MEMORIES AND ABU HORMUZ

Episode 15 - Aiming to Reach the Peak

Alice suddenly came to apologize when they left the cottage the next day. ”A-paku

... I'm sorry! Vina explained everything to me. I thought you guys had that relationship .. I'm sorry for concluding such a thing ..”

Although Haruhiro's apology was sincerely expected, he did not want the case to be heard by Barto and Marco.

"Relationship?" Marco's nostrils snorted as he brought his face closer to Haruhiro's face as closely as possible. ”What does ‘relationship mean’? Relationship between who and who, hmmm?”

Haruhiro tries to get away from him.”It's none of your business."

"That's not true. Tell me. Comeon! Say everything!"

"As Shihoru already said, this is all just a misunderstanding."

"I want to know that 'misunderstanding' is in details.”

Vina interrupts.”Wellh..you know……"

Haruhiro was afraid that Vina would say unnecessary things, and that was an unsubstantiated fear. But that's just his mind.

"Yesterday," continued Vina, "Vina asked Haru to hug Vina tightly, then Alice accidentally saw us doing that……. So…….."

Barto choked in shock and his eyes widened.

"What?! What the fuck is this Haruhiro?” Marco's eyes glared, as if they were about to come off. ”Are you serious?! Are you really serious?! Since when do you go to the second stage?!”

"What the hell do you mean by stage two" Haruhiro said, and he suddenly stopped. ”No, wait, ah forget it. I told you this isn't something like that"

"How can it not be such a thing?! You must have wanted to do it, but you stopped when you saw Alice catch you! You're very good at stepping on the emergency brake!”

"But Haru was crying .." Vina said as she explained.

"Vina," said Haruhiro, "You shouldn't mention that ..."

"Crying?!" Marco looked at Haruhiro and Vina in turns for several times, and then rubbed his messy hair. ”...I understand now. So that's the problem. In other words ... You've been rejected. Vina rejected you, which is why she felt sorry for this beeeeeeeeegoo, and Vina tried to make you feel better. I-i understand. It's all very clear now.”

"You're totally wrong, but whatever. I don't want to explain anything to you anymore.”

"Totard ...." Vina started talking while ignoring Marco. Actually Haruhiro was quite jealous of Vina who could calmly ignore Marco's ravings. ”Vina decides that she will try to get along with Lusi. Alice also wants to try it.”

Alice hugged her wand while looking down. ”I don't think this will work, but I will do my best.”

"Get together? With Lusi?” Marco frowned. “It won't happen. The girl has no intention of becoming our friend.”

Barto. “But, we can't be constantly like this. At least we should try to convince him to heal us during the battle happened ..”

As Barto said. The problem is more severe than the lack of desire of the girl to try to make friends with them. He was really unwilling to heal the other Party members during the battle. Moreover, he would ignore them if the injury was light enough. So the worry is, Lusi will not be willing to cure Haruhiro et al no matter how severe the injury. Well, it's less precise to say "ignore", it's more like "directly resist". Perhaps, Lusi would only heal them if his injuries hindered movement, or his soul was threatened.

His attitude towards injured and sick colleagues was completely unacceptable. Udin was used to healing them as soon as possible, no matter how severe the injury was. Although it was not a wound that needed attention, Udin was always near his team to provide a sense of security when fighting.

With the existence of Lusi, there was absolutely no sense of security in their minds when fighting. What if one of them was seriously injured, and he suddenly refused to heal her? Everyone was afraid that Lusi would turn away at the most needed moment.

"For starters...." Haruhiro began to speak, while looking at each of his comrades in turns, except for Marco. ”We need to build trust with him. We will not make any progress without acting first. Who knows? Lusi may have a special way of responding to things around him. Maybe we can't get along well with him because we don't know what he's thinking.”

Marco reviled. ”You're sure this is all just not because she's a terrible girl? The girl's soul must be disturbed. Psychological disorders. Or more precisely the Syndrome of Innate Personality Terrible that has entered the chronic stage. And there's no cure."

