The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
“Oraaahhhh!!!”
Gray charged alone into the approaching horde of Gigabrands.
It was beyond reckless—an act that could only be called suicidal.
The number of enemies already exceeded ten.
He had struggled so much against just one of them before; there was no way he could handle so many on his own.
It was like standing unarmed in front of a runaway carriage—inevitably, he would just be crushed to death.
That’s what should have happened, and yet…
“Too soft! Too soft! Way too soft, you bastards!!!”
Gray didn’t fall.
Even as the Gigabrands’ ferocious attacks battered him—blood spilling, bones breaking—he refused to go down.
Then came his counterattack.
He swung his greatsword, sweeping through the Gigabrand horde.
Where had he been hiding such power?
The monsters were completely overwhelmed, blown away all at once by his might.
“Ha! Is that all you’ve got, you so-called Four Heavenly Kings? At this rate, there’s no need for the young master or Rain to even show up… I can handle this alone!”
Gray radiated an overwhelming fighting spirit.
It was so intense it could almost be seen—light shimmered and rose from his body in waves.
No… that wasn’t fighting spirit.
It was the brilliance of life itself.
By burning his very life away, Gray had gained overwhelming power.
――――――――――
Gray Saga was an orphan.
By the time he was old enough to remember anything, he was already alone—he had no idea who his parents were.
He survived by scavenging through trash, and sometimes by stealing.
Gray was strong for his age, and before long, he found himself committing crimes that bordered on banditry.
He never killed anyone, but he did rob people of their money and belongings.
There was no other way to stay alive.
Then one day, he made a mistake.
Unbelievably, he tried to rob a royal carriage.
Even if he was strong, he was still just a child.
There was no way he could win against elite knights, and he was quickly defeated.
Ah… so this is where I die, he thought.
What a meaningless life it’s been.
Gray resigned himself to death—but then…
“Hey. I’d like to ask you to work for me. What do you think?”
An utterly unexpected turn of events.
The young prince inside the carriage—Yuki—had, for some reason, taken a liking to Gray.
He said he wanted Gray to become his personal butler.
And not only did he say it—he actually made it happen.
And so, Gray became Yuki’s butler.
He didn’t care about Yuki one bit, but as long as it meant he could live, anything was fine.
If it was a job he could do, then anything was fine.
That was how he felt at first.
From then on, Gray was drilled in the basics of being a butler.
But his rough, uncouth nature kept him from improving at all.
He was scolded day after day.
Even as a butler, Gray would often complain to Yuki…
But Yuki never got angry. Instead, he seemed to enjoy listening to him.
There was a vast difference in their social standing.
An enormous gap separated them.
And yet, as if such things didn’t matter at all—the two became friends.
In the end, Gray gave up on being a butler.
No matter how hard he tried, he realized deep down that the role just didn’t suit him.
Instead, he became Yuki’s personal bodyguard.
Though his butlering skills never improved, his swordsmanship grew by leaps and bounds—so much that, before long, even the royal guard couldn’t match him.
Gray was happy about that.
But even more than that, Yuki was overjoyed.
He celebrated as if it were his own accomplishment, laughing with a radiant smile, offering his heartfelt congratulations…
And then—
“Now we can always be together. I’m counting on you from here on out.”
—that’s what he said.
At that moment, Gray made up his mind.
He carved a vow into his heart and soul.
He would live for Yuki.
And when the time came—he would die for Yuki.
――――――――――
“Haa… haa… haa…!”
Gray was gasping for breath.
He tried desperately to steady his breathing, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t.
Each breath made more blood spill from his body.
With it, his strength drained away, and slowly—his vision began to darken.
It was cold.
As if the blood flowing through his veins had turned to water.
“Tch… this is getting rough, even for me…”
Standing before him was a group of demons once known as the Four Heavenly Kings.
He had somehow managed to defeat two of them…
But as if mocking his effort, five more Gigabrands appeared before him.
And yet, Gray did not despair.
If he had time to despair, he’d rather use it to swing his sword one more time.
“It’s tough, yeah… but that just means it’s one hell of a stage, doesn’t it? The young master’s trusting me with this, after all… ha, when I think about it, this is perfect. To be recognized by the master I revere—and to fight for his sake. That’s what makes being born a man worth it.”
Strangely, strength welled up inside him once more.
He was battered, broken, on the brink of death.
It was a miracle he could even stand.
And yet…
Gray stood tall, gripping his great sword firmly.
There was no sign of weakness.
If anything, he overflowed with more spirit than ever before.
“Gray Saga… makes his stand!!!”
For his master’s sake, Gray kept swinging his sword.
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