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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
The next morning, after Shin had spent the night at Tsuki no Hokora.
“...It’s too bright.”
It was the first thing that he thought when he woke up.
The sunlight had reached the top of the bed because he didn’t close the curtains. Now, it was directly shining on Shin’s face.
“What time is it now?”
Because he had gone to bed without setting the alarm, he didn’t know the time. When the menu screen was displayed, it was slightly pass 6:30.
“Schnee is not here...”
Schnee, that had been clinging to his right hand, was nowhere to be seen. It was likely that she was already awake. A faint smell of breakfast confirmed Shin’s prediction.
As he had those thoughts, there was a feeling of some discomfort on his left arm. He turned toward that way while thinking ‘no way’, as silvery hair spread on the bed, entered his field of vision. If it was that alone, he would have thought it was Schnee, but the physique was too different for some reason.
The figure that was stark naked and sleeping peacefully, was a little girl of around 10 years old.
Her identity――
“Is this Yuzuha?”
[Analyze]showed the name of the little girl. Besides when Yuzuha mentioned about its head clearing up after the fight yesterday, perhaps there was some sort of seal that was removed as well. If that was the case, then the unusual level up, suddenly being able to speak, and having this figure too. All of it was explained.
Anyways, when an Element tail became a full-fledged level 1000, highest class monster in the game; human transformation and talking too, were possible by default. It just felt unnatural to see instead of the fox’s usual appearance.
Leaving behind the fox ears and tail for no special reason, it was an irresistible appearance for a person who likes these sort of things.
“In any event, this is a very dangerous setting.”
It was a common pattern, someone would come to wake another person up with bad timing and then, receive an outrageous shock due to the misunderstanding.
There was no presence of a person on the other side of the door, but he couldn’t be careless now.
“Hey Yuzuha, wake up. It’s morning.”
He held Yuzuha’s shoulders and began to wake it up. While paying attention toward the outside the room, he shook it a little harder.
“Unyu...What~?”
“I will say it again, it’s morning.”
“I’m still sleepy...”
It seemed like its appearance still similar with the personality, too. The Element Tail in Shin’s memory had an antique way of talking, but now, it talked like a little child.
“Come on, wake up, quickly.”
“Nh? Oh.. Shin~ Good morning~”
“Yeah, good morning. Please put on clothes for the time being as you get up.”
Though Yuzuha was only a little half-asleep, when it realized it was Shin that woke it up, it had an ‘awkwardly forced smile’ on its face. Depending on the person who saw the smile, they would roll over in agony. Of course, there was no such characteristic in Shin as he ignored it and urged Yuzuha to put on clothes.
“Shin is warm~”
“Why are you clinging. A girl must not do such a vulgar thing, it’s bad.”
“Eh~”
Shin warned Yuzuha while separating himself.
After all, everything would end if someone saw him embraced by a naked little girl.
While it looked like fondling a younger sister, he had to keep some distance.
“Is a girl no good?”
“Not good!”
“Then I will transform this way!”
Yuzuha, who asked that, emphasized girl for some reason. For Shin who was against it with, “Not good”, Yuzuha took an unexpected action.
All of a sudden, Yuzuha’s body emitted a faint light, and the slightly bulging chest disappeared, followed by that, the hair became very short. And then, in that nether region, there was a thing that a little girl shouldn’t have.
Shin’s thoughts stopped at that moment, the phenomenon that happened before his eyes was too shocking.
“...Oi…Why, did you become this?”
“If a girl is not good, then I should become a boy!!”
It was not a line that a nude pretty boy, while puffing out his chest with pride, should say. In front of Shin was not the coveted ‘loli’ of pretty girls, it was the desired ‘shota’ of pretty boys. There was no fixed distinction of sex to an Element Tail. This was the moment that made him realize it clearly.
“Even if it is a girl or a boy, it’s not good to embrace while naked.”
“Shin doesn’t like ‘boys’?”
“Why is it, that I feel like the way you said ‘boy’ has a different meaning to it.”
He felt the sense of incongruity from the remark. Yuzuha wasn’t supposed to know the meaning it held in order for it to say it.
“Yuzuha? I have one question for you; when you said a ‘boy’, you mean a ‘man’, right?”
“Kuu? Doesn’t it mean a cute boy? But, I wonder if this boy is a cool looking guy.”
“............”
Although it seemed alright for now, he felt a shudder.
“Shin?”
“Well...It is not wrong, I guess.”
And then, Shin properly glossed over the question.
“Or more precisely, where did you hear that?”
“People who came to the Shinto shrine said it. In addition, the ‘BL’ they said was interesting.”
“Who the ー!! What a fool to have a conversation like that in front of the boss Element Tailーー!!”
While sending a curse to whomever and wherever the unknown players were, Shin instructed Yuzuha to return to the little girl mode. It was not so bad when it was a ‘loli’, but a suspicious ‘shota’ was too hard mentally.
“Come on, put this on for the time being.”
“It’s puffy. What is it~?”
“It is from the material that I made before. If I remember correctly, didn’t you wear clothes that had such a feeling before?”
Shin handed Yuzuha a scarlet hakama* with a kimono* undershirt and a white robe. In short, it was the shrine maiden clothes. Certainly, they were not ordinary clothes since they came from Shin’s Item Box. (T/N: A type of traditional Japanese clothing)
Even though the clothes would be suitable in the Shinto shrine, they were also the clothes that Element Tail wore during the game in human mode.
“Oh~”
“Please say if you think you want to change the color. If i’m not mistaken, it was navy blue?”
“This is fine~!!”
Yuzuha delightedly said, while putting on the shrine maiden clothes. Because the size adjustability was included, there was no problem even if the figure was small.
However, was the memory vague? A few minutes after the clothes began to change, they had lost shape everywhere.
“Shin～...”
Yuzuha called to Shin in a frail voice.
“Say it from the beginning if you don’t know how.”
Shin spoke while he repaired Yuzuha’s disarrayed clothes. Speaking of how he knew how to put on the shrine maiden clothes, it was because of the schematic attached to the note column. Such a thing was a part of the item’s clothes description.
As Yuzuha put on the Japanese sock that Shin took out as an addition, it spun around and around on top of the bed in high spirits.
“Kuu~”
“Don’t move around too much. The outfit will get out of shape.”
“Then, I will have Shin dress me again~”
“Stop it.”
What made it so happy? It was twirling around and around, matching with the tail that extended from the hakama. Somehow the shrine maiden clothes expanded from the spine muscle as a result.
Was it the close feeling of wearing a dougi*? Shin wondered. He had a hunch that the spine expanded only because it wore it like that. (T/N: martial art’s uniform)
“Hey, don’t go turning around. It should be breakfast soon.”
“Breakfast!”
“I guess Yuzuha feels hungry too.”
“Yes!”
“Then, let’s go. Hmm? Someone is coming. This response, is it Tiera?...Ha!?”
Shin perceived that it was Tiera approaching. It was different if it was Schnee, but he hadn’t explained about Yuzuha to Tiera in detail yet.
“Shin, are you awake? The breakfast will be ready soon.”
Tiera knocked on the door as she told him about breakfast.
“Oh, yes. I will be ready right away――”
Still, the door was not impudently opened like the way they did in mangas and light novels. But, was Yuzuha not able to wait? Yuzuha, who didn’t notice Tiera’s voice, pushed open the door with all of its might.
“Breakfast!!”
“――There!? Yuzuha stop!!”
“Eh?”
At the same time as Tiera’s surprised voice, a thick sound resounded as the door collided with Tiera.
“Ouch~”
“Um, ano, au...”
Shin, who appeared from the side of the door, saw Tiera holding her reddening nose and the figure of Yuzuha was also seen. It seemed like Tiera took a pratfall as she was sitting in a child-like sitting state.
“Are you alright”
“Uu~ This child is?”
“It’s Yuzuha. Actually, it has a transformation ability. Hey, apologize to Tiera.”
“I am so-sorry...”
“I see. Haha, it’s alright, Yuzuha-chan. Since I didn’t get hit with too much power. But, be careful when you open the door next time, okay? And um, good morning.”
“Okay~ Um, good morning.”
Tiera, who was seen laughing, made Yuzuha, who was panicked, feel relieved. As for Yuzuha now, one would think that it was only a child that was excited too much, because its thoughts and actions were appropriate for its age.
Shin thought about it while seeing the situation that got the two people talking. If he looked at Yuzuha’s situation, this might be the maximum growth limit in the present conditions. Yuzuha hasn’t leveled up since that time, and he knew that it’s mind state hadn’t completely returned to its original state either.
Why was Yuzuha’s power sealed? Though he didn’t understand much of the information obtained from Yuzuha itself, he would have to verify it. It was obvious to Shin that there was something else unknown that occurred.
“By the way, now that you two have reconciled, shouldn’t we go eat breakfast?”
“Yes, because I only can serve it after. Master is already there waiting.”
“Breakfast~, breakfast~”
“Huh, was it a young fox originally? Yuzuha-chan, do you like fried tofu?
“I love it!”
“Then, shall I make inarisushi* for lunch?” (T/N: sushi wrapped in fried tofu )
“Really!?”
Yuzuha rejoiced when it heard inarisushi. This appearance that wasn’t even seen in intimate sisters.
“Good morning. Ara, is Yuzuha also able to change into a human form?”
When the three people arrived at the living room, Schnee who set the table greeted them. Since she knew that Yuzuha was an Element Tail, she didn’t seem to be surprised much. And Shin decided not to touch on what happened last night.
“G-Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning. Then, shall I lay out the meal for each person?”
Was it because of the sudden encounter with Tiera? Yuzuha showed a little restraint while greeting Schnee.
Seeing Schnee, who returned the greeting while smiling kindly, Yuzuha separated from Shin’s trousers, which Yuzuha had kept holding while watching from there.
As for the table, even if four people sat, there was plenty of space left. While Schnee prepared breakfast for Yuzuha’s portion, Shin brought a spare chair.
“Then, let’s eat.”
““Itadakimasu!””
They clasped their hands and began to eat. The menu was rice, fried tofu miso soup with seaweed and tofu, and dried and opened mackerel fish.
Shin thought about whether or not Japanese foods suited elves, but there was no feeling out of place because of the figure that was holding wooden chopsticks and breaking the fish into smaller pieces.
Yuzuha was using a spoon because it couldn’t use chopsticks properly.
“Yummy!”
“As expected from Master.”
“This is great.”
Only voices of praise came out. Even though it was not luxurious, even in the real world he never ate such a delicious meal.
“That is because of the flavor boost from the skill. I can’t be proud of it very much.”
“Isn’t it a great thing?”
“The taste goes up at least two stages due to the skill.”
“Is that so, but it could not originally be delicious if there was no practice. After all, I still think it’s amazing.”
“That is so, didn’t Master practice so much?”
Tiera talked about how the humble Schnee put great effort in cooking.
As for the cooking skill, it certainly could compensate the dish in various ways, but it was not possible to improve bad foods. Because a bad thing would always be a bad thing.
Even if one compensated with the skill, there was no change if the cooking ability was good.
“Thanks for the meal!”
“Yes, I’m glad that you’re satisfied.”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
After breakfast, Schnee and Tiera were in charge of cleaning up and Shin headed toward the blacksmith's workshop in the inner part of Tsuki no Hokora. Yuzuha, who was probably curious about it, came along with Shin.
“What is in there?”
“It’s my warehouse and workshop, and the warehouse is a little special. It has considerable more capacity than it looks.”
The storehouse of Tsuki no Hokora was not as big as a guild house, but quite a lot of items were stored inside. Since it was Shin’s personal warehouse, its contents were inclined to be weapons and armor.
They were making a little detour in response to Yuzuha’s comment, “I want to see it”. The appearance of the warehouse was a normal door with a hanging lock. However, it was so tough that even Shin’s strongest attack in the game era couldn’t break it. It was said that nothing could break it physically.
“Just pour a little magic power, and done.”
When Shin poured magic power into the lock, a light “click” sound was made, and the lock came off. This type of lock was opened by using magic power recognition. The door wouldn’t open no matter how much someone fiddled with the fake keyhole.
He pushed open the door and they entered inside. There, it was overflowing with lines of armor and weapons side by side.
There were swords, katanas, spears, bows, daggers, large hammers, halberds, flails and all kinds of weapons displayed. In a different location, there were full body armors for warriors, gauntlets that were thought to be custom-made, and shields alongside it all. Naturally, everything was valuable, starting from 《Unique》 grade to 《Legend》 grade, 《Mythology》 grade and finally, 《Ancient》 grade.
A person would feel an enormous amount of pressure the moment they entered the room, even if the person was not sensitive to magic power. Although the quantity and the quality of each item was different, the overwhelming magic power given off was similar to the feeling of abnormal tepid water according to a dweller of this world.
If even one of them was put up for sale, many countries would have piles of their weapons lose their value when compared to its prestige. A warehouse that had a large quantity of these kinds of things for sale already felt like a ‘warehouse clearance sale’.
“Amazing! But, somehow I feel hot~”
“It is because this place is filled with magic power. You better not enter if you are not strong-minded.”
“Yuzuha is okay for this much!”
The Element Tail was indeed one of the strongest species even if it was young.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the magic power pressure emitted from the arms, Yuzuha was looking curiously around the warehouse. Even though its tail fur was fully bristled up, there are some things that are better left unsaid.
“It’s fine if you only look at it, but don’t touch without permission, okay? There are some cursed arms here.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Ah, I just don’t want you to get hurt. There is a seal function attached to the containers, but there are several of them that you might able to break.”
“Muu, Yuzuha don’t do things like that.”
While apologizing to Yuzuha, who puffed its cheeks, they headed off to the blacksmith's workshop. Even here, it was in a perfect state without change, waiting for its master to return.
“There’s no problem at all. It seems like I can use it right away.”
“To do what?”
“I’m making swords and armor here. But before doing it today, I have to ask you something, Yuzuha.”
“Want to ask me something?”
“There is a lot I want to ask. Well, lets return to the living room for now. After that, we will talk. As for forging a sword, that’s for later.”
“Then let’s go quickly. I want to see Shin forge a sword!”
They returned to the living room and Yuzuha had sparkling eyes with anticipation. Even though Shin didn’t know what Yuzuha was looking forward to so much, he lightly checked the tools and followed after Yuzuha. As for Schnee and Tiera, who were taking care of the cleaning after the breakfast, it should be done soon.
When he returned to the living room, the three of them already surrounded the table. He sat down on his seat while smiling wryly at Yuzuha, who urged him on with “quickly! quickly!”.
“What did Shin want to ask?”
“First of all, why were you in such a weakened state in that Shinto shrine. And, did a large amount of people disappear around 500 years ago? If you know something about it, then please tell me.”
When Shin’s question was heard, Yuzuha closed its eyes and folded its arms like it was thinking about something. After several seconds like that, Yuzuha began to talk.
“Well, err... When Yuzuha was there, I was having the most painful experience from the inside. It was very painful, so much that I collapsed.”(T/N: Yuzuha sometimes refer itself as “Yuzuha” when talking.)
“Is that so? Did you understand the drawing on that floor?”
“No~, I didn’t know it.”
Shin thought it was some sort of relief feature that delayed the condition, but Yuzuha didn’t seem to remember it.
“I understand. How about the people who had disappeared?”
“I don’t know. People didn’t come very much.”
“Now that I think about it, there was some kind of erected barrier that made people stay away from there.”
Shin remembered that a barrier, around the Shinto shrine, affecting one’s mind had been erected. A person might not come near it because of that.
“Eventually, what was Yuzuha doing in such place?”
“Uhm, I was basking under the sun, when suddenly the ground went ‘bam’, the wind blew ‘byu byu’ and the mountain went ‘clang’. Yuzuha was surprised and jumped. After that, I tried my best so that the ground would not be wrecked apart.”
“...In other words, the natural disaster occurred, and you tried to suppress it?”
“It is likely so, I have no doubt if it is Yuzuha.”
“Eh, is that true?”
When Schnee chimed in with an agreeable response, Tiera was amazed and had wide eyes.
Though Shin didn’t know what kind of technique Yuzuha used, the Element Tail was a monster that corresponded to all attributes. The possibilities of interfering with the natural disaster by some special method was high.
“A lot of power was used while I kept at it, then I took a rest in the Shinto shrine. Because my power could not be held in my body then, I thought I was gonna die soon when Shin came.”
“It was just at the last minute when I came, huh?”
“When the unpleasant wind blew, I was scared.”
When he heard about unpleasant wind, Shin was reminded of the miasma. Perhaps both of the [Curse • Ⅹ] and the [Poison • Ⅹ] at that time, were caused by the miasma. A number of monsters and levels were increased in an area with a lot of miasma during the game. Moreover, to a player, it was a troublesome way to be given an abnormality state responding to status at a regular intervals. Apart from the monsters, they had to drink potions regularly because of the abnormality state, although it didn’t affect high-ranked players too much.
“It was thanks to Millie that Yuzuha was saved. I wouldn’t have gone there if not for Millie’s advice.”
“I will give thanks when I meet Mi-chan again.”
“That’s right, let’s take some souvenirs.”
Because of the forecast ability, Shin couldn’t say it clearly. Whether Yuzuha understood it or not, it matched with Shin’s way of talking.
“Hey, who is Millie?”
Tiera looked puzzled.
“She’s a child who lives in the orphanage of the kingdom. I happened to meet her by chance. If you know Wilhelm, think of the orphanage he is protecting and you will understand.”
“Ah! that guy.”
“You know Wilhelm?”
“He comes over once a while to meet master. But I rarely meet him. However, I thought it was strange that he bought sweets while he was here on occasion. I wonder if he was going to the orphanage, if so, it is understandable.”
Wilhelm seemed to buy the cakes which Tiera made.
“It is because the cakes that Tiera makes are delicious, right?”
“No, it is because it’s cheap. Master’s cake are more delicious. Even the king’s messenger has come to purchase it. Because I learned mine in an elf’s village, it is only fine.”
They praised each other, although both of them seemed delicious.
“When you said learned it in an elf’s village, which one was it?”
“Uhm, it’s a baked confectionery called Cayfal, have you heard of it?”
“No, I have never heard of it.”
In the first place, he didn’t remember any kind of setting called skillful bakery in any elf’s village. Because cooking was not his specialty, there were many dishes which he couldn’t cook or make, even if he had the recipe.
“That Cayfal is like a financier*, huh? It would be nice to distribute it to children because the cake is as big as a mouthful.” (T/N: Financier is a small French cake)
“Though I displayed it on a whim, one or two sale items have to compete at the present time. Because I originally lived in the forest, my strong point is making cake using honey.”
“Is that so? But wait, since Tsuki no Hokora is not a store that mainly sells foodstuff, are there any other sales?”
Shin looked at Schnee while asking that.
“Because Shin was absent, there are a few items for sale. I am an amateur with smithery, and for replenishing the goods, only Shin can open the storehouse where the arms were kept.”
Therefore, Schnee had to replenish unskilled stock from somewhere, and it seemed difficult to replenish goods because of competition over that right. It was only natural that if the maker went missing, there would be a shortage of inventory.
“How should I say it...I’m sorry. Schnee is doing a good job to keep the store open.”
“Even if it is open, there aren’t many things that are able to be put up for sale.”
“...That’s true. Even if it’s open, it won’t solve anything.”
During the game era, the store was barely continuing in business. It was no wonder.
“When I have time, I will replenish the stock with the ones I have saved.”
“Roger that. By the way, the talks have derailed from the subject. Yuzuha, can we continue?”
“Yup. But, because I was in the Shinto shrine the whole time, I don’t know more than you already know.”
The interference to the natural disaster, it seemed to be an impossible task, even to an Element Tail. Although it said that it didn’t know about the world’s situation, because it made a great effort to decrease the damage of the natural phenomenon since the Dusk of the Majesty, there’s no reason to blame it.
“I see, tell me when you recall something, just in case.”
“Yes, I understand~ Umm, Tiera-onee-chan, that Cayfal just now, is it done yet?”
When the conversation settled down, Yuzuha asked about the pastry matter to Tiera. Was it interested in it that much? Even the things about the smithy was forgotten. As Yuzuha approached Tiera, its tail shook with flutters.
Such an appearance also suited its age.
“Excuse me, but there is one more thing. I have to talk to Shin.”
“...What?”
Though Schnee was in a serious mood; it was different from a while ago, as she put a stop to the air trying to clear.
She appeared to have been looking for the right time to begin the talk.
“Actually, there is a person I would like you to meet. I understand that you may have various things to investigate, but please make this the first priority this time.”
“Then, who is this person you want me to meet?”
Shin felt like it was a rush from Schnee’s tone. It was like something was running out of time, such a feeling of impatience.
He corrected his sitting posture, and waited for Schnee’s words.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to meet again immediately, so I didn’t talk about it yesterday, but the person I want you to meet is Girard.”
“Girard huh?...No, wait, is it really Girard?”
Girard was the no. 3 support character of Shin. A High Beast. But, it had been more than 500 years since the Dusk of the Majesty, it should be impossible to meet Girard.
“...Is he still alive?”
Although he was called a High Beast, he didn’t have a long lifespan. Humans, Beasts, and Dwarves were said to live a long life if they lived for 100 years.
In contrast to these 3 races that have short lives, such races like Elves, Pixies, Dragnils and Lords were said to be a long-lived species.
Even though High Beasts and High Dwarfs were a superior race, still, it should be 150 years at most.
Although a beast’s length of life depends on the animal which became the model, Girard’s model was a relatively orthodox wolf among the choices. It wasn't a model for long living especially.
Certainly, he heard the thing about Girard becoming a king. However, because that was a fairly old story, Shin never thought that Girard was still alive.
“Yes. But...I think he has a few days left and it will not be that much longer anymore.”
Schnee personally didn’t know why Girard was still alive until today.
But she was certain about one thing.
“He too, was waiting for Shin.”
As Schnee was, Girard also was waiting for Shin.
“He himself doesn’t know how he could live this long. There is likely some meaning, since he is alive.”
He didn’t seem to feel too much fear from the approaching death either since his body should already be dead.
“Actually, even if there’s no Girard, the alliance can continue functioning. The current beast king is the eighth generation, that not only has military power, but he also has the ability as a ruler.”
Falnido Beast Alliance was formed by bundling up every beastman tribe. It was built by Girard during the confusion that struck the world.
And then, as for the first beast king, it was Shin’s support character, a no. 3 of High Beast origin.
Girard Estaria.
The appearance that Shin remembered, when he was in a normal human form, was a man of about 40, characterized with an unkempt beard and brown hair that was trimmed short. Handsome men and beautiful women would be wretched, because this appearance of a wild middle-aged man was good. When Girard was fully armed, the charisma that was felt around him could be called a veteran warrior, Shin took pride at that time for not making a wrong choice.
When in combat, Girard went into werewolf mode, a figure that swooped down upon his prey, exactly like a hunter.
He specialized in close ranged combat and paired up with the no. 4 support character, Shibaid, a High Dragnil, to serve as an advance guard party. Although his offensive power from magic skills was low, it was compensated with agile movement, and perfected with hand-based martial arts skills. He could fight on par with Schnee, and would win under certain conditions.
The figure that used to strike his fist against enemies with a roar, was reproduced instantly in Shin’s mind, as he remembered it properly.
“After hearing that, we can’t afford not to go. Where is Girard’s place?”
“When we exited from the Wraith Plains the other day, just go further north ahead instead. The alliance extends over the plains and forest area, it is next to a capital city that is said to be ruled by a human king. There are 4 big villages like the capital city, and the Girard is in the village of the dog clan where the current beast king is.”
‘I see. Although I heard it roughly, there is no danger before arriving there, right?”
“Yes, I think it will be safe for at least another several more years. Because the person in question has not weakened that much too.”
“Then, should I go normally?”
Shin was going to use his trump card for long-range transfer if he was really driven into a corner, but it somehow seemed to be all right.
“Then, because there are several things I want to check, let’s leave after I am finished. I have to be ready too, will both of you be alright for tomorrow?”
“I’m all right anytime~”
“I wonder if I’m good since I’ve always been the sort of ‘stay at home caretaker’.”
Shin asked Yuzuha and Tiera, who had taken the role of listener. Basically, Tiera was entrusted for house-watching because of Schnee always being away from home, and she thought she would do the same this time too.
“Tiera, you will also go this time.”
“Eh! Me too?”
Tiera was surprised to hear from Schnee that she was also going.
“Because Shin has returned, there’s no need to stick to this place anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s the strong point of owning a personal store.”
“Um, is it okay to leave this store alone?”
Schnee smiled wrily at Tiera’s question.
“No problem. Because he will carry it away.”
“Carry it...away?”
What did she say, Tiera had an expression of not understanding. Surely, there were few people who could understand immediately when Schnee said, “Carry the store.”
“I can take it. This store.”
“...Eto, what do you mean by that?”
It was understandable that Tiera couldn’t comprehend what Shin was trying to say. No matter how one looked at it, he couldn’t easily carry the store, was what she was probably thinking.
“Is it unusual now? To carry a store or a house?”
“It’s not nonexistent, but without an expert in that field, it would not be known. As far as I know, it needs quite a large sum of money to be attached even to a small hut.”
Although it was common technology during the game era, as usual, Shin didn’t know what happened under the present situation. When he heard about it from Schnee, he understood that it was treated like a special technique.
From seeing Tiera’s reaction, the production skills seemed to have suffered a steep decline.
“Indeed. Then, it’s only natural that Tiera doesn’t know about it, huh? Then, are arts more mainstream than skills now? Is the production system too?”
“Yes. The production system is also divided by arts and skills. After the Dusk of the Majesty, people tried to restore the skills, and from trial and error, arts were born. It’s the same as the combat system, where the effects are lower than a skill.”
“I knew it.”
If it was said in a game style, they were trying to reproduce the skill without the system assistance. Normally nothing would happen, but here was a different world. Perhaps, an effect, such as a portion of the skill was produced, and it was called arts. As for a blacksmith, because there were techniques that could never be reproduced by simple physical work, it must not be an ‘off the mark’ guess.
“Since the new generation, like me, thought arts were the standard, it’s deviated from Shin and Master by all means. Were people with the same class as Master common before the Dusk of the Majesty? I can’t imagine what kind of world that was.”
“Well it had its own way, but there were not many people who had the same class as Schnee, right?”
“Still, it can’t be counted with the number of fingers on both hands, don’t you agree? It was so beyond scary that I’m amazed from that time. Those kind of people fighting were heard everywhere, and how such a society was able to maintain itself in such situation.”
“In that situation, it was managed properly, and when a guy went too far they would get expelled.”
Malignant players were reported to GM’s and had their account deleted, but because he couldn’t say that, he got by with similar words. If there really was such a world, it ought to have perished a long time ago.
“How was it able to be managed?”
“That was because there were various people cooperating in that situation. Leaving that aside, what do you mean by a “new generation” that you said a while ago, Tiera?”
“Ah that matter? It’s simple. It is a ‘new generation’ for people who were born after the Dusk of the Majesty, a person who was born before the Dusk of the Majesty and is still alive is called the ‘old generation’. It was first said by someone when the country was founded after the Dusk of the Majesty, and lasted until now. Though I think as a new generation, I obviously feel inferior when I see Master and other older generations.”
As Tiera said, an old generation was certainly superior when looking at the ability.
Shin and Schnee were good examples. However, if the skill was excluded, it didn’t mean that the old generation was high in ability.
“There are gaps in ability between the different generations, but I’m not too conscious of differences between the old and new. However, I clearly feel the generation differences from Shin and Master.”
“Not generation differences!”
To tell the truth, a piece of the generation differences didn’t make sense to Shin.
“Such recognition is all right I guess.”
Since it was already established, there didn’t seem to be any harm or anything. Although it appears to have some exceptions.
“Let’s return to the talk that had derailed away for the time being. I said it a while ago here, but Tsuki no Hokora is a store that can be moved. Because of that, I intend for the two of you to act together. In addition, Tiera is able to go out without much trouble now and I thought it would be good to take a trip. Ah, of course there is a choice, do you want to stay?”
He wouldn’t force her, against her will, to come along with him. And there was no reason he must take Tsuki no Hokora with him.
“If that’s the case, I will follow you. Though I did go out from here several times, it was still a little scary for me to enter the kingdom yet. But I think it’s all right if it were with Shin and Master together.”
“It’s decided then.”
“Everyone will be together~!”
All of them nodded at Yuzuha’s remark.
“Let’s move for preparation immediately!”
In addition to Tiera and Schnee, they aimed to meet an old friend at Falnido Beast Alliance.
The anticipated reunion and parting, Shin had decided the destination.
What was waiting for them thereupon, no one knows.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3 (Side Story)
As she felt the morning light warming up her chest, Schnee woke up.
(Here is…)
She remembered yesterday’s event vaguely in her head. The things where Shin returned. The situation where Wilhelm and Rashia were surprised. The time when they sat down at the dining table in Tsuki no Hokora.
“If I’m not mistaken, I definitely put Tiera in my bed...Eh!!?”
As she muttered that, she noticed that there was somebody next to her. She was also holding somebody’s arm.
“EH? S-Shin!?”
She desperately suppressed the loud voice which came close to shouting. Schnee confirmed that it was her master’s arm that she had been holding.
The curly black hair. The deep black eyes under the closed eyelids, it was something that Schnee knew well.
That person was Shin, the master of Tsuki no Hokora.
“Huh!?”
The state of their bodies being so close and the sensation of their skin touching each other, caused Schnee’s face to turn red. Even she herself was aware of her ears turning bright red. She was aware that she had been intoxicated last night.
However, she never thought that she would do something like step into Shin’s bed in a natural fashion while being drunk.
“W-What a blunder…”
While her face was flushed red, she reproached herself, since she never had the intention of releasing Shin’s arm.
When she got out of the bed without waking Shin up, she let out a small breath. The reason was that she didn’t know when Shin would wake up. If Shin was to wake now, she couldn’t come up with any excuses.
Somehow she restrained her desire of wanting to look at Shin’s sleeping face, and she left the room.
After changing her clothes in her own room, she washed her face and cleared her consciousness. She felt refreshed due to the cold water, and her reflection no longer showed her face flushed red from a little while ago.
“First of all, I will prepare breakfast.”
As for the time, it was only a little past 5:30. Because she always finished tidying up before 7:00, this was pretty much her daily routine.
Schnee went to the kitchen, and as she looked at the fridge’s contents to decide the menu, Tiera came over.
“Ah, Master, good morning.”
“Good morning, you were quite drunk yesterday, are you okay now?”
“Uhh...I caused an inconvenience last night. For the time being, I have no hangover.”
Tiera seemed to remember, and she apologized while dropping her shoulders.
“Then, please help with the preparation for breakfast. Because it is likely that we will need to prepare portions for 4 people.”
“Yes...huh? For 4 people?”
“Well, just in case.”
“Ah, I see.”
Tiera seemed to have some doubts about the 4 people part, but she obediently wore the apron and began to help. Schnee also put on her favorite apron. Schnee’s was light blue, and Tiera’s was light green.
“What would you like for the menu this morning?”
“Let’s go with a Japanese-style meal. For the other ingredient beside the miso soup, take out the treasured fish.”
“Huh!? Master, don’t tell me, it’s THAT?”
Tiera couldn’t hide her surprise due to Schnee words. That super high-quality ingredient was said to be worth a large amount of Jul white gold coins. The name of the ingredient was ‘Diamond Horse Mackerel’. The special food was opened and dried in the sun, and it was best to be used at this time. In other words, the breakfast at Tsuki no Hokora today was the dried and opened horse mackerel, along with the miso soup which is a must in Japanese cuisine.
As for the Diamond Horse Mackerel, it was a fish type monster, like the horse mackerel, and had scales that shined like a diamond. However, regardless of its appearance, it boasted a strength level of 450 - 600. They were usually found in a school. It was a monster that ate low-level Krakens and a shark type monster that exceeded level 500 instead of normal bait. Only a few were caught, when they weakened and got lost from their school, and occasionally ended up on the market.
Among the food ingredients from the sea, it was recognized as a high-class food material with a tremendous price. What would happen if such a Diamond Horse Mackerel was processed with Schnee’s cooking skill? It was already needless to say.
“Though the mackerel has the appearance of a dried and opened fish, somehow it is sparkling.”
With the keen sense of an elf, Tiera seemed to have caught the hidden life force in the horse mackerel.
“Now then, I will prepare the miso soup first. Tiera, please cook the rice.”
“Ah, yes.”
The fish, which emitted the shine of a diamond, was first put on a plate, and Schnee took out the ingredients for the miso soup. The ingredients were miso paste, wakame seaweed, and three kinds of fried tofu. It was said to be a classic style with Dashi* and dried bonito and kelp. (T/N: Japanese soup stock)
“Master, the rice is ready.”
Tiera who finished preparing quickly called out to her master. Because it was obvious that she cooked her own meals when Schnee was away, Tiera too could prepare basic dishes. She didn’t need much time in preparation for cooking rice either. The magic stove was ignited, and the preparation was complete. In a few minutes, the aroma of the boiling soup stock from the miso began to fill the inside of the room. For Schnee, it was a smell she was very familiar with nowadays.
It was already past 6:00 at the time. It was time for breakfast soon.
Suddenly Tiera opened her mouth.
“Master, may I go outside for a moment?”
“Since the mackerel is almost roasted, try to make it brief.”
“Yes...I will return in about 10 minutes.”
Tiera excused herself from Schnee and headed toward the doorway of the store. What was Tiera going to do? Schnee knew and encouraged her. This was because Tiera needed to get over the final defense line with her own power.
Tiera opened the door and went out. Then, the morning sunlight enveloped Tiera gently.
“This time, it’s still only a little chilly.”
Was it the remnant of the night? She felt the air was still cold with her thin clothes. Tiera then walked slowly toward the boundary of the magic barrier that was erected around Tsuki no Hokora.
“It’s alright...it’s alright…”
As she approached the boundary, Tiera felt her heart beating rapidly. Shin was together with her when she went out for the first time. And she was able to come forth alone on the second time around.
Still, the fear that lasted 100 years was cultivated and wouldn’t disappear so easily. She might get attacked again by monsters if she went out. In addition, someone else might fall victim to it, again. That sort of unreasonable idea clung to her.
Schnee certainly noticed it, because she encouraged Tiera to keep at it.
While regaining her breath, Tiera advanced forward step by step. She already understood that there was nothing ahead. If there was experience, Tiera was able to advance beyond that.
She recalled the hand that Shin held out. In order to grasp that hand, Tiera stepped forward outside of the boundary.
“.........”
She stayed in that place for about 1 minute, and confirmed that there was no change in the surroundings. While it may be true that she was outside of the boundary, there was nothing that abruptly appeared or anything unusual. However, she still felt that the air that surrounded her was unusual.
“...Phew. After all, I’m still nervous.”
Together with her voice, she entered the barrier again. Once again, this was obviously only for her to get used to the outside.
“Now then, let’s do this quickly.”
Aiming toward the corner of the trees that surround Tsuki no Hokora, Tiera began to walk. She moved until there was grass that grew thickly to about the height of Tiera’s waist, and went around sideways there.
A blooming flower with an appearance that was similar to a Cosmos flower, was in Tiera’s line of sight. Only its shape was similar, the flower’s petals were varied in manner, such as, red, blue, green, and purple.
The name of the flower was ‘Repika’. According to the elves' belief, the flower had a meaning of gratitude and sincerity. When she was not yet able to come outside of the barrier, Tiera knew when it would bloom at this place in the current season. She didn’t look after the store for 100 years just for show. From the windows of the store, she looked casually at the blooming Repika.
Though she could see and was unable to touch it, those things were in the past now. She picked several flowers to decorate the dining table, and returned to the store.
“Flower vase, which flower vase~~”
“Have you become accustomed to it a little?”
Schnee called out to Tiera who was searching for a vase with a reasonable size.
“Somehow or another, though it is only a little.”
Tiera replied with a calm face, and Schnee had a gentle smile on her face. From her words, there was no sign of overdoing things.
“...It will be ready soon. Please go and wake Shin.”
“Understood.”
Schnees’ smile deepened a little as she sent off Tiera. The figure of Tiera disappeared into the depths of the passage and after a while, a sound of something falling was heard by Schnee.
Before long, the appearance of Shin and Tiera turned up, and then a young girl with fox ears and silver hair.
Though Schnee was extremely embarrassed when she recalled that they laid in bed together last night, she managed to keep herself calm somehow. She just hoped that Shin would say nothing. On the corner of the table, in that little noisy situation, a Repika flower watched the scene.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][Armaell]/f001.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
Shin, who let the young fox sit quietly on top of his head, walked toward the town. After he told the fox “retract your claws back into your paws” repeatedly, the young fox finally settled down. The claws that struck his face until then caused him to stagger.
As a result of having followed the request of the orphanage girl, Millie, a massive amount of Skull Faces were defeated by Shin. And he saved the young fox from the Shinto shrine, which became a battlefield. The forest, after the battle ended, became full of noise from living things, unlike when he first came to the shrine.
Possibly when Shin headed toward the shrine, the group of Skull Faces were already approaching, and the animals went into hiding. But the crowd of Skull Faces were indeed too many for it to occur naturally.
The number of undead appearances popping from tombs or underground dungeon areas might be caused by hazardous swirling miasma. He sighed while advancing forward, because if he didn’t report this, it would be bad.
First of all, how to conceal the Element Tail…while thinking about that, he called out to the young fox which was leisurely resting on top of his head.
“Hey, let’s have a discussion.”
“Kuu?”
The bark with question mark came from the young fox. From the communication a little while ago, it was already revealed that the young fox understood what Shin was saying.
“Because it is bad if your true identity was exposed, do you want to form a contract with me?”
The contract in this case was the partner contract that tamers make.
――Taming. Unlike the summoner who was able to make contracts with numerous summoned beasts without restriction, the tamer was able to do partner contracts only up to 5 per person. However, for other jobs than tamer, it was only possible to do partner contracts once. Even though, he could only contract once, he thought that it was satisfactory as a pet and as a little support personnel. Because Shin had a lot of support characters, he didn’t need a monster partner. But Kashmir, the tamer and summoner of Rokuten, recommended it to him, which was half the reason Shin performed the contract.
Nevertheless. Shin never thought that it would be useful in such a situation.
“Although there is no bonus compensation because I am not a tamer…Your level and race won’t be exposed to other guys, and we will able to communicate without the need of items, too.”
In THE NEW GATE, when there was too much a difference in level and stats, the low-level players would not be able to see the higher level player’s stats. And they must able to see the stats of the player who was the master, before being able to see a monster partner’s stats. In other words, if Shin, who had overwhelming power in this world, formed a contract with the young fox, almost no one could see the stats of the young fox.
By the way, communication (telepathy) became possible between the master and monster partner. While it seemed silent when observed from the outside, the monster partner was given instructions via telepathy during a battle. This was how a tamer fought with their monster partner.
“Kuu!? Ku~Ku~!”
“Really!? I will do it!” as if it said that, the young fox unleashed its claws again. Shin somehow came to understand the young fox even before the contract.
“I understand! I understand so don’t move for a moment!”
He said as he held the young fox facing him while reciting the keywords together.
“I, wish to walk with thee.” “Kuー…”
The young fox answered to Shin’s words. In this case, the contract would be completed if the monster said “I, vow to be on thy side”. When the bark stopped, a tattoo in the shape of a falcon formed respectively on their left arm and left foreleg. This was the mark of the contract which the player created, it was intended to distinguish the difference between a common monster and a monster partner. The monster partner that was raised by a player was basically stronger than a common monster.
“Then, again, I hope to get along with you.”
“Kuu!!”
“Thank you!!” as if it said, the young fox raised its right foreleg and barked. It was a heartwarming scene that would make anyone smile.
“Now then, first thing to do after contracting.”
“Ku?”
“It is to decide your name. Because Element Tail is a race name. It is natural to think about a name for you when you became my partner, I guess?”
“Kuu!? KuーKuー!!”
“And it…calm down! Or I will shake my head!!”
“Really!? What is it!!” As if the fox said that. While calming down the excited young fox, Shin announced the name that popped in his head.
“Yuzuha, how about it?”
“Kukukuu…kuu!!”
The small bark from the young fox fell silent for a while, thinking about the name ‘Yuzuha’. And then it yipped with a noticeably loud and high-pitched “kuu!!”, as if it said that it was pleased with the name.
Rather than a male name, it was a female name that came to Shin’s mind. Because when the Kyuubi quest was accepted, the Element Tail most often appeared as a female figure to the players.
“Well, actually, there is no gender, but…”
The Element Tail was a monster that didn’t have genders, it could become either man or woman and not be tied to either one. Even though it was usual that it appeared as a female figure before a player, he remembered that a male figure appeared very rarely in a walkthrough site. But he never actually saw it.
“Kuu?”
“Nothing. I guess you will become ‘Yuzuto’ when in male mode.”
As in novels, manga, and anime, there was a story such as naked beautiful women appearing the next morning after hugging an animal in bed. He didn’t know whether the Element Tail in this world would appear the same as in the game, but he prefer it to be a female figure anyway. It would be a nightmare for Shin if he woke up only to find that he was cuddling with another man, as he looking forward to an enjoyable sleep.
(My LUC is low. I hope the time when it becomes a person will never come.)
“Kuu?”
