Chapter 274: Question

My, Kashima Kobato’s inherent skill————- .

(T/N: Admin Tower / Disclose)

This inherent skill is currently based on a certain characteristic.

It’s the Hero’s Status.

One’s status information can be disclosed through “Status Open”.

Their information would then be displayed in the status window.

However, this disclosed status window can only be seen by its owner.

There are two exceptions to this though.

The Goddess can view all Heroes’ status windows.

However, if they haven’t displayed their status window, the Goddess wouldn’t be able to view it either.

The other exception to this are those who had been given “inspection permission”.

Those who have been granted permission can view the information in the Heroes’ status window.

This permission isn’t permanent though, and will disappear after a certain amount of time.

These two are the means by which someone other than the person themselves can check the status of other Heroes.

In other words, as long as the person themselves doesn’t verbally disclose their information to others, only the person themselves can basically know about their status.

This characteristic of the status board troubled Asagi-san and the others.

One of Ikusaba Asagi’s inherent skills, .

(T/N: Group Enhancement / Queen Bee)

This is an ability enhancement skill.

It’s a skill that additively increases each status ability.

Incidentally, other Heroes also have normal Reinforcement skills.

However, Asagi-san’s ability enhancement skill——— her buffs towers above the rest.

When bestowed with her , the Heroes of her group will become much stronger.

It allows her friends to be stronger than their original status suggests.

But of course, that strengthening was only while the buff’s effect lasts.

The Asaagi group doesn’t have any Heroes of A-Rank or higher.

If the effect wears off, their status would suddenly return back to “average”.

Currently, Asagi-san is able to stack her buffs on top of another.

This made her buffs even stronger.

However, one thing that’s still troubling Asagi-san……

—–is that the duration of her buff differs depending on the target.

This was one of the properties of her skill.

In other words, it was difficult for her to determine when to reapply her buffs.

Indeed, her buffs can be stacked.

However, they can’t be reapplied until all buffs’ effects have worn off.

She would have to wait for all buffs’ effects to wear off before she can apply her next buff.

This was the problem.

The Asagi group had many members.

Everyone would have to report whether their buffs had worn off or not.

Because of the status window’s characteristics, Asagi-san couldn’t see what’s written on other Heroes’ status windows.

Those whose buffs had expired had to check their own status windows and report it.

This self-reporting was truly troublesome.

At any rate, this means that everyone’s mind would always be preoccupied with the need to report about this.

However, this couldn’t be helped either.

As soon as the buff wears off, the probability that they would die increases.

Thus, this naturally slows down their movements in battle.

Everyone must always prioritize their self-preservation.

Then, there’s the worst situation——-

——-where they continue to fight without realizing that their buffs have expired.

There had been cases where we were so concentrated in the enemy before us that we didn’t even notice that the buffs had worn off.

She barely avoided a severe blow, but a girl was still wounded because of this.

But now———

This is where the topic returns to my .

It was when Asagi-san was struggling to grasp the buff information when my inherent skill blossomed.

My inherent skill allows me “to keep track of the status information of other Heroes”.

When I use my skill, a transparent window would appear above the Hero’s head.

This window can only be seen by me.

This window can also be enlarged to make it easier for me to see.

In other words———

I am able to grasp all the status information of other Heroes.

My inherent skill meshes beautifully with Asagi-san’s buffs.

First of all, the need for self-reporting was almost eliminated.

If someone’s buff was about to expire or had expired, I could report it to Asagi-san myself.

I will devote all my attention to grasping and reporting the information about the other Heroes.

Meanwhile, those who are about to lose their buffs can fight without worrying about losing them.

This is because all buff-related matters can now be left to me and Asagi-san.

Therefore, everyone can only concentrate on the act of fighting.

As for Asagi-san, all she has to do is follow my reports and apply her buffs.

She herself had said that her thoughts were less burdened than before.

As a result, the Asagi group was visibly moving better in group combat.

