculous skill system that Kami-sama gave him.

A blinding emerald light enveloped Eir’s body. When it faded, not only had the red left her skin, but her clothing had been repaired as well.

That was good. Yuu really didn’t want to have to deal with a harassment report in a different world of all places.

Eir blinked and then quickly jumped to her feet. She hugged her body, stepping back from Yuu… and then her eyes widened. “I… can move?”

Yuu sighed and then got to his feet. “It worked then. And ouch? I wasn’t going to do anything to you anyways.”

Eir coughed and shook her head. “My apologies. I just…” She shuddered. “That was terrifying. I thought for certain…”

Yuu nodded. “Yeah… Kami-sama’s a big pervert. I’m glad I managed to get you out of there.”

Eir smiled. “You have my thanks. However…” She frowned and looked at the surroundings. “Where are we? And what happened to that grotesque creature?”

Yuu shrugged. “Not sure about either, but I do know that we’re far, far away from both the monster and the village.”

Eir’s frown deepened and she shook her head. “Unacceptable. To leave such a foul beast at large… For someone like myself to ignore the injustice occurring in front of me-“

“Wait.” Yuu frowned and said, “Someone like you? What, are you a defender of justice or something?”

Eir flushed and then coughed. “I-I meant to say… That is… Ahem. We are adventurers, are we not? If a monster appears, it should be our duty to exterminate it.”

“Right…”

From the beginning, Eir gave off the impression of an incognito noblewoman. From that reaction though…

Yuu wondered if she was a foreign princess. That would explain the justice streak she had. And in that case… He should be safe from the First Sirius Kingdom if he helped her out, right? And if he revealed he was actually a summoned hero afterwards… Wouldn’t that make him even more valuable to her and make her want to keep him safe?

Eir brushed off her clothes and said, “In any case, we should hurry and return to request reinforcements from the village.”

Yuu scratched the back of his head. “About that…”

“Hm?” Eir frowned. “While I do not know what magic you cast to outpace the monster and escape, we should not be too far from the village, correct?”

Yuu let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah… I got a bit nervous, so we’re actually pretty far away right now.”

“…How far?”

Yuu glanced in the corner of his eyes. Seeing the name of the place, he paused and said, “Well…”

Suddenly, a voice called out. “Princess! Did you manage to find the Hero!?”

Yuu tensed and immediately looked towards the speaker. When he saw who it was, his tension turned into anxiety.

A succubus. That was the best way to describe the new arrival. Smoky crimson eyes, flowing red hair and a charming smile. Curves in all the right places, a skin-tight maid uniform that looked more suited for roleplay than practical use… and then both black horns and a thin tail with a heart-shaped tip.

“Dammit.”

Surprisingly, the one who cursed wasn’t Yuu.

The runaway hero glanced at his party member and said, “You know her?”

“Regrettably.” Eir looked back at Yuu and said, “Can you still cast that spell to take us away?”

“If we need to… Do we need to?”

Eir carefully watched the descending succubus and said, “Unless you want to be roped up with demons… Yes?”

Yuu’s eyes widened.

Demons… Princess… looking for someone with malicious intent.

Yuu froze.

“Yuusuke?” Eir blinked and looked at him with her enchanting crimson eyes.

Crimson eyes… Right. Crimson eyes. It all made sense now. Her appearance, her cover story… “Dammit.”

To jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Yuu had felt that saying apply to his life countless times before, but this… “Argh! Whatever!”

It was a bad idea. Eir was definitely the Demon Lord’s daughter, if not the Demon Lord herself.

Even so, he’d rather deal with a woman’s scorn then be worked to the bone.

“Yuusuke!” Eir stepped close and said, “If you are planning anything, now would be-“

“Hold on tight!” Yuu leaned over and scooped Eir up into his arms.

“W-Where are you touch-!? AAAAAHHHH!”

[Escape MAX activated.]

Now if only that skill could get Yuu out of this hellhole that had found himself in…

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