「……Haa」

Parting with Yuu and making her way back to the inn, Bernadette made another sigh of the countless sighs that she made today.

Even her expression was gloomy and looked like she was brooding, and her usual energy clearly wasn’t showing.

「……To think that, Yashiro-san was, that strong……」

For Bernadette, Yuu was a target that should be protected.

Bernadette thought that Yuu, who had equipment that couldn’t really be called good quality and had said that he would 『travel around the world』, was unreliable.

For that reason, even though an order to return had come, she had said something unreasonable to the religious organization’s headquarters and requested to be his escort.

She thought that she would protect him not just from Agents of the same trade, but also from monsters and night burglars, from all that would attack him.

……But,

「I, wasn’t needed, was I……」

Bernadette and Kuon, it could be said that in actuality, the were pretty much on even levels with each other.

Although she didn’t fight with strengthening due to the Magic Gun or with two guns, Bernadette had seriously fought with Kuon.

Their abilities rivaled each other, but suddenly getting hit from the back and put out of the ring, she lost.

Against that Kuon, far from fighting a good fight, Yuu didn’t break his composure from beginning to end. (Though Kuon didn’t look like he was going all out.)

Yuu was probably either the same as her or possessed even greater ability than her. The moment she understood that, she felt a sensation similar to the ground under her feet collapsing.

「Nn? ……If I remember correctly, your name was, Bernadette, right?」

Bernadette was walking in an unsteady manner. There was someone that called out to her as she was.

「You’re……」

「I thought that you’d be at Vodan-shi’s residence about this time?」

A Demi-human with a lower half of a horse and an upper half a human, it was the Centaur, Kuushe.

When Bernadette survey the area where Kuushe noticed her, the inn that they stayed at last night appeared immediately before her eyes.

She didn’t notice until Kuushe had called out to her.

「Going by how you look……Did you guys fail?」

From Bernadette’s appearance, Kuushe seemed to think that they weren’t able to meet with Vodan.

「N, no. Around now, I think Yashiro-san has met with him……」

「Yashiro……that infamous human, huh. In that case, why are you here?」

It was natural that Kuushe was ask that question.

「I……thought that I would just be a hindrance to Yashiro-san……」

「……」

Kuushe yelled out 「Crap」 in her mind from seeing Bernadette who was casting her eyes downward and had gotten into an even darker mood.

The mood that Bernadette was clad in had changed into something heavy.

「Ah~……So, yeah. I have something to report from my side. Mind talking while we walk?」

Bernadette did a small nod to Kuushe’s words which were said to try and change the situation’s mood.

◇

「Fumu, I see. ……Still, I question the fact that you tried to kill him the moment you met him, you know?」

「L, like I said! That was just a mistake I made!」

While walking in the town of Be Io, Kuushe replied with a wry smile-look to Bernadette who was talking about when she had first met Yuu.

For the current Bernadette that recognized that Hero ≠ Yuu, this was something close to being called her dark history, and her face became red.

「Well, let’s put the jokes aside. ……Like that, since you created trouble for him countless times, you wanted to be helpful to him, is that it?」

「Yes……」

To Kuushe’s question, Bernadette replied with a voice that seemed like it was vanishing.

「……If I had to say anything, it looks to me like you just arbitrarily did your best and arbitrarily got depressed.」

Kuushe, who had crossed her arms and thought for a bit, dared to say that with a tone that sounded like she was looking down on Bernadette.

「っ……」

From Kuushe’s words, Bernadette reflexively glared at Kuushe, but Kuushe continued on without minding it.

「Did that man demand anything from you?」

「N, no……」

「Then there’s no reason for you to worry about it. ……It’s that infamous man we’re talking about. He’s probably satisfied just by gazing at your body.」

Bernadette laughed from Kuushe saying that with a wry smile.

「Ahaha. Since Yashiro-san is a pervert, that is likely, isn’t it!」

Kuushe, who was relieved from Bernadette finally showing a smile, changed her facial expression to a serious one.

「Just a little while ago, there was a messenger. It seems that they’ve caught hold of the whereabouts of the ones that were kidnapped in the town of Oltaine.」

「Is that true!?」

「Yeah. I will also leave this town and head to Oltaine. ……I was also entrusted with the words of Ire, our patriarch, for you guys. ……『We are thankful for your cooperation with us despite being of a different species. May you have all the best in the path you continue down.』……These words, I want you to tell them to that man.」

Saying that, Kuushe hit her fist on her chest.

「Y, yes. ……I will tell him!」

Doing an imitation of Kuushe, Bernadette hit her fist on her chest.

When a bit of time passed as the two of them faced each other, Kuushe did a small *Fu* laugh.

「I hate humans. ……However, I didn’t hate you guys that much.」

Saying that, Kuushe turned back. As she left, Bernadette involuntarily smiled at those words that were said so that they would be hard to hear.

「…………Eh?」

That smile froze.

Bernadette saw the moment when a pair of men put a cloth on the mouth of a little girl while pulling her to the back of an alley.