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It was already past noon when I was finally able to move my body.

Shizuka had made a tomato congee earlier that morning, which was pretty delicious.

That must have been the first proper meal I’d had since we arrived here.

I thanked Shizuka for the food, but she simply huffed, “I don’t like people who behave recklessly” before walking away.

I’ll apologize to her again later, I decided. Scratch that; I’ll apologize as many times as I need to.

I stepped outside of the cave to feel the sun glaring down on me, and my body wobbled a bit.

A chill ran down my spine as I remembered how I’d nearly died here last night.

“We set the remaining lizardmen in the cave on fire and sealed off the entrance with a rock. Basically, we roasted them alive.”

Saburo said, pointing inside the cave.

“We also smashed all the eggs inside. If this area was their territory, then maybe we won’t have to worry about any more monsters attacking us.”

I wasn’t sure if staying here to avoid battle and leaving the recapturing of the castle up to the others was the right thing to do. However, I was certain that I would only get in the way if I tried to fight skill-less.

The other members said they were going upstream to look for food or bags that got left behind.

I couldn’t just keep resting either.

As I joined the search and walked along the river, I heard voices from behind some rocks a little way away.

“Ahem. Testing, testing, one-two-three. Do you copy? Itsuko here.”

“Th-this is Shoko.”

“And this is Mirai. It’s us, Uzattoki.”

It was Itsuko, Shoko, and Mirai, the three members of “Uzattoki.”

I wondered what they were doing. Were they practicing a skit or something?

“If you ever feel like crushing an enemy soldier’s skull...”

“You shouldn’t do it.”

“You’ll regret it later on. See you again next week!”

What was that about? That was pretty weird for a skit.

“Well? What do you think? Think he got the message?”

“No idea. In the first place, we don’t even know if it’s possible to combine three different skills.”

“I have a feeling that it worked, though.”

I wasn’t sure what they meant, but I had a feeling I shouldn’t talk to them right now.

Guess I’ll thank them later for saving me.

When I was on the brink of death yesterday, there’d been a fly buzzing around me. That had been Itsuko’s skill.

She’d learned of my plight that way, and the three of them had come to my rescue using Shoko’s ability to fly.

I felt grateful for my companions. At the same time, I remembered Futoshi, who had been shot by Yayoi and died.

I prayed that we could all go home without anyone else dying. Praying was all I could do, really.

“Oh. You’re awake.”

As if to mock me, Charlotte came into view, grinning all over.

Her golden hair was wet as though she’d just taken a bath, and the sun glistened upon it.

I recalled how she had kissed me as I lay dying, and I quickly averted my eyes in embarrassment.

Much to my dismay, I found this woman, who was the cause of all our misery, beautiful.