"But we must have a Priest ..."

"Then, Haruhiro, you're the one who became a Priest! And tell me how good it is to live like her to Lusi! Okay, then, everyone agrees! THIS IS THE BEST IDEA I'VE EVER THOUGHT OF! Shit, I was so great!”

Haruhiro had already considered it, but changing the class was the last way out. His obligation at the moment is to guide the team, and when fighting he has to be behind the opponent for some reason, but Haruhiro feels fit for such a job, and he continues to hone his skills.

And also, he realized something while talking to Vina yesterday.

"Marco" said Haruhiro.

"What?"

"Me, you, and Barto decided to invite Lusi to join the team, right?"

"Yes, and that was a big mistake. That's why I said that we should kick him out as soon as possible.”

"But, when he receives our invitation, he automatically becomes our teammate, right?”

Marco seemed to be about to say something, but then he shut his mouth, and rolled his eyes downward. Looks like she's embarrassed.

Haruhiro continued while grasping the right wrist with his left hand. "The human being's illusion is like that. We can't suddenly discriminate against him. If he always felt that the five of us were hostile towards him, then he would never feel comfortable around us. She was too

not magic healing machine.”

"Right," Vina said as she placed a finger to her chin and nodded at Haruhiro. "Lusi treated me coldly, but maybe we did the same to him."

Barto nodded slowly and snorted.

"M-maybe .." said Alice hesitantly as if she had no confidence in what she said. ”Lusi is really a good person ... in his heart.”

"CAN'T BE!" Marco immediately turned to them. ”No way! It's totally impossible. All that was in his heart was a monster. No matter what you say, I won't change my mind! All we need to do is get rid of the woman, and the beeeeeeego Haruhiro will be

Priest instead.”

"If I become a Priest," Haruhiro said, "then I won't heal you, no matter how severe your injuries are. You are a Dark Knight. The Dark God Skulheill was an enemy of the Luminous God of Light. I'm not good enough to heal my enemy's wounds.”

"Fuck up! You failed to become a Priest! Barto! Barto can be .. wait, we can't let a Warrior be ... Vina! You are the one who will become a Priest!”

"Vina wants to have a wolf, so Vina can't stop being a Hunter!" Vina stated firmly.

"Damn! Basic selfish! Alice! How's yours?"

"I'm .. I'm not sure I'm fit to be a healer. If anyone gets hurt, I panic and ..”

"Ubsupply! You've all never been of any use! You guys are a bunch of losers, everybody! Therefore…." Marcp coughed. "Therefore ...it is better to have the girl than nothing. Pray that Lusi's heart is not icy cold, pray that only his outer nature is cold ... But if her heart is really icy cold. then... then she should fall in love with me, and become my personal woman, and.”.

"mrs ... I-I doubt it happened ..."

"Shut up, Barto! Barto's?! Even Barto lectured me?? Mustahiiiiiiiiiill ..”

Whatever it was, their actions had finally been decided. They will treat Lusi as one part of the team, hopefully he will give them sympathy. If there is to be a change, then something must begin first, and everyone finally agrees that they should start first. Without going through this first obstacle, there was no way they could progress.

However, this is not an easy endeavor.

Susi had been waiting for them at the north gate of Atalante as usual. Haruhiro thought, it would be best if he said good morning as usual, then he cheerfully exclaimed, "Morning!"

It was just a normal greeting, so why should Lusi stare at her with such a cold and frightening look? Did Lusi really underestimate him? Is Lusi trying to mock her? With such an eye, it was as if Lusi wanted to say various bad things to her. It was as if Haruhiro was trash he wanted to burn to ashes.

After Lusi was satisfied to tear Haruhiro to shreds with eyes as sharp as a sword, he finally returned his greeting. “Morning,” said with ketus. “Hurry up, let's go. I'll follow you guys.”

