Chapter 24 (1/2)

isode Twenty-Four 〜 Master-less Land x Forest of Magic Fog x a.s.sa.s.sin ※

Translator’s Corner: This chapter is longer than yesterday’s! Yui is back, and Shuya sees some of the darker parts of this world. Enjoy!

Enjoying the cool wind of spring, the popob.u.mu steadily advances south west through the burn ruins of small towns, scars of war.

I come across a monster in the form of a goblin.

Other than that I encounter no other monsters.

I can see huge jellyfish floating in the sky, but there seems to be very few earth bound monsters.

I want to plunge into the huge jellyfish in the sky, but what do you say, when you see something really strange…I can easily accept it.

However, in place of the monsters…

There are a lot of thieves in this area, it is dangerous.

Exactly as the sour oya-san told me.

Ma, there is nothing to be done about it.

There are no adventurer’s guilds in the post stations around here.

There are tattered homes, dirty bars, small stores, p.a.w.nshops and cheap inns, but I cannot make money so I can use those.

A store may be able to break one of the coins Achilles-s.h.i.+sho gave me.

In the first place, the towns and villages around here don’t have the proper atmosphere to talk about gold coins.

Fighting and stealing are everyday occurrences in the streets of these towns, when I step a little into a dark alley I also encounter a fight.

When I found the body of a child and adult…I was really upset.

Aside from the body, it was my first time seeing the body of someone who had been killed and left alone.

Even when I ask the people in the area about the body they acted like they didn’t know anything.

“Are you an official of one of the barons?”

“Fuun.” “Ah, they’re dead.”

“…I dunno.” “What’s it to ya?”

Like that…

If the wind blows the bucket makers prosper.

Saying that, there do not seem to be any businesses making a profit from building coffins.

I pray that they will rest in peace.

This world is harsh…this area is very different than the one I was in after leaving the Elven territory.

So, maa, let us talk about the limitations around here.

-Naa? Unusually Rollo has gotten down from the back of the popob.u.mu’s head and is walking around the area.

While walking Rollo goes “Nya?” lightly, before returning to the back of the popob.u.mu’s head.

On such a dangerous highway, the merchants travel in groups with adventurers, and the scene is normal in the area.

Someone traveling alone like I am seems to be unusual. But, the thieves are attack without exception.

-They attack while taking me for granted.

I defeat all the thieves I come across, I know them out and leave them on the ground, then escape again.

It seems that there some merchant caravans that quietly pa.s.s through the highway at night with adventurers for protection to protect them from bandit attacks.

However, something like that does not seem to bother the thieves, it can happen at noon on the highway but it normally is at night, when a target is found they can defeat they attack repeatedly, looting as much as they like.

The methods they use to win are dreadful.

Not only the merchants and coachman are attacked, but also women, children, all are murdered without overlooking the adventurer

s meant to be guarding them.

…It is horrible. I heard it was a Barony but I can only think of it as a “Master-less Land.”

When the thieves are stronger than the adventurers, it becomes like that.

Under a cloudy sky I push popob.u.mu over a slight hill along the highway with a gloomy feeling, and then I come across a scene that disgusts me.

Many bodies have been hung by their necks, dangling from a big tree on the hill.

I am stunned. The body of the child I saw in the town the other day was only just the beginning.

Once again, I realize how cruel this world can be.

To intentionally be hung from such high branches…they look like prey impaled on thorns by shrikes, that is probably the intention. (TL: Shrikes impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire. This serves both to make tearing their prey into edible pieces easier and also for a male to demonstrate their hunting prowess during mating season.)

These were bandits, not thieves.

At first I overlooked it, but when it comes to this, do you have to completely abandon your optimism?

I feel indignation at the bandit’s actions.

I check the surrounding area for magic essence of bandits.

Because the bandits’ behavior stands out I follow them immediately.

I tail them from behind without being noticed. In a position where I could attack, I wait for the bandits to move a little.

Then, the bandits begin to move.

The group of bandits seem to be aiming at a caravan.

In the form of a raid, I attack the bandits.