“There cannot be a strange good luck…” Shin muttered, and the young fox, Yuzuha, tilted its head. For some reason, he was acting strangely while feeling a little uneasiness, then he stopped thinking about it. Even if it’s called an Element Tail, its body was still that of a young fox. Thinking about difficult things were not of his characteristic, as he was not good at it.
As usual, Shin’s forehead was lightly hit by its paw that had retracted its claws. Moreover, its reaction was like “What happened?”, called out to Shin. For a long time, to Yuzuha, who had endured poison and a curse, a trivial thing such as communication might be nothing but a joyful experience.
-
“Hmm?”
As soon as he left the northern forest, a familiar electronic sound, “Pon!”, was heard by Shin. It was the sound of level up, incoming email, event announcement, and so on, which he often heard in the game.
Judging from Yuzuha, who wasn’t reacting, it seemed that it was heard only by Shin.
“Incoming message. From Tiera.”
The semi-transparent letters 『You have a message』 at the edge of Shin’s view became clear. The obvious unrealistic game characteristic, to Shin who already spent a few days in this world, brought the illusion that he was still inside the game.
“There is a feeling of something wrong because of this half-baked system.”
Although he didn’t feel odd obviously because having seen the game screen through the VR (Virtual Reality), when it happens in reality, the feeling of something wrong couldn’t be shaken off. Is this the feeling when game and reality are mixed? Shin frowned, but it was certainly a convenient thing. He sighed as he had no choice but to get used to it, and opened the message.
『To Shin
When I tried it, I was able to send a message to master.
Though I don’t know whether master has a message card or not, when the reply comes, I will contact you again.
P.S.
Is it possible to send items via the message card?』
Tiera, who was Schnee’s acquaintance in this world, seemed to able to send the message card without any problems. Since Shin was not able to send the message card to Schnee himself, he didn’t think about the possibility that Tiera could communicate with Schnee before.
“Well because she already contacted her, it’s a good thing.”
He convinced himself that it was alright while looking at an unused message card to reply as an attachment. The message card became drops of light and was sucked into the letter paper of the reply. It appeared to be possible to attach only light items, but it was satisfactory and convenient.
“…Is this happening because it’s this world? The attaching items was not possible in the game.”
The game and reality are not the same, and the inspection of other items was necessary, he made a mental note of this. There were unexpected things likely to occur in this world other than the game.
Given the number of items in his Item Box, it would require a considerable amount of time for the inspection. Shin, while thought about it, had a slight headache.
“If Schnee reply something, contact me immediately.”
He replied to the message which included the method for item attachment, then he continued walking. He was heading towards the east gate of the town.
He decided to report about the army of nearly three digits worth of Skull Faces to the guild, and leave out Yuzuha from the report, even if he had to lie.
“Yo Shin. This time you brought something strange again.”
It was Beid who called out by the east gate. There was no formality like when they met at the first time, probably because they encountered each other pretty much every day.
“This is my partner, Yuzuha. I would like to confirm something, when I take a monster partner with me, is there any restriction or something?”
Even if it was accompanied by a tamer, Shin expected that it would be difficult to just let a monster into the town.
“There are various restrictions in case of aggressive monsters or monsters that have huge body’s, but there is no problem if it’s that small, I guess. Just in case, I will have you to write the necessary document for preparation here for the time being. After that, your companion has to show the mark of your contract to complete the registration process.”
“This is unexpectedly lenient.”
Because he thought it would be strict, he was a little disappointed.
“Of course, it is strict when a guy appears to act violently and dangerous. In addition, a tamer must take all the responsibility if their monster partner causes some trouble. And be careful, because there are such guys who start fights on purpose, and demand a payment from the tamer.”
“Ah, such guys exist too.”
“Yes, unfortunately. Moreover, the monster partner was only aimed at when the tamer ability was restricted at that time. The regulations are difficult around there.”
“I’m thinking whether it is lenient or not…”
Because there were people who tried to catch and sell rare monsters, Shin understood Beid’s words of caution.
Just in case, counterattacking seemed to be permitted for the time being if he was going to arrest them with brute force. But the processing afterward seemed to be troublesome, “Do it thoroughly in a place where it won’t be found out if you do it” said Beid. He didn’t know whether it was fine for a guard to say that, but he understood about the monster partner and start of a fight, and since most of the criminals belonged to the monster’s trade organization, it was said that they didn’t need pardon.
“Name is Yuzuha, race is demon fox. The rest is…”
He wrote the necessary words on the document which Beid brought.
Demon fox was a race to which a type of fox monster belonged to, and there were many players who made it their pet in the game.
Element Tail was classified as a first class boss, and categorized as an ‘Element Tail’ race while at the same time being of the demon fox tribe. One could say that it was a higher kind, like High Human or High Elf.
So the race that Shin wrote in the document was not completely random. Though it was not the whole truth either.
“…Yosh, I have finished filling out the document. Please confirm it.”
“…Hmm. There aren’t any problems. Then, the registration of the contract mark is completed. Please touch with the arm and foreleg that have the contract mark on this.”
When Beid confirmed there was no discrepancy, he handed the document to another guard and held out a purple sphere with the size of a baseball.
Shin and Yuzuha touched the globe with their left arm and left foreleg respectively. Thereupon the globe slightly shined, and the contract mark with falcon design appeared inside the globe.
“The registration process has ended with this. And though I don’t want it to happen, in case your monster partner dies or has been kidnapped, there is the procedure of registration cancellation. Please remember it, just in case.”
“I understand. I hope it will not happen.”
He nodded to Beid’s detailed circumstance speech that turned a little businesslike, then Shin left the gate.
Since Yuzuha was sitting on top of his head, the passersby were glancing at Shin as he walked on the street without minding it. Because Shin already predicted it would become like that. Small children and the like, pointed “it’s fox-san” and Shin, were warned by their parents. Though it was not necessary to place the fox on his head, Shin judged that it might be a little dangerous if Yuzuha walked on the ground where there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. Of course, the one who clashed with Yuzuha would be the one in danger.
He endured the glances from the surrounding onlookers, and passed through beneath the signboard of the adventurers’ guild. Here, also without exception, Yuzuha, who resided on Shin’s head, was attracting glances.
There were the appearances of two miss receptionists who resembled each other like two peas in a pod. They were the twin sisters Celica and Cilica.
“Excuse me. I would like to report something.”
“I will receive it.”
Two people answered at the same time. The timing almost identical. Both were glancing at Yuzuha for a moment, but it was the feeling of mere confirmation rather than the eyes of curiosity.
“Well, errr, which one should I report to?”
“I will ――”
“Receive it!”
The one who interrupted elder sister Celica’s answer, was the younger sister Cilica. The diligent elder sister and the mischievous younger sister ―― Shin right away judged from their hairstyle, and he didn’t seem to be mistaken about it.
“…Cilica”
“What?”
“Shin-sama came to me first, therefore I will receive it.”
“Eh, am I no good?”
“It’s no good, I will do it.”
“Somehow your mood is different than usual.”
“What’s different?”
“Yes yes, I understand. I will behave myself.”
In the end, Celica seemed to be declared as the winner. For Shin it didn’t matter which one he reported to, as it was all the same to him.
“…Uhm, the report?”
“Yes, sorry for the fuss. Your report please.”
“Today, near the center of the northern forest, I encountered a large amount of Skull Faces. I confirmed that I defeated all of those within my range, but because a stray monster might remain, I’m reporting it just in case.”
“A large amount…what do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know the exact number because I never counted them, but I think it was near 100 bodies.”
“Huh?…”
Nearly 100 Skull Faces bodies ―― There was the matter of the Jack class subjugation the other day too, so the remark of “I defeated them” caused a weak response from Celica, but as expected, it was not possible to hide her shock because of that large number.
“Don’t tell me it is what I think it is, is it the same strong individual like the other day?”
“No, this time the ones I encountered didn’t exceed the general knowledge of level and equipment. The class is a mixed of Jack and Pawn class, and they moved to surround a certain building.”
“A building?”
“Yes. A Shinto shrine…it was a facility to worship a God.”
Since he wasn’t sure whether she would understand the words Shinto shrine, he roughly explain it.
“Shinto shrine…I have heard that there was such a thing in the Hinomoto country, but I didn’t know that there was one in the northern forest.”
It seemed to be the result of the barrier which prevented living things to come near. Furthermore, the barrier wasn’t spread widely, so it was hard to notice.
“I was anxious when I heard the sound of something cracking as I approached, and at the same time the Skull Faces emerged. Perhaps a barrier or something was erected, I think.”
“So did you find something?”
“Though there were a few things inside the building, something like a magic formation was drawn on the floor. That’s all the features I can think of.”
The matter of Yuzuha was concealed, in addition, he cited where the worrisome place was to others.
“Thank you for your report. Including the matter of the Jack class on the other day, I will investigate this one too. Besides, if you noticed anything else, please contact me again. I might not able to understand it if Shin-sama is not present.”
“I understand. I will come again if I remember something else.”
Then he shifted his attention to the bulletin board where the requests were pasted. When he took the request of Hillock Herb before, he only looked at the G rank requests. This time Shin looked over the large amount of requests which he couldn’t take at his current rank. And then incidentally, he found that another bulletin board existed, hidden beside the main bulletin board.
Its size was about 30 cemels in length and width. It had a handmade feeling from the pasted on requests. And it couldn’t be compared with the adjacent bulletin board.
Shin, who took a little fancy to it, took a look at the requests which were pasted in a disorderly manner. Then, he found a word that caught his eye in the request that was mixed with others. He took it in his hand and scanned it properly.
―― Requesting a skill successor.
―― The one who accepted this request, please contact the church’s orphanage at east district.
―― Reward negotiable.
The contents of the request was seen, and Shin noticed that the request was not covered by rank.
There were requests that were not covered by rank, like the request related to criminals or the request from poor children that were put on the bulletin board, according to Cilica’s explanation about the request.
If one asked why set up such things, the answer would be any person has the freedom to do requests.
“I have a feeling that this is a special circumstances request. That rumor is not necessarily a mistake, is it?”
Shin said while thinking about that. He recalled some of the information he collected while using the hearing skill. Though it was only a rumor, the content made him a little worried.
It was the connection between the guilds; especially the relation between the ones called as the underground guilds and the adventurers’ guild. To be precise, the normal guilds, like the adventurers’ guild or merchant guild, were accepted by the society, and the underground guilds undertook crimes such as assassination and kidnapping.
According to the rumor, the underground guilds were performing purges for the nobles and the like, such as forcing unreasonable demands and violent requests, and the normal guilds were said to overlook the crimes of these underground guilds. Though the truth was uncertain, it was not laughable matter if there was ‘something’.
“Even if it’s the orphanage. If I am not mistaken, it’s the orphanage where Millie was.”
He recalled what Wilhelm said before parting the other day. When Shin thought that there might be a relation with the girl who brought the opportunity for him to meet Yuzuha, it would leave a bad aftertaste if he left it as it was.
“…I should go and check.”
Because originally Shin intended to ask Millie about Yuzuha, at the same time, he would listen to the contents of the request. Shin decided to head over to the orphanage.
-
After he asked Celica how to get to the church from there, he walked for several minutes. Later, Shin was in front of the church.
Shin imagined it was a place of worship combined with stained glass when he heard about the church, and it was exactly as he imagined it. There was a big open door, worshipers who sat on the bench inside, and a ray of light that shined from the stained glass could be seen. The sun seemed to rise from the other side of the stained glass. The light, which shined into the little dim chapel like a halo, was indeed mysterious.
There were two sisters inside if the worshipers were excluded. No figure such as a pastor or priest could be seen.
(There are a few differences in the interior design, but this is certainly an architectural skill 『Church』.)
He thought about such things while looking around the chapel. Architectural skill was a skill necessary for constructing a building, just as its name implied.
Because he was brought up by Cain, who was both a magician and an architect of Rokuten, Shin’s architectural skill level was raised to VI. Thanks to that, Shin understood a little bit about bad and good points in buildings.
He understood that the interior was old, but it was carefully taken care of. With that alone, he more or less knew the personality of the person managing the church.
“May I help you?”
“Hmm? Ah, sorry. This is my first time coming to this place.”
Shin was observing the church near the entrance. One of the sisters saw him and right away approached him. It was a young women with a dark eyes and chignon, light brown hair.
Though he came to the church, he was not praying and just standing near the entrance, which was quite suspicious. Yet, there was no wary tone from the sister toward Shin.
Because he didn’t have business with the church, he decided to ask about the orphanage.
“I have a business with the orphanage.”
“Are you the one who saw the request!”
The sister voiced an exaggerated surprise. There must be very few people who accepted the request she put on the bulletin board. Either that or she didn’t expect anyone to accept the request for her to be that surprised.
“Well, shall I listen to the story first? And then, is there a child beast named Millie in this orphanage? This young fox…Yuzuha, I want to confirm it with Millie.”
Shin said and pointed to Yuzuha above his head. Although the sister was staring in wonder at Yuzuha, whom she had just noticed, but she turned to Shin shortly after that while giving him a cautious look.
“That kid, what?”
“When I met her yesterday, I was interested in what she said to me. Besides, I want her to confirm a few things about Yuzuha and about the request at the same time.”
From the sister’s attitude, was there any special circumstances with Millie? While Shin thought about that, he lowered his voice so other people didn’t hear it.
“…Okay. Come this way, please. Sister Rashia, please take over here.”
After having slightly considered it, the sister who was cautious of Shin, left the place and prompted him to follow her after she entrusted the place to other sister.
When the sister went out through the door, he went around to the back of the church. There was an old building there. The building, which reminded him of an apartment, had traces of repairs in several places, but Shin didn’t pay attention to the shabby impression. This appeared to be the orphanage.
“Please wait here while I get Millie.”
He entered a place that was supposedly a reception office. When Shin sat on a sofa and looked around, the sister brought Millie shortly afterwards.
“…It’s Shin-nii”
Millie who was hiding behind the sister, ran to Shin and sat next to him when she found out that it was Shin who sat on the sofa.
“…It seems like you really aren’t a bad guy after all.”
The sister smiled and sat on a sofa in front of Shin.
“I’m embarrassed if I am suddenly being looked at by those kind eyes…”
“Fufu, I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since Millie became attached to someone.”
“Wilhelm said the same thing too. Oh, I am Shin. An adventurer.”
“This time it seems that you have accepted Millie’s request, thank you very much. I am Thoria Serias. I am in charge of management of the sisters in the church and the orphanage.”
This sister seemed to be the person in charge. Shin, who didn’t know about the personnel affair of the church in the meantime, was convinced.
“There is a little thing I want to confirm today. Hey Millie, when you said ‘fox-san’ yesterday, is it this fellow?”
“Yes, it is. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Yuzuha, say thanks too. It was all thanks to Millie that you were helped.”
“Kuu!”
While patting Millie’s head, Shin didn’t forget to make Yuzuha said her gratitude. In fact, he didn’t know what would have happened to Yuzuha if not for Millie’s words.
Yuzuha got down to the floor and lowered its head, and after satisfied with Millie’s confirmation, Shin turned to face toward the sister.
The sister, who was watching the exchange between Millie and Yuzuha, straightened her posture while smiling.
“There is one more thing I need to confirm. It’s about the request in the guild. Can I hear more details about it?”
“Yes. Because Shin-san looks like a person I can trust.”
Thoria nodded with serious face. After all, there seemed to be a reason, as it was a request outside the rank.
“Having read the request means Shin-san is a skill successor, right?”
“Well, you could say I am.”
Though it differed from the truth, Shin nodded as he didn’t want the talk to become confusing.
“The reason I’m looking for a skill successor is, though I think it is impudent, I want you to teach the skill if possible.”
Shin heard from Tiera that just having a skill could gain you preferential treatment, although it was said that a considerable amount of effort and money were necessary for the succession. Shin hadn’t seen it yet, but apparently there were degraded versions of skills which were called arts.
As the sister talked about the skill, several necessary skills appeared in Shin’s mind.
“After all, is it the【Heal】 and 【Cure】 system?”
“No, It’s different. Those are certainly necessary skills, but the circumstances are different this time.”
“Circumstances?”
Because they were necessary skills for the recovery job, could you teach me those? Shin thought the sister would say that, but it seemed to be different for some reason.
“Then, what is the skill that Thoria-san was looking for?”
“…Tion, it is.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it properly.”
“…【Purification】, it is.”
“Ahh, it is【Purification】.”
Thoria said as she was ready to give up, because she knew she was asking the impossible.
“I know this is absurd…”
“Because it is troublesome, right?”
“Yes troublesome…what?”
A few seconds after Shin’s remark, for the first time, Thoria noticed that Shin’s response was odd.
“Errr…what did you say just now?”
“No, it is troublesome. I said.”
Thoria was having a face trying to squeeze the words, in contrast to Shin who said what came to his mind.
“Erm, to acquire the skill, do you know it?”
“Yes, I know it.”
“…The request, can you accept it?…”
“It depends.”
Shin changed into a serious expression from those words.
Though Shin spoke in a thoughtless tone, he calmly analyzed the information in his head. He thought he understood something about Millie, but he didn’t have even a fragment of information about her. Instead, he got to know about the trouble in the church. In addition, he didn’t expect that the skill would be 【Purification】, but he daringly said that he had the information about 【Purification】. Although he had poor knowledge about this world, he wasn’t that foolish to teach the skill to the sister during their first meeting.
“I would like some time to think about the reward.”
“No, the monetary things are fine. Instead, there are some conditions.”
Conditions, Thoria stiffens by that word. As if she knew what Shin would say next.
“Conditions?”
“Yes, first of all, about Millie’s power. Subsequently, I want the information you obtained in the church, the term for the condition is one year. Finally, I want it to be a secret that I accepted this request. Even from the higher-ups in the church . Please say it was a volunteer service by me.”
The church was a place where various people regardless of age or sex gathered. There might be some information that came out before God, Shin thought. And since Thoria seemed like a good person, this type of conversation seemed to be unfamiliar to her.
Apart from that, Shin’s preference was about Millie’s power. It might be something like future foresight or crisis perception. Shin’s nature as a gamer spontaneously thought about it. That thought, if in his former world, would be laughed off.
“These conditions are the rewards I wish for.”
On the other hand, Thoria, who was asked, seemed to hesitate for what she should do.
From Thoria’s point of view, it was accompanied with a great risk to reveal Millie’s power to a person whom she didn’t know and who appeared suddenly. There was no conclusive proof that Shin wasn’t going to expose this story either.
In addition, she even had to defy the higher-up of the church in some cases. It couldn’t be helped but to say that the conditions were relentless in exchange for the 【Purification】 skill. To make matters worse, there was no evidence that Shin really knew the acquisition method of 【Purification】. And if Millie’s power was known to someone powerful and greedy, Millie herself would be in danger. It was not an agreement that she could consent to thoughtlessly.
Silence filled the reception room.
Shin was waiting for an answer and Thoria was keeping quiet.
“…It’s alright.”
It was Millie’s words who broke the silence between the two people.
It’s alright. Millie said while looking at Thoria. Her eyes were not the eyes of a young child, they harboured mysterious glows.
“Millie?”
“If it is Shin-nii, it’s alright.”
“…………”
Though Thoria still kept silent considering it, having made up her mind after looking at Millie’s appearance, she opened her mouth slowly and nodded.
“I understand. I accept the conditions. However, even though you might say information, we are amateurs. I don’t know whether we can be helpful by investigating or doing something for you.”
“You don’t have to act strangely. You can inform me if someone comes to the church and says something worrisome. The real nature of Millie’s power is more important to me.”
Shin explained that she didn’t need to imitate the information seller. It would be dangerous if it was done unskillfully. He urged that the power of Millie was by far the main issue.
“…Millie has had the title 『Hoshiyomi』 since birth. From Millie’s story, the scenery abruptly differentiates from her normal view. Actually, nothing Millie has said was wrong as long as one did not do something. I think the reason why she requested Shin-san is because she saw something with that power.”
“ 『Hoshiyomi』? For Millie to have such power…”
“Yes…Do you know something about it? As for this title, even I don’t know much about it. And title holders are fewer than skill successors, since they almost never exposed their ability. I only know it from Millie’s story.”
Hmm, Shin pondered.
『Hoshiyomi』 was originally a title which could be obtained from a quest with a simple hint. It was a rare title, but it was not something to be worried about.
When Shin was there Millie’s power, which Thoria told him about, didn’t manifest. There might be certain conditions, but it didn’t come to Shin’s mind at all. Although there were no powers in THE NEW GATE that Shin didn’t know about.
Possibly it might have become the clue as to how to return to his original world.
(Not only the message card, there is a change even in the title, too? Though it was not useless to try to understand it, the title is hard to confirm because it cannot be activated voluntarily. The 『Hoshiyomi』 effect for future foresight is not certain either.)
Titles in particular were divided between random activation type and regular activation type.『Hoshiyomi』 was occasionally activated when a quest was generated, so it was in the middle between the two types.
Then――
“Kidnapping, abduction, confinement. It was too scary if Millie’s power was found out. People who thought about such dangerous things are likely to appear. What about this side?”
Only worrisome words had appeared in his mind. The lighter tone probably comes from his past experiences.
By the way, this time he talked close to Millie’s ear.
“I will tell the person concerned not to talk about it carelessly, so it won’t spread easily. That person is someone who left here and become an adventurer, he will cooperates with me.”
“Is it Wilhelm?”
“Yes, there are others, but he is the best for protection. The people who want to put their hands on the children here are almost all gone because of their fear of his ability.”
That small children were likely to be the target of evil deeds didn’t seem to change anywhere.
Although Wilhelm was feared by the adventurers, it seemed that Wilhelm was not a bad person, Shin thought. He protected the orphanage by gaining fame, whether it was good or bad.
Even though the drawback was that there was the possibility that someone had a grudge against Wilhelm and would therefore target the orphanage, somehow other adventurers would do something about it. Since there were not many things he could do alone.
“Then, because I received the reward, I want to formally accept the request. Is it agreeable with Thoria-san to acquire the 【Purification】?”
“No, It’s not for me to acquire, I want to request it for Rashia. You saw another sister in the church, right? That girl, please teach it to her.”
“Is that so? I certainly thought it was Thoria-san in this case.”
“That girl is the grandchild to a person who served as a priest here. Because if the plan goes smoothly, the church will be handed over to her by inheritance.”
Apparently, there seemed to be some circumstances other than the 【Purification】. Shin had a wry smile while stroking Yuzuha, as it was likely to turn into a complicated development.
Part 2
A minute discussion with the person concerned was proposed by Thoria and Shin accepted, he would have to wait in the orphanage until the church closed. It was understandable because she couldn’t afford to neglect her work. Furthermore, he intended to keep the children company, too.
“Fox!?”
“It’s fox-san!”
“I want to hold it!”
“Me too!”
“Kuu~…”
The children of the orphanage were interested in Yuzuha.
Though it was bad for it to be made into a toy, he asked Yuzuha to put up with it this time. Shin intended to join in if he saw the opportunity.
In contrast to Yuzuha, the children didn’t approach Shin at all. Only Millie was near Shin.
“Although it is understandable, what is this feeling of defeat…”
“…Don’t give up?”
The consolation caused his eyes to sting.
“…Well, to be attached to a guy who suddenly came and had a conversation is unreasonable, huh?”
As for the children, their wariness was strong. They would not trust him, no matter how much he was introduced by Thoria. All the more to the orphans who had lost their parents or siblings.
“Millie doesn’t want to join in?”
“I lose.”
“Lose what?”
“Yeah…”
Though a somewhat unexpected answer came back, the point was that she was defeated by a stronger opponent.
Millie remained anxious on whether or not to jump into the group that surrounded Yuzuha.
When he thought about that, Yuzuha was not able to endure anymore. It slipped through between the children, rushed to Shin and climbed up to on top of his head. Its fur was somehow bristled up, as if it was being cautious.
“Yuu-chan, come.”
“…Kuu.”
When Millie called, after pausing a little while, Yuzuha barked and settled itself into Millie’s arms.
Yuzuha’s wariness seemed to have faded compared to when it met them the first time. And its nickname seemed to be Yuu-chan.
“With this, only I hold it.”
“What a schemer!?”
“Without effort, victory.”
“You are saying something like that!?”
She seemed to have foreseen that Yuzuha would not be able to endure it and would run away.
“Millie, you’re a frightening girl!!”
Shin retorted. In the middle of such an exchange, from a distance, the children started to look at Shin.
Now a relatively serious girl, who appeared to be the oldest, stood before Shin as he thought ‘What’s up with that?’ There seemed to be courage in this girl. She might be a child in an elder sister position because she said, “Hey boy!” And she was not one of the children who had gathered around Yuzuha.
The girl had evenly cut, grey hair that extended down to her shoulders. If the children who gathered around Yuzuha were around lower grade elementary school students, this girl looked like an upper grade junior high school student. Her green eyes were tense, with an -ask something- look.
“…Hello.”
“Hello. You might already have heard it from Thoria, but I am Shin. I am an adventurer. Nice to meet you.”
“Kua, it is. Nice to meet you, too.”
To make sure, he introduced himself again. Was it the result of her being fearless? She introduced herself without feeling pressured.
“By the way, this fox is Yuzuha. Please excuse my partner from too much whisker and tail pulling.”
“Are you the person who came to help us?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Shin would understand if she said, “person who came to help the Sisters”, but what about the remark “us”?
“Because the Sister told us that the place here might be lost.”
“The church will be lost?”
“No, only the orphanage.”
“Only the orphanage?”
Shin, who thought the church and the orphanage were a set, was surprised at Kua’s words.
What will happen to all the children who live here if the orphanage is lost? From Kua’s perspective, it was not a nice premonition
“May I hear the story for the time being? I don’t really know the details.”
“…I understand.”
Was Shin’s determination transmitted? Kua began to speak calmly.
And, he understood several things from Kua’s story.
First, the management of this church was not entrusted to someone unless they were a priest with a certain extent of ability, and Thoria didn’t meet the qualifications. The priest, in this case, referred to a job. Father and sister were similar to the priest job, they just differed in name.
Second, when one couldn’t meet the qualification as it was, another priest would take over the management here. Apparently, the man who was the next candidate would demolish the orphanage. It was really doubtful whether the man was a real Priest or not.
Third, a relative of the former manager. In the case of identical qualification holders, the relative would be put in a higher priority for the succession order. And this was the reason Thoria pushed it to the other Sister, Rashia. If Rashia succeeded this church, the current problem would be solved.
Shin, who didn’t think that the child was well-informed about the circumstances, was a little surprised while he heard the story.
“Even so, why is that Priest not going to keep the orphanage, even though it’s the same church?”
Judging from the actions of Thoria and Rashia, the church was an independent organization that helped other people.
However, the next candidate Priest’s actions were strange in this situation.
“We hate that person.”
“What kind of person is he?”
The children behind her were nodding at Kua’s words.
He asked what kind of person he was, yet Shin was somehow able to predict Kua’s answer.
“That pig is blinded by money.”
“…Ah, yes. Just that alone is enough.”
When a child said an abusive remark, one could imagine what kind of person that man was.
Though he understood that it was rash to judge only from one viewpoint, it was unreasonable in this state of affair.
By all means, there were always corrupt members somewhere in an organization. Shin had a distant look.
“In other words, the acquisition of 【Purification】 is required so that Rashia can take over the church?”
As Els from the guild said, 【Purification】 was a skill, a very special one for a priest.
“Because Shin-nii will help, it will be all right.”
“It can’t be asserted with only this.”
He warned Millie who was full of confidence in herself.
This time he intended to teach by the original method without using the secret book. In this case, if the person in question didn’t make any effort, it would not have much effect, even with Shin’s help.
He didn’t want to use 【Secret Books Creation】, because he didn’t know what kind of significance 【Secret Books Creation】 had in this world. Besides, he wanted Rashia to get used to fighting scenes.
From Kua’s story, he didn’t think that the problem of the church would be solved just by acquiring the 【Purification】skill. In 9 out of 10 cases, the predicament was that it would become a fighting scene. Although it was likely to end when Wilhelm started to rampage.
“But, if Millie-chan said so, I wonder if it’s really all right?”
Kua muttered and Shin asked about it.
“Is what Millie says always right on the money?”
“Yes, although she seldom tells me something about when the shop is cheap or where the sweets are put away.”
“No, wait, that is something different.”
Shin worried about Millie for being seen as weird because of her good intuition, but the unexpected reply about food came back.
“Weird?”
Millie looked up at Shin.
“No, it is not weird. But it’s rather a good thing…?”
Because he thought he should cover the one he should conceal, he questioned if it might be good.
He felt that she had a grown-up mentality, which Shin thought might be caused by 『Hoshiyomi』, as she had seen various things with that power.
“Well, it’s good if you don’t overdo it.”
He said while patting Millie’s head.
Initially Millie showed a face of wondering, but she looked comfortable after being patted.
“Being patted, love it.”
Afterwards, there were children of the beast race that looked enviously at Millie, who seemed very comfortable.1
-
They played together for several hours while Millie broke the ice with the other children. By the time Thoria returned to the orphanage, all of the younger children and some of the older ones were inside their dreams, leaving the other children behind.
“When I see the children sleeping…”
The words she was about to say stopped. It seemed that Thoria’s strength came from seeing the children who slept peacefully. As one might expect, she would hesitate to have Shin, whom she just met today, take care of the children.
“…these children seem to be completely off guard, too.”
“That’s right, and it’s nice to see.”
There was the figure of the girl called Rashia in the church behind Thoria. She had gray hair and the same chignon as Thoria. From her brown eyes, Shin could perceive the same tension as Kua had not long ago.
“Is that Rashia-san?”
“Ye-yes! This time I hope to get along with zu…iyai”
It appeared that she bit her tongue.
“Uhm, are you alright?”
“Though she has a little careless side to her, I can assure you she will do her best.”
This was followed by Thoria who showed a little bitter smile.
“Uu, I’m sorry. It was an unsightly scene.”
“Well, let’s be at ease. I’m Shin. An Adventurer. I will instruct you in how to learn the skill 【Purification】. However, whether it can be mastered is up to Rashia-san. Don’t forget that.”
“Yes!!”
She returned an answer clearly this time. Those eyes showed earnestness itself.
“Then, let’s move on to the finer details. First of all, I want to ask you two; Do you know of a place where undead monsters with high levels appear in large quantities? If not, I will check with the guild.”
There were essential conditions for the acquisition of 【Purification】. Generally, how long it took for acquiring it would depend on the place.
“I think the famous one is ‘Wraith Plains’.”
“Wraith Plains?”
Shin looked puzzled at the name of the place that came out from Thoria’s mouth, as he had never heard of it before.
“Yes. After you leave the country, the plains are located in the north. Originally, there seemed to have been a dungeon there, but a part of it rose above the ground due to the former natural disasters.”
“A dungeon is above ground? Is there such a thing?”
“I heard that there are other, similar cases, but the details are…”
“Well, since this time the task requires undead monsters, I’d say it’s perfect.”
In this case, he felt it was too timely, but decided to not to worry about it. He was saved the trouble of looking for such place one by one. He didn’t seem to have much time according to the story he heard. It would be better to start early, Shin thought.
“So, how long do you need to travel to arrive there?”
“You can expect ――”
“5 or 6 days by carriage.”
“…Ara, Will, did you just return?”
The one who interrupted Thoria’s words was Wilhelm, who had shown up at the entrance. He was carrying Venom in his hand, and was quietly raising his fighting spirit.
“Yo, I’m interfering.”
“Are you the adventurer who responded to the request?”
Though Wilhelm seemed calm on the surface, Shin knew that Wilhelm was openly prepared for battle.
“That’s correct, since I have received the rewards, I don’t mind teaching 【Purification】.
“…What did you hear?”
Wilhelm saw through Shin’s answer that the reward was not some kind of money or goods. His eyes were saying ‘I will not forgive a lie.’
Shin took a short pause and replied.
“…Millie’s title, and what kind of power she has. Afterwards, the talk of to make sure the information didn’t leak with the adventurers of orphanage alumni.
“Is it okay to put this much trust in him?”
The words were directed to Thoria.
“It’s okay. I don’t see him as a bad person. Besides, Millie also assured it. That it was all right.”
Wilhelm, who knew Millie’s power, was like “No way!” as he looked at Millie.
“…Did you see it…?”
“Yeah.”
“…I see.”
Millie’s word rendered him silent momentarily, and respond with a few words. He seemed to agree for the time being.
“Ah, did you settle the dispute?”
“Yes, since Millie said so, I will trust you for now.”
Shin could do nothing but shrug his shoulders to that reaction.
“I never thought of spreading what I heard, abusing Millie’s power or anything like that.”
“Indeed. If someone dares to do such things, I will kill that guy.”
Wilhelm told the joke while waving Venom, but his eyes were completely serious. There was a hint that the spear could be sent flying anytime.
“Mu~, quarrel, cannot!”
“Oops.”
“Uu”
Millie, who sensed the tense atmosphere, sweetly interrupted it. Wilhelm, who appeared to not be in a mood to press any further, let go of his fighting spirit.
“I’m sorry, I’ve never been a patient person.”
“Will doesn’t have the habit of patience.”
“Impatience Will-nii.”
Thoria and Rashia followed up casually. It seemed like it was more to criticize than to follow up.
“They told you…”
“You bastard…”
Shin had a hunch that if an ordinary man felt his fighting spirit, they would be completely frightened, yet Thoria and Rashia still remained calm despite being commoners.
“Well it’s fine. From the various things I’ve heard, in this case, they will receive information about 【Purification】, huh?”
“Just in case, keep it a secret from others.”
“Don’t worry. The information is about the church’s secret, it would be dangerous if someone were to talk about it.”
Others were nodding to Wilhelm’s remark. Apparently. Shin thought the church had a large influence.
“Did you put up the eavesdrop prevention magic just to make sure?…Well then, the main subject. The acquisition method for 【Purification】 is to defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150, while having the item called 【Prayer of Saint Sphere】. Because it only counts the decisive blow that defeats the enemy, I will weaken the monsters first so that Rashia can defeat them.”
“…Oi, is it true, seriously?”
“I’m serious. The truth is, obtaining the 【Prayer of Saint Sphere】 is really difficult, but it’s okay this time, because I have it.”
Shin talked about it like it was nothing.
Though he didn’t realize it, monsters whose level exceeds 150 were very dangerous existences to an ordinary person of this world. Rashia, who heard that she was required to defeat at least 200 monsters, was dumbfounded like her soul froze.
“Oi, Rashia!”
“Hahi!!”
“Oioi, are you alright?…”
Wilhelm tapped her shoulder and Rashia returned to her sanity. Besides, Rashia had no other option but to persevere.
“Oi Shin. I will also go together with you this time.”
“Yes, it does not matter, but she might be more at ease if she had someone with her whom she knows.”
If they were only 2 people, he guessed it would be severe. Shin who considered Rashia’s mental state.
Although he saw Rashia’s reaction, even if it was an adventurer in this world, it would be difficult to clear the trial Shin talked about. Shin thought he himself was prudent, but he unconsciously based it on the standard from the game era.
“Then, Rashia, try your best.”
“Yes, I will do my best!”
While Shin was thinking, Rashia somehow appeared to have recovered, too. Since she held responsibility for the church, she had to get over this.
After Rashia settled on her resolution, the discussion of minor things came to an end.
While it’s better to move quickly, the preparation time for each person was considered. The meeting place was decided to be in front of the east gate.
-
After Shin left the church, the others started preparing for tomorrow. Rashia and Thoria explained to the children while preparing for the journey.
Wilhelm had gone out to purchase the necessary food and goods for the long journey.
He called out to trusted adventurers who were orphanage alumni, while at the same time, walking along the main street to buy the necessary things. It was because the Priest who tried to demolish the orphanage was not likely to make a move if someone was there.
Even if it was the adventurers from the orphanage, the people who knew about Millie’s power were limited. He had to convey all members to be on the lookout, since there was the possibility of a long time absence. While busy, Wilhelm kept thinking about a certain man.
Needless to say, it was Shin.
He met him for the first time in his favorite restaurant and shared a table by chance. Though Shin just became an adventurer, Wilhelm was surprised that Shin was talking to him without fear, despite him having Venom. Thus he was able to recall him immediately when they met again in the orphanage.
He heard that Thoria talked about Millie’s power with Shin in the church, and thought that no matter how he looked at it, Shin was being trusted too much, but he consented for the time being since Millie asserted that it was all right. Moreover, Millie said “I saw it”. Somehow, though he couldn’t say so himself, at least he was sure that Shin was not a dangerous person. Otherwise, he didn’t think that Millie would support Shin.
However, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t know Shin’s true character.
If he thought about it carefully, he noticed that there were many odd things or spots. Especially the remark “Did you appraise it?”, and when he asked about the appraiser’s skill level, too.
Now that he thought about it, Shin’s expression at that time was like saying, “Then it is impossible”.
And then the 【Purification】 acquisition requirement. Shin said “defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150”. And then afterwards, he continued with “I will weaken the monsters so that Rashia can deal the finishing blow.” Judging from the way Shin talked, it didn’t seem that Wilhelm was included in the combat capability.
If what he said was not a lie, then that means that he has the ability to defeat opponents of Lv. 150 or more by himself. In addition to that, he was able to take Rashia along, who would be a burden in that situation.
(Did he really just become an adventurer?)
When they shared a table, he sounded like he had some battle experience before he became an adventurer, and it was not strange if the information for his skill was circulated. But no such information were found, even when Wilhelm asked the information dealer of the orphanage connection.
To be able to defeat monsters level 150 or more, the rank of adventurer would be at least B or higher. It would not be unusual if it was in the case of rank A.
What kind of person was he, that he was unknown until now?
(Possibly, that guy…)
He unintentionally stopped walking.
Words appeared in Wilhelm’s mind. Certain words that only a few people know.
Words that indicated the existence of a power that was not conceivable within the common society.
A person who had kept a lot of skills and knowledge, and deviated from the concept of level in this society, a ‘Chosen One’ as its generic term. Furthermore, Wilhelm had a deep connection with a Chosen One himself.
“A Chosen One…huh?”
Wilhelm’s spontaneous muttering was not heard by anyone, as it disappeared in the clamor of the town.
At dawn the next day.
Shin quickly finished his breakfast, and told Tsugumi that he wanted to check out of the room since he would be out for a long time. The remainder of the inn fee, which he had paid in advance, was received. Because all of the baggage was put inside the Item Box, he didn’t need packing and was able to leave without spending too much time. It was because Tsugumi didn’t want to let go of Yuzuha that he couldn’t depart immediately. Shin felt that it was the movement of a hunter who had found their prey. After all, was it because of the family name ‘Bear’? Shin guessed so.
As usual, Yuzuha rode on his head while he walked down the road where the pedestrian traffic was sparse. He arrived at the east gate at the appointed place at an earlier time than usual, probably because it was not crowded like it was in the daytime. Though Shin thought he was a little early, there was already a waiting member there.
“Yo.”
“Good morning, you are early.”
Shin replied, while feeling a little surprised that it was Wilhelm who came early and was waiting.
The way to know the time in this town was to hear the sound of the bell which basically rang at regular intervals. It was difficult to match the meeting perfectly, so either one would have to wait. The merchants were an exception because they have their own clocks, but adventurers were unexpectedly poor when it came to timing. Tsugumi and Douma said that rushing at the last moment was not unusual.
There were still 20 min before the appointed time. Shin understood that thanks to the game system. Somehow, he regretted that he went out too early.
“Are you always this early?”
“No, I just want to confirm one thing before departing. Just follow me for a moment.”
Shin was at a loss at Wilhelm’s frightfully serious look. He followed after Wilhelm while thinking, “What’s the matter?”. Yuzuha was still relaxing on top of Shin’s head. It didn’t seem to feel the danger in particular.
“Come to think of, where is Rashia?”
“She was asked for a trivial errand. She will be late.”
It looked like he didn’t want to be asked by Shin about Rashia somehow.
They began to walk for several minutes. Wilhelm stopped in front of a certain shop.
It looked like a restaurant judging from the signboard. The signboard had a glass and a spoon combined drawn on it.
After knocking on the door three times at fixed intervals, Wilhelm opened the door. The inside of the shop was dim, but the brightness was kept at a level where it was not inconvenient to walk. Three tables, five counters seats and a bottle of sake were displayed in an orderly manner inside the shop as they entered his sight. And then, a bartender polishing a glass.
It appeared that this shop was like a bar.
“Sorry. I’m going to borrow this place.”
“…………”
The bartender nodded at Wilhelm’s words, opened the back door and left the shop. He should have noticed Yuzuha, but didn’t say anything. Shin thought on whether animals were going to be declined due to hygiene, but it seemed to not be a worry about in this world. He might have thought that Shin was a tamer in this case.
“Someone you know?”
“It’s one of the orphanage connections. Didn’t you hear about such fellows from Thoria?”
“Oh. The bartender from a while ago is an adventurer?”
“Something like that.”
The two of them were chatting while standing, before sitting on a seat in front of the counter.
Then, Wilhelm suddenly began to talk.
“I want to confirm one thing. Are you a Chosen One?”
“…What, is that?”
Shin asked back as he had never heard of those words in his memory, while tilting his head. The reason for his slight pause was due to him trying to search his memory for that title by the name. However, there was no title called the ‘Chosen One’ as far as Shin knew.
“You don’t know?”
“No, not in the least.”
“…………”
Wilhelm observed Shin’s state after he replied, and began to talk calmly after a short time.