So, that's what he wants huh.

Even so, Vina and Alice try to have a conversation with Lusi as they go to Damroww Old Town. In fact, which side of Atalante does Lusi live? What do you usually eat for breakfast and dinner? How long has he been a member of Red MooN? It was a harmless question, but Lucia refused to give any answer.

They found a short reply like "Come" or "Like my heart", but when angry, Lusi's emotions peaked, and he replied with "Is that important to you?" Neither Vina nor Alice had any choice but to silence.

A formidable enemy. Well, he's not really an enemy, because he's their partner.

But even though normal conversations with him proved difficult, at least Haruhiro wanted to improve teamwork.

It seemed that this morning the Goddess Fortuna was smiling at them, as they happened to meet with

a group of Goblins consisting of 3 tails. Haruhiro strengthened his intention to fight hard. If they could work together as a team and win the battle, then things would improve even more.

"Barto, Marco, one tail each. Vina and I will take care of the third Goblin. Alice and Lusi, support Barto and Marco remotely!” Haruhiro's orders.

Although he asks Lusi to do his normal job, which is to support them, Lusi just stands up

glued in there. He looked at Alice with a look of contempt as the Mage struck the Goblin with the skill [SHADOW ECHO] and [MAGIC MISSILE]. He pretended not to see Marco groaning as his left arm was lightly scratched.

When Barto lost his nerve after his temple was scratched, he scolded him, saying,

"You're a Warrior, right?! Why did you retreat just because of such a wound?!”

“Sial! Who do you think you are?! You just stand up and do nothing!” Marco kicked the Goblin with all his might.

The enemy was mental, but Marco quickly chased after him and thrust his sword directly. “[ANGER

THRUST]!”

The goblin whimpered in an indistinct voice as Marco's sword pierced through his throat. The monster thrashed violently for a while, then stopped moving.

Apparently the Dark Knight's sword technique and fighting style are based on dodging when the enemy

launch a close-range attack. Marco preferred medium-range battles, where the Dark Knight could counterattack quickly when his opponent was out of range. Haruhiro has a feeling that what Marco is doing is not exactly the Dark Knight's true fighting style. But

as long as it is useful, it doesn't matter.

After Marco finished off his opponent, it means only 2 tails left.

While grunting with all his might, Barto locked the movement of his opponent's sword, then he used

skill [SPIRAL SLASH] so the Goblin was staggered backwards. He also unhesitatingly gave his next attack. He swung the giant sword over the head of the Goblin while shouting. The goblin collapsed to the ground with its skull split open.

There's one more.

"Malik em a palak!" Alice shouted while drawing the flying Elemental letters with her staff.

A light the size of a fist struck the head of the Goblin, so the creature howled.

Being hit by a [MAGIC MISSILE] attack was almost the same as being hit by a grown man. The goblin was stunned for a moment, but when he got the chance, Vina attacked.

"[SWEEPING SLASH]!"

The goblin shrieked and leapt back diagonally to avoid the attack.

Thus, the Goblin's back was facing Haruhiro. Now! Haruhiro thought, and his body moved on its own. He inhaled and held his breath, then he used the [BACKSTAB] skill. His dagger stabbed the Goblin right on the right side of the body. The dagger glided smoothly through the Goblin's back, and penetrated out on its stomach.

Haruhiro was convinced that this was a skill [BACKSTAB] executed correctly. Goblin staggered,

it was as if all of his strength had vanished. Haruhiro pushed his dagger deeper into the Goblin's body, then he quickly pulled it back. The goblin fell down and did not move anymore.

"Moe!" Marco took off the claws from the Goblin corpse while laughing in a high tone. “Cooperation

tim is bullshit, we can win because of my prowess! I am the best! I guess, if from the beginning we find ease, then this adventure will not be exciting. My hand hurts! Lucia! Cure me now!”

Lusi completely ignored him, instead he moved towards Barto.

"Sit down," he said.

