Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: “The rescue drama left to chance”

The ransom’s deadline arrived, Douglas left his house and headed to the meeting spot. Kousuke kept some distance away from Douglas as he followed him. Viare stayed back at Douglas’s place with his wife. Viare was unable to perform any covert actions so her presence would have been a hindrance.

The crowd made it difficult to follow Douglas, but on the off-chance that Kousuke lost sight of Douglas, he could hurry to the predetermined meeting spot.

The reason why Kousuke wanted to keep his eyes on Douglas as he traveled to make sure no one else was stalking him. However, unlike when the pickpockets were targeting him, Kousuke found it impossible to differentiate the gazes toward Douglas.

The two maintained a certain distance as they traveled before soon arriving at an abandoned building just outside of the city. This building was originally built to store farming goods like tools and seeds. It was quickly abandoned as it became decrepit. The only ones who frequent this building now are children who uses it as their “Secret Hideout”.

Kousuke climbed a nearby building and kept his eyes on Douglas who was standing still in front of the abandoned building.

Five minutes, ten minutes, time kept flowing. Right when it was about to hit thirty minutes, someone climbed over a two-meter tall wall. It was a man in his thirties with normal, inconspicuous clothing. It looked like he was trying to blend in with the crowd before coming here. If Kousuke didn’t see the man climb the wall himself, anyone would have mistaken him as an ordinary citizen.

The two were discussing something, but Kousuke was too far to hear anything. Only the sight of Douglas becoming flustered could be seen.

The two’s discussion ended quickly and the man ignored the depressed Douglas as he took the money. The man quickly departed and vanished over the wall.

Kousuke jumped down from the seven-meter tall building and got closer to Douglas to find out what happened. The contents of the discussion was quite obvious though.

「How was it?」(Kousuke)

「….. He told me to bring more money」(Douglas)

Kousuke figured that was the case since the man didn’t bring the child with him.

「Even if he told me to get more money.. It’s impossible.. He wouldn’t even listen! What am I supposed to do now!」(Douglas)

「For the time being, want me to confirm your child’s conditions?」(Kousuke)

「You can do that!?」(Douglas)

Douglas looked at Kousuke with an expression mixed with hope and surprise.

The man who departed was traveling slowly so Kousuke was still able to lock onto his presence.

「I can still track that kidnapper if I go immediately」(Kousuke)

「PLEASE! I’ll return home to figure out how to secure more money!」(Douglas)

「Well then, I’ll be going for a bit」(Kousuke)

When Douglas saw Kousuke nimbly jump over the wall, he was convinced that Kousuke was actually someone powerful.

Gaining the assistance of such a person, Douglas became fired up as his luck hasn’t ended yet. Determined to secure more money, Douglas ran back to home.

Currently, Kousuke’s tracking of the kidnapper has lead him into a prairie. Kousuke kept a close eye on the man from a nearby tree. The kidnapper was tens of meter away and would glance around to confirm that no one was around, not realizing that Kousuke was following him. The man, convinced that he was alone, soon entered the woods.

「Maybe their hideout is in the woods?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke muttered quietly as he cautiously approached the edges of the woods. He probed for presences that may be standing guard nearby. Once he confirmed that there was no one there he quietly stepped into the woods.

Inside the woods were numerous clapper alarm traps.  Kousuke luckily stopped when he noticed the tripwire ropes then proceeded around them carefully.

In less than twenty minutes, Kousuke located the hideout through an area in the woods with less trees.

He stopped moving forward and began circling around the hideout to see it more clearly.

The hideout was two story mansion, covering two basketball court’s worth of space. The mansion looked at least a few decades old with its aged appearance and it was clearly not maintained since there were holes everywhere. Kousuke determined that this place was a temporary lodging for criminals. Criminals most likely found this place by mistake and the presences inside were showing signs that they would leave soon.

Kousuke traveled half a circle’s worth around the mansion before he suddenly felt a gaze on him. The presence of that gaze vanished instantly the moment Kousuke noticed. He concluded that this person was an expert at suppressing his/her presence. He turned his head slightly to look towards the original direction of the gaze and locked just past the river. He stopped looking further to prevent the other from finding out that Kousuke noticed he was being watched.

Kousuke began walking towards that direction, awaiting a reaction. Whether he comes into contact with the other or not didn’t matter, he would fight back or ignore it respectively.