“A chosen one has skills and titles since birth, and they have knowledge that is not supposed to be known. The person himself has strength not conceivable for their level.”
“Since birth? You don’t say! Did the baby talk or fire some magic?”
From Wilhelm’s speech, Shin imagined the mysterious phenomenon of a baby being able to talk due to a restart from reincarnation, which he read about occasionally in web novels.
“I’ve never heard of such a story. Instead, there are numerous stories, such as a boy with a single digit age killing a Tetra Grizzly with his bare hands, or suddenly being able to use a secret skill.”
“A person strong since birth, huh? How should I say, like normally being branded as a monster.”
Though the ability was influenced since birth, it was strange to acquire skills and knowledge from the beginning. Though it depends on the point of view, the dwellers of this world surely have said such thing to a chosen one.
“With all of that knowledge, does the Chosen One have the memories from their previous life?”
“No, mostly item and monster knowledge, but the story of a fellow who remembered their past life is unheard of.”
“I see.”
While hearing Wilhelm talk, one possibility popped up in Shin’s mind.
(Several skills can be used from the beginning, has a title, and the ability is high…could it be, the reincarnation system is still functioning?)
Originally the reincarnation was conducted in the temple inside THE NEW GATE, so a start over for a baby inside this reality world was not that strange. He couldn’t deny that there was the possibility that he would be born normally in some family if it could happen.
It depended on the reincarnation frequency, but there were a lot of reincarnation benefits, such as titles and skills inheritance, bonus stats, and so on. Shin thought that this possibility was the highest if he overlooked some of the contradictions.
However, the place where the temple was became a danger zone because of the monsters, so it was hard to enter now, and the confirmation seemed to be difficult.
“Do you happen to know about it?”
“Yes or rather no.”
Shin was at loss for that answer.
He himself had reincarnated too, but that was the story in the game, and one was not reborn as a baby like in this world. But the ability of Shin might only be explainable as the chosen one to the humans in this world. In addition, it was not possible to make an excuse that his abilities were high because he was some long life species, since Shin stuck to being a human in the guild.
He didn’t know whether Wilhelm would believe him if he spoke honestly, and even if Wilhelm believed it, Shin would be in trouble. Since High Humans were supposed to have gone extinct.
“It’s dull…well whatever, I don’t have any reason to make you spit out everything. I wouldn’t want to say either, I guess.”
“I am relieved when you said so.”
“Because you seem to not be aware of it. But to take on a level 150 alone is what an advanced level adventurer does. It seems thoughtless when it comes from you, a rank G.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right. No, thoughtlessly!!”
Oops, Shin let out a wry smile while scratching his head. In this world, where level became the evaluation standard, Shin’s judgment of the importance of stats might be unconventional. Though he roughly understood just in case, it was already found out.
Shin had a little flashy reaction, and his mind was not calm. Even though he intended to be careful when he saw the reaction of Rashia for 【Purification】, he had done it again. However, it was not long ago since Shin came to this world, so he didn’t completely understand the way this world worked. In a sense, it was a severe world compared to the time of the game. It was not possible, even if he already spent a few days, to adapt to the sense of values and common sense.
“A Chosen One’s given name is not known by many people either, since trouble would follow around when their ability was exposed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“…That…might already too late.”
“Oi, did you do something?”
“I guess that I might have had a match with the guild master and won, reported that I defeated a Skull Face which had the level of a King class, and even defeated a near three-digit amount of Skull Faces, where Pawn and Jack classes were combined…alone.”
“…Oi, that’s too ridiculous to respond too. What is this, these insanely strong topics?”
“It can’t be helped I guess. Even I didn’t expect all of this stuff to have happened. Or rather, it’s not that I voluntarily invite myself into trouble.”
Certainly it was Shin who approached the unique monster Skull Face, but the introduction letter of Tsuki no Hokora was the cause of the fight with Barlux, and even the near three digits amount of Skull Faces appeared when he was just saving Yuzuha. Shin insisted that it was not his fault. Especially the Skull Face, where he couldn’t just choose to leave it alone.
“Good grief, although something makes me feel that this is not a joke. Be careful, seriously. The Chosen Ones tend to be respected for their ability. But from what you said just now, it’s like you were treated as a taboo child.”
“That’s only natural, I think.”
“There was also this guy who prattled that he descended from an oracle…actually, the ability’s strength might be restricted while growing up, as there are fair differences from the environment. Well you might say, most chosen ones are protecting the church or the country so it isn’t a serious problem up until there.”
“Is that so? Even if I feel worried about it, but how many of the chosen ones are in the different countries?”
If the chosen ones were the existences that experienced the reincarnation as Shin thought, the person might be able to destroy a country in some cases. It was the number that he was worried about.
“It depends on the country. If you accept published information, there are 4 chosen ones in this country, including the guild master. Generally, there is 1 person in the neighboring countries. In each countries power relationship, there is a considerable difference in individuals, as for the power of the chosen one, some fellows only specialize in combat, and they are said to be the superior ones. Even if Bayreuth is at the top in ability for battle, the neighboring countries will form an alliance and oppose Bayreuth if they conducts tyranny. No matter how powerful a chosen one is, they can’t wipe out an army alone. Even if after they used their secret weapon. So now, balance is maintained. Well, there is also an unspoken agreement that all countries will conceal their chosen ones, too.”
“The countries won’t show their trump cards, huh? Even so, it is difficult for the chosen ones to annihilate an army. By the way, how much power does the strongest person have?”
“As far as I know, the strongest is the second princess, well the second princess, if in melee, the first princess if in magic. For the first princess, her magic could cover a wide range of 1000 enemies, but somehow she is ‘out’ if approached. The second princess depends on physical strength and strategy to defeat the enemy. Even if there are multiple combat specialized chosen ones, there is a considerable difference in the individual strength of their abilities, the combination of Bayreuth’s princess is excellent.”
Shin calculated the abilities of the chosen ones while listening to Wilhelm’s words. Since ordinary soldiers didn’t have the benefit from the reincarnation system, their stats would not reach 300, even if they were max level. Of course the limit was not dependant on the abilities of the equipment, but still, only a few stats would reach 300.
When he thought about it, since human was another race that had high magic resistance, the INT of the first princess who was able to take on 1000 opponents would exceed 500, and even her MP would be quite large. It was extraordinary in this world to be able to use several magic attacks at once. And then the second princess who paired with her, probably had high HP, and one of STR, VIT, AGI values was near 500. He couldn’t help but smile wryly as he divided the warrior type and magician type splendidly.
“It’s somewhat easy to understand. In a sense, the duo princesses are unrivaled as a set, huh?”
The first princess defeated the enemy with magic, the second princess defeated the enemy who approached them. He had the feeling that the success in battle would rise if both of them came, as it would be interesting to a match with a thousand.
“That’s right. No matter how many combinations are made, it’s those two people after all. If similar chosen ones appear and compete, the victory or defeat will be decided by the difference between the ordinary soldiers. Because all countries also have a similar condition, it’s the reason why they cannot easily reveal their hand.”
“I see.”
In other words, the chosen ones with ability probably didn’t have much of a difference in stats. Though there was no conclusive evidence, Shin’s definition of the chosen ones was that they had the stats of reincarnated people, which were around 500.
A justifiable request would come to Schnee, Shin thought. All her stats exceeded 800. He didn’t know what weapon she was using now, but with added compensation, her STR would be close to 900.
If Shin used the wide area magic he had learned before, he could annihilate not just 1000 but 10,000 enemies in a single horse ride. It’s easy to imagine the neighboring countries being annexed in a flash, if he served the country.
(Come to think of it, neither Els nor Celica-san asked me about the chosen one.)
Because they were guild staff, he thought that they would know about it. However, going from Wilhelm’s speech, there was the possibility that only the high-ranking staff and adventurers were informed about it. Well, they were likely to forget since the impression of dispelling Tiera’s curse and the Skull Face subjugation were too strong.
“Thank you for the advice. Although it’s too late, I will be careful.”
“Please do so.”
“Even so, it’s nice that Wilhelm is unexpectedly taking care of me. Is it really true that you are feared?”
Shin talked about what he felt. Shin sensed an unusual gap between the impression that he heard about and the impression he got when he actually met Wilhelm.
“That is because the surrounding people just think as they please, I guess. Even I don’t understand it.”
“But you are protecting the orphanage, right?”
“Other fellows are just not enthusiastic. Even when the Father was about to kick the bucket, that greedy pig guy was still meddling in the church. Because of that, the brats were crying. And a brat’s cry is harsh on my ears.”
Wilhelm said, while grimacing. However, it was probably because of a sense of incongruity he had acquired a long time ago that he felt irritated in the situation where a child was crying. Or otherwise, Shin guessed.
“So, did you silence the guy who tried to meddle?”
“Just that. Recently, I think the brats came up with strange ideas. A kid should be a kid, they should run, sleep, and eat without worries.”
(Darn, this person is a good guy.)
Shin thought, when Wilhelm talked bluntly.
In other words, a child should act like an innocent child and Wilhelm would not forgive the guy who was letting them cry. The title of ‘big brother’ suited him really well.
“Good gracious! You are not being honest aren’t you?”
It was so amusing that Shin unintentionally smirked.
“Aaah?”
“Sorry, it’s nothing. By the way, I am little worried, is it a good if I intervene in the inheritance of the church when that pig guy can use 【Purification】?”
He tightened his face to show his worries. Though the opponent was not to be liked, he shouldn’t be underestimated if he acquired the 【Purification】 by himself. A pig that was able to fight was not just a plain pig.
“It is damn annoying, but that pig indeed possess 【Purification】. But that scoundrel’s fighting power is like, to be frank, a small fry. The method you mentioned yesterday is impossible for him. It was not possible with his level.”
“Do you know his specific level?”
“I heard it was 40.”
“It is indeed impossible. Then, it is from 【Secret Books Creation】 huh?”
As expected, it seemed that he acquired that skill from an item. Otherwise, it was impossible for such a low-level to learn 【Purification】. A reincarnation person ― A chosen one in this world ― Though it was possible, from Wilhelm’s way of speaking, it was different from Shin’s thought.
“The church has secrets, one way or another. Even if there are such things, it is improper. More like, it was clearly unpleasant. The high-ranking priest at the headquarters’ seem to be a skill successor from a conversation I heard.”
“But even then, why is it that fat guy was let loose, is there not an eye for people? Is it the power of money?…It is the latter no matter how much I think about it.”
Certainly, for a leader’s position, there is no way that people could turn a blind eye. Besides, after thinking various things, money was indeed one of the comprehensible power.
“At first, I thought you were one of that scoundrel’s underling.”
“Is that so?, Come to think of it, isn’t it strange?”
An adventurer with 【Purification】 skill turns up with this timing. It was impossible not to doubt Shin without Millie. All the more, she know the circumstances.
If there was no Millie, he didn’t know what would happen.
“Millie too, on her own accords, was seen talking to other people about something. I was thinking about what kind of relation they have.”
“Really? What kind of people does Millie talk to?”
“Are you interested?”
“Millie approached me as well.”
“That’s right… I cannot say in detail, but it was a black dragnil, a pixie with blond hair, and an elf with silver hair.”
“Right.”
While Shin was lightly replying with an agreeing response, he suddenly had an idea one of the descriptions.
(Black dragnil, blond hair pixie, silver hair elf…it was a feature I heard somewhere. No, this combination itself is not that rare. However, one of the three people seems familiar.)
Though it was insufficient details for a person, “Is it that person?” question appeared in his head.
“Hey, for the last silver hair elf, is it Schnee Raizar?”
“Huh? Why do you think so?”
“Intuition…I cannot say, but I just have a hunch.”
“Intuition, huh?”
Shin look straight into Wilhelm’s eyes.
“May I hear what Millie said to the elf at that time?”
“…‘Soon, coming back’. I don’t understand what she meant by that.”
“I see.”
“Do you know anything about it?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know, even though your face looks convinced?”
“That I cannot say too.”
Still Shin who wasn’t able to say it himself, was surprised at Wilhelm who unexpectedly informed him of the contents of the conversation. By some chance, Millie already expected Shin to come here.
“Well. Hmm?”
“You have to tell me next time no matter what.”
“Sorry, please wait for a moment.”
A message suddenly started blinking on the edge of his view. It seemed like a message from Tiera.
He told Wilhelm to wait, and opened the message.
『To Shin
The reply from Master arrived.
For some reason, I was asked a lot of questions, so I only answered what I knew.
She will return home in a great hurry, as soon as her work has ended.
In case you are leaving Bayreuth, please let me know.
P.S.
There were a lot of questions and I was a little scared, what on earth did you do to Master?』
“…………”
The amount of questions became too scary, he thought while sending a consent message. Whether it was the result of became worried after 500 years of no news, Shin decided to meet first to make sure so there was no problem when they were traveling together.
In the place where he about to close the menu screen while having a bitter smile, he noticed that the column of 『Important Things』 was flashing. He opened to see the 『Tsuki no Hokora Letter of Introduction』 shining silver.
“Hmm? …Ah!”
Shin thought about why it was shining, and the time when he met Barlux suddenly crossed his mind. It was said that the letters of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora resonated with each other with magic and was how one knew whether it was a genuine thing.
“That means…”
He took out the letter of introduction which in this state was formed into card. Because he didn’t know what design to appear, he covered it by hand to prevent it from being seen just in case.
The letter of introduction emitted silver light in the state which formed into card.
“This is…”
“Oi, don’t tell me, do you have the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora?”
What? Wilhelm asked what Shin was about to say.
Then Shin noticed and asked back.
For that a letter of introduction to emit light, that means ――
“You too, do you have it?”
“The letter of introduction shined after all!”
Wilhelm took out a piece of card from the open space with surprise look on his face. Similar to Shin’s, Wilhelm’s card emitted silver light.
“…that is, no way!”
“…It surely is.”
Shin and Wilhelm look at each other.
An indescribable atmosphere filled the place.
Part 3
The two of them regained their composure after a while and materialized the card. They then properly confirmed that it were the genuine things.
“So you really are a letter of introduction holder.”2
“I guess we both are.”
Wilhelm showed a little weariness while Shin returned it with a wry smile.
Even with Millie’s mediation, he was wary of Shin…Wilhelm was still cautious of Shin’s ability even with the assumption that ‘Millie’s power wouldn’t be abused’. Though Wilhelm’s outward appearance was no problem, there was a little distrust remaining in the corner of his mind. Then both of the letters of introduction in their hand vanished.
“There is nothing more reliable than this. That explains why you know about Schnee Raizar.”
“In my case, I got it from Tiera. Did you get it from Schnee?”
“I got it after I received hellish training from her. But I was beaten up one-sidedly even if it was training.”
“Ah…She is still that serious, huh?”
Even though it was Shin who set the character, he only decided the personality aspect roughly at the last moment. When he heard Wilhelm’s story, he thought that she had hardly changed. Although he was prepared, it would not be strange if Schnee differed from the game era in various ways. She originally had a fixed character, like all AI’s, but it didn’t mean that she had not acquired something, so her personality was nothing more than his impression of her at this point.
“Well then, stop slacking and let’s go meet Rashia. We can continue this while we walk.”
“Is it that time already?”
Wilhelm looked at the clock on the wall, and stood up. He didn’t mean to stay for a long time, but it took longer than he thought because of the unexpected situation where Shin had a letter of introduction. But it was worth the time since he was satisfied with the result.
While each one of the letter of introduction holders had their own special ability, almost none of the holders has caused anyone else to have a character breakdown. Wilhelm probably felt that Shin would cause trouble for the church in one go if that wasn’t the case.
“Even if I know we can trust each other, from what I heard, Wilhelm is a Chosen One too, right?”
“I don’t have the intention to hide it at this time, but why do you think so? Not all adventurers with a rank A are Chosen Ones, you know?”
“No, it was from the weapon you hold, because an ordinary person would not be able to equip that. Therefore, when I saw you holding Venom normally, I thought ‘Ahh, so he isn’t an ordinary guy’.”
“Huh? So that’s the reason. No wonder you desperately asked the skill level of the appraiser. You bastard, acting like you didn’t know about from the beginning.”
It was Wilhelm’s 《Legend》 grade devil spear 『Venom』.
This was an item that couldn’t be equipped if the player’s STR didn’t exceed 500. When Shin met Wilhelm for the first time, he had reasons as to why he looked toward the weapon, too.
Basically, for any equipment of the《Legend》 grade, they required specific stats to exceed about 350 in order to it be equipped. If he thought about it, the stat requirements for 『Venom』 were abnormally high. But it was not necessarily a bug, because there was a reason for it.
“I couldn’t just talk about it in front of so many people. And a while ago, when you took out a card from an empty space, did you use an Item Box? I heard there are very few people who have one.”
“Oh, so you actually saw my little trick, huh? I used an item called, 『Expansion Kit』, it has the capacity of an Item Box imitation…so it looked like I’m using the real deal. But that doesn’t mean that every Chosen One has one.”
“Heh, is that so?”
Shin thought that the function remained after all, as he responded with agreeing words. It has the function to give a support character and/or a monster partner the ability to hold a large quantity of items, and players eventually expanded it until it almost had the same capacity as an Item Box. A lot of players used one or two 『Expansion Kit』 to make sure their support characters were able to carry items, this way the support characters were able to use recovery items themselves in the case of an emergency.
In Shin’s case, all of his support characters were expanded to the limit. There was no particular reason for this. It was just his obsession about it.
“That aside, it seems that you also used an Item Box.”
“In my case, I was able to use it from the beginning.”
“You are a Chosen One after all.”
“Hmm… for now, that’s fine I guess.”
Because Wilhelm seemed to be convinced that Shin was a Chosen One without asking for a detailed explanation, Shin gave up and said it was fine for now. Since it was troublesome to think about the setting in detail, and contradictions might appear somewhere, he decided to pass as a Chosen One on this occasion.
While continuing the conversation, they returned back to the appointed place. When the two returned to the east gate, Rashia was looking around restlessly.
“Hey! Hey Will. I was forced to go shopping, where have you been?!”
“Sorry, sorry. I had some business to take care of.”
“When you say things like that, I hope you didn’t go to that indecent shop again.”
“Go to that shop!? Are you still half-asleep?”
“Shin-san. Please don’t follow Wilhelm even if he invites you. Good grief…you will have a painful experience.”
“I can hear your conversation! Saying such things will lead to misunderstandings!!”
“Calm down both of you.”
Shin calmed the couple who had started some kind of lover’s quarrel, and departed immediately. Secretly, he was a little envious of their relationship, where they were able to freely dispute without reservations.
The means of transportation this time was to use horses. Wilhelm seemed to have borrowed them from the guild. The two horses had remarkable bodies and a splendid chestnut color, so that even Shin, who was an amateur about horses, understood it.
The moment it saw Yuzuha, who was laying on top of Shin’s head, the horse’s movements stopped. Yuzuha let out a small “Kuu” bark, and the horse replied with a small “Hururu” neigh, and became quiet. For some reason, Shin didn’t understand the exchange of words that was being carried out.
Wilhelm and Rashia were on one of the horses, while Shin and Yuzuha rode the other one. Though it was the first time Shin was riding a real horse, somehow the 【Riding】 skill compensated for that, so he didn’t have any problems riding it. Since he had the opportunity to ride not only horses but various monsters, including griffins and dragons, in the game, the skill level was up considerably.
It would take 5 or 6 days by a carriages’ slow speed, but it seemed like they would arrive quicker at the current speed, Shin thought. Of course, Shin could run much faster than this, but didn’t talk about it because he would’ve had to carry Rashia, who was an ordinary person.
They advanced without any problems, while letting the horses rest along the way. There were 2 Item Box holders, so there was almost no luggage, and they were able to gain more distance because of that. In addition, because they could take with them various utensils, they didn’t have to eat dull preserved foods during camping. Because she could enjoy the meal which was one of the hardest things on a journey, Rahsia who was inexperienced in a travel didn’t seem to be affected.
While traveling by horse for 4 days, they deepened their friendship to the extent that they could speak in a casual tone. Shin and his group arrived at the region that was called the Wraith Plains before noon.
Nevertheless, the plains region was gloomy despite the sun hanging high in the sky. It was as if there was an invisible wall in the gap between the forest and the plains since the sunlight was blocked. When they looked at it closely, there was a deep violet haze slowly rising from the earth’s surface, like it was welling up. It wrapped the plains zone like a boundary line.
Since nothing was displayed by 【Analyze】 when he used it, there seemed to be no effect that would be causing an abnormal state.
“There is no reaction even when I touch it, huh? It doesn’t seem like a mistake that the border line is here.”
“Yes, that’s right. It is said that the monsters won’t chase you if you leave from inside this place. They are forbidden from leaving, as if they are being restricted inside there.”
“Is that so?”
“It happened once. There is no mistake about it, their equipment were tattered in an instant, even if it was daytime.”
“Just escape outside in case of an emergency, huh?”
Since Rashia was there, the escape route was secured in case of an unexpected situation. It would be different if it was only Shin and Wilhelm, but they had to keep the dangerous monsters away from Rashia from now on.
“For the time being, let’s prepare our base so that we can take shelter if we succeed in escaping. And this is the【Prayer of Saint Sphere】. It will be useless if you don’t have this. And then, this is extra. This will repel even a dragon’s breath.”
“U-understood! Thank…hyai…”
As expected, Rashia appeared to be nervous and felt the cold that drifted from the Wraith Plains. Though she had always snapped at Wilhelm during the journey, it was probably Rashia’s own way to relax.
What Shin handed over together with the【Prayer of Saint Sphere】 was a magic item of the bracelet type. It has the effect to nullify damage under a certain value and reduce the damage if above said certain value. Because it was one of Shin’s handmade items, one would be unperturbed even if hit by a King class Skull Face. It’s durability was guaranteed too. Therefore, though it could be said that the tension was unnecessary, there was no other way but to give it to Rashia, who was not used to fighting scenes.
By the way, Rashia’s casual tone toward Wilhelm was due to them being childhood friends, so there was no need for them to act reserved.
“(I entrust her to you, Yuzuha)”
“Kuu”
He talked to Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, via telepathy. Previously it became possible to use telepathy shortly after he entered the country. It was discovered that the words Shin thought in his mind would be transmitted to Yuzuha. Some simple emotions, beside simple thoughts such as approval, refusal and so forth, were transmitted from Yuzuha in return.
Yuzuha, who received the telepathy, got off Shin’s head, and then rubbed its face on Rashia’s cheeks after it jumped onto her shoulder.
“J-Just a moment Yuu-chan! That tickles.”
“Kuu~”
“Full of spirit, aren’t you?”
“Ah…Yuu-chan, thank you.”
“Kuu!”
Whether or not she had cheered up a little, a somewhat awkward but understandable smile was expressed on Rashia’s face. While Shin was transmitting a feeling of gratitude toward Yuzuha, who moved according to his expectations, Wilhelm emerged from the thickets.
“Wilhelm, how about the base location?”
“I have set up the tent in the vicinity as told, but that, what is that?”
Wilhelm pointed with his eyes toward the forest ahead. Though it wasn’t seen from the place where Shin was, there was a jewel with a diameter of around 10 cemels that enclosed all sides of the tent. Even if the monsters couldn’t come out anyway, the tent was set up a certain distance from the plains for caution’s sake.
“That is just a trifling interception item. When a monster approaches, it will attack with magic. Because it was possible to put up with a barrier where the monsters couldn’t go in, it’s satisfactory for a simple base.
“I have never heard of such an item!”
Shin would normally only erect a 【Barrier】, but he thought that he would be doubted again, no matter how much of a Chosen One he was. Therefore, he decided to use an item for interception. Although he understood that a Chosen One was outside of the norm, there was a limit for that, so it would be bad to show a power beyond it. He was worried about his uncertainty of that limit.
While he was at it, he didn’t forget to put up 【Wall】, since the danger was not necessarily comprised of only monsters.
“You are a Chosen One too, Wilhelm, so you have no choice but to consent.”
“Don’t use that name for your own convenience, man.”
“What? Shin-san is a Chosen One, too!?”
Apparently, Rashia seemed to know about Chosen Ones somehow. She probably heard it from Wilhelm.
“Eh? You didn’t tell her that yet?”
“I missed the timing.”
Wilhelm smiled wryly.
“Did you two perhaps confirm it on the day of departure?”
“Something like that.”
“Then you should have said it from the beginning!”
Rashia pouted when she thought she had been excluded.
“I thought you could guess it even if I hadn’t told you. If Shin was not strong enough, he wouldn’t have proposed this harsh requirement, understand?”
“But Will, you said you wanted to do it too, so I thought it was normal.”
“Absolutely not!”
Wilhelm was a little astounded by Rashia, who said so while looking doubtful.
“B-But even if you say Chosen One, the only one I know is Will. I know Will is strong, but I don’t know how strong you are.”
Even if she knew about the existence of Chosen Ones, if she didn’t actually witness their power, she was not likely to understand their true significance. In the first place, no one would be able to bring Rashia to this place, even if Wilhelm put in some serious effort; it was too much. It could be said that it couldn’t be helped.
“Oi~, I know it’s bad interrupting you guys, but let’s start soon. We don’t have time for leisure either.”
Shin who was contemplating the two people, lightly called out to them.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s go then. I feel a little bit better now.”
“What? Eh! Wait a moment!”
Because he understood that Wilhelm was trying to loosen Rashia’s tension, Shin picked the right time. In addition, they could continue happily.
“Now then, I wonder which one of these creeps will appear first.”
“Since it is daytime, it might be a Skull Face, a Bio Hound or a Mad Zombie. These monsters are more abundant while the sun is up.”
“When you think about the level range, the right time is at night, right? Well, now is a good time to get her some experience before the real deal starts at night.”
“The rest will depend on Rashia…well then, they are appearing already.”
They appeared in front of Rashia who was trembling while holding her staff. Shin and Wilhelm shifted their gazes to the shadows that approached them. Their view was limited to a degree due to the haze, but it wasn’t a problem for the perception ability of these two people.
What appeared from the haze were 2 Jack class Skull Faces and 3 Bio Hounds. After seeing that half of the Bio Hounds’ bodies was rotting, Rashia covered her mouth with her hand. It was hard to look straight at it, even for Shin, as it became too realistic to some degree.
“This is so-so for a warm-up battle.”
“That Bio Hounds’ smell is awful.”
Shin drew his katana from his waist and Wilhelm prepared with『Venom』. While Rashia’s resolution would be decided here, she held her staff while having a slightly bad complexion and began to chant.
The Bio Hounds moved first, at a rate of speed that seemed slow to Shin.
Shin stepped forward before the 3 of them leaped at him straight on, which was probably because of their lack of intelligence. With one hand facing toward them, he invoked magic system skill 【Ichiyou no Misogi】*. 3
At the same time, a semi-transparent barrier was created in front of him. The charging Bio Hounds crashed into the barrier and a crushing sound was made as they fell to the ground.
In magic system skill, a lot of the skills were effective against undead monsters, and the one he used was a skill for defense. The HP of the Bio Hounds, who were basically conducting the act of suicide, instantly went down to the red zone as a result of the anti-undead skill. And then, without Shin missing it, the barrier was released and at the same time, he gave instructions to Rashia.
“Attack the Bio Hounds!”
“Yes!”
Rashia immediately reacted to Shin’s instructions and completed her chanting.
White light emitted from the staff she held and shined upon the Bio Hounds. It was the magic system art 【Heal】. Though it was not as powerful as the magic system skill, the recovery magic was effective in damaging undead monsters as well. The remaining HP disappeared, and the bodies of the Bio Hounds disappeared.
Seeing that, Shin confirmed that the rule of monsters not leaving a corpse behind in a dungeon was applied even now. Apparently, the whole area of the Wraith Plains was regarded as a dungeon.
“The next ones are coming!”
From Wilhelms words, they prepared for the next attack. Similar to Bio Hounds, the 2 Skull Faces charged straight forward while the sound of armor scraping together was reverberating. However, they were prepared with a shield in front of them.
“【Shield Bash】, huh?”
Then Wilhelm called out the muttering Shin.
“Oi, can your barrier also stop their blow?”
“Leave it to me. And cut their arms and legs so that they can’t counter-attack once you have the chance! Or I guess that you can’t do it?”
“Ha! Who the hell do you think I am!?”
Wilhelm said confidently, and again Shin invoked 【Ichiyou no Misogi】. The Skull Faces crashed into the barrier which was deployed, but there was no damage because they used a shield unlike the Bio Hounds. However the Skull Faces, who probably didn’t think the 【Shield Bash】 would be defended against, greatly broke their posture. Shin removed the barrier right after he confirmed that the Skull Faces’ charge was stopped, and Wilhelm with the devil spear, instantaneously stepped forward between the two Skull Faces and jumped.
“SoRyAa!”
While drawing a big arc in the air, he used the spearmanship system martial arts skill, 【Spark Blossom】
A single blow that hit both legs of the two Skull Faces and shattered them into pieces.
And the attack didn’t end there.
Without changing his momentum, Wilhelm rotated once with his spear. The Skull Face on the right side had its sword and shield blown away by the centrifugal force. The Skull Faces which had lost both feet and weapon fell down to the ground.
“It’s done!”
Shin, who released the barrier, had already crushed both arms of the Skull Face on the left side with the sword system martial art skill 【Blade Breaker】, while watching the movements of Wilhelm. He held a new katana in his hand.
It was a katana with a crimson red blade named 『Red Chidori*』. The katana’s cutting ability had a lighting attribute, it was a 《Legend》 grade katana that easily surpassed the durability of 『Several Strokes』 he used before.4
The Skull Faces only had a head and torso left, and no significant damage was dealt to its core. But its HP was shaved vigorously whenever the scarlet electric shock ran from the blade of the katana. The additional damage from the lighting attribute occurred because of the weak electric shocks that ran through the monster’s body, and its HP could be shaved without directly hitting its core. It was effective against a monster that couldn’t be damaged in other parts except for its core, such as a Skull Face. That was one of the reasons that Shin chose to use 『Red Chidori』, too.
“Rashia! Heal this fellow in front of me!!”
“Y-Yes!!”
As Wilhelm came into view, he instructed Rashia to finish her chant.
While restraining the Skull Face which tried to struggle despite only having a head and torso, Wilhelm extended the perception sense beyond the his view. He could not check visually because of the haze, but he sensed multiple presences heading toward them with 【Sign Perception】, which were probably drawn in by the combat sounds.
“More will come. Please be quick.”
“It’s impossible to go any faster!!”
As might be expected, it seemed to take time for Rashia’s art to reduce the Skull Face’s HP since they had more than a 100 level difference.
“That【Heal】art won’t do, huh? Oi Shin! Can we attack from inside the barrier now?”
“That is not possible. Even if it’s possible, I don’t know how.”
It would be convenient if they could attack from inside the barrier as Wilhelm said, but the barrier skill completely blocked the inside and outside of the deployed barrier. Therefore, the way of attacking one-sidedly was unusable. However, there was a possibility to be able to do it in this world which was somewhat adaptable, unlike in the game. And in this case, it was not possible for Shin to understand the barrier skill in such a short amount of time.
“Damn, it can’t be helped. It’s faster to beat the hell out of them, huh?”
“It’s not our goal to defeat them, but we don’t have a choice.”
“Wait a moment! Though we are in desperate situation right now, why are you two still composed like that!?”
The unexpected trouble stopped the plan of holding the enemies down, though it was understandable. Even though there would be not much composure when an ordinary adventurer did something like that, the speech that leaked from the mouth of the two people was “It’s annoying to do that.”, although not audible. As for these kinds of things, they maintained a moderate tension while preparing their weapons, although there was a complaint from Rashia toward those two people.
“The monster’s level is not high right here since we are on the edge of the plains.”
“We don’t know whether it’s necessary to advance a little deeper, right? Let’s wait a while until Rashia becomes a little stronger.”
“From the beginning, 10 level rises are quick. Just now it’s 24, because the level of the Bio Hounds is about 60. After that, it became 40 in one go. It is easier to raise the level when there is a level difference of 100 or more.”
Though there was the complaint of “Hey, are you fucking kidding me!!” from Wilhelm, Shin ignored it as he couldn’t spend time waiting for months.
With a loud voice, Rashia continued to chant 【Heal】 although she was trembling, which could be said to be cruel. Because it was natural for an ordinary person to be running away or have an absent-minded reaction in such a situation. Even if she was protected, a single blow from such a monster from an opening under their very noses would kill her. Accordingly for Rashia, she wasn’t constantly exposed to the fear of death at all. For a person who didn’t make a living out of fighting, they would feel a sense of fear far above what an adventurer felt. If mental stress was measured in a numerical value, it would probably hit an abnormal value.
“But Wilhelm, looks like her willpower has reached its limits. Her MP ―― magic power is running out, huh? After all, the Bio Hounds are difficult to defeat all of a sudden.”
Shin abruptly express the word MP in different words as magic power. He had heard the word magic power occasionally, but never heard the word MP which he noticed at the last moment.
“They’re damn grotesque than I expected. It’s a good thing that she didn’t faint.”
Fortunately(or unfortunately), Wilhelm didn’t seem to notice.
“If Rashia falls here, we will have come for nothing. Let’s take a break now while I drive them away.”
“Let’s do that! Even if her level rises without pausing, her magic power isn’t restoring either.”
Still, because the attack in the first match failed, they decided to temporarily go back to their base.
In the game, when a level rises, all the stats would be restored, but somehow it seems to be different in this world. He planned on using the restoration from the level up, but his expectations fell through.
(The restoration here is not yet complete, that is bad. If it’s not possible to restore it by leveling, I need to be careful of the MP amount remaining.)
Since he couldn’t depend too much on potions, he couldn’t do anything but go with a natural recovery. Shin thought about revising the plan in the future while cutting down a monster, because it was likely to take more time than he thought.
The part you read until here is translated from the LN, since it was missing from the WN
though it’s a bit late, you can imagine Wilhelm speaking in a rough, manly way [Edo dialect].
Single leaf of purification ceremony
千鳥(chidori) literally means one thousand birds, usually for lighting related power.[Sasuke’s favorite move in “Naruto”]
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][Armaell]/f002.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
After repelling the group that was approaching, they temporarily went outside the plains zone and took a break.
Although Rashia was mentally tired as a result of power leveling, it was also possible to say that her vitality and magic power were in the best condition.
“Uu, I thought I was going to die.”
“We managed to hold on though.”
“That’s not it, I think the Bio Hound is very formidable for a commoner. Especially its appearance.”
Shin also joined Wilhelm in teasing.
“Please don’t make me remember~”
She remembered the monster dragging its internal organs while approaching. Rashia’s shoulders quivered as she glared at the two people. Although one might say, there was not a bit of threatening language.
“That reminds me, was that the first time you fought that monster?”
“It’s not about the experience, though I am surprised! More than that, it was the rapid leveling up that scared me!
“That was expected since there is too much of a level difference with these monsters. Perhaps you will be around level 150 when you acquire 【Purification】.”
Rashia was a human without reincarnation so her level rising was kind of interesting. Her level would probably become near to Wilhelm. Though their fighting power was as different as heaven and earth, in the first place their role was also different, so it could not be compared.
“While that may be true, my body feels light and is overflowing with magic. Yet I am a little worried that my body has become so different.”
“Normally the level goes up little by little. You shouldn’t even feel a damn thing as it happens.”
“There is no way but to get used to this. Well, though it’s bad for you to attack a weakened enemy, this is for you to use, Rashia.”
Shin said that while taking out the secret book of 【Heal】 and 【Cure】. He understood that from the battle earlier, 【Heal】 art was similar to the【Heal】 skill, but its effect was fairly weak. According to Tiera, it had 1/3 of the skill effect, but he thought that it be lower depending on the user. The damage dealt was too low, though it be might due to the level differences. In fact, Rashia raised her level without stopping, so she was about level 40. However, she still couldn’t defeat several dying Bio Hounds, so it was too inefficient.
Due to such circumstances, he thought he had better teach her these skills. Since it was not a combat system skill, he didn’t have to worry about it getting misused.
“What is that?”
“This is a secret book. A skill, corresponding to its content, will be yours when you use it. It has 【Heal】 and 【Cure】this time.”
“Eh! The skills will be mine?!…I cannot accept such an expensive thing!? How much money do you think I have!?”
Rashia shook both of her hands in front her face. What kind of skill for a commoner? Her reaction was clearly understandable.
It was known that anyone could learn a skill by using a massive amount of money, so Shin’s words were misunderstood.
“I don’t need any compensation if you keep it a secret. I was originally going to teach you anyways. If you have these skills, you will be able to help those suffering, too.”
“And then? What’s up with this stinkin’ speech, tell me your true intentions!”
Shin tried to say lines that were out of character, but it seemed to be too suspicious somehow. Wilhelm’s eyes said “Don’t try to lie to me!”.
“Arts will get you nowhere. With this, we can speed up.”
“You are such a pain!!”
“What a wonderful rebuttal. But you should know better than me how weak the arts are, right? Even with the level difference, it is taking too much time since she needs to defeat 200 monsters. We can’t leave the orphanage to just Thoria-san for days, and that pig guy might start something while we are here.”
It became hard to argue with Shin when he mentioned the orphanage. There was no disadvantage since he knew that inefficiency was the problem. And he was certain that both 【Heal】 and 【Cure】 were useful to the church.
For Shin, those skills were for a beginner who had just began to play the game, to the extent that he felt that it was just petty help. Honestly, it might be somewhat out of this world’s common sense, but he thought about spreading it on a large scale only if the source was hidden.
Needless to say, the main reason he wanted to hurry was because there might be something bad happening while they were away. The absence of Wilhelm, who had the biggest combat capability, was a good opportunity for the opponent.
“I understand. I will accept your offer.”
“Do that.”
Rashia opened the secret book with a timid look. As she started to scan it, as with Tiera when she learned 【Analyze】, a green light enveloped Rashia and faded after a while.
“How is it?”
“Ah, yes. Certainly I understand how to use them.”
“Doesn’t she need to read it before learning it?”
“I heard that the method of learning is that it enters your mind.”
Shin replied to Wilhelm who was stretching his neck from side to side to look.
“It’s true, but it’s difficult to explain with words.”
Rashia mumbled with deep emotion while staring at the secret book she held.
“Well then, shall we go again?”
“Yeah.”
Shin got up from sitting, and was followed by Wilhelm.
“U-Understood.”
Rashia, who was originally not tired, began to move immediately too. A Pawn class Skull Face and a Bio Hound approached them as soon as they entered the field, and partly because her level had gone up, the effect of 【Heal】 was demonstrated in an interesting way.
The gloomy aura of the Bio Hound slowly faded with the Art, but dissipated instantly with the Skill, like how smoke was blown away by the wind. Shin didn’t have to weaken it, as he saw that the Bio Hound disappeared with several heals. From there, Shin understood why a skill successor would get favorable treatment.
“I guess there is a big difference in power.”
“Hmm? Well obviously, those were the Arts, you know.”
Wilhelm responded while looking ahead.
“Iya, it’s just that it’s my first time seeing an Art upgraded.”
“…I’m kind of surprised at how little you understand.”
The two people didn’t stop moving while talking frivolously. While Wilhelm crushed the arm and leg of a Jack class Skull Face with Venom, Shin beat a humanoid monster, gray orc, with the back of the blade.
The gray orc had another name, Zombie Orc. Its appearance was exactly like an orc version of a zombie monster.
“Please comfort those who are wounded, 【Heal】!!”
Rashia’s healing was focused on the weakened monsters. The level difference was still huge, but the Heal, which became a skill, showed a far superior effect compared to the art version. The two undead were changed into grains of light without much effort.
It was Rashia herself, who was surprised the most at the rapid level up and skill effect.
“It seems like it will speed up a little with this.”
“However, to meet the requirements ― almost none of these creeps are higher than level 150. Even if it is daytime, I wonder if it is because we are outside of the sealed zone, how annoying.”
“…Wait a moment. What is this seal talk? I’ve never heard of this.”
“Oioi, did you come without knowing about it? So that dangerous monsters don’t go out from here, there is a monster protectant barrier set up inside the plains. For some reason, the higher level undead appear near the center. The guild is managing it strictly.”
“I see, the effect of the seal is concentrated onto the strong monsters, and leaves the weak alone, huh?”
“The seal item seems to have a limitation too. It couldn’t be used here, I guess.”
Normally for a dungeon, the deeper the layer, the stronger the monsters are. Apparently on these plains, the depth of the layer seems to have been changed to the distance to the dungeon’s center.”
“What should I do to enter inside the seal?”
“An A rank or higher guild card from an adventurer shouldn’t have any problem. Since it is managed by the guild.”
“Then there is no problem. We will battle inside the seal tonight.”
Shin said while watching Rashia eliminate a gray orc. The low-level monsters didn’t approach much now, probably because her level rose. This meant they had to change the hunting ground. Though some of the monsters which attacked, such as the Jack class Skull Face, exceeded level 150 as expected, they were only a few in number including the 2 encounters, which they defeated just moments ago.
The number of the defeated could be counted with the fingers on both hands and were far from the target number. The 3 continued to battle for a while, and then decided to withdraw once Rashia’s level rose above 80.
After returning to the base, they took a nap until the sun set. The surroundings were clear, but Shin and Wilhelm took turns standing watch for cautions sake. Whether Rashia was mentally tired or not, she fell asleep without taking much time.