Then…I knowingly kill a person for the first time.

Any sensation of regret pa.s.ses after a moment.

How should I say it, killing is not good. I understand that, but I feel no revulsion from my actions.

Rather they only felt like fodder, I guess this is evidence that I became a monster.

And, I need blood, so finally like the vampire I am, I catch one of the vampires alive.

I will return the same inhuman treatment to the bandits.

It is cruel, but…this is a different world.

This is reality.

I stick the surviving bandit to a tree and start to do various experiments.

Honestly, the blood of human beings was good.

While being careful not to suck too much, I suck the blood little by little.

Sure enough I suck the blood, is this harmful to humans?

I suck the blood while wondering such a thing.

There is a bite mark on the back of his neck. Even when I drink human blood, the taste doesn’t give me a craving for blood.

And because there is nothing like a drug induced trip I am relieved.

No, is it dangerous when I get a taste?

I wonder inside, but because I am convinced it is inevitable I leave it.

When I am thinking about the blood, Rollo partic.i.p.ates half-way through. a.s.suming her best form, she approaches the bandit while extending her claws.

She opens her mouth to deliberately show off her fangs.

The bandit becomes frightened and pa.s.ses out.

After a suck a little blood I leave him be for a while.

There is no change in the bandit, even after he has been unconscious for a whole day.

When I suck someone’s blood they become a member of my “Family” and transform into a “Ghoul” becoming a monster, there doesn’t seem to be a novel or movie like even like this.

Even after waiting for two, then three days, he really is a normal human.

I also asked the bandit why he was running around this place like wild.

The group of bandits seem to be called 【Doldevi Gang】.

They seem to be part of a major dark guild in 【Imperial Capitol Fad.y.k.e 】for the 【Oath of Nocturne】.

“Only, just, we don’t hav’ that.”

“Beside, there are lots of rotten gangs.”

Even as thief has his reasons, he talks about it importantly.

Furthermore, 【Terramay Kingdom】, 【Samaria Kingdom】, and n.o.bles of 【Osberia Kingdom】, some knights, when there are those in positions to obtain information and accept bribes, after a groups grows into bandits, there is also a huge group made from banished n.o.ble families.

This was all explained boastfully.

Talking and chattering and twittering.

The strong hypnosis effect from the <soul sucking=””> skills appears to work.

Is it also related to permanent skill

too?

The bandit man does not act like he is hypnotized, he is fully conscious and talking properly.

So it is the truth.

Ma, I can easily image this fellow’s story.

As for the thing about government officials, there seems to be some corruption.

The talking continues from there.

The intervals between the cities 【Fad.y.k.e】⇔【Hector】⇔【Holkerbam】⇔【Pernette】⇔【Gurmuheim】 make up the Haym River gold route, it is not only s.h.i.+pping groups that use the river, but also merchant groups using the highway, the trading groups travel a lot too.

Is it this?

What the sour oyaji talked about.

Because the 【Magic Fog Forest】 is in this area, it is easy to attack the highway here, and between 【Royal Capitol Fad.y.k.e】 and 【Fort City Hector】 is on the border of 【Osberia Kingdom】 and 【Terramay Kingdom】, all the more, it seems this area is easy to attack.

After the war the development of each country’s knights has been lacking as well.

However, do I need to be careful about monsters? Then the man exposes his dirty crooked teeth and talks in trivial tone.

In his words, “We’re all strong enough to fight monsters, ‘though the ‘venturers should do it.”

“We the pus that c.u.m out from d’aventurers, normal ‘venturers don’t got much money. Even if dey strong, if dey want to take th’easy way, get drunk on power their skill, drunk on blood, drunk on killin’. Human trash fightin’ their own blood.”

“Besides, with so few monsters on the highway it’s safe, an as merchants come and the economy grows, prices go down. Ma, as the money increase, don’t the rivals increase too? Kekeke…”

If that’s the case, there is the possibility of conspiring with merchants to consider.

Most of the thieves seem to have been former mercenaries, adventurers, and soldiers.

Ma, various background…they do not have.

