Chapter 43 - Q & A (1/2)

Q & A

[Thank you for answering my question.]

The woman expressed her gratitude.

[I also apologize for asking that question repeatedly. I mean, I have also sensed that you’re not lying when you told me about how you defeated those four people. I also understand that you’ve honestly answered my previous questions.]

Did she have a lie detector?

It’s as if she’s confident that she’s able to tell if someone tells the truth or not.

[That’s why—]

The woman looked at me with a sincere expression on her face.

She bowed down her head, and put her hand on her chest with difficulty.

It’s as if she’s making a pledge.

[I will answer you question as honestly as I could in return. You’re the one who fended off those four people— Towards someone who could be called my benefactor, I don’t intend to do any harm to you at all.]

Her benefactor.

I think that’s too much of an exaggeration.

No– If she’s really that indebted to me, I guess I’ll use that to my advantage.

[What do you specifically want to ask? You had mentioned earlier that you’re not someone who lives around here.]

She said imposingly even though she can’t even move her body.

This may prove that she had lessened her vigilance towards me.

[I’ve just been following where my feet takes me. I must have walked quite a distance already. Before I knew it, I’m already in this forest.]

[How did you even arrive in this forest?]

[It’s like I was suddenly thrown away into this place.]

[—Is that so? I’m sorry that I have asked that.]

Something like me being thrown away.

Those words would provoke some dark imaginations to surface in your mind after you hear that.

For example, I may have been abandoned by my travelling companions.

I may also have been driven out from the place where I used to live.

Or I may even have been an abandoned slave (supposing that there are slaves in this world).

Etcetera, etcetera.

The story of me being thrown away is not a lie in the first place.

I was abandoned by my parents and I was disposed of by that f*cking goddess.

If she could sniff out that I have some dark past that I probably don’t want to talk about, she might become lax on her questions.

It would be enough to just let her sniff out some truth covering the smoke of things that I want to hide.

This also have another advantage.

If I could do this well enough, I could also estimate the personality of the other party based on their reaction.

I looked at the woman’s eyes.

The expression of the woman? It’s as if a question mark is floating above her head.

[What is it?]

[You don’t seem that bad of a person— well, for now that is.]

[…Did I perhaps gain some of your trust?]

[Yeah, Just a bit. It’s just that, I feel that my circumstances are a bit similar to yours. The both of us think that we should avoid intruding too deeply in the others lives—]

It seems that this woman also have her own circumstances that she wanted to hide.

However, that doesn’t matter. All I wanted now is information.

After I get the information I want, it would be good enough to go on our own ways.

[Yeah, I agree.]

Shadows cast over the woman’s expression.

[I’m also thankful if that we’re the case.]

There is still the problem with the remaining gauge.

We have already wasted a lot of time with these idle-chatter.

[Okay. Well then, I’ll move on towards the questions I wanted to ask. Is there any village or town nearby?]

[There’s one, there’s a small city called Mills nearby. I was also–]

The woman suddenly paused.

“I was also–“

There seems to be a reason why she doesn’t want others to know her destination.

Is she afraid of the budding chance that I might give out the information of her destination towards her pursuers?

Though I said that, those words she said just now have already given out where she’s going.

Well, if I just know the location of the city then that would have been enough.

I won’t dig into her circumstances.

The woman has taught me the direction and distance towards that city.

It seems that it really isn’t that far from here.

The time where I could finally sleep on a decent bed is finally near.

[Where is this place located?]

I move on towards the next question.

[Do you not even know where you are right now?]

[My situation’s a bit complicated. I was living in a place that’s disconnected from civilization. I’ve never received any information from the outside. You should be able to guess my circumstances now.]

I’m trying to imply that I was escaping from the eyes of investigators.

[…I understand. This is a forest located to the south of Urza Kingdom, “Forest of Darkness”.]