Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3
Volume 3 Chapter 3
Narcissus Harbor II [The Beginning of Crazy Circ.u.mstances]
(3rd Person POV)
The girl jumped over a puddle in order to not be bogged down by dirty water.
This older section of town was under construction, as miscellaneous renovations were added for a residential area. Something like the back doors of shops were here and there, as well as a few piles of bags and boxes not yet unloaded scattered along the narrow street.
She didn’t know where it would connect to. But whether or not it went back to the road where she started, she had to concentrate on gaining distance from her pursuers and her small, still-growing body.
“It’s over there!!”
“It’s running around to the other side!!”
She didn’t turn around at the yelling voices.
She knew it was disadvantageous if they were to see and remember her face clearly.
Originally, she had been proud of her hair color. But now she was easy to pick out because she had hidden as much of her features as possible with black cloth.
Running down the narrow back alley, sandwiched between high walls, she looked up. It was because there was such narrow maze-like roads that the little girl could keep escaping. She knew that, but like a fool she had looked up at the clear blue sky. Confronted with that narrow line of sky she began to feel insignificant, leaving her with only a sense of loneliness as she was one who lived in the shadows.
Running along a road like this reminded her body of the feeling of entrapment, which gave rise to the illusion that she was something like a rat in a maze. No, a “rat” is indeed what she was.
Kicking off the wall of a building, she managed a height that allowed her to clear the wall right in front of her.
“This *^&$% brat…!!”
“I have laid a Warning Web (警戒網) surrounding this alley! Do not be hasty!”
To those words the girl unconsciously clicked her tongue.
Warning Web.
Perhaps the Princ.i.p.ality had notified them. Or perhaps the people of the Princ.i.p.ality were still partic.i.p.ating in the chase.
In any case, the concern that she had been trapped in this town flitted across her mind, although she shook it out of her head instantly. She could not give up her dream in such a place.
For the relief of her homeland, and for the sake of revenge for the deaths of her family, it absolutely could not end like this. It would not end like this.
Grabbing some hanging laundry from a corner of the alley, she changed clothes while running. Although it was better than nothing, it was still not much of a disguise. Here it may be a meaningless act, but would be a great advantage if she managed to step into a crowd be confused for someone else. It was a plain white blouse and a red fur jumper skirt like the average town girl.Hiding her black cloak in her pocket she continued to run. And run.
This was also a sign of her determination to outrun the enemy.
“This annoying brat!”
“!!” (Girl)
“Oi, this is the end…!!”
She had been watching ahead. Then when the shadow of two men leaped out, without a moment of hesitation she somersaulted over them. At the same time as one man came out face-forward and with a leg outstretched for her capture, something black pierced his instep.
“Agyaaaaaaaaaa!!”
“I told you to pay attention to where it was jumping…”
“…!” (Girl)
She transferred her gaze from the man in pain to the man next to him who spoke.
Both of them were wearing the same guards’ uniform that the girl
knew as belonging to the local force. In the moment of recognition, she threw a sharp object that glinted black towards the man who spoke.
But.
“Ottto” (sfx for being caught off balance)
“!!” (Girl)
A circular crest appeared in front of the man and deflected her weapon.
She knew that the man whose hand was outstretched had cast the magic spell, but as it was the first time she had seen this kind of magic, for a moment the girl’s eyes widened.
“Is this your first time seeing the Magic Law of the Professor Country? I think there were opportunities to see it in the Princ.i.p.ality though …Now then, shall I show you my Magic Law, the pride of the Professor Country?”
“Isn’t that from the Empire…!!” (Girl)
“Oh, you finally spoke. Since you seemed to be an immature spirit I am relieved…Now, shall I show you my great country’s magic techniques?”
“Tsu…!” (Girl)
The biggest threat to mankind is the unknown.
As the man said, she had never seen this country’s Magic Law.
There was only one path left to take.
“It’s been a fun chase…but, the other pursuers are coming around. You’d better give up!”
“Shut up…!” (Girl)
The girl easily twisted her body and fled in the direction she had come. There were quite a few connecting streets to this alley. If she turned the next corner, there should be another road. With that thought she tried to get far away from the man. However.
“The Professor Country’s Magic Law is roughly divided into three sections. Enchant, Instant, Artifact. The barrier from just now is Enchant…It is simply that I added the “guardian” attribute to my hand. Let’s try an Instant type on you next.”
Although she thought he was talking too much, she did not say so. There was no point as even if she didn’t want to she could not help but hear his loud voice.
Though her feet had acc.u.mulated fatigue from her continued attempts to flee and she worried that she would be captured, she still had to try and escape.
It was then.
“Wha…!!” (Girl)
The moment the man touched the wall of the alley, the road right before her was blocked.
She skidded to a stop right before cras.h.i.+ng into the wall that had dangerously appeared before her very eyes. It was then that she was robbed of words, being faced with the mysterious sight as if the buildings on both sides had grown inwards.
“Using the Instant Law is a technique that requires touch, but it cannot be helped because you must be caught.”
“Wh-at?” (Girl)
“Instant Law alters objects on the spot, but you can only use what is already there in the s.p.a.ce around you, so I borrowed some things like gravel and the bricks around here to create that wall in front of you. Though it’s generally prohibited since it changes the layout of the surroundings and in some cases causes a collapse…now then.”
“…!” (Girl)
A dead end.
It was situation that would make anyone think it was over, if they had been just a normal girl, that is.
She kicked off of the walls on either side and leapt over the wall created by the man. Then she began to run back.
She heard something collapsing behind her.
“No well, it would have been disappointing if you were stopped by that, but this is a bit of overkill.”
“…” (Girl)
‘Do not mock a Ninja of the Republic.’ She wanted to say, but she held her tongue and focused on putting more distance between them. It seemed like the man did not care enough to continuously repeat the Instant technique, and so he just chased her while seeming to magically accelerate occasionally.
And so, she had been slightly careless.
“!!!” (Ninja Girl)
“Good job Bulk.” (バルク)
“Well, your timing was perfect.”
She was surrounded. Though it was a bit too late to notice.
Nearly 20 people include her had gathered in the narrow three-way alleyway. As far as she could see, these guys were all wearing the same uniform and probably were capable of the same Magic Law skills as the first man.
While being circled by the walls like the one formed before, it was likely that her location had been magically reported. After gaining time for his comrades, the capture net had been able to shrink and enclose her.
“What were they thinking, creating a strategy requiring twenty people just for a child like this?”
“Come on. Didn’t you want to step on the Adventurer’s a.s.sociation of Braves enough to scatter them?”
The men casually shrugged their shoulders. Were they so confident that if they surrounded her they could capture her? Perceiving it as an opportunity the girl threw a weapon into the gap of attention.
“Ottto. This is, could it be a Kunai?…Is this person from j.a.ppon, or the Republic, or perhaps even an adventurer from the Princ.i.p.ality? In any case she is not a human from the Empire.”
“Ugh…!!” (Ninja Girl)
Just like from the man before, her attack had been prevented by the same magic.
Unable to comprehend, her reaction to the man approaching in front of her was delayed and came too late.
“A sniveling brat declaring war means nothing.” (開戦をテメエの方から宣言してくれるとはな)
“Gafu…!?” (Ninja Girl)
Some kind of stick was driven strongly into her abdomen, knocking the air out of her, while at the same time, an electric shock ran through her entire body.