Ch.61Abandoned and Inescapable NPC (1)

Half a year truly flew by in a flash.

Ira’s leveling was successfully completed, reaching level 40 in Aigram, the maximum level possible.

“Oppa, look at this~!”

-BOOM!!!

“Oh!! Is our Ira a real genius?! What do you think?!”

“I think Gorg is amazing.”

“So he’s a punching bag, not a golem?”

[I think he’s a kind being who gives rewards that my master doesn’t provide.]

“No. I did give rewards. I gave you everything I won as prizes, didn’t I?!”

The prizes were all imperial monster magic stones.

I’m glad I asked beforehand if there were any special ones. However, there weren’t any skill-embedded magic stones, and only Gorg’s level increased.

And now Ira has reached the point where she can cast Fireballs that reduce Gorg’s HP by 3 points all by herself.

Considering that when I asked another blue-rank mage to test Gorg’s durability, it only reduced by 2 points, this is truly remarkable.

Especially considering she’s still just a village girl, it’s even more impressive!! My sister is a real genius!! And a goddess!!

The only explanation for why that perverted status window doesn’t beg me for rewards anymore is because of my little sister!

And then.

“Hey. I brought some alcohol, want a drink?”

“Sigh. What’s the alcohol content?”

“75 percent.”

“Get lost, human.”

“Elves are so…”

Green Dol has started visiting us occasionally.

For some reason, when he saw me at the market, he flinched, and when I looked at him strangely, he asked if I was okay that day.

I told him I’d appreciate it if he just pretended not to know me, and he said he was glad if nothing had happened. Since then, he occasionally drops by our house. I didn’t really want to welcome him since he always brings alcohol, and I told him not to come because my sister is here, but…

“Hmm? How old is your sister? 10? That child? No matter how I look at it, she has considerable magical power, higher than even adult mages. Well, how about this? If you keep me company for drinks once a month, I’ll teach that child magic.”

“Deal.”

My sister now has a 4,000-year-old elf as a home tutor.

Of course, it’s just once a month and only brief lessons, but thanks to him, Ira can now use the fire magic Fireball without the 20,000 can staff, which is what matters.

Of course, if he brings 75 percent alcohol, I kick him out without mercy.

And then.

“Yah!!”

“Oof! Ira, your punch should extend all the way while looking at your opponent!!”

“Oppa, you’re too fast!!”

“No, Ira, focus and…”

“I said you’re too faaast!!!”

“Okay. Was oppa like lightning? Sorry.”

-Thump thump.

Ira hitting my legs with her tiny fists is just adorable.

I’m teaching her a moderate level of martial arts, and although she grumbles a bit, she consistently follows along. And then.

“Hmm. You’re good at calculations?”

“Hehehe~ It’s because Ragni teaches me well!”

“Hehe. That makes me happy. It’s fortunate. Even if Jack is an idiot, with Ira around, he won’t get scammed wherever he goes.”

“Yes! I’ll take care of oppa!”

“Hehehe.”

“Um, I’d like to teach something too…”

“Please just stay still, you look best when you’re not doing anything.”

“Hiing…”

Thanks to the intelligent Princess Ragni, she’s steadily learning her studies.

Things like history, etiquette for dealing with people, and simple math calculations. By the way, Ragni also tried to teach me addition and subtraction, and since I at least graduated high school in my previous life, I easily passed multiplication and division.

“…You, someone who can calculate this well, why did you get scammed?”

“Don’t ask. I was just an idiot.”

“Oppa is not an idiot!! He’s just a little silly!!!”

I even experienced getting hit with my sister’s not-really-a-shield shield as she became smarter. Isn’t it normal when you’re reincarnated to hear people say, “This guy?! He’s so smart!!”? Why do I always just get called stupid?

But still.

“Thank you, Ira.”

“Yes!!”

“You’re really endlessly kind to your sister, aren’t you?”

Since she genuinely tried to cover for me, I could remain a smiling oppa who pats her head, even if her words hit me like a bone.

