The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 359: Uneasy

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"Unyaaan..."

On the first floor of the inn, Kanade had a melancholic expression on her face.

With her cheek resting on her hand, she stared blankly out the window.

Her tail swayed slowly, occasionally twitching as if she suddenly remembered something.

"What's wrong, Kanade?"

Tina came down the stairs, her steps making a rhythmic tapping sound.

Noticing Kanade in a daze, she moved closer.

"Hmm... how should I put it, I feel all fuzzy inside."

"Did Rain cheat on you?"

"Rain would never do that!"

"Whoa."

Kanade banged on the table with her hands, reacting strongly.

Tina, who had meant it as a light tease, was surprised by Kanade's reaction.

"Rain would never do something like that!"

"Oh, sorry. I was just teasing a bit. I don't think Rain would do that either."

"Geez."

Kanade puffed out her cheeks.

"It took Rain so long to notice our feelings. Someone like that couldn't possibly cheat."

"That's a harsh thing to say. Well, I can't deny it."

Both of them had a strange kind of trust in Rain.

"So, why do you look so gloomy?"

"Well..."

Kanade twitched her tail as she carefully chose her words.

"It's like... a sense of unease?"

"Unease?"

"For example, imagine a fish in front of you."

"You really love fish... and then?"

"Seeing my favorite fish in front of me, my excitement is at its peak. Whether grilled or raw, I'm ready to enjoy it. But then I suddenly think, is this fish real?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really understand it myself."

"I understand even less..."

Kanade sighed, and Tina sighed along with her.

An indescribable atmosphere lingered...

Suddenly, Kanade's expression turned serious.

"We're happy... right?"

"Yes."

"But, it feels like something's off."

"..."

Tina remained silent.

It was because she felt something in Kanade's words...

She found herself lost in thought.

"We're happy, and it's wonderful, but there's this lingering fuzziness. It feels like I've forgotten something... like I'm anxious about whether things are really okay as they are."

"Yeah... to be honest, I've been thinking something similar."

The trigger was a conversation with Rain.

Since then, she had been feeling a sense of unease.

What exactly was it?

She couldn't explain it specifically...

But her chest felt restless, and another part of her was questioning if everything was truly okay.

"Mmm."

"Kanade and Tina, you were thinking the same as Sora and the others, huh?"

"Oh, Sora."

"Luna and Tania too."

As the two pondered, Sora, Luna, and Tania appeared.

They seemed to be thinking the same thing and shared their thoughts.

"I can't put it into words well... but I feel extremely unsettled. It's like I'm being deceived by the world, unable to perceive the reality in front of me. There's a disconnect."

"I don't understand what my sister is saying at all... but it feels like I'm dreaming. There's no sense of reality."

"Yeah, I agree. At first, I didn't pay it any mind... but now, it's just this strange sense of unease."

What could this be?

Everyone groaned, thinking hard.

But no answers came.

It felt like they were one step away...

But that last step was elusive, like a bone stuck in their throats that wouldn't go away.

To resolve this...

It would indeed require their companions.

"We're back."

Nina and Rifa returned to the inn.

Seeing the two, Kanade and the others thought, "Huh?"

The figures of Nina's mother and Calus, who were supposed to be out on a walk with them, were nowhere to be seen.

Were they acting separately?

They wondered, but seeing the expressions on the two's faces, they knew that wasn't the case.

Nina and Rifa looked like they were about to cry.

However, it wasn't a look of pain or sadness.

It was more like touching an old, cherished memory, making their eyes well up...

A face like that.

"Nyaa... Nina, Rifa. What's wrong?"

"Mom... isn't here."

"My brother... isn't here either."

"Nyan? What do you mean?"

"You mean they're not acting separately... then, what do you mean?"

In response to Tania's question, Rifa answered after a brief pause.

"We..."

――――――――――

How much longer, I wonder?

We must have climbed quite a number of floors by now, but we still haven't reached the top.

"Rain-sama, are you holding up alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Thanks to the power I gained from the contract with Kanade, my stamina isn't an issue. Iris is also using her wings to practically fly as we move, so she shouldn't be too fatigued either.

"But... dealing with this many enemies is getting pretty tedious."

"Indeed... I'd really like to see an end to this soon."

Physically, we're still holding up. But mentally, the fatigue is starting to take its toll.

We've been fighting continuously, forcing us to stay focused for long periods...

It's starting to feel like it's wearing down my spirit.

Is Alpha-san creating these monsters? Or... have they allied with a third party? I hope it's the former, but that's probably just wishful thinking. It's likely the latter.

"Oh, look, another teleportation gate."

Climbing the stairs, we found another teleportation gate linking one space to another. It shimmered like a mirage, and monsters were emerging from it. This was likely a trap left by a third party.

"Begone."

With a wave of her hand, Iris made the monsters and the gate disappear. Using an advanced form of summoning magic, she can interfere with the gate and erase it.

"This is the fifth one... what a nuisance."

"But I think we're steadily getting closer."

Indeed, the number of monsters had decreased. It wasn't zero, but compared to when we first started climbing the tower, their numbers were less than half. We were accumulating fatigue, but...

At the same time, we were driving the enemy into a corner.

"Are we nearing the end?"

"I hope so, but I don't think it'll be that easy."

"Oh, is that a flag you're raising?"

"That's not my intention..."

"...But since you mentioned it, Rain-sama, it looks like new enemies have appeared."

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed. Not just one set, but three.

After a moment, they appeared...

"Mille-feuille? And... Chocolat and Chiffon!?"

TL Note- Hero(m) vs Hero(f)

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