You didn't expect this, did you? I've time-traveled again!

Ultimately, however, it was Suoh Takeshi's fault for entrusting the money to Aqua for safekeeping.

She originally intended to give the money to Kazuma Sato for safekeeping, but she was afraid that he would secretly go to see Nightmare Girl for fun, so she gave the savings to Aqua instead.

But we forget that Aqua is also a complete problem child.

"It's alright, I still have plenty of gold bars on me."

He pulled out several gold bars, each as thick as a finger, from his pocket and said to the crowd with an air of wealth and arrogance, "Don't be afraid, just order whatever you like."

These gold bars were the travel expenses the Demon Slayer Corps gave him when he left.

Wealthy families always provide more travel expenses.

"Aqua, stop wasting money. If I don't come back, you'll go hungry."

Suoh Takeshi also slightly reprimanded her, expressing his dissatisfaction with her.

Compared to Aqua's tragic fate in the original work, Aqua didn't suffer much because of his interference, but this made her even more arrogant and unrestrained.

We should think of a way to restrict her.

Before long, the steaming hot food was served by the waiter, and everyone ate and drank like starving ghosts.

Before long, all the food on the table was gone.

"Phew! I'm full, I'm full."

"good to eat."

"It's really delicious."

"I can't even remember the last time I ate breakfast."

After everyone finished eating, they lazily lay on the table, while Suoh used the gold bars to pay Eris's bill and also accepted a quest.

"Alright everyone, we should go!"

After resting for a while, I called everyone to leave.

Although the three others, except for Darkness, were somewhat lazy and unwilling, they still obediently followed them out.

"Well then...we're going to do some special training!"

Suoh Takeshi instructed Darkness, "Darkness, carry Megumin on your back."

"Huh?!" X2

Darkness and Megumin were both very surprised.

Then Suoh Takeshi explained the purpose of this arrangement to everyone.

"Aqua and Megumin are the two most important members of the team. Their explosive damage output and healing recovery depend on them, so they cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Darkness, as a Knight of the Cross, your mission is to protect both of them!

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, you must take both of them and escape the battlefield as quickly as possible!

Do you understand now?

"Understood, leave it to me!"

Darkness also thought that what he said made sense.

"You're still carrying that heavy giant shield, so this time you can carry the lighter Megumin on your back and get used to it."

"Ok!"

Suoh Takeshi then said, "Then, I'll carry Aqua on my back."

He explained amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd: "Although I am a master swordsman, due to my talent, I can temporarily serve as the team's off-tank. In critical moments, I will prioritize protecting my teammates."

"I see."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

And so, Darkness carried Megumin on her back, and Suoh Takeru carried Aqua on his back.

"Then, let's go!"

The group ran out of the starting village and headed west.

During the run, Kazuma Sato couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Suoh-senpai, what mission did you take on?"

He knew that the steady Suoh Takeshi wouldn't take on a mission that his team couldn't complete, but the unknown mission always made him nervous.

Suoh Takeshi did not hide anything.

He chuckled and said, "My mission is to [eliminate the swarm of Lizard Runners]!"

P.S.: This chapter is a bit bland and bloated, and it's not very engaging. I recommend reading it in conjunction with the next chapter for a better experience!

Chapter 045 Run, Darkness! (Please recommend and add to your favorites)

"Run! Run!"

"Run faster, Darkness!"

"Keep going! If you feel like you can't go on, just let me know and I'll help you regain your strength!"

At this moment, Darkness was running across the vast plains.

Meanwhile, the other members of the team were sitting under a big tree enjoying the shade. If they didn't know the truth, they would definitely think that she had been treated unfairly.

In reality, Darkness is now thoroughly enjoying this humiliating situation.

"Awesome!!!"

"Um... isn't it a bit too cruel to make Darkness run under the scorching sun?"

Huihui whispered from the side, "An hour has passed, shouldn't we let her rest for a bit?"

"That's true..."

Seeing Darkness panting and covered in sweat, Suoh Takeshi guessed that she probably couldn't hold on any longer.

There's no point in forcing myself to keep going; it's better to take a break first.

"I'll go there."

After saying that, he rushed out.

When she returned, Darkness followed behind her, exhausted and swaying.

And there's also the red monster she's holding—the Lizard Runner (Princess).

"Aqua, restore Darkness's strength."

"Yes--!"

Aqua skipped over and began casting a healing spell.

At this point, you might be completely confused and not quite understand what happened.

The incident began when Suoh Takeru accepted the quest to "slay the Lizard Runner colony".

------

"Exterminate the Lizard Runner colony?"

Kazuma Sato has only been in this other world for a short time, and has never heard of this kind of monster, nor does he know its characteristics.

Therefore, he humbly sought advice.

Afterwards, Aqua explained it to him.

"So, our task is to disperse or eliminate the lizard runners who have gathered because of the breeding season, is that right?"

"That's it."

"But what does this have to do with Darkness's special training?"

"It just so happens that this task is suitable; there's no direct connection. Don't overthink it."

"I see, I understand now. It seems I misunderstood."

Kazuma Sato nodded to indicate that he understood.

At this point, no one had any further questions.

After leaving the starting village and running westward for three or four hours, the entire team finally arrived at the plain where the Lizard Runners were located.

"Rest for half an hour first, and then we'll start again."

Suoh Takeshi helped everyone recover their strength.

Then, during the break, he began to explain the mission arrangements and the special training plan for Darkness.

“Darknis, your stamina and endurance are very strong, but your explosive power is poor and even inferior to that of an average knight. This is your weakness!”

He pointed out Darkness's fatal flaw incisively.

Darkness's stamina and endurance attributes are absolutely exceptional.

This can be seen from the fact that she ran for so long without being out of breath, despite wearing heavy armor, carrying a giant shield, and carrying Megumin on her back.

However, her explosive power is relatively weak.

Otherwise, when the giant tiger attacked Huihui, she, who was closest to Huihui, would not have been able to save her in time.

Therefore, Suoh Takeshi came up with a special training method.

The lizard runner was tied around the neck with a rope and tethered to a large tree to restrict its movement.

But if it wants to escape, it will probably run around frantically.

Darkness's task was to stop the lizard runner from escaping and subdue it before the rope became taut.

The rope wasn't very long, and the lizard runner was quite fast.

If Darkness wants to stop it, she needs to use her super-strong burst of speed to increase her speed to a level faster than the lizard runner.

This kind of training is very helpful in developing explosive power.

"Darkness, do you understand what I'm saying?"