Chapter 3: Reven the Avenger Meets His Hated Enemy

“Aww, why won’t you come with me? ♡ Takashi…”

“That’s creepy, so please stop. That creepy effeminate way of talking.”

After defeating Oikawa, a subordinate of Kozah who had been in his former party, Reven was trying to persuade Roaks—the one who had been expelled from that same party—to join him as a companion.

“Takashi~ ♡ Aren’t you frustrated about being kicked out of that party?”

“Well… I am frustrated, but…”

He had come to this town to become an adventurer.

He joined Kozah’s party because he wanted to become a strong adventurer like the heroes, even just a little bit.

But once he actually got in, he wasn’t given any real responsibilities and just killed time endlessly.

Even when he rushed over asking if there was any work, all that came out of their mouths were insults and abuse.

Still, since he had excitedly left home and become an adventurer, he had endured it all.

But today, without any warning, he had been kicked out of the party.

He still couldn’t forget it.

That one line from Kozah.

“A useless piece of trash like you—I’d love to fire you right now.”

When he recalled that, he clenched his fists tightly.

(One day, I’ll show those bastards.)

However, even though he thought that, he didn’t have the power right now.

(That said though…)

He sighed and turned around completely.

There, Reven—who was running a sushi restaurant—was torturing Oikawa, who had been reduced to a gorilla-like monster.

“Ginger! Ginger! Ginger! Ginger! How’s it taste?! My sushi is delicious, right?!”

“Uho…”

But there was no way he’d eat it when all he was being served was pickled ginger.

“Picky eating isn’t goooooood!!”

“Uho gooooooooooooooh!”

Slash! Spurt!

When Reven slashed at the monster, a splendid spray of blood erupted.

“Whoooooa! He cut right through the costume!”

When the fresh blood stained the ground, the blood formed into letters.

“This is the Bayakaho Dual-Sword Secret Technique, ‘Blood Guide.’ Let’s see what it says…”

When Reven read the blood, it said this:

【Ding. Bayakaho Dual-Sword Secret Technique “Blood Guide” has been activated. Kozah’s mansion—take the route through the right corridor ahead. Please drive according to actual traffic regulations.】

“Got it!”

SMASH!

“Ubooooh!”

Reven punched the monster for no reason at all.

(I don’t want to travel with such a weird guy… If I make him angry too, I might get turned into one of those weird monsters… Come to think of it, that’s just a costume, right?)

Thinking this, he tried to grab the zipper on the back of the monster that was formerly Oikawa.

“Uho ♡”

When the monster felt someone touch the zipper on its back, it showed a bit of embarrassment and its cheeks turned red. Probably.

Honestly, it was gross.

“Why do you look a little happy?! I’m opening it!!”

He steeled himself and pulled down the zipper.

Inside, it was stuffed with a massive amount of sweet bean buns.

“Whoooooooa! What the hell is this?! Where did the Oikawa that was inside go?!”

As he reeled from this turn of events, Reven noticed him.

“Hey! What are you doing, John?!”

“Oh crap, he noticed me.”

He sent Roaks flying with all his might, then closed the monster’s zipper.

“That’s my lunch for today! You can’t hog it all for yourself!”

“How should I know?! Where did the Oikawa who was inside go?! Wasn’t he supposed to be in there?!”

“Huh? Oh, that guy? Well… I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

Roaks was left speechless by the incredibly vague answer.

(This guy… he’s insane…)

He felt a bit of fear at Reven’s attitude, but seeing Roaks like that, Reven said:

“By the way, how long are you planning to stay here?”

“Oh, yeah. Right, I’ll just stay here and…”

At Reven’s words, Roaks tried to leave the area.

“Wait!!”

Reven called out to Roaks as he was trying to leave.

“What is it now?”

“Cat’s cradle ♡”

Reven showed him a shooting star made with cat’s cradle.

“I see, I see, so you did it…”

“Ehehe, I did it. A shooting star.”

In the peaceful atmosphere, Roaks drew his sword.

“Take this!!”

“Gubaaaah!”

And he slashed at Reven with all his might.

“Wait, he’s weak!”

“Kuh, what impressive strength… to actually deal damage to me…”

Reven, slashed by Roaks, said this to him while collapsed face-down on the ground.

“You were completely full of openings though.”