"All right, miss." Barto sat obediently on the ground, like a pet dog.

Lusi examined Barto's forehead and the back of his head, then he touched the wound on his temple. Barto

grimacing and Luci replied in a voice so soft that Haruhiro could not listen to him.

Luci then formed a hexagram with his hands and shouted, "Oh light, under the auspices of the God Luminous ... [CURE].”

"She was really happy to heal the wounds after the fight ended….." Haruhiro muttered to himself while collecting the Goblin pouch.

It contained two silvers, two shiny stones, and some animal fangs. Depending on the value of the stone, Haruhiro surmised that the total price of the loot this time was around 4 silver.

“Hey, women! Enough with Barto, hurry up here and heal me!” Marco demanded.

"There are no wounds on your body, there are only scratches."

“It's not true! Lookie! There's bleeding everywhere! It's just ..... his blood is dry”

“Then, how about you tear the wound again so that the blood comes back? And don't call me a woman. You really tested my patience.”

Marco retreated, and Luci left him in such a state without giving a single attempt at healing. Haruhiro also agreed with Lusi that Marco was too whiny. He was the type of man who would cry and roar despite only getting a small scratch wound.

However, Udin was a Priest who was very sensitive to the safety of the team, and he never felt comfortable unless all the Party members were in perfect condition. Now Haruhiro is starting to realize it.. Is it really important to heal non-severe scratches? It seemed excessive if a certain amount of magic had to be used on less emergency matters, while healing magic had its limits, and a Priest could run out of it. Haruhiro thinks Marco is spoiled.

After they dispose of the Goblin's corpse, Haruhiro approaches Lusi.

"Are we the ones misunderstanding?" He asked frankly. ”As a healer, it seems like all your actions are quite well planned. Possibly ... Could there be such a norm on the other Party?”

"What?"

Haruhiro grimacing. "That "what" was enough to take away his courage. He wished that Lusi had not said such a thing. But for some reason, his courage came back and he said. ”Nothing really, but ... are there really several different types of Priests? It's just .. I really don't

know anything about you. Call it my lack of experience or something.”

As if, Lusi was reluctant to answer, but he finally took a deep breath and gave a forced answer.

"Why ask me." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and deliberately turned away from Haruhiro.

This time, “why ask me” it was enough to make Haruhiro annoyed.

"Can't you ... tell me? I'm a Thief, so I don't understand much about the Priest. I never knew, and I thought, it would not be a good idea to find something like that..”

“That's just your opinion. If I wasn't so.”

"It's not like that…." Haruhiro interrupted his own words and took a deep breath. He was trying to conquer his mounting emotions. He almost lost control and attacked her.

He needs to stay calm. But…. What's the attitude of the girl? That pisses him off.

"It's not a personal question or what," Haruhiro persisted. “But in a battle, there are common patterns that usually occur, and as a team, we have to talk about those patterns so that we can strategize.

“Why don't you just bluntly say that you don't like the way I do work?” answer Lusi. ”I'll be leaving soon."

"No, not that, just that………"

"In that case, no problem, right?"

"Uh ... No. .. No problem."

Haruhiro wanted someone to tell him, is there a way to discuss with this kind of girl? Maybe there is no decent way to discuss with a girl like Lusi.

By nightfall, they had killed seven Goblins, and today's income yield was 2 silver and 5 bronze for each Party member. It's not so bad for a group like them. However, when compared to Hector's group who could “throw away the golden pieces like trash, then Haruhiro could only grit his jaw in annoyance and he realized how pitiful

His party.

Luci immediately left after he received his share of the loot, so the five of them went to eat

night, then have a drink at Sherry's.

"What a lot," said Vina. “Vina doesn't want to drink, so Vina will order juice.”

"And quite noisy," Alice agreed with him. “I also don't want to drink alcohol.”.

This was their first time visiting the Sherry Shop, so Vina and Alice looked at the scene with wide-eyed and a little nervous.

