When I returned, I smelled blood.
[Touka-sama.]
Noticing my appearance, Seras pats her chest.
[——–Pigimaru-dono and Slei-dono, I’m glad you two are also safe.]
Looking down at the weeds on the ground dyed in blood, I asked.
[Did you encounter someone?]
[Yes. One of the Heroic Sword appeared earlier.]
[And you won huh.]
[Yes.]
[Are you hurt?]
[I didn’t get injured.]
[……Other than Ruin and Satsuki, it doesn’t seem like the other members would have outstanding characteristics. When it comes to their strong members, it could be narrowed down to Satsuki and Ruin, which makes it that these two are people I should definitely deal with myself.]
I grasped that there was one person who was missing when I used <Paralyze> on Ruin and the others.
There was someone who was acting separately from Satsuki and Nana Tout.
If they encountered Ruin or Satsuki, I had instructed them to run away but———-
[This should be Caro, right?]
[Yes. However, I killed her. I didn’t want to let it stay in Nyaki-dono’s eyes, so I put the body over there.]
There was a slight sharpness in her voice.
Seras must have been considerably angry.
Perhaps, mostly for Nyaki.
[I know. How should I say this…… I’m sorry for leaving her to you.]
[No…… I’m glad that you trust me, okay?]
[I figured that other than Satsuki and Ruin, you could win against them, so I left them to you.]
With a slight mischievousness in her voice, Seras strikes a small guts pose.
[I’m the Deputy Leader of the Fly King Squadron after all.]
[I’ll also be relying on you in the future.]
[Yes, you can count on me.]
After smiling like a blooming flower, Seras regains her serious expression.
[What happened on your side?]
[I’ve crushed them all.]
Hearing what I said, Nyaki’s ears twitched.
[T- Touka-san…… had defeated the Heroic Sword nya!?]
[Yeah.]
[Funyaaa……]
Nyaki seemed to be genuinely surprised.
[I’ve also got roughly all the information I needed. I’ve also got some loot.]
These things seem to be magic tools.
They’re tools that I have been lacking while on this trip.
[I brought enough of them that they won’t be able to hinder our movement.]
[If you had already eliminated all of the Heroic Sword…… Does that mean we can rest for a while?]
[No…… It might be better if we head to the Faraway Country the earlier we could.]
That sh*tty goddess might make her move while we’re resting.
[Nyaki, can you move?]
I could see bandages wrapped around Nyaki’s body.
It looks like Seras has administered her treatment.
[I used some salves to help with her bruises but…… Other than that, Nyaki-dono may need to take some rest.]
I see.
Nyaki is also deprived of sleep.
While we were discussing that……
[I- It’s alright nya! Nyaki can still do well nya!]
Nyaki tried showing off that she’s still energetic.
However……
[Slei, can I count on you?]
[Burururuuu.]
▽
[Hanyaaa~~……]
Nyaki is being carried behind Slei’s back.
[You can just lie down there. Slei will be able to hold you up well enough to prevent you from rolling off.]
[T- That’s nyot something I can do! Even though everyone else is awake and walking, it’s outrageous for only Nyaki to be sleeping nya!]
[Alright then.]
Approaching her, I raised an arm.
[ < Sleep > ]
Nyaki’s eyelids began to close.
Then, her small body began losing its strength.
[Funyaaa~~……]
Nyaki’s upper body began slumping forward.
However, Slei deftly absorbs the impact and catches Nyaki with her back.
Nyaki then falls asleep on top of Slei.
[Pigimaru, can you help her so that she won’t fall off just in case?]
[Poyon!]
Jumping out of my robe, Pigimaru also jumped on top of Slei.
Pigimaru then slithered above Slei’s body and dexterously slipped under Nyaki’s head.
I see.
She would be acting like a cushion, or rather, a pillow for her huh
[Fufu. You’re as skillful as ever, Pigimaru-dono.]
[Pyuu♪]
[——-By the way, don’t all of you also need a break?]
When I asked Seras and the others that…….