Shin decided to do some skill investigation while he stood watch because he had some spare time. Since he had already been using the combat system skills since the first day he transported into this world, he used detection system skills this time. There was a limit to how many skills he could use simultaneously during the game, and he had to activate them one by one.
“This is…”
He unintentionally leaked out a voice.
When he attempted to use more skills than the limit number, no problem seemed to arise. In addition, skills that were not possible to use simultaneously before were now possible. For example, when 【Sign Perception】 and 【Search】 were used together. Moreover, each skill effect’s advantage was put together, and the weak points almost vanished. The range of the effect was extended, and the distinction of individuals was possible at the same time.
“The effect from the skills combining was already exceptional. Are there any changes with the effects of the similar skills when used simultaneously?”
This one required more inspection…he made a mental note of it. There appeared to be only a pattern of more benefits for the moment, but he doubted whether it would go that conveniently well.
Besides, various thoughts filled his mind, like did it have any effect even with the automatic activation types? Was it restricted to manual activation types?
The time for standing watch passed in an instant while he was doing the inspections.
The sun set, and the time was 8:00 at night. Shin and Wilhelm judged that it was a suitable time, and advanced into the interior of the Wraith Plains with Rashia. Shin thought that it might take some time, but they were able to advance without much trouble since the haze that covered the plains in daytime was dispersed in the bright moonlight.
“What’s up with that haze? I certainly thought it would appear at night.”
“Well who knows, but from the story of my magician colleagues, the magic power in the dungeon has begun to leak out, though it is only a story.”
“Magic power?”
“They say that the dungeon itself is like an undead monster. Since the dungeon rose above the ground halfway, it receives damage when the sun shines upon it. I think that has affected the dungeon, which is filled with magic power, to overflow above ground.”
“Really? Certainly I understand that as a theory.”
It was a commonly known point that an undead was weak during the daytime. In fact, the undead emit a black aura when they are in the sun. It’s something like HP, which one could see. However, it was released into the air with time. Perhaps that was the real nature of the haze, a grand version of the aura that breaks out during the daytime.
“Hmm, I wonder if the lost magic power is being restored now?”
“I guess so. Well, that has nothing to do with us now.”
After Wilhelm said that, they returned to walking for a while. A transparent blue wall that was set up in front of them came into view. It appeared that they somehow had arrived at the seal location.
“Is this it?”
“Correct, this is the seal I talked about during the day. The blue wall is easy to understand since it is visualized, but it also covers the invisible, aerial part.”
“I see.”
Its height was only 4 mels at most, even if it was called a wall. Shin thought that there was a possibility that monsters could jump over, but it seemed that he was worried for nothing. Wilhelm looked back for an instant.
“Now then, is everyone ready?”
“Anytime.”
“I-I’m okay, too.”
“Kuu!”
Shin, Rashia and Yuzuha answer to Wilhelm’s words. Wilhelm, who verified it, put his guild card on the wall, and an entrance of about 2 mels high and 1 mel wide appeared.
Wilhelm entered first as he had battle experience in the seal. Rashia and Yuzuha were next to enter, and Shin was last. It was to guarantee their safety, just in case a monster attacked from behind.
Inside the seal, it seemed no different from the outside.
However, the enhanced perception ability of Shin, by using the skills together, already picked up several hostile presences. Since he still had enough time before coming into contact with the enemies, he focused on obtaining detailed information on each individual.
―― 3 Rupt1 Raptors from the front.
―― 2 Jump Kins from the left.
The appearance of the Rupt Raptor was a wyvern that had lost its wings. There were no hands, and it possessed a powerful leg with a strong kick. Moreover, there was the additional effect of paralysis on its claws. Its average level was around 170.
Seemingly, Jump Kin was a flying pumpkin. Wait, that isn’t jumping, is it? Shin wanted to retort. Anyways the pumpkin was rotten. Expressions of emotion showed on the rotten pumpkin and it used fire magic skills when it was happy, and earth when it was sad. Its level was about 200 on average.
“They are coming, huh”
Wilhelm muttered while Shin analyzed the enemies. It seemed that the enemies had arrived at Wilhelm’s perception range.
“Rupt Raptors from the front, Jump Kins from the left.”
“You know?”
“Ah, Wilhelm, handle the Rupt Raptors. I will divert the Jump Kins.”
“If you say so.”
They nodded to each other and began to mobilize.
Protection of Rashia was left to Yuzuha, while Shin and Wilhelm rushed to their targets.
Shin came closer to the enemies with a speed different from before. He drew his katana and kicked the ground to jump toward the two Jump Kins.
The Jump Kins were floating 2, 3 mels above the ground.
“Sish!”
Two lines of sword sparks drew an arc in the sky, and the Jump Kin stopped their movements the following second. Shin landed before the sounds of 2 raw foods falling to the earth resounded in the quiet plains.
Thus, with the strike from the back side of the 『Red Chidori』, the 2 monsters suffered a double abnormality state of faint and paralysis. Shin took out a large wrapping cloth from the Item Box, and quickly wrapped the Jump Kin. He returned to Rashia for her to deal the finishing blow.
Then, about a dozen seconds later, Wilhelm also faced off against the Rupt Raptors.
With no hands, it could be said that it was, without a doubt, a bipedal type dinosaur. Its body was about 2 mels and was half rotted, similar to the Bio Hounds, although its speed and strength were not comparable. It was clumsy, but it became a troublesome monster when it cooperated.
“Fyun!”
Wilhelm exchanged attacks with the front Rupt Raptor, while the other two Rupt Raptors together leaped upon the trap he set and were knocked down by Venom. The body of the Rupt Raptors were brittle. Hence, when a bone was broken, a vivid sound of internal organs exploding could be heard.
While confirming with a glance that it didn’t disappear from the damage he dealt, Wilhelm stood against the remaining Rupt Raptor. Whether or not it didn’t have a choice to escape, the last remaining one stared at Wilhelm.
“Going easy on something is so damn bothersome.”
Simultaneously with that phrase, the view of the Rupt Raptor turned black.
The Rupt Raptors had their heads caved in, with broken legs, and parts of their body had also collapsed while being tied by the rope. Wilhelm too, then returned to the place where Rashia was.
“Ii～ya～～～!!”
It goes without saying that a scream from Rashia was heard, from where the three people were gathered.
-
While Shin’s party worked hard hunting undead in the middle of the Wraith Plains, dozens of mels from there, the sound of battle resounded from several figures inside a forest.
“Surround it! Aim at its core!”
“Give the injured potions for recovery! Priests and Mages use the light system arts!!”
“Attract the Jack’s attention! Don’t let it cooperate with the Pawns!!”
While the group of knights in full body shining armor let out a loud voice, they slashed at the Skull Faces. Behind the guard knights who handled a shield, there were a group of people wearing robes and priest cloths while firing dazzling light balls at the Skull Faces.
The black aura around the Pawn class Skull Faces vanished the moment it touched the light and it turned into mere bones. However, no one loosened up their guard in this place. Because the most formidable enemy still remained.
“Guu, its attack is too heavy.”
“Anyone who has strength left, go help! It won’t be possible to suppress it if the number of people standing decreases any further!!”
“Damn, what the hell is that!?”
Voices of half desperation resounded through the forest. Though there were dozens of knights with extensive fighting ability and they were hand-picked from the alliance countries, they hadn’t dealt any damage that could be said to be a fatal blow.
“No matter how much of a Jack class it is, we are supposed to endure here, but…”
The complaint that leaked unintentionally was drowned out by the sound of sword and shield clashing.
Normally, the battle should have ended a long time ago, but the Jack class Skull Face held a strange white shield, that repelled the vigorous attacks from the knight group. Many of the knights were injured by the damage taken from the counterattacks.
The skilled knight who commanded the battle, Berg, was also unable to decide whether they should attack the Skull Face which made unexpected movements.
It had an abnormal upper limit of expert class, quick sword techniques, in addition, the shield almost nullified the light attribute magic and magic system arts that should have been the weak point of any undead monster. Although the Skull Face was surrounded, attacking it unskillfully caused injury and the risk of being impatient was getting bigger.
(With the way things are going, it will not move anywhere. If only that shield didn’t exist, at least something could be done somehow…)
Since the battle had started, Berg had contemplated it a countless number of times. The existence that made the Skull Face a formidable enemy. High defensive ability and magic resistance. When he thought about it, the Skull Face’s movement hadn’t become slower, so it seemed that the shield wasn’t that heavy. He couldn’t help but to click his tongue, as if it was using some kind of irregular weapon in this battle.
(However, that doesn’t mean that no damage was dealt to the enemy either.)
Berg and the rest of the knights had their pride and had gained experience through numerous battles, thus they had techniques. By using every effort they had, little by little, they managed to deal some damage somehow. While ascertaining comrade and enemy conditions, they would eventually reach the road to victory. However, following the situation, Berg was getting ready to call for a withdraw when a silver flash ran into the knights’ view.
As the flash ran straight toward the Skull Face without stopping for a moment, he quietly stood still next to it.
――――Time stopped.
The battlefield which should have been filled with clamor, regained its former silence in an instant.
The real nature of the flash was silver hair that shined when hit by light. Because the owner of the hair ran too fast, it was seen only as a flash to the eyes of the knights.
Though the knights were slow and full of openings, no one felt danger from it. It was because they knew that the person with silver hair had never failed to give a decisive blow once so far.
The silver hair seemed very graceful with brilliant silver and transparent blue eyes. The expression showed a faint smile that possessed both motherhood and a mystique kind of work of art, too.
Pointed ears were visible when her hair was blown to the side by the wind, showing that her race was either elf or otherwise high elf.
Her clothes resembled waitress clothes, but they were not necessarily similar. If a person with modern knowledge was nearby, they would have guessed it was close to the maid cloth type called Victorian Maid. The apron was big, and the hem of the skirt was long. That was the uniform that the employees of Tsuki no Hokora wore. Was it made to fit her body? Or because she had a good figure originally? The clothes boosted her breasts to the bulging point, it was obvious that the eyes of several of the knights were focused on them.
Her attire itself brought about a calming atmosphere. The person who held a dagger in one hand, who gathered all of the attention in the battlefield to herself, was the sole High Elf of Tsuki no Hokora. The acting manager, and who conveyed the skills from ancient times.
That person was, Schnee Raizar.
Part 2
“Wide Heal!”
The voice echoed throughout the quiet place.
At the same time, a strong, gentle light wrapped around the surrounding knights. It was the magic skill system 【Wide Heal】 released by Schnee. A wide area version of heal.
The knights, who were weakly sitting on the ground, recovered without a single wound when the light that wrapped their bodies disappeared.
While everyone raised their voices in admiration, Berg, the commander, promptly calmed himself down. He realized he was getting too careless, so he tried to re-focus his mind, and gave out instructions loudly.
As might be expected from a veteran, there were no useless instructions. The surrounding knights started to mobilize in a rush, and a different noise resounded throughout the forest from a little while ago.
“You have been a big help…we were thinking about stopping and withdrawing.”
Berg formally thanked Schnee who stood near him. His voice was still rattling.
“No, I was able to defeat it because of everyone’s assistance in fighting.”
The words of encouragement reached Berg’s ear. Berg thought that this feeling, that his mind was being cleansed just from hearing her voice, was not just his imagination.
“I am honored when you say so. But actually, it was thanks to Schnee-dono that the undead was defeated, please let me show Schnee-dono deference here.”
“If you say so…however, we cannot relax yet.”
Schnee replied with an awkward smile.
It was not a lie that they should be focused and remain on guard. It was the reality.
This incident began one month ago; it was at the time when an adventurer, who just had become a rank B, approached the Wraith Plains to test his strength. That adventurer was heading toward the Wraith Plains through the forest, and when he tried to enter the haze which showed the boundary line of the Wraith Plains, a Skull Face appeared and broke through the haze a few mels from where the adventurer was.
A monster from the Wraith Plains should not exist outside of it, and it was a situation that would overturn common sense.
Even though the adventurer was stunned from the impossible scene, he managed to break off from the fight. He left the place immediately when he understood the abnormality of the situation, and went to nearest town’s guild with all of his effort.
The guild that received the information quickly decided to dispatch an investigation team. From the investigation afterwards, the condition was unclear but although some monsters were much stronger than others, it was confirmed that monsters had come out from the haze and spilled into the forest.
The plains were vast, so it wasn’t understood when and where they left from; furthermore, it took several weeks until it was clearly confirmed that a monster had passed through the haze. It was unknown how many monsters reached the forest, and to make matters worse, because a control point was not set up, damage had already started to occur in the countries near the Wraith Plains.
It was the reason why the advanced level adventurers went all out when Shin went to the guild for the first time before.
Of course, the damaged countries wouldn’t just sit and do nothing either. They set-up every possible type of security and also set up patrols to protect the people of their own country. The greatest problem was that the monsters breaking through the haze had abilities that far surpassed the commonly known monsters. In most cases, coming into contact with the enemy would result in either annihilation or retreating, even with enough battle capabilities from allies.
Kings from each country that were concerned about this, united under the name of an alliance for the first time, and put together the best knights from each troop to form a monster subjugation force, a plan to calm the situation. At the same time, a request to a certain person was issued.
The requested destination was 『General Store Tsuki no Hokora』.
And that certain person was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar.
Though whether or not she would accept the request was a gamble, Schnee accepted the request purely to protect the people. Thus, she went quickly and participated in the monster subjugation force.
“I understand. Then, I will leave to Schnee-dono the monsters’ weapons and raw materials as according to the contract.”
“Yes, I will hold them for now.”
She nodded at Berg’s words, and Schnee stored the equipment from the Skull Face that was scattered in the surrounding area into the Item Box.
Since the subjugation force was a joint military unit of knights from two or more countries, the scramble for precious equipment and raw materials was considered. After the subjugation was completed, she was expected to distribute it equally except for a portion. Schnee, who had the highest battle capabilities, was also given the safekeeping role, with forestalling and anti-theft by usage of the Item Box.
While seeing Schnee put an item away, Berg thought, if there was no Schnee Raizar, the situation would have advanced towards the worst case scenario.
From the battle just now, he understood that there was an enemy that they could not beat, even with the top class ability of the knights from each country. Certainly, part of it was because of the poor cooperation since it was a joint military unit, but it didn’t change the fact that the strength of the monster was abnormal.
The problem above all else was that there were monsters possessing extraordinary gear like the previous Skull Face. According to the information that had been collected up to now, it seemed that all of the Skull Faces held special gear, but it couldn’t absolutely be confirmed.
From Berg’s view, he prayed that these kinds of equipments would run out.
Up until now, Schnee had defeated a few of the monsters with special weapons, and the knights then took charge with just the numerical advantage. The arrangement was to contact Schnee immediately if there was an encounter with a weapon holder. The situation was somehow good enough this time. The monster that the knights had a hard time fighting with was instantly defeated by Schnee. And in addition to that, close range battle was assumed to be the weak point of elves.
“As expected of someone who stood side by side with a High Human before.”
The continental conquerors, the High Humans, which once existed. The people in this world couldn’t help but to have sense of respect towards those who fought with them. The achievement of those conquerors was carved into the memory of the people without fading, even now after a long time.
The reason why the knights fought bravely was also because there were strong feelings to compete with such an existence. No one wanted to show an unsightly appearance and misbehave themselves, as such, the monster subjugation went smoothly without any arguments as a result.
Several monsters that were in the reports were among the last Skull Faces that were defeated. They still needed to confirm whether or not any monsters had been passed over with the adventurer who had been dispatched by the guild after they had left. If there was nothing, the subjugation force would return. And a surveillance network would spread out under the cooperation of each country and guild.
“It would be good if there is nothing more, but…”
Berg talked to himself, suddenly remembering an unpleasant predicament from his long life full of experience. And then he saw the casual Schnee, who seemed to be reading a letter eagerly in the open space where the raw materials of the Skull Face were scattered.
“Schnee-dono? Did something happen?”
When Berg called out, Schnee put the letter away and turned around. During that period, Berg, by chance, saw 『Blue Moon』 written on there, but he didn’t know what that was.
“No, its nothing. After this though, because I will continue searching for someone, we will mobilize separately. Please launch the magic item I gave you if you encounter a monster, since it is difficult to pinpoint the specific area.”
“Roger that.”
Schnee, after that short communication, quickly left the place.
While maintaining an unbelievable speed, even while wearing a long skirt, Schnee thought over the content written in the letter.
It was the information on the message card that was sent from Tiera, which had written that a certain person seemed to be heading to the Wraith Plains.
The name of the person was not so unusual. There were a lot of people with similar names if she thought about searching for them. However, the story was different when the person has 『Blue Moon』. There was only one such person as far as Schnee knew.
“Did you come back, and return it…”
While noticing that she herself was not calm, Schnee continued to run at full speed. Her destination was the Wraith Plains.
She was irritated because of the time taken up by the monster search. Even if it was not her main job, without skimping on it, it was the obligation of a person who had received the work, so she still went.
Her heart was getting more impatient.
She might finally meet the person whom she looked forward to the most.
That thought filled Schnee, who deeply yearned for it.
-
The hunting party started in the center of Wraith Plains and lasted for several nights. Currently, Shin’s party was still in the sealed area.
“Oi, Dammit, Shin! Pecker Hollow is coming!”
“It can’t be helped, let’s withdraw right away.”
Shin and Wilhelm perceived the monster that was approaching and had Rashia and Yuzuha go outside the seal. If a person was separated by the seal barrier, it seemed that they couldn’t be sensed by the monsters inside, even if they were very close. The Pecker Hollow appeared to lose interest in Shin and the others, and after loitering around for a while it left the place in no time.
The monster, Pecker Hollow, which approached was an undead monster at level 541. A large amount of corpses were joined together by a vengeful spirit to form a large monster. It had the upper body of a mantis, with folded forelimbs like sickles, and compound eyes. Also, though it had eyes that were compounded and the forelimbs were folded like sickles, it didn’t have similar organs to a mere insect. A large amount of people’s eyes were gathered within the compound eyes, and a person’s bones were gathered together to become the form of the sickles. It had feet and hands sticking out everywhere from it’s body, and somehow or another it gave off an abominable feeling. It was such an appearance that it caused almost all female players to approach neither the field nor the dungeon at all.
And most troublesome of all was its skill, 【Deadman’s Howl】. Though this skill caused little damage, it also inflicted the disorders of: confusion, curse, and other abnormal states at the same time. Moreover, the minimum level of the abnormal states were Ⅴ, which could be said to be brutal. Anyways, it would not be so bad if it hit Shin or Wilhelm, but Rashia and Yuzuha might receive the maximum level of the abnormal states in one go.
As expected, they had to evacuate to the outside of the seal when the troublesome monster appeared, since it was too dangerous to attack it.
“Did it leave?”
Wilhelm asked.
“Just wait a little more for the time being. We will be in trouble if it comes back after hearing the sound of battle.”
If the small fry’s were included, the number of monsters that had already been defeated in battle was already more than 200 over the last several days. If Shin’s count was not wrong, Rashia should be able to learn the long-cherished 【Purification】 after one more kill.
“Are Rashia and Yuzuha alright?”
“Yes, somehow I’m already becoming accustomed to it…”
“Kuu!”
While smiling wryly at the answer from Rashia, who was strangely looking far away, and at the energetic Yuzuha, Shin searched for a presence within the range of his perception. He was able to confirm one level 343 Jack class Skull Face, two level 158 Gray Orcs, one level 177 Gel Bison, and four level 249 Ein Jackals.
Gel Bison was a monster which had a slime-like, transparent gelatinous material that adhered to the skeletal remains of a bison. When a person approaches, the gel becomes like a whip and attacks. And then, it melts the prey while eating the opponent who was immobilized.
Ein Jackal was a monster that eats tainted meat. Because of that, it joined the undead group. It had the appearance of a purple jackal of about two mels. It was a low class monster, but had demon eyes that could paralyze its opponent. It was a difficult enemy for a beginner class player who was just getting into the game.
There was no problematic Pecker Hollow in the perception range anymore. Since time had passed after it moved outside the perception range, they assumed it was safe.
As for the distance for each monster, the nearest was the Skull Face and the other monsters were at the edge of the perception range.
“There is a Skull Face nearby, but it’s level is unusual.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s the matter?”
Wilhelm and Rashia threw a question at Shin’s remark.
“The level is 343. Did I tell you the story about that Skull Face that had a King class level? I think this monster might be similar to that.”
“Though the place here is slightly irregular, the story of a monster like that leaving from here has not been heard. However, for the past month, something strange has been happening in the kingdom.”
“…That reminds me, Ragnal-san said that events where strong undead monsters attacked the village in Beirun occurred frequently.”
Rashia, who heard about the level of the Skull Face, took out the information from the corner of her memory. Beirun was a country that was located on the other side of the Wraith Plains and the Bayreuth kingdom.
“Strong undead, huh? It seems to be related after all. And who is Ragnal-san?”
“It is the master in the bar that I brought you to. You met him once.”
“Ah! It’s that person, huh?”
He recalled the silent man from Wilhelm’s words. That time, Wilhelm certainly said he was an adventurer friend.
“Well for now, leave the story for another time. What would you do? I would feel bad leaving it alone.”
Shin said and looked at Wilhelm.
“What kind of power did it have?”
“In my personal opinion, its ability was corresponding to its level. It is necessary to be cautious, as that Skull Face had unimaginable movements. The fellow I fought before had some tricky moves.”1
“We only need to beat it, huh? It shouldn’t be necessary to make Rashia cross a one-way bridge.”
“That’s a good point.”
“No, I will go too!!”
Wilhelm proposed to Shin that the two of them would knock the abnormal enemy down. But as her level raised, Rashia became confident and was filled with eagerness.
“What to do? I don’t have any problem particularly. I think Rashia will be safe as long as she carries the item I gave her.”
The two people looked at each other spontaneously.
“Indeed. Oi Rashia, do you really want to do it?”
“Of course, I can’t return home with my head held high if you protected me the whole time!!”
Was it the result of the battles over the past few days? Rashia wasn’t shaken to see a monster over level 200, let alone a zombie, as she yelled with a high-spirited voice now. Actually, even though the Skull Face outside the seal was a low level monster, it was still a level 80+, and she was able to fight it without feeling daunted now. This was the fruit of the Spartan training by Shin and Wilhelm. It was probably too much for a girl of pubescence, but unfortunately they didn’t really care about that.
“Then, let’s do it!”
“Oi, don’t get in the way as much this time.”
“I won’t.”
Shin and Wilhelm were concerned about Rashia while facing the Skull Face. Though Rashia was slower due to the speed difference, she entrusted Yuzuha and the 2 people to go ahead because she only had to deal the finishing blow.
This time the Skull Face didn’t have any strange equipment. However, the posture with the sword and shield was similar to the unique Skull Face monster that Shin had fought before.
“This fellow might be similar to the one I fought before? It’s posture is quite similar.”
“It’s doesn’t matter if it’s the same. Oraa!!”
Wilhelm, who had a long reach, began his preemptive attack.
The single blow, which was aimed at the Skull Face’s core, was caught by the round shield on its left hand. The shield produced sparks as it was being drilled into. Though 『Venom』 cut into into the round shield, the arm that held the shield had already shaken the hit off, and the trajectory of 『Venom』 veered off.
Then the Skull Face promptly unleashed a single blow with its sword. Together with the sound of cutting air, the sword was swung downward. Wilhelm quickly pulled 『Venom』back and received it. Sparks scattered from the clash.
The sound of metal interlocking sent echoes into the night around the plains. The single blow was not only packed with power but also added weight to it, causing Wilhelm to stick to the ground.
Shin, who had waited behind Wilhelm, sensed that the Skull Face tried to knock Wilhelm down using the shield arm, so right away he slashed at the Skull Face while jumping from the back to the front of the shield.
However the shield on its left arm split into two at the same time as a “Kin” sound was heard. If its reaction had been any slower after the flash, its left foot would have been cut in an instant. It was able to minimize the damage dealt at the expense of one arm, which was usually unthinkable for a normal Skull Face.
“I see, this bone bastard really is able to move surprisingly different from the usual ones, isn’t it?”
Wilhelm, who witnessed its movement, sneered while baring his fanged teeth.
In the case of the Skull Face, if the core remained, even with an arm missing, it was not a problem for Rashia to deliver the final blow. Therefore, like any other difficult to kill monster, going easy was unnecessary.
Facing the Skull Face’s capability, Wilhelm’s fighting spirit was ignited.
“Are you forgetting our objective?”
“I know. I just want to enjoy myself a little.”
“I think that’s all right, but it would be bad if you force it.”
“I’m not worried about that. This fellow still resembles a practice board to me.”
Wilhelm prepared 『Venom』 while laughing wildly again.
He lowered his center of gravity. The spearhead was slightly pulled back, and 『Venom』 was slanted diagonally upward.
His right hand held the handle, while his left hand was stretched out. His appearance right now was just like a bow about to be shot. As it matched the rising of Wilhelm’s fighting spirit, the feeling of hearing the sound of a bow being drawn to its limit was heard.
Whether the Skull Face noticed Wilhelm’s presence or not, the Skull Face took its stance again. It pulled its right leg slightly behind it and the right hand holding the sword was raised almost level to its head. The sword tip was pointed straight at the sky, and an aura that slowly swayed gathered onto the Skull Face’s body.
In front of the knight-like posture, Wilhelm raised his fighting spirit even higher.
As if the atmosphere froze, not even one of them moved. And, it was similar to the silence between the cocking and firing of a gun.
“Will!!”
“Uh!!”
The shout from Rashia shattered the frozen atmosphere.
Two shadows ran, triggered by it.
The single blow of decapitation released by the Skull Face was intercepted, and red sparks brightened the darkness. Their weapons crossed in an instant.
In the next moment, the Skull Face dropped to the ground left with only a head and body intact, with Wilhelm standing still and 『Venom』 thrusted out.
The Skull Face had what people called; a near death experience. Its arms and legs vanished and numerous crack appeared on the surface of its core, all from the aftermath of a single blow from 『Venom』. It was on the verge crumbling.
“Rashia, don’t just stand there. Quickly, end that creep.”
“I almost didn’t get a turn. What was all of my determination from earlier for?!”
Rashia was angry at the result of her being left out, because her resolve in risking her life was wasted.
“There was no other way. There was no room for you to step in.”
“Urgh, God, is this a trial?…”
Though Rashia was in a bad mood, she didn’t forget to heal the core. The aura that covered the core disappeared when it received the light of healing from Rashia, and the Skull Face completely vanished.
At the same time, a golden light enveloped Rashia’s body.
“W-What is this?”
“Rashia!?”
Rashia was confused by the sudden event. Wilhelm, who was also surprised, couldn’t move carelessly without knowing what had happened.
“No need to worry!! This effect happens when the requirement has been met and a new skill is learned!!”
Shin raised his voice to calm the two confused people down. Apparently, Shin’s calculation was not wrong, and the 200th body was the Skull Face just now.
The light effect faded away as soon as Shin raised his voice. Rashia’s gaze wandered through the space as if she became engrossed in something.
“Oi, Rashia! Are you alright?”
“Fue? Ah, yes. I’m alright.”
Wilhelm called out to her while tapping her shoulder, and she replied with a somewhat lifeless voice.
“With you staring into space like you are dazed, are you really alright?”
“I’m alright, okay. It was because the way to use the skill suddenly flowed into my head.”
“Was there any difference from the time you used the secret book?”
“Um, yes there was. The secret book somehow had a more gentle feeling to it, while this time, it was more of an abrupt feeling. But maybe that explanation is poor and difficult to understand.”
It seemed to feel differently when compared to the secret book.
For some reason, there seemed to be various effects that occurred when a person learned a skill. Because the person in question wasn’t harmed, he didn’t have to worry, but Shin just didn’t understand that feeling properly. In the first place, the experience of information flowing directly into the brain was impossible.
“Well, first of all, because you successfully acquired 【Purification】. Congratulations.”
“Indeed, you did well.”
“Kuu!”
Shin, Wilhelm and Yuzuha each gave her their blessing.
“Thank you very much. I can take care of the orphanage with this, too.”
With the acquisition of 【Purification】, the orphanage would not have to worry about the inheritance problem anymore. It was Rashia’s real feelings as she thanked them with tears in the corner of her eyes.
“Now then, let’s go to base, get some sleep, and quickly return to the Bayreuth kingdom in the morning.”
“That’s right. There is no reason to stay here any longer.”
“Yes, let’s go then.”
With each of them smiling, they went outside the seal. There were no signs of enemies around the three people and one animal.
The request ended with this. They only had to return to the kingdom now. All of the members who were there thought so.
Until that happened.
-
It happened out of the blue.
Right then, in the Wraith Plains, the insects and wild animals in the night strangely went silent. Therefore, Shin noticed immediately. Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin’s head, also perceived the unusual event with its superior hearing, which was the characteristic of animals, as its ears stood up.
“Hmm? What is that sound?”
“Kuu?”
It was a sound like the wind blowing through the grass. Shin wouldn’t mind if it was only the sound of the surrounding grass rubbing against each other.
But he couldn’t help but worry if the sound was also happening at the same time as a strange noise was heard, like that of a creature being crushed.
Shin and Yuzuha came to a halt and looked back, and so they saw the grotesque scene.
“What…is that?”
“Kuu…”
“Hmm? What happened to you…guys.”
Wilhelm noticed Shin’s movements and turned around, he too was speechless as he saw the same thing.
The place where the Skull Face was just defeated before, there was now a black orb just floating there, one that did not exist until just now. It was now in the process of swallowing the Pecker Hollow. When he looked at the map screen, a huge red marker, which wasn’t there before, was now at the edge of the view. White and blue markers were displayed which indicated Shin and the others.
The Pecker Hollow was rapidly being sucked into the black orb, which was about 30 cemels wide. The volume obviously didn’t match. A crunching, cracking sound was being made, because the Pecker Hollows body was being compressed.
The Pecker Hollow, which was the prey, didn’t even raise a death cry or show any other kind of resistance. All of the faces that appeared on its body seemed to be smiling. It appeared to be pleased with being completely absorbed.
“What the hell!? What the heck is that thing!?”
“Ugh, it is disgusting…”
Rashia covered her mouth from the spectacle of a person’s face being crushed slowly, and crouched down. Wilhelm rushed to Rashia, and Shin stood between them and the black orb.
It didn’t take much more time and the Pecker Hollow was completely sucked into the orb. Simultaneously, a big tremor suddenly occurred and the ground quivered.
“Uoo!?”
“Kya!”
“Kuuu!?”
In the spur of the moment, they somehow managed to keep their balance and avoided falling. When they looked around to see what had happened, they saw a purple light blowing toward the sky from everywhere in the Wraith Plains.
From the place where the Skull Face had fallen, a sparkly light was rising to the sky.
“Beautiful…”
Rashia muttered. This sudden occurrence was indeed really wondrous and beautiful.
If only there was no mysterious black orb in front, Shin would have enjoyed it, too. However, this was not the time to enjoy the scene.
He slightly expanded his map view. He noticed that the red markers, that had progressed to the edge of the view, had disappeared from the map.
“This is…”
His turned his attention away from the map and stared in the direction of the red markers where the monsters were, using the skill 【Long Sight】, while staying cautious of the orb. Then, he saw that the Gel Bison and Ein Jackal were emitting a sudden purple light from throughout their bodies. That glittery and shining light resembled the effect that happened when an undead monster was killed during the time in the game.
The monster, which was emitting light from its body, gradually lost it outline, and a short time later it would vanish like it was dissolved into the air.
And that, the light, which painted an arc in the atmosphere, was absorbed by the black orb.
Shin and Wilhelm who saw the scene moved to protect Rashia. While wary of their surroundings, they looked at the orb in front of them.
“Shit, its sucking the demon essence in!”
“Demon essence?”
“Ah! That light, the demon’s essence, is what moves the undead. Because it’s disappeared, it becomes impossible to maintain the body.”
“I see.”
After a while, all of the demon essence that existed in the atmosphere was absorbed into the orb. Then the sphere whirled up into the sky, and stopped at a height about 10 mels from the ground. At the same time, a dark aura spread around the orb. It gradually took shape, and bones like a Skull Face were formed. In addition, it expanded to several times the size of a regular Skull Face. It was covered with jet black armor, and the aura filled in between the bones and the armor. It only took 10 seconds.
A Skull Face more than 10 mels in height appeared before Shin and his party.
If it didn’t have a skeleton head attached, it would remind them of a valor knight. It was unimaginable that the ornament on the armor was made from the aura.
But from the body, there was a sinister aura rising up. It was the definite evidence that it was an undead.
And, its burning look in front of Shin and the party caused their bodies to freeze from tension.
―――― 『Lord Skull Face Lv. 804』
When Shin activated 【Analyze • Ⅹ】, it displayed to him its name and its level.”
The levels numerical value was considered a high ranking enemy, even in THE NEW GATE.
“Level 804. Is it this dungeon’s boss?”
Shin was calmly asking himself this but Wilhelm intensely responded.
“Oi, the level you said just now, was that true?”
“Yes, no doubt about it.”
“That…it is at a level that could destroy a country!?”
“Kururuuu!!”
Yuzuha openly raised a roar to try to intimidate it, but Wilhelm and Rashia couldn’t hide their shaking from the impossible numerical value. Except those monsters that stayed in the Sacred Place, since the Dusk of the Majesty, the monster with highest confirmed level didn’t even reach level 600. Moreover, even that monster destroyed several countries at that time.
“B-But there is the seal and it is not possible to get out, right?”
“I wonder.”
When Shin replied to the anxious voice of Rashia, the Lord finally moved.
Its arm of several mels length bent and it clenched its fist. And then, while slightly bending its knee, it drew its fist toward the sky in an uppercut like form.
A dry sound, “gashari”, was made at the same time its arm finished expanding. The invisible barrier that was thought to be covering the sky made a breaking sound and scattered like the demon essence from before, as witnessed by Shin and his party.
“Damn, the seal is finished.”
“Ah! Perhaps it was shattered by a single blow just now.”
“O-Oh no…”
The seal that was supposed to keep high-level monsters inside was disappointedly broken too easily, Rashia probably lost her strength as she fell backwards onto her buttocks.
The eyes of the Lord which had been sucking the demon essence captured the sight of Shin and the others.
“Hii!!”
“Kuu…”
“Oi, it looked over here…”
Wilhelm swallowed his saliva down.
“Indeed.”
There were no eyeballs, but Shin and the others were certain that they were being looked at. Rashia turned pale and trembled at the pressure.
Wilhelm held Rashia who was at a loss, and got ready to escape.
“GuuuuUUUUUU―――――――GaaaAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!”
The Lord let out a warcry as if it would not let any of them go. Shin put himself on guard as he felt the physical weight from the volume of the voice, while Yuzuha shrank its body, Wilhelm was forced to his knees, and Rashia covered her ears while crouching down.
“That roar, damn, it won’t let us get away huh?”
“No, it’s different. Look at the surroundings!”
Almost at the same time Shin raised his voice, white bones thrusted out, one after another, from the ground.
Obviously it was the arm of a humanoid monster. When the ground was gripped firmly, it dragged out its main body from the ground.
A skeleton that was wrapped in a rustic armor came out. Needless to say, it was a Skull Face. They ranged from the Jack, Queen, and to the King class. One by one they emerged from the ground until it became a huge uproar. Additionally, each of the individual monsters was two times larger than normal, as the King class was close to 8 mels tall. The number of Skull Faces filling up the plains had already almost reached that of an army.
The aura that was given off by each individual combined, and the entire plains was dyed black.
The emergence of the Skull Faces was happening all over the plains, the surrounding area around Shin and his party was already overflowing with Skull Faces.
“Will!! What to do, Will!!”
“Calm down! Don’t panic about what we have to do! Oi Shin, let’s break through to escape right away!”
“No, I will stay.”
“Ah? What are you saying, you bastard. Do you want to die!?”
Wilhelm, who was irritated at Shin’s awfully calm speech, tried to grab Shin’s shoulder. Though he put power in it, to make him turn around, Shin didn’t move an inch as if Wilhelm was grabbing a gigantic mass of rock.
Shin, then turned around slowly, while calmly releasing the 【Limit】.
“Uo!?”
“Kyaa!”
Wilhelm and Rashia opened their eyes wide at the torrent of power that was given off by Shin.
“I cannot leave this fellow alone. I will open a path so that Wilhelm and Rashia can go ahead toward the kingdom before me.”
“This power…what the hell are you?”
“There is no time to talk about it now. In addition, I have some personal business with this fellow. I don’t want you guys to be dragged into this because that would be bad, so please just get away as far as you can.”
Shin said that while accumulating magic power in both hands. Wilhelm was not able to argue against the overwhelming density.
“Dammit, it can’t be helped then. I will take Rashia and that fox with me. Do I need to collect the item at the base?”
“If it’s possible then that would be nice, but I’m not bothered if it’s lost.”
“Then let’s start quickly. I will properly hear the circumstances when you come back!”
“Ah, I understand. Because I will put a body strengthening buff on you, your speed will be faster than usual. Don’t fall down, okay?”
“Hah! Who the hell do you think you are talking to!! Hey, this fox, it doesn’t want to be separated from you.”
When Wilhelm pulled Yuzuha, Shin’s face was also pulled.
“Adadadada! Hey Yuzuha! Don’t cling there.”
“Kuu!! Kuu~!!”
Yuzuha, who disliked it, barked. It desperately clung, as if to say it didn’t want to leave Shin.
“Oi, what are you gonna do?”
“Yuzuha…”
By telepathy, Yuzuha’s strong feeling of not wanting to leave him was transmitted to Shin.
“…Sigh, I guess I don’t have any choice. Do you really never want to be separated?”
“Kuu!!”
Yuzuha, on top of Shin’s head, barked again. It was full of motivation.
“Have you settled your discussion? Then let’s be quick.”
“Ah sorry for the wait! Then let’s do this!!”
The body strengthening buff was put on Wilhelm, and while facing toward the direction of the base, Shin released a skill.
It was the lightning system magic skill, 【Lightning Bunker】.
2 parallel lines of very thick lightning bolts, with several mels diameter, were released towards the group of Skull Faces, and they instantly changed into charcoal. The lightning attack made a path through the encirclement of Skull Faces, while Shin maintained the skill.
“Go!!”
Wilhelm kicked the ground at the signal from Shin’s voice. With his leg strength raised by Shin’s buff, he ran through the breakthrough with enough force to leave an afterimage.
“Kyaaaa!!!――――――――ーーーーーーー…”
Rashia screamed at the excessive speed, but it was immediately inaudible. Since the edge of the seal was close by, with Wilhelm’s speed, it probably wouldn’t take much time to get outside of the encirclement of the Skull Faces army. Though swords and spears were thrown from the separate Skull Faces outside of the lightning attack, it was repelled by 『Venom』while their speed was maintained.
“Is he gone?”
“Kuu.”
He confirmed that the figures of the two people had disappeared and cancelled the 【Lightning Bunker】. He had killed dozens of Skull Faces, but a large amount of Skull Faces closed up the holes as soon as he cancelled the skill.
The opponents were the subordinates of the Lord Skull Face; Jack class, Queen class, and King class.
The glaring Lord didn’t pay any attention to Rashia and Wilhelm at all, it was focused on Shin the whole time.
There was no monster called Lord Skull Face according to Shin’s knowledge. There were no monsters that exceeded level 800 that Shin didn’t know of, in other words, it was a totally new monster. It was not an enemy that he could judge just from its level.
However, anything like an unknown enemy could become the key for Shin to return to his original world, so there was a possibility that some new information or something could be obtained. Since those possibilities existed, Shin didn’t have the option to run away.
“Now then, should we go this way?”
“Kuuー!!”
Shin prepared his katana, and while feeling that Yuzuha’s voice was reliable, he began to run toward the large army of Skull Face.
If one could say it with one word, it would be, “slaughter”.
Bones shattering, swords breaking, and armors that became lumps of mere iron fell to the ground.
Several deep cracks and gouges scarred the ground, which were unimaginable, since he caused them without using magic.
It was all due to Shin swinging his katana.
“Woosh!”
He kept swinging his katana without using any skills. He cut the cores right in half, those of more than 10 Skull Faces just like that, and they became demon essences as they disappeared.
In addition, he also crushed the swords and armors.
Whenever the katana drew an arc in the plains, where the moonlight shined, the Skull Faces were knocked down, like a sand castle crumbling.
If it were normal adventurers, to defeat a King class, they must be prepared for dozens of sacrifices. But now, it was just a wooden figure in this place.
Like casually cutting down the grass that grows too much, the Skull Faces were definitely being killed.
“Kuoooooo!!”
Not only was Shin attacking, Yuzuha, who took a position on top of Shin’s head, was also breathing out pale flames from its mouth and burning the enemy to ash.
It was a skill exclusive to monsters, 【Fox Fire】. It was a red flame, but an Element Tail originally spit out blue flames. Though it seemed difficult for the present Yuzuha, a diverse attack could be drawn out from the tails in the case of the adults with the original appearance of level 1000. As for the Element Tail, each one of their tails takes charge of either fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, or dark magic skills, as well as physical attacks, and magic system skills. It was like fighting multiple enemies from the opponent’s point of view.
The only tail that Yuzuha seemed to be able to control was the magic system skill, which strengthened the【Fox Fire】. Because it was not a skill that a player could use, it was simply based on the image that Yuzuha imagined.
