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First, I began stripping the three mages I had just dealt with.

All of them wore the same robes, and the clothes underneath were only different in color, so it seemed that men, just like women such as Boobs Lady, all ended up wearing similar outfits.

In any case, I promptly searched their belongings… but there was nothing decent.

There was one undamaged wand, so that was probably about it for spoils.

Just to be safe, I grabbed a corpse by the ankle and shook it up and down, and I heard a jingling sound.

I obtained a total of ten silver coins.

“…Were they poor, so they followed those guys for money?”

“What a hard world,” I thought, looking up at the sky, only for my eyes to see nothing but green.

Now then, I should move on to the main prize, I thought, turning around—only for sudden explosions to occur, and two of them at that.

The location was undoubtedly where the noblemen I had defeated had fallen.

“…Huh? It even has a function that self-destructs on its own?”

Fortunately, if that was the right word, the fire did not spread through the forest, and putting it out was easy, since only the nobles’ clothes had burned a little.

Judging from having taken one before, these explosions probably emphasized striking the surroundings with fragments, so their ability to set the surroundings on fire was low.

It might have been different if we were in the dry winter season, but just to be safe, I thoroughly covered the area with soil and sand to extinguish it.

After carefully checking the surroundings as well, I began stripping them.

From the one I had made a slightly grotesque mess of by smashing down, I obtained four jewels.

The ones that had been held between his fingers should have fallen around the area… but perhaps they had been blown away by the explosion earlier.

Thinking there might be at least one magic item, I carefully searched the corpse, but what I found was some broken something and a shattered metal ring.

Apparently, the correct answer had been to hit him with a little more restraint.

Compared to that one, the other corpse was cleaner, but the bleeding had been terrible, and the clothes that had been white were now dyed bright red.

From this one, too, I obtained four jewels, and secured an undamaged bracelet and a blood-soaked scroll.

There was also a ring… but this one had no magical reaction.

If I thought of it as something to exchange for money, I could probably give it to Boobs Lady, but since it had all sorts of characters carved into it, it seemed like something that would leave a trail if sold.

Since there was nothing else of note, I searched for the jewels that should have fallen to the ground.

As expected, unfortunately, I could only find two jewels in the surroundings.

In my memory, the two of them together had seemed to be holding at least ten between their fingers, so this harvest felt a little sad.

Considering that some might have been hit by fragments and shattered, continuing to search like this would probably be a waste of time.

The problem was that the earlier explosions had probably caused the wild animals nearby to flee.

Lastly, I collected the two men’s wands, returned to the place where I had left my backpack, and began hunting.

Incidentally, I was not stripping their clothes only because they were covered in blood, and there was no other intention.

Now then, shortly after I began hunting, I confirmed rabbits inside a hole I discovered, so I destroyed the nest and captured them.

It would be too little for me to eat, but if I only treated it as a snack this time, there would be no problem.

So I returned triumphantly to the basement base, and for some reason, I found Rena dressed like a maid.

(I think that was something from the basement…)

At least, it was not something in my memory.

Also, calling it a maid outfit was questionable because of its short skirt and open chest area, which gave a glimpse into the basement owner’s tastes.

In other words, it had been both a storage room and a place for enjoyment.

Rena noticed me and waved while holding something.

I did not understand the Seizeria language, but I could pick out the word “Argos.”

Apparently, she had been gathering plants… but even if I complained that there had been an explosion so she should hide underground, there was no way she would understand. Thinking I would have Boobs Lady scold her, I put down my luggage and descended underground, where a superb view spread out before me.

“Ah, so you’re back. I guess that explosion earlier was what I thought it was.”

While saying that, Boobs Lady only glanced my way once, then continued struggling with an ill-fitting, overly revealing maid outfit.

Since it was the same size as Rena’s outfit, needless to say, it was clearly unreasonable for her, and especially around the chest, everything was left completely exposed.

Boobs Lady was desperately reaching around to her back and doing her best, but since Rena was not here, it seemed she had already given up on dressing her.

