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1 
2Skeleton Knight Volume 5
3
4
5
6
7
8Written by Hakari Enki
9
10Translated by silverliningtranslations
11
12Illustrations by KeG
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14
15
16
17The work translated here is the legal property of its original copyright holder. It is
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19published here without monetary incentive solely for the purposes of promoting domestic interest in the work. Should the work be licensed for English translation or upon request by the original copyright holders, please stop distribution of this document at once as its made by loyal fans for each other to enjoy these stories. Sadly not every story gets a western release but if you liked the story we provided you can upheld this decision with buying the official release.
20 
21Prologue
22
23
24
25
26The Southern Continent beyond the Southern Sea.
27
28While a majority of the continent remained unexplored by humans, the former united Leburan Empire had sent an expedition to settle the western cape of the continent.
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30After the empire had splintered into its western and eastern parts, the human colonies that had been built began to supply the mainland empires with highly valued spices and seasonings.
31
32The largest and most prosperous of these human colonies had been the port city Tajiento.
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34A building that took up a considerable amount of space in the city was the main church of the Hiruku religion with an attached mansion, to which the two major piers lead to.
35
36However, with its red-bricked mosaics and other flourishes, the architecture of this church was different from that of the mainland churches. The sheer height and size of the building eclipsed the rest of the city.
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38Even the mansion built next to the church was more exquisite than the residence of Tajiento’s governor, who had been appointed by the Emperor himself.
39
40In one of the three-story tall rooms of the mansion, an incredibly obese and rather ugly man was sitting in a chair with a displeased expression on his face.
41
42The man’s overweight physique well exceeded that of an ordinary man’s, to the point where even the sturdy chair he sat in creaked whenever he moved.
43
44The man’s bald head, beady eyes and plump cheeks gave him a frog-like appearance as he stared down at the two men kneeling before him.
45
46“In order to carry out the will of the Pope, I and the man behind me have been assigned to work under you, Charos-sama. We shall carry out the Pope’s wish as Charos-sama desires.”
47
48The man dressed in the robes of a Hiruku priest gently smiled while maintaining a respectful bow toward the large man called Charos.
49
50The man standing behind the priest was dressed in black had lowered his head as well.
51
52The frog-like man was one of the seven cardinals of the Hiruku religion, Charos Acedia Industria.
53
54He was currently the highest-ranking representative of the Hiruku church on the Southern Continent.
55
56“I understand, I understand! Carry out your duty unimpeded, and get that beast behind you out of this sacred place! Hurry and remove it from the premises before its foul stench taints this mansion!”
57
58Charos glared at the man in black behind the priest as he urged the two men to leave with a wave of his hand.
59 
60The man wearing the black hood showed no reaction to the insult, but the long black tail growing out of his lower back did wave back and forth a bit.
61
62Charos seemed displeased by this and snorted at the hooded man before turning to the priest.
63
64However, when the two faced each other, the priest met the cardinal’s foul mood with a smile and visible gratitude before he and the hooded man left the room.
65
66Charos snorted again as he saw them leaving.
67
68“I thought I could indulge a bit while being away from the noisy mainland, but I can’t eat a thing i Tajiento collapses under my watch…… I’ve been here so long, though, that I have no idea what the Pope is thinking.”
69
70Charos’ massive protruding belly shook as he let out a grand sigh and became silent for a moment.
71
72Suddenly Charos’ stomach shook and he raised his head as if he’d thought of something good.
73
74“That’s it! There are about 10,000 soldiers underneath this place, so it shouldn’t cost much to loan that man a hundred subordinates! That way Tajiento will be protected and I’ll be carrying out the Pope’s will. I really amaze myself with my own genius sometimes!”
75
76Charos leaped from his chair with speed unexpected of his fat body while laughing a strange laugh after muttering his soliloquy and self-praise.
77
78“Since it’ll be the church that prevents this decrepit Tajiento from falling into ruin, my reward should be rather substantial.”
79
80In a coaxing voice this repulsive frog-like man continued to praise himself as he returned to his sleeping quarters and asked one of the servants to entertain him as he drifted off.
81 
82Chapter 1 「New Problem」
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84
85
86
87The Northern Continent, in a massive forest along the eastern tip.
88
89Centuries ago, the elves escaped their human persecutors by fleeing into this vast forest. The elven village Raratoia was currently covered by the early morning mist, and few people were actually wake yet.
90
91The mansion that sat in the center of the village differed greatly from the regular homes in Raratoia.
92
93Glass windows had been cut into the tree-trunk below to the branches of an unbelievably large tree. The entire mansion was the fusion of a building and a tree, a fantastic example of the mysterious workings of this world, while also maintaining a welcoming atmosphere.
94
95I had just woken up in one of the mansion’s rooms that had been provided for me and was now sitting on my comfortable bed.
96
97The clothes I was wearing had distinctively elven patterns sewn into them, but since they had been wrapped around my skeletal body they’d ended up becoming a little disheveled.
98
99When I glanced into the full body mirror in the corner of the room, I saw blue lights sitting in the eye sockets of a human skull.
100
101I’ve become very familiar with this body ever since I came to this world, but I still raised my hand and started making strange gestures just to confirm that it was really me I was looking at.
102
103After that was done, I picked up the leather canteen of hot spring water I had placed next to my pillow the night before and began to drink from it.
104
105The change in my body was almost instantaneous.
106
107The skeleton I had been looking at in the mirror was replaced with a body that filled out the clothes when I drank the curse dispelling water.
108
109The reflection of the strange looking skeleton was replaced with the visage of a browned-skinned, muscular man.
110
111The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties and looked slightly Arabian with raven-black hair, a strong jaw, and stubble sprouting from his chin. However, the crimson eyes and the unnaturally long ears were not those of a human.
112
113I started to move around to ease some of the stiffness in my shoulders.
114
115“Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be any problems.”
116
117I made that comment as I stood up in this still dark room.
118
119There was a snoring, green fur ball lying on the bed whose tail fidgeted a bit when I stood up.
120 
121
122“Ponta’s still asleep……”
123
124The sixty-centimeter small, fox-like animal had patches of skin between her fore- and hind legs that were similar to those of a flying squirrel. She had been my companion ever since I saved her shortly after coming to this world.
125
126Her back was covered in light green fur with a white underbelly that extended to the center of her tail.
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128There was no sign of her waking up as her mouth opened and closed.
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130The suit of armor that I always wore to hide my skeletal body and a two-handed bastard sword were sitting in a corner. I thought about changing but decided against it before leaving the room.
131
132In this world, people woke with the rising sun, so the mansion was still quiet because the day had yet to begin.
133
134I could hear the chirping of the birds that nested in the tree as I cautiously walked across the wooden floor.
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136I went down to the second floor and took a peek inside the dining room, but no one was there.
137
138“Well, I suppose it still too early……”
139
140When I scratched my head while staring at the unlit stove, a voice called out to me from behind.
141
142“You’re quite an early riser today, Arc-kun.”
143
144When I looked back I saw a young dark elven women with shoulder-length, snow-white hair and golden eyes.
145
146She looked puzzled as to why I was in the dining room and her arms were crossed under her ample bosom.
147
148“Oh, Glenys-dono.”
149
150She was the wife of Raratoia’s village elder and the acting elder while he was away on business.
151
152“I was surprised to see an unknown person walking about.”
153
154She giggled a little as she said that.
155
156I usually walked around this place as a skeleton, believing that wandering around like that was bad for people’s hearts, but maybe she’d grown used to it.
157
158At this point, the “cursed skeleton”-look had started to become _________Perhaps the cursed skeleton look was appealing in a broad sense.
159
160“Really? By the way, why are you up so early?”
161
162After looking up from my body when Glenys asked why I was up.
163
164“Oh, that. I was wondering if the crewmen of the trade ship heading to the Fabuna’ha kingdom had given their permission yet? You could say it made me a little anxious……”
165 
166Glenys was startled for a moment by my reply before she shrugged her shoulders.
167
168“You do know that you can’t gain permission from other villages in a single day? Do you really want to go to the Southern Continent that badly?”
169
170Her words made me feel like an elementary schooler that couldn’t wait for an upcoming field trip, so I looked out a nearby window to hide my embarrassment.
171
172I could see that the morning sunlight was starting to peek through the early morning haze.
173
174“Huaa〜, good morning…… It’s a bit early isn’t it.”
175
176When I heard the voice of another woman, I looked in the direction of its origin.
177
178The yawning woman that was rubbing her eyes as she entered the room looked similar to Glenys.
179
180She had the same snow-white hair, golden eyes and lilac skin as Glenys. Though her hair was longer, she greatly resembled her mother who was standing next to me.
181
182Her name was Ariane Glenys Maple.
183
184She was a warrior from the forest capital Maple and I’ve been in her care since shortly after I firs came to this world.
185
186“Good morning Ariane-dono.”
187
188When I greeted the still yawning Ariane, Glenys clapped her hands together as if she had just though of something.
189
190“Since it’s gonna be a while until we hear anything about the trip to the Fabuna’ha kingdom and breakfast isn’t ready yet, how about you help Arc-kun with his swordsmanship Ariane?”
191
192She turned towards Ariane with a smile on her face as she spoke.
193
194“Yeah, I’d be really grateful if you could be my partner……”
195
196After signing off on Glenys’ suggestion I also turned towards Ariane and waited for her reply.
197
198My current body was that of my former game avatar and it still had the high stats I amassed from playing, but my lack of actual combat training meant that I moved rather monotonously in battle, so the last time I sparred with Glenys I was utterly defeated.
199
200I had outstanding power and speed, but I couldn’t follow a curve ball…… or something like that.
201
202While I doubted there were all that many people with her level of talent in the world, it would be for the best to become more accustomed to combat.
203
204Ariane sighed a bit as she sleepily patted down her hair before she answered.
205
206“I see…… I don’t want to work up too much of a sweat, but a light spar should be fine, right? Come
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208on, Arc.”
209 
210
211Ariane walked out of the dining room and gestured for me to follow.
212
213I gave Glenys a slight nod and she sent me off with a big smile and a small wave.
214
215After a bit of moving about, I stood in the mansion’s backyard, facing Ariane with a wooden sword in hand.
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217As a warrior from Maple, Ariane’s swordsmanship was obviously on a different level than my own.
218
219Not to mention that she had been receiving her mother’s training for all her life, while I’ve only just begun to develop my own fighting style.
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221While I wasn’t yet at the stage where I could learn anything from sparring with Glenys, training wit Ariane should make me a decent enough fighter.
222
223Since I wasn’t wearing the 『Holy Armor of Belenus』 today, my body felt light.
224
225I tightened my hold on my wooden sword and quickly launched an attack at Ariane.
226
227I’d thought without my armor I would be able to gain the upper hand using my speed, but Ariane managed to sidestep my attack at the last second and proceeded to launch a counterattack.
228
229“Whoa!”
230
231I jerked my body to avoid the attack and tried to fall back and regroup before attacking Ariane again.
232
233However, she didn’t overlook such an opening.
234
235With minimal movement, she managed to launch an unexpected thrust at me.
236
237“Ah!?”
238
239I reflexively leaped back when I noticed her incoming attack.
240
241I didn’t intend to put so much power into the leap, but I realized that I was at least three meters away from Ariane.
242
243In fact, when I looked back at Ariane I saw the dissatisfaction on her face as she stared at me with her sword lowered.
244
245“Hey, wasn’t that dodge a little bit exaggerated?”
246
247“Uh, sorry. It’s just……”
248
249I was still confused by my own actions but I apologized anyway.
250
251Moving back towards Ariane, I resumed a fighting stance.
252
253This time Ariane opened with an overhead strike, I managed to block the attack with my reflexes, but when I saw her sword heading toward the left side of my stomach after her fourth swing I haphazardly swung my sword around to block.
254
255“Ahh!?”
256 
257“Normally you block attacks like this with minimal movement. Why are you overextending yourself so much?”
258
259Ariane looked confused as she reviewed my unconvincing performance so far.
260
261I wasn’t trying to act any differently than I usually did, but my movements were rougher than normal.
262
263After that, we went through the same routine again and again, but it was only after the effects of the spring water had worn off did my movements improved.
264
265“It seems that something’s wrong with your true body, want to stop for today?”
266
267Shaking my head I told Ariane, who was currently holding her sword over her shoulder:
268
269“Please, one more bout, Ariane-dono.”
270
271“Alright.”
272
273I thought back to all our previous bouts as she readied herself.
274
275While there wasn’t a major difference from our other bouts, I was more confident this time.
276
277My gaze focused on the wooden sword in my skeletal hand.
278
279“Here I come!”
280
281With a spirited cry, I launched a diagonal slash.
282
283Ariane managed to block the attack with the side of her sword and managed to slip inside my range and counter-attacked.
284
285With a single swing, I managed to calmly block two of her attacks. However, while I had been dealing with those, she managed to shift her body to create a false opening that she could easily counterattack from.
286
287Instead of falling into that trap, I tried to break the engagement and put some distance between us, but she anticipated that move and took a swing at me.
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289Ariane had a smile brimming on her face as we locked swords with one another.
290
291“See, you can do it correctly.”
292
293“Haa.”
294
295It was Glenys shouting from a window that interrupted our mutually high spirits.
296
297“Breakfast is ready.”
298
299“Oka~y.”
300
301With that comment, Ariane brought our spar to an end
302
303“Whew, I’m totally starving right now.”
304 
305While Ariane was saying that and walking back to the mansion, I stayed and started to swing my sword around.
306
307I was going over everything I’d learned from Ariane.
308
309“There’s no doubt about it……”
310
311I sighed a bit as I said that.
312
313When I regained my body, the emotions that accompanied attacking or being attacked were regained as well.
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315Whenever I was attacked, the sense of fear and dread that surged up stifled my reactions and made me overextend myself in my defense.
316
317Rather obvious, if you think about it.
318
319While I was a skeleton, my emotions were heavily repressed and I could calmly deal with attacks, bu when my raw feelings returned together with my flesh-and-blood body, it was impossible to immediately access the situation and respond accordingly because I had no experience controlling my emotions in stressful situations.
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321As a skeleton I was always prepared for battle, no matter the circumstances, but I doubted I would grow as a fighter if I relied on that alone.
322
323If I wanted to live with a body made of flesh and blood, then I would need to repeat the earlier part o the sparring session again and again until I learned to be calm under pressure.
324
325“This is gonna be harder than I thought……”
326
327With that bit of grumbling, I looked up at the large tree as the wind rustled the branches above.
328 
329Chapter 2 「Traveling is More Enjoyable with Company」
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331
332
333
334Two days later.
335
336Since I didn’t have any urgent business, I collected more hot spring water to regain my body and spent my days sparring with Ariane, familiarizing myself with the village and learning how to control my emotions while fighting.
337
338I would train with Ariane till noon, then practice a bit of swordsmanship with my elven body and end the day by exploring the village.
339
340I never realized just how long a day could last or how productive I was without T.V., games or the internet.
341
342Actually, I just got really bored if I didn’t do something to pass the time.
343
344That night, after I’d finished bathing in mansion’s private tub and had sat down for dinner, Glenys told me about the matter concerning the travel permission.
345
346“Landfria village has granted permission.”
347
348I rocketed out of my seat and forcefully approached Glenys when I heard the news.
349
350“Ohh, is that true!? When does the ship set sail?”
351
352“Calm down. There are a few conditions we need to discuss first.”
353
354Glenys held up her hand when she saw my exuberance.
355
356“Conditions?”
357
358Since I was boarding an elven trade ship to a beastman kingdom, it was important to hear any stipulations lest I cause a commotion, so I calmed down to her hear out.
359
360“Apparently the two of you have a connection with the village elder and he would like to meet with you.”
361
362This time it was Ariane who reacted to Glenys’ statement.
363
364“Both of us?”
365
366Glenys nodded at her question and continued to speak with a dubious look in her eyes.
367
368“Apparently, the two of you have helped the elder’s older brother.”
369
370Ariane and I shared a confused look when Glenys told us that bit of information.
371 
372
373If I was understanding this correctly, then both of us were somehow acquainted with the older brother of Landfria’s elder… However, neither Ariane or I could seem to figure out who that person was.
374
375I haven’t talked to all that many elves outside of those in Raratoia, so I waited to see what Ariane had to say.
376
377“I’ve never spoken to Landfria’s elder, nor someone who could be his older brother……”
378
379I tried to remember all of the elves I’ve met outside of the village but only one person came to mind.
380
381Ariane’s golden eyes bulged as she realized the only person it could have been, and the two of us shouted at the same time:
382
383“Casey!?” “Casey-dono!?”
384
385Casey Held.
386
387He was an odd monster researcher who lived and worked out of Rhoden Kingdom’s Buranbeina territory.
388
389Glenys had a satisfied smile on her face when she heard our answer and urged us to continue.
390
391“Hmm, I don’t see any problem with me meeting with him, do you?”
392
393After I voiced my willingness to meet with the elder, I looked back at Ariane to see her shaking her head.
394
395Glenys smile widened as if something about this seemed to be amusing her.
396
397“That’s good. Ariane, I already received permission from the capital, you’ll be accompanying Arc-kun on this trip.”
398
399Ariane looked dumbfounded as she listened to her mother’s blunt explanation.
400
401“W-wait a minute, I have to go to Fabuna’ha too?”
402
403“That’s right. Unfortunately, Arc-kun isn’t officially a part of the village yet. I had to use some of your grandfather’s connections and call in a favor from another great elder to set this all up, so……”
404
405Glenys had been walking towards her daughter as she spoke and when she reached Ariane, she whispered something into her ear that stained her cheeks crimson red and caused her to push her smiling mother away.
406
407Even though I hadn’t expected Glenys to make her accompany me for my selfish request, but I was too preoccupied with Ariane’s strange reaction to argue against it.
408
409“…? Something wrong Ariane-dono?”
410
411“Kyun?”
412
413When I asked her about it I only received a silent stare from her and Glenys only looked away from me when I turned to her.
414 
415Ponta looked worried as she stared up at Ariane’s silent expression.
416
417“I-I’m alright! I’ll go with you……”
418
419Ariane signed seemingly in defeat while Glenys continued to smile and offered a suggestion.
420
421“Since you’re going to the Southern Continent, why don’t invite that child along? Chiome-chan would love to go!”
422
423She was very casual about it, as if she were telling us to bring along a friend to hang out with us.
424
425However, considering the race of people that ruled the country we were visiting, offering Chiome an invitation wasn’t that strange.
426
427Chiome was the name of the cat tribe member from the People of The Plains and Mountains that live on this continent.
428
429The clan she belonged to was founded by someone from my world who had dedicated himself to protecting her entire race centuries ago, a mission that has been passed down through the clan ever since.
430
431Among the Blade Heart Clan was a group of six ninjas capable of extraordinary abilities, and I got t knew a couple of them when I helped them emancipate a group of slaves from the capital.
432
433“But, would the trade ship be willing to accommodate Chiome-dono if she were to come along? And while it may not seem like it, Chiome-dono has a lot of responsibilities to handle, would she even be willing to go?”
434
435In order to even get the negotiations about joining the trade ship on the voyage, I had to join an elven village. So I looked to Glenys to explain how someone like Chiome could come along.
436
437No to mention how bad I feel about taking a member of the hidden village’s most pivotal fighting force on what is essentially an extended ingredient hunting trip.
438
439However, Glenys didn’t seem all that worried those issues as she maintained her usual smile.
440
441“You know that the ship is heading towards the country ruled by Chiome’s people? There are going to be People of the Fields and Mountains aboard the ship.Even if Chiome-chan’s clan is familiar wit the ins and outs of this continent, they’ve yet to travel beyond the sea. I’d say that exploring the Fabuna’ha Kingdom would be beneficial for her and her clan.”
442
443If the People of the Plains and Mountains were allowed on the ship then there shouldn’t be an problems.
444
445The way Glenys had phrased it made it seem like inviting Chiome along would be for the just cause of information gathering. Since humans wielded the majority of power on this continent, she would benefit from a broadened worldview.
446
447Reflecting on it for a bit, I turned to Ariane to see what she had to say.
448
449“With Arc’s transfer magic, there’s no problem with asking a friend from outside the village to join
450 
451us.”
452
453Ariane was in agreement with Glenys’ suggestion.
454
455“Hmm, then we’ll go the hidden village tomorrow and invite her.”
456
457“Kyun! Kyun!”
458
459With our plans for tomorrow set, Ponta cried out in protest for the delayed meal, so dinner was quickly brought out.
460
461The next day, after sword lessons and breakfast, Ariane and I left the village.
462
463While I say ‘left the village’ we didn’t actually leave through the gate. Instead, I invoke my long distance transfer magic 【Transfer Gate】 and the village around us just disappeared.
464
465We now stood on a hill that overlooked a village built in Rhoden Kingdom’s Calcutta Mountain Range.
466
467The village that had been built in this monster-infested area belonged to the People of the Plains and Mountains and was the current base of the Blade Heart Clan.
468
469The outer wall was made of wooden logs, with an inner stone wall surrounding the village, and the sharpened points atop the walls made it appear more like a fortress instead of a village.
470
471The drawbridge that acted as the main entrance was currently sealed tight to keep out intruders, and there were guards placed at the nearby watchtower.
472
473Because I remembered this location from our last trip here, 【Transfer Gate】 allowed us to instantly get here from Raratoia. Since Ariane and I were outsiders and this was a rather unexpected visit, i was better to come through the front entrance.
474
475The People of the Plains and Mountains had physical abilities that were superior to humans’ including hearing and eyesight.
476
477It didn’t hurt that I stood out in this mountainous region with my luxurious silver armor and jet-black mantle.
478
479As we slowly got closer to the village gate, the guards immediately caught sight of us and sent word to the others inside the village.
480
481“That was faster than expected.”
482
483Ariane looked between me and the gate when I muttered that.
484
485In any case, the outfit I wore to maintain my secret was rather memorable.
486
487When we reached the entrance, one of the guards waved his hand that wasn’t holding his weapon and asked:
488
489“What’s your purpose?”
490 
491“We would like to offer an invitation to Chiome-dono.”
492
493After my brief reply, the gate was opened and we were prompted to enter.
494
495The villagers had already begun their work and the laughter of children could be heard in the distance. All in all, it was a lot livelier then it had been the last time we were here.
496
497Currently, this village was overpopulated considering the amount of people it could actually support, but the news of the upcoming migration must have already been passed along, because there were bright smiles on the faces of those we passed.
498
499A sole cat-person with a distinct appearance soon came to greet us.
500
501He was around a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, had straight white hair that reached his lower back and had a long beard and eyebrows reminiscent of a hermit.
502
503“Arc-dono, Ariane-dono, apologies for having you make a visit to this far-off village. Is there anything I can help you with?”
504
505This calmly smiling man was called Hanzo the 22nd, and he was the current head of the Blade Hear Clan.
506
507I bowed my head and offered him my own greeting before explaining the reason for our visit to Hanzo.
508
509“Actually, we had a bit of business with Chiome-dono……”
510
511At my comment, a small cat girl silently appeared beside Hanzo and politely greeted Ariane and me.
512
513“Arc-dono, Ariane-dono, what can I help you with?”
514
515The girl with short raven black hair trained her blue eyes on me as she waited for our response.
516
517She was dressed in her usual black ninja garb, with her arm-protectors, leg-guards and the dagger that was attached to her waist.
518
519“Oh, Chiome-dono.”
520
521Chiome slightly nodded her head at me when I called her name.
522
523“You see, we’re we’re about to travel to the Southern Continent on an elven trade ship, and Glenys-dono suggested that we invite you to join us. Since there’s a large country run by the People of the Plains and Mountains, she figured that you would benefit from a visit over there, what do you think?”
524
525“Oh? The Southern Continent.”
526
527A flash of hesitation passed through Chiome’s blue eyes but she turned to Hanzo to see how he respond before I could see anything else.
528
529Hanzo appeared as a kind old man when she smiled and nodded back at me.
530
531“We’ve already dispatched Sasuke to Tsubone, so there no need to worry about that. But this is a
532 
533good opportunity enlighten the next generation and bring back some souvenirs for the children. The more roads a child crosses, the less likely they are to trip up. Tehee.”
534
535Chiome nodded at Hanzo then offered me a deep bow.
536
537“I will gladly accept your invitation.”
538
539“I’m happy to hear that, Chiome-chan.”
540
541Ariane was smiled when she heard Chiome’s answer.
542
543Apparently, the two of them hand struck an instant friendship at the hot spring, back when I’d been in a seven-day coma. The usually expressionless Chiome even smiled a bit and her tail began to happily sway back and forth.
544
545Despite the slight feeling of isolation I felt, I breathed a relieved sigh as everyone had been gathered.
546
547“The three of us will be traveling together again.”
548
549Ponta must have taken some offense to what I said because she whacked the top of my helmet in protest.
550
551Maybe she was mad for not being included in the count.
552
553“Oh, sorry sorry. Can’t forget about Ponta either.”
554
555“Kyun!”
556
557Ponta started wagging her puffy tail when I started stroking her chin and I began to imagine wha awaited us on the Southern Continent.
558 
559
560Chapter 3 「Landfria」Part 1
561
562
563
564
565We left the village shortly after that, and the next morning we picked up Chiome from the hidden village before we returned to Raratoia and set off for Landfria.
566
567Preparations for the journey has been finished the day before and each of us was carrying a luggage bag of what we deemed necessary over our shoulders.
568
569Even though I said that we weren’t carrying all that much, Ariane was an elven warrior used to spend days camping out in the forest during monster subjugation missions and Chiome was a ninja that traveled light since her jobs took her all over the continent.
570
571“Are you guys ready?”
572
573“Yeah.” “Yes.”
574
575“Kyun!”
576
577When Ariane and Chiome answered my question Ponta shook her tail and cried out impatiently.
578
579“Then we’re gonna use the village’s shrine to transfer to Landfria.”
580
581Ariane started walking towards the center of the village as she spoke.
582
583Chiome and I quietly followed behind her. As I watched the two of them in front of me, I remembered an important fact that needed to be brought it up.
584
585“Ariane-dono, is it alright for Chiome-dono to be shown the shrine and its function despite not being an elf?”
586
587Ariane had shown me the shrine a couple days ago, and it housed the teleportation magic formation that had to be hidden from humans at all cost.
588
589While Chiome may be a Person of the Plains and Mountains, we were still revealing a major elve secret to her.
590
591Though it was only for short periods, I had been shown the shrine because I was an elf, plus I was capable of using unassisted transfer magic.
592
593Ariane tilted her head and started rubbing her chin as she thought it over.
594
595“Hmm, we already received permission from the village, though. From what I’ve heard, the Fabuna’ha Kingdom has it’s own set of shrines within their borders. Although, I haven’t really looked into it……”
596
597It wasn’t just me that was surprised by what she said, even the usually stoic Chiome was shocked by our conversation.
598
599“These small shrines allow instantaneous teleportation like Arc’s magic? And these shrines are
600 
601located in every elven village and in my people’s country?”
602
603I was also as disbelieving as Chiome was, so I looked to Ariane for answers.
604
605Those “small transfer shrines” were things that could topple this continent’s entire power structure. Their existence was something kept hidden from humans with extreme prejudice. I thought only the elves had access to them.
606
607“It was the the first chieftain Evangeline that devised the shrine transfer network, and when Fabuna’ha’s first king founded the country she personally traveled there to construct several shrines herself.”
608
609That nation has had connections to the Great Canada Forest since it’s founding.
610
611“Huh? Then why do we need to take a ship the Southern Continent, shouldn’t the networks be connected in some way?”
612
613Something about her story made me question the way we were going about this trip, but Ariane had an amazed look on her face when I asked about it.
614
615“Although there’s been good trade relations since Fabuna’ha’s founding, it’s still a foreign country. Neither party can afford to have instantaneous travel between them.”
616
617“Ah, I see.”
618
619I scratched the back of my head and chuckled at her reasonable statement.
620
621Even if the Canada and Fabuna’ha were on friendly terms, having the networks connected carried the risk of one of them invading the other one.
622
623In any case, if the shrine transfer network was brought over by the elves, then the advantage still favored Canada.
624
625If the Fabuna’ha Kingdom had any type of governing body, having something like that would be a nightmare for national security.
626
627There were various circumstances involved with this, but it wasn’t particularly important right now.
628
629The fact that Chiome could use the shrine meant that we could get to the Southern Continent faster.
630
631“So can we head to Landfria now? I’m a little excited to see how these shrines actually work……”
632
633My eyes moved in the direction of the shrine as I spoke.
634
635Behind the small shrine, a small stream flowed from the east to the west through the heart of the village that was reflecting the morning sun. The chirping of birds searching for fish resounded in the area.
636
637Surrounding the small shrine was a simple wooden enclosure, though it didn’t seem to function as a barrier in particular. It reached no higher than the waist, acting simply as a boundary line for the shrine.
638 
639The Shrine had the same fused structure as the elder’s mansion.
640
641The two warriors that stood guard in front of the shrine’s entrance took notice of us as we approached.
642
643Ariane greeted them and shared a few words with them.
644
645They had already been informed of our trip, so the two stepped aside and prompted us to enter the shrine.
646
647She entered the shrine with a small nod, followed by me, with Chiome and Ponta bringing up the rear.
648
649The tree the shrine was built in wasn’t as wide as the mansion’s, but the ceiling was higher. The atrium was supported by thick pillars surrounding the tree.
650
651In the center of the room was a slightly elevated, circular stage where the magical tool was installed, lit up by the illumination from crystal lamps.
652
653Inscribed into the surface of the circular platform was a complicated and mysterious magic formation, and a faint luminescence was emanated by it.
654
655There wasn’t the slightest doubt that this belonged in a fantasy setting.
656
657While Chiome and I were fascinated by the shrine’s setup, Ariane spoke with a short man who had been waiting for us before she stepped onto the platform.
658
659“Arc, Chiome-chan, let’s go. Step on the transfer formation.”
660
661Chiome and I nodded at her request before stepping onto the platform.
662
663Immediately after we stepped on it, the symbol shined a white light so intense I had to look away as a floating sensation overtook me.
664
665When the lights faded and I looked around, I could see that we were in a completely differen location.
666
667The small man that had stood in front of the platform had been replaced with three elves I’d never seen before.
668
669The furnishings of the shrine we were now in weren’t all that different, but the scale of everything just felt bigger.
670
671Two of the of the people watching us had weapons hanging on their hips and maintained their vigilance. The woman standing between them was wearing traditional elven clothes and showed a gentle smile.
672
673She gave me the impression of a secretary.
674
675“Ariane-san from Raratoia? We’ve been expecting you.”
676
677“Yes, we’ll be in your care.”
678 
679After Ariane answered the woman’s question, she told us “The elder is waiting for you, follow me.” and started walking out of the shrine.
680
681Ariane followed after her with Chiome and me close behind.
682
683When we left the shrine, we were greeted by a new village.
684
685Large trees dominated the area and I could see that all of them were the lined with non-residential buildings.
686
687The brick road that was laid out sat in the shadows of those trees and a lot of elves were walking about, with the occasional People of the Plains and Mountains moving among them.
688
689Chiome’s eyes bulged when she saw this.
690
691“Quite a lively village……”
692
693“Since this village is a gate to Fabuna’ha, it’s larger than most in Canada.”
694
695Ariane looked back and replied to my comment.
696
697The secretary-like woman eventually lead us to a mansion and walked us through its main gate.
698
699The mansion had the same fused architecture as the one in Raratoia, but its shape was different.
700
701It wasn’t as tall as the neighboring buildings for one thing.
702
703However, the trunk that made up the basis of the mansion was thicker than any of the surrounding trees, in fact, the building had a bottle-like shape compared to the rest of the trees.
704
705When we set foot inside the mansion, it’s furnishings were completely different from those in Raratoia’s mansion.
706
707The hardwood floor was arranged in an elaborate parquetry, and the walls were decorated with a diverse amount of gorgeous furniture. It reminded me of a human feudal lord’s mansion, rather than a lived-in elven home.
708
709Despite this mansion belonging to Landfria’s elder, this was the first time Ariane has been here, so she looked around the place along with Chiome and me.
710
711Noticing what had happened, the had secretary stopped climbing the stairs that lead to the second floor and gave us an explanation.
712
713“Not only does this village conduct trade with the Fabuna’ha Kingdom, we also have relations with Saskatoon, who deals heavily in products from Rinburuto. Thanks to that, we have access to items other villages don’t.”
714
715“Oh, I see.”
716
717I continued to look around as I chimed in.
718
719The Rinburuto Archdukedom was the neighboring country to the Rhoden Kingdom and was the onl
720 
721trading partner of the Great Canada Forest.
722
723This was the first time I’ve heard of Saskatoon. but it was probably the name of the village tha handled the majority of the trade with Rinburuto. A variety of human produced items could be spread among the larger villages quite easily through the use of the transfer network.
724
725However, this was an intercontinental port village that imported good via ship, so the village called Saskatoon might be located somewhere along the coast.
726
727The more I thought about it, the more relying entirely on transfer magic to move large shipments became unfeasible.
728
729If the magic was already being used for traveling quickly, then the shipping of goods should have been just as easy.
730
731However, I’ve spent the last few days walking around another village, and I hadn’t seen the same number of human items there that I’ve seen here.
732
733There might have been a severe limitation to the network, or maybe the costs were simply too high.
734
735While I was lost in thought, I mindlessly followed the woman until she said “Wait here.” and disappeared into a back room.
736
737The furniture in the room we were left in was different from what we saw on the first floor. With the simple wooden table that sat in the center of the room, it gave the impression of being a waiting room.
738
739I sat on one of the chairs and pulled a leather canteen out of my luggage bag.
740
741Ariane had a conflicted look on her face when she saw what I was doing.
742
743“Wait, why are you taking that canteen out now?”
744
745“Well, it’s not like I can meet the elder with my helmet on.”
746
747I took a makeshift straw from my bag and placed it into the canteen.
748
749Ariane stared at me for a moment before realization dawned on her.
750
751“I forgot…… It’s scary how becoming accustomed to something affects your memory. You’re not
752
753gonna change back halfway again, are you?”
754
755I stopped sipping the hot spring from the straw through the gap in my helmet and tried to ease Ariane’s worries.
756
757“Everything should be fine Ariane-dono. I collected this water just this morning, so I shouldn’t change back during the meeting.”
758
759Despite the bit of pride in my voice, but Ariane still gave me a worried look.
760
761Chiome narrowed her eyes at me and sighed before walking to the corner of the room and standing there.
762 
763There wasn’t a lot of trust placed in me in this regard.
764
765“Kyun!”
766
767To cheer myself up I began rubbing the top of Ponta’s head. In the middle of being consoled by her barking, the secretary women peeked inside the room and called for us.
768
769“Nolan-sama is ready for you now.”
770
771After that brief statement, she lead us into the back room.
772
773“Apologies for the unexpected meeting.”
774
775As soon as we stepped into the room a single elf called out to us.
776
777The man’s green-tinted, blonde hair was set in two braids that reached his lower back and he wore traditional elven clothes.
778
779There was a soft smile on his face and the look in his light-green eyes reminded me of his older brother’s, Casey’s.
780
781“I understand that you’ve met my older brother, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he left the village…… I guess you never really know what connections you’ll have in this world.”
782
783Before we could even make a self-introduction the elder took complete control of the conversation. It took the secretary-like woman loudly clearing her throat to calm him down.
784
785“Ah, apologies. I’m the elder of this village and the younger brother of the monster researcher Casey Held, Nolan Held Landfria. A pleasure to meet you.”
786
787Nolan properly introduced himself as Casey’s younger brother while smiling wryly. After moving to a small sitting area in the corner of the room, we began to talk about his older brother.
788
789Since Chiome had never met Casey she calmly sipped the cup of tea she’d been given while Ariane and I spoke of our encounter with Casey.
790
791When Ariane brought up how we were roped into helping Casey capture a live Sandworm, Nola struggled to maintain a smile as he muttered: “No matter how much time passes, he never changes.”.
792
793In a world that lacked telecommunications, parting with someone could be the last time you see them, because there was no way to get in contact with them.
794
795Even if it was only hearsay, anyone would want to learn that a family member they’d lost contact with was doing alright for themselves.