After half a year passed like that.

“Is it Ponia information again today?”

“Well, yes.”

“By the way, did you hear? They say your wanted status has been lifted.”

“Well, when an axe falls on your foot, and you’ve been flailing around blaming the forest keeper all this time, that just means you’re a collection of idiots. Such places should collapse quickly.”

“That’s right!! How can a person live on just 800 cans?! Those humans were really too much!!”

“…Hey, Ray. Aren’t you still living on 800 cans every three days?”

“It’s okay because I earn it myself!”

I’m not bad.

What’s wrong with gritting my teeth and enduring to avoid giving affection to a bitch who will disappear following someone else?

After the tutorial collapses and a human who corresponds to the protagonist or playable character appears here, Ray will inevitably be drawn to them.

For half a year, I’ve been looking for such humans in Aigram or checking for merchant groups that give initial quests, but I haven’t seen any such humans yet. There wasn’t even anyone clearing quests.

However, the problem is that such quests still exist.

The early sub-quest type problems I know from the game were definitely there, and someone will surely come to accept them.

That person will be in the playable position, or the protagonist position. I really don’t have any affection to give to a woman who’s definitely going to be NTR’d.

Anyway, there’s nothing special in today’s Ponia gazette.

Rather, they’ve recovered quite a bit of territory and are now working on reclaiming the Poria territory where we were, but they’re having quite a hard time with it.

And on that front, it says that forest keepers other than me are active.

Hmm. Are all the other forest keepers’ levels high too? At this rate, will they completely block the tutorial?

…But, that would be good, wouldn’t it?

As far as I know, the demon that appears in Ponia is the demon of lust (Luxuria), Sria.

Her combat power isn’t that high, but she’s a boss similar to Ragni.

She’s a demon of lust who turns all men into her prisoners and uses them as her subordinates, and she’s a raid boss who inflicts a terrible debuff of 10% reduction in all stats, even on playable male characters.

However, if they block this in advance during the process of reclaiming the territory before she appears and takes people prisoner, the demon who can’t create subordinates will eventually be defeated before she can seduce men. Literally, thanks to my disappearance, they might be able to resolve the incident preemptively.

‘…Hmm. Maybe I saved the world?’

I just ran away, but the world is saved on its own. That’s even better.

So I was spending another peaceful day with everyone when.

[Master. This is terrible. An incredibly powerful demonic energy and the presence of numerous monsters are approaching. This demonic energy is from a demon.]

“…What?”

At Gorg’s status window’s words, my head and pupils experienced an earthquake.

*

“Fuck!! What the hell is this?!!”

“Where did these monsters come from?!!”

“P-please, save…”

“Brother!!!”

“He’s dead!! Don’t go!! Run away!!!”

Aigram Mountain is popular among adventurers. The reason is simple.

Adventurers who make money by fighting monsters are generally seen as risking their lives, but Aigram is not like that.

The monsters are weak and not that numerous.

So beginner adventurers or people who literally live day by day can be adventurers here and hunt just goblins or orcs.

In reality.

[Goblin: Level 9]

The monsters they’re currently facing are all below level 10 or at most in the early to mid-20s.

Compared to the monsters encountered in the Empire or Ponia, these are incredibly low numbers, monsters that even the people of Poria village who tormented Jack and Ira could fight one-on-one, or even if they’re above level 20, three villagers could easily defeat them.

However.

“Kyaaah!! S-save me!! No!! I don’t want to bear goblin children!!!”

“Arrrgh!!”

“Run away!! Just flee!! We can’t save them!!”

“Mom!!! Mom!!!”

“You, idiot!!”

That’s only when the numbers are similar or we have the advantage. The sudden monster parade that started in Aigram Mountain was just the beginning of hell for the day-to-day adventurers and villagers living there. Moreover.

“Move!! Get away!! Get away from my mother!!!”

“Tch!! Duck your head!!!”