Incidentally, my fingers were huge, so I was not suited for work like tying strings.

Boobs Lady somehow managed to make it take shape, but the waist area was visibly skin-tight, and the chest fabric had lost to the weight and hidden nothing.

“I understand what you want to do, but is it not impossible size-wise?”

“You won’t know until you try!”

I had thought that with this person’s personality, if I butted in, she would become stubborn, and it hit the mark splendidly.

I was not saying she was fat or anything, but perhaps there was something she could no longer back down from.

Again and again, Boobs Lady’s boobs changed shape with a squish and bounced with a boing.

I nodded many times at what a wonderful sight it was.

Boobs Lady interpreted that movement as “being mocked” and immediately changed methods.

She succeeded in hiding her boobs using the towel I had given her.

For the time being, I signaled with my finger that we were going to eat and that she should come up, then left the basement.

I took tools out of the backpack and began preparing to grill the meat.

I had already been draining the blood on the way, so by the time the preparations were finished, that should be done too.

That said, the stove was already there, so all I had to do was place the iron plate on it and start a fire.

Then Rena brought over wild herbs.

Judging from her gestures, she was probably saying something like, “These are edible, so use them,” but did neither of you have any thought of making the meal yourselves?

(So Rena is on the same level as Boobs Lady.)

I was happy that they trusted me, but how was that as people?

For the time being, I also used gestures to give Rena a job, telling her to watch the fire, and I began butchering the rabbits.

After I cut the meat apart and oiled the iron plate, Boobs Lady came up from the basement.

In Boobs Lady’s delighted hands were wine bottles.

Well, I had thought she had found them, but the fact that she intended to drink in this situation made me question her nerves.

Boobs Lady proudly held up the spoils with a smug face, but the towel hiding her chest fell, and her bountiful fruits swayed.

With ill-fitting clothes like that, of course that would happen if she made large movements.

While grilling the meat, I stared hard at Boobs Lady’s boobs.

She picked up the fallen towel, came over, placed the bottles down, and then hid her overly exposed chest.

The order felt strange, but perhaps this was how things were if no recognizable member of the opposite sex existed nearby, I thought, remembering my elder sister, who had calmly gotten naked at home.

I had wanted Boobs Lady to scold Rena for her carelessness, but at this rate, they were both as bad as each other.

(Come to think of it, two of their companions had died.)

When I thought of it that way, I became a little worried that they might have become codependent.

While grilling the meat, I watched the two of them, who were probably having a light argument over the alcohol.

It was in Seizeria language, so I had no idea what they were saying, but I could tell that it was gradually heating up.

They probably each had something they could not give in on, but judging from the atmosphere, I could not help feeling that the topic had somehow drifted.

And then what was bound to happen, happened.

It was not quite an argument, but as their claims kept clashing, eventually, hands came out.

The first strike came from Rena, unexpectedly.

Rena swiftly reached out and dragged down the towel whose length had been extended by tying it.

Rena grabbed the swaying boobs and shouted.

Apparently, this had developed into a battle between one who had and one who had not.

Contestant Rena kneaded them, kneaded them, and kneaded them for all she was worth.

Contestant Diera also fought back with equal determination, but the difference in mass was cruel.

Contestant Rena teared up, and contestant Diera embraced her.

Apparently, the match had been decided.

The winning move was a draw by flirting—look at me, the one grilling the meat.

Kindly, I clanged the tongs against the iron plate to make them notice.

Boobs Lady tried to cover it up, while Rena clicked her tongue softly as if saying, “Don’t interrupt when it was just getting good.”

(Don’t underestimate my hearing. I heard that perfectly.)

This made me unable to suppress my confusion of, “What is going on with this girl’s character?”

Perhaps she became strange when Boobs Lady was involved, but I could not judge whether that was a reaction to losing their companions or whether she was naturally like this.

Boobs Lady was probably normal.

To me, the way she interacted with her looked less like “female friends” and more like family—as if she were being kind to a younger sister.