796
797After hearing how his eccentric brother was doing, Nolan slowly stood up and expressed his gratitude.
798
799“Once again, I’d like to apologize for requesting this abrupt meeting. However, because of this I was able to learn my brother’s whereabouts and that he is doing just fine. Though I can’t reach such a remote place, I will have some good news for mother and father.”
800 
801Nolan bowed his head and thanked us again before moving on to the reason we came here.
802
803“The ship you’re scheduled to board should finish loading cargo today and will sail tomorrow. Until then, you’re welcome to stay in the mansion.”
804
805I’d been prepared to board the ship today, so hearing that caused my shoulders to droop.
806
807“I see, so we won’t be setting sail today…….”
808
809Ariane, who’s sitting next to me, immediately replied to my remark.
810
811“You don’t normally come to the port on the day of the departure. How else would you know if there was a change in the schedule……”
812
813“I guess you have a point……”
814
815I nodding at her comment.
816
817If I thought about it, public transportation was a hard thing to keep track of in my former world. Even in a highly advanced society, sailing was heavily dictated by the weather and other unforeseen circumstances.
818
819It was common sense that ships in this world would be allowed a bit of leeway in their schedule.
820
821Since I’ve been depending on transfer magic till now, it seems that I’d lost touch with common sense for a bit.
822
823After leaving Nolan, the female secretary led us to our individual rooms, where I placed my baggage next to the bed and stared out of the window.
824
825It was still early in the day, so people were still going about their business beyond the mansion’s gate.
826
827It would be a waste to just sit around till tomorrow, so I put down my sword and grabbed my money pouch.
828
829When I left my room, I saw Chiome and Ariane stepping out of their own guest rooms and lockin eyes with me.
830
831“You heading somewhere, Arc?”
832
833Ariane guessed my attention with a single look.
834
835“Yes, the day is still young after all. Since the ship won’t be setting sail ‘til tomorrow, I figured I should find something fun to do near the harbor.”
836
837“Then let’s go together. I’d worry if you’re left alone……”
838
839When I answered her question, Ariane stared at me through half-closed eyes and suggested that I join them.
840
841As I gauged her reaction, it felt strange to know that I was viewed as a troublemaker if left to my own
842 
843devices.
844
845…… It’s strange.
846
847All joking aside, I’d probably get lost in the unfamiliar place like Landfria by myself so having Ariane along would be convenient.
848
849I nodded at the suggestion and we left a message with someone working in the mansion before going to the harbor.
850 
851
852Chapter 4 「Landfria」Part 2
853
854
855
856
857While she never met the elder, Ariane had been to Landria before, so she acted as a guide for Chiome and me.
858
859It was like two country bumpkins coming to the big city for the first time, but that couldn’t be helped given the layout of the village.
860
861Some of the apartment buildings that were built next to the large trees easily reached seven or eight stories high.
862
863From a distance, the buildings simply appeared to be tall trees, but upon closer inspection they could easily pass for high-rise apartments from my former world.
864
865There were corridors connecting the buildings and several elves could be seen walking between them, even from ground level.
866
867“There are so many people here, just how many live in this village?”
868
869Chiome asked any unexpected question as she glanced our surroundings.
870
871Ariane looked back and replied with her best guess.
872
873“I don’t know the exact number, but it should be around forty thousand? It might be higher given the influx of temporary residents.”
874
875Chiome eye’s bulged at Ariane’s reply.
876
877“I believed Raratoia to be a large village, considering that it was built in the depths of a vast forest, but the difference in scale is unbelievable…… I never believed such a city could be built.”
878
879Admiration could be heard in her voice.
880
881The hidden village Chiome called her home was built in the middle of the Calcutta Mountain Rang and a thousand people already exceeded its limits, yet this village had a population about forty times larger than that.
882
883The only town I’d been to that matched this village’s scale would be Rhoden’s capital.
884
885Eventually, we left the apartment area and arrived at a lively section of the city populated with the mushroom-like houses I’d seen in Raratoia.
886
887A few of these houses turned out to be shops with various types of good arranged in front of them, with some people that were calling out to potential customers.
888
889The entire area was like a lively shopping district, many colorful goods I didn’t come across in human cities caught my attention and the sea breeze covered the district in a faint oceanic fragrance.
890
891“Hmm, this smell…… the variety of spices is abundant.”
892 
893
894“Kyun!”
895
896Mixed in-between that fragrance was a blend of distinct spices that caused Ponta and me to simultaneously look around for its source, while Ariane provided supplemental information
897
898“The spices that permeate the marketplace all originate from the Fabuna’ha Kingdom
899
900When I heard her say that, I involuntarily swallowed my saliva as I remembered the hamburger steak I had back in Raratoia.
901
902Ponta restlessly moved about on my helmet as she tried to find the source of the spices that called out to her.
903
904My appearance and Ponta’s behavior must have made us stand out more the usual because an elf shopkeeper called out to me.
905
906“Hey, my friend in the fancy armor, how would you like to buy some fresh tomatoes today?”
907
908The man had the green tinged, blonde hair and the average features of normal elves that I’ve become used to, but he spoke like a slightly vulgar barker and he was desperately trying to get me to pay attention to what he was holding.
909
910When I looked in his hand I saw that he was holding what was unmistakably a ripe tomato.
911
912“Oh, fresh tomatoes are sold at the harbor.”
913
914I stop walking and voiced the thought that crossed my mind at the moment.
915
916Because I only saw dried tomatoes back in the Raratoia, I’d thought that the tomatoes were alread processed by the time they reached the Great Canada Forest.
917
918The tomato in the merchant’s hand was round like the ones from my former world, but it was a little smaller than those.
919
920“If we can buy these in Landfria, is there any reason to go to Fabuna’ha ?”
921
922Ariane stepped forward and took a look at the tomatoes that the merchant had to offer and voiced her opinion. However, I shook my head and flatly refused to do that.
923
924“This and that are two separate matters. We’re already at the edge of a new world, it’s too late to turn back now. Besides, we can’t deny Chiome-dono the opportunity to see a country built by her people.”
925
926When I said that Chiome stepped forward and feverishly shook her head in agreement.
927
928Ariane shrugged her shoulders at that while, I turned to the merchant and placed an order.
929
930“Shopkeeper, please sell me one tomato for tasting.”
931
932“Huh? One tomato…… for tasting?”
933
934The merchant started acting weird when he heard my request and even repeated it himself for clarity’s sake.
935 
936
937Not knowing what was wrong with him, I turned to Ariane to see if she knew what the deal was, and she began to ask the merchant something.
938
939“Ah, have these tomatoes not been processed?”
940
941“That’s right, I can wholesale tomatoes for cheap by not processing them.”
942
943I was still out of the loop about everything, but the shopkeeper replied to Ariane’s question and she nodded as if she understood it.
944
945“Tomatoes are poisonous if they’re not processed correctly, so these can’t be eaten right now. Since we only have gold coins at the moment, this would still be rather expensive even if we paid with a quarter piece, so you should adjust the amount.”
946
947Something that Ariane said just made the marketplace and everything else fade away.
948
949“So Ariane-dono, how many sho…… Wait, did you just say tomatoes were poisonous?!”
950
951I couldn’t prevent the shock I’d just received for slipping into my voice.
952
953It was the shopkeeper that stepped up to answer me.
954
955“What? Do you not do much cooking? That’s quite the surprise! Tomatoes are inedible in their natural state, you have to remove the poisonous bits first. Though, I suppose the worst that could happen with only one would be an extreme case of diarrhea! Hehehe.”
956
957The shopkeeper rolled the tomato in his hand as he chuckled.
958
959As he did that Ariane took over the explanation.
960
961“Originally, tomatoes were known throughout Fabuna’ha as ‘the diarrhea fruit’ for those suffering from constipation. Apparently, Fabuna’ha’s first king named them tomatoes and greatly suffered because he enjoyed eating them so much. When the tomatoes were first imported to the forest, founder Evangeline created a method that removed the poisonous elements. From what I heard, the king was so grateful that the friendship between Fabuna’ha and Canada deepened.”
962
963My eyes returned to the tomato in the shopkeeper’s hand when she started getting into the relationships between the two countries.
964
965“…… The diarrhea fruit, quite an unflattering title.”
966
967I shock my head while voicing my thoughts about the disgraceful name.
968
969Could I eat a raw tomato with my current physiology without contracting diarrhea?
970
971I never heard of a skeleton with diarrhea, but I wasn’t willing to risk it.
972
973However, the fact that Fabuna’ha first king would name the so-called diarrhea-inducing drug “tomatoes”, suggested that he had been a person with circumstances similar to mine.
974
975There was a high probability that Evangeline was from the same world as I was and she had still been around six hundred years ago. Maybe these two struck up a friendship while figuring out how to
976 
977
978eat tomatoes.
979
980The Fabuna’ha Kingdom was founded five hundred years ago. Even now that friendship still exists i the form of trade between the two nations, maybe I can learn more about their relationship through this trip.
981
982“So how are the poisonous elements removed from tomatoes?”
983
984I turned away from the tomatoes and asked Ariane that question.
985
986If they were unsuitable to eat in their current state, then I could only stare at the mountain of tomatoes in front of me.
987
988“You need to soak them in a tub of water along with 『Detoxification Crystals』 for two hours, then you can cook or preserve them…… I think?”
989
990Ariane was a little unsure about it so she looked to the shopkeeper to get his input on the matter.
991
992He nodded with a large smile on his face before speaking up.
993
994“I can’t offer you anything else right now…… But, if you can get your hands on some 『Detoxification
995
996Crystals』 you could eat some raw tomatoes.”
997
998I reluctantly said goodbye to the shopkeeper and checked out the other shops in the area.
999
1000There was an abundant amount of spices from the Southern Continent on display and the foods wanted to eat with them filled my mind as we passed them by.
1001
1002While my mind was filled with thoughts of different types of food, a certain shop caught my attention.
1003
1004It was a shop that specialized in papyrus, parchment, paper, and similar things considering that scrolls and paper bundles of various sizes lined the store front. What had caught my attention, though, was a painting that had been hung up nearby.
1005
1006“Shopkeeper, what’s that landscape drawn there?”
1007
1008The shopkeeper seemed worried when he looked up to find me in my full-body armor, but I paid no mind to hims since the painting had the majority of my attention.
1009
1010The item I’d pointed out was a painting of some kind of city and its surrounding landscape. It wasn’ the only painting of its kind, though, as there were several similar ones scattered throughout the shop.
1011
1012“Oh, that thing? It’s the image of Fabuna’ha Kingdom’s harbor city, Plymouth.”
1013
1014Having recognized me as a potential customer, the shopkeeper did his best to deepen my interest in the item.
1015
1016When the shopkeeper saw Ariane and Chiome take interest in the painting as well, he started showing off the other paintings in the store.
1017
1018The transportation methods in this world weren’t all that advanced, so paintings offered a sense of wonder and entertainment to viewers.
1019 
1020“See anything that peaks your interest?”
1021
1022I nodded at the shopkeeper’s question and pointed out the item that I wanted to purchase.
1023
1024◆◇◆◇◆
1025
1026“Why did you buy that stuff? I was sure you’d buy one of the paintings.”
1027
1028A few minutes after leaving the shop, Ariane asked me that question with a confused expression.
1029
1030Just as she said, I didn’t actually by one of the paintings. Instead, I’d bought a bundle of A4 sized papers held together by strings and a couple of writing implements.
1031
1032“Ariane-dono, 【Transfer Gate】 allows me to move to any location I want so long as I can remembe the scenery, and therein lays its only limitation. However, it’ll be considerably easier to remember locations if I draw the destination on pieces of paper.”
1033
1034I explained the thoughts that had occurred to me when I first saw the paintings.
1035
1036Ariane immediately agreed with my idea after she heard it.
1037
1038“It’s a good way to strengthen your memories of certain locations. Otherwise, you could confuse your intended location with other places and transfer there by mistake.”
1039
1040I listen to Ariane rather rude comment as we left Landria’s shopping district and entered the harbor.
1041
1042The vast sea that spread before my eyes was accompanied by a small neighborhood built atop of the cliff we found ourselves on. There was a stairway built into the cliffside that led to the actual harbor where various ships were docked.
1043
1044I could see many people moving at the bottom of the cliff, but there weren’t many people taking the stairs.
1045
1046After descending the high stairway, we found ourselves on the quay, which was connected to the warehouses built into the partially hollowed out cliff.
1047
1048Apparently, this district was built in two layers.
1049
1050The warehouses and other buildings built into the cave sat on solid ground and overall it was a rather active place.
1051
1052“It’s more like a hidden base than a harbor……”
1053
1054I became a little excited as we approached the harbor, however, there was a chest high gate at the end of the stairs that prevented us from entering the harbor.
1055
1056“Only harbor personnel are allowed beyond this point. But we’ll be able to enter when it’s time to board the Liebbelta tomorrow.”
1057
1058While feeling a bit disappointed by that, I craned my neck to see the ship Ariane had pointed out.
1059
1060That mysterious ship I saw in the underground lake was the only other similar looking thing I’d seen
1061 
1062in this world, but the near hundred meters long Liebbelta easily exceeded that one in size.
1063 
1064 
1065There weren’t a lot of decorations on it like human ships, but that lack of unnecessary features, along with the three masts with folded sails, gave the ship a dignified beauty.
1066
1067The hull of the ship wasn’t wooden, instead, it had a slightly reflective, whitish tint to it that reflected the gentle waves of the sea.
1068
1069“Ariane-dono, what’s that ship made out of?”
1070
1071I unintentionally asked Ariane about the ship’s construction and she thought hard about it before she answered.
1072
1073“Hmm〜〜, I don’t really know all that much about ships…… But, I’ve heard dragon scales were
1074
1075implemented to increase the ship’s durability.”
1076
1077Ariane looked towards the Liebbelta as she spoke.
1078
1079A faint sense of joy entered my head when I heard about the fantasy-setting appropriate concept of including dragon scales in ships.
1080
1081While I didn’t know the defensive capabilities of dragon scales, the ship seemed to be ironclad.
1082
1083Although it was too far away to see clearly from here, several cannons lined the deck of the ship. I’d call it a battleship rather than a trade ship.
1084
1085But, ironclad ships were made using steel and iron as their base. Those types of ships had been developed to defend against the cannon fire from other ships, so why had this ship been ironclad?
1086
1087Based on what Ariane said about the cannons back at the underground lake humans haven’t even begun to produced cannons……
1088
1089Ariane tapped me on the shoulder before I became too lost in my thoughts.
1090
1091“Let’s head back, we can get a closer look tomorrow instead of peeking from here.”
1092
1093I turned away for the anchored Liebbelta and nodded at what she said.
1094
1095Let’s leave these difficult things for later and focus on the joy that tomorrow’s vogue would give me.
1096
1097I was so excited, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
1098 
1099Chapter 5 「Voyage」Part 1
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104Early morning the following day.
1105
1106The sky was still a dark indigo blue and a thin layer of fog blown in from the sea still clung to Landfria.
1107
1108Despite the fog that covered everything, the sailors of the Liebbelta were hard a work preparing the ship to set sail.
1109
1110Chiome and I were both excited while the ship was being prepared, but Ariane and Ponta merely yawned and rubbed their tired eyes.
1111
1112“I never imagined that a device could ridden up and down inside a building. It certainly makes moving supplies between the surface and the underground harbor easy.”
1113
1114Chiome’s admiration leaked out as she looked back at the people working in the building behind us.
1115
1116She had brought up rising and descending platforms that were connected to the building, they were basically elevators, or lifts, if you prefer.
1117
1118However, they didn’t function via mechanics, but rather some form of magic to move the platforms, making it feel more Sci-fi than anything else.
1119
1120“There are a lot of convenient things in elven villages.”
1121
1122“……Hmm? I guess so……”
1123
1124Ariane looked at Chiome and gave a non-committal reply to the statement she had made.
1125
1126The sea breeze that blew her long, white hair about also made her hug her own shoulders and shiver.
1127
1128Despite her tired appearance, a group of dark elf workers sent jeers at Ariane as she passed by them.
1129
1130There were a lot more dark elves like Ariane in this harbor in preparation for a voyage than there were in the entirety of Raratoia. Maybe it had something to do with them having the high physical strength working here required that regular elves lacked.
1131
1132There were also many beastmen with excellent physiques from the Southern Continent.
1133
1134One man, who seemed to be in charge of the whole operation, pushed his way through the crowd and greeted us with a large smile.
1135
1136The man was a dark elf, but his lilac skin had a slightly gray tinge to it as if he was sporting a slight tan, and he just seemed to give a stronger impression of being a “Dark Elf” than others.
1137
1138It was closer to the blown-skinned elf that I could turn into.
1139
1140“Are you the ones the elder talked about? I am the captain of the Liebbelta. Hurry, we’ll be setting
1141 
1142sail soon! Once you’re on board, please don’t get in the way of the sailors as they work!”
1143
1144The man introduced himself as the captain of the huge trade ship before turning on his heel and walking away with large strides.
1145
1146However, he seemed to have remembered something and turned around to give us one last instruction.
1147
1148“I don’t mean to come off as rude, but please stay away from the rear hold! If things are quiet, we should arrive in Plymouth by tomorrow morning! See you later!”
1149
1150Having finished his business with us, the captain went about giving the sailors of the trade battleship last-minute instructions.
1151
1152Ariane began to board the ship after that, and Chiome hustled her baggage over her shoulders and followed her.
1153
1154However, something the captain had said had me frozen in place.
1155
1156“Hey, do you want to be left behind, Arc?”
1157
1158Ariane looked back and asked me what was wrong with me.
1159
1160However, I ignored her question and asked her about what was on my mind.
1161
1162“Ariane-dono, was the captain telling the truth!?”
1163
1164My rather vague question confused Ariane, so I tried to be a bit more specific with the follow-up question.
1165
1166“Did the captain mean it when he said we’d arrive by tomorrow!?”
1167
1168I  didn’t expect to  captain to  say that……  it was  unbelievable  that an entire  voyage  could  be
1169
1170completed in a single day. Ariane turned to Chiome to asked her about it.
1171
1172“Is it really that impressive to arrive so early? Not having to spend days on end at sea is a good thing, isn’t it, Chiome-chan?”
1173
1174Chiome responded to Ariane’s question with a nod.
1175
1176“I’m actually grateful for not having to spend multiple days out at sea. But isn’t the closeness to the Southern Continent rather surprising?”
1177
1178Ariane looked up at the anchored Liebbelta after hearing the surprise in Chiome’s voice.
1179
1180“The Liebbelta is capable of reaching the Southern Continent in a single day. It would take a huma ship four days to make the trip, you know?”
1181
1182There was a tinge of pride in Ariane’s voice that made me look up at the trade battleship.
1183
1184If she was telling the truth, this ship was four times faster than any current human ship.
1185
1186The red comet is so far away……
1187 
1188While we were in the midst of our conversation a loud bell rang on board the Liebbelta.
1189
1190Ariane hosted her baggage again and started to jog towards the ship when she heard that.
1191
1192“Arc, that the departure bell! We’ll be left behind if we don’t get moving! Hurry!”
1193
1194“! Gotcha!” “Kyun!”
1195
1196I quickly began running towards the ship after replying to Ariane’s comment.
1197
1198The ramp leading to the ship was removed from beneath my feet right after I manage to get on board, and sailors were already busy at work.
1199
1200The trade battleship, Liebbelta, slowly began setting sail under the sound of the bell which was still being struck.
1201
1202Not wanting to interfere with any of the sailors, I took over the side of the railing.
1203
1204When I looked towards the harbor, I saw a crowd of people standing around, waving goodbye to some of the sailors above deck.
1205
1206“Ariane-dono…… shouldn’t they be unfurling the sails?”
1207
1208She was shocked for a moment by my unexpected question, but she quickly understood what I was asking and why.
1209
1210“The Liebbelta is a magic ship. Since the wind doesn’t flow through the underground harbor, how is it supposed to move forward if not by using magic?”
1211
1212Learning that the ship could move without having to rely on the wind, Chiome looked up to the still furled sail but had only casually brought it up before looking over the side of the ship.
1213
1214In layman’s terms, this ship was at least partially powered by a propulsion engine.
1215
1216Given the captain’s warning, the engine was probably located in the rear hold.
1217
1218I wonder if the mechanism behind the ship’s propulsion was also kept hidden from humans.
1219
1220“Ariane-dono are ships like this kept secret?”
1221
1222Ariane indifferently leaned on one of the ship’s carved out railings as she answered my question about the Liebbelta.
1223
1224“I don’t know. I’m not an engineer and have no idea how this ship was built.”
1225
1226After answering my questions, Ariane looked up at the sky and her large chest swayed with the rhythm of the waves.
1227
1228I scratched my chin while taking note of her ample bosom.
1229
1230What she said was reasonable, as I doubted that non-engineers could explain how a machine functioned all that well.
1231 
1232
1233Even in my old world, everyone knew that cars required an engine to run, but few people actually knew anything beyond that.
1234
1235In any case, this propulsion engine-equipped ship was four times faster than human ships.
1236
1237Though I was a little disappointed that this voyage to the new world would end within a day, reaching the Southern Continent quickly was a good thing in the end.
1238
1239I nodded at my own conclusion.
1240
1241When the bell rang again someone shouted “Open the sails!!”, and the sails that had been furled on the three masts until now began to open.
1242
1243The magic ship Liebbelta left the harbor all too soon and passed several islets and reefs off the coast.
1244
1245The ship began to gradually increase in speed, leaving only collapsing waves behind as it left the area.
1246
1247However, the next moment an alarm bell rung and the deck became very busy.
1248
1249Ariane jerked up and looked towards the back of the ship.
1250
1251“Pirates……”
1252
1253Her white hair was blowing in the sea breeze as Ariane squinted her golden eyes.
1254
1255At the place she was looking at…… I could see the shadows of two ships appearing from behind a
1256
1257nearby islet.
1258
1259“Pirates actually appeared……”
1260
1261We weren’t even that far away from Landria’s harbor. The sanity of any pirate that would ambush a ship here had to be called into question.
1262
1263The pirate ships weren’t even half the length of the Liebbelta.
1264
1265The Liebbelta was ironclad by using dragon scales, while the other ships were common wooden ships.
1266
1267Moreover, the ships were obviously the slower vessels.
1268
1269Though their ambush was somewhat successful, the distance between us was gradually increasing.
1270
1271“Occasionally, human countries send ships disguised as pirates to steal elven technology…… Things
1272
1273should be alright if they remain as they are.”
1274
1275Ariane seemed to have been aware of the pirates and dismissively shrugged her shoulders as the distance continued to grow.
1276
1277I suppose that any competent ruler would be after this shipbuilding technology. The pirate ships couldn’t compare to their elven counterparts. It could be inferred that these pirate ships were greatly surpassed by any of the other ships anchored in Landria.
1278 
1279The moment I thought that two shock waves rocked the ship.
1280
1281When I turned back I saw that two gun ports had opened up and fired upon the pirate ships.
1282
1283As the shockwave echoed through the Liebbelta, an explosion erupted near the pirate ships.
1284
1285A massive column of water rose to the sky behind one of the ships but the shot had succeeded in breaking the mast and confused shouts could be heard from there.
1286
1287In a marine battle, the heavy metal shell that cannons fired packed quite the punch and were barely affected by the sway of a ship. However, it was also possible to damage enemy ships with explosive rounds if they were within the blast range.
1288
1289The shell that had just been fired was probably similar to the 『Explosive Magic Crystals』 that had been used during the revolt in Hoban.
1290
1291The other ship lowered its speed an attempt to rescue those on the ship that had lost the ability to sail.
1292
1293As the two pirate ships gave up their pursuit the Liebbelta began to widen the distance between them.
1294
1295“A single mana cannon-equipped ship can easy best ten human pirate ships……”
1296
1297Ariane replied to my comment as I observed the situation.
1298
1299“They’re primarily used to combat monsters, not to sink pirate ships.”
1300
1301“Oh, I see.”
1302
1303Hearing her comment, the realization that monsters inhabited the sea dawned on me.
1304
1305The blue sea spread out before us as the morning sun rose and the glittering waves forced me to narrow my eyes.
1306
1307I moved my hand in front of my eyes and smiled at the sky and sea in front of me.
1308
1309In this vast sea laid a number of monsters that could become a threat to the Liebbelta and its crew.
1310
1311If there were things like ground dragons and Dragon Kings on the land, who was to say that there wouldn’t be any monsters in the sea?
1312
1313And what’s the most famous ocean monster in the world?
1314 
1315
1316Chapter 6 「Voyage」Part 2
1317
1318
1319
1320
1321“What kind of monsters live in the sea that require this much firepower?”
1322
1323I asked Ariane that question while she was leaning back and enjoying the ocean breeze.
1324
1325Given the power of the cannons they must have been rather large.
1326
1327Chiome was the one that looked away from the sea and answered me.
1328
1329“The southern sea is famous for its plethora of dangerous monsters that inhabit it, like kraken. I’ve never seen the real thing, but they’re said to be huge creatures larger than most ships. Moreover, they have countless tentacles extending from their bodies…… just what type of creatures are they?”
1330
1331Chiome directed her blue eyes toward the sea and set her elbow against the ship’s railing as she contemplated the form of the strange monster.
1332
1333Chiome usually hid her emotions quite well, but she couldn’t prevent her excitement from showing through her swaying tail.
1334
1335While I watched Chiome, I imagined the kraken that she had spoken of while tilting my head.
1336
1337“The size of a ship and possessing numerous tentacles……”
1338
1339Hearing the name kraken brought up the image of a giant squid or octopus.
1340
1341However, I’ve been repeatedly shown that the actual characteristic of certain monsters and what I thought they should look like differed greatly.
1342
1343……	For all I knew she was talking about a giant cuttlefish with long, reaching tentacles connected to its face.
1344
1345I had to clear my mind with furious head shaking when I started to imagine a creature like that attacking the Liebbelta.
1346
1347If it was comparable to this ship’s size, it’d be a hundred meters long at the very least.
1348
1349“Human ships aren’t well equipped to deal with them, so they’d probably fall victim to kraken attacks.”
1350
1351Even if you had cannons, it was questionable if you could defeat a kraken. Humans have yet to begin developing cannon technology and without long-range weaponry, a ship would be as good as sunk if they stumbled upon a kraken.
1352
1353Chiome slowly turned back to me when she heard my prediction.
1354
1355“The name kraken has been famous since before the empire split into its current Eastern and Western halves. The formerly united empire once tried to send a massive fleet to subjugate the Southern Continent, but it was completely annihilated by a kraken.”
1356 
1357
1358I remembered that the founder of the Blade Heart Clan had originally worked within the united empire before he fled to start his clan.
1359
1360It was something Chiome had told me before we raided the Etsuato company on Rhoden’s capital.
1361
1362It was said that the machinations of the original Hanzo caused the conflict between the various factions surrounding the emperor’s succession to intensify, which lead to its schism into East and West.
1363
1364“Hmm… Chiome-dono, you said that the original Hanzo had been an imperial spy before forming your clan…… is it possible that the failed expedition was connected to the fall of the empire as well?”
1365
1366Chiome climbed through her memories before she nodded at me.
1367
1368“Yes, there were actually two large-scale expeditions that had been sent out, but after the second fleet had been destroyed, the emperor started to lose his authority.”
1369
1370I didn’t know much about the size of the fleet, but even one ship wasn’t cheap.
1371
1372A loss of authority was to be expected after failing twice to expand the empire’s control into the Southern Continent.
1373
1374So the thing that made the schism of the empire possible was the kraken……
1375
1376Nevertheless……
1377
1378“To have both fleets destroyed by a kraken…… that emperor must have been very unlucky.”
1379
1380I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of sympathy for that emperor, but Ariane spoke up and argued against it.
1381
1382“Krakens come up to the surface when they’re hunting their prey, which congregates there. It’s only a matter of time before a large fleet crosses paths with one.”
1383
1384“…… I see, so that why.”
1385
1386Ariane shrugged as she spoke but Chiome seemed to be genuinely interested in new information.
1387
1388I simply nodded along and agreed with her.
1389
1390If the outline of a ship ran along the sea surface, it would come across as a large pod of fish to a hungry predatory kraken. Considering the size of this ship, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was attacked more frequently than human ships.
1391
1392When I asked Ariane about it, she turned her head and looked out to the sea.
1393
1394“I don’t know a lot about this, but maybe they can outrun it? Human ships are simply unprepared to deal with a surfacing kraken after all……”
1395
1396In the middle of her explanation, Ponta suddenly stood up on my head and started to anxiously cry about something.
1397 
1398“Kyun! Kyun!”
1399
1400A loud alarm bell started ringing shortly after that.
1401
1402An elven sailor that stood in the crow’s nest began shouting and making pointing gestures in a certain direction. Then the sound of a man’s voice can out of one of the speaking tubes that lined the ship.
1403
1404《Kraken spotted on the starboard bow!! I repeat, kraken spotted on the starboard bow!!》
1405
1406Instructions were given after the warning while the tension rose aboard the ship, yet the sailors, rather than acting in a frenzied manner, moved as it this was a routine occurrence.
1407
1408I closely watched the sea on the starboard bow and remained on the lookout for the kraken that Chiome and I just had been discussing.
1409
1410However, even when I strained my eyes the only thing that I saw was the vast open sea and the clear blue sky.
1411
1412“I don’t see any krakens out there…… how about you Chiome-dono?”
1413
1414Even as I lead over the railing a little I still couldn’t see anything, so I asked Chiome about it sinc she was looking out as well.
1415
1416“No, I can’t see anything either.”
1417
1418But she only shook her head and gave me a negative reply.
1419
1420The ship suddenly took an abrupt left turn, causing the deck to slant heavily and the sail to noisily flail about.
1421
1422I looked back on the deck, the elven sailors were staring off the starboard bow, while the beastmen sailors were looking all over the place for the kraken.
1423
1424When turned to Ariane there was a full smile on her and she nodded before returning her eyes to the sea.
1425
1426“Do you see, Arc? Krakens occasionally swim close to the surface, but since their bodies can blend in with their surroundings it’s difficult to find them. Without the ability to detect miasma, it’s nigh impossible to see a kraken until it’s too late.”
1427
1428I glanced out at the sea as Ariane spoke.
1429
1430Though I had similar abilities as the elves of this world, mine were comparatively weaker than those of the local dark elves.
1431
1432Although my sight was impressive, I could only see the blue sea in the distance.
1433
1434“If they blend into their surroundings you wouldn’t notice them until they attack……”
1435
1436I was amazed at the abilities of krakens and voiced my impression.
1437
1438“The krakens’ abilities……”
1439 
1440
1441Chiome also openly reveal her surprise.
1442
1443Blending into their surroundings, basically optical camouflage.
1444
1445Squids and octopi could change their body coloration, but it must have seemed alien to the people of this world.
1446
1447Well, monsters capable of using optical camouflage still seem to be detectable by their mana-signature, so it should be all right.
1448
1449“Though the reason they surface isn’t known, elves are the only ones that can detect krakens beforehand. They’re rather large too, so it will seem as if a mountain rises from the sea……”
1450
1451Ariane was speaking in her usual prideful manner whenever she talked about what elves could do and gesturing about the sizes of different krakens.
1452
1453Though I was a little disappointed about not seeing the creature myself, I could do nothing but sigh and rest my chin on the railing since a safe voyage outweighed my curiosity.
1454
1455The beastmen sailors also seemed somewhat disappointed by this as they returned to their stations.
1456
1457“…… the kraken won’t follow us, will it?”
1458
1459I brought up a possible problem as I absentmindedly looked out to the see.
1460
1461However, Ariane sat up straight and patted the ship’s railing.
1462
1463“Fully grown, adult kraken can’t keep up with this ship. Maybe younger small krakens could put up a decent chase, but it is rare for one of them t……”
1464
1465Before Ariane could finish speaking Ponta began to tremble on top of my helmet. The next moment a major tremor ran through the ship and knocked Ponta off my head.
1466
1467“What happened!?”
1468
1469I caught Ponta and put her back on my head as I scanned the area.
1470
1471Then someone began shouting.
1472
1473“Juvenile kraken on the stern!!”
1474
1475Everyone on the deck froze when they heard that.
1476
1477Then…… something like a gleeful roar shook the ship.
1478
1479“Kyaaaa!! Get to the stern, hurry!!!”
1480
1481“Shiyaaa!! Last one there loses his share!!!”
1482
1483“I’ve been waiting for a kraken to show up!!!”
1484
1485The ones showing such unexpected reactions to the news were beastmen like Chiome. They grabbed a weapon and ran for the back of the ship at full speed.
1486 
1487The image of a department store opening on a bargain sale crossed my mind.
1488
1489On the other hand…… the elven sailors seemed to be worried about the turn of events and couldn’t
1490
1491seem to understand the behavior of their crew mates.
1492
1493Being attacked by sea monsters was something that should’ve been feared, yet there was no sense of tragedy here.
1494
1495“It feels like I just walked into a festival!! You don’t mind if I join in do you?”
1496
1497I drew the 『Holy Thunder Sword』 and ran towards the stern.
1498
1499When I arrived, I was greeted with the hellish sight of a group of armed beastmen combating a ten-meter tall, colossal squid.
1500 
1501 
1502Some of them had been knocked aside by the kraken, but their naturally resilient bodies allowed them to wipe off the blood and go after the kraken again.
1503
1504Meanwhile, a member of the wolf tribe had managed to cut off one of the kraken’s arms, making it roar to the heavens.
1505
1506When I saw one of its tentacles approaching the wolf-eared man I quickly stepped in.
1507
1508The wolf beastman was utterly surprised when I came up behind him and cut off the tentacle that had been coming after him.
1509
1510The robust tentacle fell onto the ship’s deck.
1511
1512“Don’t be so careless.”
1513
1514“Thanks for the help brother.”
1515
1516I shook off the blood and seawater as the wolf beastman called out to me. When I looked ahead I saw the other beastman cheering as they surrounded the dying kraken.
1517
1518“That was surprisingly unfulfilling……”
1519
1520I shelved my sword as I watch the scene play out and was about to leave when the wolf-eared man I saved called out to me.
1521
1522“This piece is yours, brother! What do you want to do with it?”
1523
1524He grabbed my shoulder and as he said that.
1525
1526Everyone seemed pleased with what had happened, so was there anything else?
1527
1528“Is kraken edible?”
1529
1530Despite them being monsters krakens, were still squids. That was the only use that came to mind.
1531
1532Apparently, I was right on the mark.
1533
1534“Ouyo’! Do you want to sprinkle some salt on it now? We could also dry it! If you cook it over the fire, it will go well with liquor!”
1535
1536“Ohh” “Kyukyu〜n☆”
1537
1538As the wolf beastman told me the how the kraken could be prepared, Ariane and Chiome came up behind us.
1539
1540The two of them had different reactions when they were asked about taking their own share.
1541
1542Ariane aggressively shook her head and stepped back.
1543
1544Chiome, on the other hand, stepped forwards with her tail standing up straight.
1545
1546However, Ponta voiced a protest from atop my head.
1547 
1548“Don’t worry, I make sure you get your fair share, Ponta.”
1549
1550“Kyun!”
1551
1552After that exchange, Chiome and I hung around to see how the dying took place.
1553
1554The people around us scrambled to start dismantling in the large creature.
1555
1556Within a matter of minutes, the ten-meter long kraken was brought onto the Liebbelta, sliced into large pieces, and hung from a rack.
1557
1558The squid should be dried out by tonight.
1559
1560When the top layer was dried out it would be cut off and the exposed layer would be washed with seawater…… The method was incredibly simple, but watching made me want to swallow my saliva.
1561
1562Soy sauce and sake would go along with some grilled squid, but I hadn’t seen either of these things in the village.
1563
1564I couldn’t ask for that much…
1565
1566The tails of both Ponta and Chiome were synchronized with one another as they watched the kraken being sliced up, in the meantime I opened my luggage sack.
1567
1568Inside, along with a few other things, were a water canteen that contained the spring water I’d collected this morning, a makeshift straw to sip on it and the package I bought yesterday in Landfria, which contained the stack of papers and art supplies I was currently retrieving.
