I’m telling you to stop because it makes me feel guilty.
“Why don’t we take a break for a while? There, I see an empty house.”
At our current state, we won’t be able to handle the dark wolf. For the sake of calming her down, we must get some rest. We enter the vacant house.
“Your throat must be dry. Here, have a drink.”
Taking out a can of coffee from the Item Box, I pass it over to Ichinose-san. It’s a Demitas◯ Premium coffee with a bit of sugar. It’s sweet and delicious. I heard that this coffee is only sold in Tohoku, but I wonder if that’s true.
“I know, I know. I have your portion as well.”
But you’ll be having water, not coffee. Pouring the water in a pan, I hand it over to Momo. Sitting down, I also take some break. Yup, it’s sweet. I can feel the caffeine and the carbohydrate permeating through my body.
“We should start moving again in a short while. As of now, Momo’s nose should still be able to track the dark wolf.” “Wan!”
Momo gives her approval. Yeah, I’m counting on you. Momo’s face looks so cute when I rub its head.
“ Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”
Ichinose-san questions while fidgeting with the can coffee on her hands.
“About what?”
“You know about what just transpired ”
I scratch my cheek with my finger.
“Well, it’ll be a lie if I say that I’m not interested ”
Truth be told, I’m VERY curious. Even so-
“I don’t want to strain the relationship that I have right now with Ichinose-san by asking you questions.” “ !”
For the foreseeable future, I want to keep her as a party member and have a smooth relationship. This is her problem, so I don’t have the right to say anything about it. Everyone has secrets that they would want to keep. I am not an exception.
“For that reason, I’ll leave this up to Ichinose-san. You can tell me whenever you feel like it. I’ll wait until that time arrives.” If she wants to tell, she is welcome to do so. If she doesn’t want to do so, she doesn’t have to. I don’t have the right to decide for her, so I’ll just wait.
“ Okay. I’m grateful.”
Hearing my speech, Ichinose-san gives me a subtle smile. She should be fine now.
“Now then, it’s about time. Let’s track down the dark wolf. Are you cool with that?” “Yeah!”
Along with a cheerful reply, Ichinose-san receives the gun. Well then, it’s time to continue on with our search. We shall pursue the dark wolf.
On the other hand, at the school-
“H-huh?”
“What’s wrong, Rikka?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I felt something nostalgic. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I think I heard Nattsun’s voice.” “ You’re kidding, right? There’s just no way she’s here.”
“Exactly what am I even saying.”
“I’m surprised that you still remember her.”
“That’s a matter of course. I’ll never forget her. After all, she was my closest friend.” “You mean the one you bullied the most. It amazes me that you can say that after cornering her to the point where she quitted school.” “Hahaha, you’re right. It was like that. It was like that. Yup, this conversation ends here. Now, what are we doing next?” “Treatment of the injured and meeting with the exploration team. Let’s go.”
“Yes~ Yes~”
Skill proficiency has reached a certain level. Monster Enslavement has increased from LV 5 to LV6. Familiar Enhancement has increased from LV 3 to LV 4.
“Chi to think that none of them has died Well, who cares. I’ve understood the extent of this guy’s capabilities. The next one will be the real deal.” “Uuu grr ”
“What is it with your eyes? Are you rebelling against your master? You’re just a dog.” “Gyaun~”
“Ahhi~yahyahya! What’s wrong! I thought you were dissatisfied! Hey! Hey!”
“Gaa guu ”
“Ha! That’s what you get for going against your master!”
“ .”
“The world has become like this and I have obtained this power. I’ll get anything I want. No one will get in my way.”
CH 74
Following the dark wolf that has escaped, we move about on the streets. For tracking purposes, Momo’s nose is extremely reliable. “Detect Enemy” is rendered ineffective if the distance becomes too big. Also, I can’t even feel the “unpleasant feeling” that I had before.
It might be because the dark wolf is by itself. It could also be because it is weak right now. Regardless, it is apparent that I won’t experience the unpleasant feeling unless there’s a certain level of threat involved. This also means that killing the dark wolf right now would be much easier. We follow after Momo who is tracking the dark wolf with her nose. Ichinose-san is on my back. I wanted to use my bike, but there are so many obstacles on the street that it can’t run properly.
It might work out if my “Riding” level increases, but there’s no point in wishing for something that can’t be done. Anyways, the only method right now is to run after the wolf. Just then, “Detect Enemy” reacts. It’s the sign of a monster. Have we caught up already? No that isn’t the case. This is from another monster. When I look towards the direction, I see goblins at a location near the opposite side of the lane. There are three Without noticing our existence, they are walking leisurely.
They can be a source of experience, but I shouldn’t get distracted by other things right now Ignoring them, I continue on our way. After a while, I enter a park. There aren’t many obstacles blocking our view, so the view is wide open.
Momo stops on her track. Seems like the smell ends abruptly here. She looks around. There is no sign of the dark wolf. “Detect Enemy” isn’t showing any reaction either.
“It’s not here.”
“Yeah.”
Once again, I carefully look around us, but I don’t see the dark wolf anywhere.
“Kuun?”
Momo sniffs around with her nose as well, but she tilts her head afterwards. What does this mean ? For its scent and presence to suddenly disappear without a trace ? Is it some form of a skill? Wait this happened before too. It was when I first met the dark wolf.
The dark wolf was hiding within the “darkness” and evaluating our strength. During that time, we weren’t able to sense its existence before it came out. Momo can cut off her presence by hiding in her shadow, and the dark wolf might have a similar ability. If that’s the case, this could be a hassle. While we won’t have any means of attacking, it could decide on when it would reveal itself before us
What should we do? Should we first abandon the dark wolf and proceed as planned to the market or the warehouse of agricultural cooperatives? Just like that, I was considering what we should do. Suddenly“Wan! Wan wan!”
“Hey, what is it, Momo?”
Momo who was roaming the park in search for the wolf’s scent suddenly returned. She looks quite urgent. What exactly happened?
“Wan! Wan wan! Wan!”
“Eh? Is that true, Momo?”
Momo nods. Seriously but how is that even possible?
“Kudou-san, is something wrong? Rather, how can you communicate with Momo?”
“Eh, isn’t it normal to do so?”
Momo and I are one body and one mind. Of course I would understand what Momo is getting at. On a serious note, Momo might possess a skill that allows her to convey her thoughts to us. For some reason, I can understand what Momo is trying to say.
“What’s considered normal again?”
Ichinose-san’s face is telling me that she’s unwilling to accept my explanation, but let’s leave it at that for now.
“So, what is Momo-chan saying?”
“She’s telling me that she can smell the dark wolf, albeit fainty.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but something concerns me. According to Momo, the dark wolf’s smell is mixed in with the smell of a human and various other monsters.