I’m Not Doing This With A Friend

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✿

How could my mother and I, who had zero combat abilities, roam the mountain infested with monsters?

Usually, we sprayed monster repellent, but sometimes I went to hunt by myself.

It's because, with a single hand-made poison stinger, any monster could hold its breath at once.

But they both don't seem to believe what I'm saying.

"It's not a slime that we're going to catch, Leen."

Fjord, with a serious expression, asked me to withdraw.

"I am also a member of the torture group. It's uncomfortable to just sit down and get points."

"I'm feeling weird, so can you stop talking about that ‘torture group‘?"

Fjord stared at me with his eyes wide open, but I replied sarcastically.

"No matter how hard you try, it doesn't change that our club's name is ‘Fjord-torture-group‘."

"Yeah. It's my fault to leave the name up to that bastard Carson."

Behind Fjord, who lamented about his situation, Carson's resolute voice could be heard.

"Anyway, you can't go on a monster subjugation with us. It's dangerous."

"Isn't it dangerous for you, too?"

"…"

Carson bit his lips tightly.

Seeing him avoiding my gaze, he really seems to think that it's only dangerous for me.

Well, I was a non-combat undergraduate, so it was natural to worry. I can't do that. It's not my cup of tea to pretend to be weak like this.

I glanced at Carson and smiled faintly.

"Why are you worried? You'll protect me in any situation. I believe in you guys."

Then, Carson surprised, raised head and soon covered his mouth with his own hands.

Through the gaps in his hands, which he has not been able to cover, the corners of his lips twitching because of joy can be seen.

"That's right. No matter what happens, I'll give my life to protect you! Fjord's the only one who cares about his own safety, so don't trust him."

‘No, you don't have to do that.'

I can keep my life as long as I can.

Between the two of us, Fjord's dismayed voice was heard.

"What kind of country are you fighting for?"

✿

The day we decided to go to the monster subjugation. I woke up early in the morning and headed to the cooking lab.

The name ‘monster subjugation‘ was grand, but for me it felt like I was just going to a picnic.

When it comes to picnics, of course, shouldn't there be something to eat? So, I made a simple sandwich with the ingredients I bought at the shopping district the day before.

I glanced at the finished sandwich.

"It's been a while since I've had this sandwich."

It looked like an ordinary sandwich, but to me it had a little meaning.

Sandwich that my Dad always made for me on the day I went to pick herbs with my Mom.

It tasted mysterious with a special sauce that only my father knew.

Curious about the secret, I begged my Dad to tell me about the recipe for the sauce. But Dad never taught Mom the secret recipe.

"Think about it, Leen. If I give your mom the recipe, she might not look for Dad anymore when she wants this sandwich."

Certainly, my mom especially liked sandwiches made by my Dad.

But I can't believe you're hiding the recipe because Mom may not come to you.

At the time, I thought it was childish. But now I know.

My Dad wanted to be a more meaningful person to Mom.

I don't know if that's something I can say as a daughter, but they were a really good pair.

After finishing the long but short appreciation, I put the sandwich in a hard case. And I brought it to the innermost corner of the bag.

Considering our age, we were at the peak of our eating, I made a bunch of them, and the bag was half full with sandwiches.

‘Did I make too much?'

"If there's any left, I'll give it to Caon."

If he refuses, I can't help it, but if it's Carson, he would probably eat it with joy even if I gave him poison, right?

If it was the Carson I knew, it seemed like it would remain.

A smile rose to my lips as I pictured him eating a delicious sandwich in my mind.

It also felt like my heart was a little stuffy.

"I hope you enjoy it!"

✿

Gathering at the appointed time, we immediately went to the mountain.

After passing by a warning sign that the area where the monsters appeared, Carson carefully spoke as we set foot on the monster's habitat.

"Leen. We're going to go deeper, Okay? I’m not going to hunt for lower-level monsters, but from intermediate to advanced monsters."

"Are you going inside the second boundary?"

"Yes. Higher grades score better than lower grades."

The deeper we went into this mountain, the stronger the monsters came out.

Around the signpost, there were barbed wire fences with magic that prevented monsters from escaping, so it was called a boundary.

If the signpost we just passed by was just a warning announcing the area of the monster habitat, the second signpost that was deeper in there was an intermediate or higher level monster.

I've never been inside the second boundary.

No matter how much poison I use, as long as I can kill the monster. However, this is because there are many risk factors to entering alone.

When digging herbs, sometimes I'm half out of it.

The monster repellent spray I made myself didn't help much because there were many types that did not work for intermediate and higher.

I smiled, wondering how much better herbs are within the second boundary.

"It sounds fun."

Then, Carsion, who implicitly hoped I would reject, added.

"There are a lot of really scary looking monsters…"

"Humans are the scariest." I snorted and responded.

Carson kept his mouth shut as if he had nothing else to refute.

Eventually, we went deeper and stood in front of the second boundary. Fjord said he stopped his walking before entering the boundary.

