Several years later, Renya and Elfaria were finally reunited like this…
Elfaria, in high spirits, linked her arm through Renya's left arm and snuggled up close to him. Having reunited for the first time in years, she seemed not to want to be apart from him for even a moment.
"Ah, Elfie?"
"Yeah? What is it, Renya?"
"Well, I was wondering why Elfie came to a place like this?"
"Huh? Me? Um... Oh, that's right! I was chasing a stray devil that was said to have fled here."
Apparently, in her overwhelming joy at Renya's question, she had forgotten her purpose. Elfaria looked up at him and said this.
"A stray devil? So a stray devil fled here, too?"
"'A stray devil too'? What do you mean, Renya?"
"Ah, well, actually…"
To Elfaria, who tilted her head curiously, Renya explained the circumstances that brought him here.
"I see... Then let's work together?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I also belong to the Gray Wizards, and more than anything, I want to be with you, Renya! I want you to see how strong I've gotten, strong enough to protect you."
Faced with Elfaria's proposal, Renya nodded, seeing no reason to refuse.
"Ah, okay. I'm counting on you, Elfie."
"Yeah! Hehehe. Together with Renya~."
Elfaria, looking truly happy, hugged Renya's left arm tightly and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Elfie. We're getting close to our destination soon. We don't know what might happen, so I'd like you to let go if possible."
"Hmm... No."
"Once the job is done, you can cling to me again, okay? Alright?"
"Fine. I'll be patient then."
Looking dissatisfied, Elfaria reluctantly, very reluctantly, let go of Renya.
Freed from the softness unique to a girl who was a childhood friend he hadn't seen in years, especially from those abundantly ripe breasts, Renya felt a slight sense of relief. It was seriously distracting him.
Of course, it wasn't that he disliked it. Quite the opposite. There was no denying that his cute childhood friend, who clearly adored him beyond any misunderstanding, was clinging to him, and a man couldn't help but be stirred by the sensation of her soft skin.
But he was simply restraining himself, knowing this wasn't the time. If he had remained enveloped by the feeling of those full, soft breasts any longer, he might have become combat-incapable in one sense, while entering a different kind of combat readiness in another.
Incidentally, although the two might appear careless in the middle of enemy territory, that was far from the truth.
Both had spread a sensory net using magic to detect presences, and they constantly maintained magical barriers.
Furthermore, Renya possessed his finely-honed, innate combat instincts.
Penetrating these double or triple layers of vigilance was nearly impossible, and even if someone broke through, they would be stopped by the invisible barriers. Destroying those would create enough of a time lag for the two to react. There was no choice but to engage them head-on.
As they continued, amidst the trees of the deserted, sprawling forest, a village that had suffered depopulation and become abandoned came into view.
Looking closely, a barrier was erected around the abandoned village, blending in with the scenery. Someone without a certain level of perception probably couldn't have reached this place or even noticed it.
"Renya, what should we do now?"
"Ah, right, well!"
Just as Renya was about to organize his thoughts in response to Elfaria's question.
A strange sound rang out.
It was the sound of wings.
Not the elegant or powerful flapping of a bird, but a buzzing like a vibration that provoked discomfort. Turning his gaze to its source, he saw countless bees flying there.
"These are familiars, right?"
"Probably."
As Elfaria said, this swarm of bees was likely the familiar of either the rogue mage or the stray devil.
"...This is"
Renya frowned at this situation. He sensed magical power from the swarm of bees.
The magical power was too strong for a mere familiar.
Deciding to act first, Renya shot out a fire spell. The intense heat incinerated the bees, but
"They disappeared...?"
As Elfaria noted, rather than being burned to ashes, the swarm vanished as if it were an illusion.
"Was it genjutsu?"
Certainly, magic that shows illusions exists. However, the swarm just now had emitted both magical power and a sense of presence. Renya couldn't believe it was mere illusion magic.
"Pursuers, huh? To sniff me out here... I'll give you credit."
Suddenly, with these words, a figure emerged from the darkness beyond.
It was a man wearing a jet-black robe with a hood, and glasses. Countless bees flew around him, suggesting that the previous swarm was also under his control.
"But how foolish. You're just ignorant association members who didn't recognize my power!"
"Renya. That guy is the rogue mage, right? Then let's finish this quickly and go home. We finally meet again after so long, and I have so much I want to talk about!"
"Listen when I'm talking! Flaunting your relationship like that, you damn lucky bastard!"
The rogue mage became enraged at Elfaria, who seemed completely uninterested.
He himself was unrecognized and shunned by everyone in the association, yet the man before him was handsome and even had a cute girl with him. The contrast made him feel an overwhelming sense of inferiority.
However, that was only to be expected. Renya knew from prior information what this rogue mage's research was about.
This rogue, blaming others for his lack of popularity and for being ridiculed, had been researching the enslavement of all humanity.
Men for labor, women for sex slaves. He was trying to create a world with such a hierarchy, convenient for himself.
"You don't need to put on such airs. Your small-mindedness is showing. More importantly, hand over what you stole from the association. Do that, and I'll kill you quickly."
"Y-you, you damn bastard! I'll sh-show you! I'll show you something you won't forget!"
Stammering with rage, spittle practically flying, the rogue mage deployed a magic circle.
From the summoning circle, charged with magical power, a single insect emerged.
It was an insect that couldn't exist in nature, but if one had to compare, it might be close to a Hercules beetle.
However, its horns were like blades, its wings were large, and its steel-hard body was large enough to carry a person.
"Kill him! Kill that man! Heheheh. Kill the man and make that cute girl over there my"
The Hercules beetle, receiving the rogue mage's command, took flight. Its speed surpassed sound, and an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to react in time.
But…
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