The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 34

I was dreaming.

It wasn’t anything significant, but it was somewhere enjoyable.

However, I noticed something, and it interrupted the pleasant dream midway.

“Tch!”

I woke up and sat up.

“AI-chan, wake up.”

I shook AI-chan, who was sleeping soundly next to me.

“Master…? What’s wrong? It’s still dark.”

Indeed, it was pitch black outside the window.

“Just wake up.”

I urged her and got out of bed, then pressed a switch.

The room lit up as bright as daylight.

I don’t understand the mechanism, but this must also be due to magic stones.

With the light on, I started to take off my pajamas.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a scary dream? Did memory processing fail?”

AI-chan asked, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s not that. Hurry up and change, then wake up Natalia and Alice.”

“Um… O-okay!”

AI-chan also hurriedly got up and started changing.

Once we finished changing, the two of us left the room.

At the entrance, Clive and a woman with long red hair were standing.

Both of them clearly just woke up, their hair was tousled, and they were in their pajamas.

“Hm? Yuuma and AI-chan? What’s up?”

Clive, who was talking to the red-haired woman, asked.

“I thought it might be an emergency.”

“I see… Annie, wake up the girls. I’ll wake up the guys.”

“Got it.”

When Clive asked, a person named Annie glanced at me briefly before heading upstairs.

“Who’s that?”

“Her name’s Annie. She’s one of our members. Since our clan leader isn’t here, she’s in charge.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, I’ll go wake up the guys. Wait for me in the common area.”

Clive said that and headed upstairs, so I went to the common area in the corner of the entrance.

There, Koma-chan was sleeping on the sofa, so I woke him up and sat on the sofa.

After a while, sleepy-looking men and women in their pajamas started coming in one after another.

“Huh? Yuuma, the king of oversleeping, is here.”

“…True. And he’s even changed clothes.”

Natalia and Alice also arrived, their hair tousled, wearing pajamas.

“Everyone’s here.”

When Natalia and Alice arrived, Annie and Clive, who had gone to call them, returned.

“Everyone? There are only nine of us, including me and AI-chan.”

There are five women, including Natalia and Alice, and four men. Furthermore, everyone except me and AI-chan is standing. They could sit down, you know.

“The others are working.”

“Hmm…”

Are they okay?

“…Anyway, why at this hour?”

Alice asked, her eyes looking even sleepier than usual.

“It’s bad timing, I know. But first of all, we received an urgent request from the guild.”

Annie, who seemed to be the leader, replied.

“…An urgent request?”

“Last night… or rather, a little while ago. A survey team investigating the forest apparently discovered an unusual number of monsters. And now, those monsters are invading this town. In short, it’s a stampede.”

Annie said that, and the surroundings began to buzz.

“Hey, is this for real!?”

“Why all of a sudden!?”

“No way…”

What’s a stampede? It’s hard to ask…

“Master, a stampede is when monsters spawn in large numbers and attack. In other words, a large number of monsters are heading towards this town to attack.”

When I was in trouble, AI-chan told me.

“Oh, that’s what it means. Then, I get it.”

“Huh? You get it?”

“Yeah. Why do you think I woke up? They’re already here.”

“Huh? Hey, newbie, what do you mean?”

While AI-chan and I were talking, Annie asked.

The others also started to pay attention to me.

“No, I mean, they’re already near the town. I sensed it and woke up. I was going to wake everyone up, but you guys were already awake.”

“They’re already here… Dammit!”

Annie bit her nails.

“Annie, let’s get ready right away. We need to hurry or they’ll breach the gate.”

Clive urged Annie.

“Wait! I want to confirm with everyone first whether we should take on this job…”

“Huh? It’s an emergency request!”

“I know! But a stampede is a disaster! We might die! I’m from this town, and my family lives here, so I’ll fight even if it means risking my life. But I can’t ask people from elsewhere to die for us.”

Annie looked down, frustrated.

“That’s…”

“It seems the stampede is coming from the western forest. Then we can escape from the east gate. Those who want to flee can do so. We’ll just say we were on a job like the others, so it won’t be considered abandoning the emergency request.”

Can’t ask them to fight together…

“What’s everyone going to do?”

Clive asked the others, and they exchanged glances.

“We don’t have time, so please decide quickly.”

Annie said that, and everyone lowered their heads and started to think.

But soon, they looked up and looked at Annie.

“We have no choice but to do it.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, we’re adventurers, after all.”

The group that was thinking came to the conclusion to fight.

“Annie, what about reinforcements from the capital?”

Clive asked Annie for confirmation.

“The Guild has already sent a request. We’re not too far from there, and the capital is in danger too, so I think reinforcements will come soon.”

“So, it’s just a matter of buying time. Alright, let’s do it.”

Clive seemed to be joining in as well.

“Natalia, Alice, what about you two?”

When Annie asked the two, they somehow looked at me.

“Do as you please. You can run away or fight. If it gets dangerous, Koma-chan will help you escape, just like yesterday.”

Saying that, I stroked Koma-chan, who then went to stand by the two and sat down.

“Well, count us in.”

“…Well, I guess we’ll do it.”

Is Natalia going to be alright?

“Right… Sorry. What about you? You’ve only been in this town for a few days…”

Well, it’s true. I hardly know anything about this town, and most of the clan members are strangers to me as well.

“I’ll do it.”

“Master, are you going to join? It’s dangerous, you know?”

AI-chan asked, gripping my sleeve.

“I can’t just abandon them. Even in my second life, saving people remains unchanged. It’s my job to save powerless commoners, even if they’re from another country or even another world.”

Even if it’s just me, I’ll do it.

I’ve never been educated to choose to run away from here.

“But it’s a stampede.”

No, I don’t care.

“So what? They’re like a swarm of ants. At worst, I’ll incinerate them all with Hellfire Extermination.”

“I see… Understood! Then, I’ll help too! It’s time for me to awaken the dormant power in this body!”

AI-chan said so, clenching her fists with determination.

It’s a spirited gesture, but still just looks cute.

Hmm… Looks like it’s impossible for her to fight after all.