The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3 Read online

  Crumble!

  “Huh?!”

  My body starts sinking into the ground! Before I know it, I’m staring at Seiya’s ankles! Once again, only my head is aboveground!

  “What are you doing to me this time?!” I yell out in a rage, unable to move.

  Seiya, on the other hand, is calm.

  “I was trying to completely bury you alive with my earth magic, but as you can see, your head is still above the surface. I partially blame myself for not mastering earth magic yet, but I’m unfortunately unable to make you sink any more than that.”

  “How awful can you be?! What’s even the point of trying to bury me?!”

  “Just shut up and listen. You don’t have an especially strong resistance to earth magic, but being a living creature gives you some magic resistance. That’s why I can’t completely bury you in the soil.”

  Seiya then touches the headless beastkin.

  “Endless Fall!”

  The two bodies instantly disappear as if sucked into the ground. U-unlike with me, they completely sink in! …Oh! Dead beastkin have no magic resistance! That’s why earth magic can be used to its greatest potential!

  “How far did you drop them? Ten meters or so?”

  “No, even farther. I don’t know how far down the core of this planet is, but I dropped them as far as I could. I’m assuming it’s only a few thousand kilometers, so it shouldn’t be long before the extremely high temperatures near the center vaporize them.”

  “…?! You dropped two dead bodies a few thousand kilometers?! Isn’t that a little much?!”

  “Ideally, seeing them vaporized with my own two eyes would make me feel most at ease, but unfortunately, that’s not possible, since I would be vaporized along with them.”

  Of course you’d be vaporized! How can you even say that with a straight face?!

  In a sense, what he just did is even more terrifying than Hellfire. I shudder when…

  “Hey! I heard a noise!

  “It came from that way!”

  “Oh no! Seiya! We have to get out of here! …Wait! My body’s still buried in the ground!”

  “It’s fine. We’re going back underground.”

  Seiya promptly uses Cave Along, and my face instantly slips underground.

  “Ahhh!”

  I land in a narrow cavern. My brain still hasn’t processed what happened, and I feel like I was tossed into a pool of water. Meanwhile, Seiya takes out a glowstone and illuminates the cavity.

  “All right, come on. We’re changing locations until I find somewhere I can safely snipe the beastkin again.”

  Trotting after Seiya, I timidly ask:

  “Hey, Seiya… What exactly do you plan on doing?”

  “I said I was going to free this town from Bunogeos’s reign, didn’t I? After finding the enemy with Cave Along, I’m going to use Burst Air to snipe them from a safe distance in order to reduce their forces. In other words…”

  The Hero’s eyes sharpen in the abyss.

  “I’m beastkin hunting.”

  CHAPTER 10

  The Miserable Life of a Mole

  After taking out two more beastkin with Burst Air, Seiya places a glowstone in the middle of a narrow underground space with a radius of around 1.5 meters, then sits on the ground. It looks like he’s taking a short break.

  “Our objective is three hundred beastkin, which means we have two hundred ninety-six to go. Rista, you’re going to be keeping count.”

  “O-okay. Got it.”

  I don’t know exactly how many beastkin are occupying the city of Galvano, but three hundred is a number that none other than Seiya came up with. He must be confident that we’ll be able to reclaim the town if we beat that many.

  “The goal is fifty a day. Taking into account our food and water supply, I want to finish within a week. Anyway, ready to start back up?”

  Following my nod, Seiya places a hand on the earthen wall and concentrates. After checking if there are any enemies in the area, he stands and grabs my ankles. Lifted high into the air, my head pokes out onto the surface, and I search for beastkin. Whenever we discover one, we create some distance, and Seiya snipes them with his blowpipe. Just like that, we kill one beastkin after another without putting ourselves in danger.

  I was pissed about being used as a periscope at first, but after really thinking about it, I realize this is the first time Seiya and I are working together as a team. I feel like I’m helping him as his teammate, and I experience that sense of fulfillment every time I discover another beastkin. Eventually, night falls. Seiya places his blowpipe on the ground in the narrow cavern.