“Man, there are too many enemies.”
“Kuu.”
Even though Shin and Yuzuha had already defeated more than 100 Skull Faces, they had hardly moved from their original spot. There were too many monsters. Moreover, even though each of them was bigger than usual, the gap from the defeated was quickly filled.
It felt like an eternity as he was doing the same thing again and again, like digging sand from the bottom of an hourglass and putting it back on top.
Apparently the Lord Skull Face, the boss, after making a massive amount of Skull Faces appear, withdrew to the center of the Wraith Plains. The plains were dozens of kemels from one end to another. Shin was at the edge of the plains, so no appearance of the Lord came into his range of view.
Having withdrawn to lure in the exhausted Shin, it might have started to prepare something.
Shin thought about how to make the enemy come out, while flourishing his katana and Yuzuha spat out flames. In the plains, which were dyed in black aura, only the circumference around Shin was cut out, like exposed skin.
“We shouldn’t overdo it too much?”
“Kuu!”
It looked like one person and one animal were going to be swallowed by the black muddy stream, if seen from the edge. But they talked in a carefree voice, which was inconceivable in this situation.
While chatting, Shin used a slashing attack to hit the Skull Faces, and the black muddy stream was pushed back on the contrary.
No enemy could break through the barrier-like, slashing attack in this place. Just like the Skull Face who fought with Wilhelm before, most of the Skull Faces were expert classes in footwork and sword techniques, but it could only gain them a little time. Rather, it was pathetic that they were no match for Shin.
“It’s no good, huh? The places where the enemies emerge from is too vast.”
Shin used the detection system skills together to scan the surrounding information. Thanks to his flashy actions, a lot of Skull Faces in the plains were gathered around Shin. But Shin perceived that there were some individuals leaving the plains; ignoring the battle.
And apparently there was a big reaction, so presumably there was a King class among them too.
“I’m gonna kick it up a notch. Hold on tight!”
“Kuu!!”
The powerful 『Red Chidori』 was swung around, and the surrounding Skull Faces disappeared.
While holding the 『Red Chidori』 in his left hand, he extended his arm behind him and made a throwing posture. The lighting that had run through 『Red Chidori』’s blade previously couldn’t be compared to the present. The katana blade, that was clad in red lightning, was completely luminescent in and of itself, and brightened the surroundings as if it emitted light. The sound of metal creaking could be heard; it was the shriek of the katana’s blade due to an excessive amount of magic power being poured into it. With his improved stats, it was impossible for the Legend grade weapon to endure Shin’s magic power.
Maybe sensing high density magic power mixing with the light, the Skull Faces hesitated to approach.
And, that hesitation gave Shin enough room to make his preparation.
Katana technique lightning combined skill, 【Hien Raikiri】.3
It was a mixture of martial arts skill and magic skill. Then, the combo was put together into a single blow released by Shin.
The 『Red Chidori』 was thrown with strength that could be called inhuman, while also spreading out a shock wave. There was no kind of resistance in ripping apart the Skull Faces crowded together.
The red lighting immediately spread out in all directions from the katana’s blade, moving toward the Skull Faces that became ashes one after another. The appearance was totally like a Hydra. A lightning-like red Hydra was trampling down the black wave with ultra high speed. It felt like the Skull Faces were voluntarily sacrificing themselves to the jaws of the lightning.
After the 『Red Chidori』 flew, a road with a width of about 10 mels was formed, and the ground was cut into from the shock wave and lightning.
Shin immediately ran on that road.
He aimed toward the center of the plains. To the Lord Skull Face.
If he defeated it or destroyed the dungeon core, Shin expected that this turmoil would be settled.
(If Schnee was here, I could have done something different.)
He thought so momentarily, but there was no point in asking for too much. He changed his mindset into that only he could do it now.
He took out a new weapon, and unsheathed it from its scabbard, while speeding up.
It was a 《Mythology》 grade, extra long katana, named 『Hamon Hirumaki』.4
It was Japan’s number one long katana. Its full length surpassed 3 mels, if the hilt was included, and the katana’s blade reflected the moonlight in the darkness. Though it’s a little different from the actual name, depending on the person, they would be reminded of 『Nenekirimaru』 when they heard the name. 5
『Hamon Hirumaki』 has a high anti-undead ability as was expected from that anecdote. It had an attack that boasted a ranged attack which was not inferior to a spear due to it having a very long blade.
“Fhew!!”
It was a simple cut, the same as the katana from before. But the Skull Faces that vanished appeared to be no match from a while ago.
The 『Hamon Hirumaki』 was originally a weapon that needed 800 STR or more for it to be swung properly, and it possessed a cutting ability that could cleave a low-level dragon’s head off only with its own weight. If it was swung by a physical strength that surpassed the max stats by a player like Shin, the power was immeasurable.
The blade cut the air, and even the shock wave was impacted into the surrounding objects, splintering them altogether. The Skull Faces had no chance against it. The magnitude of power was different from the start. It was already a disaster for the Skull Faces. Large scale storms, earthquakes, floods and so on; the overwhelming destruction that one could not go against.
The present Shin was exactly like that.
He charged through the gauged-out ground at a speed faster than the slow progress from the situation before.
Though the Skull Faces filled the gap made by 『Hamon Hirumaki』 , this time he didn’t get stranded or stuck.
“Be gone!!”
Then Shin invoked a magic skill.
Wind system magic skill, 【Air Barret】.
It was a skill that made about a 30 ~ 40 cemels mass of wind that was launched in any direction, it had enough power that it could shoot down small flight monsters. However, Shin was not satisfied with only that much power. All of the wind mass that was fired randomly all around exceeded 2 mels, that power could easily blow away the Skull Faces that wore light armor. The Skull Faces flew into the sky like bowling pins, and there was no dignity as a monster of fear remaining anymore.
As he headed toward the center of the plains, the number of Skull Faces that faced Shin multiplied. The majority of the map displayed in Shin’s view was red, and it was impossible to count the number of enemies.
While the white marker, which indicated himself, broke-through the red dyed tainted map on the edge of the view, Shin rushed forward.
The orb that had absorbed the Pecker Hollow appeared in his mind. Since then, the Skull Faces that emerged were certainly strong. But the abilities to strengthen its subordinates and respawn them was not unusual to some degree for a boss monster. Judging from the standards of this world, it would be extremely brutal, but Shin had experienced a larger scale if put on a scale. For this reason, while Shin swung his long katana, he wondered whether he could defeat the enemy as smoothly as that.
(There is no disadvantage in being cautious.)
He reserved his energy while he annihilated the enemies. It was possible since his stats were raised from the game era. Shin was surely powerful. But sometimes quantity exceeded quality. Regardless of how many of his stats were maxed, Shin was not invincible, nor immortal either. He could do nothing but die if killed.
“――――――――――――――――――――!!!!!!”
A roar resounded throughout the plains. With a high frequency like-signal, a large amount of hands started coming out of the ground.
The origin of the roar was the Lord Skull Face. Due to that roar, no matter how much he reduced the number of Skull Faces by, it didn’t matter. Whenever it made a sound, new Skull Faces emerged from the ground.
“Again?”
He muttered while feeling that the source of the roar was nearby. He had the urge to use a wide area annihilation magic skill to blow off the excessive number that sprang out, but he endured it because he couldn’t use it carelessly.
In this world, range and power were not the same as in the game. Even with the basic magic skill that Shin learned, especially with his stats, its power might be in an intermediate class or higher if he lost control. What scale could it become if he used the wide area magic at the highest class? It was unimaginable. A forest might vanish by mistake, so it was not a laughing matter.
The ability that rose remarkably at this moment, was restrained and became a burden while Shin fought.
(If it was only me here, I might do that.)
While seeing green markers displayed on the map, Shin invoked a magic skill.
Flame system magic skill, 【Ember Flame】.
By the way, the green marker expressed a neutral player or NPC who was neither friend nor enemy. In other words, it showed that this place had someone other than Shin.
Countless fireballs appeared high in the sky above Shin, they rained down over the Skull Faces that surrounded Shin and the green markers. The fireballs generated intense heat the moment they touched an object without exploding and would disappear. The Skull Faces that received a direct hit from the fireballs looked like bee nests and vanished.
Because it didn’t spread flames, there were little flying sparks near the surroundings. And he didn’t need to put up with any clouds of dust due to the explosions. Thus, he didn’t relax on the aiming even if there was a considerable distance.
Though Shin didn’t know it, it was the adventurers who had been dispatched to observe the Wraith Plains, the knights squadron. They accidentally encountered the Skull Faces which had left the plains, and it became a state of war.
“That’s bad.”
The Skull Faces’ bigger physiques that Shin was fighting in his surrounding area interfered with his field of vision, so he couldn’t see well, but they seemed to be receiving Shin’s protection and were fighting well when he saw the movements of the marker. The level of the Skull Faces crowding around the green markers were about 300; fortunately it were the weak classes of Skull Faces that had been strengthened. However, there were Skull Faces exceeding level 500 that were approaching from the rear.
No matter how much he supported them with a magic skill, the distance was too far and there was a limit. Shin had learned to use combinations of skills, so he was able to sense it because the perception range had been expanded. He might be able to go if he could fly, but a skill that enabled flight was nonexistent in THE NEW GATE, so it was not possible to ‘fly’ even if it was possible to ‘jump’ using a skill.
“Why are they approaching in this direction? Did they not hear the roar?”
While clad in the storm of his blade as usual, he changed his course toward the green marker. He didn’t know who they were, but he couldn’t abandon them.
“Kuu?”
“Do you want to help?” As if Yuzuha asked, and answered “They will die before you arrive”, as he defeated the nearby enemies with a magic skill. Though the red marker indicated that the Skull Faces disappeared, multiple individuals of the red appeared immediately from the ground.
“Tsk, there is not enough time!!”
He collected magic power in his hands in order to save those who were surrounded.
The moment Shin was about to release his magic skill, a blue lightning bolt exploded ahead of Shin’s point of view.
It was the same lightning system magic skill that he used when Shin let Wilhelm and Rashia escape, 【Lightning Bunker】.
The lightning passed near the green markers at point-blank range, and defeated the nearby Skull Faces. Not one wound was inflicted on the adventurers, while all the surrounding enemies were destroyed.
Shin felt relief for that situation for a short time, but he was momentarily unable to take his eyes off of it, due to the color of the marker and the name displayed.
The color of the marker was blue. The color that indicated a friend.
The displayed name was 【Schnee Raizar】.
Part 3
The blue marker, that showed Schnee, approached the green markers. It was likely that they were told to leave, as the green markers left the plains immediately. And then, the blue marker instantly changed direction towards Shin. It pushed forward in a straight line.
Though she was slower than Shin, almost all of the Skull Faces that bumped into her were instantly killed.
Silently killing and cutting the approaching Skull Faces, Shin also went toward Schnee. However, his steps were heavy. There was a hint that she remembered him in the letter from Tiera, but he didn’t know what to say when they met again.
Schnee, in the game era, didn’t converse more than what she was programmed to. As a support character, although he had raised her charm setting to the max, he had no idea if that had affected her personality.
If he thought about it, the store had been left neglected. As it was, there hadn’t even been any news from him for 500 years. What did she think of Shin? It was impossible to guess. Instead, it would not be strange if she was angry and hated him.
But without thinking about it too much, Schnee arrived at Shin’s position.
――――While a black skeleton squirmed, the two people had their reunion.
Whether it sensed something or not, the Skull Faces’ movements stopped.
Even if it tried to move right away, it couldn’t move forward; as if it was blocked by a totally invisible wall. Though Shin, while perplexed, also noticed the surroundings, he was hit lightly by paws on his forehead as some kind of interaction. Judging from the thoughts that flowed to him, Yuzuha seemed to have erected a barrier somehow. It didn’t seem like it would be able to hold for a long time, but it was not the situation for a lengthy reunion, so it was not a problem.
When he conveyed “Sorry”, the feeling of the thought “It’s all right” was returned. The fox could indeed read the atmosphere.
That exchange of thoughts was finished in an instant, and Shin changed his attention to Schnee again.
While her silver hair swayed from the wind, Schnee stared right at Shin.
Seeing that, Shin thought, ‘She hasn’t changed at all’ which was indeed an ordinary impression. The silver, shining hair, the transparent blue eyes, and even the clothes she wore; not one thing had changed from the last time they parted.
“…Have you been well?”
Though he thought he should say something else, only those words came out from his mouth.
Those were foolish words, he thought to himself. If the game had been over though, he wouldn’t have met her again, an NPC. So he had been curious.
In a sense, she was the longest-lasting friend he had in the game, and the one he held the most affection for. She was totally similar to a player even if he only saw her because of the VR(Virtual Reality). Therefore, in the VR-world, where the SF(Science Fiction) was excellent, the AI could be equipped with a conversation function…and so on, he thought.
“…………”
Schnee didn’t answer.
Her eyes became watery, and her lips pressed together tightly, as if to suppress something. Seeing the figure which was desperately enduring tears, Shin panicked.
“Schnee…tsu!?”
The moment he called out her name, the flash of silver flickered.
He was embraced affectionately by Schnee, and Shin received an impact that was far stronger than expected. It seems that the outstanding stats, even among his support characters, was not for show. As expected, he almost yelled out “Gofuu!!” but barely endured it.
“Sc-Schnee?”
“Don’t you have something to say?”
Embraced tightly, Shin’s spine almost screamed in pain. Even if the question was asked abruptly, in this situation where he was surrounded by enemies, he couldn’t think of anything.
“Um, sorry for neglecting you until nowAaa!?”
“That’s not it.”
“Gisiri”6, the force emitted by her arms intensified.
“T-Thank you for protecting the store!?”
“That’s not it.”
The force from her arms grew further. It was not an apology, nor even gratitude.
What was it then? What does he need to say?
Shin frantically ran through his memories.
He recalled back to when he came into this world, the last thing that came into his mind was the expression of Schnee weeping and the place everyone once spent time together called ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, which she continued to protect.
(Ah..I see)
From there, it became simple.
What was he really thinking about before, he wanted to laugh at himself.
These were words that he would say in the game, and he had to say them now.
He left the store, disappeared, and then came back.
The first thing he should have said――――
“…I’m home.”
“Welcome back.”
-
“I’m home.”
Schnee ended the hug with Shin after hearing these words.
There were no tears anymore in her eyes. It was the usual calm expression, that Shin knew well.
“I thought you wouldn’t come home anymore.”
“…Indeed. I also thought that I wouldn’t meet you again.”
He had understood this at the time he left the shop. If the death game was cleared, the data for both Tsuki no Hokora and the support characters would be deleted. He would never be able to meet Schnee, or her real side again if that had happened.7
Even though NPC’s could only receive it in the program as an example, Shin felt that it was the parting that was painful.
It was very difficult to express it in words.
No love and affection. The friendship would also be different.
More data, it could be said she was less than a human being. It was too complex, and personally Shin didn’t properly understand it either.
“Kyuu~”
A cry that lost strength, for the two people, resounded in the serious atmosphere. When Shin turned his eyes upward, he saw the figure of an exhausted Yuzuha above his head.
Apparently, by keeping the barrier up, it seemed to have reached its limit somehow. The barrier shattered, and they noticed the Skull Faces pouring in toward them.
“Though there is a lot to talk about, let’s get this situation under control for the time being.”
“Well. I had forgotten about it a little because of our reunion after such a long time.”
“Kuu~”
While smiling wryly at Yuzuha’s bark that said, “I will leave the rest to you~”, the two people faced the Skull Faces.
“The first blow. I want to execute something big.”
“Let’s do it. Now is just the right time.”
Shin said with a broad grin, and Schnee, with a pleasant smile, laughed. Then they held their hands up toward the sky.
“The manifestation for one to become pure.”
“The manifestation for one that becomes eternal.”
They invoked a magic system skill that was exclusive to cooperation.
Only 2 or more players, or support characters, were able to use it.
The name was ――――
“Sanctuary!!”
The chant melted the darkness.
And immediately the effect was visible in the sky above the whole area of the plains.
An enormous magic formation was drawn in the night sky.
Shin and Schnee. It could be said that no one in this world could rival these two people’s cooperation skills. That effect was more than enough to exceed the usage of skills of ordinary skill users by far.
Before the Skull Faces reached Shin, light shined from the heavens.
It cut the darkness, illuminated the earth, and the light cleared away the world’s impurity in the plains as the ones that were wriggling were purified without mercy. That light spread temporarily even into the veil of night, and it shone upon the whole plains as if the sun had suddenly appeared.
“AAaaaaa――――…”
Although various individual Skull Faces were hit by the light, most became sparkling demon essences and vanished. But as expected, the Lord wasn’t killed it seems. Though the unpleasant voice resounded throughout the plains, the moment the Skull Faces sprang out from the ground, they were exposed to the light of purification and disappeared instantly.
The two people’s magic power, which fueled the magic formation, kept pouring out as it was maintained for several seconds without fading away, it continued shining upon the ground with a powerful and gentle light. Under such conditions, it seemed that the Skull Faces couldn’t even act properly. The red markers that were swept away from the map were reflected in Shin’s field of vision, and a beautiful field was able to be perceived.
“Now then, since the nuisances are all gone, let’s move onto the elimination of the main culprit.”
“Does Master know the cause of this phenomenon?”
“Ah, it was caused by the monster named Lord Skull Face. Though I saw it for the first time just now, do you know anything about it?”
“…No, I too just heard of it now for the first time.”
Shin thought Schnee, who spent a long time in this world, would know something, but Schnee didn’t have any idea someway or another.
Since the Skull Faces disappeared, there was nothing that blocked the way to the Lord anymore.
They checked their equipment quickly and ran toward the target. Yuzuha had become completely energetic due to the recovery effect of 【Sanctuary】, and watched their surroundings while on top of Shin’s head.
Shin would have liked to hand over 『Blue Moon』 to Schnee, but it was already given over to Tiera, so instead a powerful anti-Lord ninja katana and dagger were handed over. Though the main job of Schnee was a Kunoichi(a female version of a ninja), she was able to equip any weapon she liked such as a ninja katana and dagger, because there was no equipment restriction on weapons due to her job. Most players were satisfied if their support character could use at most 2 or 3 types. However, Schnee was the support character of Shin, so unfortunately only 2 or 3 types of weapon mastery was out of the question.
She held the ninja katana in her right hand, the dagger in her left, and ran at full speed alongside Shin towards the Lord.
“I saw it.”
They ran through the plains with overwhelming speed, and the two arrived at the place where the Lord was. Now, due to the downpour of the light, demon essence flickered from the whole body of the Lord. It was kneeling on one knee, and the armor, which covered its whole body, was cracked in several places. Its HP gauge was about half-full. Great damage was already dealt to it even though they hadn’t attacked it directly, due to the powerful skill Shin and Schnee released together, which at the same time was its weak point.
“GGUUUuuuuu…”
It looked down at the two people while roaring. The demon-flames that lit up the interior of the skeleton, now in this situation, emitted an ominous light. As expected from a monster whose level exceeded 800, the pressure it exerted could not be neglected.
“I wanted to ask it various questions, but it seems that it can’t talk.”
Shin muttered in front of the Lord again. From the beginning, he didn’t expect that he could talk to it directly, but the monster itself didn’t exist in the game, so he observed its whole body in the hope that it might shed some light on information that he didn’t know.
Its appearance gave off the impression of an upgraded King class Skull Face, although it was tattered. Including the information from 【Analyze】, it was still of the higher kind of Skull Face.
“Either way, since the start, it was an opponent that must be defeated.”
“Indeed…I’m about to begin.”
“Roger.”
Following Schnee’s response, the Lord, which was preparing a counter attack, was attacked.
The Lord’s hand reached out and grasped a deep dark-colored greatsword out of thin air, and unleashed a powerful slash at the two people who broke through the front. Towards the blow that cut through the air, Shin stepped forward and readied the long katana to cross blades.
Due to the sudden acceleration and weight of the long katana, combined with Shin’s flashy physical strength, the middle part of the Lord’s greatsword collided and clashed against his katana.
When the steel frames collided, a thunderous sound was emitted. The Lord barely managed to keep its hand on the greatsword, which had bent backwards as a result of the clash. Schnee, who held two blades, prepared to approach the almost defenseless body of the Lord.
Sword system martial arts skill 【Blade Breaker】, suddenly appeared.
It was a skill that was highly effective against an opponent that was resistant to slashing attacks. Shin gave Schnee the 《Mythology》 grade ninja katana 『Lazuline Flame』, and the dagger 『Scarlet Flame』. Two flame colors, red and blue, left a trail while the two blades drew an arc through the air. Every time the armor of the Lord was smashed, the interior was exposed.
Inside, the broken armor was filled with a tar-like black liquid. It pulsated as if the thing itself had purpose. At the same time, as she was crushing the armor, it stretched toward Schnee.
“Uh!”
Schnee, who sensed the impending crisis in the form of a black tentacle, gave up the chase and retreated momentarily. The black tentacle that approached her was repelled by the two swords, and she withdrew from the tentacle range.
“Its attack is like the Gel Bison’s.”
When he saw the black tentacle emerging from the Skull Face, Shin was reminded of the monster in the plains, the Gel Bison. Was this because the Gel Bison was turned into demon essence and absorbed by the black orb? It immediately came into his mind.
(Don’t tell me, it’s able to use the abilities of all the monsters it absorbed?)
It was an assumption that he didn’t want to be correct, if possible. Undead monsters had many things that resembled a unique characteristic, and almost none of them relied on endurance to fight. Gel Bison did not really have much of a special attack, but Shin was worried about the monster that was absorbed first, the Pecker Hollow.
“No need to hold back.”
Confirming that Schnee had withdrawn, he gathered magic power in his left hand.
In the following moment, crimson flames were fired toward the Lord from Shin’s hand.
It was fired without chanting, flame system magic skill 【Flare Volcano】.
A roaring flame that exceeded the Lord’s height by dozens of mels ran through it in a flash, as it directly hit the Lord who couldn’t even properly move anymore.
It was burnt by two different kinds; the light of purification and the crimson flame, and the Lord was destroyed soon after it raised a death cry. The flames were extinguished after a while, and they left a trace of muddy melted earth from the high temperature that extended horizontally in a straight line.
“Is it over?”
He fired it with the intention of defeating it. However, Shin felt a strong sense of something being wrong, for the ‘strangely too quick’ end of the act.
Schnee might also have felt the same, as she didn’t let her guard down.
Shin, who carried 『Hamon Hirumaki』 on his shoulder, activated the detection system skill to the max. The demon essence in the atmosphere became dense as a result of the battle, and they concentrated on the flow of demon essence that they didn’t sense until now. Thereupon, they noticed the unnatural flow of the surrounding demon essence. The demon essence of the Skull Faces that had fallen didn’t dissolve in the air, but was absorbed into the earth. Not just one or two bodies, but it could be said that it was almost all of them.
“…Beneath us!”
The moment Shin turned his attention to the underground, a large shaking hit the 2 people.
A small red marker appeared on the map at the same time that Shin looked at it. It’s size increased along with the earthquake, until finally, it’s size exceeded that of the Lord.
“Master.”
“Ah, it looks like this is it’s true form.”
A black orb pierced through the ground and appeared simultaneously with Shin’s words. Unlike the time when he saw it earlier, this black orb had red lines drawn upon it; traveling like blood vessels and pulsating like a heart.
“The one that came up a while ago was just an empty shell, huh?”
That explained why the Lord fell so quickly. Apparently, the empty shell was just a decoy so it could gather the demon essences in the entire plains for the main body.
After the appearance of the black orb, a noticeably larger shake occurred. Gigantic arms emerged in sequence, with which it was even possible to grab a King class Skull Face. 3 pairs, or 6 arms, gripped the ground and dragged its main body out.
Its head was decorated with twisted horns, its body was a collection of Skull Faces, its lower body had the impression of a crustacean with 4 pairs of legs, and it had 5 scorpion-like tails.8
It might still have obtained the ability of the Pecker Hollow, too. Its total length exceeded 20 mels, so judging from that standard, it was different from a conventional Skull Face.
As the orb was absorbed and it fused with the gigantic body, a demon-fire lit-up inside its eye sockets.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA――――――――!!!!!!!”
The roar emitted was also accompanied by a shock-wave. Though Shin and Schnee were exceptions, it would not be strange if whole bodies of average adventurers were blown away just from the wind pressure.
“Seriously?”
“It’s look like it.”
“If that’s the case, we should get serious too.”
Facing the Lord who issued its roar, Shin also changed his equipment. He selected the same equipment from when he challenged Origin before, using the shortcut system which registered a specific set, and changed his equipment instantaneously.
Deep crimson arm guards and leg guards covered his hands and legs, and a fluttering black long coat that had a muffler with red lightning streaks going down it appeared.
The scabbard of the 《Ancient》 grade katana,『True Moon』 was removed from its clasp, and the thumb of his left hand flexed out slightly so he could instantly draw out the katana.
With the change of equipment, Shin’s presence also changed with the new appearance.
Was it the equipment’s effect or that his focus changed? It gave off an overpowering feeling that wasn’t there a short while ago, due to the figure that was wrapped in red and black body armor.
The demon-flames, upon seeing Shin’s appearance and the glare from the two people, momentarily flickered in a big way. An intimidating feeling was given off by Shin, which was doubled due to the pressure received from his presence as well as from his new equipment set.
“…Let’s go.”
Loosening his katana for immediate use, his right hand was affixed to the handle.
He invoked 【Shukuchi】9 silently, and instantly rushed into the Lord’s proximity.
The four arms swung toward Shin. Each held a jet black greatsword that was like solid darkness. It was clear that they possessed a heavy mass, and that was not a false impression as they each created a tornado in their wake.
The greatswords reached Shin first. The moment the greatswords entered the katana’s proximity, the handle vanished from the sheath and a red trail drew an arc in the air.
The four greatswords were intercepted despite only one sound reverberating. Shin jumped onto the Lord’s chest, as all the greatswords were repelled by the katana’s power.
The Lord was going to defend itself with its two remaining arms, but it felt a slight chill and right away re-routed one of its arms to over its head. Without any pause, metals clashed, and a sound reverberated as large sparks instantly flew.
It was an attack from Schnee’s 『Lazuline Flame』, an attack that hit the Lord’s blind spot. It made use of a strong point of ninjas, as the highest rank of assassins, as it was not easy to exchange attacks from the blind spot. However, undead monsters originally didn’t depend on senses. That reaction couldn’t have existed without the Lord’s perception skill that was strengthened outside of specifications. Though Schnee objectively understood the ability itself from that movement, it was also enough to understand just how much the Lord deviated from the standard of monsters called Skull Face.
“After all, it really is different from the existing monsters, huh?”
She landed using the recoil from the blow exchange, and analyzed the opponent’s ability while exchanging blows with the tails from the blind spot.
The pursuit of Schnee was slow due to Shin who landed on its chest. Though the Lord tried to intercept Shin with its other arm, the previous four arms and the one greatsword left couldn’t catch or do anything to Shin. The remaining greatsword was broken by a single blow from 【Blade Breaker】, and the Lord retreated several mels from that aftermath. The single blow from Shin, who was no longer going easy, became an unbelievable offensive power that corresponding to the stats that rose, showed the overwhelming force difference.
Even Schnee, who knew of Shin’s ability well, was astonished at that power.
“Swish!!”
The Lord, which while retreating earlier prepared its posture began a pursuit of Shin. The Lord, which had lost its weapons earlier, crossed its arms in a defense posture. When the katana swung down toward the Lord with its arms guarded, it created sparks as all of the arms were cut off and were blown away.
“GURUAAAAAAAA!!!!”
The tails approached with a war cry, and began attacking Shin in earnest. The four tails had saw-like blades attached, and although they struck out from every direction, Shin jumped toward the Lord before the pointed ends arrived.
A strike from its arm was unleashed in desperation, but Shin evaded it with the martial arts movement skill 【Flying Shadow】 that enabled double jumps in the air, and so Shin came closer to the Lord. The destination, while he evaded, was the Lord’s body; the location of the solar plexus in a human.
It could be said that the distance between the two was almost zero, the splendid gap for Shin was partly due to the differences in physique. And it was the place where the core of the Skull Face had just been absorbed. The Lord tried to gain some distance, but Shin had already prepared his attack prior to its action, and everything was too late.
“――――tsu!!”
A sharp exhale together with the katana swinging downward.
He unleashed the katana system martial art skill 【Mountain Cleaver】.
Even though he didn’t have any firm footing in the air, the stroke from Shin showed perfection and thorough power.
The visual sword trails were a mix between red and black lines that penetrated the Lord’s left shoulder from the air, went through the body, cut through one of the right legs that flew off, and left a deep cut in the ground from the aftermath.
“GIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The Lord screamed at the excessive damage. The slanted slash line had traveled through its body, and the black liquid along with its armor were torn as well. Although it was diverted from its core, Shin saw that about 1/5 of the black orb was cut.
“It retreated, huh?”
The core vanished from view immediately. Somehow, it seemed to be able to move freely inside the body to some extent. As he promptly thought about a countermeasure, ignoring the Lord who screamed, he landed on the ground and moved in pursuit without mercy.
He slashed at the Lord’s right legs consecutively to destroy its posture.
The slashing storm was done with a speed that left an afterimage. In addition, whenever Shin’s katana left a flash, different parts of the Lord’s body fell.
Katana system martial art skill 【Kasane Dachi】.10
This skill generated, at random, multiple slashing attacks that each possessed a similar power as the individual slashes. It cut the internal parts of the Lord, which also caused the armor to fall off in pieces.
This skill was able to attack several enemies at the same time, as the larger the offensive ability the user possessed, the more its power increased altogether. It seemed like he had already gained total control of the skill, 【Kasane Dachi】, as each of the internal slashing attacks were already at a fatal offensive power.
“GI…A…aa…”
Destructive power was put into each of the slashing attacks that one by one were rampaging inside the Lord. The Lord was barely alive at the time it received the 【Mountain Cleaver】 and it also did not have enough power remaining to support itself.
All of the tails had already been cut off by Schnee and were blown away, leaving no possibility of resistance.
The body of the Lord swelled with the rising internal pressure. As additional invisible slashing attacks were generated inside the body due to【Kasane Dachi】, that ‘energy’ wanted to exit.
He didn’t overlook the core even though it was not found yet. The body that was hit by the tempest of slashing attacks was not a safe place anymore. The only destination the core could escape to was the head.
“It’s the end!”
He kicked the ground and jumped.
Then he took an overhead stance with 『True Moon』, with the blade clad in red lightning, above the top of the Lord’s head.
Katana technique lightning combined skill 【Moon Arc : Thunder Flash】.
First of all, lightning was formed around the red blade as it swung toward the head. Next, the lightning on the katanas main body 『True Moon』 sliced through the skull of the Lord, and lightning struck from inside of it. The red lightning spread and blew away the demon-flames from within the eye sockets. The lightning strikes destroyed the head completely, as it went along the neck and the whole body of the Lord burnt completely as if it was not enough.
“…Tsu! …tsu…”
No screaming came out though its body was roasted.
The single attack from Shin sliced the orb together with the core that escaped to the head, and completely disappeared due to the additional lightning strikes. Naturally a Skull Face without its core would vanished in a short time. The Lord though, didn’t disappear right away because of that gigantic body, but its body was already but a corpse’s mere remains.
“Tsu…tsu…tsu!!”
Despite the crumbling body of the Lord, it stretched out its remaining arm toward Shin in its final moment.
“Master!!”
“Wait.”
Schnee shouted at Shin who didn’t move while seeing the state of the Lord. Schnee, who was rushing toward Shin, stopped at his command, and Shin fixed his eyes on the Lord.
The figure had neither hostility, the thirst of blood, nor the sense of intimidation that existed when he fought it a little while ago. The Lord that was extending out its arm towards Shin, seemed to be trying to grip something that was totally out of reach.
“(So…Wo…Ni)”
“Eh!?”
The voice reached Shin’s ear. Though it was a distorted and had a twisted pitch, it was certainly the words of a person.
However, soon after having uttered it, the Lord dissolved into the atmosphere and become demon essence, just like the other Skull Faces. A huge jewel with a diameter of about 50 cemels remained at the place where the Lord had been.
“Master! Are you alright!?”
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s no problem.”
He soothed Schnee, who rushed at him in a panicked state, and thought about the words he heard just a while ago in his mind.
(In the end, I could hardly understand anything. although it was indeed an enemy.)
He paid more attention to the jewel while having a hard time not showing disappointment on his face. It was certainly the highest grade jewel of the first-class. He collected it for the time being just in case it might become a clue to something.
When he turned his attention to the map, the markers for the monsters, which had escaped from the battle with the two, that he was able to perceive, seemed to have disappeared. There was a little individual monster which escaped the purification too, but it seemed to have faded away with the Lord’s defeat. Either way, the Lord was the cause of this disturbance.
The light that illuminated the surroundings was weakened when Shin confirmed it with the map. As he might have expected, the effect of 【Sanctuary】 seemed to gradually stop. When the light completely faded away, the surroundings became dark, although it was still lit by the moonlight.
And, a big change, as a result of defeating the Lord was visible on the plains. Though he didn’t see it because of the strong light of purification, the demon essence drifted smokily up to the sky from the whole plains. With the spectacle of demon essence floating up, the light seemed to dissolve into the night sky.
The scene that happened over the whole plains caused the surrounding knights and adventurers to remain on lookout.
The demon light that soared up high at the same time as the holy light that repelled the darkness faded out into the shades of the night.
There were many people in awe of that scene, which was never seen until now.
“It seems like it’s over.”
“It looks like it. In a while, it will be returned to the original plains, I guess.”
“…Should we return home?”
“Yes.”
Without saying “To where?”, the two people began to walk as they watched the light of the demon essences disappear.
He braced himself, during the battle earlier, to talk to Schnee the same way as he did in the past or in the game, but an indescribable atmosphere settled between the two people as soon as the tension was resolved.
The time separated was short to Shin, but long to Schnee.
They felt awkward around each other, but they gradually became talkative. In order to fill the time that had passed, they continued to talk.
As the investigation team that consisted of knights and adventurers came quickly, the two people had already left the plains.
Rupt from rupture
yeah, like breakdancing
Flying Swallow Lightning Cutter
Google
Nenekirimaru is an exorcism blade which only harms yokai.
“Gisiri”, probably sound of crunching
Real side means when Schnee gained her sentience, when the game turned reality
Crustacean – a type of crab
Teleportation power that’s capable of moving vast distances in a single step.
Thickness of the Long Katana, well i’m not sure about this
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][Armaell]/f003.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Part 1
Shin and Schnee entered the forest at a quick pace.
While avoiding the adventurers who were moving into the plains, they turned their route toward Tsuki no Hokora. On the way, because the set-up base had been abandoned, he stopped, broke it down, and collected it all including the interception item. Wilhelm seemed to have given priority to evacuating and since Wilhelm wouldn’t do such a foolish move like collecting items in that situation, it was only to be expected that the base was neglected.
Shin’s feelings wouldn’t be hurt or even bruised if the items themselves were left. He removed them in this situation, because there was a danger of them changing into a permanent fort without its owner. In fact, many Skull Faces might have already fallen victim to it, as there were signs that the interception magic had activated. They seemed to have been individuals, those killed here, because it was not very far from the plains.
“Now that I think about it, didn’t you receive a request? Is it completed?”
Shin asked Schnee as he finished collecting the items.
“It is not quite finished yet, but my job is almost done.”
“Job?”
“It’s the safekeeping and distribution of the items. My work now is to manage all of it to prevent infringement, since multiple countries had joined together to form a joint military unit.”
“…Is this perhaps related to the recent uproar?
“Of course.”
“Seriously…”
Shin sighed. Although it was not intentional, he had meddled in another large affair again. He was utterly ignorant toward serious matters, he didn’t realize that the countries had started working on calming the situation down. Although he was a little regretful that he had done it in such a flashy manner, the damage was already done.
While asking Schnee about what kind of situation it was in detail, he wracked his brain to recall if there were any eyewitnesses. After grunting “uh-huh” for a while, he concluded that as far as he could tell, no one could have seen him, except for Schnee. Even the green markers he had protected should not have seen him or which way the fireballs came from, given how massive the Skull Faces were.
“Well, never mind about that. So, does Schnee not have to show up for the distribution? I think you should at least go to the meeting place or should I say headquarters for you to finish your request.”
“It will be alright for a while. Even if I distribute it evenly, it doesn’t work on the basis of first-come, first-served. I am supposed to do the allocation after all the corps have gathered. It will take about one week at the earliest, until there can be a meeting. If I think about the range of each unit’s progress, there is no problem even if I don’t hurry that much.”
As he had given up on thinking about the eyewitness case, because nothing could be done any further, he confirmed Schnee’s timeline. If she was serious, Schnee could travel faster than the others, so she could afford to spend some time with Shin
Whether it was Shin or Schnee, there were a lot of things they wanted to ask each other. While heading toward Tsuki no Hokora, they decided to explain to each other their own situation.
“Since I have a lot of questions I want to ask, you can ask me anything before that.”
Shin decided to accept questions from Schnee first, considering the longer time she had spent here. Actually, it still hadn’t even passed one month since Shin came into this world, so he might only be able to answer a little.
“I understand. Then I will ask several things that I’ve been anxious about for the time being.”
“Go ahead.”
Schnee asked Shin three things.
First, where was he until now?
Second, why did his combat ability rise?
Third, what will he do from now on?
“Then the first one. About where I was until now. To tell you the truth, I personally haven’t even been here for one month, today, since I went to the last dungeon.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s true. Remember the time when everyone saw off me to challenge the Origin?”
“Yes.”
“I defeated the Origin and it should have been the end accordingly. But afterwards, in the deepest depth of that dungeon, 【Gate of the Otherworld】, there was a big door in the boss’ room. It opened soon after the Origin fell.”
Shin recalled that moment while explaining it to Schnee. The scene where the heavy door he thought was just a decoration opened up while making a sound.
“Door…?”
“Yes. After that, I lost consciousness, and before I realized it, I’m laying down on a grassy field. After that, I went to Tsuki no Hokora and heard the outline story. I was really surprised when I heard that more than 500 years had passed. That’s the reason why I haven’t been around for 500 years.”
“So that’s the reason, huh?”
Schnee seemed to understand the situation as she listened to what Shin said. It was different from the time when they met earlier; she had an expression of relief, like her chest wasn’t constricted anymore.
“Schnee?”
“Fufufu, it’s nothing.”
“Then, that’s good.”
Though Shin had a question mark dancing above his head because Schnee, for some reason, was in a good mood, he didn’t think about it too much because it was boorish to be a wet blanket; especially when with someone who is in such a joyful mood.
Now then, for the next one. My abilities and stats went up because of the titles I acquired after defeating the Origin.”
“Titles? What kind of titles?”
“There are three of them. 【Limit Breaker】, 【Accomplished One】 and 【Liberator】. The first two are related to the growth of my stats. Though I heard them for the first time when I got them, do you remember hearing any of them before?”
No, I’ve just heard all of those titles for the first time as well. What kind of effect do they have?”
Shin explained each of the titles’ effect in answer to Schnee’s question. Even though there was not a stat raise for the title 【Liberator】, since he felt like it had some kind of meaning, he explained it in one go. 1
“…That’s absurd, isn’t it.”
“Totally. I also thought it was a joke until I looked at the stats.”
Shin too, could understand the feeling of Schnee who was at a loss for words. If a chosen one acquired these titles, the power balance of the world would likely collapse.
“However, I think it is not necessary to worry about it to that extent.”
“Why is that?” Shin asked.
“It is the acquisition requirement. Although monsters exist in this world, the phenomenon of re-spawning in the same place with completely identical unique monsters doesn’t happen. I don’t think there is a person who can meet the acquisition requirement anywhere else, because the Origin might be the only one. Also, the dungeon that Master went to has completely disappeared.”
“I see. That does make it impossible.”
According to Schnee, several days after Shin left to conquer the dungeon, Shin’s support characters became exasperated when Shin didn’t come back, so they gathered together and followed their Master’s path. However, not even a shadow or shape was there, even the outlines were gone.
When they stopped the search temporarily and went back to Tsuki no Hokora, the support characters of other players were making a racket saying, “My Master has disappeared!”. Schnee heard it and was convinced that Shin had cleared the dungeon. But they still doubted that he disappeared with the other players, and started to investigate the story on their own. She also thought of the possibility that Shin was still in this world, just like her and the others were.
However, the earth’s crust changed, and a state of confusion followed on the continent afterwards. While helping the people who were in trouble, Schnee remained in Tsuki no Hokora, and the rest of his support characters separated to continue searching for Shin, or moved to protect their own race.
Somehow, Shin had expected that they would do that.
“But wait? Didn’t the Dusk of the Majesty occur right after I defeated Origin?”
Shin had noticed that there was an unusual time lag for the support character to make a racket.
“Master, if you think about the former location of Tsuki no Hokora, of course it would take some time for the information to circulate. Where did you think it was?”
“…True.”
Schnee was saying that since numerous boss monsters existed in the area near Tsuki no Hokora, one could say it was a remote outpost. In a situation where the support characters couldn’t use the chat function, information couldn’t be shared right away.
“That’s why I believe that a person who has Master’s titles or at least similar titles will likely never appear. If such a person does appear, well, please do something about it.”
“So it falls to me, huh?”
