Return of the Former Hero Chapter 96

Sorry for the late update! It was very busy day for me and my editors. Last week is Golden Week so we’re very busy with our IRL stuff.

Oh yeah, for anyone curious what happened with One-Eyed General, Frost is moving to his new apartment so there will be no One-Eyed Princess until he finish moving. Please be patient, okay?

Anyway, this chapter is 1.5x longer than normal, so please enjoy~

Translator: Raizu
Editor: Blackswordman.

Chapter 96. Former Hero・Using the 2nd trump card.

Even though there is a small open s.p.a.ce, this place is still a forest.
Laurier is moving freely as she pleases while pa.s.sing away the trees.

Are you giving your best when you're using your small body? When I have thought that she will be hiding in the shadow of a tree, she then runs up behind the shadow of a tree and moves instantly to the sky.
What I have considered from that repeated movement is that she is flying and landing while aiming to shorten the distance with me.

I have thought for a moment there that her action is to buy some time, but I have discarded that idea.

Laurier's eyes is serious.
On her eyes, there is a clear intention to seriously defeat me.

Laurier speed is fast.
To be honest, her speed is hard to be followed with just by using regular eyes.

Is she a monkey?

Now that i remember it, wasn't this girl spending her whole time inside the forest since birth for a long time?
There is no hesitation for doing three dimensional movement in the forest.

However, there is no problem for me to be ambushed from behind.
I have Search Search Magic.
I can grasp the position of the moving Laurier based from the weak magical power that I am releasing even without me watching her directly.

At the time Laurier gets closer, I will catch and restrain her body.

While I'm still managing the plan, Laurier pa.s.ses in the sky on my right side.
She is flying from a high position towards the ground.

That was the attack of Laurier that I was waiting for. I have started by predicting her landing beforehand.
The moment when I was thinking about it, Laurier suddenly kicks the air and changes her course to me.

What?!

Laurier shortens her distance towards me from the air and tries to kick me.

I was surprised by the sudden change in direction, but I still managed to defend myself and prevented a direct hit.
However, I can't stop the rushing power from the kick, and I was blown off.

I rolled unsightly on the ground, my back hit the trees, and I knocked the back of my head.

[It hurt!?]

Gu&h.e.l.lip; tsu&h.e.l.lip;.

I became dizzy for a moment since my head was splendidly being hit.

Laurier lands while I am rolling. She then kicks the ground when I'm still suppressing the back of my head.
And then, she spring up to sit upon me on the ground.

The palm of her hand is open.
It's not an act for hitting. Rather, it's a movement that is trying to grab something.

Her hand not trying to grab me. It's being aimed at the lower half of my body. In other words, she's aiming for my swimwear.

Dangerous.

[Oops!]

I roll sideways by a hair's breadth to escape from Laurier's hand.
I then rise-up from crawling after taking some distance from her.

[Chi]

Laurier clicks her tongue because I have succeed to avoid her.

I was honestly surprised.
I knew that Laurier was erected Air Shield in the air earlier.

Naturally, I was vigilant to the sudden change of direction in the air, but I was still caught off guard.

[You. Just now, do you use Air Shield without any arias&h.e.l.lip;?]

Yeah.
The moment ago, Laurier certainly didn't chant at all when she was kicking the air.
I should be able to perceive the flow of magic if she was using magic to move from a previous position to her present location.

However, it would mean that at that moment and at that exact location, she invoked Air Shield without chanting since I couldn't sense any magic.

Laurier laughed at my question.

[But that just now was so close
I'll soon be able to reach your bathing suit]

While Laurier is saying that, she climbs an invisible stairs and she smoothly floats in the air.
There is no chant.
The way she did it was so natural. She is floating.

Uwaa, this girl is incredible.

She seemed to have concealed the Air Shield which didn't need a chant for a surprise attack a while ago.
Since the conclusion of the surprise attack did not succeed, did she seemed to have thought that it's no longer necessary to conceal it any longer?

Laurier is aiming on my bathing suit not long ago.

Right now, Laurer and I didn't have and bring our numbers.

There is no clear criteria for victory and defeat since we don't have our own numbers.
Because of this, we have decided for an improvised rule of having the [first] person to take off their opponent's swimsuit as the winner.

When we say ‘take off’, of course this includes just taking them off normally, but damaging and tearing them off is also okay as well.

[Well then, Haruto.
Since we can't use weapon and magic, how can you attack me?]

While 10m above in the sky, the daunting voice of Laurier resounds in the area

Unuu&h.e.l.lip;

As Laurier have said, there is nothing that can be used to attack.

Of course it's a height that I can still reach if I jump, but Laurier will just need to move to the side to easily avoid me.
Then, should I wait and aim for the moment when Laurier approaches me to attack?

[Are you planning to aim at me when I'm attacking? That idea is so boring]

She completely noticed my idea.