"Hey you two, stop gawking!" Marco rebuked the two of them while ordering a place, it seemed like he had gotten used to all the frenzy in this tavern. “Nothing strange here! This is just a normal shop, so don't be surprised like that!”

However, Vina and Alice may not have heard Marco's words. When the servant girl arrived a while later, they ordered and paid for each of her drinks. Haruhiro this time did not order alcohol, but lemonade. It tasted really good, basically, the lemonade he drank was naturally carbonated water from the Tenshun Mountains mixed with lemon and honey.

"So, Lusi is the source of all these problems" Haruhiro began talks.

"Yes," Vina nodded. “Vina and Alice try to talk to him all day, and everything is shit.”

"It's a waste" Alice immediately corrected Vina's still strange-sounding style of speech. ”You mean ‘sia-just’, right?”

"Oh?" Vina blinked. ”Vina kira, ‘sial-just’ better?”

"That's not how you say it, Vina. Do not add ‘l’ at the end of the word, because the meaning can be different.”

“Hah? Vina messed it up again?” Vina. ”It looks like this time Vina really messed it up..”.

"We just need to do THIS" Marco said, waving his hands around his neck in a gesture similar to beheading people. ”INI. Just do THIS, and it'll all be over. If we do THIS to the girl, then things will get better. THIS is, INI.”

Marco really likes to make that move, maybe because he thinks that it's cool or something. If so, then he's more fucked up than Vina.

"Em" Barto interrupted while looking at the entrance of the shop.

Really long live this chick, that's what Haruhiro thought. The one who had just entered the tavern was Lusi.

He walked in and looked at them for a moment. He pretended not to notice them, but Haruhiro was willing to bet that he was completely aware of their presence. There was a cososng chair at the end of the bar, and Lusi was sitting there.

"What the hell is he!" Marco slammed his fist on the table. “What the fuck with that attitude?! We are still a party! At least he should give us a nod!”

"Vina had a feeling that.." said Vina with a frown and furrowed brows, “that what is normal for normal people is not normal for Lusi. But, now Vina was bit kesel”

However, Alice tapped her lips with her finger. ”But, we also do not reprimand him," he reminded. ”So, he has a reason not to reprimand us..”.

"Hm ...." Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck.”I thought you were right. We deserve to be ignored, so don't worry about this too much. Wellh, even so, his attitude also can not we say good anyway.”

"So stupid!" Marco Excited. ”Why should we think positively about the girl?”

"You'll be hated by all your friends if you keep acting that way" Vina commented.

“Shut! Flat-chested girl has no right to talk!”

"Don't call Vina flat-chested!"

"Even, flat, flat, flat, flat .. chest washboard!"

Vina glared angrily at Marco.

"Marco," said Haruhiro, “No matter who talks to you, you will be considered lowly.”

"You're a saint, Haruhiro!" Marco mocked him. ”I don't care about a girl's feelings! All I care about is my chest, butt, thighs, and arms!”

Alice glanced at Marco as if Marco was the dirtiest, despicable, and lowly creature in this world. ”When I realized that you were a human being, I got sick of it."

"Don't comment that bad!" Apparently, even Marco realized that he was in a bad position now. ”Actually, not just the chest, buttocks, thighs and arms, I also care about the face of a girl! No matter how good their bodies were, as long as their faces were radiant like stars, I liked it! Wait for. Why do I have the feeling that you're getting angry? Why?"

"Someone was talking to him" said Barto, pointing at Lusi.

"Whoa." Haruhiro blinked a few times.”It's impossible."

A man who communicates with a girl in a bar is not unusual, but Haruhiro does not expect this to happen. Haruhiro knew the man, who was a smiling man while conversing with Luci. They met and talked once. His face was quite friendly. White clothes

wrapping his body from head to toe there was also armor under his heel, and a sword hung down his waist.

"That's the Cluster, from Orion," Haruhiro said.