1569
1570I might as well do something while the kraken was dried.
1571
1572Thinking such, I sat down in a cross-legged position and took a page out of the paper bundle.
1573
1574“Hmm, the helmet obstructs my vision after all……”
1575
1576I took my helmet off after mumbling to myself, picked up my writing implements, which were basically charcoal sticks, and began drawing lines on the paper.
1577
1578After making a rough sketch of the perimeter, I began adding details.
1579
1580When I looked back and forth between the deck and the paper I reflected on how long it has been since I drew anything. While I was absorbed in my work, Ariane came up beside me and commented on my drawing.
1581
1582“Arc, you can draw? This is pretty good.”
1583
1584“Really? Hmm, it stills seems a little amateurish.”
1585
1586What she said reminded me of something that happened in the past.
1587
1588A long ago, one of my creations had been displayed in multiple exhibits.
1589
1590When was that…… I remember that a certain girl in my art class praised me for one of my drawings,
1591 
1592even though I thought her drawing was more atmospheric than mine had been.
1593
1594However, my work had been selected for the exhibit over hers and I felt a bit sorry for that girl when I saw her again.
1595
1596I wonder what that girl was doing right now?
1597
1598Ariane suddenly got in my face while my mind had been occupied with thoughts of the past. “Are you all right, Arc?”
1599
1600Her golden dark elf eyes were focused entirely on me.
1601
1602Whenever I regained my body, homesickness would creep into my thoughts if I let it.
1603
1604I shook my head and took a deep breath of sea breeze.
1605
1606Shifting my gaze to Ariane’s chest and changed the topic.
1607
1608“Yes…… Ariane-dono I think the skin on your chest is starting to get a tan……”
1609
1610The moment I said that Ariane’s cheeks turned a bright shade of vermillion and she slapped me in the face.
1611
1612“Looks like I worried for nothing.”
1613
1614Ariane folded her arms an attempt to hide her chest and looked away.
1615
1616Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes as she brought her hand to her face.
1617
1618I had to sigh after that because I doubted that would have happened had I been enjoying sake and grilled squid.
1619
1620Nevertheless, the filleted kraken meat was still being hung out to dry and imagining the taste of it tonight was enough to keep me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
1621
1622At least…… that’s what I told myself.
1623 
1624Chapter 7 「Harbor Town Plymouth」Part 1
1625
1626
1627
1628
1629I spent last night sleeping in my narrow cabin while wearing my armor and only woke up the next morning when a fur ball began to restlessly move about on my face.
1630
1631The rocking of the ship must have moved Ponta up to my face from the spot on my chest where she’d been sleeping.
1632
1633While still half asleep I picked Ponta up by the scruff of her neck to stop her from licking me.
1634
1635Though it was a rather abrupt awakening, I sat up and took a look around as I started to stretch out my stiff limbs.
1636
1637“Kyun!”
1638
1639“Did something wake you up, Ponta?”
1640
1641Ponta climbed up my shoulder when I called out to her.
1642
1643The light that leaked in from the round ship window dimly illuminated the small cabin.
1644
1645There wasn’t anyone’s shadow inside this cabin but mine and Ponta’s…… not that there was much
1646
1647room left in the cabin after my armored-self settled inside the room.
1648
1649After corrected the position of my helmet, I lowered my head as I walked through the cabin door.
1650
1651Since the ship was occasionally racked by large waves, I used a line of wall handles to make my way above deck. The sails were fluttering and dawn was just beginning to brighten the sky.
1652
1653When I shifted my eyes to the sea just right of the ship I saw a still black landmass off in the distance.
1654
1655It was still too dark to make out anything from here, but the landmass rose up into a steep cliff without any safe place for a ship to dock.
1656
1657“Oh, have we reached the Southern Continent already……”
1658
1659As I gazed upon the darkened landmass, one of the People of the Plains and Mountains heard m comment and called out to me in a light tone.
1660
1661“Rather strange to wear armor up on deck. So, is this your first visit to the Fabuna’ha Kingdom?”
1662
1663The man was from the same tribe as Chiome and after yawning and resting his elbow on the ship’s railing he looked up at me.
1664
1665I nodded at his question and looked down at the man before answering.
1666
1667“I’m a little interested in the  country built by the People of the Plains and Mountains…… In fact, th
1668
1669purpose of this trip is to research tomatoes and other spices.”
1670 
1671When I said that the cat-eared man looked up at me in confusion.
1672
1673“The People…… of the Plains and Mountains? You mean the Fabuna’ha Kingdom found by the
1674
1675beastmen?”
1676
1677It was my turn to give him a confused look.
1678
1679“…? Isn’t that a derogatory term to call your people, or is it different on the Southern Continent?”
1680
1681From what Chiome told me, the term “beastmen” was an insult that humans gave to people with animal ears and tails, so they referred to themselves as the ” the People of the Plains and Mountains”.
1682
1683When I explained it to the cat-eared man’s face lit up as if something crossed his mind.
1684
1685“Oh, I guess that’s what my people call themselves in the north. Long ago, Fabuna’ha’s first king united the separate tribes into a single community of beastmen and built the country from there.”
1686
1687The was a hint of pride in the man’s voice as he explained his feeling behind the name.
1688
1689If that were case…… it meant that common sense of this continent was different from its Northern
1690
1691counterpart.
1692
1693“There aren’t a lot humans can do on the Southern Continent.”
1694
1695“Oh, I see. Are there no humans on the Southern Continent at all?”
1696
1697The man had a slightly wryly smile on his face as he answered my question.
1698
1699“There’s a human settlement across the two major plains west of Fabuna’ha. Since they’re close enough to launch an attack a defensive line was set up along Fabuna’ha’s boarder .……”
1700
1701There wasn’t much hostility on the man’s face as he talked about humans.
1702
1703In fact, the way he spoke of them made me thinks there might be individual differences in opinions about humans.
1704
1705When I questioned him a bit more about them, he chuckled and shook his head.
1706
1707“The humans built a wall around their lands and don’t venture out of them much. Besides, there’s no way that Fabuna’ha’s beastmen soldiers would fall behind human soldiers!”
1708
1709Contrary to the situation on the Northern Continent, the beastmen seem to be the conquerors of the Southern Continent.
1710
1711It might have been best for the people of the hidden villages to relocate to the Southern Continent, bu it wasn’t my place to determine their actions.
1712
1713Also, the objective of Chiome’s “Blade Heart Clan” was to free their enslaved people from humans and simply relocating the villagers here would only be a half-measure.
1714
1715Centuries of animosity can’t be settled overnight.
1716 
1717For now, Chiome would have to look at the country her people built and tell those of her village what she saw.
1718
1719Chiome suddenly called out to me just as that thought crossed my mind.
1720
1721“Arc-dono. You’re already here? Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you……”
1722
1723When I looked back, I saw Chiome modesty looking up at me, dressed in her usual black attire. He face was as emotionless as always, but the tail attached to her lower back was restlessly moving about.
1724
1725“Oh, good morning Chiome-dono. What do you want from me?”
1726
1727The man I’d been talking to parted ways with us as Chiome came closer.
1728
1729When I asked what business she had with me, Chiome nodded to make up her mind before looking up at me again.
1730
1731“The portion of dried kraken Arc-done received, could I purchase some of it off from you?”
1732
1733“Kyun? Kyun, Kyun!”
1734
1735I looked down at Chiome when she spoke her unexpected request.
1736
1737When I looked into her earnest blue eyes her cheeks became a slight shade of vermillion and her mouth twitched a bit, a rare expression suitable for a girl of her age.
1738
1739Before I could agree to Chiome’s request Ponta slid down from my head and looked up at me while protesting.
1740
1741Their behavior reminded me of what had happened when the dried kraken had been cooked up for dinner.
1742
1743I offered some to Ariane but she feverishly shook her head no and stepped back.
1744
1745Chiome and Ponta, on the other hand, immediately began to devour the cooked kraken with great relish.
1746
1747I also enjoyed the cooked kraken but I couldn’t help wanting some sake and soy sauce to go along with it.
1748
1749But the two of them (?) seemed to have fallen in love with the taste of kraken.
1750
1751“Money isn’t necessary, though you seem to really enjoy it Chiome-dono.”
1752
1753When I said that Chiome broke eye-contact and scratched her cheek.
1754
1755“Y-Yes. It is not often that I get to eat such delicious food…… Because I think my older brother
1756
1757would enjoy it, I wanted to bring some back as a souvenir.” “Oh, you have an older brother Chiome-dono?”
1758 
1759I was taken back by her comment because Chiome hadn’t spoken about her family before.
1760
1761However, she shook the head as she answered.
1762
1763“No, even though I call him brother, he is a senior member of the six great ninjas. He bears the name Sasuke.”
1764
1765Her eyebrows lowered and she looked off in the distance after she spoke.
1766
1767It was a familiar name.
1768
1769I remember it being brought up in the conversation Chiome and Hanzo the 22nd when I first visited the hidden village.
1770
1771If I was remembering it correctly, Chiome had been asking about Sasuke’s whereabouts.
1772
1773Since that conversation wasn’t something I should have heard, I thought about it for a bit before giving her an ambiguous response.
1774
1775“I see, large quantiles had been dried so there should be enough for you to take home.”
1776
1777Ariane didn’t have any interest in the food and there was only so much of it that I could use.
1778
1779The leftovers were still half-dried and fried kraken seemed rather tempting as long as I cut it into thin pieces.
1780
1781It actually might be fun to sneakily give Ariane some, just to see what would happen. As that mischievous thought crossed my mind, a half-asleep Ariane made her way on deck with her hair still disheveled from sleep.
1782
1783The lack of other women onboard and her voluptuous figure meant that the sailors’ eyes immediately honed in on Ariane, just like when we boarded the ship.
1784
1785I didn’t know if she was aware of the stares, but the way she moved her body after a night spent in a narrow cabin only strengthened her already alluring feminine charms.
1786
1787“Good morning Ariane-dono.”
1788
1789“Good morning Arc. Why are the beds in the cabin so hard…… because if that my body is sore all
1790
1791over.”
1792
1793Ariane rubbed her back and sighed after making that comment.
1794
1795Just as I was about to say something to her, a sudden rustling on deck gathered everyone’s attention.
1796
1797When I focused my attention, I noticed the morning sun shining upon a town just off the starboard bow.
1798
1799“We’ve arrived in Plymouth.”
1800
1801I heard someone’s voice as I took in the sight of the huge coastal city.
1802 
1803It was larger than any human city I’d seen. Despite the fact that we were on a hundred-meter long ship, but it felt minuscule compared to the city.
1804
1805I’d thought that the elven city Landria we sailed from was well developed, but Polymath outclassed it.
1806
1807There weren’t any high-rise tree-apartments like in eleven cities, but the architecture was similar to the buildings found in Rhoden Kingdom’s capital, only spread out over a hilly landscape.
1808
1809Chiome was openly expressing her surprise beside me.
1810
1811“I’ve heard the stories but, this city is huge. It’s like a human city sprung up from the countryside.”
1812
1813Ariane made a statement I had no choice but to agree.
1814
1815“Judging from its size, it might house a hundred thousand people……”
1816
1817As the Liebbelta approached Plymouth’s port, we began to pass by other ships just heading out.
1818
1819The crews we passed had a lot of of beastmen crewmembers moving cargo around their ships.
1820
1821When the Liebbelta pulled into one of the city’s piers, the sturdy beastmen around us began work mooring the ship in place.
1822
1823Once that was done, the unloading of the cargo began. After saying goodbye to the captain and collecting our baggage we crossed the wooden bridge and stepped onto the pier.
1824
1825Beastmen guards wielding spears and dressed in light armor waited on the pier and all of the crewmen not taking part in the unloading had to have their baggage checked by them.
1826
1827When Ariane pulled out a letter she received from Landria’s elder, the guards only looked it over before allowing us to enter Plymouth without issue.
1828
1829Plymouth must’ve been the most energetic city I’ve ever visited.
1830
1831While the majority of the people walking around were beastmen, a decent number of dark elf sailors were mixed in with them.
1832
1833The outskirts of the port gave way to an open market, with various street vendors displaying their wares to the crowds of people trying to buy them.
1834
1835While it seemed like we walked into the middle of a festival, someone suited in full body armor walking the marketplace was bound to draw attention.
1836
1837“This is amazing…… We might lose sight of each other if we look away for a moment.”
1838
1839Ariane spoke what crossed her mind behind me as the crowd of people parted ways for me as are little group advanced forward.
1840
1841Though it had been my first voyage, I had no trouble with large crowds.
1842
1843I was actually quite relaxed in urban settings, and after such a long absence of experiencing it, I was
1844 
1845feeling a bit nostalgic being here.
1846
1847Well, there was nothing I could do about it.
1848
1849Instead, I focused on the various spices and other miscellaneous food that lined some of the stalls we passed.
1850
1851Ponta’s tail restlessly wagged about as her eyes danced across all the food on display.
1852
1853As my eyes continued to wander, I suddenly stopped at a certain stall because an ongoing argument caught my ear.
1854
1855“What!? Why’s the price so much higher than usual!?”
1856
1857The yelling customer was a wolf-eared man who was arguing with a bear-eared male stand owner about the price of certain spices.
1858
1859“Isn’t it inevitable? The western tiger-tribe members have started to disappear. These are the last of my red nails you know?”
1860
1861The bear-eared man stand owner looked down on the customer as if he were a nuisance and pressed him to buy or leave.
1862
1863The wolf-eared man took his money and left the stall in a bit of a fit, being unwilling to pay such a high price for the spice.
1864
1865As I watched the exchange play out, my feet unconsciously moved towards the street stall.
1866
1867“Hey, Arc!? Are there some tomatoes over there?”
1868
1869Ariane brought up the item that had brought us to the Southern Continent and made me act in a similar fashion the other day when she called out to me.
1870
1871However, I was too busy moving towards the street stall to answer her.
1872
1873My eyes were immediately drawn to the red nail item he was holding.
1874
1875It was shaped like a claw and had the size of an index finger. Its flesh was a bright red color and a bit wrinkled.
1876
1877This item…… was something I was familiar with.
1878
1879“Shopkeeper, are these spicy?”
1880
1881I picked up one of the red nails and asked the stall owner about its characteristics for confirmation.
1882
1883The bear-eared man seems a little confused by the man in full-body armor’s sudden question, but he was quick to realize what I was asking.
1884
1885“A-Ah. Despite their appearance, those are often referred to as the “devil nails” due to their spiciness.”
1886 
1887I was convinced of the nature of what I was holding by that answer.
1888
1889……these devil nails were red chili peppers.
1890 
1891Chapter 8 「Harbor Town Plymouth」Part 2
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896I never imaged that I would find chili peppers on this quest to obtain tomatoes in the Southern Continent. While tomatoes had many uses in cooking, red chili peppers were a versatile spice.
1897
1898With both tomatoes and chili peppers, I could make.
1899
1900Various Italian recipes started to flow into my head, and I frantically began searching nearby stall for the necessary ingredients and cooking implements.
1901
1902Ariane came up behind me and tilted her neck a bit when she saw the ‘so-called’ devil nail in my hand.
1903
1904“Huh? Are you going to buy those?”
1905
1906“Yes, I didn’t know I would come across these here, and I’d like to buy some if possible.”
1907
1908Ariane slowly turned toward the stall vendor and asked the price of the peppers after I said that.
1909
1910When she heard it, her response mirrored the one of the wolf-eared man from before.
1911
1912“What, how can you charge that ridiculous amount!?”
1913
1914Ariane began chewing out the bear-eared vendor, with Chiome and me nodding our heads in agreement.
1915
1916I unintentionally reached for my gold pouch when we I heard the price the vendor had set.
1917
1918However, Ariane’s sharp eyes caught that motion and held out her hands to stop me from doing something foolish.
1919
1920“Isn’t that price just a rip-off??”
1921
1922While pressing the vendor Ariane voiced her criticism of him to me.
1923
1924Her golden eyes spoke of how outrageous it would be to buy at the asking price…… and that look
1925
1926carried some weight behind it.
1927
1928I looked to Chiome and strongly nodded to her to get her to agree.
1929
1930All the while wondering what made the price such a hang up for her.
1931
1932While I was contemplating the differences between men and women, the vendor began to explain his situation.
1933
1934“Like I told the guy before, the price was lower than it is now, but the tiger tribesmen that were my suppliers have disappeared and I can’t replace my stock.”
1935
1936Hearing his side of the situation explained why he was unwilling to negotiate the price.
1937 
1938Since chili peppers were dried goods they wouldn’t spoil that quickly, so the vendor could just wait for a buyer willing to pay his price.
1939
1940Ariane also realized this and frowned in disappointment.
1941
1942However, her face showed that she wasn’t willing to buy at the asking price, and I wouldn’t be able to buy the peppers at this rate.
1943
1944Well, let’s change the approach a bit.
1945
1946“Vender-dono, do you know of any other shops that deal in devil nails?”
1947
1948No merchant would purposely direct business to his rivals.
1949
1950The vendor shruged his shoulders and shook his head as expected.
1951
1952“The western tiger tribe only recently begun to distribute devil nails in this region, there are almost no other places that sale them. If you think I’m lying, you’re welcome to search the market yourself.”
1953
1954The vendor snorted and broke eye contact while crossing his arms, so I turned to Ariane to see what she know.
1955
1956She nodded and chimed in on what the vendor had said.
1957
1958“I’ve never seen them before. You don’t come across them in Canada at least……”
1959
1960“Then where can I find the tiger tribe to buy the nails directly?”
1961
1962Even with a brief look around the market, I couldn’t find any tiger-eared people.
1963
1964If the vendor told me where to find the tiger tribe the situation would solve itself, but he remained silent and let me continue my search in vain.
1965
1966It was only natural for a customer to seek out the producer of a good they sought in this situation.
1967
1968However, the vendor had no reason to tell me anything.
1969
1970As I tried to come up with a way to trip up the vendor, Ariane butted into the conversation.
1971
1972“Arc, why do you wanna buy these things? From what we heard these things are dangerous, right? The same thing with the Kraken, why are you only interested in the strangest things?”
1973
1974Ariane seemed a bit mystified by my behavior but it was Chiome and Ponta that objected to her comment.
1975
1976“…… Kraken is delicious!” “Kyun!”
1977 
1978 
1979There was earnest look in her clear blue eyes as Chiome and the fur ball atop my head stood in solidarity.
1980
1981Though they missed the point I accepted their backing and held up the pepper in my hand.
1982
1983“You can make various delicious thing by using this and tomatoes. Therefore, I would like to buy some at a more reasonable price.”
1984
1985Ariane raised an eyebrow at what I said. But the vendor reacted before she could say anything.
1986
1987“You’re planning to cook with devil nails!? Those of the tiger tribe use them to boost their fighting spirits by cooking them, but barely anyone else does that!”
1988
1989I looked towards the shocked vendor and asked him to elaborate.
1990
1991“Then, what are Devil’s nails used for besides cooking?”
1992
1993I couldn’t think of any other use for them at the moment.
1994
1995Chiome and Ariane looked between me and the vendor as our conversation had peeked their interest.
1996
1997“They’re usually boiled till their juices bleed out, and the juices are used as a monster and insect repellent. I also heard that squeezing them into your nose can temporarily increase one’s strength.”
1998
1999If I’m not mistaken then the capsaicin in red chili peppers had antiseptic properties as well as being an effective insecticide, but squeezing it into your nose? Was it some kind of curse?
2000
2001However, I understood. The members of the tiger tribe were rumored to use them in cooking, but confirmation of that fact hadn’t reached this town yet.
2002
2003“Since only the extremely curious would be interested in these, there’s no need to hide the supplier. All I have to do is ask around about the tiger tribe in order to find them.”
2004
2005The vendor said that members of the tribe haven’t been seen around here recently, but it should be easy to find a clue about their location and buy the devil nails directly.
2006
2007I started to look towards the other vendors with that thought in mind.
2008
2009Then the bear-eared vendor sighed and scratched the back of his head.
2010
2011“Hah, that’s true. The tiger tribe mainly deals in monster leather and fangs. They usually reside in the Kuwana plains, just beyond the Shingarika plains. The tribe is often sighted around Fernandez, jus west of here. If you follow the Dojasu river you should reach it.”
2012
2013Somewhat reluctantly, the vendor revealed the location of the tiger tribe members.
2014
2015I was ignorant of this continent’s geography so I turned to Ariane when I heard the name of the town, but she was also unfamiliar with those places to so she only shook her head.
2016
2017“Fernandez is ten days away by carriage and twenty days by foot. Do you actually plan to make such a trek?”
2018 
2019A fatherly smile floated on the vendor’s face, as Ariane silently looked on.
2020
2021There was quite a bit of distance to cover in order to reach the town. The vendor’s smile widened as he was assured of his victory. Even if we went through the hardships of reaching the town, there was no guarantee we could buy the items at a cheaper price.
2022
2023My short-distance transfer magic 【Dimensional Step】 should be able to deal with the distance problem. I’d guess that it would take three days to reach the town of Fernandez by using that.
2024
2025While I thought it over, Ariane’s gaze landed on the baggage over my shoulder.
2026
2027“Arc. You have some magic stones in your bag right?”
2028
2029At her question, I was reminded of the magic stones I had collected in the caverns before we came upon that underground lake. Due to the picturesque nature of the underground lake I should be able to use 【Transfer Gate】 and collect some more of them so long as intercontinental travel wasn’t an issue.
2030
2031I nodded at her question considering all of that.
2032
2033“I have a few of them, do you need a specific number of them?”
2034
2035Still unable to see her intentions, I gave her a frank reply that managed to put a smile on her luscious lips.
2036
2037She seems to have thought of something……
2038
2039“Follow me. Arc. Since we’re already here, we might as well stretch our legs.”
2040
2041Ariane turned on her heel and began walking away from the vendor.
2042
2043“C-Coming!”
2044
2045Before the vendor could complain about her departure, I took out a gold coin and handed it to him.
2046
2047“Sorry, Vender-dono. Could you give me however many devil nails this covers?”
2048
2049The reason I relented was as a thank you for the information on the tiger tribe and I still wanted to sample the peppers.
2050
2051The vendor acknowledged that there was no further room for negotiations as he watched Ariane walk off, so he reluctantly took the gold coin.
2052
2053Although he was was a bit suspicious of the coin when he saw the emblem engraved on it, after I explained that it was from the human kingdom on the Northern Continent, the exchange came to an end.
2054
2055I was handed several devil nails in return, and after using the gold coin I had just paid to calculate the price for one of them, the mere thought of buying them en masse paralyzed me.
2056
2057Even if currency exchange was taken into account, I had just been handed a value pack of devil nails with none of the value.
2058 
2059
2060A price that reached the value of gold, I couldn’t help but remember how I had heard once that pepper had been worth its weight in gold at one time.
2061
2062“No, at these rates gold isn’t the proper unit……”
2063
2064My hand moved to my money pouch as I stared at the devil nails.
2065
2066When I caught up to Ariane and Chiome I asked her what she had in mind.
2067
2068“Where are we going?”
2069
2070“Remember what I told you before we came here? Though there shouldn’t be many of them, there should be a transfer magic shrine network set up in this country. I don’t know if we can directly travel to Fernandez but it should be faster than taking the highway, right?”
2071
2072Ariane raised her brow as she looked back in my direction. Chiome was taken aback when she remember that conversation.
2073
2074I groaned a little when she brought up that conversation from not that long ago.
2075
2076“Hmm, I see. The only question is if the shrine network is open to the public.”
2077
2078“Since using it requires a village elder to grant permission, what are the actual chances of us being allowed to travel to Fernandez?”
2079
2080Ariane’s status as daughter of a village elder probably allowed her to gain the necessary access to the shrine network, an advantage that we lacked here.
2081
2082If the shrine network was opened to the public, it would mean that a looser management system was in place.
2083
2084For now I pushed those thoughts aside and paid attention to the street we were heading down. Both sides of the street were lined with three-story tall buildings and had various types of beastmen going about their business.
2085
2086Though, it was actually a peculiar carriage that caught my attention. If you could call it a carriage, that is…
2087
2088There wasn’t a single horse hooked up to the chassis.
2089
2090Instead, there was a goat-like creature pulling it along. The creature had two ram horns jolting up from its head and it was covered in silk-like black fur everywhere but its face.
2091
2092However, the creature was the size of a horse and showed no strain as it pulled the fully packed carriage.
2093
2094There were two beastmen guards protecting the carriage. They wore matching uniforms and had swords attached to their waist as they rode two-meter tall birds. The height of the bird allowed them to easily see above the heads of the crowd. The birds’ wings were a bit small compared to their bodies and their feather were a dark brown color except for their white heads. This feature coupled with its yellow beak drew up the image of bald eagles in my mind.
2095 
2096
2097“Hmm, I should have expected to find unknown animals here.” “Kyun!”
2098
2099“These horse-like birds seem to be fast runners.”
2100
2101Ariane called out to Chiome, Ponta and I as we stopped to evaluate the carriage passing us by.
2102
2103“Arc, Chiome-chan, the sun will set if we don’t hurry!”
2104
2105After confirming where we were headed, Ariane urged us to continue weaving our way through the crowd.
2106
2107After an hour of walking, we reached the center of the city where a large solemn building stood in the center of a small field.
2108
2109The seemingly Middle Eastern building was made from a lapis lazuli colored stone decorated with shiny filigree patterns. There was a baggage check station in front of the building’s entrance and guards could be seen all around the area.
2110
2111“This seems to be this country’s transfer shrine network.”
2112
2113Ariane made that comment as she approached the main gate, with the rest of us in tow.
2114
2115The building in front of us was more like a temple than a shrine.
2116
2117As we neared the gate of the transfer magic ‘shrine’, one of the beastmen guards gave Ariane a strange look before singling us out.
2118
2119“It’s unusual to see a female dark elf around here, are you planning to use the transfer formation?”
2120
2121Ariane nodded at the guard’s question before asking her own.
2122
2123“Yes, is it possible to reach Fernandez or a nearby town?”
2124
2125“You can transfer to Fernandez, but it’s impossible today. Today’s two formations are linked to the capital city Galapagos.”
2126
2127The guard gestured at the line of people at the gate with his chin as he spoke.
2128
2129According to him, the formation was frequently set to the capital (?), whereas transfers to other cities were only available for a limited number of people every day.
2130
2131But more importantly, the capital was named after the islands the evolution theory was based upon.
2132
2133“The three of you will exceed the limit of people for tomorrow’s transfer to Fernandez. I suggest you come back in two days when the schedule opens up. You can also pay half the fee in advance so that your name is placed on the register.”
2134
2135That was how Ariane’s question was answered.
2136
2137Given the circumstances, doing so must cost a considerable amount of money. Even though the price seemed to scale with the quantity of your baggage, the coins we had weren’t suitable for major circulation.
2138 
2139It felt like we were being presented with the foreign voyage cost of the early Showa period.
2140
2141“Is it possible to pay the fee in magic stones?”
2142
2143“Yes, there’s an appraisal station off to the side that can determine a price point.”
2144
2145The guard led us to the station before returning to his post.
2146
2147The station in front of us would appraise the magic stones and calculate the usage fee based on their quality. If we were fortunate enough, then the cost could be covered by the stones I brought along.
2148
2149After handing over all the magic stones I had for appraisal, they were exchanged for their monetary value. It turned out that the reservation only cost half of the payout, so I pocketed the difference.
2150
2151We were also handed marked wooden plaques for the transfer formation. Basically some kind of passport.
2152
2153“This should take care of our expenses in this country of a while……”
2154
2155The leather pouch in my hand held the money and passport that we had just received, and I looked back at Ariane and Chiome as I spoke.
2156
2157“The group going to Fernandez won’t be announced until noon tomorrow, so traveling outside of this town is restricted. We should find an inn somewhere.”
2158
2159When we reached the town square Ariane crossed her arms and started looking around the area as she brought up our schedule.
2160
2161Chiome restlessly moved about as she stood beside me.
2162
2163“Something wrong Chiome-dono?”
2164
2165“N-No. I was just thinking about what we learned about the tiger tribe. From what I heard, the tige tribe excels in martial arts. There only a few of them on the Northern Continent, so I’ve never met one before.”
2166
2167Chiome looked like a boy anxious to meet his hero with her unusual expressive face.
2168
2169While I stared at her, the image of a muscular giant suddenly appeared beside her, accompanied by a sense of deja vu.
2170
2171“According to the vendor, they haven’t been making that many appearances recently…… I do hope
2172
2173you can meet them, Chiome-dono. I would also like to purchase more devil nails from them.
2174
2175When she heard this Ariane pointed a finger at me in protest.
2176
2177“Arc, did you actually buy some devil nails from that vendor? I thought you found the tiger tribe’s location so that you could buy them wholesale.”
2178
2179Ariane puffed out her chest and pouted in dissatisfaction as she spoke.
2180
2181Though she had already walked off by then, her excellent warrior-senses and deductive reasoning
2182 
2183shouldn’t be underestimated.
2184
2185“I bought a few of them for sampling. I was thinking of buying the necessary materials in the market and cooking up something with the devil nails.”
2186
2187I grasped my fist as I spoke, but Chiome and Ariane gave me a confused look.
2188
2189“Arc, you can cook?”
2190
2191Her question was actually reasonable when I thought about it.
2192
2193I haven’t cooked anything for myself since I came to this world. However, I had lived alone for many years……and I became quite competent in my cooking because of that.
2194
2195“Hmhmhm, let me show you my ability. You all will bear witness to my cooking skills!”
2196
2197Since it’s been a while since I last cooked, let’s make some arrabbiata pasta with the devil nails and tomatoes. I remember that garlic and onions were available in the market, so they should be easily obtainable.
2198
2199“Kyun! Kyun!”
2200
2201Realizing what was happening, Ponta began joyfully wagging her tail and crying atop my head.
2202
2203The devil nails might be a little too much for Ponta, so I need to remove them from her portion.
2204 
2205Chapter 9 「Border Town Fernandez」 Part 1
2206
2207
2208
2209
2210Let’s start with the outcome first.
2211
2212The cooking didn’t turned out too bad…… no, considering I’d been in an unfamiliar environment, the
2213
2214food came out pretty good if, I do say so myself.
2215
2216Ariane was a little teary-eyed when she first started eating, but as the deliciousness of the spicy Arrabiata sauce dawned on her, she began considering to bring the devil nails back to Canada.
2217
2218The stimulation was a little too much for Chiome’s tongue at first, but it wasn’t long before her plate was empty.
2219
2220It was good that the devil nails weren’t as spicy as I thought they could have been, compared to regular red chili peppers. The sauce did have bit more of a kick to it, though.
2221
2222While I was cooking, Ariane saw me toss out the seeds and capsaicin glands, and there was a brief interrogation about why I was wasting something I spent so much money on.
2223
2224Since the capsaicin, which is what was causing the intense burning taste, was concentrated around the core of the pepper, it would be rather dangerous to use that part for cooking.
2225
2226To prove my point, I suggested to Ariane that she should put a small piece of the core into her mouth, waited for the expected result.
2227
2228In the end, Ariane had tears in her eyes when she took her first bite of the Arrabiata. Fortunately, the taste of the devil nails come through and she was able to enjoy it.
2229
2230If I had to point out an issue…… it would be how difficult it was to adjust the fire as I cooked.
2231
2232When I added the homemade penne, I noticed that part of the sauce had been burnt.
2233
2234The tomatoes had a pungent taste, but unfortunately the burnt part added a slight bitterness in the end.
2235
2236Though, the penne turned out unexpectedly well.
2237
2238Since the wheat dough used was originally used to make bread, the finished penne had a dusty texture to it.
2239
2240When it came to kneading the dough, I was grateful for my enhanced strength.
2241
2242After mentioning the problems with the fire, Ariane informed me of a magic tool stove that was capable of adjusting the heat.
2243
2244Unfortunately, this item hadn’t spread far beyond elven villages despite how long ago it had been created.
2245
2246The reason being that the magic stones used to power the stove were more expensive than firewood.
2247 
2248Still, the adjustable heat was an attractive feature and it was something worth looking into when we returned. I could always gather the magic stones from the cavern whenever I needed them, and it would be more efficient for me to use than firewood was.
2249
2250While I planned the construction of my future kitchen, Ariane stepped up beside me and urged me forward.
2251
2252I nodded and looked ahead of me.
2253
2254We now stood in front of Plymouth’s transfer shrine just beyond the gate.
2255
2256Two days have already passed since then and we were now about to travel to Fernandez.
2257
2258After handing over our passes and the other half of the money, we were ushered into the line we were currently waiting in.
2259
2260Currently, my helmet was under my arm and I would re-hydrate with the hot spring water in my canteen.
2261
2262A group composed of a brown-skinned elf, a female dark elf, a spirit beast and a cat-eared ninja certainly gathered the attention of those around us.
2263
2264Once our turn finally arrived, we were allowed to enter the shrine after a brief questioning.
2265
2266The exterior appearance of the shrine, with its multitude of spires, made it out to be a complex structure. However, the interior was a simple box-shaped room with a semicircular domed ceiling. The walls of the shrine had been completely covered with a mosaic of various flora and fauna.
2267
2268“Amazing……”
2269
2270As comment leaked from my lips I looked the quality artwork, it was I was a tourist on a sightseeing trip.
2271
2272There were four oriental pillars stationed in the corners of the large altar that sat in the center of the room. There were also sets of stairs on each side of the elevated altar.
2273
2274The other people taking this trip were already standing on the altar with their baggage and followers, talking amongst themselves as they waited.
2275
2276Considering the amount of money it took to use the transfer altar, you’d think that the wealthy were the main patrons.
2277
2278However, given the number of people waiting on the altar, the traveling time of twenty days must have been enough of a motivation to pay the price.
2279
2280As I climbed up the stairs, all conversation stopped and everyone’s eyes focused on me for a moment before someone called from below.
2281
2282“It time! The transfer to Fernandez shall begin shortly! Please make your way to the center of the altar!”
2283 
2284A handheld bell, like those used in marketplace lotteries, rang out as a person who seemed to be in charge shouted out directions.
2285
2286The entire hall became a bit noisy as the warning bell rang.
2287
2288Not long after, the huge magic formation carved into alter the began to shine such an intense light that I unintentionally narrowed my eyes.
2289
2290Similar to the formations used in the elven villages, I had a momentary feeling of weightlessness, and then we suddenly saw a different scenery.
2291
2292The place we were now wasn’t all that different from the shrine we’d just been, but the decorations were rather plain in comparison.
2293
2294The transfer went through without a problem.
2295
2296“The convenience of transfer magic is impressive as ever……”
2297
2298Chiome expressed her amazement as she confirmed our surroundings with her own eyes.
2299
2300I couldn’t help but agree with her.
2301
2302“Since the magic stones needed to power the transfer increases with the number of people, this method’s drawback is its inflexibility. The network in the forest is only capable of five people at most…… If you think about it, the magic Arc uses is a bit weird.”
2303
2304Ariane’s half closed eyed honed in on the canteen of water I had retrieved from the hot spring near the Dragon King’s tree this morning.
2305
2306It had been a test to see if my long-distance transfer magic, 【Transfer Gate】, was capable of traveling between continents.
2307
2308It was a day away by ship, but that was only possible with the advanced ships the elves possessed.
2309
2310The distance between the two continents should be seven hundred kilometers at least.
2311
2312It wasn’t an exaggeration to call an ability to cover that much distance instantaneously strange.
2313
2314Common sense dictated that continent-spanning teleportation would require a considerable amount of mana to fuel it.
2315
2316The same amount of mana was used to transfer in the game no matter where I went. If mana consumption was proportional to distance traveled, then the magic I used wouldn’t be all that different from the shrine network.
2317
2318“Well, it’s good that travel between the continents is easier…”
2319
2320I followed everyone else down the stairs while doing my best to avoid eye contact with Ariane and laugh her statement off.
2321
2322As we left the shrine, we took a look around Fernandez’s town square which had some similarities to Plymouth’s.
2323 
2324However, there were visible differences in scenery between two towns.
2325
2326Unlike Plymouth, the town lacked the bustling commercial harbor, an impressively high wall surrounded the town. The wall, in tandem with the rough building structure that dominated the town, gave the place the feeling of a fortified city.