  “All right, I still have some MP left, but these are beastkin I’m up against. Some of them might even be nocturnal, and Burst Air is less accurate at night, so let’s not take any risks and call it a day.”

  Our first day of hunting comes to an end thanks to Seiya’s cautious nature. Even then, we were able to surpass our goal and defeat fifty-one beastkin, which is amazing. After eating some of the rations in the cavern he made with Cave Along, Seiya says:

  “Get some rest. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

  I-it’s finally happening! We’re gonna spend the night snuggling together in this narrow space!

  As my heart begins to race, Seiya gets up and places a hand on the earthen wall.

  “Our bodies won’t be able to get sufficient rest in such a tight space. I’m going to make the cavern a little bigger.”

  The cramped cave silently expands until it’s around a radius of three meters. After placing a few glowstones in the ceiling, Seiya draws a line on the illuminated floor with his sheath.

  “This is my side of the room, and that’s yours. Don’t even think about setting foot in here without my permission.”

  “Wh-what the hell?! Rude! You make it sound like I’m gonna force myself on you!”

  “It’s possible. You randomly throw yourself on me sometimes, after all.”

  Tch! He saw right through me!

  “Listen, if you even attempt to cross this line, I’m undoing Cave Along and leaving you behind.”

  “But I’ll be buried alive if you do that! …F-fine!”

  …This was the start of my miserable life as a mole, far different from the sweet life I imagined.

  Day two of my life as a mole.

  Seiya violently shakes my body under the dim glowstones, making it impossible to tell if it’s even morning yet.

  “How long do you plan on sleeping? Come on.”

  Just like yesterday, I act as a periscope and search for enemies while Seiya relocates us with Cave Along and snipes them.

  “Enemy spotted at three o’ clock!”

  I promptly give Seiya the signal after bringing my head back underground. We’ve repeated this routine so often, it has become second nature. Before long, our kill count approaches a hundred by the time noon rolls around.

  I actually take pride in my role as the periscope now. Life underground is unsanitary and miserable, but I feel fulfilled. Seiya’s opinion of me has probably gone up as well due to how seriously I’m taking this. He even leaves me in charge of item management when underground.

  But that night after hunting…the Hero tells me something devastating.

  “My earth magic leveled up, so I don’t need a periscope anymore.”

  “What?!”

  “Watch this. Clear Ceiling!”

  Seiya holds his hand toward the ceiling, and it suddenly becomes transparent like glass.

  “This new spell works like a magic mirror. They can’t see us, but our view of the surface is pretty clear, right? In addition, I learned a move called Ground Penetration. With this, I can use Burst Air without worrying about the earthen ceiling getting in the way. In other words, I can find and snipe the enemy while underground.”

  “O-oh… W-wonderful…”

  Some roles become obsolete and fade away with the changing of the times. In Seiya’s world, these would probably be jobs like milkman an
d elevator operator. My job disappeared with the improvement of Seiya’s earth magic.

  Day three of my life as a mole.

  We’re able to annihilate the beastkin thanks to Seiya’s new spells Clear Ceiling and Ground Penetration. This is a safer and more time-efficient method compared to using me as a periscope, so our hunt quickly progresses.

  Meanwhile, I spend the entire day zoning out. Without a job or a purpose, I just feel empty. Seiya won’t even talk to me unless it’s necessary, and he ignores me if I try to start a conversation unless it’s something important. The filthy, dim underground life catches up with me, and before I realize it, I’m completely stressed out and in desperate need of a bath.

  That night, Seiya suddenly crosses the line and enters my territory. After looking at the item pouch, he frowns at me.

  “Rista, what’s going on? We should have more food rations than this.”

  “Oh… Sorry. I ate some.”

  Yep. I secretly ate some of the food rations, partly due to stress.

  “But why? You’re a goddess. You won’t die without food, so why are you eating more than I am?”

  “Just because I won’t die doesn’t mean I don’t get hungry!”

  I stick my tongue out and giggle, but Seiya doesn’t even crack a smile.

  “D-don’t worry! We still have plenty of food! We should be okay for another four days at the very least!”

  “Don’t give me excuses. I said a week, but that was only an estimate. The tides of battle are always changing. We might end up underground far longer than planned, and I’m not comfortable with how few rations we have left.”

  Seiya then mutters:

  “It looks like we’ll just have to find a new source of food.”

  He approaches the earthen wall and strains his eyes until he swiftly shoves his hand into the dirt.

  “Hiss!”

  Dangling in Seiya’s hand is a massive worm baring its fangs. It’s around ten centimeters long. He shoves it in my face.

  “Check if it’s edible.”

  “Th-there’s no way that’s edible!”

  “Just use Appraise and check.”

  Grumbling, I use Appraise.

  Death worm: It’s a worm that lives in the dirt in Ixphoria. They’re harmless unless you taunt them. Also, if you’re curious whether or not you can eat them…they’re edible. Just barely.

  E-ew! This is edible?! There is no way I’m eating that!

  I shrug in a disappointed manner.

  “Sorry. It’s completely inedible, unfortunately.”

  Thereupon, Seiya casts a frigid gaze at me.

  “Don’t lie to me. The appraisal results say it’s edible.”

  “What?! How did you know?! W-wait…! Don’t tell me you can use Appraise, too?!”

  “There’s nothing you can do that I can’t.”

  “You tricked me, you jerk! You’re terrible! I can’t believe you!”

  “You’re terrible. What you did was inexcusable. Now eat it.”

  Eyes stained with bloodlust, Seiya approaches me with the death worm in hand.

  “N-no! I’m a goddess! I’d rather die than eat that!”

  But Seiya forces the live death worm down my throat!

  “Mmmmmm?!”

  He opens and closes my jaw with both hands, forcing me to chew the worm! A bitterness nearly impossible to describe spreads throughout my mouth!

  “Blaaargh…!! Bleeehhh…!!”

  As the tears well in my eyes, the Hero coldly says to me:

  “You’re eating death worms from now on.”

  …Even when I close my eyes to sleep, all I can see are countless death worms squirming around.

  “Urgggh! One death worm, two death worms, three death worms…”

  The harsh environment slowly chips away at my sanity.

  CHAPTER 11

  Impatience and Irritation

  Day four of my life as a mole.

  While life underground is beyond miserable, our beastkin hunting is going better than expected. If my calculations are correct, we’ve already defeated over two hundred and fifty beastkin. Seiya’s Jolly Piper level also went up, apparently, so he can now use the special ability Modest Flute, which further helps him reduce noise when using Burst Air. It increased the range as well, essentially making the blowpipe a sniper rifle with a silencer. Seeing Seiya steadily take out the beastkin without being noticed is like watching an elite assassin.

  That’s when Seiya lays out the new plan.

  “It’s about time we go looking for Bunogeos.”

  …While hunting is progressing well, we still haven’t reached our target of three hundred beastkin. I feel like going after Bunogeos now is a little hasty for such a cautious Hero.

  “Are you saying you want to find Bunogeos so you can locate the spell stone?”

  If we break the spell stone, we’ll be able to go back to the spirit world and train. That’s probably why Seiya is willing to take the risk. But Seiya merely lets out a “hmph” before briskly walking off into another underground cavern.

  “H-hey?! Wait up!”

  “Just follow me.”

  I watch Seiya from behind while thinking to myself:

  Is Seiya also sick of living underground? Is that why he’s in such a hurry to defeat Bunogeos? Actions that spring from impatience and anxiety oftentimes don’t lead to good results.

  Even then, I still inwardly shake my head.

  No… I need to trust Seiya! He’s not the same reckless Hero anymore, so I’m sure he has some sort of plan! Besides, I want to be freed from living as a mole as soon as possible, so I’m not gonna argue.

  We leave the desolate residential area where we’ve been hunting and head for the slave market because we heard a few beastkin talking about how Bunogeos had a mansion nearby. Apparently, he’s using a noble family’s house as his own. After arriving at the market, Seiya uses Clear Ceiling and begins searching for a building that matches the description. He eventually finds the house. Despite being somewhat run-down, it’s still the biggest residence in town, and it sounds exactly like the house the beastkin were talking about when we were eavesdropping. Seiya heads straight for the mansion without even a moment’s hesitation.