-Swoosh!!!

“Run!! Quickly, carry her and run!!!”

“…Is, is she dead…?”

“What?”

Normally, monsters rape people and use them as breeding grounds.

They don’t discriminate between men and women, but they especially keep women alive for a long time to use as breeding grounds. However, the current monster parade shows none of that.

It’s as if all the monsters are just unleashing tremendous hatred and anger on people, engaging in indiscriminate slaughter.

“Run away!! Right now, run to the to—gack?!!”

“J-Jack?! W-what is that?!!”

[K⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!!!]

“Gaaack?!!”

Humans vomit blood and die painfully.

Among the numerous goblins are small, black, human-like beings with large eyeballs covering the front of their faces. And those eyes split sideways, shooting out beams.

Lesser demons.

The subordinates created by the demon of wrath (Ira) amplify the violence and anger of the magical beasts, and they themselves enjoy the act of slaughter, unleashing their own anger.

That’s why the villages and adventurers around Aigram Mountain have no way to stop it.

And.

[Kill them!! Kill all the humans!!! And bring her to me!! Bring Avarice (Avaritia) before me!! The trash who dared to betray the demons, the seven deadly sins of hell!!! My wrath. I will bestow it upon that whore!!!!]

The sight of a black, burning giant over 5 meters tall moving announced the beginning of hell on this continent.

*

…You’ve got to be kidding me? Why?

Why is the demon boss from ep. 2 coming here? The distance from here to [Spirit Magic Nation Siltra] is three months by carriage.

If he had revealed himself and moved, there’s no way the information would have reached us just now.

In other words, he was hiding in Siltra, infiltrating the Spirit Magic Nation, and then moved directly here.

And specifically targeting Aigram.

[What will you do?]

“Jack!! The adventurer’s guild is in chaos!! All gray-rank and above are being summoned!!”

“……”

What will I do? After all the trouble I went through to avoid this fate, why is the continent’s crisis starting here first?

Why is this happening to the land of peace I reached after nearly two years of travel?

Moreover, Ponia is still unaffected! So why!!!

“Jack?”

“Oppa?”

[The opponent is stronger than that Avalitia, the market demon.]

What else can I do but run away?

I ran away because I didn’t want this kind of situation, because I knew it would be a threat, but now it feels like death, the fate of [the Forest Keeper’s Sister], has followed me.

I’ll join the evacuation procession and flee.

That’s the right thing to do. Even though Ira is now level 40 with HP close to a thousand, that doesn’t mean it’s enough to face demons or monsters, and moreover, she’s still only 10 years old.

“…Let’s run away.”

“…What? Jack?”

“Understood. I’ll pack our things.”

“R-Ragni?!”

-Patter patter.

Gorg and Ragni start moving busily at my words, while Ray looks at me in surprise.

What. Why.

“…I, I…”

“Ray.”

“Yes.”

I know her character and personality. I can’t help but see what she’s thinking behind that blue wall.

So.

“I’m not fighting. Ira’s safety is my top priority. One person like me, or one person like you, stepping up against a demon and monster parade won’t change anything.”

“……”

She’ll be disappointed. It’s about time she realized what kind of man she’s been following, what kind of bastard I am. I turn my back and start packing…

“Yes. Then, I’ll go. I’ll buy time for all of you to escape.”

I notice her voice is a bit lower than usual.

And I can feel her slowly moving away.

It’s okay. You’ll be fine. You’ll be able to see the situation and escape. Yes, this is just us parting ways now.

Unlike in the game, you’ve already reached a level close to 200, so you could surely join a party that saves this world.

If you survive this battle, I’ll cheer you on from afar as you make a name for yourself with someone else.

I don’t answer her and continue packing my things…

“Jack. I really like you. So. Please survive.”

“……”

The blue-walled trouble-maker with golden hair separated from me like that.

(!) [Skill: Can’t Stand Injustice is activating. (Target: Forest Keeper Jack.)]