I did not hear too much about it.

Besides, I wanted to try the permanent skill <head of=”” household=””> where I share my blood to make faithful servants, if they were a beautiful woman I would make them my servant right away, I stop because I thought I should still able.

The bite mark on the bandit’s necks disappears immediately.

Oh, because I intend to kill you, there is no meaning behind it…

Finally, I suck all his blood and kill him.

The bandit man dries up, becomes bones, then disappears.

I take his soul with the skill <soul sucking=””>.

The taste makes me feel refreshed.

But, honestly, the state of my mind is complicated.

Ma, I do not know about during a battle, but capturing and killing someone, even for a bandit, it bears down on my conscience to some extent.

Like this, I continue traveling with pheromone touch, presence detection, and using <hidden body=””> with Rollo, I raid thieves and bandits, exterminating them.

After exterminating today’s thieves who attacked a merchant caravan, I take a break.

I check right away. Status.

Name: Shuya Kagari

Age: 22

t.i.tle: Divine Beast Contractor

Race: Rusivault

Battle Occupation: Magic Spearman : Chain User : Magic Apprentice

Physical Strength 18.2→18.8 Agility 19.3→19.8 Stamina 17.4→18.0 Mana 22.2→22.9 Dexterity 17.2→18.0 Spirit 23.1→23.4 Luck 11.0

Condition: Calm

From facing the masked professional killers before, to now, my abilities seem to have only improved a little from kill thieves.

Then I close my status.

When I examine the money and bags left behind by the dead thieves and merchants, I am finally able to gather some money.

Because I got money from the merchant I helped too, I have gold coins, silver coins, large copper coins, thus my saddle bags and magic bags have become a little heavy. Because I hated my bags being too heavy I tried to return the money immediately, but the merchants I helped suggested I stay with caravan to guard it. However, I politely declined.

In the first place I have yet to become an adventurer/

And like that, I advance to the west.

All too soon, I leave the Barony and enter the Viscount’s territory.

I enjoy going to the village and staying in an inn, I buy a small backpack and jerky then squander and money and play with women.

I continue traveling happily like the past time of a n.o.ble. But thieves attack one after another outside of post towns.

Every time, I respond by slaying and exterminating them.

Then, in a bar of a certain post town, while enjoying my meal I sit next to a bar maid in a reddish brown dress pouring me liquor, and I hear a strange rumor.

“Sorgey, did you hear about the Spearman?”

“Yeah. What about ‘im?”

“These days the Barony is safe. The Spearman and the black cat, the Spearman with a black wolf companion, the wolf companion of the black cat, they seem to aim at thieves, hora, there are also people searching for the rumor.”

N? Is that us? The last “Wolf Companion of the Black Cat” name, it almost made spit liquor out of my nose and mouth.

“Ah, I heard, the Baron is searching for the rumor too. But, the owner of the rumor always seems to disappear right away and leave the area.”

“It seems like it, I want to see it. Won’t he come to this place…as a matter of fact it should be ‘you.'”

“Kakaka, and what if it really is myself-sama?”

“Eeh, that would be impossible. Baka.”

U〜n, after all if Rollo is with me…

This is becoming like a historical Samurai movie.

But, the samurai is those period dramas are always accompanied by children, and it is always one person wanting to be prudent.

Not worrying over the rumor, I pa.s.s through the town in high spirits and advance…

As I traveling along the highway and pa.s.s through a thick forest, without noticing I seem to have veered off=course, the area is becoming foggy and I am in a rocky place with moss growing.

The area is deserted.

As I pa.s.s through alone, I get a weird sign, the crows in the rocky place at stop cawing and fly away at once.

Is this a sign that something is about to happen? However, here is a small mountain? The fog is making it hard to see, I seem to have travel to a place with a valley.

The fog is thick…n?

Ah, perhaps this is the placed named for the magic fog?

Having such a question, I pick up magic essence behind me.

-I make the popob.u.mu hurry up and run.

In the place I was before- a sword cuts the air.

The bearer of the sword is a beautiful woman. Ah, it is a woman this time.