“Of course. Only someone of Masters’ standing can oppose them, if a person with a power similar to our class obtains those titles. Therefore, I leave all of it to you Master.”
“Well, that is right.”
The stats double, so that mean that the higher the original stats were, the stronger the titleholder would became. If a chosen one with a high ability obtained the title 【Accomplished】 or in even【Limit Breaker】, even Schnee wouldn’t stand a chance against that person.
However, since there were strict requirements for the acquisition conditions, and Shin had beyond maxed stats, Schnee believed that the appearance of any enemy that would be able to get a solid hit in, was very unlikely in the present state.
“By the way, Schnee.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“That, ‘Master’ calling, can you do something about it?”
While talking, Shin by all means felt bothered. Though he didn’t mind it during the game, simply because she was an NPC, it was very awkward when she called him that in the current situation.
“Is there a problem when I’m calling Master, ‘Master’?”
“No, there’s no…problem, but isn’t Schnee famous now? If such a person calls me ‘Master’, it will absolutely turn into an uproar.”
“Mu, that’s certainly the case, but…”
Shin well understood the influence of Tsuki no Hokora. And, it was certainly Schnee who made it so. It was impossible that nothing would happen if a person such as Schnee appeared to have a master whom she looked up to.
“Don’t you think so? I would especially like to avoid becoming the center of the attention. Therefore, I request that you do not call me ‘Master’.”
“But, then what should I call you?”
“Eh? Wouldn’t using my name normally be enough?”
“Uh!? T-That…”
For some reason, the surprised Schnee looked downward with her mouth mumbling. After a short time, she raised her face to stare straight at Shin as if she had made up her mind.
“T-Then…Shin.”
“Ah, there we go.”
Schnee said it in a whisper. Her cheeks were dyed a faint, pink color and her ears were bright red.
As for Shin, he had quite the response of ‘Eh, what is that reaction!?’ and strangely enjoyed the embarrassed feeling.
Schnee’s reaction was certainly seen in a lot of mangas and games. Though Shin well knew of this situation, the problem was whether or not he could return the reaction directly.
Though he was not well-versed, it didn’t mean that he had never experienced love before.
To tell the truth, Schnee had never changed her expressions to be this shy in the game, so the very action of calling his own name with somewhat upturned eyes was terrific, and considerably very ―――― ‘Moe’.
“How should I say this…that has destructive power…”
“Eh!?”
“No, it’s nothing. Yeah, it’s really nothing. From now on, please call me Shin.”
“I understand. Then, after this I will call you S-Shin.”
Schnee tried to act calm, but the flushed cheeks and ears vividly expressed her state of mind. Shin, who knew her usual calm appearance, was worrying about the too extreme gap.
(Is this the true ‘Gap Moe’? Indeed…the destructive power is worthy of comparison with the gap of Celica-san, which I felt in the guild.)
After that, they walked without saying anything to each other for a while. After confirming that the ears of Schnee, who was fidgety, returned to their former color using side glances, Shin resumed the conversation.
“Ah, though we got off topic, should we continue with the questions?”
“Yes, I showed an unsightly side. But I’m alright now.”
Though he felt that her voice still sounded somewhat excited, he ignored it, because the conversation would not advance if he pointed it out.
“Let me see…Errr, I’ve already talked about my abilities. Then about the last question. First of all, I intend to go around collecting information around here and there after this.”
“Information?”
“Yes, first I will learn about this world. For the time being, I have investigated a little in the kingdom’s library, and I intend to go to the Sacred Land later. Has Schnee been there before?”
“Yes. But because it was only a simple internal investigation, I still don’t know what’s going on in the center of the city.”
“Is that so?”
Whether the key to returning to his former world lies there or not. The only way is to go there directly.
“Um…Shin.”
“Hmm?”
Schnee called out to Shin, who was thinking on whether he wanted to go the Sacred Land next. Her voice had completely changed from a while ago and was a little bit stiff.
“If you find the way…are you going to stop and return?”
“…Ah.”
He went silent for a while and replied. Though he hesitated on how to answer Schnee’s in this state, it wouldn’t change the conclusion even if he lied. He didn’t mean to give up if there was still a possibility.
And there was no meaning in vague answers, either.
He didn’t want to lie.
“That should be expected, huh?”
“…Sorry.”
“No, When I listened to your talk earlier, I already thought you wanted to do so.”
Schnee nodded while showing an innocent smile, seemingly understanding in some respect. At the expression that resembled a look of relief, Shin felt a faint sense of incongruity.
“Hey, Schnee. How much do you remember from the game?”
Shin asked, in an attempt to change the sense of incongruity.
“Everything.”
“Everything..?”
“Yes. From the time I descended down from that place to be together with you.”
Everything until this very moment now.
Part 2
The moment when he ran through a field for beginners.
The time when he was depressed due to losing in PvP.
The eagerness to improve his stats.
The friends he had in the guild.
The loud laugh after defeating a large army of players.
The dungeon where he risked his life.
The tears he shed for not being able to protect someone’s life.
The assassin’s dagger he wielded.
The promise he made to a certain person.
The last time seeing his back.
“――I remember it all.”
Schnee said while calmly putting her hand above her chest.
“Although it was useless to ask you to forget it too, please say…”
“I’m not saying~”
The smiling face was too radiant as she answered bluntly. It was a facial expression that he hadn’t seen when she was an NPC, and when his fellow made this sort of face, Shin became a little glad.
“But, if that was the case. Though you only talked in pre-set sentences, were you in a state of awareness?”
“No, it was after Shin and the others entered the situation known as the death game, that a type of self-consciousness became clear. Until then, it felt like watching a moving picture. It is very hard to explain it, but it’s like looking at myself from a bird’s-eye view.”
Though it was her memory, Schnee said that it was like the memory of another person. To be frank, he didn’t understand it well, because he thought it was rather painful that her consciousness became aware while in a state where her body moved without permission, so he didn’t question it further.
“I see. In short, you know all about the logout stuff and the other things beyond that point as well.”
It was possible to say that that might be the reason why she had retained her memories of the game.
“Yes. At that time, it was because all of the adventurers sometimes used those words after the life and death fights began. If I am not mistaken, another world, different from this one, is the real world, right?”
“That is correct…so anyways, after I left, you guys searched for me and then separated, huh?”
“…Yes.”
While smiling as if she had been in trouble, Schnee affirmed it.
The last fight of the death game. If Shin won the fight, Schnee and the others would disappear. If Shin lost, Schnee and the others would lose their master. Either way, it couldn’t become a happy ending. Therefore, they took several actions, due the mysterious situation where they didn’t disappear even though Shin should have won.
“If only you all could have told me beforehand, though that might not be possible to say.”
“Then, wouldn’t Shin have been troubled by it? You had to do the best that you could at that time.”
“Is that so…”
Though it was decided that it was okay and he had been in high spirits when he left Tsuki no Hokora; when he learned about the circumstances that his support characters had concealed among themselves, Shin felt miserable.
Nevertheless, even if he had known, he would not have doubted himself, and would have done what he did, so he did not say anything.
“In those days, independent action was not completely possible yet, and the talk of freedom, like the present day, was more or less not even imaginable. Either way, it would have been impossible to talk about.”
“Well now that you mention it, when the death game began, I thought it was weird that the NPC’s were strangely acting like human beings. Now knowing that it was self-awareness, I realize ‘Ah! so that’s it’.”
“You have a difficult personality as always, Shin.”
“Shut up!…Leave me alone.”
He muttered at Schnee, who smiled wryly while he was embarrassed. He was pondering his past actions, thinking about if or when the programs had began self-consciousness or something, wondering ‘Did I treat them decently?’, as Schnee’s remark actually hit the target.
“Well, you would have gone to battle even if you had known, Shin.”
“…That’s probably true.”
Compared to the lives of ten thousand humans, the support characters were no more than data. Even if the data had been somewhat self-consciousness, it was still not comparable.
“Besides, didn’t you make a promise?”
“…Yeah.”
Even though it wasn’t much, many people returned to reality.
In fact, it was due to that promise which Shin had exchanged with a certain person.
Since they knew about it for sure, neither Schnee nor the other support characters would have said anything.
“Now then, let’s put a stop to this solemn atmosphere. Especially since we are able to meet again after so much effort and a long wait.”
“…That’s right. “What am I saying now, it’s quickly become depressing! Let’s stop it!”
In order to completely change the mood that had become depressing, Schnee behaved cheerfully and clapped her hands in an exaggerated manner. Shin also joined in by raising his voice.
“First of all, to celebrate the reunion, let’s go all out with a party. If it’s about food ingredients, I have a lot left in the Item Box.”
“Let’s do it. Please let me demonstrate my cooking skill that I have raised over the years.”
“By the way, what is your cooking level?”
“It became Ⅸ about one month ago.”
“Seriously!?”
Shin was surprised that it had grown to the level where she could cook even a high level monster. Even if she made the lowest grade meal, a simple soup, with this level it transformed into a dish that generated a lot of bonus stats. It was said that a skilled cook was found to be as useful as a skilled blacksmith in major guilds. There were enormous bonuses when a dish was made using rare ingredients. If one of two players with the same level, job, and about the same ability ate the dish, the player who ate it would end up with a complete victory in combat.
And Rokuten, where Shin had been a member, was able to overpower other player’s skills and stats because there was a cook skill of level X. So, with a dish that gave a bonus of temporary adding to their maxed stats, they were able to exceed the limit, though it was only by a little.1
By the way, only Shin and the other members of Rokuten, who had reached the maximum stats, knew of that information. All of the members, including Shin, started to notice the increase in damage from the bonus effects, and the information was not circulated in order for only the six members of Rokuten to benefit from it.
“Though I’m not like Cook-sama, you can anticipate it.”
“Yosh! Leave the ingredients to me!”
While expressing “Fufufu”, he took a look at the ingredients in the Item Box. Even though the ingredients were stored since the time it was just a game, he himself had already confirmed that it was okay to eat them.
“By the way Shin, may I ask one more question aside from the questions earlier.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Schnee asked him the question while looking at the top of Shin’s head.
“That one, what is it?”
“This one? …Ah.”
He realized what she was talking about.
It was Yuzuha who was sleeping soundly on top of Shin’s head.
“Though since only its name and level are seen, did you use Taming on it?”
“Yeah, there were some minor circumstances, and we made a partner contract due to them. Its name is Yuzuha. I will be honest since it is Schnee. It’s race is the Element Tail.”
“…When I looked at the tails, I thought it was not a mere Demon Fox race. So it is an Element Tail, huh?”
Schnee became stiff momentarily, right after she heard the race of Yuzuha. But she promptly regained herself as if she thought, ‘Well, it is Shin after all.’
“You found out through the tail?”
“Perhaps Shin didn’t notice it? I could understand that it was not an ordinary Demon Fox because there are 3 tails.”
Shin tilted his head due to what Schnee was saying. There should be no such feature in Yuzuha’s tail.
“…Three…tails?”
Then he suddenly noticed it. Now that he thought about it, there was a sense of tails hitting his ears and the back of his head.
First, he grabbed a tail with his right hand. Yep, nice and soft.
“Hmm.”
Next, he grabbed a tail with his left hand. This one was also fluffy.
“…Hmm.”
Finally, he concentrated on the sense of touch on the back of his head. There was a faint light touch.
“…Hmm.”
For the time being, he released the tails from his hands, gripped the body of Yuzuha from above his head and brought it in front of his face.
“Kuu?”
“They had certainly become three.”
Yuzuha woke up after being moved from overhead. And then the tails that had increased to 3 swung side by side accordingly.
When looking at its level, it had unexpectedly gone over 400.
“…Well, I guess its level rose too much.”
Even if the former level was over 200, it had gone up too suddenly. It hadn’t killed many monsters while they were power-leveling Rashia. And it was indeed impossible for it to level up almost 200 levels just from the fight with the Lord.
“I think something else happened.”
Shin thought that there was something that he personally didn’t know. The growth extent of a monster partner or something similar was something he had heard from a member of Rokuten; Kashmir. Therefore, he understood that such a straightforward growth was nearly impossible.
The first thing that came to Shin’s mind was that a hidden quest had been completed when the requirements were fulfilled. He had experienced it several times during the game, so he had grown accustomed to it. If he remembered correctly, there was a quest with a monster partner, too.
“Schnee, how do you take up a hidden quest in this world?”
“As far as I know, I haven’t heard talks of any such quests being generated. The world voice I had heard before, it too was never heard from again after Shin vanished. And I have not heard of any story like this either.”
The world voice Schnee mentioned was probably the announcement system in THE NEW GATE.
Unlike the quest which could be accepted in a guild, when the conditions for the generated hidden quest were met, the player was notified of what kind of quest it was via an announcement as the hidden quest began.
In this case, since there was no sort of announcement at all, Shin didn’t notice Yuzuha’s level up. Also, judging from Schnee’s story, the system feature of announcements was likely gone.
“Still, for the number of tails to increase, is this because the level rose?”
Shin spoke while facing Yuzuha.
Because there were no Element Tail kit’s in the game era, he was uncertain about how they grew up.
It might unexpectedly just be a mere growth spurt rather than a quest and the like.
“Kua~…Good morning, Master.”3
Without knowing that Shin was worried, Yuzuha yawned loudly… and greeted him like it was only natural.
“Wait a minute, Yuzuha! Did you reach the point where you are able to talk?”
“Kuu? When the black things disappeared, my head felt refreshed.”
“Black things?”
When he heard about the black things, he was thought of the Lord’s core that was sliced in half just a while ago. If he recalled back, it was only Skull Faces that had surrounded the Shinto shrine where Yuzuha was rescued from. And it was not strange to regard the Lord that appeared this time as the boss.
“It was black, roundish, and inside the bones. And Master cut it.”
“It’s the Lord’s core, no mistake about it.”
It seemed like it matched Shin’s expectations. There was some kind of relation that connected Yuzuha and the Lord, Shin’s intuition as a gamer told him so.
Was some portion of its power absorbed? Or was it sealed? It was regrettable that he had no way of confirming it after defeating it.
“For now, you are prohibited from talking in public. Since ordinary Demon Foxes can’t talk.”
“Okay.”
“If it’s just the two of us, it should be fine, but don’t expose yourself to other people.”
“Hmmm, then do I only talk directly into your mind?”
“Telepathy? If so, it should be fine.”
Since there was telepathy, it was still possible to communicate. It seemed that Yuzuha also understood it intuitively, as it nodded obediently.
“But Shin, since the number of tails have increased, will it still be known as a Little Fox?”
“That’s right…”
Actually, there were various types of Demon Fox races, and so naturally there were ones with multiple tails. Indeed, it was possible to say that that most of them had multiple tails.. But generally it became a slightly dangerous existence for a commoner if the number of tails exceeded 2.
As for Demon Fox races with 3 tails, there was Flame Tail, Tail Leader and so on. Even if it was young, their levels were still at least 250. They were not the kind of monster that one would just take as a pet in this world.
“Its still a child, so entering a country might be possible, but…”
“Well, it will become an adult sooner or later, too. That’s right…say, Yuzuha. Can’t you do things like transform?”
“Kuu? There are things that I’m able to do, and things I am not able to do.”
“Can you change the three tails into one?”
“Easy~”
Yuzuha said, while its three tails splendidly turned into a single tail with a pop sound.
“Oh!”
“That’s nice.”
Shin and Schnee both opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Rather than an illusion, they seemed to have really become one tail. Even touching it seemed natural.
“Is this good??”
“It’s okay. Won’t it make you tired?”
“It’s alright!”
“Then from now on, can you merge them into one tail in places where people can see? Because that will save us some trouble one way or another.”
“Yes, I can do that~”
Yuzuha agreed easily. It didn’t hide any resistance.
“…It was somehow solved easily.”
“Yeah, that’s true. If it’s like this, it won’t be discovered easily.”
Schnee too, assured. It seemed like Shin was relieved by this.
“Yuzuha is excellent?”
“Yes, yes, good job.”
“Kuu~~”
With Yuzuha held against his chest, he patted its head for its good job.
“…Cute!”
“Hmm?”
“Ha! It’s nothing.”
“…Do you want to pet it?”
“Sure!!”
Even though she was so strong, Schnee was still a woman and seemed to like cute things. Petting Yuzuha indeed felt really good, too.
“Still the same as ever, Shin never fails to surprise me.”
“Hmm?”
“No one has accomplished taming an Element Tail before.”
Schnee’s declaration contained something of amazement while stopping her petting. The Element Tail was set to be impossible to tame since the beginning of the game era. It was no wonder that she was surprised.
“You don’t look surprised while saying that though?”
“Well, since it’s Shin I’m really not surprised. No high level individual like you has ever tried doing that before.”
“Indeed. We, the Rokuten, weakened the opponent while going easy, even if the difficulty was high.”
Shin recalled. Having every attribute of magic, aided by strong physical attacks from its fangs and claws, it was a monster that had a nimble and agile nature which didn’t match its large body. Even the maxed stats players could not let their guard down. That was the original appearance of the Element Tail.
Yuzuha, which was curled up while being held by Shin’s arm, did not show such a threat at all.
“Kuu?”
“Yosh, let’s run at full speed now. In fact, there are some companions ahead of us. and they might cause an uproar soon.”
“If that’s the case, we better hurry. We might catch up in time.”
If someone thought about the travel speed of Shin and Schnee; they could easily overtake a horse that ran at full speed by a large margin. However, Wilhelm had the buff given by Shin, which made him run faster. It was likely that he would lengthen the distance in this case. If those two people arrived at the kingdom and informed them about the situation, it would be troublesome for Shin in various ways.
“Let’s get serious. It’s too bothersome to be marked by the guild any further.”
“What you said just now, can you explain it later?”
“That is that and this is this.”
Would it be possible to put it off after Schnee made such a face, Shin couldn’t say.
“Yosh, let’s go!”
He put Yuzuha on top of his head, and began to run with Schnee.
It didn’t take too long for the two people to catch up with Wilhelm and Rashia.
After about half a day since Shin and Schnee began to run and not much time had passed since the sun appeared from beyond the horizon, the figures of Wilhelm and Rashia were perceived.
–
“Oi! Now tell me everything, like what on earth happened back there?”
“What’s up with this sudden contentious attitude…”
Wilhelm was cautious of the surroundings while protecting Rashia, who was asleep. Though they joined up safely, Wilhelm was losing his temper and flared up at Shin with a threatening tone.
Meanwhile Rashia continued to sleep, probably because of fatigue.
“Well, to put it simply, Schnee took the trouble of defeating the Lord.”
“Hyun!”
Shin, who answered, was pushed away by the devil spear. It was not serious, but there was some speed put into the devil spear.
“Wait! That’s dangerous!!”
“I’ve never seen anyone that could do anything like that and have their magical power leap to that degree. You are dangerous after all!”
“Why are you so persistent!?”
“What else do you expect!! What was your intention when you saw us off with such an exaggerated skill, and then easily caught up with us! Even with such a margin in time! And I was fucking desperate to return!!”
“Wait, wait, calm down! Though it was a bad joke, isn’t『Venom』too much!?”
The devil spear was continuously thrust out, but it didn’t hit Shin even once.
“Tsk”
“What the heck are you clicking your tongue for!? It was just a little joke.”
“What joke? That face seems like it wants to say something, but you yourself didn’t do anything. Explain it precisely and I don’t want another joke.”
As one would expect, the joke seemed to have gone a little too far.
Wilhelm looked at Shin with a serious expression.
“Shin, let’s cut to the chase now.”
Schnee, who looked at Shin and Wilhelm messing around, stepped forward.
“You are..? Don’t tell me, you stood behind him.”
Wilhelm said it with some kind of profound meaning.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw you. If you understand, then the explanation is unnecessary?”
Apparently, the two people communicated with only those words.
“Hey, I want you to tell me in a way that I understand.”
Shin had no idea at all of what they were talking about.
“You don’t know, huh? Schnee Raizar is famous for not yielding or kneeling to anyone. I guess even to the Royal family and the Pope.”
It was somehow very stout-hearted.
“Isn’t that disrespectful?”
“I kneel to no one except to my Master.”
Somehow, Shin felt bad about her making the royal family an opponent, but it seemed like Schnee would never waver.
“Well, to begin with, there is no fellow who would dare pick a fight with her.”
“So that is the reason it was tolerated, huh?”
Let alone punishing her, there were only a few people who could even rival her.
When Shin heard that, it seemed as if that was not the only reason. Her tone and attitude were both polite. If a strong monster appeared, she lent her power. She kept neutrality without belonging to any organization, and didn’t bother picking any unnecessary fights.
The achievements from over 500 years were not just for show.
Though there were people who had secretly tried to draw her into becoming their ally, because she had such a great power, it seemed like none had ever succeeded.
“I understand the feeling of wanting to win her over to be an ally.”
“Wait…then if she is obediently following a guy like you, that means…”
“Ah, so you figured it out, huh?…”
Shin didn’t know how well Schnee and Wilhelm were acquainted, but it seemed like Wilhelm had already seen through it.
“A High Human, huh?”
“He is also my Master.”
“Yeah, that’s more or less it.”
“That’s not just more or less. But if that’s the case, I understand. That level of magic power was no joke.”
“Sorry, but that was still me in ‘easy’ mode.”
“I see…the Master of Schnee Raizar, huh? Indeed, the story was more than I expected…Oi, then the animal that you, a High Human, put on your head is not just an ordinary fox?”
Wilhelm shifted his attention to Yuzuha while feeling relieved and shrugging his shoulders. Surprise and amazement began to mix into his tone of voice. There was no sense of fear here, probably because he got to know Shin without any preconceived notions.
“Kuu?”
“It might not be a Little Fox. Its level exceeded 400 after the fight a little while ago.”
“…Again, I’m not really surprised.”
Wilhelm sighed while glaring with scornful eyes. Even though he was surprised by the truth about Yuzuha, which had the appearance of a small animal as well as a level exceeding 400, he was way past being shocked, so he ended up feeling “Like hell such a thing could exist!”.
“So that is why you vaguely answered about being a chosen one earlier, huh?”
“Right. In my case, I was not strong since birth, though my power is higher than a chosen one. I thought such guys were rare in this world, don’t you agree? Therefore, I decided to go with being a chosen one.”
“I see. Then, if you two act together from now on, it’s only a matter of time before it comes to light.”
Wilhelm’s point was justifiable. Generally speaking, Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were famous. So if Schnee appeared to be close to a man, certain groups of people would try to gather information.
“For that situation, there are magic skills that easily allow me to deceive others. I can earn some time if I make full use of illusion magic.”
“I don’t think the illusion magic you talk about is similar to the one I know. I would not be surprised if you transformed into a monster.”
“What kind of treatment is this…”
Shin could do nothing but smile wryly.
“If you are going to do that, then you will be a walking disaster. A guy like you could easily go out and erase a country if he felt like it in the same day. If I were the King, I would lose my mind.”
It was meaningless to try and act violently, so Wilhelm sat down as he added another point. He then urged Shin and Schnee, who were still standing and talking, to sit down while he mended Rashia’s bed sheet.
Rashia was sleeping soundly as her breathing could be heard. According to Wilhelm, when the people were told that high ranking adventurers were around, they seemed to calm down at last. Regarding Shin, he seemed convinced that there was no need to use the illusion magic skill immediately to that extent.
“Which reminds me, are any documents relating to us, High Humans, still remaining?”
He had returned empty handed when he visited the library before, but how were player matters circulated? Shin only had the unclear information that he had heard from Tiera. If he thought about it now, he wasn’t certain if it was unconsciously avoided. No one would bother with such a dark history, and they would pretend like it never even happened, naturally.
“There might be some left. Well, the things that I know of are; they have absurdly powerful-like strength and each had their own field of expertise in which they possessed an abnormal ability. They were treated like Gods in their particular field.”
“There are various legends that have been passed down among other people, right?”
Schnee chimes in.
“Uhee, this is gonna be troublesome again. Because Rokuten certainly was a former production guild first, we felt like we wouldn’t lose to others when it came to our individual fields of expertise.”
“Ha? Since you were strong at the beginning, did you waste time on craftsmanship? Like Schnee here.”
“Wilhelm, didn’t I only cook to pass the time??”
There seemed to be some kind of different history between the two people.
Even though every member of Rokuten certainly had amazing stats, the main reason they first gathered together was to be production guild.
“It’s different from that. Even if the levels are the same, humans are weaker than other races. In my case, I compensated with blacksmithing. It was really difficult to raise its level at the same time as combat skills.”
“You just ran from place to place many times when you first started adventuring, right?”
Schnee grunted “uh-huh” and nodded. When Shin first played, he was very weak compared to the present.
“These kinds of things, I guess, are not normal.”
“That’s what ‘High players’ did.”
Schnee casually said a word that only players would understand.
“It was called ‘High Human’ though.”
“Hai pu…what?”
Wilhelm could not understand the net term.
“Anyway, I made weapons to raise my level in blacksmithing. I equipped them and defeated stronger opponents to raise my level. Then I made a stronger weapon with the material from the opponents I defeated. And again, defeated another stronger enemy. It was this loop.”
To begin with, the world of blacksmithing was not sweet enough to be able to make an advanced weapon as easily like Shin said. Though ‘blacksmith’ was an example of a production skill system that was somewhat easier to raise than the combat system skill, THE NEW GATE was not a lenient enough of a game to allow it to be maxed that easily.
For this reason, there were divisions for production and combat system guilds. The majority of players who worked on both sides stopped halfway and quit, although it’s also difficult to master just one of the two systems. No similar person accomplished this.
In the systems above, players with a combat job had to be able to make a lower class recovery item, like a class 10 Potion, and production job players had to be able to handle a battle. But it was still only at a ‘better than nothing’ standard.
“Amazing. I guess you are the real deal.”
“How rude.”
“It’s absurd no matter how much I think about it. I can’t even think about standing both jobs together.”
“If you think about it, it seems like it would favor the long-lived species such as elves and pixies. But they are not able to do it.”
If the Pixie and Elf species existed in reality, they would not be suited for being blacksmiths in the first place.
In other words, raising two jobs together and so on was an unbelievable act of sheer madness for the residents of this world. Shin was able to do it because it had only been a game. Using items every time to gain a proficiency bonus and learning skills from using secret books, there stood Shin today only because he had spent the time to strengthen himself.
And even that took a tremendous amount of time. It was impossible to do the same thing in the daily life of this world.
“I’m aware of it. The members of Rokuten are strong in various ways. It is quite normal that even I am not a match for them, except for in blacksmithing. Cain could build a castle in a day, Cook could make a dish from dragons, Kashmir raised a monster ranch before anyone knew it, Hecate produced Elixirs and Philosopher stones, and made a load of low grade potions by mood. Also, Reed’s puppets were able to exchange blows with divine beasts.”
“Shin has produced several holy swords and cursed sword types. And if you don’t like an 《Ancient》 grade sword, he and Filma will melt it down to avoid complaints.”
Schnee expressed a wry smile as she remembered those days. It didn’t matter if it was a 《Legend》 grade or a 《Mythology》 grade, he would just do it over again if he was not satisfied.
By the way, Filma was Shin’s no. 2 support character. Incidentally, Shin, who recalled that time, was strangely discouraged.
“That sure is a damn dramatical way to improve oneself. I mean, your specialty is blacksmith, huh?”
“That’s right. Do you want me to restructure your 『Venom』 ?”
“Are you kidding me?!”
Kukuku. Shin, who now had a suspicious voice with a grinning face, forced Wilhelm to reply right away. He seemed to give off a bad feeling somehow or another.
“Please tell me if you’re not satisfied. If it’s Wilhelm, I will reinforce it for a bargain price.”
“Oi, Why are you making a face like a shady merchant?”
“Iyaa, how should I put it, it’s just my blacksmith’s blood getting excited?”
“…Oh, your profession is certainly a craftsman. That face looks like a dwarf’s boss in a hot-iron room, now that I think about it.”
In any world too, it seemed like people with similar occupations all resembled each other in speech and action. The face of some dwarf craftsmen when they saw 『Venom』 appeared in Wilhelm’s mind clearly.
They have the eyes of children that have just found their new toy as it glitters, much like the eyes of Shin just now.
“Even so, you need a blacksmith’s forge to showcase your skills, don’t you? Though you are different than the others, a weapon cannot be made using secrets or a lost secret arts thing, you know?”
“I’m not like some fake blacksmith!! I only intend to hold a hammer after such a long absence from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I know you will be able to make something. From the story of a craftsman, whom I am indebted to, the longsword produced by Rokuten’s blacksmith was of 《Normal》 grade, but was on equal terms with a 《Legend》 grade sword.”
Of course, Wilhelm was not a child to believe such a story. In a sense, 《Normal》 grade and 《Legend》 grade have different performance standards that couldn’t be compared with each other.
“It is indeed…no, wait. Now that you mention it, there was a time when I tested how far I could strengthen a 《Normal》 grade weapon.”
“Oi…you are joking, aren’t you?”
When Wilhelm reflectively asked that question in return, Schnee also opened her mouth to talk.
“Wasn’t that the experiment you conducted that was suggested by both Reed-sama and Hecate-sama?
“That’s right. If I’m not mistaken, only suitable and prepared iron can be enchanted. It’s the kind that could only be made by using the best facilities available at that time. I put it in the store by mistake, I wonder if the buyer was surprised and spread that information.”
“…What the heck is that!”
By the way, the buyer bought it as a present for a beginner who had just begun to play the game. And it was discovered by players passing by, as monsters that should not able to be defeated by a beginner were being killed in one hit. When watched from the side, the monsters gave off a feeling of being awfully weak. The buyer thought it was just a normal longsword and didn’t notice it because they didn’t check the stats on the weapon.
“I was astonished that an amazing thing could be made at that time. However, because the material was iron, the durability is inferior by all means. I made several of them, and started to test them, or should I say crossed swords. They broke after striking each other about 10-20 times.”
“I would think, it’s damn weird, when it was possible to exchange blows at that time.”
As if to say he couldn’t comprehend Shin’s common sense, Wilhelm held his head with one hand. The grade of the weapon should not be sweet enough that even a blacksmith’s skill could enhance it this way.
“Ah, I understand it well. You are definitely a High Human. The common sense here just continues to break down since a while ago.”
“Because it is my Master, the current common sense does not work.”
“Kuu~Kuu~”
“No, that’s not a compliment.”
To the proud looking Schnee and the agreeing Yuzuha, Wilhelm retorted while being astounded. He seemed to still be a little confused as he didn’t notice how Yuzuha had reacted, as if it understood the words.
Schnee seemed to be boasting, probably because it was about the legend of Shin.
“Nh…Ngh?”
When Wilhelm was about to sigh, Rashia who had been sleeping on the side woke up. They apparently had made too much noise. It was too loud for her to continue sleeping.
“Eh?…Shin, san?”
“Yo.”
“Ah! Hello…why are you here!?”
Rashia, who was still half asleep, recognized someone with a glance before raising her voice. She was certain that this man had remained with the flock of monsters to let them get away. Even Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, was still the same as before.
“I somehow made it here.”
“Eh…?”
Rashia looked like she wanted to say, “What is he saying?” as she faced toward Wilhelm.
Wilhelm caught the gaze and responded.
“Apparently, an ally happened to pass by.”
Wilhelm said that while glancing at Shin and Schnee, as if his eyes said to Shin “Don’t you dare tell this girl.”
Because Shin also intended to conceal the fact about him being a High Human from Rashia, he gave a small nod. Unlike Wilhelm who had some connection to Rashia, who was a commoner, she couldn’t guess the identity of Shin from Schnee’s attitude. Though there was no problem if it was known, it was still dangerous just to know that valuable information. A possible information leak may cause Rashia misfortune..
So Wilhelm decided to modify the story to one where just an ally happened to pass by.
Incidentally about Wilhelm, Schnee was the companion who had handed over the letter of introduction to him, so he didn’t have to worry.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Schnee Raizar. I am the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Thank you for the polite words. I am called Rashia Luzel…um, what did you say just now?”
Rashia asked Schnee again as if she had heard something impossible.
Of course she had heard it, she just couldn’t believe it.
“Because it’s Schnee Raizar. You know. It’s that Schnee Raizar.”
“…That?”
“Oh, it’s you!”
Schnee raised her eyebrow a little.
“Though it sounds like the meaning is not very positive for some reason.”
Even though her name meant a good thing in this world, it was still a mystery how it could also have a strange meaning when people kept saying it.
“Just make up your damn mind. Look! Rashia, come back to yourself!”
“E-Errr, I’m Rashia! It’s an honor to meet zuu! ….uu”
“Yes, I hope to get along with you.”
Schnee replied as if Rashia biting her tongue didn’t happen.
“I was only able to defeat those monsters thanks to Schnee helping out. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
“Did you defeat all of the monsters!? A-As expected from the 『Saint』-sama.”
“Saint?”
Shin was trying to emphasize the achievements of Schnee, but had a question about the unfamiliar word.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Schnee-sama never accepted it.”
“Didn’t accept it?”
Shin looked at Schnee unintentionally.
“I received a communication acknowledging me as a Saint from the church headquarters previously. Although I declined it.”
“Was there any problem in accepting it?”
“Yes. I don’t have any intention to be affiliated with influence somewhere just because I served with the High Humans. However, when the title of Saint arrived, because there is the possibility that I would naturally end up with some church influence, I didn’t accept it. I thought it was already forgotten about because it has been more than 100 years, but it seems they still haven’t given up yet.”
It was indeed unexpected, Schnee sighed as she was disgruntled.
Although the church recognized her as a Saint, it was meaningless if she didn’t accept it.
For Shin to meddle in the church’s internal politics would be more than a petty complication, it was completely contrary to his goal. Religion was something which was troublesome through all the ages. When thinking about these kinds of things, Schnee smiled at Rashia.
“You can call me Schnee, it’s no problem.”
“S-Such a thing! It’s too much.”
“You’re too tense!”
“Will, that is too much, too!”
Though it was somewhat exaggerated, Shin thought it was the correct reaction.
Shin, personally, was Schnee’s long-time acquaintance, and Wilhelm had a character that didn’t hold much back. Therefore they could talk normally. However, as Tiera said before, even children knew the name Schnee; she was very popular.
If that person was in front of someone normal, they would probably react this way, too.
“Oi, come on! Don’t we have to go soon? There’s no need to rest here, right?.”
Shin and Schnee hadn’t taken much of a break, and Wilhelm understood that much.
“That’s right, we should go then.”
Shin spoke while standing up with Schnee. They were able to leave without any problems, and since there were orphanage matters too, it was better to rush.
Rashia began to tidy up the bedding in a hurry as well. Though Rashia didn’t understand the significance of the details of the incident, for the time being she understood the explanation about how it was solved by Schnee. It didn’t mean that she had forgotten the fear of when they were surrounded by monsters, but Rashia might believe that there was nothing impossible for this person.
According to a commoner such as Rashia, Schnee Raizar was a living legend. A heroine and a saint, who had been protecting this land for more than 500 years.
There was a trust that was close to faith.
“Well, the reliance is greater than I thought.”
Shin talked to himself, as he saw the expression full of trust in Schnee on Rashia’s face. It was easy to imagine that it would become outrageous if Schnee walked together with him. It might be difficult even if it was only to buy something.
He sighed and decided to carefully make the disguise.
-
Wilhelm carried Rashia, as Shin and Schnee maintained their speed to match up with them. No matter how much her level had risen, it would be a significant burden on Rashia if she had to run with all her effort.
That speed couldn’t be compared with a horse. Even though they took a break on the way, the four people arrived at the location where they were able to see the kingdom’s town before sunset.
They walked from there because it would be difficult if they caused others to be cautious of them as they were going to a place with public eyes.
“Ugh, I feel like vomiting…”
“Come on, I carried you on my back, so endure it.”
Rashia, who was not used to high speed travel while being carried by someone, had her complexion worsen, like she was having motion sickness. Since it was cruel to let her walk as it was, Wilhelm carried her on his back.
“Are you alright?”
Schnee called out kindly.
“Don’t worry, I will put up with it…”
“That’s serious.”
Shin let out a small sigh.
Because potions didn’t work on motion sickness, the party proceeded after she said so.
Schnee had already changed her appearance using a magic skill before being perceived by the public. Her blue eyes turned red, her silver hair changed to blonde, and she now had a ponytail hairstyle. Several other skills were applied besides that.
Since Shin personally applied the magic, it would never be discovered unless in an extreme circumstance. From the beginning, just transforming a woman’s hairstyle and her impression made her significantly different. If her hair color and eyes were changed, even humans who were used to seeing Schnee would not notice it immediately.
“Just to confirm, it’s okay if we separate in front of the gate?”
“I don’t mind. The request was originally until she learned the skill. There’s no need to bother walking us to the church, too. If something does happen at the church, it’s for us to manage.”
“That tone that doesn’t match with your honest side is the same as always.”
Schnee showed a wry smile while speaking to Wilhelm.
“Dammit, leave me alone!”
They joked around while approaching the gate. Even though Wilhelm said that something might have already happened, Shin expanded his perception range to the orphanage, and confirmed everyone was safe. Of course, there were no signs of any uninvited guests either.
“Then, we will walk together up until we get there. I will give you this just in case. Please contact me if anything happens.”
When they arrived at the gate, Shin presented the message card and the letter paper.
However, Wilhelm who saw that, tried to refuse.
“This is the item that transfers a message, huh? If it turns into a situation where I need to use this, I won’t choose to do so. What if I involve you and something happens?”
“Moreover, it only puts you at a disadvantage.” those were the words left unsaid, but expressed through Wilhelm’s eyes as he told Shin, and his intention to have Shin stay out of it could be sensed.
No matter how similar Shin was to a chosen one, or as a similar fellow who was recognized by Tsuki no Hokora, Wilhelm didn’t intend to involve a companion who had merely received the request. There were possibilities of Shin being marked by the church when he received enough requests. If the message card was handed over and used, that alone was unjustifiable. He had already expected that Wilhelm would say that.
If something were to happen without Shin being involved, like the situation earlier, there was the high possibility that it couldn’t be solved, or it would become more disastrous. Even still, that man couldn’t approve of it.
Rashia, who was being carried on Wilhelm’s back, didn’t say anything either.
They themselves were going to challenge the enemy; who had power, money, and ability.
Schnee Raizar and her master. It should not be shameful in any way if they requested help from a companion with unparalleled power and fame in this world. But in this case, they kept their problems to themselves till the very end.
Though the request for 【Purification】 was just recently put out, it was already over, too. If possible, Wilhelm would settle it by himself from here-on. That belief became a wall that stood between Shin and Wilhelm.
“It’s fine. Take it.”
Shin forced the message card onto Wilhelm. He was saying to ignore the invisible wall between them.
“I will feel bad if I neglect you both from here on.”
“But――”
“Besides!”
Wilhelm tried to say something, but was interrupted by Shin.
“When I first came here, those children only tried to protect each other and their friends. I will not abandon them. Thus, when the chips are down, I will help.”
“You…what are you saying…”
“You can contact me without worrying about a thing. Take it quickly! It’s becoming a little embarrassing to say anymore!!”
He felt embarrassed about the lines which he had never uttered before, even in the real world. It was guaranteed that he would groan in agony once he thought about it later. Am I such a passionate guy? No doubt he would question himself.
But remorse would not do either.
Even if this world was a different world for him, there was nothing wrong with his choice. Believing so, Shin handed over the items.
“Then, I shouldn’t hold back?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
Wilhelm, who was broadly grinning, received the message card at last.
“Shin too, still the same as ever.”
“Is that so?”
Schnee said while seeing Wilhelm and Rashia off toward the gate. It was because there was a situation resembling such a thing before.
Though Shin showed a reaction of not remembering, Schnee clearly recalled the figure of Shin that had helped some strangers before, like just now.
They were a little girl whose eyes were swollen with tears, a young boy who was dumbstruck, and an old man who was going to sacrifice himself and desperately tried to go ahead of the young boy. There was no discrimination at all.
‘It’s impossible for me to save everyone, but there is no other way but to try to do it.’
When Shin talked like that.
Schnee was able to recall clearly, even now, the figure that was almighty, but didn’t act like it, and continued to protect the weak.
“What’s the matter, Schnee? Let’s move on.”
“I’m sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment. I’m coming now.”
Schnee walked while looking at Shin’s back. After advancing for a while, they almost came to their destination.
Shin tilted his head when he looked at Schnee with side glances, but without pointing it out, the two people moved one step closer to Tsuki no Hokora.
Schnee’s face, when captured in Shin’s line of sight, had a very calm and gentle facial expression.
Part 3
After they had walked for a while, a familiar sight appeared in front of Shin and Schnee. Needless to say, it was Tsuki no Hokora.
Because the wooden sign at the door said 『The storekeeper has left home』, it seemed like the store was already closed. Naturally it was locked, but Shin was the owner, and Schnee was registered as an employee. So the lock automatically opened when Shin put his hand on the door, and the door swung open.
The store hadn’t changed much from the last time that Shin visited, and there was a faint scent of dinner in the air.
“It can’t be helped, my stomach is grumbling.”
“I’m hungry~”
Shin held his belly, and Yuzuha, who had been silent for a long time, also raised its voice. Whether it could read the mood or not, it appeared to be bored because it had hardly barked while they had traveled with Wilhelm and Rashia. Now it was being carried by Shin.
“It’s just the right time, let’s have dinner first.”
