363 360. Time to skip.txt (1/2)

Our 'adventure' has begun.

The pages are rolled up and the next - ”The story of Fania, where the 'stealers of reason' we have yet to see are waiting for us”. The point of view shifts to me and my master as we walk through the streets of Fania. We are baffled by the strange culture, but we gather information and we both hear gossip about a lone murderer - and then we hear about it.

And I don't want to do that yet (・・・・・・・).

Before that, I wanted to talk about 'just the time of the move'.

That's the part that would be 'between the lines' in a book. In this instance, it's the space between ”I started on the road that leads to Fania” and ”The story of Fania, where the two 'reason-stealers' we haven't seen yet are waiting for us”.

It would be very true - as a book, it would be very true - that one line could be traced to the capital of another continent with a single turn of a page.

But I'm not the only one to admit that.

If all it takes is one word: ”Moved,” then there are zero travel fatalities anywhere. There would be no merchants or villagers suffering from damage caused by monsters. -- not for any decent reason, but because I've been a bookworm in the castle all my life, and the road was more fun than steep for me.

And there was a spark of magic in it.

In the 'lines' of movement, which were needlessly verbose, boring and frustrating, and the omissions were unavoidable, there were many elements (things) that were necessary for my real 'magic (...)'.

So, the next scene was not in Fania, but in between.

It will be an act of a city that was on the road, a city that won't even be named in history.

-- Under the dark clouds of the 'Demon Poison', that devastated city was completely enveloped in thick darkness.

A dirt road of unpaved filth stretched out underfoot, and on either side were rotten wooden houses that had not been repaired. There was a constant cloud of dirt and dust, and several crates and tool remnants were left in place.

Honestly, it's a bit of a poorly built city compared to Hoosiers, where we were a few days ago.

However, my mentor and I, exhausted from our trip, happily walked into the city, hoping to give our bodies a break.

A few moments later, we would severely regret our rash actions.

In the thick darkness of the city, a bellowing voice flashed through the air.

It was full of words filled with malice, such as ”Kill them all”, ”Don't let them escape”, ”Catch them and rape them”, which made me want to close my ears at any moment. But I can't move my hand from my mouth to protect my throat from the dusty air. In fact, I want to protect my nose, which hurts from the strange smell, but I have no choice but to put up with that.

At such a devastating situation, Master unintentionally utters his impressions of the city.

''--It's the worst (...)!　Ciara, that's enough!　It's no use, let it go!

Uh-huh. I get it!

My master described it as ”the worst” and I immediately nodded back - in fact, I was secretly enjoying (...) it.

Now we were in the middle of a long journey where we had been attacked by monsters several times during the long journey, lost our carriage and luggage to a night thief, and were being entertained by a group of houndstooths in the city we had finally arrived in, and the opportunity to rest our bodies was far from over. But I was terribly excited about an experience I couldn't get in a book.

I discovered that there was a lot of adventure in the ordinary 'between the lines'. Now the next time I read a book, the parts I can savor will be multiplied many times over.

With these out-of-place thoughts in mind, I stop chasing after the man who is vomiting and puking at my feet and jump back in a big way.

I really wanted to stun him after making him vomit blood, but it would be useless, as my master said.

After all, this is the second man who has attacked us in double digits. There's no end to the number of times I've knocked him out and knocked him out from earlier.

''Over there!　Let's get out of here, Tiara!

We ran out as fast as we could, out of the alleyway between the houses and onto the main street of the city.

What we had just been attacked by was not an alley so narrow that the word ”back” could be used to describe it.

It was really just a bit off the main street of the city. But as soon as we got there, we were greeted with a rousing welcome by a group of strippers.

I was amused by the lack of security in this city, and I looked at my master, who was muttering under his breath next to me.

''Hah, hah, hah ......!　Hey, why, why did you get attacked ......?　We've been pretty dirty on the road to this point and yet we're ....... It's not because of our age. Some of the current night thieves (those guys) were kids the size of Tiara. So why is this ......

In the stagnant air, the master was reassessing his outfit and sorting out the situation.

And I would interject my opinion as a local.

'It's not like we're the only ones who are special, I think all the travelers get attacked.　Even now, the stares are really awesome.

Although we are walking down the open main street, we are not yet at ease.