She is not wearing a mask this time. Is it because I said so?

Ma, at any rate…this beautiful kill is Yui.

Yui is holding a sword with both hands.

Bathed in the blood of her victims, there are dirty spots of blood here and there.

N, were you injured? The black overcoat is torn at the left shoulder, and I can see blood stains around it.

Her eyes are vacant with a clouded expression.

“You. After a long time. You removed the mask. But, why is your beautiful face dirty? You seem to have been injured, and aren’t you tired?”

“…”

“Quiet again?”

Yui has appeared before me again after a long absence, and not answering my questions, stays expressionless and silent.

She is giving me a cold look.

Then, Yui’s eyes suddenly change.

Eyes like obsidian is grey from silver-white, again they return to black, the color of her pupils changes repeatedly, becoming like a shaft of wavering light, and then continues to change.

Again, innumerable small silver-white points appear moving in her eyes.

It seems like snow is scattered in her eyes dancing around beautifully in the open sky, the snow in the white of her eyes soon become pure white.

Both eyes take on a mysterious silver ting.

These beautiful eyes are wasted on this cold blooded killer.

“Nyaa.”

Rollo also leans her head to the side questioningly, and calls out at the eyes.

But, did she react to the cat’s voice… her eye color changes and there is none of the blood thirst from the other day.

“What happened? Looking at a face such as this-”

Defending against Yui’s sword- a metallic sounds resounds.

The sudden flying cut.

I stay calm and handle my black spear, I shake of the sword and prevent it.

This area is still foggy, because I cannot focus on Yui I kick the popob.u.mu’s abdomen, and decide to advance into the to escape.

However, I come to the top of a cliff. Dead-end.

Since there is no help it, I get down from the popob.u.mu. (TL: It really bothers me that the popob.u.mu doesn’t have a name.)

Dangerous. With the fog like this I did not notice the nearby fog.

There is a sign that Yui is pursuing me from behind.

“Rollo, since Yui is coming again, please stay to side and watch.”

After I tell Rollo I wait for Yui to approach from the back.

There, Yui appears like a ghost from the fog.

Her expression seems somewhat hard.

Her eyes have returned to black.

“Yui, you look unwell? Are you okay?”

“Why are you worrying about me in this situation?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

When Yui says that, she raises the sword with both hands.

Her inured arm from before seems to have already healed.

To deal with her dual sword style, I concentrate on dodging. (TL: Wait, I miss-translated something.)

Then, Yui stops swings her swords.

She crouches down and turns to the side to draw a sword, unsheathing it.

She pulls out the other sword at her waist with a quick draw. (TL: Okay, I understand now.)

She quickly s.h.i.+fts to attack with her two unsheathed swords.

But, I real her sword strike, and avoid it.

“How, counterattack.”

After all- the blade of Yui’s sword pa.s.ses right in front of me.

Two sword streaks are seen, and-

She brings back her swords and crosses them for a slash attack.

Referencing my own sword play- once again, a drawn sword attacks from the upper-right in a line. I read the trajectory of the blade, look at the unique sword.

Such brilliant swordsmans.h.i.+p-

-N? It suddenly becomes sharp

-Did the sword s.h.i.+ft?

Yui’s two sword blades move in with a blazing white light.

This seems to be a special unique stab skill’s payout.

Waeeeh- ku, my ear, iteee, I suffer a cut on my cheek and arm. My earlobe was cut and there is a small trail of blood down my cheek, but the wound immediately closes.

It is sharp, but I can still dodge it-

“How?”

With tears in her eyes Yui appeals to me.

“No, maa, I would say that was really close. -You should be happy.”

“Ku, wha-what is it with you!”

“Mou, don’t swing those around so much anymore.”

Seeming to have been upset by my words, the point of Yui’s sharp swords are shaking. The sword attack goes wide and she completely over swings.

She keeps swinging her swords around.

Then, the dirt footing suddenly collapses.

“Ah-”

One of Yui’s feet lose contact with the earth and steps into the sky. She quickly loses her balance.

She falls over the edge of the cliff.