Chapter 166

Now that I thought about it, today’s Satou-kun might’ve been somewhat strange .

We’ve been traveling together for awhile, and I knew that he was prone to worrying and was extremely cautious .

Thinking back to the Continent Dungeon, he tried to fight the monsters under the most perfect circumstances, and he was exceedingly cautious in regards to the curses .

At school, it was a bit hard to approach Satou-kun, but now, he worried about everyone the most, and he worked so hard that even I who did not talk to Satou-kun understood .

If it was the normal Satou-kun, he definitely would not propose splitting up in this kind of dangerous place .

I suddenly thought of the curse that was cast on Satou-kun in the Continent Dungeon .

Ueno-san said that she had already dispelled it at the time, but her occupational level was still low then, so there was also the possibility that it hadn’t been completely eliminated .

Or, it was possible that it was a new curse .

He hadn’t been in contact with any suspicious people, so there was a high possibility that it was the former .

At any rate, there’s nothing more that can be done .

We were surrounded by the tree monsters, my shield had been broken, and the sword in my hand was violently shaking .

Because Ueno-san and Satou-kun who were behind me were injured, I couldn’t back down, not even a single step .

Before me were powerful opponents that I had no way of defeating by myself .

Though I had such a pathetic personality, and I hated myself, I didn’t want to die .

In order to survive, I needed to reverse this disadvantageous situation where we were outnumbered and overwhelmed .

At a time like this, what would Asahina-kun do .

I called to mind the person that I admired .

If it was him who resembled the protagonist of a story, he would definitely calmly and indifferently complete the things within his abilities .

That’s why, I also needed to do what I could .

「U, Ueno-san!」

Raising my voice that was trembling pathetically, with my back towards her, I called out to Ueno-san .

「W, what is it!?」

Surprised, Ueno-san’s voice cracked .

Certainly, this was basically the first time I’ve called out to her .

Even so, you didn’t have to be that surprised .

However, because I was thinking about useless things, I was able to calm down a little .

「It’s unfortunate, but the current me does not have the power to defeat these guys . If it goes on like this, all three of us will die here . 」

Behind me, I could hear her gasp .

Because Ueno-san’s leg was injured, she couldn’t run away .

Even if I fought against the opponent that weakened Satou-kun this much, I couldn’t even stall for time .

「Fortunately, these guys are underestimating us, so I think they intend on slowly tormenting us . That’s why, we still have some time . 」

「That is not good at all! …you couldn’t be thinking of leaving Tsukasa-kun behind and escaping, right?」

I gave a wry smile in response to Ueno-san’s words as she protected Satou-kun .

It would be the wrong move to leave Satou-kun here and run away .

The death of the hero Satou-kun, was the one thing I wanted to avoid the most, considering the future .

「That’s not it . I don’t have the strength to defeat them . That’s why, I want you to help Satou-kun who can . 」

Satou-kun continuously stood back up to protect us in the Continent Dungeon despite being heavily injured .

Even now, despite having lost consciousness, he was desperately trying to get back up .

I was a cruel man for trying to exploit him even further .

I took out a bottle from the luggage that I had been carrying and threw it towards Ueno-san .

「T, this is!」

Catching the bottle, Ueno-san took it and gasped .

Ueno-san should’ve recognized it as well .

Before entering the Continent Dungeon, each person received five health potions .

Almost all of our classmates had used up their potions in the dungeon, and it wasn’t very expensive, but it wasn’t something adventurers could buy, so that was most likely the last one .

We knew how effective the health potion was from Commander Saran’s demonstration and from our own experience when we used it in the Continent Dungeon .

It would definitely, heal Satou-kun’s injuries as well .

「Just in case, I want you to cast 『Dispel』as well . Ueno-san should have also realized that Satou-kun was acting strange today, right?」

「G, got it . 」

I was facing forward, so I couldn’t see Ueno-san’s facial expression, but it seems like she agreed .

「…oh curse, begone—-『Dispel』 . 」

The chant being shorter than the one from the Continent Dungeon was the fruit of Ueno-san’s efforts .

A magician’s chant will become shorter as the level of their occupation or skills rise, and eventually, they would be able to use their magic without chanting .

It was better to have magic that can be used in our work as adventurers like Nanase-kun and Hosoyama-san, as it was difficult to raise the level of dispel magic that had limited use .

「Tsuda-kun, Tsukasa-kun’s curse has been dispelled!」

「Got it . I’ll stall for time until he’s fully recovered . I’ll leave the rest to you . 」

I gripped my sword and broke into a run .

While it may be true that I practiced kendo, that didn’t mean that the level of my sword techniques was high .

Rather, because I did kendo, I had a habit of not using any sword techniques, so I, who had gone through training that focused on fixing that habit, did not have high leveled sword techniques .

I had, more or less, practiced swinging my sword every day at the castle so that I didn’t forget what I learned, but I don’t know if I mastered it yet .

I avoided the branches that were whipping at me and swung my sword .

My attack landed, but I just grazed it, and it did not cut through the branches .

Before, I would’ve given up if I had no hope of winning with this attack .

However, the me right now was somewhat different compared to before .

「Tsuda-kun! Just a little bit more and Tsukasa-kun will be completely recovered!!」

「Understood!!!」

I avoided the branches that came raining down from every direction .

However, I was not able to avoid every single branch with my reflexes, and several attacks landed on my body .

「Guaa!?」

Because of that last attack, I was sent flying .

The impact ran through my back and it seemed like my consciousness was slipping away .

「Tsuda-kun! It’s done!」

I got back up when I heard Ueno-san’s words .

Standing next to Ueno-san was Satou-kun, who wasn’t even able to stand up due to his heavy injuries just a while ago .

「Ueno-san, Tsuda-kun, sorry . Please leave the rest to me . 」

Frowning apologetically, Satou-kin readied his sword .

I gave a wry smile and said this .

「Rather, it’s me who should apologize . You’ve only just recovered, yet I’m having you take care of the rest . 」

I dragged my dully aching body to where Ueno-san was standing and then sank down onto the ground .

I was reassured by Satou-kun who gave a sharp nod when we passed by each other, and then my consciousness fell into darkness .