From the shadows, men with their faces hidden by dirty cloaks are watching us. We don't feel safe with the people on the street as we pass by. Everyone's eyes are bleary, and at the slightest hint they are about to go on a killing spree.

'Yeah, it looks like ....... d*mn, what is the richest trading city in the northeast: ......!

Overwhelmed by the difference between the ideal and the reality, my master bit his lower lip and yelled at me, taking it out on me.

Then he muttered to himself as he walked away from me. My eyes are starting to bleed, just like the rest of the people in the city, probably thanks to the rubbing of the welcome. It's kind of funny.

'Just walking around, the smell is so bad ....... Is this even a sewer system, let alone a water supply ......?　No. What was there, has stopped?　Everywhere the oil lamps are out. The occasional cobblestone is so cracked that you'd rather it wasn't there: ......

The master goes on to analyze the state of the city.

It's accurate. Not long ago, this city was famous for its trade, but due to the dark cloud of the Devil's Poison, the crops are difficult to grow, the trade routes have been crushed by the monsters, and the epidemic has spread to the area, making it look like this. It's a common story these days.

Hmmm. I'm sure it used to be a lot prettier, don't you think?　But it looks like you've been a bit lonely under the influence of that 'demonic poison'.

'It's not just a bit lonely, ....... This is already .......

The Master slurred his words.

He was afraid to say the rest of the story as long as there were still people living in the city. As for me, I think it's a city that can still be done, but not for him, apparently.

The Master bites his lower lip again and shakes his face hard, as if he's about to cry.

Then he regains his composure and talks constructively from the situation he has analyzed.

''I made the mistake of going off to the side to gather a bit of information. The only thing I've learned after all this is that the situation on the continent is so desperate that religion is strangely thriving.

As I walked, I looked to either side of the main street.

On the crack-strewn cobblestones, many beggars and sick people were on their knees, praying to the darkened heavens.

Lives that weren't long anymore were looking to religion for their final salvation.

However, the wording they uttered was quite disjointed. The objects of their prayers are scattered about, gods and spirits, and they're not unified.

'In Hoozeyer's, there was only the legend of Apostle-sama, but when you go out there, there are so many different gods! Surprise, surprise.

'As far as I can tell, many people pray to the indigenous gods?　And then there's the pattern of the disappearing sun and sky as a metaphor for God and calling out to him. Maybe we just don't know, but there are many more kinds of them: ......

'So, is Fania, the city we're going to, united into one religion?　Let's see, I believe it's ...... 'Teachings of the God of Fire'?

Yeah, that's right. It's called 'Altfelism', borrowing its name from the local fire god.

'Mmmm!　Yes, yes, yes, yes!　I can hear that name here and there from a while ago! And it's said that Fania's lord is the 'Prophet of the Flame God' who hears the voice of that flame god, Altoffel-sama. Oh, I'm so excited!　I wonder if that lord is like the apostles?

My smile deepened and my heart swelled with anticipation of the unknown that awaited me on the journey.

There were a lot of really fun stories mixed in with the information I had gathered to date.

For example, there was a story about the lord creating a 'flame producing stone' and distributing a light source/heat source to the townspeople.

Another story was about how he artificially created the 'time when the flame is not lit' to give thanks to the Flame God.

When a group of knight-crumbling bandits attacked Fania, the lord intercepted them alone and burned all the bad guys with the blessings of his flame god.

As a book lover, I'm looking forward to all of these stories.

However, unlike me, the master will analyze it with a cold reaction.

'I guess I'm more interested in The Stone that Produces Fire than that ....... If that's true, it's a very bright place. I'm sure it's not as much of a chase as it is now.

Hmm?　What does the bright thing have to do with Mr. Chaser?

It's very relevant. The darker the city, the lower the bar for evil. That's why lights are such a great source of civilization and vitality.

Oh, yeah?

My master assured me that this knowledge was probably a quote from some literature I'd heard somewhere.

I nodded, but I doubted it. I think there is a more fundamental reason why this city is overrun with people who are chasing each other. Even if all the dark clouds of this world were to clear and the world of light were to return, people's malice would not disappear so easily.

''Then it means the next city is a lively and fun place to live! I have a feeling it's going to be fun!''

But we talked together.

The secret to a long journey is to respect each other without needlessly clashing opinions.

Nope, this is another quote from the book, but I don't care about that.

