Chapter 90 (1/2)
Volume 1
V4 Chapter 20
「Setting Off For Their New Home」Part 1
Early in the morning, the night’s indigo sky had yet to give way .
The village seemed like an island surrounded by a sea of mist as the valley was blanketed by the mist descending from the Calcutta mountain range .
In the yard in front of the Blade Heart Clan’s headquarters, a group of robust looking people carrying heavy equipment had gathered . The were other people as well, looking at the gathering from a distance .
I stood at the center of the group in my full set of armor with Ponta tiredly yawning on top of my helmet .
A cool morning breeze blew through the area and caused Ariane’s beautiful long white hair to briefly dance in the wind as she checked her leather armor, as Chiome calmly stood beside her dressed in her usual grabs .
Goro, the village chief and Pitta, the head of security from yesterday’s meeting, were also here .
After spending a long amount of time explaining my circumstances to Goro and Hanzo, Ponta finally ran out of patience and didn’t stop howling until dinner began .
The meal consisted of dumplings made from wheat flour, monster meat and wild plants that grew in the area . It was quite delicious, despite the peculiar taste .
Since the meat and vegetables were only seasoned with a little salt, the meal could have had a bit more variation in taste .
When I talked to Chiome later, she informed me that wheat was a rare commodity in the village and that the broth used in the dumplings had been set aside for special occasions .
As an outsider, the village seemed perfectly fine, but beneath the surface there was a pressing issue of food rationing .
Hopefully the land we’re heading to would relieve that issue……
That thought crossed my mind as I looked at the advance group .
There was a woman of nearly equal height to Goro, speaking with him as she effortlessly held a large battle axe over her shoulder .
She was a little under two meters and fifty centimeters tall . She had short, chestnut colored hair, small round ears and wore a set of red leather armor .
Based on her build, she must belong to the bear clan .
When he noticed me looking at them, Goro lowered his head towards me as he and the women came over .
“Arc-dono, my people will be in your care today . Allow me to introduce Rose, my daughter and Pitta’s second in command . ”
Expressing his gratitude, Goro stepped aside and introduced his daughter to me .
The large woman called Rose give me a short nod and held out her hand .
“My name is Rose . Just as my father said, I will be second in command for this mission . The people of this village are forever indebted to you, Arc-san . ”
“Rose-dono . Well, I hope your trust isn’t misplaced . ”
She seemed to be in a cheerful mood because when I shook her large hand, which didn’t seem to belong to a woman, she offered me a toothy grin .
I thought that I had a pretty large physique, but apparently there were people with even larger builds in this world .
The members of the bear clan are people humans would fear for their physique alone .
The gap between races was larger than I had imaged, at least that’s the thought that crossed my mind when I looked at her .
Before I could dwell on it any further, Hanzo suddenly came up behind me .
“Arc-dono, the preparations are complete . Everything is ready for you . ”
When I turned towards Hanzo, I saw that the group that had gathered in the yard were now standing behind the smiling old man .
The rabbit man Pitta stood beside Hanzo, wearing black leather armor with two short swords hanging from his waist and a gruff smile on his face .
“……Kyu〜h . ”
Her perception must have been incredibly sharp since I felt Ponta slipping back on my helmet . I even had to stroke her chin to pacify her .
For some reason, she just didn’t seem to like Pitta .
The advance party consisted of ten people: Ariane and me, Pitta and Rose as the respective leader and second-in-command, two of the great ninjas Chiome and Goemon and four warriors from the village .
It was a rather small scouting group, but the purpose of this expedition was to see if the land was viable enough for a large group of people to live on .
Therefore this small group was just the right size .
“Understood . I’ll transfer us to the base of the mountain the residence sits on . Everyone gather together . ”
Hanzo nodded along when I called out to the advance party . They collected their large amount of baggage and surrounded me .
After easing the worries of the villagers who had come to see everyone off, Hanzo looked upon us one more time .
“I’ll await the good news . ”
In response to Hanzo’s sendoff, I invoked my long distance transfer magic .
“Here we go . 【Transfer Gate]!”
A large, pale magic formation appeared beneath the feet of the advance party and the next moment the view in front of us had changed .
The party members around me were in various states of admiration and astonishment when they realized they were no longer in their familiar village .
We had transferred to the front of the torii at the base of the mountain that housed the Dragon King’s Tree, which was visible even from here .
“Huh, the scent is different from the forest in the Calcutta mountains……”
Pitta’s long ears stood straight up and his nose twitched several times as he tried to get an impression of the surroundings .
“Though I’d heard about it, it feels a little strange to instantly move to a different location . ”
Rose muttered as her eyes roamed over the scenery all around her, while a man with pierced, triangular ears was frantically looking around as if he was trying to cope with the sudden shift .
“What!? Nee-san, what is this!?”
“What’s the matter, Gin? A warrior chosen for the advance party shouldn’t make an anxious expression like that . Even the fluffy fox is more composed than you . ”
“Kyun?”
Rose laughed at the young warrior called Gin as she looked at Ponta, who was scratching her ears with her hind leg .