Five minutes later, a rustling sound of grass could be heard and a faint, unusual smell drifted from behind him. The presence was noticeably close now and it was definitely human.

Kousuke drew a throwing knife and concealed it into his palm without letting the person behind him notice.

Whoever it was seemed to have prepared him or herself and approached closer to Kousuke. The other person was trying to make the first move while still suppressing his or her presence.

Uncertain of the other person’s motive, the moment he or she got close enough, Kousuke quickly turned around.

The culprit was a lightly dressed woman in her twenties. She had long, black hair tied up with a red ribbon, clad in black and gray clothes and a cloth cover most of her face below her eyes. On the back of her waist was a small bag and a short sword. The first impression of her was like a kunoichi to Kousuke.

「AH!?」(???)

The woman raised her voice slightly for getting spotted.

「Do you need something from me?」(Kousuke) 【TL: Really Kou-chan?? That’s what you ask a stalker?】

「…….. What exactly is your purpose for being in this place? At first, I thought you were a comrade of those in that building but you showed no signs of meeting up with them. In fact, it seemed like you were observing them instead」(???)

The woman relaxed her breathing to calm down before she asked Kousuke.

「A child of an acquaintance of mine was taken here. I came to confirm the child’s safety」(Kousuke)

「Is that so…. Do you intend on infiltrating that building?」(???)

「Before I answer that, I have a question. Are you one of them?」(Kousuke)

「I’m not」(???)

There was no hesitation in her immediate answer.

Despite being a little suspicious, Kousuke answered her previous questions. The woman too, did not completely believe in Kousuke’s words.

「I was considering it if I have the opportunity to do so」(Kousuke)

「Have you ever attempted something like this before?」(???)

「Nope」(Kousuke)

The woman’s idea of infiltrating was most likely different from the time Kousuke infiltrated with a disguise so he answered honestly.

「If that is the case then please cease that idea. If you’re caught, it would cause an uproar」(???)

「I guess so. I only planned on infiltrating if the opportunity presented itself. I don’t plan on forcing it」(Kousuke)

「Yes, that is for the best. It would only be successful if you could fly or catch them off-guard. Otherwise, infiltrating would be too difficult」(???)

「I’m able to fly you know? Come to think of it, I can escape using teleport magic if I have to」(Kousuke)

「Is that the truth?」(???)

The woman was dumbfounded at Kousuke’s announcement.

Kousuke nodded.

The woman stared inquisitively at Kousuke and determined that he wasn’t lying before she went into deep thought.

Kousuke had no idea what she was thinking so he continued to investigate around the hideout while keeping some attention on her.

After around ten minutes, the woman suddenly spoke up.

「Would you like to cooperate?」(???)

「Cooperate?」(Kousuke)

「I needed to investigate the interior, but there’s a chance I will be discovered if I do this alone. Could you carry me and fly to the roof once nightfall comes? If something happens, it would be great if you could teleport with me away from this location」(???)

「Just a little while ago I told you I have zero infiltrating experience right?」(Kousuke)

「As long as you stay as quiet as possible it should be fine. I’ll take the lead with the infiltration. In addition, your reconnaissance skill tells me that you’re not completely inept」(???)

Kousuke was in deep thought this time around.

The person in front of him was most likely highly talented in regards to infiltrating. Otherwise, why else would she be attempting this?

He knew that he’s not adept at this, however, acting together with a professional might give him the opportunity to rescue the child.

After she explained her situation, Kousuke concluded that it would be fine to trust her.

「I would like some information on your end since we’ll be cooperating. It doesn’t have to be everything. I just want to hear a bit about what’s going on」(Kousuke)

The woman figured it wouldn’t hurt to deepen each other’s trust and nodded.

「…..So be it. A child from an influential family was abducted. I was tasked with the rescue or if that’s impossible, the confirmation of the child’s location and the kidnappers’ information」(???)

「On my side, our request for help was rejected by the army and the guild. I’m assuming your side is privately investigating?」(Kousuke)

「For the difficulty, I apologize」(???)

Kousuke tilted his head, unable to understand the meaning behind her words.

「The reason for the guild and army not assisting is due to an order. The concerning parties are trying to suppress the details of the kidnapping from spreading」(???)

「Is it possible that the kidnapped child is not from a typical noble family?」(Kousuke)

The woman stayed silent, but her eyes reflected that he guessed correctly.

Kousuke figured that it was a child of a Duke or a Marquis.

His guess was actually spot on. It was possible that this situation could cause a diplomatic issue. However, Kousuke didn’t have enough information so he never imagined that was possible.

If the abducted child was from this country then the country’s government would have dispatched the soldiers and adventurers. However, the child in question was from another country that came here to spectate the tournament. The country sent out orders to the army and the guild to suppress the news that due to their negligence in security, another country’s aristocratic child was kidnapped. Otherwise, not only would their credibility be put into question, it could lead to extreme political turmoil.

However, the negligent security was only a part of the reason. The child’s carelessness and the large influx of spectators gave the kidnappers an ideal chance. In the end though, the other reasons just sounded like excuses at this point.

While the media suppression was active, the country was attempting to secretly solve this problem. Among those dispatched, this woman was one of them.

The result of this all would lead to the drastic reduction of criminal activities in and around the city, but none of this really mattered to Kousuke.

「Do we have a deal?」(???)

「Sure. It’s not a bad deal for me anyhow」(Kousuke)

「Is that so, that’s a relief」(???)

The woman softly sighed in relief.

「For now, let’s move away from the woods. Patrols might find us if we stay here」(???)

Kousuke nodded and followed the woman.

Kousuke noticed that he couldn’t hear her footsteps at all as he followed her. He started to observe her movements more carefully, attempting to mimic her quiet footsteps. Unfortunately, he was unable to discern anything special in her movements so his attempts failed.

As they walked, the two gave each other their names. She called herself “Nagare”.

Soon, the two exited the forest and entered a field of large rock formations to wait for nightfall.

「We’ll be hiding here until nightfall, but you didn’t bring any food with you…. did you」(Nagare)

She judged seeing how lightly packed Kousuke was.

Kousuke, who didn’t plan for a long-term excursion, was only carrying his sword and throwing knives. The jacket is in its hawk form and was left to guard Viare.

「Think I have enough time to quickly buy some from the city?」(Kousuke)

「I’ve brought some portable food so I do not mind sharing some」(Nagare)

Hearing the ninja-like Nagare’s suggestion, Kousuke wondered what kind of food she would pull out.

The result? Kousuke was impressed. She brought out uncooked rice, miso paste and seaweed soup stock. She mixed all three together, boiled it and the two began to eat.

It’s been such a long time since Kousuke was able to eat anything resembling Japanese food, he began to cry slightly while eating.

Nagare, who was worried that it wouldn’t match his taste, was bewildered by Kousuke’s state. The meal she prepared was not exactly exquisite.

「Thank you very much」(Kousuke)

Finished eating, Kousuke thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

「Was it that delicious?」(Nagare)

「It was delicious, yes, but it was more nostalgic. It’s only been a few months, but being able to taste something from my country made me happy」(Kousuke)

「You are from the country, Kohma?」(Nagare)

「No」(Kousuke)

「I see, so there are other places that provide similar cuisines like Kohma」(Nagare)

Hearing her mention Kohma, he inquired further about what kind of country it is.

Kohma is located in the third largest island among the Pereele Islands. The population is ten million strong. The culture is similar to the Edo era of Japan, just before the Meiji era.

The four seasons are a bit uneven there with longer summers and very short winters.

The children are dressed casually while the adults wear simplified versions of aristocratic kimonos and yukatas. The clothing Nagare is wearing is similar to the Japanese kimono as well.

Since their cuisine was similar to Japan’s, Kousuke could eat familiar food to his heart’s content if he ever travelled there.

「I want to visit at least once」(Kousuke)

「Emigration and immigration are not strictly regulated so please visit anytime」(Nagare)

「I’ll definitely visit one day. I also want to eat rice again」(Kousuke)

Nagare became less wary of Kousuke hearing his favorable impression of her country. Most people would be delighted hearing their country praised, Nagare included.

With the tension between the two lessened, they were able to rest up well while waiting for nightfall.

Thus time flew by as the two leisurely conversed and a cloudy night soon fell on them. The two immediately prepared to move out.

「Well then, ready to go?」(Kousuke)

「Anytime」(Nagare)

Kousuke slowly started to float, flew behind Nagare and carried her up from under her arms. He began gaining altitude and stopped when he reached five times the tree’s height. Experiencing all of this for the first time, Nagare swallowed hard, not hiding her tension.

They flew atop the mansion and slowly descended.

「Stop」(Nagare)【TL: She said stop in English here