2327
2328Since it was described as a border town, maybe the town acted as a defensive line of sorts.
2329
2330The beastmen with good physiques, those dressed as soldiers or those trying to be inconspicuous, really stood out.
2331
2332“For now, let’s look around for members of the tiger tribe.”
2333
2334After I put my helmet back on, I looked back to Ariane and Chiome as they nodded at my suggestion.
2335
2336Ponta’s hind legs dangled aimlessly as Chiome held her to her chest and her nose twitched as she took in the scent of this new town.
2337
2338The lack of Plymouth’s harbor district meant that she couldn’t smell the tide this far inland.
2339
2340I began to scan the face of the people passing by to find a hint about the people I was looking for.
2341
2342When I called out to a nearby stall owner, I was met with a suspicious stare.
2343
2344“Excuse me, would you know where to find the tiger tribe?”
2345
2346The man started to smile when I took a gold coin from my waist pouch and held it in front of him.
2347
2348“Oh, the tiger tribe? I haven’t seen any around the last couple of days.”
2349
2350“…… I see.”
2351
2352Judging that I wouldn’t find much here I started to pull back the gold coin when wrinkles appeared on the man’s forehead and he rushed to speak again.
2353
2354“W-Wait, fine sir! If I’m not mistaken, there’s a stable near the southern wall that has extensive dealings with the tiger tribe!”
2355
2356“Hmm?”
2357
2358I was looking for the tiger tribe, not the mounts that they used.
2359
2360I closed my fist on the gold coin in my hand and looked the man in the eye as I asked him to elaborate.
2361
2362The man’s eyes traveled to Ariane besides men and gained some sort of understanding as he started speaking again.
2363
2364“I couldn’t tell because of the weighty armor you wear, but you’re an elf, aren’t you, sir? It’s no surprised that you’re unaware of the circumstances. Dragon riding is a huge part of the tiger tribe’s culture. They acquire their lifetime mounts once they reach adulthood, so this is no trifling matter. It’s an inexpiable disgrace for tribesmen to lose their mount.”
2365 
2366I was able to pick up the gist of what the man was trying to say.
2367
2368“So, if I want to find the tiger tribe members I should look there first?”
2369
2370“Yes. The owner of the stable occasionally does business with the tribe, if anyone knows about them it would be him. It’s the truth, I swear!”
2371
2372I looked down at the man enthusiastically nodding his head, and flipped the gold coin in his direction.
2373
2374Looking away from the pleased man, I turn towards Ariane, who looked rather doubtful.
2375
2376“Aren’t you paying a bit too much for that information?”
2377
2378“The value of information varies from person to person…… It was a reasonable expense for me.”
2379
2380I shrugged my shoulders as I answered her question.
2381
2382The bit of information the man gave us told us that the tiger tribe hadn’t been seen recently. I didn’t know the reason for their lack of appearances but learning about the stable frequented by the tiger tribe was worth the price.
2383
2384The worst case was that I wouldn’t be able to find the tiger tribe in this town, so I would just have to go to the Kuwana plain to find them myself.
2385
2386“Well, let’s go look around the southern wall for the stable.”
2387
2388I hoisted my baggage over my shoulder and triumphantly began to walk away before Chiome called out to me.
2389
2390“Arc-dono, isn’t south in that direction?” “Kyun!”
2391
2392I turned around immediately and started off in the direction she pointed out.
2393
2394Whenever I visited a new city I would often get turned around.
2395
2396I avoided Ariane’s cold stare and quickly headed towards the wall that rose in the distance.
2397 
2398
2399Chapter 10 「Border Town Fernandez」Part 2
2400
2401
2402
2403
2404It seems that the wall didn’t cover the town completely.
2405
2406When I looked back for a second, I noticed that there were opening in certain sections of the wall. We were heading south so the openings laid north and west of here.
2407
2408I had heard that Fernandez was built near a river, so maybe the river was flowing through these openings.
2409
2410Thanks to those easily noticeable landmarks it wasn’t difficult to roughly estimate our current direction.
2411
2412We continued to on our way, passing people going about their own business, until we eventually came upon a large gate built into the town wall.
2413
2414Seems like we’ve reached the southern gate.
2415
2416Next to the gate were pastures enclosed with wooden fences, inside which I could see some of the large, two-legged birds and the big, cart-pulling, ram-like creatures I had noticed before.
2417
2418One of the several nearby buildings was the stable we were looking for.
2419
2420“Seems like there are several stables in this area……”
2421
2422“Arc-dono, isn’t it just over there?”
2423
2424“Kyun!”
2425
2426Ignoring Ariane’s mutter as she was looking at the scenery around us, Chiome pointed at a small enclosure with a single creature in it.
2427
2428Judging by Ponta’s response, she had also noticed the same sight as the person who was currently holding her.
2429
2430In the corner of the pasture Chiome was pointing out stood a mount different from the rams and eagles in the other pastures.
2431
2432This creature seemed to be reptilian in appearance.
2433
2434In fact, a better description of the creature was that of a small dinosaur I’d seen in an illustration a while back. It looked the universally recognizable triceratops.
2435
2436The creature was four meters long from head to tail, but I couldn’t judge it’s height because it was laying down at the moment.
2437
2438Its whole body was covered in reddish-brown scales and two horns grow from the top of its head. However, unlike regular dinosaurs, there was a trail of white fur traveling down its back to the tip of its tail.
2439 
2440Another difference between the creature and the illustration was that the creature had six legs.
2441
2442While there was quite the difference in appearance, the behavior seemed to be the same since the creature was leisurely chewing on the foliage that grew around it.
2443
2444“So, that’s the mount?”
2445
2446I voiced my doubts as we approached the pen with the dinosaur creature.
2447
2448I never saw a creature like this anywhere else in Fabuna’ha, so was this one of the powerful mounts that the tiger tribe used?
2449
2450An elderly rabbit-eared man called out to us as I contemplated things.
2451
2452“Oh, a visitor. Do you need a mount? Excuse me for asking, but are you imperial guards from the capital?”
2453
2454The rabbit-eared man was on the short side and his ears twitched about as he took note of my armor and politely questioned us.
2455
2456“…… We’re from an elven village from the Northern Continent. We’re just looking around a little.”
2457
2458The man eye’s bulged when he heard Ariane’s self-introduction.
2459
2460“Is that so, it’s unusual to see an elf in Fernandez after all. Are you lot in need of a mount? How fast do you need to go? How heavy is the load?”
2461
2462The rabbit man had a smile on his face as he started showing off two bipedal eagles that were grazing in another pasture.
2463
2464We seem to have come across a stable owner.
2465
2466I quickly cut off the rabbit-eared man’s sales pitch and brought up the reason we were actually here.
2467
2468“I’d heard that a stable in this area dealt with the special type of mount that the tiger tribe uses. Would you know anything about that?”
2469
2470“…… Y-yes, I know about that situation, but why are you asking?”
2471
2472The man became a little suspicious after hearing my question, but I simply shrugged my shoulders and explained our purpose here.
2473
2474“I would like to contact the tiger tribe about obtaining some devil nails from them directly. We were told by a merchant that a certain stable owner would know the current whereabouts of the tribe, so we came here in search of that person.”
2475
2476The stable owner nodded and smiled along in understanding.
2477
2478“Ah, so that’s it. Certainly, a lot of effort is needed to tame their mounts as you can see. Honestly, I’m still waiting for someone to pick up the dragon mount over there……”
2479
2480The stable owner relaxed his stance as he spoke and looked towards the six-legged dinosaur creature.
2481 
2482Looks like Chiome wasn’t mistaken when she pointed out this creature as one of the tiger tribe’s mounts.
2483
2484I then locked eyes with the elderly rabbit-eared man.
2485
2486Probably out of sympathy, the rabbit-eared man gave me a bitter smile that showcased his wrinkles.
2487
2488“Obtaining a dragon mount is a rite of passage for the tiger tribe, and they become inseparable with their mounts. I picked up this stray in the hopes of claiming some kind of reward, but the tribesmen haven’t been seen around town recently……”
2489
2490The man paused for a moment as he made his was over to the over to the fence and sighed heavily.
2491
2492“As you can see, a dragon mount’s diet consist of grass, but the sheer quantity they consume costs a small fortune to keep this one here. Still, if I were to toss this fellow back into the plains, the tiger tribe’s trust that took me years to build up would be destroyed in an instant……”
2493
2494A flash of sorrow appeared in the man’s eyes while he spoke.
2495
2496Even as the stable owner’s eyes pleaded with me, I could only feel troubled by the enormous request his monologue was implying.
2497
2498However, his statement had confirmed that the tiger tribe hadn’t visited the town for a while, and it was likely that we’d have to go to the Kuwana plains.
2499
2500“Hmm, how many days will it take to reach the Kuwana plains from this town?”
2501
2502I could feel the lights spark in the stable owner’s eyes as I asked about the distance from here to the tiger tribe’s home.
2503
2504“After you cross the Dojasu river it’ll take about ten days to pass through the Singalika plains, then you’ll just need the cross the Sheila river to reach the Kuwana plains. However, it would be rather reckless to traverse the plains on foot. I can prepare a black ram for you, if you’d like?”
2505
2506The stable owner offered a large smile as he directed attention towards the large ram-like creatures in another pen.
2507
2508The problem was just that his offer was unnecessary to us because of the transfer magic I already had.
2509
2510Certainly, pushing our baggage on a pack animal would be convenient, and it did present an opportunity to live out a fantasy adventure……
2511
2512I weighed the options as I looked down at Ponta, who was still being carried by Chiome.
2513
2514“Kyun?”
2515
2516Ponta tilted head and gave me a questioning look before I returned my gaze to the dragon mount.
2517
2518“Customer, you have to agree with the dangers traversing the plains, don’t you? The openness of the plains means that people can be easily spotted by predators and monsters. Mounts are a necessity in escapes and useful in keeping night watch. Since these mounts are originally from the plains, they are
2519 
2520highly sensitive to nocturnal monster attacks.”
2521
2522Monster attacks wouldn’t be much of an issue during the day, but I doubted I would be able to find nocturnal monsters at night or use transfer magic. Though Ariane’s and Chiome’s night vision should solve that problem.
2523
2524The stable owner continued to press his point as I tried to think things through.
2525
2526“Customer, if you intend to visit the Kuwana plains, why not take the dragon mount with you? As you can see, these fellow doesn’t lack the fangs and horns of monsters and returning him to the tiger tribe should make negotiates easier to facilitate. What do you have to lose?”
2527
2528A gentle smile remained on the stable owner’s lips when he finished speaking.
2529
2530He was trying to push his problem on us under the guise of doing us a favor. Nothing the stable own said was irrational and it was only normal that he would attempt to do this.
2531
2532The smiling face of a certain young, human merchant came to mind and I had to clear my head with a shake.
2533
2534“If you return the dragon mount I’ll give you a cheap price on a different mount.”
2535
2536I was a bit confused as the owner started rubbing his hands together and chuckling.
2537
2538“If we take the dragon mount why would we need another one? It should easily be able to handle three people.”
2539
2540Ariane, who’d been silently listening to the story, nodded in agreement.
2541
2542The own waved his hands back and forth to deny our assertion.
2543
2544“N-No, that is, if you were able to ride it then you certainly could…… but excluding me, this mount
2545
2546won’t allow anyone whose strength it doesn’t recognize to take its reins. Unless someone from the tiger tribe is handling it, taking the reins is all but impossible……”
2547
2548The old man stopped for a moment to wipe his forehead and catch his breath.
2549
2550“How do tiger tribesmen usually master these fellows?”
2551
2552Chiome had also become interested in the conversation and asked the old stable owner a question.
2553
2554“……W-well it’s a relatively simple process to be honest…… The tiger tribesmen usually have a
2555
2556test of strength with the dragon mount.”
2557
2558I glanced at the large lizard grazing about when I heard that answer.
2559
2560I nodded my head at his remark. It was probably impossible for an ordinary person to match the pure strength of a creature with the reptile’s weight class.
2561
2562If you were speaking of people that could potentially do it other than me…… it would have to be one
2563
2564of the bear clan members I saw in Chiome’s village and maybe one of the six great ninjas I know.
2565 
2566“Well then, I’ll try to best it in a test of strength here.”
2567
2568I put the baggage I’d been carrying on the ground and approached the fence.
2569
2570When he noticed what I was doing, the stable own froze for a moment before rushing to stop me.
2571
2572“Wait, Wait, don’t be so unreasonable! He may seem docile now, but he’ll send anyone that challenges him flying! Even those of the tiger clan, with their incomparable strength, have been known to be tossed aside!”
2573
2574Those in the immediate area took an interest in what was happening as the old man shouted.
2575
2576I easily hopped over the fence in my armor and made my way over to where the dragon mount was sitting.
2577
2578When it noticed that I had entered its territory, the mount’s yellow eyes narrowed as it focused on me. “Hey, some idiot’s gonna challenge a dragon mount to a test of strength!”
2579
2580One of the curious spectator’s shout managed to draw the interest of even more people.
2581
2582“That guy in the armor? Hey, armor guy, do you think the weight of that armor will be enough to hold down a dragon mount?”
2583
2584“That armored guy’s not a tiger tribesmen is he?’
2585
2586I could hear the jeering of the crowd as the came watch the impromptu show they were being treated to.
2587
2588I ignored them and locked eyes with the dragon mount.
2589
2590The dragon mount growled without taking its eyes off me and stood up.
2591
2592The dragon mount’s lumbering, reddish-brown figure slowly walked up to stand opposite to me.
2593
2594A sudden gust of wind blows through the dragon’s white mane as it began raking the ground and aimed its horns at me.
2595
2596I hammered my fist into my palm in an attempt to provoke it.
2597
2598“I’ll play with you with all of my strength.”
2599
2600「Giyuriiiiiii!!」
2601
2602The moment I said that the dragon mount let out a high-pitched roar that didn’t match it’s lumbering figure and charged me.
2603
2604The dull impact that rang out caused the spectators to give a heated cheer.
2605 
2606 
2607
2608I’d managed to catch the dragon mount’s horns under my armpits, which brought an end to its charge.
2609
2610Even now I could hear people shouting and making bets while I grappled with the beast.
2611
2612Paying no mind to those voices, I began to smile as the dragon mount started to push me back.
2613
2614“Hmm, as expected of the prideful dragon mount…… you are the greatest test of my strength yet.”
2615
2616Those were my honest feelings.
2617
2618The heavenly knight was classified as a magical swordsman. While I couldn’t match a pure warrior build, the strength of a max level character far surpassed that of an ordinary man.
2619
2620However, there were multiple creatures in this world that could oppose me with their own power. It made me realize the dangers of wholeheartedly being devoted to a strength in battle.
2621
2622But that was for another time because I couldn’t lose here.
2623
2624When my feet started to dig ditches into the ground, I grabbed hold of the mount’s white mane and bent down to lower my center of gravity.
2625
2626「Gyuriigiyuriiiiiiii!!!」
2627
2628The dragon mount furiously began shaking its head back and forth in an attempt to break my hold, while I slowly started to apply pressure to it.
2629
2630“Haaaaaaaaa!!!”
2631
2632Firing myself up, I threw all of my power into my hold on the dragon mount’s neck.
2633
2634As the mount started to falter the upset screams of the crowd reached my ears.
2635
2636Before long, the dragon mount could no longer resist and a cloud of dust rose up as it’s reddish-brown body fell to the ground.
2637
2638“Ahhhh, seriously!? That guy managed to bring down a beast that not even the tiger tribesmen could!?”
2639
2640“See for yourself, looks like I won!!”
2641
2642While some of the adventurers and mercenaries were celebrating on the other side of the fence Ariane looked on with a disinterested expression.
2643
2644However, the celebration was cut short with the dragon mount slowly stood back up.
2645
2646「Gyurii」
2647
2648Although it seemed a little disappointed, the dragon mount bent a knee to me and lowered its neck.
2649
2650It seems to have recognized my strength and was willing to let me ride.
2651
2652Unlike its armor-like scales, the white fur that covered dragon mount’s back was rather soft.
2653
2654The mount’s reptilian eyes narrowed and it started to purr as I stroked its fur.
2655 
2656I slowly walked to its side before leaping onto the mount’s back.
2657
2658「Gyurii」
2659
2660After I give it a signal, the dragon mount stood up while carrying me.
2661
2662As expected, the view from this high up was impressive.
2663
2664When I looked down at the crowd, I caught sight of the old stable owner frozen with his mouth lef agape.
2665
2666With a slight kick I got the dragon mount to start moving, he started moving his six legs in tandem in the old stable owner’s direction.
2667
2668“Merchant-dono, could you provide us with saddles suitable for our trip?”
2669
2670When I made that comment with a chuckle the old man started nodding his head with a smile on his face.
2671
2672We’ve now obtained directions to the Kuwana plains and a bargaining chip in the process.
2673 
2674Chapter 11 「Traversing the Plains」
2675
2676
2677
2678
2679The next day, when the sun had yet to illuminate the landscape.
2680
2681However, unlike the humans of this world, the low levels of light wasn’t a hindrance to elves and beastmen. Even with sunrise still being a while away, the residents of the town were already energetically moving about.
2682
2683After receiving the dragon mount and obtaining a saddle, we spent the rest of the day buying the equipment and other items we would need to traverse the plains before checking into an inn for the night.
2684
2685While the old stable owner considered the dragon mount a nuisance because of the resource its maintenance drained, the beast’s sheer size and strength easily allowed three people to ride it.
2686
2687From the stable owner’s point of view, taking in the dragon mount caused such large loss in profit that there were tears in his eyes when he saw us off yesterday.
2688
2689At the very least, our agreement to return the dragon mount to the tiger tribe must have been a weight lifted off his shoulders.
2690
2691That’s what has happened up till now.
2692
2693Currently, we were waiting on the bridge in the northwestern district of Fernandez that hung over the Dojasu river.
2694
2695The river beneath the bridge was about two- or three hundred meters across.
2696
2697The were multiple small ships anchored on the side of the town that faced the river, and I could make out the figures of a few sailors from here. This river probably acted as a natural canal.
2698
2699I turned away from the river bank and looked ahead.
2700
2701The bridge was a drawbridge that extended to river’s opposite bank, thick chains connected half of the bridge to the town wall. It was most likely designed this way to allow larger ships to pass through.
2702
2703We, along with several others, were currently waiting for the bridge to drop into place.
2704
2705The other people waiting could be divided into two categories, there were the adventurers dressed in light armor and the farmers holding various gardening tools.
2706
2707As usual, all eyes were focused on us.
2708
2709As a cat-eared person Chiome didn’t stand out all that much, but my silver full-body armor and jet-black mantle blowing in the wind couldn’t go unnoticed. The same could be said for Ariane golden eyes and white hair, since dark elves were a rarity in this town. To top it off, our baggage was packed onto the dragon mount’s massive body.
2710 
2711The dragon mount was more than four meters long and it stood taller than I did. The fact that only members of the tiger tribe have been seen riding this beast also guaranteed that our group would arouse attention.
2712
2713Instead of sitting in her usual spot atop my head, Ponta was comfortably resting in the dragon mount’s white mane.
2714
2715Occasionally she would happily wag her tail and the dragon mount would start yawning, not seeming to mind the little fox’s presence.
2716
2717Since the mane was pure white it was easy to spot Ponta’s fluffy tail at a distance, even though she was moving around on her own.
2718
2719Nevertheless……
2720
2721“……Are you gonna be alright at such a height?”
2722
2723“Kyun?”
2724
2725Ponta tilted her neck to the side when that comment slipped from my mouth.
2726
2727While the dragon mount’s head was only slightly above my own, I worried as I looked up to Ponta.
2728
2729“Fufu, maybe she wasn’t attached to you, Arc, but to the feeling of perching in a high tree.”
2730
2731After seeing my interaction with Ponta, Ariane voiced her thoughts about the situation.
2732
2733Chiome shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she listens Ariane’s comment.
2734
2735Suddenly the sound of metal scraping metal filled the area as the drawbridge was lowered.
2736
2737With a ‘thud’, the two sides of the bridge connected at the center of the river and people begin to moving at once.
2738
2739When I climbed on the back of the dragon mount, Ponta leaped to her usual spot atop my helmet.
2740
2741“Ponta, you……”
2742
2743“Kyun!”
2744
2745I wonder if it was a racial trait as I sighed and held out a helping hand to Ariane who was still chuckling about this whole thing.
2746
2747After I took her hand, Ariane agilely climbed up and settled herself behind me.
2748
2749Chiome managed to leap onto the dragon mount’s back and sit in front of me.
2750
2751We had decided upon the sitting arrangement beforehand and once I took the reins and lightly kicked its sides, the dragon mount began to advance.
2752
2753Contrary to its appearance of a slow-witted, armored reptile, the dragon mount skillfully maneuvered its six legs and kept pace with the crowd.
2754 
2755“Hey, Arc, aren’t you going a little fast?”
2756
2757Ariane suddenly clinging to me caught my attention as she appeared to have lost her balance.
2758
2759In order for everyone to ride the dragon mount, I had to tie my shield to the side of the mount. As a result, the sensation of Ariane pressing her twin hills against me was transmitted through my armor.
2760
2761However, I was still in armor so I couldn’t actually feel anything. Such a pity.
2762
2763Ariane’s eyes started to bore into the back of my head the moment I had that trifle thought.
2764
2765“Arc, did something indecent just cross your mind?”
2766
2767“…… Whatever do you mean?”
2768
2769Fearing Ariane’s nearly psychic intuition I sidestepped her suspicions and focused one the scenery.
2770
2771Unlike the well-maintained large field I saw on the side of the river Fernández sat at, there were only small disorganized fields on the opposite bank.
2772
2773Since we’d been told that many monsters inhabited the Singalika plains beyond the river, there was probably a limited amount of cultivated land.
2774
2775Since humans had apparently settled down in the land beyond the plains, this setup was probably a defensive measure.
2776
2777After watching the farmers tend to their personal fields for awhile I looked away as we passed them by.
2778
2779As the dragon mount left the cultivated zone, a seemingly endless plain opened up before our eyes. Small bushes were clustered around the trees and I occasionally caught sight of monster shadows moving about.
2780
2781It was comparable to the savanna.
2782
2783“Hmm, I don’t see any sign of the ‘Black Forest’ the stable owner mentioned……”
2784
2785When I made that comment while taking a look around, Ariane and Chiome began to scan the area as well.
2786
2787The stable owner we received the dragon mount from warned us to avoid entering the “Black Forest” at all cost.
2788
2789It was a large forest that spread out south of the two major plains and was also referred to as the “Demon Forest” and the “Forest of Death”. A place only the foolish would enter without being prepared.
2790
2791“This is a considerable large plain, we might not come across it unless we deviate south…….
2792
2793Chiome’s cat ears stood up as she continued to survey and looked up to me.
2794
2795“You’re probably right. However, it’ll be hard to judge the direction without a landmark.”
2796 
2797
2798It hadn’t been long since we crossed the and if I looked back I could still spot the town, but the scenery will eventually start to fade into itself once the road ended, and we could simply get lost.
2799
2800……Hmm? I remember having a similar thought somewhere before……
2801
2802Before I could ponder about my feeling of deja vu Ariane poked me in the back.
2803
2804“Since Chiome and I are here, you just have to look forward and hold the reins properly, Arc.”
2805
2806I simply shrugged my shoulders and tightened hold my on the reins in response.
2807
2808When I gave the single to start running, the dragon mount began to increase its speed. My body was pushed back by the sudden acceleration and the scenery started to pass by in a blur. The rocking also intensified as a result.
2809
2810Unfortunately, there wasn’t a speedometer, but we must have been going the speed of a standard-sized car.
2811
2812While I was marveled at the dragon mount’s impressive physical capabilities, an unexpected scream reached my ear.
2813
2814“Kyaaー!!? Sl-Slow down, cut back! Kyaa!!?”
2815
2816Ariane basically clung to my waist as she screamed and pleaded.
2817
2818When I looked back I saw her eyes were shut and she was holding on for dear life.
2819
2820I eased up on the reins and allowed the dragon mount to lower its speed as I called out to the teary-eyed Ariane.
2821
2822“Ariane-dono it’s unusual to hear you scream……, are you bad with rides?”
2823
2824“……I-I’m just not used to it! You’ve seen the place where I grew up, so shouldn’t you understand!?”
2825
2826Ariane breathing was erratic and her lilac cheeks were flushed as she glared at me.
2827
2828Her words along with remembering the scenery that surrounded the village made it click in my head.
2829
2830It was near impossible to traverse the Great Canada Forest on horseback. I don’t remember comin across a single mount when I stayed in the village.
2831
2832It seems that she wasn’t accustomed to riding mounts at all.
2833
2834“A-Alright, how about you don’t increase the speed until I get used to it……?”
2835
2836A mischievous urge budded inside me when I heard Ariane’s hollow plea.
2837
2838“Hmm, it’s such a rarity to hear Ariana scream like a maiden and I’d like to enjoy it a bit more……”
2839
2840I received seven blows to my back from her as she silently blushed behind me.
2841
2842Since there wasn’t any help for it, I allowed the dragon mount to continue at a relatively slow speed and used 【Dimensional Step】 to increase our pace.
2843 
2844
2845However, it was hard to call this solution effective.
2846
2847Every time we transferred the dragon mount would become disoriented, freeze up for a moment, and look around before it started moving again.
2848
2849The dragon mount’s earlier car speed was actually preferable to this start-stop moment we had now.
2850
2851Even if I tried to use 【Dimensional Step】 for the entirety of trip, we’d only cover about six or seve kilometers at most.
2852
2853That was assuming that this world had the same diameter as Earth.
2854
2855As we advanced through the wide, open plain the landscape started to bleed into itself as the sun gradually set in the direction we headed.
2856
2857The clear blue sky was gradually dyed the shade of crimson and a shadow appeared on the far-off horizon as twilight approached.
2858
2859I had to block the setting sun with my hand as the day drew to a close.
2860
2861“We’re gonna need to find a campsite soon……”
2862
2863“Let’s set up camp near that wooded area.”
2864
2865Chiome pointed out a small patch of trees as she voiced her opinion on what to do.
2866
2867I followed her suggestion and guided the dragon mount towards the area where we could have a light meal before we slept.
2868
2869An oppressive feeling overtook our camp as darkness fell, and the fact that we set up camp in such a wide open area conversely increased my unease over the situation.
2870
2871Being in such an area was unnerving for me, someone who spent the majority of his life in closed-off environments.
2872
2873Ariane usually spent her time surrounded by a densely populated forest, and as a result she was also restlessly looking around.
2874
2875Chiome, on the other hand, was accustomed to camping in such areas and proceeded with an experienced ease.
2876
2877I could see Chiome’s lips form a small smile as she watched Ponta running around and around in circles.
2878
2879For thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, to show such poise in the middle of this plains, made me question just how much of a sheltered life I had lived.
2880
2881If I was in my flesh and blood form, I doubted I would have been able to last a single night in this place.
2882
2883I could only manage because my emotions were diluted in my skeleton form. Even so, it would be detrimental to rely on this form forever.
2884 
2885Our first night in the plains passed by with Chiome carrying out her work and Ponta playing about as thought over my no-win situation.
2886
2887The next morning, I conducted my routine training with Ariane.
2888
2889We lacked the wooden swords we normally usual, so we made due with some branches and mainly focused on footwork.
2890
2891Both Chiome and Ariane stressed the importance of how essential repetition was in conditioning one’s body for combat.
2892
2893In order  to  properly utilize  my strength and  speed,  I  had  to  become  accustomed  to  this  body.
2894
2895However, even with Ariane helping me with my training, Glenys was still far beyond me.
2896
2897Once training was over, we had a light breakfast before setting off again.
2898
2899As this day came to an end, a mountain range appeared in the southern direction.
2900
2901The coat of snow that covered the top of a few mountain peaks indicated just how tall they were. However, looking in the opposite direction revealed that the mountain range didn’t cross into the plains.
2902
2903“These would be the Kinrei Mountains the stable owner mentioned. If I’m not mistaken, the Sheil river flows from those mountains so we should be nearing the Kuwana plains.”
2904
2905“That’s right. We should be crossing into the tiger tribe’s territory soon……”
2906
2907Chiome looked towards the mountain and seemed to agree with my comment.
2908
2909As we come towards the edge of the mountain range, another large plain appeared in the distance.
2910
2911In front of us was the figurative gateway into the tiger tribe’s home, but I eyes were dragged to the forest that ran parallel to the Kinrei Mountains
2912
2913Something there managed to hold grab hold of my full attention.
2914
2915“……What is that?”
2916
2917In the center of the forest stood a single tree…… a tree that towered over all of those that surrounded
2918
2919it.
2920
2921There was quite a bit of distance between here and the forest, so I couldn’t get an accurate scale of the tree’s size, but it reminded me of the Dragon King’s Tree.
2922
2923Is this what it’s like to see Tokyo Tower from a distance?
2924
2925However, the Dragon King’s Tree didn’t have such a canopy, and this tree gave off a slightly lanky impression.
2926
2927But, that wasn’t the issue.
2928
2929The huge Tokyo-Tower-sized tree was actually moving in the southern direction.
2930 
2931Each time the huge tree moved, a cloud of black figures would fly out of the nearby trees. In all likelihood, it was some type of monster.
2932
2933“……Could that be a treant?!”
2934
2935Ariane let out a surprised shout when she looked back and saw the creature moving about.
2936
2937“A treant?”
2938
2939“Treant’s are considered a form of monster……”
2940
2941When I questioned Ariane about what she said, it was Chiome that answered me as her blue eyes tracked the enormous walking tree.
2942
2943Ariane continued the explanation when Chiome went silent.
2944
2945“……Many humans consider them all to be monsters, but there are various types of Treants. The
2946
2947name is a general term that refers to any tree that is inhabited by a spirit, only corrupted ones actually possess magic stones. However, that is the largest Treant I’ve ever seen.”
2948
2949As we watched the Treant slowly and steadily walk in the southern direction, Ariane let out an amazed sigh.
2950
2951“Isn’t that forest connected to the ‘Black Forest’ in the south?”
2952
2953“I don’t understand, but some Treant’s can be rather violent, so it’s best that we don’t approach it recklessly.”
2954
2955I listened to her speak and continued to stare at the walking Treant.
2956
2957The creature’s sheer size alone made it a dangerous to approach it. If you found yourself in its path you’d be trampled instantly.
2958
2959“For now, it’s better that we don’t tread in the forests that are off-limit……”
2960
2961No creature with the desire to live would ever intentionally approach such a creature.
2962
2963“Should we look around the Sheila river, near the northern edge of the mountain, to set up camp?”
2964
2965Taking her eyes away from the tree monster, Chiome’s cat ears began to twitch about as she started to looking for a place to set up camp for the night.
2966
2967When I questioned Ariane about it with a look she nodded her head in agreement.
2968
2969Tomorrow we would enter the Kuwana plains.
2970 
2971Chapter 12 「The Tiger Tribe」
2972
2973
2974
2975
2976Early the next morning.
2977
2978We crossed the Sheila River and entered the Kuwana plains.
2979
2980Normally, in order to cross the massive Sheila River, you would need to follow the river downstream until the river narrowed, but I just used 【Dimensional Step】to get us across.
2981
2982The Kuwana plain were the home of the tiger tribe, but it wasn’t all that different from the Shingarika plain we just crossed over from.
2983
2984Just beyond the river, Ariane pointed out something in the northwestern direction…… four conical
2985
2986mountains spaced at equal intervals from each other, indicating that there was more to this landscape than I thought.
2987
2988The journey after that went smoothly while I occasionally glanced at the four mountains.
2989
2990We haven’t encountered any of the carnivores we had been warned about, and therefore the ride through the plain was slightly boring.
2991
2992In front of me, Chiome’s cat ears fidgeted about as she scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary.
2993
2994Behind me, Ariane had become accustomed to the dragon mount’s normal speed and was calmly keeping an eye on the scenery.
2995
2996Occasionally, Ariane would say 「My butt is hurting」and we’d stop to take a break, without any of us having much to say.
2997
2998Our relaxing journey came to an end when Ponta stuck her tail into the air and started crying.
2999
3000“Kyun!”
3001
3002Ariane was the first to respond to Ponta’s cry and worried us of an incoming threat.
3003
3004“Someone’s approaching from our right.”
3005
3006On the right, I caught sight of two shadows kicking up dust crowds as they closed in on us. They were closing in with considerable speed.
3007
3008The was a hint of worry in Chiome’s blue eyes as she looked back at our pursuers.
3009
3010It was obvious that they would catch up with us soon.
3011
3012I tighten my hold on the reins and lowered our speed as I tried to get a better look at them. It was Ariane that managed to identify them first.
3013
3014“They’re riding the same kind of mount we are…… could they be from the tiger tribe?”
3015 
3016I pulled the reins and stopped the dragon mount as the two shadows neared.
3017
3018They were still too far away for me to confirm anything yet, but I wondered if we would be able to interact with the tiger tribe on good terms.
3019
3020I was filled to the brim with anticipation at first, but that changed as I felt aggression coming from the other party.
3021
3022Noticing our behavior, our pursuers lowered their speed and began to observe us.
3023
3024They were tiger tribesmen, just like Ariane had said.
3025
3026The two tiger tribesmen held decorative spears in their hands
3027
3028I couldn’t estimate their exact size, but since they were a head taller than me they were probably around two and a half meters tall.
3029
3030They wouldn’t lose to Goemon in terms of muscularity and their gold and black striped hair, certainly resembled the fur of a tiger.
3031
3032While their toned upper bodies were exposed, they wore arm and leg guards.
3033
3034If there were any differences between the cat-eared people, it would be the physical disparity between them.
3035
3036Leaving aside exceptions like Goemon, the majority of the cat-eared people I’ve met, be it man or woman, had thin flexible bodies.
3037
3038If these two were standard for the tiger tribe, then Goemon’s size would be the norm for the tribe.
3039
3040Their ears were more rounded than regular cat-eared people and combined with their wild, shoulder-length hair they truly gave them the atmosphere of beastmen.
3041
3042The dragon mounts the two of them rode stopped five meters away from us.
3043
3044One of the tiger tribesmen raised his spear as he began to shout.
3045
3046“Where did you acquire that mount? The design of that saddle belongs to one of the six clans living here, it’s the property of the Ena clan! Your lives depend on your answer!!”
3047
3048Ariane, Chiome, and I shared a look after we received that threat.
3049
3050The saddle we’d received to ride the dragon mount seemed to act as an identifier within the tiger tribe.
3051
3052Their cautiousness was probably because they believed we had obtained our mount through underhanded means.
3053
3054I raised my hands in front of them in a non-threatening manner and explained our circumstances to them.
3055
3056“We’re from an elven village on the Northern Continent. We came here to meet with the tiger tribe.
3057 
3058
3059We have no ill will towards you. This dragon mount was obtained from a stable owner in a town called Fernandez, just east of here. We only seek to return it to its owners.”
3060
3061When I stopped speaking I observed the two tiger tribesmen to see how they’d react.
3062
3063The warriors looked at us with suspicion and exchanged a few hushed words between themselves. “We are members of Uiria clan! What business do you have with us!?”
3064
3065The man rose his spear at us again and shouted another question at us as his companion watched.
3066
3067Since we had nothing to hide I decided to answer him.
3068
3069“The merchants in Fernandez say you posses devil nails. I was wondering if you provide me with some of them. Is there any way to negotiate?”
3070
3071The two of them became more skeptical when they heard my answer.
3072
3073The tension began to rise as I realized how weak the pursuit of peppers might have seemed. I sounded like a poor excuse made up on the spot.
3074
3075As I tried to come up with a better way to explain ourselves, Chiome reacted to something and turned her head in a certain direction.
3076
3077“?” “What?”
3078
3079When the two tiger tribesmen also reacted I looked behind me to see what was happening.
3080
3081Everything seemed the same as before until I noticed a dust cloud gradually approaching us. This time it was only one tiger tribesman approaching us.
3082
3083This man had a panicked expression as he raised his spear and made a call to action.
