TAMWSFB 107

Chapter 107 

Isn’t It Fine to Fight for Someone Precious to You?

“Why…?”

Maria murmured in disbelief.

“But we’re going to defeat the Demon King for everyone’s sake…”

There are people who would put their own利益 ahead of defeating the Demon King.
But that’s not why we’re fighting.

We’re fighting for the people here—starting with my brother—and for Father, Dorothy, and Professor Robert. For those precious to us.

“You don’t have to think of it as being for everyone, you know?”

“Huh?”

At my words, Maria’s eyes went wide in surprise.
Beside her, Abel looked just as startled.

“At the very least, I want to defeat the Demon King for everyone here, and for Father and Dorothy. As a result, other people might be saved too, but that doesn’t really matter to me.”

Saying that, I added with a bright smile,

“Of course, my brother comes first.”

The moment I stated it so decisively, Maria burst out laughing as if she couldn’t help herself.

“Leticia, you really love your brother, don’t you?”

Elvin said the same thing earlier.
And he’s not wrong.

“It sounds like it’d be a mess if your brother ever got a girlfriend.”

After saying that, Maria suddenly realized what she’d said and quickly covered her mouth.

“If my brother would be happy, then I’d properly accept it.”

“Eh?”

And why are you that shocked, Elvin?

“Y-you’d be okay with Serios getting married!?”

“Well, not just anyone would be okay, but if she has enough beauty and intelligence not to pale beside him, and she’s someone who wouldn’t change her heart away from her closest friend.”

“That’s… oddly specific.”

Yes. I’m talking about Princess Fiona—the fiancée my brother had in the novel.
That engagement, I will never approve of. Never!

Moko, nestled in my arms, let out a little “kyuu,” as if agreeing.

Right? You’re against it too, Moko!
If a woman like that ever appears, we’ll chase her away together!

Moko replied with a resolute “kyu,” his little face all serious.

“I always figured you’d stay by Serios’s side for the rest of your life.”

I hadn’t never thought about it, but still… having a sister-in-law living with you forever might be a bit much.

Besides, my brother is my ultimate favorite.
Getting in the way of your favorite’s happiness isn’t what a fan does.

“My brother’s happiness matters most, so if someone he loves appears, I’ll step aside.”

“Heh… I see.”

Elvin scratched the tip of his nose, looking oddly pleased.
Then my brother kicked him in the shin.

B—Brother!?

“Ow! What was that for, Serios?”

“I felt slightly irritated.”

“Tch. You’re the one who hasn’t let go of his sister, aren’t you?”

Grumbling, Elvin shrugged his shoulders.

Just then, the carriage suddenly lurched to a halt.

“Leti!”

My brother caught me before I could stumble.
Maria was also caught in Abel’s arms.

“Ran, what happened?”

“…There are monsters ahead.”

At Ran’s words, tension instantly filled the carriage.

“What kind?”

As my brother asked while looking out the window, Ran—on the driver’s seat—looked up at the sky.

“There’s magical energy in the air.”

“In the sky, huh… That’s troublesome.”

To defeat flying monsters, we have to wait for them to descend.
We could try knocking them down with magic, but the problem is numbers.
If there are too many, we might not be able to take them all out.

Ah—but.

“With Origami-kun No. 1 and No. 2, I think we can reduce their numbers to some extent.”

At my suggestion, my brother considered it briefly.

“And with Elvin’s wind magic, we could bring down the flying ones.”

Ran’s here too, so we should manage somehow.
Abel… probably won’t have much to do since he can’t fly.

“Then let’s leave the carriage here and intercept them ourselves.”

At my brother’s signal, we all got down from the carriage.

Ahead lay a steep mountain path.
If monsters attacked from the air, there’d be nowhere to run.
I’m glad Ran noticed them early.

Outside, the surroundings felt more desolate than I’d expected.

The road—once surely busy with carriages—was completely empty now, and the wind rushing between the rocks sounded like a low, ominous growl.

“It seems the monsters haven’t noticed us yet.”

Ran’s black hair swayed as she looked up at the sky.
Each gust sent small stones and gravel rolling at our feet, the sounds breaking the silence.

“First, let’s send out Origami-kun to scout what’s there.”

Saying that, I spread the wings of Origami-kun No. 1 in my hand.
Placed on my palm, it caught the wind and floated gently upward.

Images from Origami-kun, now flying high in the sky, flowed back to me.

Below were us, looking up.
Ahead, after the mountain path climbed higher, there was an even taller rocky mountain, with the road winding between them.

Along the mountainside, there were caves dotted here and there.

“There’s a higher mountain ahead. Near the top, there are caves…”

I guided Origami-kun toward one of the caves to peer inside.

Since Origami-kun was made using a charm crafted from paper and Moko’s fur, it doesn’t carry magical energy.
That makes it perfect for reconnaissance—it won’t be detected even if it gets close to monsters.

I maneuvered Origami-kun and looked into the cave.

Inside the pitch darkness, nothing was visible.

Maybe there were sounds, but Origami-kun only conveys images.
It felt like something might be there, but I couldn’t tell at all.

Should I go deeper?
But with such poor visibility, controlling it properly might be difficult.

As I hesitated, something suddenly burst out of the cave.

A bird?

That was my first thought—but on closer look, it was different.

It was a monster with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a bird—

A harpy.