I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 32
2-18. Side – Uchikage – Elite Four
Uchikage, returning to the town gate at a hurried pace, instructed Yuuzen to return to his room and unloaded the burden from his shoulder.
After confirming Yuuzen running back, Uchikage looked around.
Since Uchikage returned in haste, the sun had not completely set. It was natural for him to return in five minutes from that location, but Uchikage was in such a hurry.
His attention then turned to the two oni gatekeepers. The muscular oni gatekeepers both carried large War Clubs and wore thin traditional Japanese clothing. Both had large red horns growing from their heads, emphasizing their stern faces.
One was an oni named Kan’nuki, known for his narrow eyes. The other was named Kadoma and had a very stern expression.
While Kan’nuki’s narrow eyes made him less stern than Kadoma, the intimidating presence when he became serious surpassed Kadoma by far.
Uchikage called out to them.
“Kadoma, Kan’nuki.”
“”Yessir!””
“Come with me.”
“”Eh?””
Being told “Come with me” without any explanation by the former lord of Kijin, Uchikage, naturally perplexed them. If they followed, they would be abandoning their duties as gatekeepers. Was it okay? Uchikage then called out another pair.
“Shizunuma, Tatareba. Come out.”
“”We are here.””
Kneeling behind Uchikage were two oni with sharp black horns. Both seemed female and wore ninja attire suitable for their figures. However, no part of their skin was exposed; they seemed to be trying to conceal their pale skin.
Both wore similar ninja attire, making it difficult to distinguish, but Shizunuma had long hair tied at the back, while Tatareba had short hair, with one eye covered by a bandage. Uchikage could distinguish them by their presence, but others relied on hair length and bandages.
Although the two came out as called, they didn’t understand why.
Shizunuma and Tatareba were Uchikage’s disciples. While they didn’t yet know the true nature of oni, they were trained to a level similar to Uchikage in his younger days.
These four were the elite of the former Kijin Clan.
This gathering for a task was happening for the first time.
“Um, Uchikage-sama. What are we doing?”
“May we know where you’re going?”
Kadoma and Kan’nuki questioned Uchikage with question marks above their heads. Uchikage nodded in response and walked towards the forest.
To ensure they weren’t left behind, the four followed him. Sensing this, Uchikage raised his index finger and walked while explaining.
“Bechinu has appeared.”
“”Be…!?””
“Kadoma, what is Betinu?”
“I don’t know.”
Shizunuma and Tatareba seemed to know about their existence, wearing expressions of astonishment, but it appeared that the gatekeepers, Kadoma and Kan’nuki, were unaware.
Once again, they tilted their heads.
To explain to the two, Shizunuma mentioned the characteristics of Bechinu, also confirming its meaning.
“Bechinu… It’s a monster that causes the explosion of its own and the target’s blood, right?”
“Exactly. It appeared in the forest.”
“Wait, what? If you get injured, isn’t that a losing situation?”
“Kadoma is right. Even I would probably lose if that happened. But why would such a dangerous monster be in that forest, Uchikage-sama?”
“I’m going to investigate that now.”
Uchikage then took out a magic bag from his pocket.
Digging into it, he pulled out a weapon.
A bear claw attached to the arm.
It had a mechanism to store and deploy the blade part, and after attaching it to his arm, he swung the blade with a click.
Uchikage’s favorite weapon is attached to his right arm.
The four understood the significance of this.
“No way… Hey, if Uchikage-sama is getting serious, I better not slack off, or I’ll get beaten later.”
“Kadoma… Please choose your words more carefully in front of Uchikage-sama.”
“You do the same in front of Yuuzen-kun.”
“Shut it.”
While Kadoma and Kan’nuki were talking, Shizunuma and Tatareba had already picked up their equipment and were ready for battle.
Without wasting words, they understood and immediately executed Uchikage’s actions.
This was something Uchikage had been teaching them.
Seeing this, Kadoma, who finally read the atmosphere, shouldered his golden hammer.
Kan’nuki, in a similar manner to Kadoma, also shouldered a golden hammer with an exasperated expression.
Then, Uchikage suddenly stopped.
The four, only seeing his back, couldn’t read his expression, but there was a strange atmosphere.
Hesitating to speak, Kadoma, who never read the air, spoke up.
“Uchikage-sama? What’s wrong?”
“…What was that just now?”
“Just now? Oh, I have no clue about intuitive things. Hey, Shizunuma and Tatareba, did you feel anything?”
“I felt nothing…”
“Same here.”
“You two aren’t helping at a- aaah! U- Uchikage-sama, what’s the matter?”
Uchikage didn’t answer that question.
Frowning, he stared in the direction the sensation came from.
(…This is… like Ouren-sama’s Haze…)
Suddenly, the sensation disappeared.
It was too far away to understand anything, but his body was screaming not to let it end without investigating its true nature.
Responding to that urge, Uchikage started moving at his maximum speed.
“Wait, Uchikage-sama!!?”
“Huh!? Fast!? Wait, wait, wait, wait! You can’t hear me, can you? Shizunuma! Tatareba! Please lead us the wa! …Both of them are not here!!”
“Hey!!! Don’t leave us behind, you guys!!”
Completely abandoned, Kadoma and Kan’nuki, after barely confirming the direction the three had moved, ran after them with heavy footsteps.