  “A-are you sure we’ll be okay? He won’t find us, since we’re underground, right?”

  I’m sure we’ll be okay, since Seiya values safety above all, but if Bunogeos were to somehow find us, it’d be over. His stats are far greater than any other beastkin. However, Seiya seems to be brimming with confidence.

  “Don’t worry. Cave Along is evolving. Not only are the walls down here soundproof, but we’re currently three meters underground as well.”

  “Ohhh! No wonder everything looks farther away with Clear Ceiling.”

  “Exactly. And if deemed necessary, we can hide up to ten meters under the surface. Normal attacks won’t be able to hit us if we’re that far underground.”

  After hearing Seiya’s explanation, I continue following him until we’re right underneath the mansion itself. Even though we’re using Clear Ceiling, all we can see are the residence’s dark floors over the earthen ceiling. However, if we listen carefully, we can hear someone pacing while stomping on the floor.

  “Damn it!! That cowardly Hero’s been sneaking around and killing my meeeeeen!”

  I hear Bunogeos’s rage-filled voice. Seiya then takes a seat on the cavern floor and pricks up his ears to listen. Bunogeos is a powerful enemy with stats that rival those of the emperor in Gaeabrande. Fighting him head-on would be suicide for Seiya in his current state. That’s probably why he’s risking getting caught by going right under Bunogeos’s mansion and looking for an opportune opening. When I strain my ears, I hear Bunogeos’s wild cry:

  “L-Lord Grandleon!”

  The Beast Emperor?!

  Hearing the name of the monster who rules over the entire continent of Rhadral sends me into a panic, but it sounds like Bunogeos is the only one in the room. He repeats, “Yes. O
f course. Yes, my lord…” as if he’s talking to himself. He must be using a crystal ball to communicate with Grandleon, who’s somewhere else. Incidentally, Grandleon’s voice is muffled, so I have no idea what he’s saying.

  “Sigh. That Hero has killed a lot of my men… Huh? How many? Um… It’s around—it’s a lot. Sigh… I promise I’ll make sure to know my numbers next time we speak…”

  He seems to be at a loss when asked how many beastkin were killed, but his sorrowful tone is short-lived, for his voice suddenly lights up.

  “Oh! You’re going to send him?! What an honor! I have nothing to fear now! Heh. What…?! Are you serious?! Wee-hee-hee! Thank you very much, my lord!”

  I whisper to Seiya:

  “I’m getting a little concerned. What do you think they’re talking about?”

  “Keep quiet.”

  “S-sorry…”

  I shut up, not wanting to disturb Seiya while he’s concentrating…

  “Oink.”

  I hear a pig squeal by my side. Naturally, Seiya’s the only one by my side, though. I think I’m hearing things when…

  “Oink. Oink.”

  It turns out it was Seiya. Wearing his usual dignified expression, he oinks like a pig.

  “Oink, oink, oink-oink, oink.”

  What the…?! What is going on?! Why is he oinking all of a sudden?!

  Worried he might still be confused, I use Scan, but I can’t see his status, since he seems to be using Fake Out.

  H-he just got his cautious personality back, and now he’s a pig?! The harsh underground environment must be causing his mind to deteriorate!

  I’ve been pretty down the past few days, but this is no time to be worrying about myself. I’m far more concerned about Seiya’s decaying mental state…

  Day five of my life as a mole.

  We finish hunting early for the day and go back to Bunogeos’s mansion to eavesdrop.

  “Hey, Seiya. How are you feeling? Have you found Bunogeos’s weakness yet?”

  I whisper in his ear, but he doesn’t reply. He must be getting irritated because he hasn’t been able to find any clues as to how to beat Bunogeos. I cut a death worm in half and give it to him.

  “You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. How about having some death worm to relax? It’s actually pretty good once you get used to it.”