"Roooaaar-!"
With most of its monster minions dead, the monster boss was left all but alone. It surveyed the few scattered monsters remaining and felt deeply displeased.
The Berserk Chimera let out a furious roar, baring its hideous fangs. Its scarlet eyes seethed with savagery and murderous intent as it charged like a gale and lunged at Ye Uchiha.
Ye Uchiha watched coldly, raising the Blackscale Great Sword in his hand without haste. Once the Berserk Chimera came within range, he unleashed a sharp wave of sword energy at the charging beast, severing all three of its heads in an instant. Its headless corpse hit the ground with a thud, sending dust flying.
Without even getting the chance to put up a fight for its life, the culprit behind this Wave of Calamity was slain.
With the Berserk Chimera's death, the warped rifts in the heavens vanished without a trace. The sky returned to its original azure blue, and the rampaging monsters dissolved into dust.
The Wave of Calamity, a threat to the entire world, had been quelled.
Motoyasu Kitamura's mouth twitched. He found it hard to accept. "You've got to be kidding. That's it?"
Damn it, this isn't how the script was supposed to go! This was supposed to be my stage, where I, Motoyasu Kitamura, made a name for myself! Why did Ye steal the spotlight?
Argh, there goes another chance to show off! Seriously, I was here first! And why are you so good at stealing kills?
Itsuki Kawasumi added, "But Ye really did handle it all by himself, without even using skills or magic. He killed the boss in a single strike through swordsmanship alone."
Just what you'd expect from a powerhouse from another world. Too bad I can't learn that move.
Itsuki Kawasumi had once swallowed his pride and asked Ye Uchiha to teach him ninjutsu, only to be told that only people with chakra could learn it. As someone from a different world, Itsuki had no chakra in his body, so he had given up. Yet whenever he saw Ye Uchiha unleash those flashy, immensely powerful ninjutsu, envy and jealousy inevitably welled up inside him.
He admired and yearned for Ye Uchiha's strength, yet also envied and resented his power. Perhaps only he himself could understand those tangled, twisted emotions.
"Looks like we came all this way for nothing. There was no room for us to get involved this time. We didn't even qualify as supporting characters."
Ren Amaki shook his head, gazing at Ye Uchiha's back with admiration.
I'm still too weak. Looks like I'll have to keep honing myself. Next time, I can't let Ye Uchiha steal the spotlight again. Of course, if possible, I'd also like to test myself against him.
After looking around and finding no sign of Naofumi Iwatani, Motoyasu Kitamura asked, "By the way, where's Naofumi?"
Ye Uchiha replied, "While you were chasing the boss all over the streets, he'd already gone to help a nearby village that was being attacked by monsters from the Wave. I imagine he's saved quite a few villagers by now."
Shame appeared on all three of their faces. They had been so focused on killing the boss first to end the Wave that none of them had spared a thought for the villages under attack.
When they hadn't seen Naofumi Iwatani, they had assumed he was cowering in some forgotten corner. They hadn't expected him to have gone to protect the villagers attacked by the Wave.
"Well, well, heroes, you've done splendidly. A victory banquet has already been prepared in the city in your honor. We do hope you'll all attend."
The commander of the Knight Order, the last to arrive, ran over breathlessly. Wearing a fawning smile, he spoke in an obsequious tone.
Such excessive flattery went straight to the three heroes' heads. Motoyasu Kitamura's face brimmed with a smug smile, while even Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi, who usually put on cool facades, wore faint smiles.
The corner of Ye Uchiha's mouth twitched. He had thought they might show some remorse, but those three idiots had already started getting carried away again.
As dusk settled, a grand victory banquet was held inside the Royal Palace's castle. Those in attendance included prominent nobles from the Capital, along with the heroes and their companions who had fought against this Wave.
The banquet tables were laden with all manner of delicacies. Young, beautiful palace maids held musical instruments and played lovely melodies, their delightful music soothing everyone's spirits.
"Thank you for your efforts, heroes. Compared with the losses we suffered last time, the difference is like night and day. Even I can scarcely contain my delight."
"Tonight's banquet has been arranged especially for you. Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest!" the king announced loudly, raising a goblet filled with wine.
Every noble present raised a glass and cheered, toasting the king as he offered his congratulations at the front of the hall. Jubilant voices filled the castle.
Everyone began enjoying the delicious banquet food. Some nobles chatted among themselves, while others lavished praise on the heroes' feats in flowery language.
Beautiful young noblewomen crowded around Motoyasu Kitamura, Itsuki Kawasumi, and Ren Amaki. Naturally, nothing would have pleased them more than getting intimately acquainted with the heroes before them-in the most physical sense.
These were heroes, after all, great champions destined to save the world. If they could land such a prized husband and bear his child, their families would become great noble houses in the Kingdom of Melromarc, second only to the royal family.
Each young noblewoman surrounding the three heroes had her own designs. Pretending it was accidental, they brushed their full, shapely breasts against the heroes' bodies, offering a little eye candy in hopes of winning their hearts with beauty.
As the recipient of this attention, Motoyasu Kitamura naturally enjoyed every moment. His face was wreathed in a friendly smile as he teased the young noblewomen beside him with practiced sweet talk, making their pretty faces flush.
Of course, there were also those who did not fit in, hiding in a corner and quietly waiting for the banquet to end. The surrounding nobles instinctively avoided Naofumi Iwatani, treating him as though he were invisible. Naofumi welcomed the peace and quiet. Rather than deal with people full of schemes, he would much rather kill monsters in the wilderness and level up.
"What's the point of this banquet? If there weren't a reward, I wouldn't have bothered coming to a place like this."
Sitting alone by the window, utterly out of place amid his surroundings, Naofumi Iwatani grumbled to himself.
Ever since that incident, Naofumi Iwatani had decided not to trust anyone readily again. Ye Uchiha was the exception, of course. Aside from that permanently expressionless face, he was quite trustworthy. Both his character and his strength deserved recognition.
As for Raphtalia... if it weren't for the slave contract, she'd probably leave me too, wouldn't she? Because of all those nasty rumors about me in this country!
At that thought, Naofumi Iwatani's expression dimmed, and a dull ache suddenly stirred in his heart. How many people in this world can I truly trust?
It doesn't matter anyway. Once I deal with the Waves of Calamity, I can return to my original world. Then nothing in this world will have anything to do with me. I'm not from this world in the first place, and this world doesn't belong to me.
Naofumi Iwatani gazed at the bright white moon hanging high outside the window, a faint flicker in his eyes.
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