With the addition of my inherent skill’s evolution, the Asagi group has become much stronger than before.

Strong enough that we could even stand against that 9th Cavalry.

▽

[Koba-chan~~, since they’re having a blast over there, let’s go check it out~~]

Calling out from outside my tent was Ikusaba Asagi.

[Eh? Are you talking about……]

[Yep, that meeting with the Beastmen~~]

[I- I’m good…… If I go there, I feel like I’ll be a hindrance……]

Most of all, I get nervous when I go to places like that.

[I asked Zine-chin and he said Poppo-chan could also come.]

[Eehhh……]

(T/N: Just realized that Zine here is pronounced as zee-ne. I’ve been reading this as zayn.)

I’ve already given up on her calling me “Poppo-chan”.

However……

(Calling Emperor-san “Zine-chin”, Asagi-san…… That’s nothing short of disrespectful.)

[Ah, I heard Zine-chan would also be there, you know?]

[Is that so……]

[Orya? As I thought, Koba-chan really is unlike the other girls, you don’t seem to be in L-O-V-E with Zine-sama huh? Even though he looked like someone everyone would love.]

[Eehhh? If you say it like that, isn’t Asagi-san the same way?]

[Well~~, I mean, even if I talk with Zine-chin, he’s just so boring.]

[H- Hey, Asagi-san……!]

Putting a finger to my lips, I covered Asagi-san’s mouth with my other hand.

[M- Mira’s people really revere Emperor-san…… Saying things like that is dangerous……]

[Mnghhhh.]

Hearing her response, I took my hand away.

Thereupon, she exaggeratedly exhales.

[Phew~~…… You think so? I’m pwetty sure I’ve said things that are a lot more diswespectful than that nya~~. Buuut Asagi-san is still safe nya~~]

[I’m just…… scared that Asagi-san will suddenly be stabbed by Mira’s people one day……]

In the first place, I had been afraid of most things since we betrayed that Goddess.

However……

There was something I’m certain about.

(At that time…… When Zine-san suddenly appeared in front of us back in Jonato……)

After the two of us talked with the Mad Emperor……

Asagi-san looked like she was clearly convinced about “something”.

Perhaps, she may have been thinking that his side has the odds in their favor.

Everyone is aware of the fact that we have survived thanks to Asagi-san.

In fact, there hadn’t been a single death in our group.

No one had even been injured to the point of being unable to move.

Such a thing occurred even though the battle in Jonato’s royal capital had been such a fierce battle.

(Moreover……)

“Everyone will safely return to our original world.”

Just for that conviction of Asagi-san, everyone places their trust in her.

Even so……

(As I thought, Asagi-san really isn’t just cooperating because of Zine-san’s charm.)

On the other hand though……

(I’m somewhat afraid of Zine-san…… He is, how should I describe this…… I can’t feel peace of mind around him. I don’t feel relieved to be in the same room as him……)

In interpersonal matters, what I seek is a sense of security.

In this respect, Sogou Ayaka was someone who made me feel at ease.

(I want to meet her again…… Sogou-san……)

I am also afraid that we had betrayed the Goddess.

But more than that……

What I’m most afraid right now would be what Ayaka would think of me because of my actions.

[Come on, let’s go.]

[U- Unnn…… Alright.]

In the end, I decided to just go to the meeting place with Asagi-san.

Arriving at the camp, I blended along near the line of soldiers behind the camp enclosure.

(Uuuuu…… The atmosphere around this place makes me nervous……)

I don’t really like important ceremonial occasions like weddings and funerals.

I also don’t like those formal events held in the school gymnasium.

Those events make me nervous.

Yes, I don’t feel at ease around them.

On the other hand though, Asagi-san seemed to be absentmindedly yawning.

At that moment……

[They have arrived!]

One of the soldiers reported to the Mad Emperor.

It seems that the other party has arrived.

(The Faraway Country…… If I remember correctly, I heard that it’s a country of Beastmen. It seems that a group called Fly King Squadron is coming with them too…… Ahh.)