"Orion?" Marco stuck out his neck in order to better observe the man. ”Seriously? The Orion clan is quite famous, right? And this Group seems to be the leader. Not that I care or anything. Why would someone like him talk to Lucia? Hey, our drinks are here. Oi! Let's toast, man. Cheeeer!"

"C-cheers ..." Barto was the only one who answered him harshly.

Haruhiro tapped his wooden glass on Barto, Vina, and Alice's glasses, then sipped his lemonade. It tastes sweet, sharp, and certainly delicious.

"Hey, Haru." Vina tugging at Haruhiro's shirt sleeves. "What is a Klan'?"

Haruhiro starts explaining.”A Clan is a designation when ..."

Actually Haruhiro didn't quite understand it, but from what he understood, the Clan was a group that

it is designed to pursue an idealism or goal. Parties usually consisted of five or six people, including Priests, who were skilled in using light magic for healing. However, there were cases when only six people were not enough to handle a large group or an unusually strong enemy. There were also places too dangerous for a party to explore. In such a case, several Parties merged to form a Clan.

"There are some famous Clans" Haruhiro continued. “The Dark Berserkers, Iron Knuckles, a female-only Wild Angels Clan. Oh, Orion is also quite famous.”

"Listen," Marco said as he pointed to the Cluster. “There are seven star shaped 'X' marks on his robe, ‘right? It was a typical emblem of the Orion Clan. There are some people in this room who wear a similar emblem.”

Marco's right. There are some people scattered in this shop with similar robe ornaments. Cluster never

once said that he and many other Red MooN members often visit Sherry Shops. Maybe Haruhiro should say hello to Gugus later, but .. seems like now is not the right time. He reluctantly interrupts the Group while talking to Luci.

What kind of relationship does Gugus and Lusi have? From what Haruhiro saw, the Cluster was numerous

speaking, while Lusi only gave an occasional reply. However, it seemed that he was not bothered by the presence of the Cluster. But a while later, Lusi seemed upset, so the Group finally stopped the chat. After looking at the man for a few minutes, Luci finally sipped his drink again.

Marco sneered softly. “They both did just that. THAT ONE, TUH!!”

"It doesn't seem like it" replied Haruhiro.

"Haaaaruhiroooooo ... You're a lot more blind than a bat. The atmosphere is full of ROMANCE! They've done THAT before. I'm sure 100%”

"I'll go to greet the Group."

"Hey! Don't just ignore me! You're making me sad here!”

I thought, Haruhiro said in his heart, and he got up from his seat. The other customers around him started to stiffen.

There's a reason why they're stiffening.

"Hey, it's Souma .." said someone.

"Isn't that Souma?" The other word.

And again, "That's Souma!"

"Souma!"

"Souma ...!"

Soumas. That was a name spoken by all the Red MooN Members in the tavern. Who her? There is no doubt that it is the name of a man, but ...

A party of six consisting of men and women, entered the tavern. Surely, Souma was the name of the leader of that group. He looked young and. Different style. The most obvious one is the weapon. His entire body was covered by black armor, and it perfectly matched his stature. Not a single strangeness was seen in his appearance, and everything was so fitting. The armor also looked light.

It was probably a type of scales-type armor, made by hitchhiking thousands of small metal plates. At some point, orange light was emitted from the sidelines of his armor, as if it was alive. The lower part of his body was covered by a very long tasset, perhaps it was part of that armor

covering the upper part of his body. It was an asymmetrical armor, but it looked extremely admirable.

The huge sword bound on his back was curved like a Katana, the weapon looked beautiful and also

creepy. With the sword in hand, he looked even more powerful than the Warriors in general. The knife tucked in the man's waist was similar to what was on his back, only shorter. It was clear that the weapon was the masterpiece of an expert artist. For a Thief like Haruhiro, of course he was envious and wanted to have a knife like that.