They both nodded at Schnee’s proposal as she canceled her disguise, and then the sound of a person running loudly, probably from the main room to the counter’s interior, was heard.
“Master!!”
It was Tiera, who was tending the store. She had probably heard the sound of the bell chime when they entered the store.
She appeared to be out of breath while holding a kitchen knife. She might have been in the middle of cooking as not even a little sense of danger came from her.
“Calm down. You are too flustered.”
“S-Sorry. But, as I wrote in the message card, a person came and told me he was master’s acquaintance, and then he left some amazing things behind!!”
Though the person in question was right in front of her, it seemed like she hadn’t noticed yet, probably because of her panicked state.
“Is this person the one?”
“AHH! T-That’s certainly right, but…Eh? Why are Shin and master together?”
Tiera became aware of Shin’s existence only after Schnee stepped sideways. But now the question of why the two people were together came out from her mouth.
It was because Tiera thought that her master should still be in the Wraith Plains and had no clue as to why the two of them were together. Aside from Schnee, Shin should still be in the plains when one thought about it with this world’s common sense.
“Just some various things have happened. Can we have dinner before we move on to the detailed story?”
“Because we had a bit of a complicated situation yesterday, it might take a long time to explain.”
*Sigh* “I understand…then Shin too, is gonna eat with us?”
Tiera, who didn’t know the circumstances, responded to Shin who talked like it was only natural.
“Of course he will.”
“Eh? Of course…what?”
“…Come to think of it, no one has told you yet, right Tiera? This person here is the ‘Manager’ of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin.”
Schnee smoothly dropped a bomb there.
“The man..a..ger?…Ah, the manager…THE MANAGEERRR!?”
It took a while for the word, “manager” to register in Tiera’s brain.
Tiera’s reaction when she finally understood what Schnee meant was as followed; she opened her eyes wide, her mouth formed an ‘O’ shape, and she almost dropped the kitchen knife she was holding. She was indeed easy to read.
“Isn’t she is a bit too surprised?”
“Because the common knowledge among the general public is that you don’t exist anymore, it’s no wonder that she is so surprised.”
“Who wouldn’t be surprised!? The manager, the… legendary manager!?”
“Eh? What? Am I known as the legendary manager?”
“That’s not it!! I mean a High Human!!”
“But, didn’t I tell you that when we first met?”
“Normally no one would believe it…”
The scene of Tiera losing her composure alone was amusing, but Shin was beginning to think that this might be the normal response. Like Tiera said, normally if someone said “I am High Human” or something like that, no one would take them seriously. But the best witness, Schnee Raizar, was here. Because she wouldn’t mistake the person she had actually served, it could be said that her testimony about Shin being the real deal, a High Human, was the definite proof. In the meantime, Tiera’s face turned pale.
“I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t realize you were the manager!!”
“Yes?”
“Kuu!”
She was completely transformed from the shock. Tiera bowed vigorously.
This time, it was Shin’s turn to be surprised.
What was she thinking of, because Yuzuha put its paw on the lowered head of Tiera, and Shin also stopped her immediately.
(This is…that, huh? That feeling when the other party casually speaks to their superior. Even though I experienced that shock, I still got flustered.)
The partner with whom Shin got along with, at his old part-time job, was in fact the shop manager, so he could understand a bit of Tiera’s feelings. Though it wasn’t a straight comparison, the partner who unbeknownst talked overly familiarly with their superior, often fretted and felt embarrassed when they found out.
Seeing Tiera in a flustered state made Shin unconsciously feel some pity.
“Don’t worry about it. I understand your feelings.”
“Eh? Oh, yes.”
While nodding, he put his hand on Tiera’s shoulder.
Of course, Tiera didn’t know that Shin’s thoughts expressed understanding, and his action caused her to become even more confused.
“No, really, don’t mind it. It’s weird and embarrassing for me too, if you obey respectfully at this point.”
“R-Really? You won’t say something like, ‘Get out of here’?”
“I won’t say it!?”
What kind of unreasonable action was this!? He wanted to retort.
After that, they talked for a little while, and it concluded in the same manner as before. Aside from Shin being Schnee’s master, because there was more trouble when Yuzuha was introduced and could talk, Tiera had a similar reaction as before, so the rest of the story was omitted.
“Then, shall we eat?”
After a short period of discussion, all three people and one animal sat down together at the dining table. Needless to say, they had taken a bath prior to eating because they were covered with dirt.
They appeared to be in unity as they clapped their hands while saying “itadakimasu”. Elves didn’t seem to have such a custom, but because Schnee did it, Tiera too, did the same.
And Schnee was certainly imitating Shin.
“But, as expected from Schnee. All of them look delicious.”
It was only natural that Shin praised her. The dishes that were arranged on the table were something that was not very often seen, even by Shin.
Even if the pinnacle of chefs, Cook, was in Rokuten, they didn’t eat homemade dishes every day. Moreover, the skill level Ⅹ of ultra high-class cooking was not meant to be eaten at every meal. It was sometimes made only by experimenting, and there was the possibility of serving a terrible failure of a dish, too.
However, the dishes in front of Shin were not that inferior when compared to Cook’s high class dishes. As she compensated her skill with special flavors that were from this world, the dishes rivaled the best menus in a row.
In front of that type of meal, that even the royal family might not be able to eat, it was no wonder that the sounds of gulping in his throat resounded.
“Kuu~ A feast, a feast!”
“I have never seen Master cooking like this until now…Master is serious.”
“Of course I am.”
Yuzuha, who saw the dishes lined up, was also in high spirits.
Tiera, who lived together with her for a long time, was also astonished at Schnee’s enthusiastic attitude.
“When it comes to a great dish like this, it’s worthwhile to supply the ingredients.”
“Amazing~”
“Hey, though I heard a little, just what on earth did you supply? There is a weird aura coming out of the dish.”
“Ehh?”
“Kuu?”
When Tiera said that an aura came from the dish, Shin stiffened. Yuzuha tilted its head.
Even though nothing was displayed in Shin’s eyes, he recalled the ingredients which he handed to Schnee. And it was not strange that Tiera, an elf, said that the dishes radiated an aura.
“Th-That right. The main meats are Thermal Leo, Orc King, and parts of Elmora. The vegetables are Blood Radish, Karma Onion, and Baocha Potato or something like that. The fruits are the Topaz Pear and Fruit of Idea. The others are somewhat proper. I guess you used the ingredients you had stocked up after that?”
“Indeed. I have used a few high-class ingredients because today is special. Though I didn’t have enough time to do anything special.”
Schnee’s words seemed like she was indirectly saying “I’m not serious yet”.
And speaking of Tiera, who just heard the name of the ingredients.
“W.. WH.. WHAT’S THAT!? Almost all of the ingredients are extremely hard to obtain!! I’ve never even heard of some of them before until now. Moreover, when you say Fruit of Idea, it’s the fruit of dreams that only bears fruit once every 100 years. Though I was told that the real deal didn’t even exist anywhere…”
She was at her wit’s end after hearing the names of the ingredients which left Shin’s mouth.
Thermal Leo and Orc King, were both acknowledged as monsters of calamity. As soon as they were discovered, there was such a degree of danger, that the guild conveyed an urgent summons for all of the adventurers. Even though Tiera hadn’t heard of the name Elmora, because it was treated on the same rank as the previous 2, she could imagine that it might be a similar one.
Blood Radish was a vegetable similar to a half monster that grew by sucking out demon essence from the air, and Baocha Potato was a tuber vegetable that exploded from a certain amount of pressure, just like a landmine.
As for the Topaz Pear, its surface glistened like a jewel, and about the Fruit of Ideas, there was no need to say anymore.
Once they were put together, one did not expect them to be used for cooking.
“Hey, Schnee. What aura does Tiera refer to?”
“It’s similar to the remains of the life force and magic power from the ingredients. Because we elves and pixies have senses unlike other races, such things can be perceived. It can be sensed more easily from a strong monster or a rare plant and so on.”
“Is that so?”
Since elves and pixies were originally a race that had a high sensitivity, he was able to understand what she said.
“Tiera too, calm down. Let’s eat soon or the special dishes will get cold.”
Schnee urged.
“Y-Yes.”
“That’s right. Then, let’s eat at once.”
Shin agreed as he nodded.
““Itadakimasu””
“Kuu? Itadakima~”
After clapping their hands for prayer, Shin took the knife and fork.
Soup, potato salad, hamburger, and his favorite rice and bread were lined up on the table. For the celebrated occasion Schnee’s treasured drink, 『Moonlight Sake』, was poured into their glasses.
If one looked only at the menu, excluding the drink, they were similar to dishes served in a family restaurant. But he could recognize the skill of the cook directly due to it being a dish he was used to eating.
The meat juices that overflowed when he cut into it with the knife and the aroma of the sauce that was singed on the iron plate caused him to salivate before he even tasted it.
As he put it into his mouth, the meat juices overflowed even more as he chewed, and combined with the texture of the tender meat, only the single word ‘delicious’ could come out.
Then his mouth was filled with white rice, and there was no need to say anymore.
The corner of his mouth raised as he started grinning. A smile escaped him.
When one ate a really delicious dish, that person couldn’t help but smile.
When he tilted his glass, the rich scent and deep flavor of the 『Moonlight Sake』 increased his appetite even more.
“…!…!…”
“…………”
Shin and Tiera silently savored the food. As for Yuzuha, the word ‘undivided attention’ was embodied in its whole body.
While observing two people and one animal smiling, Schnee ate the meal fully at ease.
“Ha!! I unintentionally ate in silence!?”
Shin was stunned while sitting in front of his empty plate.
“Can I have another serving?”
“Sure!!”
Such interactions between Tiera and Yuzuha were repeated several times. As if she foresaw that, Schnee prepared it without missing a beat.
Even if the pace slowed down in the middle, they became a happy circle sitting together while listening to how Schnee and the others had spent their time until now.
“――Even so, those guys live quite freely.”
Those words leaked from Shin’s mouth as he heard about the other support characters. There was a fellow who became a King, one who wandered from place to place, and one who was missing in action. They seemed to be stubbornly searching for a clue on Shin’s whereabouts. Though they might have stayed in this world, because they didn’t imitate him by wasting their lives for that reason, he felt a little relieved.
He understood once he thought about their personalities. Up till here, only the devoted Schnee was special.
“‘Shin is somewhere’ was the only wishful thought I had to the end. Everyone might understand that it was not good to needlessly worry.”
“That will save me trouble. I didn’t want to keep you all looking for an imaginary guy who does not even exist.”
“Even if one of us chooses to do so, it is our own choice. Shin doesn’t have to worry about it.”
“You are right.”
Wouldn’t worrying when a person has gone missing make us human? Thinking about such things would indeed be a useless action. Well, even if said ‘people’ didn’t worry, because Shin was the master, it was just idle thought and meaningless speculation.
“Master, sad?”
“I’m okay, I’m okay.”
Shin returned a smile to Yuzuha who was looking at him with concern.
“Geezz~ Why ish Schhinn woarryingg soo muchhs~”
“…Hey, Tiera. I think you’re drunk.”
Her tone was slow and some enunciation didn’t come out well. Her remarkably white skin stood out, in stark contrast with her black hair, which was now dyed in a slightly pink color. It was considerably reddened when he thought about her original snow-white skin.
Thus, that reminded him of how many sake bottles had been emptied so far. He got carried away as he had also drank a large amount up til now.
“Hey Schnee. How many 『Moonlight Sake』 were emptied?”
“Approximately 5 of them.”
“Incidentally, what is the alcohol percentage?”
“It is around 35 percent.”
“That’s HIGH!!”
Because he thought it was just a type of wine from the taste and easiness of drinkability, the alcohol from this fantasy world’s common sense was more than expected.
“Tere arre twuoo Masterrs~”
“This is really dangerous. Is Tiera weak to alcohol?”
“She’s never got drunk like this when she drank before, but quantity is quantity.”
“But I don’t feel very drunk.”
Whether it was about alcohol tolerance or not, Shin felt a little tipsy, but not more than a certain degree of loss of awareness. He wasn’t slurring and didn’t stagger around either. When he thought about the alcohol percentage, he himself would certainly be down for the night if this was in the real world, and it was a good thing that it became difficult to expose shameful behavior with alcohol. There was no need to be troubled by some strong alcohol, even though he normally should be.
“Though I’ve had this body for one year, what’s happened to my real body… Well, now might not be the time to think about it.”
While Schnee took Tiera to her room, Shin tidied up the tableware. Shin suddenly thought of these kind of things while wiping the table. He didn’t know whether it was possible to return either, so it was no use even if he thought about it.
After the tidying-up was finished, Schnee returned.
“That was quick.”
“Because I’m used to doing this.”
Since he lived alone in the real world, he had to do the dishes on his own. Certainly he didn’t do it during the game, but he remembered how to unexpectedly.
“Yuzuha is sleepy…”
Yuzuha was falling into a doze on top of the desk.
“That’s right. We too, should go to sleep soon.”
“Let’s do so. Since Shin’s room was left as it is, it can be used immediately.”
“I appreciate it.”
After leaving the living room, Shin headed toward his own room while carrying Yuzuha. It was the room for Shin and the other support characters in Tsuki no Hokora, though there was also an extra room for more guests and customers to use. Even though a guest or customer room and the like was not needed, it was the result of the obsession from Cain and Shin; which could be said to have made useless additions in that construct, the Tsuki no Hokora. The place was thoroughly discussed about and they fussed over such pointless things; as it was the expected outcome when Japanese people get excited.
“It really hasn’t changed.”
He entered his own room and looked around inside. The inside area of the room was approximately 16 tatami mats big, with a bed and a desk. There were multiple shelves where trophies and items obtained from various events were displayed. Not many things were there. It was a plain room. The room might have been cleaned regularly, as dust hadn’t accumulated.
Moonlight entered naturally from the window, but the light that night was terribly weak. He proceed to change his clothes without turning on the light, because he had the skill 【Night Vision】. Because there were no such things like pajamas in this world, he chose equipment with a jersey-like material.
Yuzuha had jumped onto the bed the moment they entered the room and it was already curled up next to the pillows.
“Somehow here is the best place to let myself relax.”
Was it because he had lived here since the game time? He could relax his mind and didn’t have to set up barriers because it was already fully equipped with a very powerful security system. He didn’t have to consider the possibility of a guy attacking him while he was sleeping, quite unlike the time during the death game; so he was able to genuinely relax for the first time since he came into this world again.
Of course, when there was an assailant, he would deal a serious blow, for it was deserved.
“Yuzuha…did you fall asleep? That won’t do, I should sleep too.”
As the alcohol set in, he lay down on the bed with a good feeling enveloping him.
When he closed his eyes and gradually felt his consciousness getting blurry, something soft suddenly clung around his right arm. Normally, he would jump up to his feet and shake it off in that situation. However, Shin’s body’s awareness told him that he didn’t feel any danger at all.
“?”
Was it embracing him rather than twining around? There were only two people in the Tsuki no Hokora who could do such a thing, and one person was already down for the count.
There was no reaction from the continuous activated skill for an anti surprise attack. Shin’s own intuition didn’t signal it as an enemy either.
Because it somehow had no particular movement, he turned his neck and looked at his right arm.
Beside him lay the figure of Schnee, who was already asleep, clinging to Shin’s arm. His right arm was wedged in between Schnee’s breasts. The identity of the softness he first felt was this.
(Seriously…is such a development even possible?)
With a different meaning from the time in front of the dishes, a gulping sound resounded in the room.
Even Shin was a man. He didn’t know about NPCs, but the Schnee in this world was undoubtedly the real deal. As a matter of course, there was no way he didn’t feel anything.
And frankly speaking, Schnee was created by combining Shin’s preferences. If he had picked her up, taken her into the room, and laid her on the bed, then he could lie down next to her with a gentleman’s behaviour. However, Schnee’s body-temperature was transmitted to his right arm, which was currently embraced closely, and the softness of her breasts put a hold on his reasoning power. His left hand stretched toward Schnee unconsciously, even though he was aware of it.
(This is…bad.)
He didn’t mean to do it, but due to the influence of the alcohol, by any means, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the defenseless sleeping face.
He understood it. Yes, he understood this was not good.
He desperately tried to cool down his head that was overheating, but his reasoning didn’t act like he expected.
He was entranced by her.
Her extremely defenseless face, innocent, and seemingly sad somewhere.
It was just by a little, but he wanted to leave his arm there a bit longer before excusing himself from Schnee.
It was at that moment. When the moon that was obscured by the clouds finally appeared.
The moonlight that was obstructed until now shone inside the room gracefully. It reached the edge of the bed, the place where Schnee just lay down.
“…!?”
When illuminated by the moonlight, Schnee’s body faintly shone. The silvery hair, which was spread on top of the bed, reflected the moonlight and emitted a mysterious shine. And then, a stream of bright sparkles from her closed eyes slammed into Shin’s eyes.
“Schnee…”
The flowing sparkles were tears that she shed.
It was flowing from the closed eyes in a straight line and dampened Shin’s clothes.
“…………”
The moment he saw it, the haze that enveloped Shin’s consciousness cleared up.
The excited heat of desperation was cooled and disappeared instantly.
It was because he had seen a sad sleeping face.
What did she think about that made her cry? Shin had no idea.
Were they happy tears caused by their reunion? Were they tears for the upcoming parting?
He wiped her tears, and gently patted her head.
“Ah…u…i…” 3
Even though he wasn’t able to understand it, was it “Master” the word that leaked faintly from her mouth? Moreover, she might not have gotten used to calling him “Shin” yet.
(I…)
Looking up at the night sky, while aware of Schnee who was sleeping on his right arm, Shin thought of the question.
Until his consciousness sank into the darkness, no answer emerged.
Part 4 - Extra
5
Let’s rewind time to go back to just over half a day into the past.
It was around the time when Shin and Schnee were dashing at near full speed for the sake of meeting up with Wilhelm and Rashia.
Right now, the Wraith Plains have become an ordinary large plain. Every one of the knights and adventurers that had gathered to investigate realized that the battle had ended. The light from the magic power that had spread through the sky had already faded away, so the mages were illuminating the place. Even though they had the choice of waiting until dawn before starting their duty, it was decided that an urgent investigation was necessary for the current situation.
From the fact that Schnee Raizar, who should have participated in the battle, had left, it was thought that at least there was no danger left.
“What the heck is that?”
While the knights and adventurers were busy moving around, one woman muttered as she looked at the deep crater newly created in the plains. The name of the woman with hair like golden threads swaying in the wind was Rionne Strail Bayreuth. She was the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.
Several hours before that, there was an incident in the forest when the knights were fighting the Skull Faces. Suddenly a wailing like voice, like a shriek, was heard reverberating from far away in the night sky.
Simultaneously, a group of Skull Faces with strength that never seen before appeared. A fresh enemy sprang up from the ground, in front of Rionne’s eyes, an enemy whose strength could not be compared to that of the Skull Faces she had fought until then.
At first, she felt fear. It was not a fear of being killed. She understood the opponent’s strength, so instead she felt a strong fear as she could imagine the tragedy it could cause. ‘I must not let that get away from the plains’, was the only thought she had in her head.
After her subordinate released her restraint, she faced off against the Skull Face with her sword. From the weight of a single blow that transmitted through her hands, its agility could be mistaken for an advanced level knight. She herself was said to be superior even among other chosen ones, and it was abnormal to exchange blows with her on equal terms.
Still, because the Skull Face’s equipment was the same as an ordinary Skull Faces’, she was able to win due to the difference in their equipment. A few days ago, all of a sudden, a white greatsword pierced on her room’s wall. The greatsword was bestowed with a light attribute, the weak point of all undeads, and it caused the Skull Faces to be weakened steadily. But unfortunately, they were too many in numbers. It couldn’t be helped since the other knights had to fight on their own.
Thereupon, Rionne, while at the same time letting the messenger return to their country, launched herself at the Skull Faces. Even if it only attracted a small amount of the attention of the enemy, she could gain more time. It was for the sake of stopping the crowd of monsters from leaving this place. With only one subordinate accompanying her, she charged into the middle of the battlefield.
Then, a Skull Face ranked higher than before appeared in front of her. Possibly, it was a Queen or King class in front of her; as the one earlier was a Jack class Skull Face. It was supposed to be impossible to defeat, as encountering one would be hopeless. The calamity caused by a single King class that appeared once still remained strongly in people’s memory. As such multiple enemies appeared and filled up the plains. It might become an unprecedented disaster.
They actually felt death surrounding them, as they sensed the Shinigami’s4 breath on their skin. They reprimanded their bodies that trembled, and when they grasped their swords again, a red cannonball came flying from the sky. As the sphere hit the Skull Faces, it caused their whole bodies to be riddled with holes. No matter if it was the shield, sword, armor, arms, legs, or even their cores. Its appearance was similar to the flame system magic skill 【Fire Ball】. But 【Fire Ball】 had no such destructive power and homing nature like that flame ball in front of them. To begin with, a flame arts that didn’t explode was unusual and the light it emitted upon impact eliminated its target as if it scraped off only that part.
Even though they were wondering why it didn’t hit them, they understood that they were being protected. As they felt gratitude to whoever released the fireballs, they prepared their swords again to fight the Skull Faces that surrounded them.
This time, blue lightning passed through in front of them. This was the specialty of the person who helped out numerous countries, the lightning system magic skill. It was the skill that crossed the line from the art, as it had superior power and boasted of being the strongest skill ever.
The person they expected, appeared at the same time that the lighting had disappeared. With silver fluttering hair, it was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar. Her appearance seemed unchanged since the last time Rionne had seen her, with her calm voice, Rionne felt death becoming distant. As if the Shinigami was blown away by the blue lightning.
“I will take over from here on out. Please escape through the forest.”
Her words were returned with unhesitating nods. The Skull Faces that were scattered like wood chips were visible to their eyes.
And then, as they defeated the Skull Faces that were found here and there in the forest, the surroundings suddenly became as bright as if it was daytime, and the Skull Faces became ashes instantly without them doing anything.
Thereafter, the Skull Faces they encountered had sluggish movements and were smashed into pieces by a single blow of their swords. Though the opponent was supposed to have equal skills to Rionne, they were weakened to the point that even the ordinary knights could defeat them. It seemed like it was caused by the light that shone onto the plains. A gentle and graceful light. It became clear that the damage they had received was recovering.
They couldn’t help but think: ‘If it’s Schnee-dono, such a thing is possible’. After a while, the wriggling Skull Faces dissolved and became demon essence all at once. From watching that, they could comprehend that the situation was resolved.
Now, Rionne was looking at the traces of the battle that might be left from Schnee. There were deep fissures remaining in the earth and he ground was ripped apart. Something that continued for hundreds of mels; there was even a place where the earth was totally molten.
At the location where they apparently clashed, there were bizarre traces of high voltage burns and deep slashing attacks. How much power was released when they clashed? They couldn’t even imagine anymore. The first princess, who was the elder sister, might be able to do something similar with magic, but it was impossible for her to do close combat if she plunged into a crowd of Skull Faces.
“This… is this the power of a person who was recognized by the High Humans?”
Once again, that power was recognized. Even though Rionne’s battle capability alone was said to be equal to 100 people or more, she felt like a dull, ordinary knight when compared to Schnee.
“Although it’s still dusk, can you see here a little?”
The one who started talking was the subordinate that went to survey the surroundings. The man wore red armor that wrapped around his big body and his name was Gadras Jarre. He was the leader of the knights in Bayreuth Kingdom, and was the commander of the strongest knight squadron,【Red Wolf】, in the kingdom. The reason why he became a mere battle assistant and accompanied Rionne was to prevent her from going on a rampage, but he hardly ever accomplished his role, not even this time.
Gadras too, had to directly face against the Skull Faces. He was the only chosen one in the knights squadron who could handle a close range battle with Rionne, and although he usually had the role of a watchdog, this was the only time that he had to fight as hard as he could. There were numerous cuts on his armor as proof.
In Gadras’s hand, a katana was held. Its handle was worn-out and darkened, the blade was cracked, and its edge was chipped here and there, too.
“This is?”
“This thing was found above the hollowed out ground over there. Because it was stuck in the place where the fissures ended, I collected it.”
He also said that the katana that had been stuck there matched with the directional line of the hollowed out ground.
“Also, though it’s just a hunch, I think the hollowed out ground was caused by this katana. However, I don’t know what skill was used.”
“Hmm, is there a possibility of that?”
Was Schnee together with another person on the battlefield? Rionne thought if it was at least Schnee, the case might be possible.
“That katana here, what do you see?”
Gadras pointed at the katana.
“…Something like a bird?”
“Right, from the story of a well-informed guy I know, that bird is a falcon, like in the story.”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“Not really, I just have an idea of the blacksmith who carved it into the katana. Of course, it’s only one of the possibilities, but…”
“You have an idea? It doesn’t mean that there is only one blacksmith who drew the falcon, don’t you agree? Why are you making such a fuss?”
Rionne looked puzzled at Gadras who abruptly said those words. He appeared to be strangely restless.
“You will understand if you look at this.”
Gadras spoke as he held the tattered hilt and raised the katana to an overhead position. Then he swung downward, straight to the ground.
“…I see, so that’s the reason, huh?”
Rionne’s expression showed understanding.
The ground that was in front of her was deeply gouged out. No matter how much Gadras was said to be a chosen one, he couldn’t unleash this degree of slashing attack with a katana that had a chipped blade. In other words, despite Gadras swinging the katana in question down with all of his might, the katana remained fractured as it was, but maintained its shape.
“If it was a normal katana it would have broken apart when I smashed it, but it didn’t have any effect, even when I used all of my power. It is obvious that no ordinary blacksmith forged this.”
“Certainly…if it was in a perfect state, how much power would be released?”
“Also, speaking of the blacksmith who would make such a katana carved with this crest, there is only one person, as far as I know.”
“Fumu, who is it?”
Rionne replied as calmly as possible. Furthermore, Gadras’s voice was filled with excitement.
“A High Human. It was said that the blacksmith, who had mastered all the smithing techniques, was called the 【Dark Blacksmith】.”
“That may be true. I could understand if a person who was well versed in smithing forged this katana, especially if it was a High Human. But, he should not be in this world anymore. If it’s Schnee-dono, who was under the direct control of a High Human, it is not strange that she possesses such a weapon. Moreover, if you saw the skill that was protecting us and that light from before, there is the possibility of the 【Crimson Alchemist】, too.”
Of course, the alchemist whom Rionne spoke of was both the mage and alchemist of Rokuten, Hecate. Because Rokuten’s production aspect was famous, they were often called by a name that was related to their job. The color that was attached before the job’s name was the color of the clothes that each of them liked to wear.
“Well, there is no conclusive evidence, but…anyway, that a High Human made weapon is lying around is amazing. Besides, I don’t think that the weapon of Schnee-dono’s master would be in a state like this. If that’s the case, I think there might be an astounding person who can use it and throw away this kind of weapon somewhere.”
“But this time, the scale is different from the battle so far. Do you understand the light that illuminated the night? If it was such an intense battle, even Schnee-dono might not think about wasting a weapon…Still, it is true that there was someone else here besides Schnee-dono. Who on earth is that person?”
“What could have caused Schnee-dono to be placed in such a predicament, it’s unimaginable.”
As she listened to Gadras’s words, Rionne thought about it. Truthfully, since she had seen Schnee’s figure easily kicking aside the Skull Faces, Rionne wasn’t convinced by her own words either. It was due to the magic skill user who took the trouble to protect them in the beginning. Judging from the power and scale, it was probably not a High Human, but for certain it was not in the class of a chosen one either. After they went into the forest, did Schnee Raizar join to fight with that person? If it is true that there was a powerful person at this place, then who was it?
“No way, really?”
Was there a High Human in that place?
The katana which Gadras held, it might even be a higher grade than the weapon Rionne had, if it was in a perfect state. For a being to be able to use and dispose of such a weapon, she couldn’t fathom they existed.
“No, it’s impossible.”
Rionne shook her head in denial. High Humans should have disappeared like many other people did after the Dusk of the Majesty. Since the unusual event that was said to still be a mystery, until now, no one had ever returned. However, maybe. Just maybe.
There was, as far as the legend goes, a story that it was High Humans that crushed the people who were called heroes and brave men altogether. If the High Human has returned, it would be not strange.
“…I better stop, I will never understand it even if I think about it.”
She didn’t know who was in that battlefield, but if that person was related to Schnee, then that person could not be a dangerous character. Even though it would be necessary to spare a number of men to monitor Tsuki no Hokora to some extent, Rionne thought it would not be a serious problem.
“As soon as the investigation is over, I will go back to our country. I would like to talk to Schnee-dono if possible, but…”
“It will be difficult, right?”
From Gadras’ words, Rionne nodded as she understood too. Once her request was finished, Schnee Raizar wouldn’t stay too long. This was because the invitations came from many places and had grown out of control, so it might be complicated this time.
“Gadras. If I’m not mistaken, Dark Blacksmith was the owner of the Tsuki no Hokora, right?”
“Yes, that should be right, though…?”
“Fumu, then try to visit Tsuki no Hokora right away when you return.”
“Though that is what I want to say, is it because you think that a High Human has really returned?”
“I am certain that there was at least one other person on that battlefield. Well, in fact, someone should be confirming it. If one really has returned, I certainly would like to have a match. I assume that he would be perfect as a marriage partner.”
“A-Again without warning, what are you talking about, huh?”
Gadras became flustered by Rionne who had suggested an unexpected thing. When he thought about it calmly, if the High Human was won over to their side by the dedication of Rionne alone, it would be good for the country. Even Gadras understood that much.
The problem with this princess, Rionne, was that it was said that a portion of her brain might be made up of muscles. Though it was not the truth, “If you want to be my husband, you have to show your own power and defeat me.” was considered to be what she said up until now. All of the vassals including Kings, if he thought about it, how many times did she reject them…if they were uninteresting.
The princess’ situation was understandable, and there was the feeling of having to think about the nation, as well. In the future, he understood that she expected for her marriage to not be forced, either.
This time too, even if it became a situation where the Skull Faces began to overflow from the Wraith Plains, there was no question about her actions either. The princess was outside of their territory, and in addition to that, showed up on the battlefield.
Rionne and Gadras were chosen ones, therefore it was not a big problem for them. They cooperate in moments of peril at the same time without sparing any effort in attitude, which was displayed even in a strange land.
Under the pretext of that power and her beautiful face which raised the knights morale, she had participated in this investigation and exterminatory battle. Although the latter role has been taken away by Schnee, she has accomplished her given role well.
One point. If the one point of an oddball character was nonexistent, she would be perfect. Though it was not the whole head, there was the reason she was said to have a part of her brain muscle.
“Just to be clear when I say a test of strength; what if it turns out to be an impostor who stabs at my back without warning? If not, the day when a High Human turns into an enemy, our country will disappear.”
“You have a point there.”
“Heh, I don’t want to hear that from you. Well though, I wonder if a High Human could become a really good partner.”
Even though he was supposed to be wise, for some reason, the slightly abrupt answer from Rionne caused Gadras to be weary. Consequently, the excitement from when he discovered the katana had also left him.
【Liberator】 – Immune to all binding and restriction effects, be it items or magic skills. 【Accomplished One】 – All ability points doubled. 【Limit Breaker】 – The upper limit for all stats has been removed, and all stats will rise according to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.
Even though their stats were maxed at 999, with that food they could go above 1000
Yuzuha says ‘aruji’, which mean 'master'
God of death
The 2nd princess wasn’t supposed to appear in this volume of WN yet. This is one of the extra content from the LN, which I deemed is important to the storyline. On the side note: Pls buy the light novel to support the original author. And no, the light novel is not available in English, only in Japanese.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][Armaell]/f004.txt
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Part 1
The next morning, after Shin had spent the night at Tsuki no Hokora.
“…It’s too bright.”
It was the first thing that he thought when he woke up.
The sunlight had reached the top of the bed because he didn’t close the curtains. Now, it was directly shining on Shin’s face.
“What time is it now?”
Because he had gone to bed without setting the alarm, he didn’t know the time. When the menu screen was displayed, it was slightly pass 6:30.
“Schnee is not here…”
Schnee, that had been clinging to his right hand, was nowhere to be seen. It was likely that she was already awake. A faint smell of breakfast confirmed Shin’s prediction.
As he had those thoughts, there was a feeling of some discomfort on his left arm. He turned toward that way while thinking ‘no way’, as silvery hair spread on the bed, entered his field of vision. If it was that alone, he would have thought it was Schnee, but the physique was too different for some reason.
The figure that was stark naked and sleeping peacefully, was a little girl of around 10 years old.
Her identity――
“Is this Yuzuha?”
【Analyze】showed the name of the little girl. Besides when Yuzuha mentioned about its head clearing up after the fight yesterday, perhaps there was some sort of seal that was removed as well. If that was the case, then the unusual level up, suddenly being able to speak, and having this figure too. All of it was explained.
Anyways, when an Element tail became a full-fledged level 1000, highest class monster in the game; human transformation and talking too, were possible by default. It just felt unnatural to see instead of the fox’s usual appearance.
Leaving behind the fox ears and tail for no special reason, it was an irresistible appearance for a person who likes these sort of things.
“In any event, this is a very dangerous setting.”
It was a common pattern, someone would come to wake another person up with bad timing and then, receive an outrageous shock due to the misunderstanding.
There was no presence of a person on the other side of the door, but he couldn’t be careless now.
“Hey Yuzuha, wake up. It’s morning.”
He held Yuzuha’s shoulders and began to wake it up. While paying attention toward the outside the room, he shook it a little harder.
“Unyu…What~?”
“I will say it again, it’s morning.”
“I’m still sleepy…”
It seemed like its appearance still similar with the personality, too. The Element Tail in Shin’s memory had an antique way of talking, but now, it talked like a little child.
“Come on, wake up, quickly.”
“Nh? Oh.. Shin~ Good morning~”
“Yeah, good morning. Please put on clothes for the time being as you get up.”
Though Yuzuha was only a little half-asleep, when it realized it was Shin that woke it up, it had an ‘awkwardly forced smile’ on its face. Depending on the person who saw the smile, they would roll over in agony. Of course, there was no such characteristic in Shin as he ignored it and urged Yuzuha to put on clothes.
“Shin is warm~”
“Why are you clinging. A girl must not do such a vulgar thing, it’s bad.”
“Eh~”
Shin warned Yuzuha while separating himself.
After all, everything would end if someone saw him embraced by a naked little girl.
While it looked like fondling a younger sister, he had to keep some distance.
“Is a girl no good?”
“Not good!”
“Then I will transform this way!”
Yuzuha, who asked that, emphasized girl for some reason. For Shin who was against it with, “Not good”, Yuzuha took an unexpected action.
All of a sudden, Yuzuha’s body emitted a faint light, and the slightly bulging chest disappeared, followed by that, the hair became very short. And then, in that nether region, there was a thing that a little girl shouldn’t have.
Shin’s thoughts stopped at that moment, the phenomenon that happened before his eyes was too shocking.
“…Oi…Why, did you become this?”
“If a girl is not good, then I should become a boy!!”
It was not a line that a nude pretty boy, while puffing out his chest with pride, should say. In front of Shin was not the coveted ‘loli’ of pretty girls, it was the desired ‘shota’ of pretty boys. There was no fixed distinction of sex to an Element Tail. This was the moment that made him realize it clearly.
“Even if it is a girl or a boy, it’s not good to embrace while naked.”
“Shin doesn’t like ‘boys’?”
“Why is it, that I feel like the way you said ‘boy’ has a different meaning to it.”
He felt the sense of incongruity from the remark. Yuzuha wasn’t supposed to know the meaning it held in order for it to say it.
“Yuzuha? I have one question for you; when you said a ‘boy’, you mean a ‘man’, right?”
“Kuu? Doesn’t it mean a cute boy? But, I wonder if this boy is a cool looking guy.”
“…………”
Although it seemed alright for now, he felt a shudder.
“Shin?”
“Well…It is not wrong, I guess.”
And then, Shin properly glossed over the question.
“Or more precisely, where did you hear that?”
“People who came to the Shinto shrine said it. In addition, the ‘BL’ they said was interesting.”
“Who the ー!! What a fool to have a conversation like that in front of the boss Element Tailーー!!”
While sending a curse to whomever and wherever the unknown players were, Shin instructed Yuzuha to return to the little girl mode. It was not so bad when it was a ‘loli’, but a suspicious ‘shota’ was too hard mentally.
“Come on, put this on for the time being.”
“It’s puffy. What is it~?”
“It is from the material that I made before. If I remember correctly, didn’t you wear clothes that had such a feeling before?”
Shin handed Yuzuha a scarlet hakama1 with a kimono1 undershirt and a white robe. In short, it was the shrine maiden clothes. Certainly, they were not ordinary clothes since they came from Shin’s Item Box.
Even though the clothes would be suitable in the Shinto shrine, they were also the clothes that Element Tail wore during the game in human mode.
“Oh~”
“Please say if you think you want to change the color. If i’m not mistaken, it was navy blue?”
“This is fine~!!”
Yuzuha delightedly said, while putting on the shrine maiden clothes. Because the size adjustability was included, there was no problem even if the figure was small.
However, was the memory vague? A few minutes after the clothes began to change, they had lost shape everywhere.
“Shin～…”
Yuzuha called to Shin in a frail voice.
“Say it from the beginning if you don’t know how.”
Shin spoke while he repaired Yuzuha’s disarrayed clothes. Speaking of how he knew how to put on the shrine maiden clothes, it was because of the schematic attached to the note column. Such a thing was a part of the item’s clothes description.
As Yuzuha put on the Japanese sock that Shin took out as an addition, it spun around and around on top of the bed in high spirits.
“Kuu~”
“Don’t move around too much. The outfit will get out of shape.”
“Then, I will have Shin dress me again~”
“Stop it.”
What made it so happy? It was twirling around and around, matching with the tail that extended from the hakama. Somehow the shrine maiden clothes expanded from the spine muscle as a result.
Was it the close feeling of wearing a dougi2? Shin wondered. He had a hunch that the spine expanded only because it wore it like that.
“Hey, don’t go turning around. It should be breakfast soon.”
“Breakfast!”
“I guess Yuzuha feels hungry too.”
“Yes!”
“Then, let’s go. Hmm? Someone is coming. This response, is it Tiera?…Ha!?”
Shin perceived that it was Tiera approaching. It was different if it was Schnee, but he hadn’t explained about Yuzuha to Tiera in detail yet.
“Shin, are you awake? The breakfast will be ready soon.”
Tiera knocked on the door as she told him about breakfast.
“Oh, yes. I will be ready right away――”
Still, the door was not impudently opened like the way they did in mangas and light novels. But, was Yuzuha not able to wait? Yuzuha, who didn’t notice Tiera’s voice, pushed open the door with all of its might.
“Breakfast!!”
“――There!? Yuzuha stop!!”
“Eh?”
At the same time as Tiera’s surprised voice, a thick sound resounded as the door collided with Tiera.
“Ouch~”
“Um, ano, au…”
Shin, who appeared from the side of the door, saw Tiera holding her reddening nose and the figure of Yuzuha was also seen. It seemed like Tiera took a pratfall as she was sitting in a child-like sitting state.
“Are you alright”
“Uu~ This child is?”
“It’s Yuzuha. Actually, it has a transformation ability. Hey, apologize to Tiera.”
“I am so-sorry…”
“I see. Haha, it’s alright, Yuzuha-chan. Since I didn’t get hit with too much power. But, be careful when you open the door next time, okay? And um, good morning.”
“Okay~ Um, good morning.”
Tiera, who was seen laughing, made Yuzuha, who was panicked, feel relieved. As for Yuzuha now, one would think that it was only a child that was excited too much, because its thoughts and actions were appropriate for its age.
Shin thought about it while seeing the situation that got the two people talking. If he looked at Yuzuha’s situation, this might be the maximum growth limit in the present conditions. Yuzuha hasn’t leveled up since that time, and he knew that it’s mind state hadn’t completely returned to its original state either.
Why was Yuzuha’s power sealed? Though he didn’t understand much of the information obtained from Yuzuha itself, he would have to verify it. It was obvious to Shin that there was something else unknown that occurred.
“By the way, now that you two have reconciled, shouldn’t we go eat breakfast?”
“Yes, because I only can serve it after. Master is already there waiting.”
“Breakfast~, breakfast~”
“Huh, was it a young fox originally? Yuzuha-chan, do you like fried tofu?
“I love it!”
“Then, shall I make inarisushi3 for lunch?”
“Really!?”
Yuzuha rejoiced when it heard inarisushi. This appearance that wasn’t even seen in intimate sisters.
“Good morning. Ara, is Yuzuha also able to change into a human form?”
When the three people arrived at the living room, Schnee who set the table greeted them. Since she knew that Yuzuha was an Element Tail, she didn’t seem to be surprised much. And Shin decided not to touch on what happened last night.
“G-Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning. Then, shall I lay out the meal for each person?”
Was it because of the sudden encounter with Tiera? Yuzuha showed a little restraint while greeting Schnee.
Seeing Schnee, who returned the greeting while smiling kindly, Yuzuha separated from Shin’s trousers, which Yuzuha had kept holding while watching from there.
As for the table, even if four people sat, there was plenty of space left. While Schnee prepared breakfast for Yuzuha’s portion, Shin brought a spare chair.
“Then, let’s eat.”
““Itadakimasu!””
