For now, Minami Yojuro planned to raise his adventurer rank a little, gather some funds, and then set off to explore this world further.
Yosuke, however, wanted to continue his journey around the world. Naturally, the two soon went their separate ways again.
It's worth mentioning that before parting, a small incident occurred: they came across a pair of siblings being attacked by orcs on the road.
Seeing the siblings about to be driven into a corner, Yojuro had been ready to step in. But before he could move, Yosuke had already dashed forward faster.
The events in that previous village hadn't dampened Yosuke's spirit in the slightest. Strong-hearted as he was, he considered what happened there nothing more than an accident.
After all, those villagers had their own religious beliefs. He had violated their taboos, and while the treatment he suffered was excessive, he could still find it understandable.
This time, saving a pair of siblings from brutal orcs — under the glow of a "hero saving the weak" halo — surely they would be moved to tears and worship him with gratitude, right?
Though he could have easily finished the enemies from a distance with magic, Yosuke deliberately chose to summon a sword of light using holy magic, then charged forward in flamboyant fashion to cut the monsters down.
It was the first time Yojuro had seen Yosuke fight, so he observed quietly from the side.
According to Yosuke, his magic came from communicating with the minor spirits in the air and borrowing their power.
The "Sword of Light" now in his hand was the product of such light spirits' power.
But Yojuro quickly noticed another detail: although Yosuke, relying on the light spirits, could produce a flashy and seemingly powerful sword of light, his actual swordsmanship was laughably bad — clumsy to the extreme.
That wasn't surprising. Spirits could lend power and magic, but they couldn't grant skill. And before coming to this world, Yosuke had only been a seventeen-year-old shut-in otaku.
Still, with the sword's sharpness and the speed boosts provided by wind spirits, even without technique, Yosuke had no trouble cutting down a few low-level orcs.
A streak of light flashed through the air. The giant club that had been swinging down toward the imperiled siblings was cleaved neatly in two, along with the orc that had been wielding it.
Seeing its companion slain, the other dim-witted orc roared in fury. Raising its own massive club, it prepared to sweep down in one wide swing, aiming to send Yosuke and the siblings tumbling off the cliff behind them.
But just as the orc lifted its weapon high, a calm male voice drifted over from not far away. Along with it came a flash of white lightning, about as thick as a baby's forearm.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
The white lightning streaked across the air like a thunderbolt, crossing dozens of meters in an instant. It pierced clean through the orc's skull before dissipating into the sky.
The orc, its head punctured, still held its massive club aloft for a heartbeat. But with the next gust of wind, its hulking body collapsed with a thud, leaving behind a charred hole between its brows.
"Miss, little brother—are you both unharmed?"
Because of the second orc's earlier attack, Yosuke had already moved to shield the siblings with his own body. As a result, he now stood very close to them.
The pair of siblings looked pitiful. The sister was about fourteen or fifteen, while the younger brother in her arms seemed only seven or eight.
"Thank you for saving us. My brother and I are not hu—ah! Don't come near me, orc!"
At first, seeing the slain orc on the ground, the siblings realized they had been rescued. Hearing the voice beside them, the girl even started to smile gratefully.
But when she looked up and saw Yosuke's face up close — the smile instantly froze, twisting into panic and disgust.
In this world, Yosuke's looks had always been below average. After a week of starvation, his appearance had sunk to orc-level.
That alone might have been tolerable. With the "hero saves the weak" glow, he could at least earn a little filter of admiration. But Yosuke, wanting to reassure them, forced out what he thought was a warm smile.
Good grief. With his current face, the forced grin looked anything but gentle — Minami Yojuro could see nothing except sleaziness.
Already traumatized from being chased by orcs, the siblings completely broke down. The younger brother burst into tears at Yosuke's "lecherous" expression, while the sister instinctively shoved him away in fear of what he might do.
The problem was that the three of them had been standing at the edge of a cliff. The girl's instinctive shove, meant only to push him back, ended up sending Yosuke tumbling off the cliff.
Afterward, the girl realized what she had done and panicked. But recalling that horribly orc-like face so close to her own, she kept consoling herself:
"Even if he wasn't working with the orcs, he definitely couldn't have been a good person…"
As if responding to her muttering, Yojuro strolled up from not far away. Looking at the flustered siblings, he said calmly:
"That man isn't an orc. He's my companion. His looks may be unusual, but he really did just save you. Don't you think your reaction toward your savior was a little too much?"
The girl froze at Yojuro's words, then covered her face and began to sob. Not long ago, their home had been destroyed by orcs. Her parents had died protecting them, torn apart before her eyes. She had barely managed to escape here with her brother.
She had witnessed young women violated, families massacred. The sight of orcs had left her with a deep psychological scar.
She hadn't intended to push Yosuke off the cliff — but his face looked so much like an orc's. She only meant to push him aside, never realizing she'd send him over the edge.
(PS: These siblings are not the same as the pair from the original plot. That original duo was way too unreasonable)
After hearing the full story and seeing the girl sob in guilt, Yojuro understood her actions weren't malicious, just the reflex of someone on edge.
As for Yosuke… that idiot really had no self-awareness. With his looks, he still thought he could calm a panicked girl by smiling? Did he think he had the charm of some handsome hero?
°°°
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