The facial features of a man named Souma are also unique. He could not be called handsome from a male point of view, or beautiful from a female point of view, yet his face was so clean and elegant. His eyes were almond shaped and seemed very calm, but his eyes were filled with threats. As if, the glare of his eyes was a blend of deep tranquility and sadness. One would definitely be gobsmacked when looking at the man's eyes deeply.

It was clear that the men and women who followed him were not ordinary Red MooN members. Who accompanied him

was a man of large stature, dark skin, narrow-eyed, dazzling green armor, and taller than Barto. He seemed to have quite a stocky body, yet his small head made him appear thinner than his body.

Behind the dark-skinned man was a contrasting figure. There was a little man with a childish face, and innocent eyes. Once you see it, then you'll understand the meaning of "the curse of the evil eye". The man beside her had arms so long, that Haruhiro was curious whether

he really is a human being. The man's face was hidden behind a terrifying mask, making it hard to figure out.

But Haruhiro had a premonition that he was a being from another world. The armor may be leather or metal, and it covers his head to his feet. On his back hung a giant toothed sword that looked deadly.

Even though Souma's friends were impressed, it turned out that there were still 2 women behind him ... When looking at them, Haruhiro's heart seemed to melt. It was as if Haruhiro was unwilling to turn his gaze away from the woman forever. The Souma Party consists of four men and two very beautiful women. One of them was a bit older, dressed more stylishly, and fair-skinned. She was wearing something similar to a dress, but her legs and chest were open. He also wears various necklaces, rings, and bracelets. He was armed with an expensive staff and a short sword. Despite wearing luxurious jewelry, the woman was not impressed conspicuously. Maybe it was because of her beauty

it is comparable to the sheen of the jewelry.

The other woman slightly reminded Haruhiro of Luci. Not that their faces were the same or anything like that, but her beauty was identical, to the point that Haruhiro was curious whether she was an angel. It might be younger than Haruhiro, or it might be older. Haruhiro was not sure if he should be called a beautiful woman or a beautiful girl.

He was wearing a chest protection plate that was intricately engraved, yet his armor looked light. A sword hung from his belt..That means, maybe he is a Warrior? Female warriors are rare. Moreover, her beautiful silver ramput was completely different from Hector's. As if every strand

her fine hair made of silver melted, and her eyes were as beautiful as sapphires. Everything is enhanced with snow-white skin. Of course, it was not made from real snow, as there was a slight pinkish hue on its skin. He's more beautiful than the ice-cold Luci.

Finally, Haruhiro had proof that they were indeed not human. Her ear. His ears are tapered at the ends.

"Isn't he an Elf?" Brisket Marco.

"Nr ..." Haruhiro muttered without thinking. Enraptured, he forgot to blink when he looked at her.

Elven. Whatisit? He did not know the definition of the word, but he understood it very well when he saw the woman. Elven. Right. That woman was probably an Elf.

"Hey hey!"

Someone's voice is coming. The voice was too hyper, and too happy. No one in this world has such a voice except Gori.

“Not that Harucchi, Marcon, Bartu, Vinan, and alise!" she screamed. How are you guys doing?! I'm fine, thank you! Hey, heys! Do you realize anything? Isn't Souma COOL?! I never dreamed I could see him here! I'm so lucky! EVERYONE SO VERY LUCKY!!!”

Tonight Gori is more hyper than yesterday. Maybe it was because of Souma's presence.

"Gori .. Who is he?" Ask Haruhiro.

"Whataaaaaaa?!" gori said in disbelief. “Harucchi, you haven't heard anything about Souma ?! No maybeiiiiiiiin! You must be kidding me, right? It can't be! Soumas…..You knew! The best warrior Red MooN! He is the Warrior of the Warriors!”

Gori continued to babble nonstop. “Well, there are some doubts about his true fighting ability, but nobody doubts that he is the best. It's the first time I've seen him in real life, he's been amazing, right? The style is so different! Cool style! Suppose I were a girl, I really wanted her to be my girlfriend!”

“Souma, I LOVE YOU!!!" he began to fantasize and grin. Just kidding. I'm not that bad, but isn't he awesome? He is highly respected by everyone. I hope I can be like her someday.”.

"Ohh..yeahhhh!" Marco agreed and his eyes sparkled in the shape of stars. “Damn it! How could he obtain such armor? I want armor like that!”

"I-I want .." Barto's eyes stared at the floor. “I want a helmet. And if possible, I also want steel plates. If I had those protective things, maybe I could have been more.”.

Alice bit her lower lip, saying something. “I want to learn more about various kinds of spells. I want to further help everyone in the fight by using my magic. All I can do right now is

...”

"Vienna ... Vina also wanted that armor," Vina said. “Vina is not good at playing bows and arrows, so she always fights in the front line. Vina kira, having armor would be more useful ..”

"I want to ..." Haruhiro stopped for a moment, his eyes still fixed on Souma and his companions. What the hell does Haruhiro want?

Honestly, unlike Gori and Marco, Haruhiro has no desire to be like Souma. In fact, he did not believe that they could match the achievements achieved by Hector's team. Become like a Souma team that is adored and appreciated by everyone. It seems like it was just a dream in broad daylight. They don't have

hope to reach Souma level, so why are they trying to match him? They'll just look like idiots.

In that case, continuing to sink at the bottom is not a bad thing for us? The little voice inside him asked. No, it's not that. Haruhiro wants to move forward. Although they could not climb the stairs to the same level as Hector, he still wanted to keep moving up, even though he had to limp up

each ladder slowly. Even if they are slow, that is no excuse for not moving forward.

Udin would have thought the same. He wanted them to move forward with their own efforts. Hopefully, today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow is better than today. But without taking action to make it happen, it was all just empty wishful thinking.

What am I supposed to do? Do I have to save more money to learn the skill? Or

buying better equipment? Money is important, of course, but it's not everything.

Udin had asked him to look after the others. Haruhiro had to do the same

like Udin did? In other words, does Haruhiro have to be a leader? Is he capable of leading? It was true that one had to fill Udin's position as leader. But does it have to be him? He doesn't want that. He does not want to take on the burden and responsibility of being a leader. It was too heavy for him.

What about Udin? Does he take on the role of leader because he wants to? Is

he likes to lead a party? Does he become a leader with all his heart or half his heart? Maybe he didn't like being a leader, and he really wanted to throw his responsibility on others, but wasn't Udin always rounding up his resolve and sacrificing everything for the sake of it

tim's interests? Haruhiro never knew Udin's true heart, and he wasn't sure.

“No! But but but!” Then, Gori stuck her shoulder to Marco, and they both laughed

something's. Haruhiro could not believe that Marco had found someone so close to him, that they could joke around so intimately. “I never thought I could meet Souma! I heard that his main operating area was the place where Ishmael had been, so he rarely visited Atalante. I was so lucky this time! Well, not lucky enough anyway, but ..”

“Gori Let's make friends with Souma! If we cooperate, then WE CAN DEFINITELY DO IT!” Marco

proclaiming friendship with him.

"Friends? LET'S DO! The marcon! Let's go!!!"

Gori and Marco got up from their seats simultaneously. It seemed like they seriously wanted to approach and introduce themselves to Souma. Haruhiro half got up from his chair and looked around the shop. Souma's group was sitting around a table close to the counter, and a swarm of people instantly swarmed over them. A moment later, the crowd of people was even denser.

Luci remained sitting there while gulping down his drink. Alice was nowhere to be seen. Where's he been

going away? Haruhiro sat back down and gulped his lemonade. When he turned his head, his eyes looked right at Vina. The girl tilted her head to one side, and asked about what they should do next.

Haruhiro shook his head, and he hinted to her that he would do nothing

take another lemonade. But, doing nothing at this point may not be a wise decision.

A leader, huh? Does Haruhiro have a soul as a leader?