The price of rapid growth

"……Let's get out of here for now. Soon, a group of Giant Bats will be coming here. Neither I nor you are in a condition to fight properly right now, Nao-san."

　Akira said this after confirming that Arthur had disappeared in 『Stealth』.
　When they gathered their things and went outside, the Giant Bats had already started to congregate.
　Akira's party dashed outside, swinging the iron sword in their hands and cutting down the Giant Bats that came flying out to block their way.

　Then, Akira asked Nao for permission to collect the werewolf's body, and on the way back to their town, they decided to go straight home this time, just like last time, stopping by the boutique to change their clothes.


　On the way, Akira decided to explain to Nao what happened before his return from Hell.


　Nao listened quietly to Akira's words, but only interrupted him when he got to the part about her being killed.


"――――That is what I wanted to ask you about. There is one thing that concerns me. Ichijou, you told those two that if you died, you would 'return from Hell'…… in other words, you would return to the past and repeat the same thing, right?　What was Hanayagi's reaction at the time?”
"What, you ask……? She was simply envious of my power. She said she wished she had that kind of power too."
"……Have that kind of power too, huh? Your power is not something that can be easily envied―― but that's okay. That's not what's important right now. Ichijou. Hanayagi knew about your powers, didn't she?”
"Yeah, well. That's right."
"Then, isn't there something strange?　If she had disappeared at the moment you woke up, it would be as if she was saying that she was the murderer. Even though she knew that if you died, you would return to the past, why would she need to do something so obvious?”
"That, is……"


　Akira was at a loss for words.
　His thoughts had short-circuited when he saw Nao murdered, but when he thought about it, it did seem strange that Hanayagi had killed Nao.
　Even though she knew that Ichijou Akira had the power to repeat this world, did she really need to go out of her way to do something that would make it obvious that she was the culprit, even though the evidence was circumstantial?


"Was the bar we went to such a place that no one could enter?”
"……Don't worry. It's a place where anyone could enter if they wanted to."
"If that's the case, then it's even more likely that someone other than Hanayagi killed me."

　Nao let out a small sigh.

"I wonder if the reason you couldn't see Hanayagi was because she was chasing the person who killed me?”
"…………It's certainly not impossible, but."


　If that was the case, then there was a killer lurking in that tenement building ―or perhaps in the area around it― who killed people for no reason.
　Skills and stats appeared in this world, and anyone could gain power by defeating monsters.
　This was true not only for good people but also for evildoers.
　There surely would be many who would try to use the power they have acquired for their own pleasure.
　Perhaps they were just unlucky last time, caught up by such circumstances.


"Well, whatever. I guess I'm alive again thanks to you. Thank you."


　Nao smiled slightly as she said this to Akira, who was deep in thought.
　Akira looked at the smile and, cutting off his train of thought, smiled back.

(……Either way, we're not going to have anything to do with those two anymore.)

　Arthur and Hanayagi might be strong, but there's no way he'd lose Nao because of that.
　If there is even a small possibility of this, then in the new life after death, I can just choose an option that eliminates that possibility.

　This power was created for that purpose alone.

　If it meant protecting something precious, Ichijou Akira was already prepared to risk his own life, just as he had said he would.


　　　　　　　　　　　　◇　◇　◇


　On the way back to town, Akira and company were attacked by monsters several times, and each time they fought back with the weapons they had on hand.

　During the battles, what surprised Akira in particular was the power of the magic that Nao unleashed.

　With her magical power now exceeding 100, Nao's magic ―Shock Arrow― became more powerful than before, and it crushed the attacking monsters in a single hit.
　When the moment the light arrow hit a monster, and the body was blown apart with a terrible sound, even Akira could not help but be amazed.
　Probably, Nao would be able to defeat a werewolf on her own now.
　Akira thought about this as he watched Nao casting her spells.

　However, as the power of the magic increased, Nao had a problem that could be called a major flaw.

　Because she had rapidly increased her magical power, the burden on her body had become even greater than before.
　Using the points she had earned from the scenario, Nao had increased the skill level of her 『Magic Circuit』, but it seems that her Level 2 『Magic Circuit』 was still unable to withstand the enormous amount of magical power.
　With each shot, Nao's breath began to come out in short gasps, and after ten shots, her face had lost all color and she was covered in a cold sweat.


"The amount of magical power flowing through your body is more than the circuits can handle."

　Akira said to Nao, who was out of breath.


"……Yeah. It seems so. I guess I can't keep up with this pace."

　Saying this, Nao wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.


"The power of each shot is incomparable, but with each shot, you can feel your heart jump. I think I'd die if I pushed myself too hard."


　Akira thought about how Nao should fight as he heard her muttering.
　In order to solve the current problem, she would first need to raise her skill level in 『Magic Circuit』. However, it seemed that the number of points required to reach 『Magic Circuit Level 3』 was quite high, at 50. It seemed difficult to solve this problem right now.

(So, in exchange for each shot being a guaranteed kill, there's a limited number of them, huh……? In that case, Nao-san's role would be to watch the battle situation from behind me and cast magic, right? )

　As the level of her physical strengthening skill also increased at the same time, she could fight in the front line with Akira to some extent.
　That being said, the difference in status was clear. If this were just any ordinary monster, it wouldn't be a problem, but when it came to a boss, Nao's weapon would be her powerful magic.


"For now, let's try not to use magic on anything other than bosses."
"Y-Yeah…… I will."

　As she said this, Nao smiled weakly at Akira's words.

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