3084
3085“Two giants have appeared near the village! All patrol teams must return to fight immediately!!” “Huh!?” “Fuck!!”
3086
3087Once the man finished delivering his message, he grabbed hold of his reins and vigorously headed off in another direction.
3088
3089The two tiger tribesmen glanced at us, sighed in defeat and prepared to chase after the messenger. “You some kind of warrior aren’t you!? If you want to meet our leader, follow us!!” Saying only that in a booming voice, the two cracked the reins of their mounts and ran off.
3090
3091Ariane’s head peeked over my shoulder and stared at their backs with dull surprise.
3092
3093“What will we do, Arc? Based on the flow of the conversation, they want our help with a troublesome situation.”
3094
3095I looked down at Chiome as I thought over her question. She looked away from the tiger tribesme and nodded towards Ariane and me.
3096 
3097Seems like my answer would determine our course of action.
3098
3099“We’ve come this far, I say we follow them.”
3100
3101I maneuvered the dragon mount in the direction of the tiger tribesmen and gave it the command to run.
3102
3103According to the messenger, a pair of giants had shown up near the village, so just what kind of creatures were they?
3104
3105I tried to imagine what the tiger tribe, which differed from humans, would classify as giants, but it could be inferred that these giants were a considerable threat.
3106
3107The figure of the treant we saw from a distance yesterday crossed my mind, but I shook my head and focused on what was ahead of use.
3108
3109If it was a giant of that scale I doubted even my abilities would be enough. It would be a sick punchline if the those trying to drive something out were destroyed instantaneously.
3110
3111“I feel like we’re stepping into another troublesome situation again.”
3112
3113While I tried to calculate the risks and rewards I caught a bit of Ariane’s complaint.
3114
3115“Well, let’s think about it. This works in our favor, since negotiations will be easier if we help them.”
3116
3117I think I heard an exasperated sigh after I said that.
3118
3119Ponta took a fighting posture on top of my head and vigorously shook her tail.
3120
3121Her behavior was proof enough that we weren’t in any danger just yet.
3122 
3123Chapter 13 「Fighting Giants」
3124
3125
3126
3127
3128The landscape flew by at a such a rate that it was hard to tell how long we’d been following the two dragon mounts in front of us.
3129
3130Unfortunately, I didn’t have something like a watch on me, but no more than thirty minutes had probably passed. Despite moving at such a high speed, there was still a gap between us and the other dragon mount.
3131
3132Before long, some sort of village appeared ahead of the two tiger tribesmen’s mount.
3133
3134We were still a good distance away, but everything seemed fine until the ground started to rumble as if the Mongol hoard was closing in.
3135
3136Two silhouettes came over a small hill in the village’s vicinity. There were six tiger tribesmen, hailed for their fighting prowess, holding those creatures back.
3137
3138“Are those the giants……?”
3139
3140Ariane peaked her head up to at my question and took a look in front of us.
3141
3142Despite the noise the charging dragon mount generated, I could still hear her breathing.
3143
3144“Kyun! Kyun!”
3145
3146Ponta barked in the giants’ general direction before she hurriedly coiled herself around my neck.
3147
3148The giants the tiger tribesmen were fighting were slightly different from what I imagined.
3149
3150First of all, they didn’t have any heads. Apart from the lack of a head, they did resemble humans like one would expect them to.
3151
3152No, though I haven’t seen the animal in this world, a more accurate description would be a headless gorilla.
3153
3154They stood six meters tall and their bodies were covered in black fur. Their thick, long arms held stone axes and they managed to carve out swaths of land with each swing.
3155
3156In lieu of a head, these giants had a weird face sticking out of their chest.
3157
3158They had no noses and their eyes were completely dilated. Their huge mouths were filled with yellow teeth and overall, they reminded me of a monster from a sci-fi show.
3159
3160“They look like Ewaipanomas……”
3161
3162Contrary to my careless remark, the battle between the tiger tribesmen and the black giants was a violent struggle.
3163
3164It wasn’t possible for the tiger tribe to walk away from of this battle unscathed.
3165 
3166When a giant grappled one of tribesmen, their life was squeezed out of them. With that much damage, even using resurrection magic would be a wasted effort.
3167
3168Besides, on the outskirts of the battlefield, I could see those who were too injured to move.
3169
3170When they caught sight of their allies’ plight, the two riders in front of us increased their speed and charged at the giants.
3171
3172As they approached the giants at breakneck speeds, a threatening wail rose from their mouths.
3173
3174The two riders were in a headlong charge, and one of the giants’ delayed reactions left the side of its leg exposed. Two sets of dragon mount horns simultaneously collided with said leg.
3175
3176However, I heard a dull thwack and saw that the dragon mount’s horns had broken off, the collision sending it flying.
3177
3178The horns of a dragon mount didn’t give me the impression of fragile objects.
3179
3180In other words, the defensive strength of these black giants was considerably high.
3181
3182“……! This is going to be a troublesome opponent.”
3183
3184Chiome leaned forward in the saddle as she commented on the state of the battle.
3185
3186Charging headlong would be an ineffective strategy. Though it would be helpful if we could topple these creatures, they didn’t even budge from the previous impact.
3187
3188“Large-scale magic will be disadvantageous in this situation, we should stop their movement first.”
3189
3190I pulled on our dragon mount’s reins to bring us to a stop before drawing the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 and 『Teutates’ Holy Shield』, and leaping out of the saddle.
3191
3192With sword and shield in hand, I ran at the black giants.
3193
3194Ariane and Chiome readied their weapons and followed after me.
3195
3196“First off! 【Shield of Holy Light】!”
3197
3198With a shout, I invoked one of my Holy Knight skills.
3199
3200Light spread from the center of my shield and covered my entire body.
3201
3202I’ve never used defensive skills in this world before, but it was a bit of insurance even if I didn’t know how effective it would be.
3203
3204I passed the fallen tiger tribesmen while being wrapped in light and impeded the advance of the black giants.
3205
3206“Now for the warm up! 【Holy Light Sword Slash】!”
3207
3208I raised the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 towards the heavens before unleashing another skill with a heavy slash.
3209 
3210
3211A dazzling light flew from the blade’s edge and cleaved through the ground like a razor as it flew towards one of the giant’s legs.
3212
3213A sonic boom accompanied the impact as fresh blood sprayed into the air.
3214
3215「Avuagiyaoaiiau!!」
3216
3217An almost human scream was spat from the giant’s gaping chest mouth…… despite the scream itself
3218
3219being loud enough to shake the hill we stood on.
3220
3221While the blood splash was a sign of damage being inflicted, there was only a slight wound on the giant’s black, hairy leg.
3222
3223That’s not to say that the attack did nothing.
3224
3225The giant rushed to protects its now injured leg.
3226
3227The eyes of the fighting tiger tribesmen looked in my direction for a moment with sheer amazement in their expressions. It was only natural to be surprised by a silver knight suddenly entering the battle.
3228
3229“I’m here to offer my support!!”。
3230
3231I spoke in a booming voice so everyone could hear me before cutting into the giant’s leg directly.
3232
3233There was a good response as the sound of cracking bone rang out and more blood sprayed.
3234
3235My sword was able to cut halfway into the giant’s leg. However, the amount of power I put into that swing wasn’t enough to put the beast down.
3236
3237「Aoahuhhhhhhhhhhhh ooooi!!」
3238
3239The giant’s chest face distorted in agony as it raised the leg I’d just cut into in a last ditch effort to protect itself.
3240
3241One of the tiger tribesmen took the opportunity to slam his large club down on the toes of the giant’s other foot.
3242
3243“Ohh!”
3244
3245Though I only caught the impact in the corner of my eye, I still groaned as the image of stubbing my toes came to mind.
3246
3247After another roaring scream, the giant’s six-meter tall figure began to stagger.
3248
3249Just a bit more was needed to topple the giant…… it was at that moment Chiome used the giant’s
3250
3251body as a stepping stone.
3252
3253Two orbs of water were already forming in her hands.
3254
3255『Water Style: Water Spear!!』。
3256
3257The orbs in her hands stretched into the shape of two spears, which she proceeded to throw like arrows.
3258 
3259The spears entered the giant’s gaping mouth and launched themselves into its throat.
3260
3261The giant was no longer capable of screaming as it fell to the ground with a thud, right in front of Ariane. The flames that ran the length of her sword’s blade and surrounded her snow-white hair were hot enough to distort the atmosphere.
3262
3263『ーInfernal Flame, reduce all that you consume to ashesー』
3264
3265In response to her chant, the flames that clung to her sword became even more intense.
3266
3267After running up the giant’s abdomen Ariane raised her flaming sword and thrust it into one of the giant’s eyes.
3268
3269For a moment, it bounced up like a broken spring as its arms and legs violently jerked about but the smell of burnt meat and smoke soon drifted from its mouth.
3270
3271Seemed like we managed to kill one of them.
3272
3273However, just as Ariane pulled her sword from the giant’s corpse, the stone ax of the other giant came down on her.
3274
3275An earsplitting sonic boom rang out as I raised my shield and took a knee to fend off the blow.
3276 
3277 
3278When I looked beneath I saw Ariane looking up at me in disbelief.
3279
3280“Are you alright, Ariane-dono?”
3281
3282She gave me a slight nod after I asked about her safety.
3283
3284I let out a relieved sigh before I glanced back at the black giant.
3285
3286It’s large body had managed to weather that last collision. Despite using both hands to hold the shield and having a defensive skill active, my hands felt a little numb.
3287
3288Remembering the sensation of the taking a hit from the giant’s stone ax, I quickly fell back.
3289
3290The giant, seemingly disoriented, tried to retreat as well only for chiome to throw a water dagger at its face.
3291
3292One of the tiger tribesmen warriors with a large club over his shoulder started shouting orders.
3293
3294“You lot!! We are the hunters of these plains, we will not fall behind these outsiders!!”
3295
3296He seemed to be the same one who had smashed the giant’s toe from before.
3297
3298The men responded with a thunderous cry as their leader ran at the black giant and crushed its foot with his metallic club.
3299
3300The giant let out a scream that the surrounding tiger tribesmen used as a signal to attack. They numbered around thirty people.
3301
3302The warriors of the tiger tribe aimed at the giant’s legs like we had done, and attacking the creature’s vital points once they toppled it.
3303
3304After a few minutes, two giant corpses laid on this small hillside.
3305
3306While the tiger tribesmen raised a victory cry, the man that rallied warriors a while ago called out to me.
3307
3308“Let me express my gratitude for the rescue back there. You’re from the east and an elf?”
3309
3310Realizing where this was heading, I grabbed the canteen from my waist as Ariane stepped forward to greet the tiger tribes representative.
3311
3312A simple shrug from me was all it took for her to understand what I was trying to do.
3313
3314“I’m Ariane Glenys Maple. I’m from the Great Canada Forest on the Northern Continent. The on beside me likewise hails from the Northern Continent’s Blade Heart Clan……”
3315
3316I drank the hot spring water through a straw while Ariane acted as our group’s representative. If I didn’t refill the water soon it would become troublesome in a number of ways.
3317
3318I took off my helmet and stepped beside Ariane as I had that thought.
3319
3320“…… This person is an elf like me.”
3321 
3322
3323“My name is Arc Raratoia. I am the newest member of our village, please take care of me.”
3324
3325“Kyun!”
3326
3327Just as I finished my introduction, Ponta uncoiled herself and cried out.
3328
3329“……and this is my travel companion Ponta.”
3330
3331“Kyun!”
3332
3333The tiger tribe’s representative nodded once our introductions were over before hoisting his club over his shoulder and introducing himself.
3334
3335“I am the leader of Uiria clan, one of the six clans that live on these plains. My name is Ein Uiria. would like nothing more than to provide you with a proper welcome, but we need to bring the injured back to the village. Please wait a bit while we prepare something suitable for your arrival.”
3336
3337I replied to Ein with a nod and put my helmet on again. For the sake of smoother negotiations, I too him up on his offer. An act of charity will be a good investment here.
3338
3339“Ein-dono. I know a few healing techniques and can help treat the injured if you like.”
3340
3341Ein looked at me in surprise when he heard my statement.
3342
3343“I’m sorry to ask, but you’re a witch doctor as well? I will return to the village at once and send two women here. Use them as you see fit.”
3344
3345Ein quickly turned towards the village and headed off with a smile on his face. As we watched his back shrink in the distance Ariane looked up at me and asked me a question.
3346
3347“Aren’t you being a bit hasty? I figured you’d at least charge them…”
3348
3349“Hmhmhm, my purpose was to meet the tiger tribe. Plus, if I show them kindness now the negotiations for the devil nails will go smoother later.”
3350
3351Ariane shrugged her shoulders and shook her head at my reply.
3352
3353“You don’t seem attached to gold, but you’re so persistent in the pursuit of food.”
3354
3355“Isn’t it better to search for delicious food like the elves do, rather than collecting gold coins?”
3356
3357A complicated expression appeared on Ariane’s face when she heard my reply.
3358
3359“I need to listen to your definition of ‘elves’ at least once……”
3360
3361When I turned around to begin treating the injured while enjoying Ariane slight confusion, I heard her timidly calling out to me.
3362
3363“……A-Arc, thank you for your help just now.”
3364
3365Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was unintentionally avoiding eye contact with me.
3366
3367Just now… oh, she was probably talking about how I blocked the black giant’s attack with my shield.
3368 
3369“Oh…… Huh?”
3370
3371I tried to look her in eye while I stroked my chin, but Ariane stubbornly refused to make eye contact. I unknowingly began to circle her as I tried to understand this new reaction.
3372
3373When I felt a lukewarm glaze on my back, I turned to find Chiome staring at us without saying a word.
3374
3375“…… Umm, I’ll proceed with the treatment then.”
3376
3377Unable to withstand the pressure of her silent glare, I hastily left the situation.
3378
3379
3380
3381*Translator/Editor-Note:
3382
3383We decided to make a change in this chapter, and since we try to be as faithful as possible to the original work (as long as that makes sense^^) we thought we should mention this.
3384
3385While Arc refers to the giants as “Ewaipanoma” (Wikipedia-Link) in the translation, the japanese Arc uses is “ジャミアント”, which translates as “giant”. Since it would be a bit odd to have Arc describe
3386
3387giants as giants, Silver found this alternative term. After using Google’s image search, it appears that Ewaipanoma look the most like the giants Arc describes.
3388
3389Maybe one of our readers knows more about mythological creatures and japanese than we do, and if you do, please leave a comment!
3390 
3391
3392Chapter 14 「Unrest」
3393
3394
3395
3396
3397Once the aftermath of the black giants’ attack had been wrapped up, we were invited to the clan head’s home.
3398
3399The village itself wasn’t that large, and after looking around I would guess that only about one hundred members of the tiger tribe lived her.
3400
3401At a distance, it seemed as if the tiger tribe used houses that were similar to the Mongolian yurt.
3402
3403The cylindrical outer wall was covered with a thick white cloth and there were no windows, but there was a crystal, like those used in elven 『Light Emitting Crystal Lamps』, that illuminated the place. The walls were decorated with bone and fang accessories and multiple embroidered carpets were spread along the ground.
3404
3405The height of the entrance was made to accommodate the taller than average tiger tribesmen, so it wasn’t a tight fit like regular doors.
3406
3407Additionally, the high ceiling created a spacious area which gave the house the feeling of a hotel lobby.
3408
3409At this moment however, the chief’s home felt rather small.
3410
3411Ein, as the clan head, sat center stage in front of me while the other tiger tribe warriors flanked his sides.
3412
3413All of these muscular men of Goemon’s size, gathered in this one area, created a somewhat ferocious image. Muscles were probably a point of pride here.
3414
3415As such worthless thoughts passed through my mind, Ein immediately started the conversation once the formal greetings had ended.
3416
3417“……For  the previous occurrence, we offer  our  thanks to you, Arc. Ariane-dono, he is a fine
3418
3419subordinate.”
3420
3421When Ein chuckled after he spoke, Ariane, who was uncharacteristically nervous, explained our situation.
3422
3423For some reason, he seemed to have pegged me for Ariane’s subordinate. Probably because Ariane acted as our representative in our first interaction.
3424
3425“……So, you all are on a journey.	Sorry for the disrespect, Arc-dono. Allow me to express my
3426
3427honest gratitude once more.”
3428
3429Ein slightly lowered his head and redirected his gratitude towards me.
3430
3431However, in reaction to the clan head’s behavior, the atmosphere surrounding us was stirred up a little when bitter looks appeared on the faces of the surrounding warriors.
3432 
3433As I was wondering about this strange situation, a large woman appeared from behind Ein’s seat and started to scold the warriors.
3434
3435“Are you lot ungrateful for the help you received!? Are you gonna forget that your injuries were healed and complain, simply because they didn’t adhere to our hierarchy?! Those unwilling to acknowledge the kindness they received, step forward so I can personally rebreak your arms!!”
3436
3437As the woman spoke in a bold manner the clan head crossed his arms and glared at the warriors.
3438
3439Apparently, my actions were the root of this stiff atmosphere.
3440
3441As for the woman who spoke up, she was two meters and thirty centimeters tall.
3442
3443She had a slim body when compared to the muscular men that surrounded her, but I realized it was just an optical illusion when I looked towards Ariane and Chiome besides me.
3444
3445Her sun-tanned skin and her extremely large breasts were accentuated by her large frame, and because she had crossed her arms beneath them. She also had an abundant amount of golden and black hair carefully done up atop her head.
3446
3447The warriors simultaneously bowed their heads when she had finished scolding them.
3448
3449“I’m sorry for all the commotion, this is my wife Yuga.”
3450
3451Ein resumed speaking with a shrug and a bit of a chuckle as the woman named Yuga looked towards me.
3452
3453“I’m Yuga Ein. Sorry for this poor showing, honored guest. As these are our clan’s warriors, they feel ashamed for having to borrow the strength of outsiders. Because the giants had damaged the neighboring sub-tribes, the injured had been brought here, but we were reaching our limits. On behalf of these fools, I thank you.”
3454
3455Yuga flaunted a daring smile as she thanked me.
3456
3457After those involved with battled had been treated, Ein led us to one of the houses filled to the brim with injured people.
3458
3459Having no reason to refuse his request, I proceeded to cast recovery magic on them, all the while questioning why they were mostly women and children.
3460
3461They must be the survivors on the giants’ assault…… I guess.
3462
3463“No, I came here to find the members of the tiger tribe in the first place. So long as my request is fulfilled, there’s no need to thank me.”
3464
3465I nodded at their thanks and give my reply.
3466
3467Ein slapped his knees and offered me a fearless smile when he heard that.
3468
3469“That reminds me, I haven’t heard your purpose here. You’ve traversed the frontier to get here, so what could you possibly desire?”
3470 
3471In response to his question, the men that Yuga had silenced began to stir and discuss something amongst themselves while looking at me.
3472
3473Because I wasn’t charging for the treatment I provided, I decided to bring up my request.
3474
3475When the warriors that led us here spoke up, Ein and his wife’s eyes bulged after learning of my intentions.
3476
3477I heard Ariane sigh beside me and caught sight of Ponta playing with Chiome’s finger-tips.
3478
3479“Arc-dono, you ventured into the frontier to acquire ‘devil nails’. Furthermore, you even subdued a dragon mount to cross the plains.”
3480
3481Ein began to laugh after hearing our purpose for find the tiger tribe, before lowering his head and apologizing.
3482
3483“Sorry, Arc-dono. My clan doesn’t hoard many devil nails. They’re grown a little to west of here by one of the larger clans. Since the Uiria are not well liked, you’ll need to negotiate with them for what you desire.”
3484
3485As he spoke, Ein scratched his chin and let out a grand sigh when he was finished.
3486
3487This village didn’t seem to cultivate devil nails for themselves. Because the peppers were grown by a western tribe, I asked for a guide or directions at the very least.
3488
3489“I don’t suppose you could provide us guidance to a village that is cultivating devil nails?”
3490
3491At me question, the clan head’s eyes began to shine like a carnivore’s eyes.
3492
3493“The giants we fought are residents of the black forest south of these plains. Normally, they rarely venture into the plains, but lately they’ve been appearing more and more often. A warning was sent out by a western clan, but I never imagined they’d come so far east into Kuwana. Therefore, I plan to lead a party of warriors into the Ena clan’s territory to investigate.”
3494
3495I could guess where Ein was heading with this. If I wasn’t mistaken, the saddle we owned belonged to the Ena clan.
3496
3497“Would you like us to join you? If it’s one or two giants, we would be enough to deal with them, and wouldn’t our presence infuriate the others?”
3498
3499Ein nodded and smiled when he heard my reasoning.
3500
3501“That’s right!? But I’m not finished! Ours is the smallest of the six clans, so I have to leave warriors behind in case another giant appears near the village again.”
3502
3503In other words, he couldn’t afford to take that many people with him into the Ena clan’s territory while the scouting group would be killed if their numbers weren’t sufficient…… that’s why he wanted to supplement his low numbers with us.
3504
3505Simply put, we would be mercenaries.
3506 
3507Hmm, I wonder why I was feeling a bit nostalgic about this.
3508
3509When I looked towards Ariane and Chiome to gauge their responses, Chiome nodded silently and understood Ariane’s answer with a look.
3510
3511So…… our decision was made.
3512
3513We borrowed one of the Uiria clan’s tents and spent the night in the village to prepare for the journey.
3514
3515The next day, we’d set out for the Ena clan’s main village.
3516
3517Apart from Ein and our group, ten warriors would be making this trip.
3518
3519Even though the tiger tribe excelled in fighting prowess, they would suffer heavy losses if they didn’t unite against the giants, and this was all the village could afford to send.
3520
3521However, even though we knew how to subjugate the giants it didn’t mean that our next encounter with them would be as one-sided as the previous one.
3522
3523Whether or not we could safely reach the Ena clan’s village…… that worry occupied my mind as I
3524
3525looked towards my companions.
3526
3527Ariane was polishing the 『Sword of the Lion King』 as she thought something over.
3528
3529Chiome was expressionlessly stuffing her mouth with the spiced, cookie-like food we’d been served at dinner.
3530
3531Ponta had finished her meal and was dozing off on my lap.
3532
3533Everything was the same as normal…… as if they could face anything without issue.
3534 
3535
3536Chapter 15 「The Ena Clan」
3537
3538
3539
3540
3541The sky was still dark when our group prepared to set off for the Ena clan’s village in the northwest.
3542
3543With everyone riding dragon mounts, we reached the village in about two days.
3544
3545Just as Ein had predicted, around the morning of the second day the yurts of the Ena clan became visible.
3546
3547He also mentioned that the Ena clan’s village should house over four hundred people, which earned it the designation of the largest clan.
3548
3549While it didn’t seem like much, it was difficult for any society to thrive on plains where giants and various monsters roamed, whether they had high battle prowess or not.
3550
3551The tiger tribe seemed to be a nomadic people that kept livestock near their homes. Said animals were covered in thick white wool and horns that made them look like goats rather than sheep.
3552
3553They referred to these animal as ‘white goats’.
3554
3555Their wool was actually a valuable raw material for textile weaving. The wool was normally sold in Fabuna’ha, but the recent giant attacks put the trade on hold.
3556
3557It was Ein who told us this while we traveled to the Ena clan’s village.
3558
3559Despite Ein being well known as the leader of the Uiria, it seems he was capable of traveling between villages without much issue.
3560
3561Because someone in full body armor and a dark elf were rarities within the village, many had come from the surrounding tents to gawk at us.
3562
3563However, when I looked into the eyes of the onlookers…… I only found worry and nervousness on
3564
3565their faces.
3566
3567After making our way to the center of the village, Ein lept off his dragon mount and started to speak with the man who had stepped forward to greet us.
3568
3569“Hou, it’s been a while! What brings the Ena clan’s head here personally?”
3570
3571“……I received a report from our scouts. That Uiria’s clan leader was bringing outsiders into our
3572
3573territory.”
3574
3575Ein exchanged greetings with the large tiger tribesmen that came to meet us. Apparently, this man was the head of this village.
3576
3577While Ein and this man conversed with one another, the man was sizing up the outsiders that had shown up in his village.
3578
3579Hou was possessed a large build even among the tiger tribesmen. He stood a full head above Ein
3580 
3581Probably just a little under three meters tall.
3582
3583The countless scars covering his well-toned, muscular body indicated that he was a veteran warrior.
3584
3585Over the course of the conversation, he remained outwardly vigilant of us outsiders.
3586
3587Noticing the tension in the air, Ein made the conscious decision to cut to the chase about our visit to Hou’s village.
3588
3589“Two giants appeared near my village the other day.”
3590
3591Hou raised an eyebrow when he heard that and offered a serious nod.
3592
3593“……I see, so they’ve finally appeared that far east…… So, what’s the damage?”
3594
3595Hou shifted his gaze to the warriors behind Ein, as he started to grasp the circumstances that would lead another clan leader to his village, and asked the damage suffered during the battle with the giants.
3596
3597Ein proceeded to recollect the entire battle with the giants and explained that the outsiders he brought along happened to come along and lend a hand.
3598
3599Hou’s face became like those of the Uiria warriors when they first had been gathered before us, as he listened.
3600
3601“It’s fortunate that you could use a witchdoctor’s power afterward, but to rely on outsiders during the battle……”
3602
3603Hou was obviously disappointed by that fact but Ein brushed off the matter with a hearty chuckle and a smile.
3604
3605“My people reacted the same way until my wife was through with them.”
3606
3607Hou’s body twitched when he heard that and he averted his gaze from Ein.
3608
3609“……I-I see. Then forget what I just said…… please.”
3610
3611Hou’s overwhelming coercion had ceased when Ein brought up his wife. Hou even went so far as to whisper a plea in Ein’s ear.
3612
3613Looks like Yuga and the two clan leaders had a very close relationship with each other.
3614
3615Hou cleared his throat before looking at us with an earnest expression.
3616
3617“……It’s good that you came. The other clan leaders will be gathering soon to deal with the giants.
3618
3619They have already destroyed a number of villages. I’m holding a discussion concerning subjugation tactics with the others now.”
3620
3621Ein sighed when he heard what Hou said.
3622
3623“Hmm…… the giant’s have already reached this place, as I thought……”
3624 
3625
3626I spoke my comment Hou, who’d been looking towards us off and on, opened his mouth. “By the way, that dragon mouth your guests are riding, where did they obtain it?”
3627
3628Hou’s eyes took on a dangerous glow as he spoke, so I told him the same story I told Ein the other day.
3629
3630“……Two people on patrol never returned, and that mount belonged to one of them.”
3631
3632After Hou lowered his head and groaned, he returned his gaze to me.
3633
3634“Arc-dono, dragon mounts are treasured by our warriors. Do you intend to return that treasure to our family?”
3635
3636Hou stared straight at me as he waited for my reply, so I held up my index finger in front of him.
3637
3638“I will happily return this mount…… but there is one thing I would like to ask you as the leader of the
3639
3640Ena clan.”
3641
3642Power returned to Hou’s body in reaction to my statement.
3643
3644“This is interesting. What do you request from me, the leader of the Ena clan?”
3645
3646Hou floated a large smile as I was about to voice my condition, but before I could say anything a sudden noise drawn everyone’s attention towards the village’s entrance.
3647
3648When I looked, I saw a heavily injured dragon mount running hurriedly through the village.
3649
3650Seeing this as well, Hou’s eyes bulged before he started shouting instructions.
3651
3652“Women and children make way!! Men hold it down!!”
3653
3654Answering their leader’s call, warriors rushed from nearby houses and began chasing the meandering dragon mount.
3655
3656However, it was a wasted effort as the dragon mount collapsed on the spot and threw the young tiger tribesmen it had been carrying on the ground.
3657
3658The crowd that gathered parted ways when Hou came forward to assess the situation.
3659
3660As outsiders, Ariane Chiome and I intended to watch the events from far away, but Ponta used her magic and circled the gathering crowd once before flying back to us.
3661
3662“Kyu, Kyukyun!
3663
3664When she landed on my head she tried to report what was going on, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
3665
3666Then I heard Hou’s shout from within the crowd of people.
3667
3668“Somebody! Get witch doctor Baa!!”
3669
3670A few men broke away from the crowd and ran deeper into the village.
3671 
3672
3673If I wasn’t mistaken, witchdoctors were the magical healers within the tiger tribe.
3674
3675Unable to sit back, I forced my way through the crowd of tiger tribesmen and stepped before Hou as he cradled the young man’s body.
3676
3677The young man’s breathing was rough and his left arm had been crushed and covered in blood.
3678
3679Ein gave me a sideways look before nodding his head.
3680
3681I nodded back before invoking my magic without accepting a refusal.
3682
3683“Pardon me. 【Major Heal】.”
3684
3685Ambient light filled the area and started to gather around the young man’s left arm, shifting flesh and bones back into their proper place.
3686
3687As the light slowly faded, the everyone around us who managed to see what happened exclaimed amazement when the serious injuries disappeared like a bad dream in the morning.
3688
3689Hou’s eyes bulged as he looked back and forth between me and the young man’s arm. After the young man opened his eyes Hou, started to frantically ask what happened.
3690
3691“What did you find? What happened!? Can you remember anything!?”
3692
3693Recognizing his leader’s voice, the young man tried to stand up only for his eyes to start swimming.
3694
3695“Gah!?”
3696
3697He immediately lost all his energy and fell down.
3698
3699“Even if I heal the injury, I can’t replace the blood that was lost. He needs to rest and regain his strength.”
3700
3701Hou nodded before signaling two men to carry the young man into a nearby house.
3702
3703However, the young man clung to Hou and his voice shook as he spoke.
3704
3705“Giants appeared near my village. Thirty of them, maybe more……”
3706
3707Hou’s round ears started to droop as he listened to the young man weakly voicing his report.
3708
3709As soon as the young man lost consciousness, the arm with which he had held onto Hou fell down as the two men carried him off.
3710
3711Hou’s eyes started to fill with rage and veins started to appear on his forehead, giving him the appearance of an ogre.
3712
3713“Contact the remaining clan leaders!! Apart from those defending the village, all warriors prepare to hunt!!”
3714
3715A deafening war cry followed the moment of silence after the order had been given.
3716
3717All the children rushed into their homes and the brought out armor for the men. The men proceeded to
3718 
3719polish their equipment and prepare for the hunt.
3720
3721While everyone was busy with their preparations, Hou approached me.
3722
3723“Honored guest, we didn’t get to finish or conversation, but……”
3724
3725He cut off the conversation with a shake of his head and looked back at his people.
3726
3727I had no idea what Hou was trying to say. Perhaps we’ll talk once the giants had been subjugated.
3728
3729Anyhow, requesting help from outsiders wasn’t highly looked upon within the tribe.
3730
3731If things didn’t go well, it would be the tiger tribesmen that ran the risk of being wiped out by the giants instead of the other way around.
3732
3733Now was not the time to talk about devil nails.
3734
3735In addition, the young man said that there had been at least thirty giants.
3736
3737The tiger tribesmen prided themselves on their combat prowess, but even they had problems dealing with two giants, let alone thirty. Even if every warrior here were to participate, there was no way they’d avoid heavy casualties.
3738
3739I could probably deal with them myself, in their place……
3740
3741There was only one thing to say here.
3742
3743Isn’t there an old saying that “Ask and you shall receive.” “May I participate in this hunt?”
3744
3745If I wanted the devil nails, I needed to ensure their victory.
3746
3747Hou stared directly at me when he heard my question.
3748
3749After a quick exchange of glances, Hou floated a threatening smile.
3750
3751“Accept this promise from Hou, the leader of the Ena clan! You shall be repaid in kind once this hunt is over!”
3752
3753After saying that, Hou returned to his own preparations.
3754
3755Having watched that entire exchange, Ariane let out a grand sigh before thrusting her finger at me. “I’m coming along with you! I’ll kill them more efficiently this time!” With that declaration, Ariane pouted and looked towards the horizon.
3756
3757Her slip-up during our first encounter with the giants must have still been bothering her.
3758
3759She probably intended to redeem herself in the upcoming battle. With that thought in mind, I looked toward Chiome, who simply shut her eyes and gave me a brief reply.
3760 
3761“Me too.”
3762
3763After that conversation, I began to wonder just how blood-thirsty my group was.
3764
3765Since there was no blood flowing through my skeletal body, my own blood didn’t race at the prospect of the coming battle, or at least that’s what I believed.
3766 
3767
3768Chapter 16 「The Giants Attack」
3769
3770
3771
3772
3773Preparations were completed rather quickly and the warriors were gathered in the center of the village in less than an hour.
3774
3775The other clan leaders that had been visiting the village were accompanied by their own attendants, just like Ein, and those warriors had been added to this “Great Hunt”.
3776
3777There were a hundred and fifty warriors total.
3778
3779Almost everyone rode a dragon mount as we headed towards the village attacked by the giants, the resulting charge making the earth shake in our wake.
3780
3781Since I had no idea where we were going, I just followed at the rear of the crowd.
3782
3783The horizon laid before us, there were gentle hills and rolling plains all around us.
3784
3785An hour had passed since we left the village.
3786
3787Ariane would sometimes complain about her butt hurting and would occasionally stand up as we rode, an action that caused me a great deal of unease even before the battle began.
3788
3789“Ariane-dono, you do know you could fall off like that, don’t you?”
3790
3791When I looked back and said that Ariane raised a snow-white eyebrow before she spoke up.
3792
3793“Arc, why don’t we take a break? My butt is at its limit……”
3794
3795Even though the dragon mount’s movements caused a lot of bouncing in Ariane’s chest area, the person herself didn’t seem like she would fall anytime soon.
3796
3797When I realized where my eyes had wandered off to, I started to groan.
3798
3799If we were the only ones to stop for a rest, we would be stranded in the middle of nowhere.
3800
3801We weren’t in a situation where I could casually say “let’s take a short break.”.
3802
3803Those around us were driven by the desire to avenge their fallen brethren and were accustomed to long rides, so none of them were worn out like Ariane was.
3804
3805Chiome, unlike Ariane, showed no sign of discomfort as if she were used to extended riding sessions.
3806
3807Either that or she was so light that she simply wasn’t affected as badly.
3808
3809While I was preoccupied with my debate on what to do, Ponta started to rapidly shake her tail.
3810
3811“Kyun! Kyun!”
3812
3813When Ponta started hitting the top of my head and cry, I focused on what was in front of me.
3814
3815The tiger tribe village sat atop a gentle hill in front of us.
3816 
3817At the same time, a gigantic humanoid figure slowly came into view.
3818
3819The giant was shoving a crushed corpse, which it had been holding in its hands, into its gaping chest mouth.
3820
3821“Bastard!!”
3822
3823The bloodlust of the warriors rose as they watched the gruesome scene take place.
3824
3825However, the giants finally noticed our loud approach and signaled the others.
3826
3827「Vuwoa!! Gakaawa!!」
3828
3829While it was impossible to understand the black giant, it grabbed hold of its stone hammer and let out a beast-like roar as it started charging towards us.
3830
3831In response, the some of the other giants that had apparently been gathering inside the village came running with their weapons in hand.
3832
3833However, including the one we saw first, there were only 5 giants altogether. I could see another five giants inside the village, but it looked like they were too busy looking for something.
3834
3835The young man had said that at least thirty giants had attacked the village.
3836
3837The leaders noticed this immediately and started to look around for the missing giants.
3838
3839There weren’t many obstacles in the middle of the plains so there weren’t a lot of places you could hide twenty giants.
3840
3841Hou, the acting leader of this expedition, was aware of this and decided to focus on the enemies in front of him.
3842
3843He raised his weapon in the air and pointed it at the approaching giants.
3844
3845The surrounding warriors let out a booming battle cry and brandished their weapon.
3846
3847“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
3848
3849The cry of the tiger tribesmen combined with the rumbling of the dragon mounts to create an intimidating spectacle.
3850
3851As they ran past the leading giant, the warriors would attack the creature’s legs.
3852
3853The dull sounds of a collision and of breaking bones overlapped with one another as the giant smashed the ground with their weapons.
3854
3855The warriors that were in range of the attack were blown away while suffering critical injuries. However, I caught sight of one giant falling to the ground, which meant they managed to do significant damage to it.
