Naofumi stood up from the corner. His legs were still weak. He had to lean against the wall to barely stand. It was a long while before he remembered that he could have gone with them too!
'Hey... I haven't gotten on the carriage yet! I haven't gotten on the carriage yet!'
Even someone as improper as Kazuma, Makoto was willing to take. There was no reason he couldn't go either.
But then Naofumi despaired. He had been left behind in the ruins of this destroyed country, penniless, without companions.
The only thing he had was the shield in his hand.
He looked at the bloody scene, at the chaotic kingdom. His mind was blank.
'I... I'd better run.'
At the very least, he couldn't stay in this place any longer.
Naofumi held his divine shield tight and, taking advantage of the chaos gripping the entire country, quickly slipped away.
However, what he didn't know was that the moment he left the palace hall, two figures soundlessly slid down from the shadows of the roof.
The two crouched down. A gun and a sword were picked up respectively, each tucked into their robes.
"That's Nishikawa Makoto's power... too terrifying..."
"Mmm... his power seems to have grown stronger again..."
The two exchanged low whispers, their voices so low that only each other could hear.
They moved very quickly. From infiltration to departure, it took less than half a minute.
The two came and went quickly, disappearing into the night with the gun and sword, as if they had never been there.
…
Several days later.
The armies of the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire simultaneously arrived at the borders of the Kingdom of Melromarc.
The two forces set up camp on the eastern and western sides of the kingdom respectively. Military tents stretching for miles spread across the plains.
They prepared for their nearly annual war.
It was a tradition that had continued for decades between the two countries. Spring came and autumn went. They fought and stopped. Neither had been able to completely eliminate the other.
But before the war began, both sides sent scouts into the Kingdom of Melromarc, the main battlefield, to gather intelligence.
That night, the famous Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff, received a piece of intelligence that kept him sleepless all night.
"The entire Melromarc royal family has been massacred. King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and the First Princess, Malty S. Melromarc... were stuffed into vases and displayed for the citizens to see."
The fork in Gazef's hand stopped in mid-air.
He looked at the scout who had brought the news, thinking he must be dreaming.
"What do you mean... stuffed into vases?"
The scout's face looked exceptionally pale under the light of the brazier.
He swallowed his saliva. Just remembering it made him break out in a cold sweat.
"It means... their limbs were cut off, leaving only their torsos and heads, which were stuffed into vases and placed in the center of the square."
Gazef was silent for a long time. His gaze moved away from the scout's face.
He had met the Melromarc royal family before. Although they weren't particularly wise rulers, they didn't deserve to end up like this.
Meanwhile, the Baharuth Empire received the same information.
And they had gathered even more details... that a group of 'monsters' had come to that country, bringing devastating blows to the Kingdom of Melromarc.
Someone had witnessed with their own eyes a meteor fall from the sky, and also seen a person shatter the meteor with a single shot.
Every description seemed like it was plucked from a mythological tale.
In the end, after reporting the intelligence to their respective kings, the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire rarely reached an agreement.
Envoys from both sides met in a small village on the border of the Kingdom of Melromarc, exchanged intelligence, confirmed the facts, and then each rode quickly back to their capitals.
Two informations with almost identical content were placed on the desks of the two kings on the same day...
"With such dangerous objects appearing, we cannot afford to deplete our national strength in this way."
The war was suspended.
It was the first time in decades that no sound of battle had been heard on the borders of the two countries.
And because of this incident, the reputation of Makoto's group began to quietly spread across this land.
However, only their portraits were currently circulating. Their names were not yet known.
…
Several days later. Night fell.
Deep in a forest, a campfire burned in the center of a clearing, making crackling sounds.
Makoto's group sat cross-legged around the fire.
Yu sat to Makoto's left, holding a thick branch. At the other end of the branch was a piece of bear meat steak larger than a pizza.
Behind the group, a huge bear's head leaned against the root of an old tree, its volume comparable to an adult elephant.
The source of the bear meat was obvious.
"Senpai, it's done."
Yu moved the branch away from the fire. The surface of the meat steak was still sizzling with bubbling oil.
He carefully turned the other end of the branch toward Makoto for easier access.
Makoto nodded, took it, lowered his head, and took a bite.
"Hey, what about mine?" The Teddy Devil's voice came from the side, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. His claws scratched at Yu's pants leg.
Yu didn't even turn his head. He casually grabbed a piece of half-raw meat from the side and carelessly tossed it on the ground. "Here, eat."
The Teddy Devil's eyes widened. His body began to expand the next second, ballooning from the size of a small teddy bear to the build of a grown man.
"You mother—"
Yu had also already stood up from the ground. Sparks flew. The two of them grappled together.
Yunyun ate her meat in small bites, ignoring the ruckus of the two.
She looked up at Makoto, then lowered her head again. Her slender white fingers tore off a small strip of meat and put it into her mouth, chewing several times before swallowing.
"Where to... next?" Yunyun asked softly.
Makoto took a bite of meat and asked casually in return, "Before you met me, where were you planning to go originally?"
Yunyun didn't hesitate. "Axel, in the Belzerg Kingdom."
Yunyun explained to the group that Axel was the most famous newbie village for adventurers in the world.
Many Copper-rank adventurers who had just received their licenses gathered there.
Only weak monsters appeared in the surrounding areas... goblins, giant frogs, non-combatant succubi... perfect for newcomers to level up.
Therefore, a large number of fledgling adventurers would gather there.
Some said Axel probably had the highest density of adventurers of any city in the world.
Makoto nodded, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
"Then that's where we'll go."
Although he had watched quite a few Isekai Anime in his previous life, he could only remember a few place names.
As a Chinese person, once a person's or place's name exceeded three characters, he couldn't remember it.
And among those country names and city names, he could barely remember two: one was E-Rantel from Overlord, because that was where Ainz founded his kingdom.
The other was Axel from Konosuba.
In his previous life, he had watched three seasons of that anime, and the main cast never even left that newbie village. That was something else.