[Considering the location of the Faraway Country, the closer we get to it, the farther we are from the depths of the Demon Zone. If we’re going to rest, I think it’s better for us to got as far as we can go.]
[Pii~.]
[Bururuuu.]
Pigimaru and Slei also agreed.
[Okay. Then, let’s keep going for a while.]
[How about you, Touka-dono? Would you still be alright?]
[There’s no problem with me. This is like heaven compared to my time back in the Disposal Ruins.]
We were now close to where Ruin and his friends’ corpses were located.
Swerving away from moving towards there, we continued moving.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the light of the glowing balls.
Or perhaps, it was because of the smell of blood from their corpses.
At the place where the corpses of the Heroic Sword are located, I could feel the presence of monsters gathering around that area.
……I guess those monsters are “dealing” with those corpses now.
Let’s cut through them while we still can.
And so, we kept on walking——–
When the sky had slightly brightened up, we finally decided to take a break.
[Funyaaaa~~? …………, ———Hanyaaa!? R- Ruin-san, everyone, my apologies nya! N- Nyaki unintentionally dozed off———-, ………….Funyaa?]
Bouncing off the cloth draped over her body, Nyaki jumped up and stiffened.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Seras and I sitting together.
[It’s time for dinner, Nyaki.]
[Funyanyaa……?]
Passing dried meat and water to her, I also handed her some nutritional supplements.
These nutritional supplements were something I got from the leather bag.
However, Nyaki might be surprised if I gave it to her along with the container, so I just gave her the contents.
[C- Could this be…… just for Nyaki nya?]
[Hmm? That’s right?]
[This much——– I- Is it alright nya!?]
[……Yeah, all of that is yours.]
Nyaki brings the dried meat to her mouth, though she stops again and looks back at me.
[Go on already, eat it.]
Nyaki takes a bite of the dried meat.
And then, she continues to eat it with glittering eyes.
I inwardly clicked my tongue.
Those Heroic Sword b*stards……
How little food have they been feeding her……
On top of that, they were making her carry their luggage while disturbing her sleep…… They’re seriously messed up.
[Fugunyaa!?]
Nyaki seems to have choked on meat.
I was about to sit up and help her out.
However, Seras, who was closer to her than I was rushed to her first.
She quickly made her drink water while rubbing her back.
Seras chuckled.
[You don’t have to rush eating, the meat in your hands won’t run away.]
[M- My apolo…… gies nya…… Cough.]
[……You don’t have to be in such a hurry?]
Ahh……
I understand.
I see.
She was in a rush to eat——-
Because she wasn’t allowed to take the time to eat.
I bite off my own dried meat.
As I chewed it in my mouth, I started thinking.
I’m really glad to have met Nyaki here.
Had we not met, Nyaki might have died after continuously not having a decent meal.
[Fuguu…… Funyaaaa……]
[W- What’s the matter, Nyaki-dono……?]
Seras became flustered.
Nyaki, holding a piece of dried meat in her hand—— was crying.
[I- I’m sorry nya…… Nyaki is…… It’s just been a long time since Nyaki felt warmth during a meal…… I have never felt so warm and full of joy in my heart like this…… since I was living together with Neenya and Mainya nya…… Funyaaa~~……]
(T/N: Neenya, previously Ninya. Too lazy to edit the previous mentions though.)
Nyaki was crying with a smile on her face.
There was even some leftover meat in the corner of her mouth.
Thereupon, Nyaki uttered her thanks over and over again.
[Enough of your thanks and just eat already. It’s just…… don’t choke on it this time, okay?]
Softly and jokingly, I said……
[Yes nya♪]
Tears still dripping down her eyes, Nyaki cutely smiled.
▽
As Nyaki was deeply moved with the nutritional supplement in her hand, I asked.
[……Actually, our destination is also the Faraway Country. It isn’t that I need Nyaki to enter the country, because I already have the “key” to enter it by chance. However, I was thinking of bringing Nyaki along. Nyaki…… For the time being, do you want to come along with us?]
[Y- Yes nya! If it isn’t too much trouble, Nyaki would like to follow you wherever it is nya!]