3856
3857The warriors swarmed the fallen giant and unleashed a flurry of attacks until it died.
3858 
3859The were enough warriors here to cope with the five giants.
3860
3861Before the remaining giants can enter the battle, I’ll settle this instantaneously with a magic spell.
3862
3863When I brought our dragon mount to a stop in order to cast my spell, Ariane sighed and leaped from the saddle.
3864
3865Once she was out of the saddle she began to frown and massage her butt.
3866
3867The pain in her backside must’ve been extensive.
3868
3869Handing the reins to Chiome, I climbed down and scanned the area.
3870
3871I intended to use a summon beast like I did against the hydra a while back.
3872
3873While I could have used an area of effect spell, people could still be alive and hiding in the village.
3874
3875I’d learned in Leibnitz that a summoned beast automatically attacked the enemy, regardless of the surroundings.
3876
3877There was no way to tell what would happen if a combat-oriented beast was summoned, but one that acted as support should be fine…… probably.
3878
3879“Ariane-dono, I’m going to kill the giants close to the village, wait here a minute.” “What!?”
3880
3881I told them what I was about to do before taking my summoning stance.
3882
3883A large glowing magic formation appeared on the ground in front of me as I began to envision the beast I wanted to summon.
3884
3885What I was trying to summon was a creature I rarely used in the game and I was having trouble remembering it.
3886
3887“……It’s on the tip of my tongue……”
3888
3889If I’m not mistaken, it was a low-level summon with debuff skills.
3890
3891I kept the magic formation on standby as I searched my memory. However, the only thing that came to my mind were high-level summons as my thoughts began to wonder.
3892
3893Ariane called out to me while I was in this state.
3894
3895“What a second Arc. That the same magic that sends out rampaging giants, isn’t it?”
3896
3897She must have remembered when my summon collapsed that church and was worried the same thing would happen to the village here.
3898
3899Just because I tend to forget inconvenient things, it doesn’t mean I’d forget that.
3900
3901Well, I was struggling with this spell so it might have been better to use a different summon here.
3902 
3903Just as I was about to tell her that, a shadowy figure appeared behind Ariane and rushed towards us with incredible speed.
3904
3905Ariane noticed the bloodlust the figure was emitting and started to look back, but the figure was faster and it managed to pull a dagger from its sleeve and throw it before she could react, so I pushed her aside.
3906
3907The next thing I realized, the blade of the dagger managed to slip between one of my helmet’s visor gaps. The surprise attack broke my concentration and caused to summoning formation to vanish.
3908
3909Ponta would have normally wrapped herself around my neck in a fight, but she had still been atop my helmet when the enemy attacked, so she fled instead.
3910
3911Ponta created a miniature cyclone with her magic and flew well over my head to escape the surprise attack.
3912
3913The wind kicked up by the cyclone managed to rustle my assailant’s hood and cloak.
3914
3915“Nuu!!”
3916
3917“!!”
3918
3919Recognizing the opportunity, I prepared to launch a full strength punch at my assailant as he brandished a sword. However, the enemy noticed this and retreated.
3920
3921“Arc!!”
3922
3923Ariane had been surprised when I suddenly pushed her and shouted my name when she saw me pulling the dagger out.
3924
3925I gestured with my hand to let her know I was alright.
3926
3927Ariane was momentarily dumbfounded by my gesture, before here lilac cheeks turned a slight shade of red when she remembered the contents of my armor.
3928
3929She was probably embarrassed because she forgot that.
3930
3931However, that would have been a fatal blow had I not been in my skeletal form.
3932
3933My skull’s cavities were totally empty, and the assailant immediately noticed my nonexistent reaction to the attack.
3934
3935By the time I’d clutched my fist he had already started to fall back.
3936
3937Red eyes peeked out from beneath the enemy’s hood as they pulled two more daggers from their sleeves.
3938
3939“Nuu!!”
3940
3941“Arc!!”
3942
3943Ariane grasped the situation instantly but she started frowning when she tried to stand.
3944 
3945It might have been a mistake to push her down. Her backside had already suffered through that riding session.
3946
3947It would be inconvenient if she couldn’t move properly. Out of all of us, Ariane would be in the most danger if her movements were impaired.
3948
3949Even an amateur like myself could understand that much.
3950
3951To top it off, I was barehanded in front of an armed opponent.
3952
3953Leaving my sword and shield attached to the dragon mount while I evoked the summoning spell had backfired on me.
3954
3955The tiger tribesmen were still fighting a good distance away, and all I could do was realise how careless I’d been.
3956
3957Metallic sounds repeatedly echoed through the area as the enemy slashed at my armor. While their movements were quick, their attacks had no effect.
3958
3959Since I was covered in full body armor, the enemy couldn’t determine what was beneath it and they were avoiding lethal strikes because of what had happened before.
3960
3961In other words, it was my prime opportunity to attack.
3962
3963I put my entire weight behind a straight punch. The air itself vibrated as the enemy dodged my fist by a hair’s breadth, but was dragged back by the vacuum effect that followed the punch.
3964
3965When I tried to capitalize on the opening and deliver the finishing blow, the enemy kicked the air to regain their posture and managed to circle around me.
3966
3967I didn’t expect to fight the straw hat’s cook here.
3968
3969His two blades closed in on my neck like a pair of sheers.
3970
3971Even if I was only a skeleton, there was no way to tell what would happen if my head was cut off. I came down to whether or not the enemy’s attack could overcome my bones’ durability.
3972
3973The moment I felt the edge of the enemies daggers on my neck, a I heard the sound of metal colliding behind me as the enemy kicked the air to dodge something.
3974
3975“Arc-dono, are you alright!?”
3976
3977Chiome rushed to my side as she spoke.
3978
3979“Yes, you managed to save me Chiome-dono. Thank you.”
3980
3981Even though my skeleton body was unable to break out in cold sweat, I heaved a relieved breath while patting my neck to confirm it was still properly attached.
3982
3983The enemy took the opportunity to check their daggers.
3984
3985Chiome’s attack had managed to put a large hole in the hood of our attacker.
3986 
3987We finally got a look at the enemy’s face when a gust of wind blew the remains of the hood away.
3988
3989Black cat ears sat atop their head and his red eyes were contrasted by his pale skin…… he was
3990
3991obviously a beastman.
3992
3993I couldn’t tell because his tail was still hidden under his cloak, but he appeared to be from the same cat tribe as Chiome.
3994
3995Chiome, who normally never showed her emotions, let out a haggard cry as she caught sight of the enemy’s face.
3996
3997“……Sa-suke…… oniisan……!?”
3998
3999Her shaking voice and the shocked expression said it all.
4000
4001The name she spoke belong to a senior member of the Blade Heart Clan’s six great ninjas.
4002
4003If the enemy was one of the six great ninjas, why was he on this continent and what was he doing here? There were too many unknown factors in this situation.
4004
4005The emotion on Chiome’s face as she called out that name…… there was no doubt that the enemy was
4006
4007the real deal and not some kind of imposter.
4008
4009“……Sasuke! What’s going on!? Why…… what here you doing here!?”
4010
4011Sasuke narrowed his red eyes and raised his daggers when Chiome cried out to him.
4012
4013There was no hesitation in his actions, as if Chiome’s voice hadn’t even reached him at all.
4014
4015However, the fight with Sasuke did not continue.
4016
4017「Huahauahau!! Chiaaoaaaaooa!!」
4018
4019The remaining giants that had been roaming through the village brandished their stone weapons and were heading straight for us.
4020
4021The tiger tribesmen that had been charging towards the village scattered when the giants suddenly ran towards my group, completely ignored by the giants.
4022
4023Sasuke glanced at the eccentric behavior of the giants before he ran in the opposite direction of the giants.
4024
4025Chiome immediate chased after Sasuke while calling out to him.
4026
4027“Wait!! Sasuke-oniisan!! Why are you doing this!?”
4028
4029Unfortunately, Sasuke was faster than Chiome and the distance between them only grow wider.
4030
4031The upheaval in her heart was so great that the normally graceful Chiome tripped over her own feet and fell over.
4032
4033“Khu!”
4034 
4035Ariane rushed over to Chiome to help her up.
4036
4037Chiome’s face had gone pale with worry as Ariane tried to speak to her.
4038
4039“……Chiome-chan that Sasuke person is……”
4040
4041“!!”
4042
4043However, Chiome fiercely shook her head as if she were trying to prevent the words from reaching her.
4044
4045Their behavior indicated that something was definitely wrong.
4046
4047The ground began to rumble as I looked at them and I realized that this place was about to become a battlefield.
4048
4049I caught sight of the giants suddenly changing directions.
4050
4051The giants were heading in the direction Sasuke had run off to. They followed after Sasuke as if i were the natural thing to do.
4052
4053Despite there having been so many tiger tribesmen near them they made a sudden shift and chased after Sasuke……
4054
4055It was as if the giant had been searching the village for Sasuke since the very beginning. “…… What in the world is going on?”
4056
4057My doubts were overshadowed by the noise of the approaching tiger tribesmen.
4058
4059With a battle cry, they chased after the giants.
4060 
4061Chapter 17 「Undead Person」
4062
4063
4064
4065
4066The Kuwana plains, in a destroyed village belonging to the tiger tribe.
4067
4068The recent appearance of the Giants from the “Black Forest” has resulted in the destruction of man villages…… it seems.
4069
4070I’d heard a bit of news from the warriors that had buried the five dead giants.
4071
4072No survivors had been found when the warriors searched the remains of the village.
4073
4074The brooding expressions on their faces showed that there was no hope.
4075
4076At least ten giants had attacked this rather small village.
4077
4078As of this moment, the young man who had reached the Ena clan’s main village was the only survivor.
4079
4080The flames of vengeance that resided in the warriors’ eyes as they fought the giants vanished when they looked upon the utterly devastated village.
4081
4082While I could try to revive them, the magic wouldn’t work on those who lost their heads or whose bodies were in a giant’s stomach.
4083
4084It was something I’d learned when I revived a group of people that had been killed by bandits.
4085
4086The gloomy atmosphere left in the wake of this incident affected Chiome as well, since she sat with a depressed look on her face.
4087
4088She had remained silent ever since Sasuke fled.
4089
4090While not the talkative sort to begin with, there was something different about her current silence.
4091
4092Ariane didn’t know what to say to her either and simply averted her gaze.
4093
4094I tried calling out to her in my usual tone as best as I could.
4095
4096“Ariane-dono, are your legs and hips alright?”
4097
4098Ariane was aware of my intention and tried to make a cheerful expression as she nodded. “I’m alright, my legs and hip have already recovered. Thank you, Arc.” She rubbed her waist a little as she answered.
4099
4100To be honest, her hips weren’t the problem, but telling a woman to her face that her butt had been hurting because she had spent too long in the saddle was obviously not something one should ever do.
4101
4102Now was not the right time to joke about these things.
4103
4104Even so, I didn’t think that recovery magic would be effective on sore butts. As long as I apply
4105 
4106healing magic, riding the the dragon mount shouldn’t be an issue.
4107
4108While I was considering this, the leader of the Ena clan and several other tiger tribesmen walked up to me.
4109
4110Those that followed behind Hou must be the other clan leaders since they wore more luxurious armor then the regular warriors and were more physically intimidating
4111
4112When Hou was right in front of me, his eyes immediately narrowed in on Chiome while asking me a question in a serious tone.
4113
4114“Arc-dono, you said that your friend from the cat tribe was from the Northern Continent, correct?”
4115
4116I nodded my head while being confused as to why he was asking me the question.
4117
4118“Half of the giants that attacked the village chased after the cat person when he appeared……”
4119
4120Although it’d been a chaotic fight, people had noticed us.
4121
4122“The giants were chasing that person? Was it that person who caused the giants to attack our villages!?”
4123
4124Hou then spoke with open hostility and I could already tell where he was heading with this line of questioning but was left wondering why he asked them in the first place.
4125
4126“Don’t try to make any excuses! That girl right there! She’s acquainted with that person! My men saw the two talking!!”
4127
4128One of the men that Hou brought along began pressing Chiome for information.
4129
4130They’d bore witness to that exchange.
4131
4132However, I didn’t say anything as they pressured us…… no matter what I said it wouldn’t make much
4133
4134of a difference.
4135
4136Before the hot-head clan leader could reach Chiome, Ariane stepped forward to protect her.
4137
4138The clan leader was tall, even for a tiger tribesmen, and had an impressive physique, but Ariane’s glare and the flames that emanated from her body kept him at bay.
4139
4140Although the tiger tribesmen and normal beastmen couldn’t see the spirits that floated around her body, their hair stood up as they felt the fighting spirit she was projecting.
4141
4142The clan leader held his breath as Ariane began to talk.
4143
4144“It’s true that the two know each other…… but he is no longer her ally.”
4145
4146Chiome’s shoulders slumped when she heard Ariane.
4147
4148However, the clan head didn’t understand what she was saying and raised his voice again.
4149
4150“How can we trust what you say!? Why should we even trust outsiders with our war!?”
4151 
4152The eyes of the surrounding tiger tribesmen pierced my group when they heard him.
4153
4154The situation with the giants had been an urgent one and Hou hadn’t had time to explain why we had come along.
4155
4156While Ein and those of the Urira knew our circumstances, the majority of the warriors were still in the dark.
4157
4158Ariane’s eyes were dead set on the crowd as she made her decision.
4159
4160“The person who appeared back there was undead.”
4161
4162What she said was news to me. The clan leaders were also surprised by her revelation and began looking back and forth between each other.
4163
4164The majority of the surrounding warriors were left in a confused state.
4165
4166Based on their reactions and the bits of conversation I picked up, the tiger tribe was unfamiliar with the concept of being undead.
4167
4168Ariane began to explain herself more when she saw how they were reacting.
4169
4170“It seems that they don’t appear in these plains, but the undead are the dead that get up and wander about. Elves like me are capable of detecting the impurities that cling to them.”
4171
4172She provided a brief explanation as her golden eyes scanned the crowd to gauge their reactions.
4173
4174Elven eyes had the ability to see spirits that were invisible to humans.
4175
4176When Sasuke had appeared, she must have seen the the ‘undead impurities’ coming off him.
4177
4178Chiome would have been unable to see those impurities but she might have caught the scent of death on him.
4179
4180Her noise was effective at great distances, so she must have realized what condition Sasuke was in when he stood in front of her.
4181
4182Well, one would definitely want to believe they made a mistake when one of their friends was suddenly standing in front of them as an undead.
4183
4184Her continued silence in the face of Ariane’s claims probably meant she’d yet to accept the facts.
4185
4186But her eyes and nose had the power to perceive the truth better than any human could.
4187
4188In my skeletal form, I was unable to see undead impurities like Ariane and other elves since that ability seemed to be affected by my curse.
4189
4190I was in a similar situation to Chiome and a few others of the Blade Heart Clan.
4191
4192While they were able to draw upon the power of the spirits to use special abilities, they had no way to identify the undead by sight.
4193 
4194“Kyun!”
4195
4196Ponta uttered a cry of encouragement as if she had guessed what I had been thinking.
4197
4198“Well, you wouldn’t be deceived by appearances.”
4199
4200While patting Ponta’s head and complimenting her, I evaluated what I knew.
4201
4202Somehow Chiome’s brother figure Sasuke had shown up on the Southern Continent.
4203
4204Even I had thought that Sasuke looked pale when I saw him, but his appearance hadn’t changed to the point where Chiome couldn’t recognize him.
4205
4206But Ariane had made her statement in a matter of fact tone.
4207
4208“……It easy to say that, but where is the proof to back up your statement!?”
4209
4210The other clan leaders nodded along with what the hot-head said.
4211
4212Only one person, no, Hou and Ein were the only ones that looked at Ariane and me directly.
4213
4214It was meaningless to press us for information here.
4215
4216“I do not know Chiome-dono’s personal circumstance, but I know that her clan has been looking into that man’s whereabouts. It was by sheer coincidence that we came across him here. I was the one that suggested this trip in the first place.”
4217
4218“Such a thing……!”
4219
4220One of the clan leaders tried to raise an argument against me.
4221
4222“……What will this achieve!? Thirty giants were sighted, ten were found in this village, but only five
4223
4224were defeated! I don’t know why the giants were following him, but aren’t there other villages in the direction they were heading!?”
4225
4226Not only the leaders, but the surrounding warriors began to stir at my question.
4227
4228I had no idea if there were any villages in the direction Sasuke went, but I said it anyway to gauge their reactions.
4229
4230The warriors swarmed the clan leaders and pleaded with them to pursue the giants.
4231
4232Hou was the one that put an end to all of the commotion.
4233
4234“We will pursue the giants, confirm the village’s well-being, and protect it!”
4235
4236A battle cry was sounded at Hou’s declaration.
4237
4238As the warriors rushed to mount their dragon mounts, my eyes focused on Hou as he approached me.
4239
4240In a crossed armed stance, he made one statement.
4241
4242“…… Show us!”
4243 
4244Saying only that, Hou and the rest of the clan leaders return to their own dragon mounts.
4245
4246While I couldn’t understand their reasoning, I got the gist of it.
4247
4248The goodwill I’d been building up to use in the negotiations later on seemed to have been used to temporarily clear us of suspicion.
4249
4250“…… Apologies, Arc-dono.”
4251
4252Chiome, who’d been silently watching the conversation apologized and lowered her head to me.
4253
4254“There’s no need to apologize Chiome-dono. Will you be alright from here on out?”
4255
4256It was one thing to deal with the giants, but it was another thing entirely for Chiome to confront her former companion.
4257
4258Chiome looked me in the eye and nodded her head.
4259
4260“This is my clan’s issue. So……”
4261
4262Raw emotions seeped into Chiome’s voice as she clenched her fist and choked on the latter half of her statement before walking towards our mount.
4263
4264Something was missing from her expressions and she carried herself like a ghost. I asked a similarly worried Ariane about the situation.
4265
4266“Ariane-dono,  aren’t undead  like  Sasuke-dono……  aren’t undead  like  him suppose  to  be  rare
4267
4268occurrences?”
4269
4270Ariane raised an eyebrow at my question and frowned.
4271
4272My image of the undead were the common ones like zombies and skeletons, none of whom looked or moved like Sasuke did.
4273
4274He resembled a vampire more than anything else, but I didn’t even know if they existed in this world.
4275
4276The only agile undead monsters I’d seen were the Ghoul Worms we came across in the caverns near the Dragon King’s territory, but even they still looked like decomposing corpses.
4277
4278Sasuke passed for a common cat-eared beastman.
4279
4280While elves in this world could detect the undead impurities he gave off, I couldn’t see anything even though I could see the lights that active spirits gave off.
4281
4282“This is the first time I’ve seen an undead like that…… My father…… or other village elders may
4283
4284know something about it though.”
4285
4286Ariane looked in the direction Sasuke had run off in as she spoke.
4287
4288Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go back to the village and ask him. There was also a chance that he couldn’t help us and we’d still be left in the dark.
4289 
4290“……We can’t do anything without following the giants.”
4291
4292Leaving off on that statement, I made my way to our resting dragon mount as it chewed on some grass and leaped onto the saddle.
4293
4294I grasped the mount’s reins after lifting Chiome onto the saddle and once Ariane reluctantly climbed on with a sigh.
4295
4296When I looked towards the other tiger tribesmen I saw Hou giving a signal in front of the group.
4297
4298The warriors immediately set off into the plains.
4299 
4300Chapter 18 「Invasion」
4301
4302
4303
4304
4305We left the Ena’s main village under a rather anxious atmosphere, but now a somber mood hung over the entire party.
4306
4307No, the tiger tribe warriors were still angry at the giants and the subjugation force was still feeling tense, so it didn’t feel like anything had changed at all.
4308
4309It was obvious why things were the way they were.
4310
4311Chiome was sitting in front of me, my arms reaching around her to hold the reins of the dragon mount, so there was no way for me to make out her expression.
4312
4313I remember her talking about taking some Kraken meat to her senior Sasuke when we ventured to this continent on the Liebbelta.
4314
4315My current body was that of a skeleton and with my emotions bottled as they were, I couldn’t offer her any actual sympathy despite knowing how much she must have been hurting.
4316
4317If I were to regain my physical body, my reasoning would be hampered the release of my suppressed emotions. I wouldn’t have that much confidence in that situation.
4318
4319The reason I was able to think rationally about this was due to me being in my skeletal form, perhaps this kind of state is similar to the emotional detachment hardened soldiers have.
4320
4321However, Chiome has not yet reached that state.
4322
4323……she isn’t a soldier with a long service record, after all, she is just a little girl.
4324
4325I shook my head and sighed at that fact.
4326
4327I’m not that good at thinking things through, so it couldn’t be helped.
4328
4329With my sword I could cut down any enemy, with my shield I could protect my friends from any attack, and with my armor, I was safe from all harm. Merely worrying about this won’t solve anything.
4330
4331……Well, I suppose I did make the mistake of leaving my sword and shield behind previously.
4332
4333Just how long has it been since we left the destroyed village?
4334
4335So far, I’ve only had three requests to apply soreness relief with recovery magic.
4336
4337Since we couldn’t afford to lower our speed, I had to reach behind my back to invoke the spell, so from the side it looked like I was trying to grab Ariane’s butt.
4338
4339I sighed and looked towards the sky to estimate the time. Daylight was starting to wean and dusk wasn’t far off.
4340 
4341Lunch time had probably passed by now.
4342
4343Shortly after, the subjugation force reached the hill the village rested on.
4344
4345The village didn’t even amount to ten yurts. A herd of livestock was close to the village and a group of warriors in front of the village took note of us as we approached.
4346
4347The village showed no sign of damage and everything appeared to be peaceful.
4348
4349It seems the giants hadn’t arrived yet.
4350
4351As we decreased our speed, Hou came to a stop and dismounted in front the people that gathered at the village entrance.
4352
4353I brought our mount to a stop near the village as well.
4354
4355However, as soon as I did so, Hou faced the subjugation force and started shouting instructions after confirming something with the villages warriors.
4356
4357“The giants passed by this village and headed north! Move out!!”
4358
4359We immediately set off in that direction after that.
4360
4361The clan leaders were at the head of the pack and I caught sight of them riding close to one another, discussing something.
4362
4363Was there some kind of problem?
4364
4365That question was soon answered.
4366
4367The subjugation force came to a stop atop a small hill.
4368
4369No, where we stood now was roughly the same height as the plains behind us, and beneath us were lowlands.
4370
4371From here I could even see the sea opening up at the edge of my vision.
4372
4373There was a gentle slope leading into the lowland and, as if it was drawing a border from the east to the west, a wall-like construction had been built across the entirety of it.
4374
4375This structure was like some sort of castle wall, resembling the world famous Great Wall of China that stretches across thousands of miles.
4376
4377There were countless rectangular embrasures spread across this wall, and it was apparent that this was primarily a defensive bulwark.
4378
4379The embrasures were big enough to let us see the cannons… no, some kind of ballistas had been mounted in there.
4380
4381Seeing all this, I remembered hearing from some beastman that humans were living behind a giant wall on the other side of the plains.
4382 
4383In that case, behind this wall must be the human territory.
4384
4385For some of the tiger tribesmen, this was their first time seeing these walls. Quite a few of them were unable to hide their surprise.
4386
4387Well, that was to be expected in the face of such magnificent architecture.
4388
4389Just how much labor and resources were but into making such a thing…… I couldn’t even wrap my
4390
4391head around it.
4392
4393“So, it seems the giants headed towards the human-occupied, northern peninsula.” With that statement, Hou looked down upon the wall with an annoyed glare. So we were looking down upon a peninsula.
4394
4395And this wall had been built to seal off said peninsula.
4396
4397However, I noticed something amiss with that massive wall.
4398
4399Evenly spread across the length of this wall, giant, tower-like structures had been built that probably served as both lookouts and barracks.
4400
4401However, there wasn’t a single living person to be seen anywhere. When I looked to the hundred and fifty warriors along the hill, I could see tension clearly building amongst them.
4402
4403“There’s not a single person on the wall, is it normal for it to be left unattended?”
4404
4405The wrinkles on Hou’s forehead deepened as he looked down at the wall and thought over my question.
4406
4407“No, there are always soldiers stationed near the ballista to fend off any harassers that turn up.” I once again looked towards the ramparts but was still unable to see anyone. In fact, it was rather abandoned at the moment.
4408
4409“Hou-sama!!”
4410
4411One of the warriors shouted for Hou as he rode towards our direction on his dragon mount.
4412
4413Judging from his appearance, he must have been a scout.
4414
4415The urgentness of his report was clear on his face.
4416
4417Hou turned his mount towards the approaching scout and silently signaled for him to speak with a nod of his head.
4418
4419“A section of the eastern wall has been breached! There are also the corpses of multiple giants that appear to have fallen in battle!”
4420
4421The clan leaders and surrounding warriors began to stir after hearing the report.
4422 
4423
4424“The wall’s been breached!? How deep is it!?”
4425
4426“All the way though! The Giants probably attacked the humans’ wall!”
4427
4428The clan leaders and warriors were surprised by that bit of information.
4429
4430It was hard to tell how large the wall was, but it should be roughly around ten meters high.
4431
4432However, since the giants had an average height of six meters, the wall wouldn’t have been much of a hindrance considering their strength and endurance.
4433
4434The fact that several giants had been killed, showed that even humans could oppose them to some extent. Most likely by shooting spears into their chest with their ballistas.
4435
4436“The wall has been breached!? I couldn’t make it past that wall no matter what I tried!”
4437
4438“Was that guy leading the giants towards the human settlement since the beginning!?”
4439
4440While the other clan leaders were shouting, Hou was thinking about what the scout had reported.
4441
4442“All warriors, converge at the breach in the wall!!”
4443
4444At his commanded, everyone headed towards the eastern section of the wall.
4445
4446The location in question wasn’t that far away.
4447
4448At the place where the wall had been breached, the massive walls had been reduced to a mountain of rubble. One could even see the other side from here.
4449
4450Surrounding the hole in the wall were innumerable traces of the giants’ rampage, with ballista arrows covering the ground in front of the wall like a thicket.
4451
4452Six dead giants laid on this side of the destroyed wall, all of them with large, spear-like arrows sticking out of their chests. There was the occasional corpse of a soldier, but no sign of any survivors.
4453
4454I then caught sight of a figure running into the grasslands from the behind the mountain of rubble.
4455
4456“What!?”
4457
4458Based on the reactions of the warriors I wasn’t the only one that saw it.
4459
4460Roughly around twenty years old, one of his ears had been torn off and his tail was rather short. I had no idea which tribe this person was from, but he was definitely a beast man.
4461
4462Black irons, attached to broken chains, were wrapped around the person’s limbs and neck.
4463
4464As the man approached, his worn-out and torn clothes became noticeable.
4465
4466He’d probably been a slave working near the wall. When he caught sight of the tiger tribesmen subjugation force, he must have come running out of his hiding place.
4467
4468Or so I thought until I saw bits of the wall crumbling and a giant appearing from the other side of the wall.
4469 
4470
4471The giant’s accompanying roar caused the young beastman slave to cower in fear.
4472
4473“Everyone, don’t allow the giant to reach him!! Slay the monster!!”
4474
4475On Hou’s command, the warriors charged down the hill with a battle cry.
4476
4477However, I didn’t take part in the charge and stayed put.
4478
4479It was to be expected. While it seemed that they were just charging forward at full speed, the warriors managed to maintain an even distance between each other
4480
4481This wasn’t something an amateur could learn to do simply by watching them.
4482
4483The giant let out another roar as the ground around it began to rumble.
4484
4485However, there was still a bit of distance between the giant and the warriors, while the slave as within the giant’s range.
4486
4487The giant had already set its sights on the young slave.
4488
4489The warriors wouldn’t make it in time, so I invoked a spell to create an opening.
4490
4491“Full power! 【Flame Bullet】!!”
4492
4493When I put as much strength as I could into the spell, the huge ball of fire that formed in my upraised hands was hot enough to heat up my helmet.
4494
4495The warriors were shocked when they looked back and saw the sheer size of the fireball.
4496
4497Nearly everyone’s eyes were fixated on the fireball as it cut through the air on a collision course with the giant.
4498
4499The fireball flew over the heads of the charging warriors and caught the giant in the center of its chest with a flashy explosion.
4500
4501“Oh? Look, Ariane-dono, it managed to hit it!”
4502
4503“Wait, what? You didn’t even aim that thing!?”
4504
4505It hadn’t been my intention to hit the giant, I just wanted to stop its movement. That’s why I made the fireball so large, I didn’t expect it to fly so fast.
4506
4507By the time the subjugation group had reached the giant, it’s charred body laid on the ground unmoving.
4508
4509Since it was covered in black fur, it was hard to tell where the burns were.
4510
4511When the clan leaders managed to regain their senses, they rushed over to the young slave, and asked me to treat him we I reached their location.
4512
4513“── When the Giants tore through the wall everyone else was…… I was the only one.”
4514
4515The young man began answering Hou’s questions after I healed him with my magic.
4516 
4517Looking beneath his tattered clothes, his unhealthy thinness showed that he was malnourished.
4518
4519“Is the town ahead named Tajiento? Are there still other beastmen are imprisoned there?”
4520
4521The young man silently nodded his head at Hou’s follow up questions.
4522
4523The clan leaders began to discuss what to do with the young man’s reply.
4524
4525“What’ll we do? Now that the walls have been breached, this is a good opportunity, right?”
4526
4527“We can take advantage of the chaos while the Giants run amok in Tajiento.”
4528
4529“We need to decide now, once the trouble passes so does our opportunity to strike.”
4530
4531“We don’t know the town’s scale, it’ll be impossible to cover the entire thing if it’s the size of Fernandez.”
4532
4533“Then do we just abandon this chance?”
4534
4535As the clan leaders discussed things amongst themselves, the warriors began voicing their opinions, while I remained focused on Hou.
4536
4537Hou and the rest of them leaders eventually linked arms as they reached an agreement.
4538
4539“We shall invade the human town and rescue the beastmen slaves! The humans have attacked and imprisoned our brethren for far too long. However, ignore them when possible and focus on freeing the slaves! If a giant blocks your path slay it! Be on the lookout for the retreat signal!!”
4540
4541Cheers erupted from the nearby warriors. The one hundred and fifty members of the subjugation groups were divided into seven infiltration units.
4542
4543Well, eight if you included my group.
4544
4545My shoulders drooped at thought of the tiger tribe Vs giant battle.
4546
4547Then my eyes landed on Chiome, staring out into the distance, and I remembered the other issue tha remained.
4548
4549The rematch was fast approaching.
4550 
4551Chapter 19 「The Tajiento Crisis」
4552
4553
4554
4555
4556The peninsula that lied within the northern region of the Southern Continent was under the control o the Great Leburan Empire.
4557
4558A port city, which was on the same scale as eminent cities within the mainland empire, had been built around a naval port on the eastern side of the peninsula.
4559
4560A large church of the Hiruku religion sat on the same street as the city’s major piers. The priests and the holy knights had their own dormitories, while the cardinal lived within his own mansion.
4561
4562There was a clear distinction be the mansion and the surrounding buildings. The elegance of the mansion was emphasized by red- and white-bricked mosaics and white, ornamental support pillars.
4563
4564Within this three-story mansion provided by the church was the cardinal’s private room.
4565
4566It was a large room with a high ceiling, an impressive mural painted on one wall and an expensive carpet covering the floor. There was plain furnishings within the room, which gave it the resemblance of a king’s private quarters.
4567
4568In the center of the room sat a specially made king sized bed.
4569
4570The bed’s canopy nearly reached the ceiling and was made of luxurious embroidered cloth, and there was a large shadow sitting behind it.
4571
4572The large figure’s body was seemingly composed of numerous rolls of fat, a bald head with beady eyes, flabby cheeks, and an overall frog-like appearance.
4573
4574This was the mansion’s master cardinal, Charos Acedia Industria.
4575
4576He was currently eating from the bowl of fruit he usually kept filled beside his bed.
4577
4578“This day was a peaceful one. The mainland has been silent since they sent that fellow here. Hmhmhm, giving him a measly hundred ghost knights was a simple matter. I am a genius♪”
4579
4580Charos’ large body jiggled as his laughing caused the bed to creak.
4581
4582When he noticed the fruit juices sticking to his hand, he simply wiped it on the canopy.
4583
4584“Simply spending time in bed is a wonderful way to pass the day. However, while this is true bliss, I still wonder if anything is happening in the outside world?”
4585
4586Charos’ rolled on his back as he thought aloud.
4587
4588As if wanting to answer his question, his door was suddenly banged on repeatedly.
4589
4590“Charos-sama! It’s an emergency! Pardon me!”
4591
4592After entering the room, a priest kneeled down a short distance away from the bed.
4593 
4594Charos was dumbfounded for a moment before displeasure began to show on his face.
4595
4596But, the priest prostrating on the group was unaware of this as he began his report while looking towards the ground.
4597
4598“According to our scouts, a group of almost twenty never before seen monsters have broken through the defensive wall and are heading towards the city! The governor has requested the aid of the holy knights to fend off those giant monsters!!”
4599
4600When the priest finished his report he lowered his head further and asked on how to proceed.
4601
4602Charos rose from his bed with a grimace on his face.
4603
4604“Hh〜, even if they’re monsters there’s only twenty of them? Why do they even need the holy knights? The governor should have two thousand soldiers at his disposal, right? There aren’t even five hundred holy knights, why does he need to rope them in?”
4605
4606Charos walked towards the window which laid in the direction of the city. While the church and its lodgings could be seen, anything beyond that was blocked off by the church’s high perimeter walls.
4607
4608The priest walked up behind Charos and stood on his toes to look past Charos’ massive body.
4609
4610“Charos-sama, we can view the city from the church’s bell tower. We can grasp the current condition from there! Please!”
4611
4612“Hmm〜〜, though I do want to know what’s going on, I really don’t want to go up there. Besides, really don’t want to deal with this annoyance〜”
4613
4614Charos puffed out his cheeks as he complained with a sigh and looked down at the prostrating priest before walking towards the door.
4615
4616The priest rose his head and looked at the cardinal’s back as he left the room.
4617
4618Feeling the stare on this back, Charos looked back at the priest who had yet to move.
4619
4620“Hurry up and show me the way! I don’t normally climb the tower and therefore don’t know how to get there!”
4621
4622“Y-Yes! Right away!”
4623
4624The priest had a joyous expression on his face as he passed by the cardinal, like a dog going for a walk with its owner.
4625
4626Charos hopped behind the priest with the speed one wouldn’t expect from someone of his size. It was like watching a giant frog in motion.
4627
4628Before long, Charos reached the foot of the bell tower’s spiral staircase in that manner, gasping for air and wiping sweat from his eyes the entire trip.
4629
4630“Haa, which fool decided to build this tower? They shouldn’t have put so many stairs in it. We still have to climb these………”
4631 
4632Although his large body shook and he complained the entire trip, Charos steady footsteps indicated that there was more than fat beneath his clothing.
4633
4634The rather lanky priest accompanying him nearly fell over and was short on breath as they climbed the bell tower’s stairs.
4635
4636A little above halfway up the tower the lanky priest went up to one of the ventilation windows and timidly looked out of it.
4637
4638The windows were facing west, so the setting sun blinded the priest’s eyes for a moment. As soon as he got used to the light, he was able to look down at the city.
4639
4640When he saw the state of the city, the priest turned around with a shocked expression and started to shout.
4641
4642“Ch-Charos-sama! Here! You can see the state of the city from here!! It’s them!”
4643
4644Even if this was the bell tower, the stairway wasn’t very wide so the priest’s echoed shout forced Charos to cover his ears.
4645
4646“Okay, okay! I can hear you just fine, there’s no need to yell.”
4647
4648Charos looked out of the window pointed out by the priest, all the while complaining.
4649
4650The window was set right above the church’s thin, outer wall. Though the priest had been rather agitated by the what he saw, the window only offered a narrow field of view above the wall.
4651
4652Charos’ large body pushed the priest aside as he looked out the window himself.
4653
4654Charos smiled at first as he watched the setting sun until he realized multiple fires were burning throughout the city.
4655
4656The fires were mostly centered around the city wall and were still a good distance away from the church.