In any case, I took a bite of the grilled meat sprinkled with salt mixed with chopped and lightly sautéed wild herbs.

It was a slightly strong accent for the plain rabbit meat, but as long as the amount was not mistaken, the result was not bad.

Rena came to the opposite side and sat on a rock, and Boobs Lady handed her the iron skewer I had prepared.

Rena promptly skewered some meat and ate it, then let out an admiring “Ohh.”

Boobs Lady chewed in small bites with a solemn expression, and the reason her expression looked somewhat dark was probably because she was comparing it to what she had made in the past.

As expected, or perhaps because they had been quite hungry, the rabbit meat disappeared as soon as it was cooked.

I occasionally carried some to my own mouth as well, but most of it disappeared into the two women’s stomachs.

Amid that, Boobs Lady reached out for the meat I had set aside at the edge, intending to eat last—and with a ripping sound, the back of the maid outfit tore.

She stopped while leaning forward, iron skewer in hand, and I sent her one line.

“Is the size not wrong?”

Boobs Lady straightened her posture when she saw me casually spear the meat with a survival knife and carry it to my mouth.

Rena went around behind her and said something, but judging from Boobs Lady’s reaction as her shoulders slumped, the outfit seemed to be no good.

Since it was two hundred years old, that could not be helped.

Her upper body now only had a tied towel like a strapless bikini, and Boobs Lady let out a deep sigh while spreading out the remains of the maid outfit, which had torn even further when she took it off.

The skirt was safe, but its length was short, so her thighs were clearly visible.

After the meal ended and I began cleaning up, Boobs Lady spoke to me with a serious expression, saying, “There’s something I want to talk about.”

Before that, I pointed at the iron skewers they had used and placed cloth and water in front of her, as if telling her to participate in the cleanup.

“Ah, yeah,” Boobs Lady said, deflated.

The iron plate was still hot, so I had no choice but to handle that myself.

In any case, while wiping the iron skewers with cloth, she looked at me and said this.

“First, thank you for saving us. Without your help, we would definitely have died.”

Saying that, Boobs Lady bowed her head, and Rena followed her example.

“But this is the one thing I have to ask. Why did you save us?”

As expected, I was asked for the reason after all.

Honestly, even I had to admit that this action was “something stupid.”

There was no benefit at all, and it was effectively the same as carrying burdens.

More than that, even if I saved them there, what had I intended to do after that?

If I brought them with me, the future waiting there was one where the two of them died.

The next time my reason vanished would be the time when they died.

Similarly, even if we parted here, what awaited them was death.

They could not return to their homeland.

If they could do anything, it would probably be to rebuild themselves in Canaan… but I suspected that side was now in chaos from the damage caused by my rampage.

Infiltration would be easy, but there was no doubt they would struggle with life afterward, and in the worst case, they might be exposed to the effects of worsening public order.

In the end, what had I wanted to do?

What had I gained?

Before answering her question, that self-questioning stood in my way.

(At the very least, the option of acting together does not exist.)

So this time, it was my turn to say farewell.

I had considered a reason for that purpose, at least for form’s sake, so I stated it calmly.

“I read books. There, I learned the word ‘fate.’ I no longer have any interest in what influence that has on me. Humans fight and kill each other, even among the same humans. They also wage war against and kill elves, who share the same human form. If so, there is no need to even speak of the relationship between myself and humans. Therefore, if you ask ‘why,’ I will answer like this: it was ‘a mere whim.’”

I could choose no way of saying it except one that pushed them away.

However, I did intend to at least escort them somewhere.

If I lost my reason during that, then it would simply mean they had been unlucky.

If they did not need help, that would be best, but I doubted the two of them were unable to understand that this was unrealistic.

All I could do was escort them, and I did not think she was a woman who could not accept that.

Perhaps because the answer was completely different from what she had expected, Diera looked up at the sky and stayed silent for a while, as if it took time to digest.

After a little while, she only said, “I understand,” then stood up and pressed the iron skewers she had finished wiping onto me.