I have a bad feeling about this: ....... Right now, we're meeting with the Stealer of Fire and the Stealer of Darkness, this religion of the Fire God. I have a feeling we're going to be involved in something.

My mentor keeps repeating negative statements, but I have a really good feeling about it.

Religion is my kind of subject matter. I'm also waiting for someone I like. Then there's a good chance that a story of my liking will be spun.

Seeing my smile of anticipation, the Master chuckles and moves forward, raising his face from its tendency to turn to the ground.

''Anyway, let's get out of the city quickly. Because there's no reason for us to stay in this city for much longer.

'Right. ...... You're not looking for a place to stay, so you're camping out?

Oh, I don't want to be attacked in my sleep. I'll use my Dimensional Power - Dimension to prevent those guys from following me.

Saying that, the master uses the power he received from Apostle-sama (the master, who was stressed out on this road, out of control, named the ”Power of Dimension” as 《Dimension》. He seems to like it so much that he's ready to spread it to everyone when he gets back), and it oozes from his body and permeates the entire city.

The master said that his power was only an extension of his scouting ability, but after hearing the explanation, I could only think of it as 'the power to know everything'.

That's how foul it is in the 'power of dimension' without question. The power to make the world do as you wish--

However, when using that mighty power, Master always distorts his face.

''Ha--!

Now Master understood the entire city with the 'power of dimensions'.

He saw how it was built, who was where and what they were doing.

Naturally, there are many things in this unsafe city that we shouldn't see.

Around the back alleyway, which we have yet to see, there must be a sight to behold. Further back, there must be some of the out-of-the-way sights that only this dark world can offer. My siblings had a bad guy who would kidnap and play with the village girls in the city and feed them to the beasts. Master, who must have seen something close to that, put his hand over his mouth.

''Master?　Are you okay?

I look into my master's face, who looks like he's about to throw up.

But soon enough, Master smiles a fake smile and shakes his head, saying he's fine.

...... okay. It's a little bit drunk, this...is it the awful feeling of 3D sickness?

Suri-dee-ii?　Mmm, it's a word not translated by Sister Yotaki.

It's like getting seasick. ...... Or better yet, let's get out of here.

Master is kind.

He cares for me, a younger man, and never speaks of the scene he would have just witnessed.

He would try to stay thin and try to look the same as he always did, and he would back off from me.

I couldn't stand the sight of him forcing himself on me.

More than being very kind or sincere or a good person, I love it because my mentor is desperate.

I pretend not to notice anything, squeezing back Master's cold hand and following behind him.

We move quickly through the main street and out of the city, out of sight of anyone else, to the forest.

As much as possible, he chooses a place away from the beaten path and even fewer monsters, aiming for the ideal encampment that only the 'Stealers of Dimensional Reason' can find.

After nearly several hours of travel, we stopped at an open area in the forest.

'Okay, we're safe here.'

Trusting that master's judgment, I immediately begin to make preparations.

I make an enclosure for the fire and take out an iron pot and a leather water bottle from the jute bag I carry on my back. For now, I'm very thirsty, so I dictatorially give priority to drinking water. In parallel, Master sets up sound traps - simple naruko (naruko) - around the perimeter. I've experienced the painful consequences of relying too much on 'spellcraft' and 'dimensional power'.

Perhaps remembering his experience at that time, the master mutters.

''Haha ....... I miss the carriage life .......

'Moo, Master. Don't say that. I haven't got anything left to give.

I'm sorry ....... But I still wish I'd known a little sooner then. ......

As we prepared, we remembered an event that happened not long ago.

It was a few days after our departure from the castle of Hoozeyer's. This was when we were still in the appearance of a royal representative, riding in a luxurious carriage and surrounded by many guards.

-- in conclusion, the carriage we were riding in was destroyed by the night robbers.

I thought that these people would be more careful to attack us to sell off the carriage, but the reality was that they didn't.

In hindsight, I guess they predicted that we and our group were carrying something more valuable than a carriage because of how well dressed we were. In fact, if they had been able to kidnap me and my master, they could have picked up all the ransom money they wanted from the Hoosiers' royal family.

We left Hoosiers in high spirits, but in just a few days we lost most of the supplies we needed for the trip.

And at that point, we asked all the surviving attendants and soldiers to return home.