[Alright. If anything happens, I’ll do my best to protect you. You can rest easy with that from now on.]
[Touka-san——— Thank you very much nya. I’ll definitely repay this kindness someday nya!]
I chuckled in response.
[You’re exaggerating too much, Nyaki.]
……Speaking of which.
[By the way, Nyaki.]
[Funyaa?]
[That “Mama-san”, “Neenya” and “Mainya”, can you tell us a little bit about them?]
The Heroic Sword, the covert unit of the goddess.
Nyaki, the Divine Beast, was accompanying them.
That’s why, there’s a high chance that Nyaki’s family——— These people Nyaki call as “Mama-san”, “Neenya” and “Mainya” (probably her mother, (nee)sister, and sister) are residents of Alion.
I don’t want to encounter them in a battlefield and end up killing them by mistake.
The probability of that happening isn’t zero.
So, I thought I’d get to know their names and characteristics.
[Mama-san is…… the one who picked up the lonely Nyaki and raised her nya. However, Mama-san used up her lifespan and died……]
As Nyaki looked sad, Seras tried to comfort her with a smile.
[Your mother was a very kind person, wasn’t she?]
[Yes nya…… Nyaki loves Mama-san very much nya.]
[……………]
It would have been nice if she could have lived in peace with that Mama-san all the time but……
[……Neenya and Mainya are still alive, right?]
[Yes nya!]
Nyaki’s expression lit up.
[Neenya and Mainya aren’t related by blood nya.]
That means Nyaki most probably is the only Divine Beast huh.
[But, but, whether it’s Neenya or Mainya, they’re treating Nyaki like a real family nya♪ Everyone are kind people nya♪ Nyaki really really really loves my family nya♪]
She sounds like she’s really happy.
[I see…… It’s great that you have nice people as family.]
[Yes nya!]
[These Neenya and Mainya, what are their names?]
[Yes nya. First, Neenya’s name is———–]
With a look of longing on her face, Nyaki spoke.
[Nyantan Kikeepat nya.]
<Author’s Notes>
Volume 6 of “I Became the Strongest with the Failure Frame <Abnormal State Skill> as I Devastated Everything” will be released on November 25.
Volume 6 also contains corrections and additions. In the light novel version, some depictions are different from the web novel version. Now then, as per usual, the addition contents for the light novel are:
[Touka and Seras going to take a bath together at Erika’s home (Although it was in the web novel, it was kind of skipped).]
[Seras VS Caro battle.]
And lastly……
[A certain night, Touka and Seras are———, ……………..]
—–or so the additional contents were. This also includes some of the questions mentioned to me(author) before, such as “Touka is kind of unresponsive to the opposite gender (especially regarding sexual factors), isn’t he?”. In the novel version, their relationship had clearly advanced, so there may be more scenes in the future where the relationship of the two of them is gradually getting shorter and shorter (the distance between them is still unknown though……).
Volume 6’s cover has a beautiful sky in the background, and as I usually like the peculiar expressions of the sky, I was impressed when I saw it. Whether it’s the morning glow or the evening sky, whether it’s real or fictional, both of them look really great.
And this time, the three colored illustrations feature Touka & Seras, Ayaka & Hijiri and Ikusaba Asagi. It’s the first time Asagi has been visualized in the light novel.
I also asked for illustrations corresponding to various scenes in the volume (including the scene where Touka is taking a bath with Seras). In addition, Nyaki was also visualized well. Also, KWKM-sam also drew the illustration of the Fly King in a certain scene in his battle against the Heroic Sword. As for the final illustration…… In a way, I guess it might be called a rare one.
Once again…… Thank you to everyone who purchased volumes 1 to 5. Thanks to your support, volume 6 has been successfully released. Once again, thank you for your support.
I’ll continue to do my best to write them so that you can have them until this series arrives to its conclusion. Also, today is the third anniversary of the start of this series. Looking back on it, it feels like it was a long time, but it also feels like it happened yesterday…… Thank you all for following me this far. For your continued support, thank you very much.
Tomorrow, around 9:00 pm, the last chapter of volume 6 will be updated.
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