4657
4658A strange creature could be seen passing by a brick rooftop in the distance.
4659
4660Back-lighted by the setting sun, the giant black silhouette didn’t have a head and the surrounding buildings allowed one to see just how huge it was.
4661
4662The black-furred giant was easily able to destroy the roof of one of the buildings, grabbing something and pushing it into the huge hole that opened up in its chest.
4663
4664Charos’ eyes popped open as he watched the chaos play out in front of him.
4665
4666The giant grabbed a person and stuffed into its mouth as if it was just having a little snack. He was able to see four of these creatures from this window.
4667
4668The citizen’s despite screams were carried on the wind to this location.
4669
4670There were sweat stains on the window frame when Charos looked back at the priest.
4671 
4672“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
4673
4674Charos merely shoved his face back out the window and began to scream.
4675
4676“What the hell happened!? The city is under attack!? How did this happen!?”
4677
4678After bursting into a manic rant, Charos turned to the priest again who had no answers for him.
4679
4680Charos shook his head at the blank reply before he began shouting out instructions.
4681
4682“The holy knights! Deploy every single holy knight at our disposal!!”
4683
4684“Ye-Yes!!”
4685
4686The priest bowed his head at Charos’ instructions. When he raised his head again, Charos was already making his way down the stairs.
4687
4688“Ch-Charos-sama! Where are you going!?”
4689
4690Charos answered the priest without looking back.
4691
4692“Reinforcements! We need to gather reinforcements, quickly──!!”
4693
4694Charos rushed pace caused him to trip as he answered the priest’s question, and proceeded to bounce down the stairs until he hit the support tower’s support pillar on the ground floor.
4695
4696“Charos-sama!! Charos-sama!!”
4697
4698The priest shouted down the tower with a worried look on his face. He caught sight of Charos standing up and running off to some place.
4699
4700He’d just taken a fall equivalent to one from a fourth floor.
4701
4702While the priest was surprised by Charos’ sudden recovery, he managed to pull himself together and headed towards the knights’ dormitory.
4703
4704As for Charos, he made his way to the cathedral’s basement.
4705
4706The dark stairway leading to the basement was extremely narrow, and at the end of the passage was a huge metal door that was sealed with a keyhole-less lock.
4707
4708Because people rarely came down here, a thin layer of dust covered the door, and a unique fragrance leaked from behind the door.
4709
4710Charos stepped forward and grabbed hold of the lock.
4711
4712When Charos concentrated magic in his hand the metal shackle was undone with a loud click.
4713
4714After Charos pushed the door open, he walked in the large, shelf-filled room, a place the light from the magic tools could not reach.
4715
4716The shelves in the room were filled with an innumerable amount of wooden coffins.
4717 
4718These catacombs had been around since the city’s founding.
4719
4720Charos paid no mind to the coffins surrounding him while his footsteps echoed throughout the room as he passed by the shelves.
4721
4722“Why did this have to happen? Now Tajiento is on the verge of collapse.”
4723
4724Charos would have continued to complain, but he stopped walking when he had a realization.
4725
4726“Did that fellow from the mainland have something to do with this!? The pope wouldn’t object to using these guys here, will he!? Right.”
4727
4728Charos reached his wits’ end as he stood shouting his soliloquy in the middle of the catacombs.
4729
4730After a few minutes, Charos made his decision and quickly ran to the center of the catacombs……
4731
4732when he reached the altar set up there, he grasped the black cube that had been sitting on it.
4733
4734“Ah, this is so annoying! I’ll make sure the one from the mainland and the one in black will be dealt with!!”
4735
4736Charos infused magic into his right hand as he made that declaration.
4737
4738Light began to spread from the black cube when he slammed his hand on it. In response to his actions, the lids of all the coffins flew off at once and fully armored knights sat up within them.
4739
4740As the warriors grasped hold of their weapons and moved about as if they were just waking up, Charos raised the black cube in his hand.
4741
4742“Your orders are to subjugate the black giants! Don’t leave a single one alive!!”
4743
4744All the armored beings within the catacomb began to move at once.
4745
4746The catacomb had been built beneath the church and had a multitude of underground passages that connected the church to various locations throughout the city.
4747
4748The undead knights’ used those passages to spread throughout the city at an incredible pace.
4749
4750Whenever a group of holy knights noticed the mysterious army emerging from beneath the church they attempted to block the army’s way but were immediately overwhelmed and killed.
4751
4752The undead soldiers numbered nearly ten thousand.
4753
4754The arrival of an army one-third the size of Tajiento’s population appearing out of nowhere only added fuel to the fire of an already chaotic situation.
4755
4756Only one person considered the situation as satisfactory…… and that was the priest who had been
4757
4758sent from the mainland.
4759
4760Standing on the roof of a brick house, he watched with a thin smile as armored soldiers started pouring out of the church’s dormitories.
4761
4762As the armored soldiers started pushing their way through the escaping citizens to head for the giants,
4763 
4764he sighed while raising one of his eyebrows.
4765
4766“Well, I don’t know how many residents will die in the confusion, but the giants will be dealt with at least. What you’ve done goes against the Pope’s will, but then again I’m better suited for your position as cardinal.”
4767
4768The priest chuckled and praised himself as he took a round, shining crystal from his breast pocket.
4769
4770The priest thrusted his hand into the air as perverted delight crept into his voice.
4771
4772“Kill all the living! Kill everyone, and convert this city into a ghost town for the Pope’s sake!!”
4773
4774As if reacting to his command, the crystal began to shine brightly and the movements of the armored soldiers around him stopped for a second. The next moment, they used the swords they were carrying to slaughter the city’s residents.
4775
4776And then, hell was unleashed.
4777
4778The corpses of the old and slow littered the streets in minutes. A father tried to protect his child only to have his head cut off and fall into his child’s arms. A mother held onto her weeping child as they both were ran through with a sword.
4779
4780“Hahaha!! You will now become the Pope’s vanguard!! Weep joyous tears and thank me for providing you with──!?”
4781
4782The priest felt something approaching him from behind.
4783
4784When he looked back he saw a raven-haired red-eyed beastmen kneeling before him.
4785
4786“Ah, it’s you. Killing the children and female giants to lead them here has provided excellent results. Go interfere with those fighting the giants near the wall.”
4787
4788With a chuckle and a jerk of his chin the sent his servant to do is beading.
4789
4790The beastma──, no, the ninja Sasuke simply nodded his head before he started leaping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the city wall.
4791
4792Another smiled found its way on the priest’s lips as he watched the ninja fade into the distance.
4793
4794“That one was a good find. Once I become cardinal, it would be best to ask the Pope for a transfer.”
4795
4796The man rested his gaze on the hellscape beneath him as he spoke.
4797 
4798Chapter 20 「Encounter」
4799
4800
4801
4802
4803Excluding my party, the one hundred and fifty members of the tiger tribesmen subjugation force were heading towards the human city of Tajiento.
4804
4805Wherever I looked, it looked like the entire peninsula had been converted into farmland under the hands of humanity, leaving me genuinely amazed at the achievement.
4806
4807Occasionally we would pass by an oddity I’ve yet to see in this world, small villages that had no defensive walls around them.
4808
4809Since the major wall had been built at the peninsula’s neck, there was no need to worry about monster attacks.
4810
4811However, the quiet countryside was now wrought with tension.
4812
4813A huge swath of destruction had been left behind in the fields… as if someone had drawn lines across the growing fields that were all heading towards the same spot.
4814
4815There was no doubt that the giants had been through here.
4816
4817Now and then we would come across some maintained roads between the individual fields…. and
4818
4819we also saw that the entire breadth of these roads were filled with human families that were burdened with luggage or nothing except the clothes on their backs.
4820
4821When they caught sight of the large group of tiger tribesmen on dragon mounts, the humans would hide inside the fields, hold their breath and wait for us to pass by.
4822
4823The fact that they didn’t start a commotion at the sight of a large group of beastmen, and considering the direction they were fleeing towards, suggested that the giants had already invaded Tajiento.
4824
4825It was only sensible to run away from walking disasters.
4826
4827The tiger tribesmen warriors, even Hou, snorted at the sight of the fleeing people and we continued our advance.
4828
4829“The humans behind the wall are all weaklings. Without their wall, they’d have been easy to deal with.”
4830
4831The surrounding warriors began to laugh at the fleeing people behind us.
4832
4833“Be that as it may, but these humans had been the ones to build the wall that stopped us from entering these lands.”
4834
4835After Hou turned around to reprimand them for their jokes, the warriors fell silent again.
4836
4837When the sky turned a dark shade of red, we finally reached a location from where we could see Tajiento.
4838 
4839What we found was a city engulfed in flames.
4840
4841Screams and the roar of the flames were overshadowed by strange bellows from throughout the city.
4842
4843A giant would occasionally appear on the roof of a brick building before disappearing again.
4844
4845The city wall wasn’t as impressive as the one we had passed and it was roughly the same height as the giants. Multiple sections of the wall had collapsed and I could actually see inside the city.
4846
4847Among those escaping through the holes in the wall were a few beastmen.
4848
4849When Hou saw what was happening, he immediately began instructing the rescue team that’d been set up beforehand.
4850
4851“This is good! Don’t bother starting unnecessary fights with the humans! Devote your attention to rescuing our brethren and kill only those who oppose you!! Don’t forget your warrior’s pride!! Go!!”
4852
4853At Hou’s command, the warriors split into their groups and entered the city.
4854
4855The city itself was quite large and the streets were spacious. While the dragon mounts couldn’t enter the alleyways, the warriors could dismount and search those areas and buildings on foot.
4856
4857The unit under Hou’s direct command stayed outside the city and would act as a line of defense for the escaping beastmen.
4858
4859I had expected Hou to be the type to lead from the front, considering the way the tiger tribesmen usually acted. His cool head under pressure may explain why his clan was the largest within the plains.
4860
4861After bowing my head to Hou I turned towards the battlefield below.
4862
4863Ariane, Chiome, and I would enter the city on foot and support the rescue units by eliminating any opposition we found.
4864
4865This wasn’t something Hou had ordered, rather we volunteered to do so…… basically, it was no
4866
4867different from our usual pattern of killing any enemy we met.
4868
4869“You ready to go Ariane-dono, Chiome-dono?”
4870
4871I looked my companions in the eyes and asked them that question.
4872
4873“It’s basically the same as the raid we helped Chiome-chan with before, right?”
4874
4875Ariane grasped the 『Sword of the Lion King』and focused her golden eyes on the city below.
4876
4877“……Hmm.”
4878
4879When Ariane turned towards Chiome she let out a large sigh before nodding and replying.
4880
4881“…… I won’t say that I’m all right, but I’ll do the best I can.”
4882
4883“Kyun!”
4884 
4885Ponta let out a spirited cry from atop my head in response to Chiome’s reply.
4886
4887“Sorry, everyone. When I asked about the devil nails back in Plymouth, I never thought it would lead to this.”
4888
4889Chiome shook her head when she heard my comment.
4890
4891“No, had it not been for Arc-dono I never would have found the friend who had gone missing. ……
4892
4893This was a good thing.”
4894
4895Seeing her obvious attempt to put a positive spin on this situation I could only offer a weak reply.
4896
4897“…… I see.”
4898
4899The person who had been close to Chiome and who led the giants here was somewhere in the city.
4900
4901Chiome was probably aware of that.
4902
4903There was nothing any of us could do for an undead, so if we came across him we’d have to fight him.
4904
4905“Well then,let’s go! We’re going to do this the usual way!”
4906
4907The two of them grabbed my shoulders when I said that and I evoked the spell that I’ve become the most familiar with.
4908
4909“【Dimensional Step】”
4910
4911We were instantaneously transferred right outside the collapsed wall.
4912
4913There wasn’t anyone in the buildings near the wall since they’d already fled the city shortly after the giants destroyed the wall. Large fires and the sound of scorching materials were all around us.
4914
4915Mixed in within the flames were the sounds of terrified screams.
4916
4917I moved down a nearby street with 【Dimensional Step】. Because the debris from the destroyed buildings blocked the way, there was no way a dragon mount could directly follow the giants.
4918
4919Because of the city’s large scale, it would be difficult to free all the enslaved beastmen like Hou wanted.
4920
4921However, by allowing the giants to remain mostly unopposed during their slaughter, the rescue team would have more time to take advantage of the confusion.
4922
4923My group, however, would kill any giant we came across. There should have been at least twenty of them roaming about.
4924
4925“How is it, Chiome-dono?”
4926
4927She shook her head at my simple question.
4928
4929Chiome had been scanning the areas we passed for signs of life with the sensory abilities she developed as a ninja, but it didn’t seem to be going well
4930 
4931Back in Rhoden Kingdom’s capital, the Blade Heart Clan had already been prepared for their raid thus they had a nearly complete understanding of the city’s layout.
4932
4933However, we had virtually no prep time for this spontaneous raid and the layout of Tajiento was unknown to us.
4934
4935We needed to gain our bearing before anything else.
4936
4937After a couple more transfers we stood in a city square. A stone fountain had been built in the center of the square.
4938
4939Fires had engulfed the majority of the surrounding buildings and a few people had run to the fountain for safety.
4940
4941Soldiers in lightweight armor were defending the area with swords and shields, from knights in dark-grey armor.
4942
4943“Huh? What’s going on? I thought the giants were attacking this city?”
4944
4945Ariane shook her head in confusion when I unconsciously asked the questions that crossed my mind.
4946
4947I looked back at the strange situation just in time to see one of the lightly armored soldiers use his spear to send an armored knight’s helmet flying
4948
4949The helmet gave off a dull thud as it hit the ground.
4950
4951However, the knight continued fighting as if it hadn’t been affected at all and continued to cross blades with the soldier.
4952
4953Everyone’s breath caught when they saw what was beneath the knight’s helmet.
4954
4955The head of the knight didn’t belong to a human, it was skeletal just like mine currently was. “Ariane-dono, it’s like me! Is it possible that all the knights are like that?”
4956
4957“I don’t think so! If they were all like Arc…… this city would have fallen long before we arrived,
4958
4959right?”
4960
4961Ariane replied to my anxious shout with a calm tone.
4962
4963“Those knights are obviously undead. Just what is going on here?”
4964
4965Chiome narrowed her eyes and her small nose twitched a bit as she observed the knights.
4966
4967Unfortunately, that was about all we could assess from the situation.
4968
4969
4970
4971Why was this town overrun with undeads in knight armor? Moreover, why was said armor clearly made by human hands?
4972
4973If one or two deceased knights had turned undead, then it would simply be the attire they’d been
4974 
4975buried in, but there were at least ten knights wearing the same armor here.
4976
4977There were also more of them climbing over the rubble and gradually moving towards the square.
4978
4979“No point in worrying about it now, we’ll ask the soldiers after we save them!”
4980
4981And just like that I whipped out the 『Holy Thunder Sword』 and ran towards the approaching undea knights. However, when the human soldiers noticed my appearance, they thought that another armored knight had appeared and raised their swords and shields in response.
4982
4983There wasn’t enough time to explain, so I didn’t even try to.
4984
4985I took a detour around the soldiers and confronted the approaching undead knights.
4986
4987There was a shower of bones and metal pieces as I swung my sword with enough force to cut metal like paper.
4988
4989While they were covered in full-body armor, it wasn’t that thick or strong. A common sword or spear probably wouldn’t be able to get through it, but faced with the mythical 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 i might as well be made from cardboard.
4990
4991“I intended to hunt giants, but to battle those like myself……”
4992
4993My sword wavered a bit as I contemplated that fact. Every time I attacked an undead knight, the produced a shattering sound as they were reduced to heaps of junk.
4994
4995Faster than it took to make instant ramen, more than a dozen undead knights had been reduced to dust.
4996
4997“This is quite something… Anyway, there is something I would like to ask you people?”
4998
4999I rested my sword on my shoulder as I looked at the dumbfounded expressions of the civilians and soldiers behind me. It was clear that they couldn’t grasp what had just happened.
5000
5001When I took a step towards them unrestrained fear appeared on the soldiers’ faces.
5002
5003“Arc, behind you!!”
5004
5005Ariane drew her sword and ran after something that appeared at the edge of my vision. Realizing what was happening, I grabbed my shield with my left hand and blocked the dagger that had been thrown at me.
5006
5007A metallic sound rang as the assailant immediately started kicking the air to close the distance between us. When I leaped back to avoid the attack, he shifted his focus towards the human soldiers and created a sea of blood in a matter of seconds.
5008
5009“Sasuke-oniisan!!”
5010
5011Utter horror could be heard in Chiome’s voice as she witnessed Sasuke’s actions.
5012
5013He seemed to react to her calling his name, as he turned to her like an expressionless ghost.
5014
5015Before anyone could do anything, a loud roar was heard overhead before a large figure fell to the
5016 
5017pavement.
5018
5019I used 【Dimensional Step】 to fall back when I noticed the danger.
5020
5021The six-meter tall giant had brought down its weapon were I had standing moments ago, pulverizing that section of the stone street.
5022
5023That was dangerous, I had almost been almost trampled like a flower.
5024
5025The giant roared again and swung its stone axe towards Sasuke. However, Sasuke managed to dodge the attack with ease and kicked the air until he reached a nearby roof and disappeared.
5026
5027“Wait! Sasuke-oniisan!!”
5028
5029Chiome ran into a nearby alleyway and jumped onto the roof before heading in the same direction Sasuke went.
5030
5031Ariane anxiously watched as Chiome disappeared, but shifted her gaze between her, the giant and me.
5032
5033“Ariane-dono follow her! I’m more than enough to deal with this guy!”
5034
5035Ariane nodded her head at me before she disappeared in the same alleyway that Chiome had gone into.
5036
5037The only combatants left were the giant and me.
5038
5039The giant brandished its weapon and looked down at me. Since it didn’t have a neck, it’s large black eyes shifted to down to look at me, making me feel a little uncomfortable.
5040
5041I carefully watched the giant as it raised its axe and tightened my hold on my sword.
5042
5043As I prepared to activate a certain skill, it began to release light.
5044
5045“【Sword of Judgment】!”
5046
5047In an instant, a magic formation appeared beneath the giant’s feet just before a sword composed of light impaled the giant from the bottom up.
5048
5049The sword of light was sticking out of the giant’s gaping mouth before it shattered like glass and dissipated. The giant’s body trembled tremendously as the light fragments scattered.
5050
5051“Hmm, while the fur is rather tough, the backside is still a weakness.”
5052
5053I started to the leave the square as the giant fell behind me without anything to support it. However, I caught sight of a little boy watching from behind a collapsed building.
5054
5055After sheathing my sword as I slowly approached the boy who fearfully held onto a wooden plank in an attempt to fend me off.
5056
5057There was a woman lying behind the boy who not only had a bleeding head injury, but her foot was trapped under a piece of rubble as well.
5058 
5059“……Listen to me, you have to escape…… even if it’s by yourself.”
5060
5061The woman, probably the boy’s mother, was feebly pleading with him. However, the boy only tightened his grip on the wooden plank and adamantly refused to leave with tears in his eyes.
5062
5063“I can’t leave you behind, mother! I refuse to leave unless it’s with you!”
5064
5065In the minds of the boy and his mother, I somehow became the villain in this situation. Apparently the boy seemed to consider me the same thing as those undead knights from a while ago.
5066
5067“Kyun! Kyun!”
5068
5069Ponta uncoiled herself from around my neck, and while that would normally be enough to earn me some degree of trust, it didn’t happen here.
5070
5071Therefore I had to rely on the secret tool I had tied to my waist. Turning away from the two, I bega drinking some water from my canteen. Immediately after my first swallow, my vision blurred for a moment and I was hit with a sudden headache.
5072
5073I suppressed it as best as I could and let out a large sigh. Those physical effects were probably caused by the release of my accumulated emotions that accompanied the return of my flesh and blood body.
5074
5075The continuous battles with the giants must have made the backlash stronger than normal.
5076
5077With another sigh, I faced the boy again and revealed my face.
5078
5079“………Oji-san are you human?”
5080
5081The boy became confused as he stared at my long ears.
5082
5083“I’m an elf. Do you know what that is? Elves are good a magic, and I can use it to heal people.”
5084
5085A joyous expression appeared on the boy’s face as I put my helmet back on.
5086
5087“Can you heal my mother!?”
5088
5089I approached the mother and silently nodded at the boy’s question. When I used recover magic on the mother’s head the bleeding stopped, and then I moved the rubble from atop her foot.
5090
5091The foot had been broken and required stronger magic to heal.
5092
5093“Oji-san, are you really an elf? I was taught that elves were schemers who stole their skills from god.”
5094
5095When I heard the boy’s words, I was completely taken aback.
5096
5097He mostly likely learned that from the Hiruku religion’s teachings.
5098
5099“Hmm, well then boy, do you know any humans that could be considered shifty by others?”
5100
5101When I asked that, the boy frowned and shook his head as he tried to remember something.
5102 
5103I wonder if anybody would recognize what I said.
5104
5105“If one human steals something, would that mean all humans are thieves? If a mother stole something, would her son also be a thief? Is there a saying like that?”
5106
5107“My mother didn’t steal anything and neither did I!”
5108
5109The boy raised his voice in objection to my statement.
5110
5111I finished casting recovery magic on the mother’s foot and nodded at the results. Everything would be alright.
5112
5113“S-Sorry. Thank you very much.”
5114
5115I shook my head at the mother’s display of gratitude and stood up.
5116
5117“It’s relatively safe outside the city wall. You should be fine so long as you hide in the shadows and move slowly.”
5118
5119The mother stood up unsteadily and lowered her head to me. The boy anxiously looked up at his mother as I cast recovery magic on him as a precaution.
5120
5121“Protect your mother, little boy.”
5122
5123The boy was amazed as he watched the lights created by the recovery magic and nodded at my words before walking his mother out of the square and disappeared.
5124
5125Since this took longer than expected, I headed up on the rooftops to investigate.
5126 
5127
5128Chapter 21 「Sasuke and Chiome」
5129
5130
5131
5132
5133Two figures ran across Tajiento’s rooftops.
5134
5135The young man in the lead was a member of the cat-eared race, wearing black clothes that covered his entire body. His red eyes and expressionless face gave him a wraith-like appearance.
5136
5137A cat-eared girl chasing after him wore black clothes similar to the ones worn by the young man.
5138
5139The girl’s blue eyes never left the young man’s back as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop.
5140
5141The two were disciples who had trained together. When the girl’s parents died, the young man took her in as his sister and she loved him like a true older brother.
5142
5143The young man had been proud of his sister when she became one of the six great ninja’s of the Blade Heart Clan…… However, as he was right now, Sasuke didn’t remember anything about her.
5144
5145Finally having been able to find him after his disappearance, it was discovered that he’d become an undead, a existence detested in this world.
5146
5147An undead…… someone who no longer belonged to the world of the living. The envy they felt
5148
5149towards the living caused them to spread death wherever they went.
5150
5151Nothing more than a soulless corpse.
5152
5153However, the person reflected in her eye was the same one she always knew.
5154
5155The scoldings they received from Hanzo-sama, the time times they ate pork miso soup together……
5156
5157nothing had changed since then.
5158
5159“Sasuke-oniisan! Wait!”
5160
5161Chiome used her water ninjutsu to throw water shurikens at Sasuke’s feet, but he simply leaped into the air and threw a wind blade in response.
5162
5163However, Sasuke was caught off guard by the flame arrow that was shot at him from behind shortly after he landed.
5164
5165“!?”
5166
5167When he turned in the direction the arrow came from, he saw the figure of Ariane quickly approaching from a nearby rooftop.
5168
5169The arrow of fire she had created closed in on Sasuke, but he easily avoided it with a slight movement, as if it hadn’t affected him at all.
5170
5171The Arrow of Fire swept ineffectively past Sasuke and hit the roof, the impact spreading countless pools of fire all around him, as a Lance of Fire suddenly fell straight out of the sky, trying to hit him from a blind spot.
5172 
5173Sasuke, who had been distracted by the Arrow of Flame, had a delayed reaction to the attack and was forced to escape the point of impact by kicking the air in awkward position.
5174
5175When the spear hit the roof, the explosion knocked roof tiles into the air and created a large hole in the impact zone.
5176
5177Confronted with Ariane’s actions, Chiome started to shout.
5178
5179“Ariane-dono, wait! That’s my brother……!”
5180
5181Ariane gave Chiome a sharp look when the girl said that.
5182
5183“Chiome-chan, you already know, don’t you? The person you knew is already gone.”
5184
5185Ariane’s voice had a low and sharp tone to it as she looked directly into Chiome’s blue eyes.
5186
5187Chiome eyes flickered between Ariane and Sasuke as she contemplated what had been said.
5188
5189She started to question her own hesitation. Sasuke took advantage of her confusion to draw the twin swords from his waist and attack her.
5190 
5191 
5192While she was able to dodge the first strike and fend off the second one with her dagger, Sasuke kicked Chiome in the stomach before leaping to the next roof.
5193
5194“Hrng!”
5195
5196Coughing up blood, Chiome could only fall down and absentmindedly watch as the distance between her and Sasuke widened.
5197
5198Wisps of flame flickered all over Ariane’s body and transformed into multiple flame arrows that were shot at Sasuke’s back.
5199
5200However, Sasuke kicked the air and dodged them while simultaneously pulling shuriken from his breast pouch before hurling them at her.
5201
5202Sasuke’s forte was controlling the trajectory of projectiles.
5203
5204Time seemed to slow to a near standstill as Chiome watched the shuriken approach her chest.
5205
5206The gentle smile Sasuke had when she couldn’t hit the targets as he taught her how to throw a shuriken crossed her mind.
5207
5208He would stay with her until sunset while they trained…… the perfect example of a senior disciple.
5209
5210Whenever she sulked after being unable to land a single hit on her sparring partner, he would offer her a troubled smile. The face of Sasuke from back then was replaced with the indifferent-looking person in front of her.
5211
5212The sound of metal clashing interrupted Chiome’s thoughts and the shuriken Sasuke had thrown fell to the stone pavement below.
5213
5214“Chiome-chan!!”
5215
5216Ariane’s shout returned Chiome to the present, and she noticed she was clenching her own dagger.
5217
5218A tiny smile appeared on Chiome’s face as she realized she had reflexively blocked the shuriken.
5219
5220Her blue eyes drifted from her dagger to the face of the red-eyed man in front of her.
5221
5222The wind blowing between them carried the sound of a far-off conflict.
5223
5224Ariane stepped between the two of them as she called out to Chiome again.
5225
5226“Chiome-chan fall back! I’ll deal with him!”
5227
5228However, the sudden appearance of two black giants caught all three of them off guard when their combined roar started rocking the entire area.
5229
5230“”VuaawVuahahaaaaa!!!””
5231
5232The giants’ chest eyes all focused on Sasuke and they started to charge him with their axes raised above their heads.
5233 
5234
5235The giant’s considerable weight collapsed the roof as they ran, causing them to fall into the building.
5236
5237But the giants were so angry they simply began destroying the surrounding buildings with their axes.
5238
5239As the building collapsed it produced an avalanche of rubble that affected the whole area.
5240
5241As the giants fell along with the collapsing building, Ariane used her spirit magic to create a solid foothold out of earth, and Chiome leaped to another building moments before it came crashing down.
5242
5243Sasuke had leaped into the sky and was now just standing in the air, observing the situation.
5244
5245However, he immediately lost interest and began kicking the air to escape.
5246
5247Suddenly a star-shaped shuriken was thrown at Sasuke from his blind spot and embedded itself into his foot.
5248
5249When the foreign element entered his body, his balance was thrown off, causing him to fall on top of the rubble heap.
5250
5251“Chiome-chan.”
5252
5253Seeing what happened, ariane’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the person who had thrown that shuriken.
5254
5255The one who had thrown that shuriken had been Chiome.
5256
5257“Are you alright? Are you gonna be able to do this?”
5258
5259Ariane worryingly called out to Chiome, but she simply shook her head and answered.
5260
5261“I’ll do this. I am Chiome…… this is my duty as one of the six great ninjas. Ariane-dono, could you
5262
5263please restrict the giants’ movements for a while?”
5264
5265Chiome had an awkward smile on her face as she asked Ariane for her support while the two giants freed themselves from the rubble.
5266
5267“Alright. I’ll finish this quickly and come help you!”
5268
5269Ariane spoke with a smile on her face before running up the mound of rubble.
5270
5271A stone foothold formed beneath her feet as she ran, preventing her from losing balance.
5272
5273Both her golden eyes were wide open as she drew her sword.
5274
5275Her body began to produce lights that began to spread throughout the entire area.
5276
5277The lights were various shades of vermilion, red and crimson that began to resonate as she started chanting again.
5278
5279『──Dance, burning flames; Scatter, burning flames; turn the souls of all things to dust──』
5280
5281As she spoke in the language of spirits, multiple red orbs began to float around her and gradually assumed the form of butterflies that fluttered around her.
5282 
5283Ariane approached the pair of giants with these fire butterflies in tow.
5284
5285The giants began to wave their stone axes back and forth when they saw Ariane approaching.
5286
5287A giant dust cloud was kicked up when the giants slammed their axes into the ground.
5288
5289While one of the giants was waiting for the dust cloud to clear up, its hand suddenly ignited like it was a torch.
5290
5291「Whaaaaawhaaaaa!!!」
5292
5293The giant fell down and began to roll back and forth on the mound of rubble, eventually smashing into a nearby building in the hopes that the rubble would extinguish the flames.
5294
5295But the flames only continued to grow hotter and hotter and consumed more of the giant’s arm.
5296
5297The giant could only watch as the flames entered its mouth.
5298
5299Before long the giant’s eyes were withered away as it tried to scream, only to find that it couldn’t due to all the fire butterflies that erupted from its mouth.
5300
5301As the number of butterflies increased, their color became darker and they started to swarm around Ariane’s sword as she waved it around like a baton.
5302
5303Ariane’s normally snow-white hair currently resembled a living flame since it reflected the color of the butterflies and was blown up by the wind.
5304
5305As the remaining giant looked upon Ariane, he instinctively started to fear her.
5306
5307The six-meter tall giant turned heel and tried to flee the area.
5308
5309“You are but a mere beast, if you fear the flames!”
5310
5311Ariane had a ghastly smile as she spoke and sent the butterflies after the fleeing giant.
5312
5313Even though she had a serious battle of her own to fight, Chiome couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of an angry Ariane when she caught sight of the flames at the edge of her vision.
5314
5315Still, she had told Ariane that she would handle this alone.
5316
5317She would put her former brother to rest with her own hands.
5318
5319The peculiar odor of an open fire and burnt meat filled the area as the giants were reduced to ash.
5320
5321Chiome slowly breathed in and out to allow her five senses to sharpen.
5322
5323The layout of her surroundings appeared in her mind.
5324
5325When she heard something cutting through the air she easily caught a shuriken that had been from within a dust cloud with her right hand.
5326
5327It was the same shuriken that Chiome had thrown at Sasuke.
5328 
5329Shortly after she caught it, Sasuke leaped at her from the opposite direct the shuriken had come from.
5330
5331However, Chiome had sensed his movements beforehand and was able to calmly fend off the blows from his twin swords with her dagger and tried to perform a counter attack.
5332
5333Sasuke managed to deflect her dagger with one of his swords while simultaneously attempting to slash her undefended torso with his second sword.
5334
5335In that moment, two water shuriken burst out from beneath the rubble and were heading towards Sasuke’s legs. Sasuke managed to avoid one of the shurikens by launching himself into the air.
5336
5337However, the second shuriken embedded itself into his leg.
5338
5339It was said that the undead didn’t feel pain, but their movements would still be impaired when their bodies were damaged.
5340
5341If their arm was broken, they couldn’t lift anything, and even though they didn’t feel pain, their legs would become useless if they were damaged enough.
5342
5343It might’ve been just a scratch, and there was no change in expression, but its durability had definitely been decreased.
5344
5345Chiome raised her dagger and locked eyes with Sasuke.
5346
5347Something that couldn’t be said crossed her mind…… although she knew she shouldn’t think about it,
5348
5349she couldn’t help but do just that.
5350
5351Chiome cast aside such thought by shaking her head and focused on her enemy again.
5352
5353『Water Style: Water Wolf Fang!!』
5354
5355Water began to pool at her feet and quickly assumed the form of two wolves.
5356
5357However, these were smaller than the ones she had created in Rhoden’s capital.
5358
5359Her opponent was armed with two swords while she had only a single dagger, but with this technique she could occupy both his hands while keeping hers free.
5360
5361Thinking this way, Chiome sicced the two wolves on Sasuke while slipping into the shadows to wait for an opportunity.
5362
5363When the two water wolves leaped at him, Sasuke countered them with his swords.
5364
5365Because the wolves weren’t affected by common swords, Sasuke’s first attack phased through the first wolf, but his second one caused one of the wolves to dissipate.
5366
5367A faint light clung to the blade of Sasuke’s sword while he himself was surrounded by a thin veil of wind.
5368
5369He was capable of using wind ninja skills like he did when he was alive.
5370
5371Noting that the sharpness of her enemy’s sword had increased, Chiome positioned the remaining wolf
5372 
5373so that they could launch a pincer attack against Sasuke. Just as the water wolf began to charge him from behind Sasuke dodged the attack and slashed at the wolf with one of his swords.
5374
5375However, Chiome altered the water wolf’s trajectory as she stepped forward and threw another shuriken at Sasuke. Sasuke managed to avoid the projectile by twisting his body and proceeded to cut down the wolf that tried to approach him from his blind spot.
5376
5377As he raised his sword after finishing off the wolf a smaller water wolf ran up his arm and bit into his neck.
5378
5379The wolf’s diminutive size prevented it from inflicting a decisive blow, but Chiome had expected this and used the opportunity to throw her dagger at Sasuke’s face.
5380
5381While Sasuke was able to find off the attack, he failed to realize that Chiome had ran behind the dagger and was able to get a hold of his injured leg.
5382
5383For a moment, Chiome and Sasuke’s respective blue and red eyes meet.
5384
5385『Water Style: Bloody Needle!!』
5386
5387Chiome’s ninjutsu formed a pointed cone that launched itself into Sasuke’s wounded leg.
5388
5389Sasuke’s leg immediately started to swell and become misshaped while multiple water needles began to pop up all over his body, giving him a hedgehog-like appearance.
5390
5391When blood began to mix into the clear water, Sasuke’s body convulsed wildly. After the water needles disappeared he simply collapsed on the ground.
5392
5393Tears began to collect in Chiome’s eyes as she looked down at Sasuke’s unmoving figure.
5394
5395“……Sasuke, onii-san. Why didn’t you use any other ninjutsu……”
5396
5397Normally, Sasuke would have had access to more wind ninjutsu then the ones he used here, but he only used basic techniques such as wind walking and sharpening the edges of his swords.
5398
5399Even in her present condition, Sasuke was someone Chiome couldn’t normally have defeated.
5400
5401There was slight movement behind Sasuke’s eyelids and he suddenly started speaking in a haggard voice.
5402
5403“………… My precious little…… sister…… I could…… ne-never cut you down……”
5404
5405His voice was barely audible and should have been overshadowed by the nearby fires. However, Chiome easily recognized the voice of her beloved brother.
5406
5407“Onii-san……! I’ll get Arc-dono to heal you immediately!”
5408
5409Chiome shed tears as she tried to stand.
5410
5411But Sasuke used what little strength he had left to stop her with a head shake.
5412
5413Chiome began to sob hard as the meaning of his gesture sunk in.
5414 
5415“……Don’t cry…… Mia…… By your hand…… I can finally die…… Thank you…… Thank……
5416
5417you.”
5418
5419“……! ……Onii-san……! *sniff*”
5420
5421Chiome desperately tried to suppress her voice so she could hear what Sasuke said while she clung to his heavily injured body.
5422
5423Sasuke managed a slight smile when her warmth surrounded him.
5424
5425Even though his ability to move had vanished and his conscious slowly faded away, he felt a bit of relief looking at her through his half-closed eyes.
5426
5427Sasuke’s body was already turning to dust and being to be blown away.
5428
5429(…… The Church………… Watch…… out……)
5430
5431Though it was as faint as a whisper, Chiome had heard fragments of his final words.
