Chapter 31 /// Summons ///

Shion and the others succeeded in bringing the beastman back from becoming an ogre. Aria removes the ice magic, and Shion checks the condition of the beastman.

“Do you have any pain anywhere?”

“I’m fine. What the hell was I doing…?”

“You know about the miasma incident, don’t you? You were hit by it and turned into an ogre until a while ago. We brought you back by giving you a special water”

When he said this, the man’s expression became fixed in astonishment. From the look on his face, Shion and the others could tell that he had no memory of the time of the Ogre.

“Thank you for bringing me back. I want to see Kirina”

“Gotcha, I’ll get you there as soon as I can”

When Shion smiled softly at him, the man felt relieved and lost consciousness. He must still be physically and mentally tired.

Shion took him back to the city at night. The guard who took care of him yesterday is near the entrance and talks to him as soon as he sees Shion.

“Hey, you!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Oh, you’re the guard from yesterday. Great timing. Do you know where Kirina lives?”

“I know the woman from yesterday but……Who’s this?”

The guards are concerned about the beastman sleeping on Haku’s back, and Shion explains what happened.

They were surprised to open their mouths as if their jaws were about to come off, but they soon brought Kirina with them. The man had just woken up, and it was an emotional reunion.

Aria and Haku looked on enviously at the scene.

“Those two …… must really love each other”

‘Love is such a precious thing, right?’

“It’s true. I’m so jealous”

‘I understand that. I’ve been lonely for a long time too. I was a crappy fox that no one liked……Oh, …… and I want to die too……’

“That’s not true! I like you, Haku”

‘I’m glad to hear you say so. I’ll be alive tomorrooaaaaaaahm…… Excuse me’

“It’s okay. I’m sleepy too”

As Haku and the others yawned, Shion told the guards one thing.

“If you find any other Ogre, please let me know. We might be able to bring them back with [Holy Fresh Water]”

“Thank you. I’ll let my superiors know what happened but… will that be okay?”

Shion nodded his head and then returned to the inn with Haku and Aria. He tried to get a separate room for Aria, but was refused by the person herself.

“I want to be in the same room. I trust both Shion and Haku”

“If that’s what Aria wants…”

“Don’t get all worked up about it! We’ve known each other for a long time!”

That’s true, said Shion and he laughed, patting Aria gently on the head.

“Tomorrow we’ll take it easy until nightfall”

Tomorrow night, they will track down the source of the miasma. If there were any demons there, conflict would be inevitable. Shion decided that it would be better to take a good night’s rest in order to regain his energy.

The next day, Shion and Haku relax at the inn, while Aria goes shopping in the morning.

She came back just before lunch, and she excitedly talks to Shion and Haku.

“Hey, listen. I’ve walked the streets without covering my face…… No one even knows I’m a hero! Should I be happy about this? Or should I be sad?”

“Well, there are a lot of Heroes out there, and you can never know which one is which”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s not like I’m immensely popular like Shion”

In fact, it’s easier to stand out and spread rumors if you wear a mask and hide your face like Shion did.

‘I heard that this town is sending out the Hero of Weapons! I heard that he’s not here right now though’

“He’s probably out there, in a place faraway”

The work of the Heroes is diverse in addition to defeating the Demon King. For example, there are many cases where Heroes go to diplomacy. This is because they are perfect representatives of the country and have the right to speak.

They engage in trade, including the buying, selling, and exchanging of magical items, and are often called upon to rescue people from other countries.

Though, that it is up to the Hero to decide how they want to be.

For example, some Heroes are mainly interested in discovering or conquering new dungeons, while others want to focus on strengthening their military power.

The type of person like Shion, who places the highest priority on defeating the Demon King, may be in the minority in today’s world.

“Well, let’s have lunch and have a strategy meeting for the evening”

“Okay”

‘I think I’m going to use a lot of energy this evening’

The three of them were relaxing when the door of the inn opened and yesterday’s guards and what seemed to be their superiors walked in.

“There you are. We’ve been looking for you”

“You’re last night’s……”

“Are you Shion?”

“Yes, I am…”

When Shion replied to the nicely dressed, bearded soldier, he looked at Haku and Aria, and then said sternly.

“The king wants to see you. I need you to follow me now”

Even as a traveler, a call from the king of the land is not something you can refuse so easily.

Shion thinks it’s probably about the Ogre incident.

“May I bring my companions?”

“You may. In fact, the King would like to see you all. Especially you, Monster”

“Hello, my name’s Haku’

“Are you a Monster Fox?”

‘Yep, a Variant one though’

“Holy…!! You’re just like the man my men told me you were, being able to tame this thing”

He looked at him expectantly, but Shion stood up without any sign of concern.