“No way!”

The first person to reject my idea wasn’t my father but, surprisingly, Renji-san.

“Do you understand what you’re trying to do, Itsuki-kun?” he asked, his voice was tense.

“Yes, I understand,” I nodded firmly and continued, “But if we follow my plan, the monster will definitely turn back.”

“It might, but that means you’ll be the bait. I can’t allow that,” Renji-san gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Meanwhile, my father remained silent, seemingly deep in thought about my suggestion.

“…Itsuki, you’re saying this because you believe we can defeat the monster once it comes back, right?” my father finally spoke.

“Yes, exactly. I wouldn’t suggest it otherwise,” I responded confidently.

With that, my father let out a long breath, his face clearly showing the weight of his thoughts. It wasn’t that my plan was complicated—on the contrary, it was quite simple. All I had to do was release my magic power without using any complex techniques like “Kai-jutsu” or “Shi-jutsu.”

I had always wondered why I hadn’t been attacked by monsters despite my high magic power. Monsters were attracted to powerful magic, so it didn’t make sense that I hadn’t been targeted more often. Akane-san from the Kamiazuki family even gave me a protective talisman because she was concerned about it.

But in the five years since then, I had only been attacked by monsters three times, including today. That was far too few attacks for someone with my level of magic power.

After thinking it over, I came to the conclusion that my ability to control my magic within my body through “Kai-jutsu” had prevented any of it from leaking out, which kept the monsters from sensing me. No monster could detect what wasn’t there.

But if I deliberately released my magic power, even the most distant monsters would be drawn to me.

Of course, I wasn’t proposing this plan without considering the risks. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to be targeted by monsters.

But I’ve become stronger than before—strong enough to handle myself for a little while, at least.

That’s why I proposed the idea.

“…Renji,” my father said with a slight smile.

“When a child speaks so strongly, we, as adults, should listen. Don’t you think so?”

“Soichiro? What are you talking about?” Renji-san looked bewildered.

“Let’s follow Itsuki’s plan,” my father replied.

Renji-san spun around to face my father, “Are you crazy? You’re planning to use your child as bait!?”

“Of course not. Itsuki’s magic release will only last a moment. All we need to do is make the Rank Five monster headed for the city aware of it. Slowing it down, even slightly, would help reduce the damage,” my father explained calmly.

Renji-san fell silent, seemingly realizing the merit in my father’s argument.

“That way, we can minimize the damage. You understand that too, don’t you, Renji?” my father added.

“…Fine, but only for a moment,” Renji-san reluctantly agreed.

“Itsuki, can you do it?” my father asked, turning back toward me.

“Yes, I can,” I replied, nodding confidently.

I raised my hand toward the car’s ceiling. I remembered how difficult it had been to release my magic power just a few years ago. When I first learned that the method I had thought was the only way to release magic—through expulsion—was actually a harmful technique, I was shocked.

“I’m only going to release a little,” I said, loud enough for both of them to hear.

And with that, I let a small amount of magic seep from my hand.

Suddenly, the air around us trembled as if struck by an earthquake, the car shuddered, and the trees along the roadside groaned. Leaves swirled around, blown away by the force emanating from my magic.

“…Itsuki, your magic power is truly something else,” my father muttered.

“At Rank Seven, releasing your magic is practically an act of violence,” Renji-san added.

All I had done was release a small amount of my magic, yet they spoke as if I’d performed some grand feat. I found myself at a loss for words, partly because I felt embarrassed by the attention.

However, my magic release hadn’t been in vain. On the map laid out on the dashboard, the paper talisman slowly began to shift direction. The talisman indicated the location of the Rank Five monster, and now, it was moving toward us instead of the city.

Renji-san noticed this and pressed the brakes, bringing the car to a halt.

“Soichiro, we’ll take it down here.”

“Looks like we’re in for two fights in one day,” my father sighed.

“Just another day for us,” Renji-san replied.

…Is this really just another day for them? I thought, feeling a bit uneasy about my future.

It was then that a tree branch suddenly lunged toward me.

“!” I reacted instinctively, creating a barrier with “Shape Change: Harden” to deflect the branch.

It was clearly an attack using “Attribute Change: Wood.” And there was only one type of being capable of using magic like that.

“Ah, so you blocked that? Interesting,” a voice said.

A young man with glowing golden eyes stood there, his arms—four of them—clearly marking him as something other than human.

This was definitely the monster.

When had he gotten so close?

“Come on out, the one with all that magic power. Let’s be friends,” he taunted.

“Stay in the car, Itsuki! Aya, don’t let go of Itsuki!” my father and Renji-san reacted immediately.

My father kicked the car door open and charged, his right arm and leg enhanced, ready to strike. Renji-san followed, unleashing Silveit toward the monster.

“Ah, not very friendly, are you?” the monster sighed as he blocked my father’s attack with one arm and deflected Renji-san’s magic with roots that sprouted from the ground.

“Fine. I’ll just take you down one by one,” the monster said, his golden eyes gleaming.

Suddenly, the air around us expanded as if swelling with power. The scattered branches and leaves began to move, forming new creatures. Insects on the ground grew larger and more menacing.

“…He’s creating more monsters,” Aya-chan whispered from the car.

Yes, this was undoubtedly the ringleader.

Taking a deep breath, I extended multiple strands of Silveit.

In an instant, the forest was filled with the sound of explosions as the newly formed monsters were torn apart.

“Soichiro!”

“I know,” my father responded, exchanging a glance with Renji-san.

I nodded back at them, indicating that I would handle the small fry, leaving them to focus on the main threat.

But the monster also took notice of me.

“Ah, so you’re the one who did that? Interesting,” the monster said, clapping his hands together.

In a flash, my father and Renji-san vanished.

“Dad! Renji-san!?” I shouted.

“Ah, you’re surprised? It’s just ‘Teleportation Magic,'” the monster said with a sly grin, pointing at me.

“You’re the one with that massive magic power, right? You don’t need to answer—I already know,” he continued.

I felt Aya-chan trembling beside me, gripping my hand tightly.

…Teleportation Magic.

I could guess what it was from the name, but I had no idea how to counter it.

With my father and Renji-san gone, I had no idea where they had been teleported to. Our plan to lure out and defeat the monster had been shattered in a single move.

My heart pounded violently as the fear of death crept in.

But I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to die. Aya-chan was here too, and I had to protect her.

“It’s okay, Aya-chan,” I said, opening the car door.

Aya couldn’t fight. With my father and Renji-san gone…

“I’ll exorcise him,” I declared, stepping out of the car.

There was no other choice.

“Ah, really? I don’t think you can,” the monster sneered.

In the dead of night, deep in the mountains, a battle with a Rank Five monster was about to begin.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep