MTL: uniquegasuki
Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)
Around this time the villagers should be asleep. Several shops had hung up lit lamps.
Only the voices of drunks can be heard coming from the tavern.
Kurando is hiding in the shadows.
In this world he would stand out since he is dressed in worn out work clothes. From the scarce information Akari gave him, he didn’t find anything wrong with the village.
Kurando thought he had successfully infiltrated this village. He diligently looked around the tavern.
Two days after Akari had left, Kurando saw the tracks that Akari took through the giant spider’s territory.
After he had adventured to the base of the mountain alone, Kurando came to the conclusion that he had been overly worried about the giant spider’s territory for nothing. Who does that spider thinks it is?
On his way back to the cave after having successfully hunted a rabbit Kurando stumbled upon Akari lying collapsed on the ground.
The situation was literally two rabbits with one stone. And thus, Yukishiro carried the rabbit and Kurando carried Akari.
◆◆◆
Afterwards, she was lain down in the cave. Akari awoken after a while. She then informed him bits and pieces of what had happen.
Although, there wasn’t much to tell.
She had descended to the village at the foot of the mountain. The first reaction was that everything was dyed bright red.
There was smoke rising from the village; although, there were no cries of confusion there was a monster attack but it wasn’t a great stampede of magical beasts.
When Kurando saw the village at the foot of the mountain, “he though not everything is red”. Although the inn and the merchant’s store is red; the gate, the hunter association branch, the village chief’s house, and all the houses are not.
When Akari told Kurando her side of the story, he listened to her in silence.
After Akari finished talking she covered her face with her hands.
Because, she couldn’t stop herself from weeping.
It was a normal reaction. Everything was marked (red) as an enemy. After they were summoned everyday was something unusual and the drastic change had taken its toll on her.
In a matter of a few days the once friendly villagers are all marked as red. She couldn’t bear it; Akari became horrified and saddened with grief.
「Well, now does seem like a good opportunity. I’ll go see how things stand.」 (Kurando)
She wiped away her tears and raised her head.
「……do you have any identification papers?」 (Akari)
「Of course not.」 (Kurando)
「You shouldn’t! It’s okay, you will only cause a ruckus. Somehow I will find a way back to Roorana.」 (Akari)
「Is Roorana also marked red?」 (Kurando)
「……」 (Akari)
While being completely unconcerned Kurando ignored Akari’s warning.
After arguing back and forth, Akari was entrusted to Yukishiro and Kurando descended down the mountain.
He began his descent while the sun was still up. It was night by the time Kurando arrived near the bottom. The season here compared to the season in Japan is very different. It took about a day to reach the village at the foot of the mountain. Kurando was unconcern about comparing himself to Yukishiro and its mobility.
After being summoned here Kurando’s body had adapted to living on the snowy mountain. For the past 580th days the way he had lived on this snowy mountain is similar to the training of an ascetic monk. Gradually he started to deviate towards being a resident of this world.
◆◆◆
The blue moonlight made the place appears similar to an ancient fortress.
As Kurando observers around he feels intimidated by his surroundings.
The village is encircled by a moat and earth wall.
The moat isn’t vast but it is spacious enough for a small boat to ferry a person across. The earth wall is roughly the height of an ordinary person.
The amount of repairs made to the earth wall gave off the impression that it had been in service for many years.
That much can be said for sure.
Akari had already informed Kurando of the village’s lookouts and protective magic.
A magic barrier or also known as a protective autonomous magic is something countries had kept hidden. Nowadays, there is an generic magic barrier being sold on the market. Although it is of a degraded quality the price is fairly expensive.
Dorugan need not rely on a magic barrier; all of its citizens can fight.
They pride themselves on the fact that their people had fought and continue to fight monsters and magical beast since long ago to the present day.
Every time the Dorugan parliament brought up the subject, although everyone knew the truth, they politely stayed quite.
In reality Dorugan just didn’t have any money.
Their capital city doesn’t have a barrier; therefore, they needed some other means to grantee their honor. Also, they don’t have surplus money to buy one for a frontier region.
Kurando easily infiltrated the village.
With earth spirit magic he made a small scaffold to help him over the wall.
He could always say that a monster or a magical beast had dig it up. Kurando had to make the dirt scaffold if he wanted to get inside the village.
And thus, as Akari had suggested Kurando started his search at the tavern.
◆◆◆
After Akari went missing Makushiimu (マクシーム) drunk the night away.
Because Akari was lend out to Dorugan (ドルガン) as a result of a political transaction, he couldn’t stop it.
Ever since Akari left for the hunt and never returned Makushiimu had been at the village near the foot of Arerudouria (アレルドゥリア) mountains.
Although it was too late, he regretted handing over the custody of Akari to the old-noble hunters.
Makushiimu question himself as to why he didn’t search for her sooner?
He had drank 10 bottles of cheap liquor and in his drunk state Makushiimu violently smashes the bottle on the table.
The bottle looks tiny in comparison to the giant sized man.
Although, it seems the situation wasn’t at the point where it needed to be stopped. The scattered group of customers held their breath and did not concern themselves with the large man.
Almost as soon as the bottle hit against the table a plain slip of paper was smoothly passed to Makushiimu.
He tries to pick up the piece of paper.
However, the slip of paper is sudden snatched up.
「This looks interesting?」 (hooligan)
Makushiimu glares at the man; the man slightly flinches.
Makushiimu is surrounded by old-noble hunters. They are hooligans one could find anywhere; however, Makushiimu only observes them.
「……ehhh, I don’tz thinkz so.」 (hooligan)
The hooligan that is holding the slip of paper tilts his head.
「I’ze only seez a whore’s invitation…… andz there is no otherz information.」 (hooligan)
As they let the slip of paper flutter in the air, the hooligans exit the tavern.
「Shit.」 (Makushiimu)
Makushiimu strikes his hand on the table; the loud impact causes the bottle to fall onto the floor.
He stood up and left several bills on the desk before leaving the tavern.
After the storm only silence is left in the tavern.
◆◆◆
Makushiimu goes back to the inn and receives his room key. He returns to his room. Without turning on the light he sits on the bed.
「……a criminal, huh?」 (Makushiimu)
In a quiet voice he mutters to himself in the darkness.
「It can’t be, I don’t believe it.」 (Makushiimu)
He pretended to not know and lays down.
「Why am I doubting it now?」 (Makushiimu)
「The writing on the slip of paper was identical to Akari’s handwriting down to the simplest character.」 (Makushiimu)
「Ah, I see. Then,」 (Makushiimu)
「Surely, Akari is waiting for me. However, I can’t trust the person who is using the dark spirit magic in this village. Show yourself.」 (Makushiimu)
◆◆◆
Kurando used dark spirit magic to cloak himself in the night’s darkness.
With the assistance of dark spirit magic it is possible to disappear into the darkness by manipulating shadows. However, the darkness and shadow cannot be used for attacking nor can it be used to store items or create a curse.
Dark spirit magic is literally the manipulation of 『darkness and shadow』.
It is useless to normal people. Because, dark spirit magic is mostly used by thieves and assassins it has a bad public image. And thus, Kurando was thought to be a bottom feeder by Makushiimu.
Makushiimu had taken notice of Kurando ever since they were at the tavern.
Wind spirit magic was used to disguise the letter as a prostitute’s invitation for Makushiimu; it was done to avoid raising suspicion at the tavern.
As planned the eyewitnesses who saw the slip of paper didn’t recognize the hidden message. There was no need to worry about being detected when using small amounts of dark spirit magic at night.
By the time Makushiimu stood up the shadow had dispersed. No evidence was left.
Now all that was left was to follow Makushiimu to the inn.
Kurando had observed Makushiimu leaving the tavern; he didn’t have time to search the inn. Kurando wanted to avoid being attacked while he was at the inn in Makushiimu’s room; therefore, he used the shadows in a roundabout way.
Kurando has doubt about this world as things are quite complicated.
While thinking about it Kurando dispels his cloak of darkness.
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