“Bwahahaha! You’re a riot! You lot with this disgusting, inferior attribute becoming heroes?! As if that could ever happen!”
The sunlight, now considerably stronger, bore almost directly down on the clearing we stood in. Meanwhile, Buffon continued to crawl on all four toward us, covered in dirt, grass, snot, and drool. Though he laughed, he still eyes us with eyes of blood.
While still holding Rokoko’s small body close to mine, I returned his gaze with even more enmity than before. Whenever he tried to defy me, I returned his anger twofold.
“Buffon. You’ve been going ‘inferior’ this, and ‘inferior’ that. But do you realize who defeated the Giant Treant? It was Rokoko and me. How do you feel about that, hm?”
“Bwah…?! W-Well, that’s…”
I had clearly struck a nerve because he stumbled over his words. Undeterred, I continued.
“People with our ‘disgusting’ attribute aren’t inherently inferior. Oh, I’ll make sure to show any of you lot, who look down on us, that we aren’t. The whole world as well, damn it. I’ll make sure everyone sees undeniable results, and there’ll be no room for complaint!”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the forcefulness of my resolute words, Buffon lost his momentum and fell completely silent.
…I suppose that’s about enough.
Having said what I needed to say, I decided to leave this place.
“I’ll say it again. Fellowship, you lot are our enemies—Rokoko’s and mine. In other words, you’re enemies of Luminous. If you dare come at us head-on, we’ll crush you completely. But, if you plan to resort to dirty tactics, I’ll make sure you experience even worse. I’ll personally teach you the weight my clan’s name bears—The Reiss clan.”
“B-B-Bwah?!”
“Scary!!!”
My warning, delivered with words laced with venom and a death glare, caused everyone except Buffon to shrink back whilst remaining groveled on all fours. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Noel…?”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Rokoko. Alright, let’s get back to town. Hold on to me tight, okay? We’re in a hurry.”
“Y-Yeah…”
This should be enough intimidation to that lot. Diverting my gaze from the Fellowship, I picked up and nestled Rokoko in my arms. Although she was momentarily bewildered, she timidly wrapped her delicate arms around my neck.
Before I moved on, I took in the scent emitted by the oppressed fools from my lungs into my heart. I will never forget it, along with all the anger and frustration they evoked. And I’ll protect what’s precious to me—Rokoko, the girl with the blue moon eyes, and the one who gave me the courage to take the first step forward.
“Alrighty, here we go! Hold on tight! And don’t bite your tongue!”
“Uh—waah?!”
With an explosive surge of magic in my legs, I sprinted toward the edge of the forest.