They’ve arrived.

Coming in small groups, they started coming into the camp.

(Amazing…… A half-spider person, a big black leopard person…… Wow…… I’ve seen Beastmen before, but for them to be this many……)

[Whoeehh~~, I suddenly feel like I’m really in a fantasy world.]

Her brows rising, Asagi-san looked kinda happy.

(Ahh……)

My attention turned to the window above Asagi-san’s head.

About 2 hours ago, I used my inherent skill to check the status of the girls in our group.

It was to conduct our regular summarization and recording of everyone’s status.

This has also become my role in the group now.

(Oh gosh…… I forgot to deactivate my inherent skill……)

My inherent skill consumes surprisingly little MP.

I once spent a whole day, forgotten that I had left it activated.

However, when I noticed it before bedtime, I still had some MP left.

Letting out a sigh, I chastised myself.

(Haahhh…… Just because it doesn’t drain much of my MP, that doesn’t mean I can just waste it…… I really should…… correct this carelessness……)

Incidentally, can’t display the status of the otherworlders.

This only works on Heroes.

Thus, I can’t check the status of people like Zine-san.

As I had such thoughts in mind, the atmosphere around me suddenly changed.

I could tell from the faint whispers what they were paying attention to.

(……I see, it’s her huh. The one known as the most beautiful woman in the world, Seras Ashrain-san…… I’d like to see her face under that mask just once…… Ahh.)

A black horse walks diagonally in front of Seras Ashrain.

The horse is being ridden by someone wearing a fly mask.

He must be the Fly King that the soldiers were talking about.

As I recall, he should be the leader of the Fly King Squadron.

[—————————-, ……Eh?]

But seeing him, my eyes opened wide.

Quickly looking down, I almost unconsciously put my hand on my mouth.

(Why……? Eh?)

Currently, I still haven’t deactivated my yet.

And now, bewildered, a question popped within my mind.

Fly King-san, why is there a status window above your head?

……And thus, this ends Volume 8. Thank you for staying with me until the end of Volume 8.

As for the end of the Volume, I feel like it’s actually the part when Touka returns from Liese’s room to his room, where Seras is waiting for him.

In the end of Volume 7, I wrote in the afterword that “Volume 8 would be quite irregular”, but I guess, including the length, it was similar to Volume 5. In the end of Volume 7, I also wrote that Volume 7 was “a volume where all the camps were finally starting to move”, and I think Volume 8 has become “a volume where all the camps have made their move”.

The more chapters there are from POVs other than Touka’s, the more text there is, so I had a hard time figuring out what to cut out of Volume 8. In the end, I think I was able to summarize it reasonably well…… is what I’d like to think. (While I’m organizing things, I ask myself “Should I focus on the tempo?” or “Should I write exactly what I want, even if it feels a bit long”, and was always having second thoughts about this……)

As usual, I’m planning to start Volume 9 after an Intermission Chapter.

Anyhow…… Thank you to all those who gave me feedback, reviews, bookmarks, and rating points during the serialization of Volume 8. I’m very grateful for all the feedback and reviews I’ve received on Volume 8 as well (I also appreciate the typo reports. I’ve been making a few changes in them when I have time). Also, I’m very happy for those who have bookmarked the site and left ratings for me. Speaking of rating points, when I passed the 400000 point mark, I wrote somewhere that I would thank you again when Volume 8 was completed. But now, it seems that the number has surpassed 420,000 points…… I just checked again, and it seems like we have become rank #23 in the overall ranking…… It is thanks to all of you who have been supporting us that we have been able to continue to increase our points and rankings. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude once again to all of you who have supported the “Hazure Waku” to this point.

With this and that out of the way, it remains to be seen whether I will be able to meet everyone’s expectations, but I will continue to do my best in writing Volume 9.

Well then, please wait for the update of the Intermission Chapter before the start of Volume 9. Thank you very much.

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