Published: March 21, 2026
"Alright, our squad will take the first watch. Agreed?"
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
"Master, Miss Amelia, stay sharp."
While our squad kept watch, Noah's team would sleep and the night team would stand by to assist if anything happened. We would rotate every half day, so barring any incidents, one full rotation would take a day and a half.
We watched Noah and the night team go into the ship, then began our own planning.
"It’s better if Amelia and I split front and rear. Ria and Hosoyama, pick whichever side you prefer. Crow, what about you?"
At my words, Ria hesitated a little and moved toward Amelia; seeing that, Hosoyama moved to my side. I guessed Ria thought two hero summoners might get along. Well, Hosoyama and I barely had any interaction before, so even if we were together there wouldn’t be much to talk about.
Crow, who’d been listening quietly, shook his head languidly.
"I’ll stay in the middle. We’ll need someone to run for backup if we get into a fight… don’t expect much from my combat abilities, though."
Crow himself was the most aware of his own fragility. He probably couldn’t fight much anymore. Ria must have felt it too—her expression was painful. I exchanged a look with Amelia; she nodded slightly, chin dipping. Let Amelia handle Ria for now.
"Alright. Let’s try it like this for now. If anything needs changing, speak up as we go."
After confirming everyone nodded, Hosoyama and I went to the bow of the ship.
Standing at the prow, I consciously expanded my search skills like presence detection and danger sense. When I pushed them to my maximum range, the ship was completely covered. It sapped more concentration than I’d expected. If we were attacked from both sides or from front and rear and I had to divide my attention, my own defense might lapse. In labyrinths or even the Forest of Death I’d never needed to watch several dozen meters in every direction, so maybe those instincts had dulled compared to a standard setting.
Sighing as I considered whether to drop the rear where Amelia was and raise other watches, or deprioritize my own alertness to oversee the whole, my eyes landed on Hosoyama’s equipment.
Looking her over from the front again, I tilted my head. She carried a staff for supporting and amplifying magic, but I couldn’t see any bladed weapons.
"I need to check—do you have any weapons, Hosoyama? Kyousuke mentioned you did some things in the forest, but I mean defensive weapons like a dagger."
I’d been surprised when I heard she’d charged at demonic beasts alone that the other heroes couldn’t even scratch, but I’d also understood that someone who could act offensively like that probably could defend themselves somehow. Of course, it wasn’t commendable that she’d acted without telling the others—Kyousuke said the hero scolded her for that already.
Her status board showed a dagger skill, not very high but present. I’d seen her cooking in the safe house; she handled knives decently, not as well as Tsuda but skillfully enough. I’d been impressed she wasn’t one of those princesses who only eats and never cooks. Though most of the food she made was intensely spicy, which was questionable.
Hosoyama snapped to attention and put a hand to her chest when I asked.
"Yeah. I do have a dagger. Noah trained me a little, but I’ve never used it in real combat. I also have a little magic."
Because her staff was her main weapon, she’d kept the dagger tucked away.
"Good. Keep it somewhere you can draw it quickly. I’m not great at protecting people like Tsuda is."
Hosoyama nodded obediently and shoved the dagger into the gap of her skirt-like clothing.
Her dagger didn’t look like great quality; it was doubtful it could slash the wyvern’s hide. Still, something was better than nothing. I’d ask Crow about the heroes’ weapons during rest time.
"Heh. I never thought I’d get to talk with Oda-kun like this."
Gazing out at the vast sky with no sign of enemies, Hosoyama said cheerfully. She was probably remembering her school life before being summoned.