The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Everyone, stop."
As I led the way, I gave the signal, and everyone came to a halt.
"It's a fork in the road."
The passage split into two simple paths, one to the right and one to the left.
I checked to see if there were any footprints, but the floor wasn't covered in dust, so there was no way to tell which way they had gone.
"Sakura, can you pick up their scent?"
"Sniff, sniff... whine..."
Sakura lowered her tail apologetically.
But that couldn't be helped.
The hidden passage had probably gone unused for a long time, and all sorts of different smells had mixed together.
Her nose was exceptionally sensitive, so she had probably picked up too many different scents and become confused.
"Rain, it's a little dangerous, but I think splitting into two groups is our best option."
"Indeed. I agree with Lady Chiffon's opinion."
"...Yeah."
If we were going up against Mina and the demon, I'd prefer for everyone to stay together if possible.
But more than that, I didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.
If we let Mina escape here, who knew what would happen later?
We had to chase the two of them, even if it meant taking some risks.
"Then... how about Chiffon, Kanade, and Stella in one group, and Sakura, Eris, and me in the other?"
"Huh!? I'm going separately from Rain!?"
"Considering our overall combat strength, wouldn't it be better to separate Kanade and Sakura, the strongest species?"
Likewise, Chiffon, who was also a Hero, and I, who shared the same bloodline, should operate separately.
"Ugh... I suppose I can't argue with that, but I wanted to stay with Rain..."
"Woof."
"...Did Sakura just look like she was gloating over me?"
When I looked at Chiffon and the others, they nodded as if they had no objections.
"It's settled. Let's hurry!"
Sakura, Eris, and I went left.
Kanade, Chiffon, and Stella went right.
One of the groups quickly disappeared from sight, and I couldn't help feeling anxious about whether they would be all right...
But that anxiety was quickly dispelled.
Kanade was with them.
Chiffon and Stella were with them.
They would be fine.
I trusted Kanade and the others to handle things well.
And we couldn't afford to make them worry about us, either. We had to do our part properly.
"...Mr. Rain."
As we ran, Eris called out to me.
"If we end up fighting Mina and the demon... then, would you allow me to fight Mina?"
"You, Eris?"
"I'm a Holy Knight, so it should be easier for me to read the moves of Mina, who is a priestess. I believe I'm the most suitable person for the job. What do you think?"
"That's..."
There was no denying what Eris was saying.
From a purely rational standpoint, having Eris deal with Mina was the best option.
However, there was something that bothered me.
"Is that all?"
"Huh?"
"Is that really the only reason you want to fight Mina?"
Whenever Eris said Mina's name, her expression became slightly stern.
Seeing that, I couldn't help wondering if there was some sort of history between them.
I didn't seriously think that Eris might be an enemy.
Her attitude was somewhat rigid, but there was a sense of sincerity in her words.
However...
If she had some sort of personal feelings toward Mina, that could be dangerous.
Depending on what those feelings were, she might lose control of herself and go berserk.
To prevent such a situation, I might have to conclude that it would be better not to let her get close to Mina.
"...There are many things between her and me."
"I see."
"Although, judging from her behavior, Mina doesn't seem to remember anything..."
Eris made a self-deprecating expression...
Then she steeled herself.
"There is a history between us. However, I promise that I will carry out my duty properly."
"You're not lying?"
"I swear it upon the name of the Holy Knights."
"...All right. Then I'll leave Mina to you."
"Thank you."
I couldn't say with certainty that Eris wouldn't lose control.
In fact, seeing how calm she was made me even more uneasy.
But when I looked at Eris's face, I could see the intense emotions hidden deep within her...
There was no way I could refuse her.
Perhaps this was the very passion that Sakura had sensed when she became wary of Eris.
I couldn't stop Eris.
In that case, I would support her as much as I could.
"That said, it won't mean anything if we aren't the ones who got lucky and took the right path."
"...It seems that won't be something we need to worry about."
Before long, we emerged from the dungeon.
Apparently, we had taken the correct path.
"Mina! Verg!"
"Tch, they're fast."
The two of them were several dozen meters ahead of us.
Mina and Verg looked back at us, their expressions filled with panic...
"...What?"
For just a moment, I felt like Verg smiled.
As if he were saying, This is exactly what I wanted.
"Mr. Rain!"
"I know! Sakura, let's go!"
"Woof!"
There was no time to worry about the little details right now.
Eris and I both drew our swords.
Sakura planted all four paws firmly against the ground, taking a stance from which she could pounce at any moment.
"Mina! Surrender quietly!"
"If you are willing to hear me out, I will consider doing so."
"I'm willing to listen. But before that, I'm going to restrain you so you can't try anything strange. You haven't forgotten what you two did earlier, have you?"
"That was self-defense."
"What kind of stupid..."
"...As expected, someone like you could never understand our ideals. I have nothing to say to someone who is nothing more than a Beast Tamer rather than a Hero."
"You've had all this time, and yet... you haven't changed at all!"
Mina and Verg also assumed combat stances...
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