5432
5433“……! Onii-san, what was that!? What do you mean!?”
5434
5435Chiome’s eyes were wide as she looked down at her brother.
5436
5437However, he could no longer answer her. Sasuke’s enter body had been reduced to dust and scattered by the wind.
5438
5439All that remained in her hands was the slightly oversized diamond that shined with a kaleidoscope of different colors.
5440 
5441Chapter 22 「Tajiento’s Collapse」Part 1
5442
5443
5444
5445
5446I sighed as I looked over the city of Tajiento from a building’s roof.
5447
5448“Just where did Chiome-dono go? …… I have no idea.”
5449
5450I occasionally used 【Dimensional Step】to investigate the nearby area while muttering complaints.
5451
5452also took note of the multiple fires springing up all over the city.
5453
5454Whenever I found one of the armored undead, I would attack them from the rooftop with magic, all the while wondering just how many of them there were. I’ve must’ve crushed more than a hundred of them by now.
5455
5456I also killed another giant along the way.
5457
5458While it was more difficult without any allies, victory was easy to obtain once I had an opening to use 【Sword of Judgement】.
5459
5460The effort was minimal, but the effects were optimal.
5461
5462While I was thinking about things like that, Ponta suddenly started to bark.
5463
5464“Kyun!”
5465
5466“Hmm, what is it, Ponta?”
5467
5468I looked around as I asked that question and found another giant.
5469
5470Since I had a good view from the rooftops I could easily locate giants.
5471
5472However, the situation on the ground was unknown for the most part.
5473
5474Since most of the buildings in Tajiento were three stories tall, the six-meter tall giants couldn’t hide in the buildings’ shadow, but with my line of sight being reduced to one city block it was difficult to tell what was going on.
5475
5476There were situations where a roof had been destroyed, impeding my progress. Other times the roof would collapse under the weight of my armor and I would land in an attic.
5477
5478I went totally silent as I observed the giant, and began to think running along rooftops in full-body armor wasn’t the best idea.
5479
5480With that thought in mind, I concentrated on the giant’s exposed back.
5481
5482“【Dimensional Step】!”
5483
5484I covered about three-hundred meters to get within range of the giant’s back and launched a preemptive attack.
5485 
5486“【Sword of Judgement】!!”
5487
5488A sword of light appeared from beneath the giant’s feet, impaling straight through its backside until the tip could be seen through its mouth.
5489
5490When the sword of light shattered, the giant’s body tilted forward and fell off the roof to the streets below.
5491
5492But I could tell from here that it was still breathing a little. What vitality.
5493
5494However, my worries were for naught since a group of armored undead arrived to deliver the killing blow.
5495
5496“……I have no idea what these guys’ objective is.”
5497
5498Initially, these armored skeletons had been attacking the soldiers and citizens of Tajiento.
5499
5500My first impression had been that they were attacking Tajiento, using the commotion caused by the black giants that Chiome’s friend Sasuke had lured to this place as a cover
5501
5502There was the possibility that Sasuke himself had planned the assault on this city, but there was still the question of how he ended up becoming an undead after he disappeared.
5503
5504The only thing I knew for sure was that he was Chiome’s former companion.
5505
5506If someone had brought both the giants and the armored skeletons into this city, they shouldn’t have attacked each other.
5507
5508There’s still the possibility that things didn’t go according to plan.
5509
5510If you released both tigers and wolves to attack the same target, there was always a chance they would fight each other instead.
5511
5512However, occasionally I would see a group of armored skeletons allow the citizens to pass by without attacking them.
5513
5514Could they have been humans that were just wearing the same type of armor?
5515
5516Still, I never hesitated at all to cast a spell against someone in armor whenever I saw them mercilessly cutting down humans or beastmen. Just what on earth is going on in this town?
5517
5518After the armored skeletons had finished off the giant, they began searching for other prey.
5519
5520I tore off a roof tile and dropped it in front of the group
5521
5522The tile loudly shattered once it hit the stone street below. While it did catch their attention for a moment, they quickly continued moving down the street.
5523
5524The way it looked like, there were no humans at all inside.
5525
5526Although they reacted to the sound they didn’t stop to confirm where the sound came from.
5527 
5528“This is just getting more and more confusing……”
5529
5530I had to but that thought on hold when I heard the roar of another giant.
5531
5532The sun had nearly set and dusk had already set in.
5533
5534When the giant roared again, the screams of humans followed after it.
5535
5536Ponta began to shake her tail furiously on top my head when she heard the giant’s roar.
5537
5538I turned my head in the direction Ponta was facing to locate the roar’s source.
5539
5540What I saw was a major street leading toward the center of the town that housed a large estate.
5541
5542A huge compound that held two buildings which soared into the sky. While the structure and sizes were a bit different, the building reminded me of one I seen in the Eastern Empire, Leibnitz.
5543
5544That building build was probably the Hiruku church. The memory of when I used summoning magic near one of those was still fresh in my mind.
5545
5546There were several giants walking along the street leading to the church.
5547
5548Even though they were the size of a wheat grain from here, there were people running away from the giants on that street. I looked away from them and glanced up towards the sky.
5549
5550Once night completely set in it would become much more difficult to use transfer magic here.
5551
5552My original purpose was to take advantage of the chaos in this city to free the beastmen slaves, but this city would suffer untold amounts of damage if this many giants were left to their own devices.
5553
5554No, the damage had already been done and was continuing to spread. From here, I could see seven giants making their way toward the church.
5555
5556After letting out a large sigh I raised the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 and grabbed the 『Holy Shield o Teutates』 with my left hand and tested its weight.
5557
5558“Kyun!”
5559
5560Sensing the upcoming battle, Ponta quickly moved from atop my head and wrapped herself around my neck. Her tail ended up blocking my right eye, so I made a quick adjustment.
5561
5562“Let’s go…”
5563
5564With one last sign, I invoked 【Dimensional Step】 and transferred to the roof of a building close to the church and took a look around.
5565
5566The church was probably the largest building in the city and surpassed the churches on the Northern Continent in terms of beauty.
5567
5568The most distinctive part of this church had to be the tall wall built around it.
5569
5570I haven’t come across a walled off church in this world before. I remembered that churches were
5571 
5572
5573meant to have open and welcoming environments.
5574
5575Well, this was a different world after all.
5576
5577The church had probably been the designated evacuation site when the city was still being built.
5578
5579The people that were chased by the giants rushed into the church’s gate as pandemonium broke out around them.
5580
5581The black giants that ran after the people would catch the slower runners and dance around as they threw them into their chest mouths. I could hear the unpleasant chewing from here.
5582
5583Just watching this scene made me feel ill.
5584
5585Those that fled inside the church’s wall weren’t able to find the safe haven they’d been looking for.
5586
5587One of the giants who had been chasing the people swung it’s stone club down on the church’s wall with all its might.
5588
5589The screams were deafening.
5590
5591The giant that collapsed the section of the wall began to trample the humans that had taken shelter there while laughing.
5592
5593While I couldn’t see what was going on that far beyond the wall, the screams and curses that reached my ears conveyed a vivid image.
5594
5595When I looked down at my right hand I realized that I’d started trembling at some point.
5596
5597This gruesome spectacle was frightening me. How?
5598
5599When I remembered what I had done to help that little boy and his mother, I stabbed my sword into the roof, took off my helmet and touched my face.
5600
5601There wasn’t the usual coldness of hard bone there.
5602
5603What I felt was definitely skin.
5604
5605The effects of the hot spring’s water were still active.
5606
5607The reason I was freezing up…… was because my sense of fear had been restored along with my
5608
5609body. By restoring my body I’d cast aside my ability to act.
5610
5611I started to clench my fist a few times to steady my nerves.
5612
5613No matter what high specs my body had, they were useless unless I had to will to use them. A self-mocking chuckle slipped from my lips.
5614
5615“Kyun?”
5616
5617Ponta uncoiled herself from my neck and gave me a worried look.
5618
5619“…… It’s nothing, Ponta. This should be good experience. I’ve been training my heart should I eve
5620 
5621come across an enemy in this state……”
5622
5623I attempting to comfort Ponta and myself when I said, then hit the sides of my helmet after putting i back on.
5624
5625“……Okay.”
5626
5627Pulling the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 out of the roof, I began to pick different skills and strategies t use in the upcoming battle.
5628
5629I decided to attack the giant standing slightly apart from the others first.
5630
5631The surprise attack was the basis of strategy after all.
5632
5633……	Now that I thought about it, the first fight I took part in was the surprise attack I launched agains a group of bandits.
5634
5635While I had an abundance of abilities, I could only gradually acquired the experience necessary to use them.
5636
5637I selected the spot behind the giant, raised my sword, and invoked my spell.
5638
5639“【Dimensional step】!”
5640
5641I transferred behind the giant, onto the roof of a nearby building, and tried to keep my sword steady enough to invoke a skill.
5642
5643But before I could do anything, the loud voice of a male could be heard from the church.
5644
5645『Hahhahahhaa!! You have the audacity to break in my house and destroy it?! 』
5646
5647The voice resonated in the bottom of my stomach, creating a strong feeling of uneasiness.
5648
5649Even though the voice itself sounded rather childish, it only added to the eerie feeling.
5650
5651“I was already furious!! Everything will be shredded!!”
5652
5653After the weird and childish voice had spread through the area like a wave, another section of the church’s walls was suddenly blown away.
5654
5655The people that had been running around chaotically to escape the giants, were now focused on the huge shadow that approached from the other side of the wall.
5656
5657What emerged from the cloud of dust was an ugly, misshapen mass that joyously laughed as it began slaughtering the giants one after another.
5658 
5659
5660Chapter 23 「Tajiento’s Collapse」Part 2
5661
5662
5663
5664
5665If I had to describe it, I would say that the misshapen lump had a relatively scorpion-like form.
5666
5667However, it was definitely not a scorpion.
5668
5669Its pale body was ten meters long and composed of a flabby substance. Innumerable human faces covered the creature’s entire body and they wailed in agony despite the condition they were in.
5670
5671Countless pale bodies supported the creature’s long form as well. The human feet grew out of the creature’s body, just like cilia, somehow allowing its ten-meter tall body to slither across the ground with strange and winding movements.
5672
5673There was a frog-like head elevated above the others and that seemed to be where the creature’s voice had come from.
5674
5675Behind the frog-like head were multiple, gigantic arms composed of numerous human arms that each held an iron ball and chain, large hatchets and other heavy weaponry.
5676
5677This was the definition of a nightmare.
5678
5679The next moment, countless arms with weapons in their hands were growing out of the creepy scorpion’s back, all rushing towards one of the giants.
5680
5681The very same giants whose hard fur prevented normal weapons from easily damaging them.
5682
5683However, when the countless weapons struck the giant, it was instantly reduced to a mound of flesh, despite its desperate attempts to defend itself.
5684
5685When the creature approached the dead giants it opened its large mouth, which was lined with countless teeth, and began to devour it.
5686
5687The size of the giant wasn’t an issue as the creature’s mouth was like that of a crocodile’s, and it was long before I started hearing the gruesome chewing sounds.
5688
5689For a moment I believed this creature had been summoned by a summoner like myself to protect the humans, but this world wasn’t that nice.
5690
5691In a somewhat sluggish manner, the deformed creature dragged itself towards the frightened people and proceeded to devour them.
5692
5693Instead of an angel, a true monstrosity which was literally capable of swallowing giants had appeared from the church. The irrationality of the situation finally set in after witnessing that.
5694
5695It could be said that panic was the appropriate response to all of this.
5696
5697As the humans began to scatter, the deformed monstrosity spoke in a leisurely voice.
5698
5699『This body gets hungry quickly〜』
5700 
5701
5702While spewing such easygoing words, the deformed monstrosity began dragging people into its mouth like a whale consumed krill.
5703
5704It was an eat-what-you-caught situation.
5705
5706Meanwhile, the remaining giants attacked the monstrosity one after another, but just like the humans that had escaped into the church, they ended up in its gut.
5707
5708It seemed like the agonized faces on the monstrosity’s body had increased……
5709
5710The pale lump of meat eerily squirmed along while eating the humans and giants, the frog-like head chuckling the entire time.
5711
5712“Kyu〜h”
5713
5714My mind finally rebooted when Ponta’s worried cry caused me to looked down at her.
5715
5716“Sorry, Ponta.”
5717
5718A group of armored skeletons, which had chased after the fleeing people, appeared in the plaza only to be immediately trampled by the deformed monstrosity.
5719
5720For the time being, I’ve seen enough of this monstrosity.
5721
5722Even the tiger tribesmen wouldn’t be able to oppose it.
5723
5724I had to seize the opportunity before it became aware of me.
5725
5726I raised the 『Holy Thunder Sword』 as pale lights began to gather around the blade and swung i down.
5727
5728「【Sword of Judgement】!」
5729
5730The monstrosity’s attention was focused elsewhere, so I thought I could kill it in one blow.
5731
5732Even though I put enough power into the attack to penetrate the monstrosity’s body, the monstrosity managed to quickly scuttle away when the large magic formation appeared underneath it .
5733
5734Without a target, the sword of light simply shot into the sky.
5735
5736So that large body was capable of such movements.
5737
5738It moved as if someone had put its body on an electric wheelchair and stuck a frog-like head on top of it .
5739
5740…… like an out of control go-cart.
5741
5742While cursing in my heart, I tried to launch my next attack, but the monstrosity detected me faster than expected.
5743
5744The huge figure quickly turned around in place.
5745
5746『Everyone interferes with my peace! Everyone! I’ll break everyone!!』
5747 
5748While the strange voice whined like an upset child, it’s innumerable feet moved in a wriggling wave as it ran towards me. I’ve been found out.
5749
5750The numerous arms stretched out from the monstrosity’s back in an attempt to smash me.
5751
5752“【Holy Shield of Light】!”
5753
5754I held my shield up and activated a defensive skill.
5755
5756The monstrosity’s weapons reached me at that exact moment.
5757
5758While defending with my shield, I began cutting off arms with my sword.
5759
5760Since the monstrosity’s body was composed of pale lumps of flesh, it lacked the resistance of the giants’ hides, so regular attacks worked just fine.
5761
5762“Impertinence! Impertinence!! Impertinennnnece!!”
5763
5764As the monstrosity continued to shout in that strange tone, its irritation growing, it began closing in on me as if it wanted to crush me.
5765
5766The monstrosity lost sight of me when I used my transfer magic to dodge him, and its body shook while it looked for me.
5767
5768…… His sight seemed to be fixed and it couldn’t look around unless it turned its body.
5769
5770Realizing that I could slip into the gaps in its vision and attack it from behind, I launched another attack at the monstrosity’s back.
5771
5772I raised my sword again and invoked another skill…… a fast and short-ranged technique.
5773
5774“【Holy Light Slash】!”
5775
5776Raising my light-clad sword over my head, I slashed downwards and a beam of light flew in a straight line at the monstrosity, blowing off some of the feet that were supporting the monstrosity’s body. A pained wail echoed through the area followed.
5777
5778Unfortunately, it recovered immediately and turned around to face me.
5779
5780…… Its movements were unpleasant every time I saw them.
5781
5782The monstrosity cursed repeatedly as it readied its numerous arms, apparently not wanting to give me a chance to act.
5783
5784『Bad! Bad!! So annoying!!! Who are you!!?』
5785
5786While the frog-like head ranted and raved, it shoot its numerous arms towards me.
5787
5788I dodged the assault and fired the 【Destructive Holy Sword】 again but only managed to destroy a few of its feet as the monstrosity dodged the attack.
5789
5790Worst of all, the damaged flesh started to bubble up and before long new feet grow in place of the
5791 
5792
5793lost ones.
5794
5795While it’s regeneration wasn’t fast, it wasn’t that slow either.
5796
5797In the game, enemies that had abilities like this monster usually required a party to deal with: some members would stop it from regenerating while others continue to attack and daze the enemy, but I was by myself.
5798
5799It was like challenging an end game dungeon boss on your own.
5800
5801There was a simple solution though, I just needed to constantly attack this guy and overwhelm its regeneration with pure damage……
5802
5803I avoided the monstrosity’s arms while I pondered just how i could accomplish that.
5804
5805I’d cut off several arms already, but their numbers didn’t seem to decrease at all.
5806
5807……	This wasn’t going well, maybe I should retreat and prepare another strategy? I looked around the area as I desperately tried to think of something.
5808
5809Darkness had already covered the area as dusk gave way to night, limiting the effectiveness of transfer magic.
5810
5811There was no helping it, though I didn’t want to do this often, I had to use an overwhelming assult……
5812
5813I used transfer magic to put enough distance between us.
5814
5815“Ponta! Sorry, but you’re gonna have to fly away for a while!”
5816
5817“Kyun? Kyun!”
5818
5819Ponta was momentarily confused by my command, but she still unwrapped herself from around my neck and flew into the air with her wind magic. This was for the best.
5820
5821After looking up at her, I turned towards the monstrosity.
5822
5823Having prepared myself, I used a certain summon for the first time after arriving in this world.
5824
5825“Come forth, keeper of eternity! 【Aion】!!”
5826
5827A huge magic formation made from turning, mechanical clockwork began to shine in front of my feet.
5828
5829A giant snake with the head of a lion began to emerge from the magic formation.
5830
5831The lion-headed snake slowly coiled itself around my legs and started to crawl up my body.
5832
5833When the lion head reached my shoulder it opened its mouth to reveal a sharp set of fangs and proceeded to bite into my neck.
5834
5835At the same time, the serpentine body turned into a strange pattern that fused into my armor, wrapping my body in a cascade of different colored lights.
5836 
5837【Aion】 was one of the highest tier summons a summoner could acquire.
5838
5839Its rather unique and special ability allowed it to freeze a player’s current state for three minutes the moment it was summoned.
5840
5841The three-minute-state-freeze was difficult to explain… simply put, my current condition would remain unchanged no matter what happened to me in the next three minutes.
5842
5843In other words, my health wouldn’t decrease no matter how many attacks hit me and my mana wouldn’t drop not matter how many spells I used, making me effectively invincible.
5844
5845However, this didn’t mean it was actually as useful as it sounded.
5846
5847First, a summoner had to reach a considerably high level before they could even acquire the summon. Even after going through all kinds of hardship to acquire it, it was difficult for the summoner to actually make use of this summon.
5848
5849The main problem was that a summoner could only have one active summoned beast at any time.
5850
5851Even if you became invincible and could use other magic, a summoner couldn’t bring out a combat-orientated summon. Furthermore, the mana costs to summon 【Aion】was incredibly high. Even if one had an intermediate magic-using class as their secondary class, their mana would be depleted once the three minutes passed.
5852
5853For those reasons, the only way to use 【Aion】 effectively was to use it in combination with a class that had powerful skills…… In other words, you had no choice but to have a class of the highest tier in tandem with the summoner class.
5854
5855Unfortunately, the game didn’t allow you to use the skill of all the classes that a player had obtained at once. With the summoner class required as the main or secondary class, one need to have an offensive character build to utilize these particular summon to its fullest.
5856
5857You could call it the summon of abolishment.
5858
5859“I’ll finish you off quickly!! There won’t a speck of dust left behind!!”
5860
5861I raised my sword and shield as the monstrosity’s numerous feet dragged itself towards me.
5862
5863Even though 【Aion】was supposed to prevent me taking damage, I didn’t know how that’d work in reality.
5864
5865While being overconfident was prohibited, ignoring some lesser attacks was a sound strategy.
5866
5867So I let some of the monstrosity’s arms pass through my defenses.
5868
5869I only felt the small shock of the weapons the arms held hitting me as the blow connected…… so the
5870
5871summon was working without a problem.
5872
5873However, I didn’t know how exactly much time had passed since I summoned it, so I didn’t have the entire three minutes to use.
5874 
5875It would be bad if I was still weathering the brunt of the enemy’s onslaught when the effect ran out.
5876
5877“【Evil Sealing Holy Sword】!!”。
5878
5879Even so, I could chip away as much of my enemy’s health as possible until then.
5880
5881With that in mind, I activated one of the Holy Knight skills which caused my sword to glow.
5882
5883I swung my sword while still weathering the monstrosity’s onslaught.
5884
5885A streak of light trailed behind the sword’s blade as it evaporated a section of the monstrosity’s body.
5886
5887『Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!』
5888
5889While the skill I used had the greatest effect on undead, it seems to be effective on the monstrosity as well.
5890
5891Since this was multiple times more effective than normal attacks, repeatedly using magic attacks was the best strategy.
5892
5893Essentially, that was the strategy a player would use while having 【Aion】 summoned, but I had something a bit different in mind.
5894
5895The monstrosity stepped backed in an attempt to protect itself, but I launched my next attack without giving it that chance.
5896
5897“Face your destruction! 【Smite the Wicked】!!”
5898
5899When I invoked one of the Pope class’s areas of effect skills, a large shining magic formation appeared in the sky above the monstrosity, like Jacob’s ladder, before a cross-shaped beam of light fell upon it.
5900 
5901 
5902“Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
5903
5904The monstrosity began to scream as its entire body started to evaporate.
5905
5906Unable to withstand the pain, the monstrosity fell on his back like a brick, killing several giants that had approach the area from that direction.
5907
5908One of the church’s wall collapsed when the monstrosity’s body collided with it.
5909
5910However, I didn’t let up my assault there.
5911
5912I hammed the monstrosity’s body with 【Evil Sealing Holy Sword】until 【Smite the Wicked】 coo down passed and I could cast it again.
5913
5914By the time the lion-headed snake pattern disappeared from my armor, the monstrosity had been reduced to a lump of melted flesh.
5915
5916With the majority of its body deteriorated, what remained was a cluster of countless corpses fused together.
5917
5918“Kyun!”
5919
5920“Hah, that was tiring.”
5921
5922Ponta landed on my head just as I averted my gaze from the monstrosity’s remains and surveyed the area.
5923
5924The church had been heavily damaged by the battle.
5925
5926But the monstrosity was mostly to blame for that, seeing as it recklessly moved about. It was unavoidable.
5927
5928While making excuses for myself, I looked back at the monstrosity’s corpse.
5929
5930Although I’d defeated it, just what in the world was that thing?
5931
5932In any case, finding Ariane and Chiome was more important than any of my unanswered questions right now.
5933
5934As I left the premises, I felt the eyes of the citizens staring at me from the shadows.
5935
5936Now that the immediate threat has been taken care of, I should join back up with my companions.
5937
5938After looking up at the night sky, I put my sword over my shoulder and continued to walk.
5939
5940
5941
5942Silver Note:
5943
5944Aion: a Hellenistic deity of eternity, specifically unbound time, which is removed from the regular flow of time. He’s associated with a single serpent warping around a staff or the ouroboros.
5945
5946Causality: The natural or worldly agency or efficacy that connects one process with another process
5947 
5948or state, where the first is partly responsible for the second. Basically, since the dawn of time causality has been the basis for all understandings of how the world works.
5949
5950Arc’s summon basically bitch slaps causality and makes him onto a god. For three minutes his everything proof, even to his own actions.
5951 
5952Epilogue
5953
5954
5955
5956
5957The Holy Leburan Empire, of the eastern region of the Northern Continent.
5958
5959The Imperial capital of Habaren was truly the center of this large nation, thanks in no small part to the several major highways that connected it to the rest of the nation.
5960
5961Currently, a heavily armed squadron was traveling down the southeastern highway.
5962
5963There were a few mounted troops leading the group, but the squad was mostly composed of infantry who guarded the horse-drawn carriage and the numerous carts that followed it.
5964
5965They squadron marching down the highway created a truly grandiose sight.
5966
5967Near the center of the group was a luxurious four horse-drawn carriage.
5968
5969The black carriage was adorned with the crest of the Valetiafelbe imperial family, the current rulers of the empire.
5970
5971However, only two maids rode in the luxurious carriage, the emperor was nowhere to be seen inside.
5972
5973Far ahead of the nearly empty luxurious carriage a thirty man cavalry equipped with excellent saddles carried on unobscured.
5974
5975Within this group, one man grasped the reins of a marvellous black horse.
5976
5977A young red-haired rider wore a slightly less ornamental military uniform than the other cavalryman in the formation.
5978
5979His name was Domitianus Leburan Valetiafelbe.
5980
5981The young emperor of the Holy Leburan Empire.
5982
5983A large middle-aged man rode up next to Domitianus and spoke into the emperor’s ear with a worried expression on his face.
5984
5985“Your Majesty, is this really alright? Despite being within our own territory, what if an assassin ambushes us while you’re still out in the open?”
5986
5987Domitianus simply chuckled when he heard that.
5988
5989“Like you said, we’re still in our territory. There’s no need to be so nervous. Besides, the box back there has a large name tag on it, who would expect that I’d be mixed in with the soldiers? Hehehe.”
5990
5991“No, that’s, ……hmm, I suppose so.”
5992
5993The middle-aged man struggled to say anything against the emperor’s statement.
5994
5995Domitianus simply shrugged his shoulders at the man’s worries.
5996 
5997“Staying inside that carriage is rather tedious. Besides, my well being is what you’re here for, right?”
5998
5999The emperor’s smile became more mischievous as he looked towards the middle-aged man.
6000
6001“Yes! Of course Your Majesty! We well stake are lives on……”
6002
6003When the man tried to Domitianus bow his head while still on horseback, the emperor thrust his rider’s crop into his throat.
6004
6005“Stop Stop. Do you intend to give me away? Hihihi”
6006
6007The man slightly bowed his head as the emperor laughed at him.
6008
6009As a way to change the topic, the man glanced back of the forces behind them.
6010
6011“It’s quite amazing that the army had twenty-two thousand troops to spare……”
6012
6013The emperor smiled at the man’s statement and nodded his head.
6014
6015“I am personally ensuring that the Tishen campaign is going well. That old man of the west has his ass rooted to his chair and would never venture onto the frontline. It is time to put an end to him.”
6016
6017The surrounding people nodded at the emperor’s statement.
6018
6019However, the middle-aged man only groaned.
6020
6021“General Keling of the southern army will come first……”
6022
6023“Hehehe, It’s been a while. I’ll be sure to bring his head back to Verumoas as a gift for looking after the capital.”
6024
6025Domitianus’ hand fell to the sword at his waist as he floated a fearless smile after making that declaration.
6026
6027The emperor had just implicated that he would kill the general with his own hands.
6028
6029The middle-aged man toward away for the brave young emperor and looked towards the western sky and the battles to come.
6030
6031“Even if twenty-thousand soldiers join the army, it will still be a difficult fight.”
6032
6033“Hmm, the current operation should have gotten Aspania to move. Those guys should have taken the opportunity to test the bounds on their side. The West can not afford to move their other armies for the time being.”
6034
6035Once the conversation was over, the corners of emperor Domitianus’ mouth rose as he looked towards the far-off battles.
6036 
6037 
6038◆◇◆◇◆
6039
6040
6041
6042The majority of humans on the Northern Continent followed the Hiruku religion.
6043
6044The person standing at the top of the religion was the Pope of the Hiruku Theocracy. The theocrac was surrounded by the Delfrent, Nozan, and Salma Kingdoms and was separated from the Grea Leburan Empire by a narrow channel.
6045
6046The Hiruku Theocracy’s capital had been built at the base of Mt. Arthus of the Rooteos Mountai Range, mainly for the ease of access to the massive mithril deposit the mountain housed.
6047
6048A massive cathedral that had been built atop the overlooking cliff that rested halfway up Mt. Arthus.
6049
6050It was referred to as the Arthus Cathedra.
6051
6052This cathedral acted as Pope Thanatos Shirubiwes Hiruku’s residence.
6053
6054However, the number of those allowed to set foot on the sanctuary’s gourds was extremely limited.
6055
6056The luxurious decoration of the cathedral’s interior showed off the church’s strength…… a certain
6057
6058room built in the back of the cathedral was particularly gorgeous.
6059
6060The ceiling was three times higher that one of a common house, every inch of the floor was covered by an embroidered carpet and each piece of furniture had been handcrafted by skilled artisans.
6061
6062The centerpiece of the room was a large circular table which had six people in luxurious attire sitting at it and talking amongst themselves.
6063
6064“Apparently, Cardinal Industria, who had had been placed in charge of the Tajiento colony on the Southern Continent, was slain.”
6065
6066The latest speaker, who was a man in his thirties, had a rather mild smile on his face, black neatly trimmed hair, and wore heavy, modified priest robes.
6067
6068He was none other than cardinal Palermo Avaritia Liberalitas.
6069
6070In the Hiruku Theocracy, those who received one of the seven cardinal names worked directly beneath the Pope, and this man had received the name Liberalitas.
6071
6072However, he wasn’t the only cardinal present.
6073
6074A considerably well-built man snorted his nose at Liberalitas’ comment.
6075
6076He was around hundred and ninety centimeters tall, blonde stubble grew on his face, and his physique made one believe he wore a military uniform instead of the robes that he was actually wearing.
6077
6078However, his expression was haggard and large bags rested under his eyes.
6079 
6080
6081“Hmph…… Charos was the weakest amongst us…… To be defeated by a nobody only brings shame
6082
6083to the cardinals. That man was always unmotivated anyway. Since the seat of Industria is vacant, I’ll advise the Pope to place a more capable person into it.”
6084
6085The man that voiced his complaints was cardinal Marcos Invidia Humanitas.
6086
6087The only woman in the room chuckled his suggestion before speaking.
6088
6089“Ara, are you dissatisfied with the Pope’s selections? Have you lost fate in the Pope’s judgment?”
6090
6091In spite of the woman’s graceful features and blond hair, she wore revealing white clothes that emphasized her large breasts, and the hem of her skirt slid up to a nearly obscene level as she sat with one of her legs crossed over the other.
6092
6093She looked into cardinal Humanitas’ eyes with a captivating smile on her face.
6094
6095“I did not mean it that way, I’m simply pointing out Charos’ incompetence……”
6096
6097Despite his large build, cardinal Humanitas struggled to come up with the right words while looking around the room, only letting out a relieved sigh after confirming Pope Thanatos wasn’t here.
6098
6099An old gray-haired man’s wrinkles became more pronounced as he closed his eyes after watching the scene play out.
6100
6101“Only those who can endure the blessings of the underworld can obtain the seat of a cardinal. There’s no problem with his decisions, given the limited number of candidates. Even if current evidence suggest that the person selected couldn’t meet the expectations of the status.”
6102
6103The man crossed his arms after speaking his piece was well into his fifties.
6104
6105However, even though he wore luxurious priest robes, the hard-bitten muscle below the neckline hinted at a physique more impressive than Cardinal Humanitas
6106
6107His name was Cardinal August Ira Paciencia.
6108
6109Cardinal Humanitas was openly angered by that remark.
6110
6111“What!? Are you implying that I’m not fit to hold my seat!?”
6112
6113“Nobody said that. Is there something we’re unaware of that would make us think that?”
6114
6115Cardinal Paciencia calmly asked that question after closing his eyes.
6116
6117“How about we stop this particular conversation for now? You muscle-heads will continue back and forth with this if we let you. In any case, I’m interested in the white and silver knight who defeated Charos.”
6118
6119The sharp-tongued individual that broke off the argument was, in stark contrast to the other two men, a slender man wearing black rimmed glasses. That, combined with his shaved head, made him seem the most befitting of the robes he wore.
6120
6121This man was Cardinal Bart Superbia Humilitas.
6122 
6123
6124While fiddling with the dull iron ring he attempted to turn the conversation towards the man that killed Charos.
6125
6126“Fine, do as you please!”
6127
6128“Hmph!”
6129
6130Both Cardinal Paciencia and Cardinal Humanitas directed their anger towards Humilitas, whil Cardinal Castitas shrugged her shoulders and brought up another topic.
6131
6132“By the way, what is it you have been messing around with?”
6133
6134Despite her speaking in a flirtatious manner, Cardinal Humanitas paid it no mind, instead, showing great pleasure from receiving the question itself.
6135
6136“This? This is an item created in the Eastern Empire. They call it the 『Ring of Submission』. Thes allow them to control monsters.”
6137
6138Cardinal Humanitas’ explanation made Cardinal Castitas remember something about the location he had recently visited.
6139
6140“Ah yes, Cardinal Humanitas did visit magisterium of the Holy Leburan Empire.”
6141
6142“I personally visited them because those placed in charge weren’t doing all that well recently.”
6143
6144After providing Cardinal Castitas with a satisfactory answer Cardinal Humanitas exaggeratedl shrugged his shoulder and looked at the five other people in the room.
6145
6146His eyes stopped and focused one one person in particular.
6147
6148“How long are you going to sit there eating?”
6149
6150Cardinal Humanitas pushed up his glasses and called out to the boy that had been stuffing his face since the beginning of the meeting and hadn’t said a single word yet.
6151
6152The boy was actually one of the several cardinals, Cardinal Tismo Gala Temperantia.
6153
6154However, the boy only looked confused for a moment before resuming his meal without answering.
6155
6156The other cardinal collectively shrugged their shoulders and sighed.
6157
6158“You all seem to be getting along well……”
6159
6160A different calm voice was heard entering the room.
6161
6162All six cardinals got up from the table and kneeled down when they heard the voice.
6163
6164“You grace us with your presence, Pope Thanatos.”
6165
6166The man’s, whose entrance had been undetected, nodded at the cardinals’ greeting before sitting down in an elevated chair at the round table.
6167
6168The Pope wore a set of robes more spectacular than the cardinals wore and held a decorated scepter
6169 
6170that represented his power.
6171
6172On the Pope’s head sat a mitre with multiple holy symbols sewn into it that only he was allowed to wear. The mitre’s veil totally concealed the Pope’s face.
6173
6174The six cardinals continued to kneel as the one that united the Hiruku Theocracy, Pope Thanatos Shirubiwes Hiruku, took his seat.
6175
6176After looking down at the people gathered from behind his veil, Pope Thanatos began to speak.
6177
6178“Everyone seems to be gathered. You should have already been informed that Cardinal Industria has been slain on the Southern Continent.”
6179
6180The Pope paused for a moment to look around again before continuing.
6181
6182“He still carried out his duties to the best of his abilities. The Tajiento territory of the Western Empire was heavily damaged, but considering that the destruction could have been potentially more devastating, we couldn’t have asked any more from him.”
6183
6184A tired chuckle managed to slip past the veil.
6185
6186The Cardinals were utterly surprised by this.
6187
6188“The balance between the empires has shifted in favor of the east. It’s possible to earnestly stimulate things in Delfrent, Nozan and Salma while this window remains open. Everyone, please.”
6189
6190“We understand.
6191
6192The Cardinals lowered their heads again and replied in unison.
6193
6194The Pope nodded in satisfaction before getting up and leaving the room.
6195
6196The Pope’s muffled laughter was the only sound to fill the corridor as he left the room.
6197
6198“…… A big event has finally arrived. Hehehe.”
6199
6200As the Pope’s laughter continued to leak out, it startled small bird in a nearby window and sending it flying into the sky above the mountain range.
6201
6202However, dark clouds started to form over the Rooteos Mountain Range.
6203
6204
6205
6206Silver’s thoughts
6207
6208You know, a lesser man would flaunt the fact that he was right over any doubters but I’m above making such spectacle (Fist pumps and back-flips around the room after typing this). Anyway this was an okay volume. It’s obvious that V5 acted as setup for the next phase of the story. In order to get Arc to the future battlefield, he had to became opposed to one of the major factions. I will praise the author for using Chiome as the catalyst for that development instead of creating some arbitrary of Arc to get there himself. Beyond that, we got some bits of character development, with Arc starting to assert himself more and his continued effort to overcome his shortcomings. The only issue I had, is
6209 
6210that the world building seemed to come off as shallow and could have used more substance.
6211 
6212Illustrations by KeG
6213
6214 
6215 
6216 
6217 
6218 
6219 
6220 
6221 
6222 
6223 
6224 
6225 
6226 
6227 
6228Credits
6229
6230 
6231
6232
6233
6234
6235
6236
6237
6238
6239Author	—	Hakari Enki
6240Publication platfom	—		Syosetu
6241
6242						
6243Publisher	—	Overlap/Syosetu
6244Translator	—			Silver
6245
6246					
6247Editor	—			Silver
6248				Namorax