“I feel like screaming, but I can’t scream right now. First, I need to go help them—before that, I have to contact someone!” I take out my smartphone and dial the number I had saved. “Come on, pick up…?”
“Hello, this is the Tonakayama Dungeon.”
—They answered! That voice… it’s Tomokaze-san, right!? It’s a relief to have someone quick to respond. Suppressing my urge to shout, I start speaking in a very calm, quiet voice.
“Tomokaze-san, it’s me. Kihara Joji.”
“Huh? Joji-san? What’s going on? Did something happen? You’re okay, right? I need to watch that fashion show, so get it together!”
Wait a minute. I didn’t say anything about directly streaming a fashion show to Tomokaze-san, right? Could it be that he was watching a stream while working!? Hey, you’re a public servant! Even if there aren’t many people, do your job! No, that’s not what I meant!
“It’s an emergency. The Red Giant Snake has appeared at the base. Right now, it’s chasing two adventurers.”
“Huh!?”
I can hear the surprised voice from the other side of the phone. I was worried that the Red Giant Snake might notice, but it hasn’t taken its eyes off the adventurers. It doesn’t seem like it noticed…
“…Sorry, I lost my composure. The Red Giant Snake, are you sure about that?”
“I wish it were a mistake. I’m going to help the adventurers, but… I don’t know if I can take on the Red Giant Snake. Can you request backup?”
“That… sorry, can I ask you to do that?”
I can hear a voice full of regret and apology. Most likely, since I’ve been avoiding others’ gaze all this time, I’m probably making him feel uncomfortable that someone is noticing me in this emergency situation. …No, there’s no need to feel that way. Sure, I’ve avoided attention, but I can’t put a life on the line for the sake of avoiding it.
“Leave it to me.”
I say that, then hang up. I take a deep breath. I calm my racing heart and turn my gaze to the Aurora perched on my shoulder.
“Aurora, sorry. It might get a little noisy.”
“—!”
What? Bring it on? Ah, yeah. Even if it gets noisy, as long as it’s fun with me, that’s okay. Wow, Aurora-san has such a strong will. Even though she’s female and has a chest, she’s acting way too manly.
But, yeah! I’m ready. If Aurora can be this manly, I, who was once a man, can’t be any less manly. First, I’ll distract the Red Giant Snake from the two adventurers! The most effective thing for that is sound. I pull out firecrackers and a lighter from the A-card, light them, and throw them up into the sky!
Naturally, the firecrackers explode and make a loud noise.
“Shhh…”
“Hah!?”
Ah, yeah, of course. Suddenly, firecrackers. The two adventurers definitely won’t be able to avoid being surprised. Sorry, sorry for scaring you. But this is to help you. As proof, the Red Giant Snake takes its eyes off the adventurers and looks toward the exploding firecrackers in the sky.
I don’t miss this opportunity! I stomp hard on the ground and run! I close the distance with the Red Giant Snake and punch it square in the face! —Whoa, its skin is cold.
“Uwaaaah!?”
“Help me!?”
I get it. When you’re in a desperate situation, and suddenly there’s an explosion, and then an elf comes out and punches the Red Giant Snake, the amount of information coming at you must be overwhelming. Your emotions would get all mixed up. But still, you can’t just freeze up.
“I’ll take care of this, so you two run!”
“Y-yes!?”
This is probably the number one phrase you can’t say in situations like this. But, it seems to have worked, as the two of them, although stumbling, start to run away. Left behind are me, Aurora, and the Red Giant Snake, which has snapped back to its senses after getting punched in the face. …I thought I punched it without holding back, but it’s still looking fine.
Oh, wait. For a second, it seemed like it was about to chase after the two adventurers who fled, but it quickly lost interest and turned its gaze toward us. Aha, so it’s locked onto us, huh? Well, that’s too bad, Red Giant Snake! We’ve got Aurora, the expert in status ailments, here! I’ll put you to sleep and run away with no problem!
“Aurora-san, can you put it to sleep or something?”
“—!”
Huh? No? Seriously? Even if you manage to put it to sleep, it will just wake up immediately? I see… I was hoping on you for that, but… It can’t be helped. This is my last resort. It’s really a last resort, but—! I pull something out of the A-card and throw it at the Red Giant Snake.
With the strength boosted by her elf transformation, Aurora hurls the item, which opens its silver mouth wide and clamps down on the Red Giant Snake’s nose!
“Shuurr—!?”
The Red Giant Snake shakes its head in surprise from the sudden pain, but the thing that bit it doesn’t let go so easily. It’s been with me through many hunts. It won’t come off with just some half-hearted force—what bit it is, as you know, a bear trap!