“Your power is too much for someone like Kozah to handle… even for that Alex… You might possibly, just maybe, become the strongest adventurer… What’s your name?”

“Roaks… It’s Roaks.”

“Roaks, huh… That’s a good name. The enemy I’m about to face, I can’t handle them alone. Please, lend me your strength.”

He desperately pleaded while bleeding from his body.

Roaks thought about it.

Would he even survive traveling with such a lunatic?

Thinking that made his judgment waver.

“Your judgment is too slow!”

“Gubooooh!”

Reven punched Roaks with all his might.

“If you don’t decide things immediately, there’s a danger of losing your own life, your sister’s, and the lives of those around you. Don’t you even understand that? Your…”

After saying this, he tied Roaks’s legs with rope.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion!!”

“This guy seriously does whatever he wants!!”

After saying that, he followed the Blood Guide toward Kozah’s mansion.

Forcibly dragging Roaks along…

~◆Kozah’s Mansion◇~

In a place away from Zagig, the city of adventurers, lived Kozah, one of the members of the hero’s party.

After the hero’s party reached the legendary dungeon “Legend,” they scattered to various locations and transformed into a large guild organization to make their authority known throughout the world.

However, after Reven’s departure, things didn’t seem to be going as smoothly as planned.

Despite becoming a large guild, the hero’s party that wasn’t functioning well was trying to expel yet another person, just as they had expelled Reven before.

When that topic came up, the first name mentioned was always Kozah.

Despite originally having low abilities, Kozah would bootlick those above him and unreasonably lash out at those below him, and being extremely unpopular on top of that, he had now become a candidate for expulsion from the party.

For that reason, Kozah had been extremely irritated lately.

“Damn it, to expel someone as excellent as me from the hero’s party… Those bastards…!”

He had been constantly pressured by Alex recently, and was receiving the same power harassment that Reven had once endured.

“Those bastards… who do they think got rid of that useless Reven?!”

Just as he punched the wall with all his might—

“I have a report!”

“What is it?! If it’s something trivial, I’ll kill you!!”

“Eek… I-It seems Oikawa’s faction has been wiped out!”

“Tch! That Oikawa is a useless bastard too… So?”

“Yes! It appears that the one who wiped out Oikawa’s faction is an avenger who uses two swords!”

At those words, Oikawa was so shocked he dropped his cup.

“Th-That’s impossible! Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?!”

“Yes! Furthermore, that individual apparently recruited the rookie adventurer that Oikawa’s faction had recently hired.”

At those words, Oikawa became completely enraged.

“Don’t spout such nonsense, you idiot!!”

“Hiiiiiiii!”

“Listen up, I’m the leader of this area! Who do you think is employing a useless piece of trash like you?!”

He kicked over his chair, closed in on his subordinate, and grabbed him by the collar.

“It’s because of incompetents like you that I get nagged at by headquarters!!”

After saying this, he tried to punch his subordinate in the face.

It was then.

“Report! Report!”

“What is it?! You want to get punched too?!”

“No, I don’t want to get punched! It seems an intruder has entered the mansion!”

“What?!! Who the hell is it?!”

The mysterious intruder revealed himself immediately.

“Oh, hello! We received a report that your household is committing copyright infringement!! I’m with 【##CENSORED##】!! I’ve come to kill you!!”

The one who entered the room was Reven in clothing too inappropriate to show, appearing before Kozah.

“Y-You!! Reven!!”

When Kozah saw Reven’s appearance, he threw his subordinate aside and exclaimed in shock.

But Reven answered like this:

“No, you’re mistaken.”

“Ha! You’re still the same as ever!!”

“I’m telling the truth… believe me.”

“Heh, you’re still an annoying bastard… Just looking at that face makes me want to kill you… So, is that guy next to you in the weird outfit with you?”

Roaks, who was next to Reven, answered those words like this:

“Excuse me? Are you by any chance, wimp?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Watching this, Reven said coldly:

“That joke fell flat.”

Roaks was shocked by that statement.

“I tried kind of hard though…”

Ignoring him, Reven glared daggers at Kozah and declared:

“Kozah. The humiliation I received from you… now that I’m a free man, this avenger who has only the single character for ‘grudge,’ ‘Reven Avengeyan,’ has come to make you suffer a torment that makes even hell seem lukewarm.”

“Interesting! Let’s see you try it, you useless bastard!!”