This is bad.
I guess that's it.
There is nothing else that I can do.
Hora, come down quickly and attack.

[What is this? Do you have nothing to do? &h.e.l.lip;..Fumu, I guess it's already done, right?
I will force you to stay in here until Sharon reaches the goal]

Haa?
I overhears what Laurier have said while I was waiting for her.
Oi, wait, stop that.

What are you talking about just now.
Where did that serious flame I have seen in your eyes go to?

But still, this is a problem.

If Laurier is seriously going to buy some time, she will not come down to the ground as it is now.

Even if Sharon doesn't have the numbers and Laurier has it, then Sharon can just collect the numbers from other adventurers and complete the mission without trouble while Laurier forces me to stay.
If I head to Sharon from here&h.e.l.lip; Eh, aa, mou! It's troublesome to think about!

I'm unable to think of different patterns anymore.
Let's make this simple.

I'll defeat Laurier in some way.
Then, I'll run after Sharon.

This is it.
Simple is the best.

Then.
[How?] and [What should I do?] to defeat Laurier in some way?

Laurier is floating in the air. She will surely avoid me if I jump.
Then, what should I do?

There is no other way besides flying with my full power.
This, so to speak, is my second trump card.
The Sword of G.o.d's Destruction, Ragnarok Blade. I don't want to use it again in a different meaning.

The principle of this trump card is easy.
There is no shameful aria unlike any other magic.
It's simply using magical powers that I can have. I will only do it with all of my might, and I will strengthen my body beyond the limits.
However, the effect is tremendous.

I have measured the distance between me and Laurier with all of my power. I need to make sure to keep our distance just like now.
When you use this trump card, any calculation will become meaningless.

This time I will be the one who will make a surprise attack.

Why, in the race without any life-threatening danger like this, must there be a situation where I'm facing an allied girl like this, that to forces me till the end to use my last trump card? (ED: Who is the one facing an allied girl?)

Oh well.
It's more important to win now.

[I understand. Laurier. Please somewhat endure this pain]

I said that to Laurier after I took a short pause.
Even though it isn't necessary to declare a surprise attack, there is no problem beforehand.
It'll be impossible to evade while being cautious.

Laurier only gives a small reaction towards what I've said.

There seemed to be an expectation of what I would be doing in this situation.
To meet that expectation, I have to circulate the magical power over the limit to my body.

The magical power which I have activated more than necessary causes the circulation line of the magical power to emerge in my body and emits a little light.

I had thought that this was something cool when I tried this state in a castle for the first time.
Was it when I was 13 years old when it is compared towards my appearance which is similar to a little transformation? &h.e.l.lip; My tension at that time went-up skyrocketing.

Well after that, I will be a.s.saulted by the demerit of this trump card, but&h.e.l.lip;

[O&h.e.l.lip;Oo? Haruto, you&h.e.l.lip;. Is that&h.e.l.lip;?]

Laurier opens her eyes wide and stares at my change.
Noticing that there is something coming when she is watching me, she begins to widen the distance and rises even further.

However, they are useless.

[Here&h.e.l.lip; I go]

I said it in small voice and I kicked the ground at the same time.
I did a simple jump just by kicking the ground.
And at the next moment, my tackle from the momentum of my power hit laurier's body.

[Gu.. gaha&h.e.l.lip;]

Laurier didn't shout loudly. She just gives a groan that vomited the air in the lungs.

Perhaps, Laurier have just noticed it&h.e.l.lip; Well, before she even grasp what have happened, she have to receive my tackle.

My momentum is not stopping even after hitting against Laurier, and I rise further along with Laurier.
Did she fainted because the blow earlier? Laurier didn't give any reaction at all.

If I were leaving this way, I wouldn't know how far I will go on a flight, so I grabbed Laurier’s body and killed that momentum and we dropped to the ground together.

I land while holding the fainted Laurier and I put her slowly to the ground.

A-are you alright?
She was calm when her arms is chopped off, but she fainted because one blow&h.e.l.lip; I was surprised.

[Guu.. gehogeho&h.e.l.lip;.!
Gu&h.e.l.lip; nu&h.e.l.lip;? &h.e.l.lip;. It hurt, what is that&h.e.l.lip;. When?!]

Even though I was worried for a moment, but it disappeared after Laurier had woken-up.

[Ku&h.e.l.lip; My body can't move because of the pain&h.e.l.lip;
Haruto, what did you do&h.e.l.lip;? &h.e.l.lip; Haruto?]

Laurier asked me what I just did earlier.
However, I can't answer anything.

In the manga, the protagonist body will receive a some kind of reaction after releasing a power beyond the limits.

This is the demerit of strengthening the body more than the limit, and it can't be helped that my whole body is in pain now.

As a result of using all the magical powers for strengthening, I remember during the first time it was used that I felt the suffering of h.e.l.l without able to move for a week.