"Guys. There's something I've been wanting to do before, can I try?"

"What?"

As our eyes turned to Fjord, he pulled something out of his pocket and began to stare at it with a sentimental gaze. It was like a picture taken with someone.

"I'll make sure to meet you after this battle. Please wait a little bit."

Remarks that are the standard of the ‘death flag'.

"Hey, you…!"

‘He's crazy…'

I approached Fjord in anger, but seeing it up close, it looked like a picture I had seen many times.

Some time ago, I took a time out with Carson and Fjord. It was a picture of the three of us together.

"Why do you have such a sentimental look when you're with those people next to you?"

Fjord smiled as I looked at him with absurdity.

"It's fun."

All of a sudden, it seemed like a joke had moved on to me. But there was someone who stood out a bit more here.

"It's okay, Leen. Originally, flag flowers like that die first. We'll bait Fjord and let's get out of it."

I pondered on what to answer, and then I thought, ‘They're usually like this‘, and stopped thinking.

"Why's the picture that we took recently already ripped?"

Fjord's photo had torn and glue marks.

Fjord's gaze turned to Carson for a moment, but he quickly returned to it's original position.

"There's a serial photographer in our dormitory who only focuses on photography."

His brows turned to a frown at the crime he never heard of.

"Wow. There's such a crazy guy in the men's dorm?"

"Yeah. I didn't know, but there was."

"You should keep your doors locked."

"If I had done that, my picture would have been fine…"

Fjord looked up at the sky and gave up. Carson ignored Fjord and stood in front of me with a big smile.

"Leen. Shouldn't we enter soon?"

"That's right. It took too much time."

We went inside, leaving Fjord, who was familiar being immersed in contemplation.

Some time has passed since we entered the boundary.

However, perhaps because it was not far from the boundary, the monsters could still not be seen.

Unlike the other kids who looked bored, my eyes went round and twinkled regardless of whether a monster appeared or not.

Because there were medicinal herbs everywhere. I suppressed the desire to gather at any moment.

‘I'm not here today to gather, but to fulfill the club's performance. Don't act based on your personal desires, Leen! Be patient.'

His feet were moving forward, but Carson's gaze continued to fall backwards.

Carson looked closely at me like that.

It was the eyes that saw through all the herbs I was looking at.

I can't do this! I should divert my thoughts while talking.

"I have a question, do you feel guilty when you kill a monster?"

"No."

It was an answer that came out of both Carson and Fjord's mouths at the same time.

"That's a relief."

"Leen, what about you? No, I don't think you've ever killed one."

"I've killed them before. And I'm not particularly good with monsters…"

Monsters basically have no self control and no reason.

When warping occurs in Mana, there's a probability that a monster will be born, and there are two cases.

First, natural birth.

When mana accumulates in one place for a long time, a twisted life is born from its vast power.

But it's imperfect, and it has no self, leaving only madness and a desire for destruction. People called that life a monster.

Second, artificial birth.

The principle is like natural birth. Artificially concentrating vast amounts of mana in one place.

However, this was a taboo throughout the continent, and those who committed the taboo were punished more than the death penalty.

It was a part that showed how ‘evil' a monster is to humans.

I carelessly touched something in my pocket. It was a case full of poison stings.

It was then,

The roar of a lively beast was heard from somewhere, heightening the atmosphere.

We looked into each other's faces and exchanged glances.

Thump, Thump, Thump…

We heard the sound of a monster approaching us.

Everyone will be surprised to see it fall right away as soon as I throw the ‘poison sting‘.

It was when I took the poison stinger case out of my pocket.

"Argh!"

A huge monster that came out through the grass revealing its ferocious teeth.

And, as soon as the monster appeared, it was hit by Carson's freezing magic and hardened as it was.

The hardened monster loses its balance and tilts.

Thud~

I paused at the situation that was over in the blink of an eye.

…I don't think I really need to follow what they say.

An embarrassment flooded in. Who knew it would be this much?

I thought it would be better to take care of the aftermath, not the attack.

I was embarrassed for a moment, and after judging the situation quickly, I walked towards the frozen monster.

I was going to take the core necessary to report the club's performance.

Fjord complained when he saw Cason using ice magic differently, unlike usual.

"Hey. You have to take out the core inside the body, so you can't use ice magic. It's hard to take out the core."

"I can't show the blood of a dirty monster in front of Leen."

Fjord clenched his fists as if his blood pressure was rising.

Well, it was a normal reaction.

Carson's words didn't make sense in the first place because blood had to be seen inevitably to take out the core of the monster near the heart.

"…I have a lifetime wish. Can I punch you with my fist?"

Carson looked indifferently at such Fjord and said.

"Hit me."

"…Really?"

Fjord's face had a slight glow for a while, but soon wrinkled again at Carson's ensuing words.

"Let's exchange one by one instead."

"Are you going to do that?"