Chapter 248 – Toward the Counterattack

“Shiki, take this [Elixir・Mini]. It should be able to restore your arm.” (Bouchi)
“I apologize for showing you this disgraceful appearance of mine, milord.” (Shiki)
“Don’t worry about that, just drink it.” (Bouchi)
Shiki drank the [Elixir・Mini], and his lost arm was restored, bringing the color back to his complexion. Seeing his condition improve, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Shiki, how did you escape from that situation? You said you managed to slip into a shadow, but…” (Bouchi)
“Yes. There were indeed no obstacles nearby as milord said, and there were no shadows for this one to hide in. However… in the split second before being engulfed by the flash of light, I noticed the existence of a certain shadow.” (Shiki)
“Which shadow…?” (Bouchi)
“The shadow of the [Jet Book].” (Shiki)
“…?! I see… So that’s what happened.” (Bouchi)

It suddenly made sense to me. When the [Jet Book] rose into the air at that moment, it formed a shadow directly underneath it, which gave Shiki a shadow to hide in. But in doing so, he was unable to completely dodge the flash of light and lost his right arm.

“If you had been even a moment slower, this one would have not been here any longer.” (Shiki)
“Then you should have come out sooner. I was worried.” (Bouchi)
“My apologies, milord. But after receiving the blow, the shock from it made my body unable to move as I wished.” (Shiki)
That was true, I guess. He had just received a serious injury. The shock from it must have been tremendous.

“But… I’m glad.” (Bouchi)
“…Milord?” (Shiki)
“I’m so glad that you’re safe. It was my bad… It was all because of my naive judgment that you ended up in that situation.” (Bouchi)
“Not at all! Please raise your head! Milord, you are always concerned about us Familiars! Even if you were to treat us like slaves, it wouldn’t be strange!” (Shiki)
“Shiki…” (Bouchi)

“It is not just me. Sol-dono, Izu-dono, and Kaza-dono are also all happy to be by your side. So please… do not feel troubled for us.” (Shiki)
“…No, I can’t do that.” (Bouchi)
“…M-Milord?” (Shiki)
“I… already consider you guys as my family. So of course I wouldn’t be happy if one of you died. It would be tough. It hurts… right here.” (Bouchi)
I grasped my clothes tightly in front of my chest over where my heart was.

At first, when I bought Sol, I had just thought of her as a useful pet. But as we spent more time together, my attitude towards Sol changed.

Then Shiki came along, followed by Izu and Kaza. Everyone devoted their everything for my sake. Just watching them made me want to do something for them in return.

Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that it was the same feeling that one would have for family.

“I’ve had enough of losing people. Next time… I definitely won’t fail.” (Bouchi)

“Milord…! This one is overcome with emotion…! This… This one is glad to have become your Familiar!” (Shiki)
With that, Shiki knelt down on the ground in front of me and bowed his head.

“So from now on, as long as this one has life flowing through his veins, please allow this one to protect you.” (Shiki)
“…Yeah, I’m counting on you. I will support you guys too.” (Bouchi)
The master-servant relationship between us probably wouldn’t change. But even still, the connection didn’t stop at just master and servant.

We mutually supported each other. There was a warmer emotion to it. It was the same for Sol and the others.

That was why I never wanted to lose them. I couldn’t let them die for my sake.

“Milord, what shall we do now?” (Shiki)
I was aware that dealing with an S-Rank monster was no easy task. I must have been really lucky to have held a conversation with Belzedor.

I could leave Oremia here and run away. Considering the survival rate, this was the correct choice. However… I couldn’t let things end like this.

I wanted to get back at Galafegorn for hurting Shiki.

“…Gather around, you guys,” I told the three of them.

“We won’t mess up this time. We will get back at him without fail and rescue Oremia.” (Bouchi)
“B-But Master, fighting in the water is no good, and the air is no good either. What do we do?” (Sol)
Sol sounded anxious as she spoke.

“Don’t worry. I have the <Shop> skill. This time, we will challenge him fully prepared… I’ll show that Galafegorn what I can do.” (Bouchi)
I opened the <Shop> and began to tell them my plan.

“―And now, we launch the counterattack.” (Bouchi)