Ah, that one week is a h.e.l.l.
Human. It's a helpless physiological phenomenon where we can't do anything by ourselves.

I don't want to remember the humiliation what I was taken cared of by a muscled old man for a week.

That was in the castle. Why were there no maids to take care of me?
In the case of that, my mental trauma was shallow.
No. Those were perhaps happy memories rather than shallow ones!

At that time I reaped what I sowed, self-destructed and rendered myself unable to battle the day before a war with a certain demon lord’s army.

It's a big battle, so I want to improve my power even for a little. But the treatment is against the outcome.
I can't believe this. It's too cruel.

d.a.m.n it!
I can still remember it.

Why that d.a.m.n old man! He was very happy he did that to me&h.e.l.lip; to me!

&h.e.l.lip; It's all good now.
I will forget that painful memory.
If I remember all the painful things, I can't enjoy my current life. Yes.

&h.e.l.lip; Well, an experience like that exists so I did make some adjustments this time.

Even though it's painful, it's not to the extent where I'm unable to move.
Yet it's so terrifying that it can still produce that amount of power to instantly blow Laurier off even if it's being suppressed to a certain degree.

[Later&h.e.l.lip; I'll explain what I did at night later. Now is the time for the race.
&h.e.l.lip;. It's my win this time, you hear?]

I get-up and ignore the pain on my body.

[Nuu&h.e.l.lip;. I guess it can't be helped&h.e.l.lip; tsu&h.e.l.lip;]

Laurier seems to acknowledge her defeat obediently.
I won&h.e.l.lip;!
I had continued after Tanya and I obtained another victory
Now then, our time for enjoyment starts from here!

&h.e.l.lip; It' isn't possible.
Unlike Tanya, there is no time for this.

Moreover, Laurier's whole body is full of bruises because of my tackle.
It's not weird that I'll break one or two bones if I did it unskillfully.

It would be a light torture if I were to touch her whole body at this moment.
So, I take off Laurier’s swimsuit very gentlemanly.

I did it gently.
I took off the swimsuit of a 13 year-old demon girl in order not to inflict pain.

13 years old is not qualified for her.
No. Even without stripping her off, there's no way to think that my perverted self can do a gentlemanly act.

When I took-up Laurier's swimsuit, several numbers fell down from the sad-looking exposed breast.

Etto&h.e.l.lip; 1,2,3&h.e.l.lip; 4 pieces
There is my number too.
Are the other numbers from the adventurers?

Nn?
Then, Sharon really is a decoy, and Laurier is the one who holds the numbers.
Oo, I did it.
Without needing to think, being simple really is working.

Wait? 4 pieces?
Laurier's number is there to with my number.
These two numbers are from the adventurers that they have defeated first.

Sharon's number is there on it.
Fumu. Oh well.

[Fu&h.e.l.lip; Well, as expected from Haruto]

Laurier, who is completely exposing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, talks praise to me.

[Fu. That's natural. Have you fallen in love again?]
[My love stays firmly so there's no need to fall in love again]

Uu.

I'm the one who became embarra.s.sed instead after receiving a straight answer from Laurier.
This girl is amazing to be able to say that in this place.

But, I'm happy.
Fufufu.

[Well then, I'll go now. Are you alright by yourself?]

I'm asking Laurier while correcting her swimsuit.

[Nn. Even though I can't move well, I still have recovered to an extent wherein I can move immediately, so it's alright]

Laurier stands-up after she have said it.
Oo, this demon girl is amazing.

Have you recovered that much?
Seriously.

[Is that so. Then I'll go towards the goal]
[N? Goal?]

I say it then stand-up

Now, it's just right with 10 points due to the number collected from Laurier, the numbers from the two fallen adventurers earlier, and the numbers at Kagura in addition.

Even if Sharon collects the numbers from the other adventurers, I am way faster than her.

I won!
This is perfect.

There were various things that had happened, but I overcame all the difficulties, and I became the winner of this archipelago race!

&h.e.l.lip;Yeah, that is.
Since I retrieved back my number in great pains, should I put it back?

I put the number back on my arm while I was thinking so.
It fell.
Eh? Is it not attached?
Nn?
I did it several times, but the number didn't react at all. It fell down immediately.
What? Is the absorption magic effective only once?

Oh well.

[Haruto]

When I was still grappling with the number, Laurier calls out to me.

[What?]

[Just now, I was wondering what are you doing, but I now understand it.
That's why, I'll kindly give you an explanation]

En?
What is she talking about?

[There are two answers.
First, the number will only be attached once as you did just now.
And another one.
When the player whose the number is peeled off, they will be disqualified. You should read the rules carefully.
That's why, it's useless if you're aiming to reach the goal]

W&h.e.l.lip; wh&h.e.l.lip;. what&h.e.l.lip;..?