They clasped their hands and began to eat. The menu was rice, fried tofu miso soup with seaweed and tofu, and dried and opened mackerel fish.
Shin thought about whether or not Japanese foods suited elves, but there was no feeling out of place because of the figure that was holding wooden chopsticks and breaking the fish into smaller pieces.
Yuzuha was using a spoon because it couldn’t use chopsticks properly.
“Yummy!”
“As expected from Master.”
“This is great.”
Only voices of praise came out. Even though it was not luxurious, even in the real world he never ate such a delicious meal.
“That is because of the flavor boost from the skill. I can’t be proud of it very much.”
“Isn’t it a great thing?”
“The taste goes up at least two stages due to the skill.”
“Is that so, but it could not originally be delicious if there was no practice. After all, I still think it’s amazing.”
“That is so, didn’t Master practice so much?”
Tiera talked about how the humble Schnee put great effort in cooking.
As for the cooking skill, it certainly could compensate the dish in various ways, but it was not possible to improve bad foods. Because a bad thing would always be a bad thing.
Even if one compensated with the skill, there was no change if the cooking ability was good.
“Thanks for the meal!”
“Yes, I’m glad that you’re satisfied.”
Part 2
After breakfast, Schnee and Tiera were in charge of cleaning up and Shin headed toward the blacksmith’s workshop in the inner part of Tsuki no Hokora. Yuzuha, who was probably curious about it, came along with Shin.
“What is in there?”
“It’s my warehouse and workshop, and the warehouse is a little special. It has considerable more capacity than it looks.”
The storehouse of Tsuki no Hokora was not as big as a guild house, but quite a lot of items were stored inside. Since it was Shin’s personal warehouse, its contents were inclined to be weapons and armor.
They were making a little detour in response to Yuzuha’s comment, “I want to see it”. The appearance of the warehouse was a normal door with a hanging lock. However, it was so tough that even Shin’s strongest attack in the game era couldn’t break it. It was said that nothing could break it physically.
“Just pour a little magic power, and done.”
When Shin poured magic power into the lock, a light “click” sound was made, and the lock came off. This type of lock was opened by using magic power recognition. The door wouldn’t open no matter how much someone fiddled with the fake keyhole.
He pushed open the door and they entered inside. There, it was overflowing with lines of armor and weapons side by side.
There were swords, katanas, spears, bows, daggers, large hammers, halberds, flails and all kinds of weapons displayed. In a different location, there were full body armors for warriors, gauntlets that were thought to be custom-made, and shields alongside it all. Naturally, everything was valuable, starting from 《Unique》 grade to 《Legend》 grade, 《Mythology》 grade and finally, 《Ancient》 grade.
A person would feel an enormous amount of pressure the moment they entered the room, even if the person was not sensitive to magic power. Although the quantity and the quality of each item was different, the overwhelming magic power given off was similar to the feeling of abnormal tepid water according to a dweller of this world.
If even one of them was put up for sale, many countries would have piles of their weapons lose their value when compared to its prestige. A warehouse that had a large quantity of these kinds of things for sale already felt like a ‘warehouse clearance sale’.
“Amazing! But, somehow I feel hot~”
“It is because this place is filled with magic power. You better not enter if you are not strong-minded.”
“Yuzuha is okay for this much!”
The Element Tail was indeed one of the strongest species even if it was young.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the magic power pressure emitted from the arms, Yuzuha was looking curiously around the warehouse. Even though its tail fur was fully bristled up, there are some things that are better left unsaid.
“It’s fine if you only look at it, but don’t touch without permission, okay? There are some cursed arms here.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Ah, I just don’t want you to get hurt. There is a seal function attached to the containers, but there are several of them that you might able to break.”
“Muu, Yuzuha don’t do things like that.”
While apologizing to Yuzuha, who puffed its cheeks, they headed off to the blacksmith’s workshop. Even here, it was in a perfect state without change, waiting for its master to return.
“There’s no problem at all. It seems like I can use it right away.”
“To do what?”
“I’m making swords and armor here. But before doing it today, I have to ask you something, Yuzuha.”
“Want to ask me something?”
“There is a lot I want to ask. Well, lets return to the living room for now. After that, we will talk. As for forging a sword, that’s for later.”
“Then let’s go quickly. I want to see Shin forge a sword!”
They returned to the living room and Yuzuha had sparkling eyes with anticipation. Even though Shin didn’t know what Yuzuha was looking forward to so much, he lightly checked the tools and followed after Yuzuha. As for Schnee and Tiera, who were taking care of the cleaning after the breakfast, it should be done soon.
When he returned to the living room, the three of them already surrounded the table. He sat down on his seat while smiling wryly at Yuzuha, who urged him on with “quickly! quickly!”.
“What did Shin want to ask?”
“First of all, why were you in such a weakened state in that Shinto shrine. And, did a large amount of people disappear around 500 years ago? If you know something about it, then please tell me.”
When Shin’s question was heard, Yuzuha closed its eyes and folded its arms like it was thinking about something. After several seconds like that, Yuzuha began to talk.
“Well, err… When Yuzuha was there, I was having the most painful experience from the inside. It was very painful, so much that I collapsed.”4
“Is that so? Did you understand the drawing on that floor?”
“No~, I didn’t know it.”
Shin thought it was some sort of relief feature that delayed the condition, but Yuzuha didn’t seem to remember it.
“I understand. How about the people who had disappeared?”
“I don’t know. People didn’t come very much.”
“Now that I think about it, there was some kind of erected barrier that made people stay away from there.”
Shin remembered that a barrier, around the Shinto shrine, affecting one’s mind had been erected. A person might not come near it because of that.
“Eventually, what was Yuzuha doing in such place?”
“Uhm, I was basking under the sun, when suddenly the ground went ‘bam’, the wind blew ‘byu byu’ and the mountain went ‘clang’. Yuzuha was surprised and jumped. After that, I tried my best so that the ground would not be wrecked apart.”
“…In other words, the natural disaster occurred, and you tried to suppress it?”
“It is likely so, I have no doubt if it is Yuzuha.”
“Eh, is that true?”
When Schnee chimed in with an agreeable response, Tiera was amazed and had wide eyes.
Though Shin didn’t know what kind of technique Yuzuha used, the Element Tail was a monster that corresponded to all attributes. The possibilities of interfering with the natural disaster by some special method was high.
“A lot of power was used while I kept at it, then I took a rest in the Shinto shrine. Because my power could not be held in my body then, I thought I was gonna die soon when Shin came.”
“It was just at the last minute when I came, huh?”
“When the unpleasant wind blew, I was scared.”
When he heard about unpleasant wind, Shin was reminded of the miasma. Perhaps both of the 【Curse • Ⅹ】 and the 【Poison • Ⅹ】 at that time, were caused by the miasma. A number of monsters and levels were increased in an area with a lot of miasma during the game. Moreover, to a player, it was a troublesome way to be given an abnormality state responding to status at a regular intervals. Apart from the monsters, they had to drink potions regularly because of the abnormality state, although it didn’t affect high-ranked players too much.
“It was thanks to Millie that Yuzuha was saved. I wouldn’t have gone there if not for Millie’s advice.”
“I will give thanks when I meet Mi-chan again.”
“That’s right, let’s take some souvenirs.”
Because of the forecast ability, Shin couldn’t say it clearly. Whether Yuzuha understood it or not, it matched with Shin’s way of talking.
“Hey, who is Millie?”
Tiera looked puzzled.
“She’s a child who lives in the orphanage of the kingdom. I happened to meet her by chance. If you know Wilhelm, think of the orphanage he is protecting and you will understand.”
“Ah! that guy.”
“You know Wilhelm?”
“He comes over once a while to meet master. But I rarely meet him. However, I thought it was strange that he bought sweets while he was here on occasion. I wonder if he was going to the orphanage, if so, it is understandable.”
Wilhelm seemed to buy the cakes which Tiera made.
“It is because the cakes that Tiera makes are delicious, right?”
“No, it is because it’s cheap. Master’s cake are more delicious. Even the king’s messenger has come to purchase it. Because I learned mine in an elf’s village, it is only fine.”
They praised each other, although both of them seemed delicious.
“When you said learned it in an elf’s village, which one was it?”
“Uhm, it’s a baked confectionery called Cayfal, have you heard of it?”
“No, I have never heard of it.”
In the first place, he didn’t remember any kind of setting called skillful bakery in any elf’s village. Because cooking was not his specialty, there were many dishes which he couldn’t cook or make, even if he had the recipe.
“That Cayfal is like a financier*, huh? It will be nice to distribute it to children because the cake is as big as a mouthful.”5
“Though I displayed it on a whim, one or two sale items have to compete at the present time. Because I originally lived in the forest, my strong point is making cake using honey.”
“Is that so? But wait, since Tsuki no Hokora is not a store that mainly sells foodstuff, are there any other sales?”
Shin looked at Schnee while asking that.
“Because Shin was absent, there are a few items for sale. I am an amateur with smithery, and for replenishing the goods, only Shin can open the storehouse where the arms were kept.”
Therefore, Schnee had to replenish unskilled stock from somewhere, and it seemed difficult to replenish goods because of competition over that right. It was only natural that if the maker went missing, there would be a shortage of inventory.
“How should I say it…I’m sorry. Schnee is doing a good job to keep the store open.”
“Even if it is open, there aren’t many things that are able to be put up for sale.”
“…That’s true. Even if it’s open, it won’t solve anything.”
During the game era, the store was barely continuing in business. It was no wonder.
“When I have time, I will replenish the stock with the ones I have saved.”
“Roger that. By the way, the talks have derailed from the subject. Yuzuha, can we continue?”
“Yup. But, because I was in the Shinto shrine the whole time, I don’t know more than you already know.”
The interference to the natural disaster, it seemed to be an impossible task, even to an Element Tail. Although it said that it didn’t know about the world’s situation, because it made a great effort to decrease the damage of the natural phenomenon since the Dusk of the Majesty, there’s no reason to blame it.
“I see, tell me when you recall something, just in case.”
“Yes, I understand~ Umm, Tiera-onee-chan, that Cayfal just now, is it done yet?”
When the conversation settled down, Yuzuha asked about the pastry matter to Tiera. Was it interested in it that much? Even the things about the smithy was forgotten. As Yuzuha approached Tiera, its tail shook with flutters.
Such an appearance also suited its age.
“Excuse me, but there is one more thing. I have to talk to Shin.”
“…What?”
Though Schnee was in a serious mood; it was different from a while ago, as she put a stop to the air trying to clear.
She appeared to have been looking for the right time to begin the talk.
“Actually, there is a person I would like you to meet. I understand that you may have various things to investigate, but please make this the first priority this time.”
“Then, who is this person you want me to meet?”
Shin felt like it was a rush from Schnee’s tone. It was like something was running out of time, such a feeling of impatience.
He corrected his sitting posture, and waited for Schnee’s words.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to meet again immediately so I didn’t talk about it yesterday, but the person I want you to meet is Girard.”
“Girard huh?…No, wait, is it really Girard?”
Girard was the no. 3 support character of Shin. A High Beast. But, it was more than 500 years since the Dusk of the Majesty, it should be impossible to meet Girard.
“…Is he still alive?”
Although he was called a High Beast, he didn’t have a long lifespan. Humans, Beasts, Dwarfs were said to live a long life if they lived for 100 years.
In contrast to these 3 races that have short lives, such races like Elves, Pixies, Dragnils and Lords were said to be a long-lived species.
Even though High Beasts and High Dwarfs were a superior race, still, it should be 150 years at most.
Although a beast’s length of life depends on the animal which became the model, Girard’s model was a relatively orthodox wolf among the choices. It wasn’t a model for long living especially.
Certainly, he heard the thing about Girard becoming a king. However, because that was a fairly old story, Shin never thought that Girard was still alive.
“Yes. But…I think he has a few days left and it will not be that much longer anymore.”
Schnee personally didn’t know why Girard was still alive until today.
But she was certain about one thing.
“He too, was waiting for Shin.”
As Schnee was, Girard also was waiting for Shin.
“He himself doesn’t know how he could live this long. There is likely some meaning, since he is alive.”
He didn’t seem to feel too much fear from the approaching death either since his body should already be dead.
“Actually, even if there’s no Girard, the alliance can continue functioning. The current beast king is the eighth generation, that not only has military power, but he also has the ability as a ruler.”
Falnido Beast Alliance was formed by bundling up every beastman tribe. It was built by Girard during the confusion that struck the world.
And then, as for the first beast king, it was Shin’s support character, a no. 3 of High Beast origin.
Girard Estaria.
The appearance that Shin remembered, when he was in a normal human form, was a man of about 40, characterized with an unkempt beard and brown hair that was trimmed short. Handsome men and beautiful women would be wretched, because this appearance of a wild middle-aged man was good. When Girard was fully armed, the charisma that was felt around him could be called a veteran warrior, Shin took pride at that time for not making a wrong choice.
When in combat, Girard went into werewolf mode, a figure that swooped down upon his prey, exactly like a hunter.
He specialized in close ranged combat and paired up with the no. 4 support character, Shibaid, a High Dragnil, to serve as an advance guard party. Although his offensive power from magic skills was low, it was compensated with agile movement, and perfected with hand-based martial arts skills. He could fight on par with Schnee, and would win under certain conditions.
The figure that used to strike his fist against enemies with a roar, was reproduced instantly in Shin’s mind, as he remembered it properly.
“After hearing that, we can’t afford not to go. Where is Girard’s place?”
“When we exited from the Wraith Plains the other day, just go further north ahead instead. The alliance extends over the plains and forest area, it is next to a capital city that is said to be ruled by a human king. There are 4 big villages like the capital city, and the Girard is in the village of the dog clan where the current beast king is.”
‘I see. Although I heard it roughly, there is no danger before arriving there, right?”
“Yes, I think it will be safe for at least another several more years. Because the person in question has not weakened that much too.”
“Then, should I go normally?”
Shin was going to use his trump card for long-range transfer if he was really driven into a corner, but it somehow seemed to be all right.
“Then, because there are several things I want to check, let’s leave after I am finished. I have to be ready too, will both of you be alright for tomorrow?”
“I’m all right anytime~”
“I wonder if I’m good since I’ve always been the sort of ‘stay at home caretaker’.”
Shin asked Yuzuha and Tiera, who had taken the role of listener. Basically, Tiera was entrusted for house-watching because of Schnee always being away from home, and she thought she would do the same this time too.
“Tiera, you will also go this time.”
“Eh! Me too?”
Tiera was surprised to hear from Schnee that she was also going.
“Because Shin has returned, there’s no need to stick to this place anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s the strong point of owning a personal store.”
“Um, is it okay to leave this store alone?”
Schnee smiled wrily at Tiera’s question.
“No problem. Because he will carry it away.”
“Carry it…away?”
What did she say, Tiera had an expression of not understanding. Surely, there were few people who could understand immediately when Schnee said, “Carry the store.”
“I can take it. This store.”
“…Eto, what do you mean by that?”
It was understandable that Tiera couldn’t comprehend what Shin was trying to say. No matter how one looked at it, he couldn’t easily carry the store, was what she was probably thinking.
“Is it unusual now? To carry a store or a house?”
“It’s not nonexistent, but without an expert in that field, it would not be known. As far as I know, it needs quite a large sum of money to be attached even to a small hut.”
Although it was common technology during the game era, as usual, Shin didn’t know what happened under the present situation. When he heard about it from Schnee, he understood that it was treated like a special technique.
From seeing Tiera’s reaction, the production skills seemed to have suffered a steep decline.
“Indeed. Then, it’s only natural that Tiera doesn’t know about it, huh? Then, are arts more mainstream than skills now? Is the production system too?”
“Yes. The production system is also divided by arts and skills. After the Dusk of the Majesty, people tried to restore the skills, and from trial and error, arts were born. It’s the same as the combat system, where the effects are lower than a skill.”
“I knew it.”
If it was said in a game style, they were trying to reproduce the skill without the system assistance. Normally nothing would happen, but here was a different world. Perhaps, an effect, such as a portion of the skill was produced, and it was called arts. As for a blacksmith, because there were techniques that could never be reproduced by simple physical work, it must not be an ‘off the mark’ guess.
“Since the new generation, like me, thought arts were the standard, it’s deviated from Shin and Master by all means. Were people with the same class as Master common before the Dusk of the Majesty? I can’t imagine what kind of world that was.”
“Well it had its own way, but there were not many people who had the same class as Schnee, right?”
“Still, it can’t be counted with the number of fingers on both hands, don’t you agree? It was so beyond scary that I’m amazed from that time. Those kind of people fighting were heard everywhere, and how such a society was able to maintain itself in such situation.”
“In that situation, it was managed properly, and when a guy went too far they would get expelled.”
Malignant players were reported to GM’s and had their account deleted, but because he couldn’t say that, he got by with similar words. If there really was such a world, it ought to have perished a long time ago.
“How was it able to be managed?”
“That was because there were various people cooperating in that situation. Leaving that aside, what do you mean by a “new generation” that you said a while ago, Tiera?”
“Ah that matter? It’s simple. It is a ‘new generation’ for people who were born after the Dusk of the Majesty, a person who was born before the Dusk of the Majesty and is still alive is called the ‘old generation’. It was first said by someone when the country was founded after the Dusk of the Majesty, and lasted until now. Though I think as a new generation, I obviously feel inferior when I see Master and other older generations.”
As Tiera said, an old generation was certainly superior when looking at the ability.
Shin and Schnee were good examples. However, if the skill was excluded, it didn’t mean that the old generation was high in ability.
“There are gaps in ability between the different generations, but I’m not too conscious of differences between the old and new. However, I clearly feel the generation differences from Shin and Master.”
“Not generation differences!”
To tell the truth, a piece of the generation differences didn’t make sense to Shin.
“Such recognition is all right I guess.”
Since it was already established, there didn’t seem to be any harm or anything. Although it appears to have some exceptions.
“Let’s return to the talk that had derailed away for the time being. I said it a while ago here, but Tsuki no Hokora is a store that can be moved. Because of that, I intend for the two of you to act together. In addition, Tiera is able to go out without much trouble now and I thought it would be good to take a trip. Ah, of course there is a choice, do you want to stay?”
He wouldn’t force her, against her will, to come along with him. And there was no reason he must take Tsuki no Hokora with him.
“If that’s the case, I will follow you. Though I did go out from here several times, it was still a little scary for me to enter the kingdom yet. But I think it’s all right if it were with Shin and Master together.”
“It’s decided then.”
“Everyone will be together~!”
All of them nodded at Yuzuha’s remark.
“Let’s move for preparation immediately!”
In addition to Tiera and Schnee, they aimed to meet an old friend at Falnido Beast Alliance.
The anticipated reunion and parting, Shin has decided the destination.
What was waiting for them thereupon, no one knows.
Part 3 - Side Story
As she felt the morning light warming up her chest, Schnee woke up.
(Here is…)
She remembered yesterday’s event vaguely in her head. The things where Shin returned. The situation where Wilhelm and Rashia were surprised. The time when they sat down at the dining table in Tsuki no Hokora.
“If I’m not mistaken, I definitely put Tiera in my bed…Eh!!?”
As she muttered that, she noticed that there was somebody next to her. She was also holding somebody’s arm.
“EH? S-Shin!?”
She desperately suppressed the loud voice which came close to shouting. Schnee confirmed that it was her master’s arm that she had been holding.
The curly black hair. The deep black eyes under the closed eyelids, it was something that Schnee knew well.
That person was Shin, the master of Tsuki no Hokora.
“Huh!?”
The state of their bodies being so close and the sensation of their skin touching each other, caused Schnee’s face to turn red. Even she herself was aware of her ears turning bright red. She was aware that she had been intoxicated last night.
However, she never thought that she would do something like step into Shin’s bed in a natural fashion while being drunk.
“W-What a blunder…”
While her face was flushed red, she reproached herself, since she never had the intention of releasing Shin’s arm.
When she got out of the bed without waking Shin up, she let out a small breath. The reason was that she didn’t know when Shin would wake up. If Shin was to wake now, she couldn’t come up with any excuses.
Somehow she restrained her desire of wanting to look at Shin’s sleeping face, and she left the room.
After changing her clothes in her own room, she washed her face and cleared her consciousness. She felt refreshed due to the cold water, and her reflection no longer showed her face flushed red from a little while ago.
“First of all, I will prepare breakfast.”
As for the time, it was only a little past 5:30. Because she always finished tidying up before 7:00, this was pretty much her daily routine.
Schnee went to the kitchen, and as she looked at the fridge’s contents to decide the menu, Tiera came over.
“Ah, Master, good morning.”
“Good morning, you were quite drunk yesterday, are you okay now?”
“Uhh…I caused an inconvenience last night. For the time being, I have no hangover.”
Tiera seemed to remember, and she apologized while dropping her shoulders.
“Then, please help with the preparation for breakfast. Because it is likely that we will need to prepare portions for 4 people.”
“Yes…huh? For 4 people?”
“Well, just in case.”
“Ah, I see.”
Tiera seemed to have some doubts about the 4 people part, but she obediently wore the apron and began to help. Schnee also put on her favorite apron. Schnee’s was light blue, and Tiera’s was light green.
“What would you like for the menu this morning?”
“Let’s go with a Japanese-style meal. For the other ingredient beside the miso soup, take out the treasured fish.”
“Huh!? Master, don’t tell me, it’s THAT?”
Tiera couldn’t hide her surprise due to Schnee words. That super high-quality ingredient was said to be worth a large amount of Jul white gold coins. The name of the ingredient was ‘Diamond Horse Mackerel’. The special food was opened and dried in the sun, and it was best to be used at this time. In other words, the breakfast at Tsuki no Hokora today was the dried and opened horse mackerel, along with the miso soup which is a must in Japanese cuisine.
As for the Diamond Horse Mackerel, it was a fish type monster, like the horse mackerel, and had scales that shined like a diamond. However, regardless of its appearance, it boasted a strength level of 450 – 600. They were usually found in a school. It was a monster that ate low-level Krakens and a shark type monster that exceeded level 500 instead of normal bait. Only a few were caught, when they weakened and got lost from their school, and occasionally ended up on the market.
Among the food ingredients from the sea, it was recognized as a high-class food material with a tremendous price. What would happen if such a Diamond Horse Mackerel was processed with Schnee’s cooking skill? It was already needless to say.
“Though the mackerel has the appearance of a dried and opened fish, somehow it is sparkling.”
With the keen sense of an elf, Tiera seemed to have caught the hidden life force in the horse mackerel.
“Now then, I will prepare the miso soup first. Tiera, please cook the rice.”
“Ah, yes.”
The fish, which emitted the shine of a diamond, was first put on a plate, and Schnee took out the ingredients for the miso soup. The ingredients were miso paste, wakame seaweed, and three kinds of fried tofu. It was said to be a classic style with Dashi* and dried bonito and kelp.6
“Master, the rice is ready.”
Tiera who finished preparing quickly called out to her master. Because it was obvious that she cooked her own meals when Schnee was away, Tiera too could prepare basic dishes. She didn’t need much time in preparation for cooking rice either. The magic stove was ignited, and the preparation was complete. In a few minutes, the aroma of the boiling soup stock from the miso began to fill the inside of the room. For Schnee, it was a smell she was very familiar with nowadays.
It was already past 6:00 at the time. It was time for breakfast soon.
Suddenly Tiera opened her mouth.
“Master, may I go outside for a moment?”
“Since the mackerel is almost roasted, try to make it brief.”
“Yes…I will return in about 10 minutes.”
Tiera excused herself from Schnee and headed toward the doorway of the store. What was Tiera going to do? Schnee knew and encouraged her. This was because Tiera needed to get over the final defense line with her own power.
Tiera opened the door and went out. Then, the morning sunlight enveloped Tiera gently.
“This time, it’s still only a little chilly.”
Was it the remnant of the night? She felt the air was still cold with her thin clothes. Tiera then walked slowly toward the boundary of the magic barrier that was erected around Tsuki no Hokora.
“It’s alright…it’s alright…”
As she approached the boundary, Tiera felt her heart beating rapidly. Shin was together with her when she went out for the first time. And she was able to come forth alone on the second time around.
Still, the fear that lasted 100 years was cultivated and wouldn’t disappear so easily. She might get attacked again by monsters if she went out. In addition, someone else might fall victim to it, again. That sort of unreasonable idea clung to her.
Schnee certainly noticed it, because she encouraged Tiera to keep at it.
While regaining her breath, Tiera advanced forward step by step. She already understood that there was nothing ahead. If there was experience, Tiera was able to advance beyond that.
She recalled the hand that Shin held out. In order to grasp that hand, Tiera stepped forward outside of the boundary.
“………”
She stayed in that place for about 1 minute, and confirmed that there was no change in the surroundings. While it may be true that she was outside of the boundary, there was nothing that abruptly appeared or anything unusual. However, she still felt that the air that surrounded her was unusual.
“…Phew. After all, I’m still nervous.”
Together with her voice, she entered the barrier again. Once again, this was obviously only for her to get used to the outside.
“Now then, let’s do this quickly.”
Aiming toward the corner of the trees that surround Tsuki no Hokora, Tiera began to walk. She moved until there was grass that grew thickly to about the height of Tiera’s waist, and went around sideways there.
A blooming flower with an appearance that was similar to a Cosmos flower, was in Tiera’s line of sight. Only its shape was similar, the flower’s petals were varied in manner, such as, red, blue, green, and purple.
The name of the flower was ‘Repika’. According to the elves’ belief, the flower had a meaning of gratitude and sincerity. When she was not yet able to come outside of the barrier, Tiera knew when it would bloom at this place in the current season. She didn’t look after the store for 100 years just for show. From the windows of the store, she looked casually at the blooming Repika.
Though she could see and was unable to touch it, those things were in the past now. She picked several flowers to decorate the dining table, and returned to the store.
“Flower vase, which flower vase~~”
“Have you become accustomed to it a little?”
Schnee called out to Tiera who was searching for a vase with a reasonable size.
“Somehow or another, though it is only a little.”
Tiera replied with a calm face, and Schnee had a gentle smile on her face. From her words, there was no sign of overdoing things.
“…It will be ready soon. Please go and wake Shin.”
“Understood.”
Schnees’ smile deepened a little as she sent off Tiera. The figure of Tiera disappeared into the depths of the passage and after a while, a sound of something falling was heard by Schnee.
Before long, the appearance of Shin and Tiera turned up, and then a young girl with fox ears and silver hair.
Though Schnee was extremely embarrassed when she recalled that they laid in bed together last night, she managed to keep herself calm somehow. She just hoped that Shin would say nothing. On the corner of the table, in that little noisy situation, a Repika flower watched the scene.
A type of traditional Japanese clothing
martial art’s uniform
sushi wrapped in fried tofu
Yuzuha sometimes refer itself as “Yuzuha” when talking.
Financier is a small French cake
Japanese soup stock
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - !Side Stories/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Special-[Shin][WebToEpub]/0000_Volume_2_Special.txt
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Volume 2 SpecialKeep Hope Alive
That person was the first to be a direct follower of the High Human, dubbed the 『Dark Blacksmith』. Not bound to any country, the Calamity that was endangering the people was repelled by that Heroine. A beautiful High Elf, whose beauty had charmed the Kings of many nations.
Any of these three could be used when describing the person called Schnee Raizar.
To be recognized by the great existence known as High Humans, who held overwhelming strength, there is no end to the people planning to win over Schnee. However, none were successful.
Uninterested in both power and riches, even gifts of incredible value failed to sway her. When she was surrounded and approached by good-looking gentlemen of noble birth, she just smiled kindly and rejected them.
The only thing able to sway that Schnee’s heart was info regarding her master, the 『Dark Blacksmith』, Shin.
If she hears that a person like that was in the west, then she goes to the west. If she hears that a man like that was spotted in the east, then she goes to the east. Schnee ran with all her strength.
“Well Tiera, I’m going to clean the entire store. Come get me if you need me.”
“Alright.”
Someone like her has a daily life.
People were often threatened by some danger. Most normal issues could be addressed by nations or by the guild of adventurers. If they always had to call on Schnee, national prestige would be at stake.
Also, it was difficult to get reliable information on Shin. Some seemed shady or was obviously a trap.
For this reason, she wasn’t as busy as they thought.
For example, today she would spend the whole day thoroughly cleaning Tsuki no Hokora so that it would always be ready for Shin’s return.
She let Tiera, an elf who she was protecting, to take care of store and then went to the smithy.
As nobody had used the smithy now, it was the same as the last time she visited. Nevertheless, she carefully checked to make sure none of tools were dusty.
Although dust didn’t matter to tools made of the best materials, Schnee faithfully wiped each one in turn.
After she finished wiping them all, she sat on a chair at the corner and closed her eyes.
Alone in the room, she felt the silence.
With her eyes closed, she saw Shin; he was swinging a hammer and hitting iron; she heard the sound that was made every time that his hammer hit the iron. She remembered the days of being with her master. While today Shin was respected as a great blacksmith, he was not like that in the beginning. One day he learned a technique which required magical power. However, as he didn’t have enough magical power, Schnee would sometimes have to help him make a sword. The first sword that he had made back then was stored in the storage room that she couldn’t open.
The more Shin improved, the less he needed her help. Still, she was always there watching him work. Those memories never faded, no matter how many years passed by.
After a while, she opened her eyes and her master disappeared from view. Now all she could see was the idle furnace and tools without an owner.
“…………”
She left the room without saying anything. The smithy was just the first place that needed cleaning. She moved on to the workshop. Weapons and protectors cannot be made solely of iron. Blacksmiths need many other materials such as the skins and scales of monsters and chemicals to treat them. As many kinds of materials are used in the workshop, it can easily get dirty. Even though there was a ventilation system here, the floors and walls sometimes got sticky. Thus, when Schnee was at Tsuki no Hokora, she cleaned here every day. When she was away, Tiera would clean here every couple of days.
“…Tiera worked here to make replacement items. Since she already finished them, she won’t be working here for a while.”
Schnee cleaned up with a brisk efficiency. She carefully wiped the glass door of the shelves. Tiera was surprise at her dedication to cleaning when she just came to Tsuki no Hokora.
“Well, it’s done.”
She was satisfied with the shiny floors and walls.
She continued cleaning Tsuki no Hokora with utmost dedication. She didn’t check Tiera’s room to maintain her privacy. Then again, she didn’t have to do that as Tiera didn’t let her room get messy.
She took a break to do the laundry and prepared a meal, then went back to cleaning. Finally she started to clean Shin’s room. She basically asked Tiera to clean the store, but his room was an exception. Only he or his servant was permitted to enter this room.
She sat on the bed and looked around the room. There was only a bed, a desk, a shelf with some trophies and basic furniture—the room was Spartan-like.
As he wasn’t interested in interior decoration, his room was simple and plain in a good way . It was non-descript in other words. She had very few memories of this room. Shin used this room just for sleeping—he described it as the “logout”.
“…just for a little bit, ok?”
She mumbled to herself as she lay down on his bed. As he was particular about his tools and furniture, his bed gently embraced her.
“………”
Schnee held his pillow and closed her eyes. Perhaps it was partly because she had just finished a meal, she fell to sleep.
It was 3 pm when Schnee woke up.
“……I did it again.”
She buried her face in his pillow and sighed. She hated herself for what she did in her master’s room. She couldn’t count how many times she had done the same thing. Despite her awareness, she couldn’t help but think; “I could see him in my dreams, I could be allowed to see him in my dreams”.
“I can’t show him myself like this.”
With the thought that he might be disappointed with her, she returned to her normal self. She slapped herself on the cheek to wake up. It made a dry sound and dispelled her melancholy mood.
“I’ve not searched everywhere for him yet. So it might still be possible to find him.”
She stood up and cheered herself up.
She would keep her hope alive and never give up as long as there was the possibility of finding him.
Suddenly, she heard Tiera outside. Schnee switched her mood and left Shin’s room. A visitor was with Tiera who asked Schnee to help him investigate the abnormal behavior of some monsters and if necessary, eradicate them.
“Okay.”
She nodded and asked him for details.
She was waiting for the day when her master came back. She kept her hope that her dream would come true.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - !Side Stories/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-Special-[Shin][WebToEpub]/0000_Volume_1_Special.txt
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Volume 1 SpecialUntil the Day of the First Step
After she sent off the last customer, Tiera counted how many of each item were left on the shelves. She had plenty of salves used for healing wounds and class 7 potions, which were classified as high-class potions, left over; probably because these were inconvenient to use. The most popular items at present were the middle-class potions, class 8 and 9 potions. They were reasonably priced and when you go off on an adventure, you want to take at least one.
“We have only two bottles left. I should make more.”
She left the ‘Please Call Us’ sign on the counter and moved to the workshop.
“Hillock herb, purified water and a spoonful of magic stone powder…”
She mixed dried hillock herb with magic stone powder, added clarified water and heated the mixture. When the compound dissolved in the clarified water, it changed color to light blue.
Once she made sure that all the components had dissolved, she poured the solution into a cylindrical container which was around 20 cemels in height and 1 cemel in diameter.
Then all that was left to do was to put a lid on it.
“If it’s as easy as this, I might become overconfident with my skills.”
She gently sighed while looking at the class 8 potion she had made in only half an hour.
The workshop of Tsuki no Hokora was equipped with the best facilities.
With these facilities, even Tiera who had just recently started to work as an alchemist, rarely failed unless she worked on challenging compounds.
Normally, if she used ordinary tools, it would take a day or more to do the same work.
She had heard of how the alchemists in her homeland had experienced hard times and saw the great works of Schnee, the acting store manager. That helped her avoid becoming overconfident.
Next, she made a class 9 potion before she was called and then walked back into the store.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Hi Tiera. Your fur looks great as usual.”
A catman stood at the counter. He was a regular customer.
He liked Tiera and often visited the store. However, while Tiera looked like a catwoman to him, this was just an illusion created by Schnee.
“Sorry, Tiera. Our leader is clinging to you.”
The catwoman spoke with a fed-up look on her face. She belonged to his party and was also a familiar face to Tiera.
Tiera quickly looked around the store, but she didn’t see the other members of his party such as the wolfman or the dwarf.
“Welcome, good customer. Do you want the usual?”
“I have something I’d like to tell you today, Tiera!”
The man looked serious, while Tiera just showed a business like smile. “Again…” Tiera muttered to herself.
In her homeland, she had been famous for her beauty. Elves are generally beautiful but she was outstanding even for an elf.
Since she started working for the store, Tsuki no Hokora, she had often been approached by men.
Since she always rejected them, there were fewer suitors that approached her. Nevertheless, some like this catman still tried.
“I’m sorry but I will still not accept you. You are more like a younger brother to me.”
Elves have much longer lifespans than beasts.
In fact, Tiera had known him ever since he was a greenhorn adventurer. Although he grew into an experienced adventurer, she still felt as if he was just like a naughty little brother.
He was disappointed by her answer. The catwoman tapped his shoulder and said, “You see? I told you.”
Officially, her reason for rejecting them was that as a resident of Tsuki no Hokora she didn’t want to bother Schnee by having a relationship with someone.
In reality though, she was afraid that she would expose them to danger. She was cursed and accordingly strong monsters were attracted to her. Normal adventurers would be overwhelmed by them. Only someone like Schnee could deal with the monsters she attracted.
She never wanted to be in the situation where someone was injured or killed because of her. Above all, she feared their reactions, when they discovered that she was a cursed girl who attracted monsters.
She was still haunted by the sad memory of how the people in her homeland had treated her like a monster 50 years ago.
“Sigh….”
She leaned on the counter and looked out of the window.
There were no clouds in the sky and the sun shone down on the trees.
Tiera went out for a change.
Closing her eyes, she soaked up the sunlight and felt the wind on her cheeks. It made her smile slightly.
Leaving the door open, she opened her eyes but soon she looked down at the ground.
Between Tsuki no Hokora and the forest surrounding it was the boundary of the spiritual barrier that protected the store. It was a boundary for Tiera, too.
If she stepped outside of the barrier, she couldn’t predict what kind of monster would appear. Furthermore, whichever monster appeared it would attack her without reason.
She sighed and moved back towards Tsuki no Hokora. Though the border was a bit further, so she could have gone farther, her feet refused to move forward.
“Well, I will make some sweets.”
She decided to make some sweets to forget unpleasant things.
Her sweets are one of the most popular items of the store. She reminded herself that she had to make them as replacements anyway and went to the kitchen.
She measured ingredients, kneaded, baked, wrapped them with a plastic bag, and then closed the bag with a ribbon.
There were few sweets in this world, her sweet that contained honey called “Cayfal”, which Schnee called financier, was popular with both men and women.
Some adventurers who have kids came to the store only to buy Cayfal.
“Good, now I should place these on the shelf.”
She felt happy whenever she thought about those who told her how much they enjoy it.
Even without magical power, it made her happy that she could make someone smile.
“Oop, I have to take care of the store.”
It seemed that nobody came while she made the sweets. But that didn’t mean she could leave the store unattended.
She reflected, she had focused too much on making sweets, so she sat on a chair at the counter.
At that moment, as if it were scheduled, the door opened.
Tiera saw an armored man from Bayreuth Kingdom. After she heard his story, she decided to notify Schnee.
Dealing with customers, managing items and trying to improve her skills in the workshop, she just repeated this day after day. While she seemed to repeat the same thing every day, no day was exactly the same as any other.
Days while she waited for Schnee to find a way to break her curse, days when she saw one person after another while the seasons changed. Tiera didn’t realize that these ordinary days would soon come to an end.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 08
The Divine Katana’s Inheritor
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
“If you’re feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know.”
“Kuu…”
Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin’s shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head.
Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well.
“Your companion does not seem to be feeling well.”
“She’s saying she’s OK, though. It doesn’t look like she has a fever either, so I’ll just keep an eye on her for now.”
Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm’s care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel’s Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd.
Many of the ships leaving Balmel’s port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est). Travel by land would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city by land.
Using the dragons to travel by air was a last resort, so the party would not use them this time.
“So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?”
At Schnee’s question, Berett lowered his head apologetically.
“I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild’s ships are all out. There is, however, one ship heading towards Est. It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships. What do you say?”
It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people. A relatively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett’s introduction the party would have been able to board it easily.
“Using Tsuki no Hokora’s introduction or revealing our members’ identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps.”
An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status. Using Hermie’s name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship. But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible.
An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation.
Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they planned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable.
“The ship’s departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?”
“Yes, we don’t have a lot of time to waste, so that’s perfect.”
“I will contact you later about the current available cabins.”
“I would prefer a private one. There are some members that wouldn’t like their faces to be seen.”
“Understood. Please wait a while.”
Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper. He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company’s logo and sealed it with wax.
“Please show this to the captain. I will let them know.”
“Thank you, and sorry for the trouble.”
“It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans. Do not worry.”
Berett’s smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure. There wasn’t the single trace of malice within it.
Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company.
◆◆◆◆
While Shin’s entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items. Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera’s shadow.
Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets’ hustle and bustle.
“As expected of a town based on trade, there’s so many people here. They also look pretty happy too, it’s a relief to see.”
“A relief?”
Filma’s words caused Tiera’s puzzled question. After a chuckle, Filma answered.
“I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters. At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic.”
There was no sorrow in Filma’s tone.
“As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then. But the present was born on the efforts of many people. Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect.”
Shibaid, who was accompanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild, commented with a smile.
Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet.
“Yes, I feel that clearly. Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid. You’ve become more perceptive, haven’t you?”
“To be precise, there’s someone else with them. But I didn’t do it for a particular reason. I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous.”
“And what would you mean by that?”
“I’m speaking from past experience. Try to think about it and you’ll understand.”
Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at her last question.
“Don’t treat me like a troublemaker now. Well, I’ve gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I’ll admit.”
Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him.
“Come on, both of you, that’s enough. Since we’re out in town and all, why don’t we check out the stores?”
“That’s true too. We have the list of what we need, so let’s wrap that up quickly. ”
“Yes, yes…”
Filma welcomed Tiera’s proposal, while Shibaid gave a wry laugh. He didn’t want to fight either, after all.
Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs.
“Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?”
“More or less. I’ve been trained by master, after all. How about you, Filma?”
“I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste. So, the choice of the groceries is up to you.”
Shibaid wasn’t one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera.
The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid.
“We really bought a huge amount…will you be all right?”
Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying the large bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns.
“No need to worry, he’s not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight.”
“No problem, I will place them in the item box as soon as we reach a place without people around.”
Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty.
“By the way, Tiera, there’s something I wanted to ask you…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What’s your reason for traveling with Shin?”
“Hmm, I have been wondering that too. And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too.”
Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera.
“Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?”
“On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to. Crowded places are the best to talk about secrets.”
In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what. Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around.
“Shin and Schnee are close to me, that’s why I want to know.”
Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin’s command, was part of the entourage.
Tiera understood that they didn’t just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously.
“I understand. Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me.”
Tiera than explained briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse.
“….I see. It’s true that the “Cursed Gift” was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do.”
“Indeed. I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything.”
“Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn’t?”
Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of 【Purification】.
“I knew that Shin had learned it though. I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but the last part was done by Shin alone, so I don’t know the details. It wasn’t a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it. I think it’s similar for the other people we know too.”
“That’s right. That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called ‘Sacred Places’. It was not something to spend effort to learn.”
“What can I say…it’s incredible.”
The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine.
Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the “Dusk of the Majesty”, understood Tiera’s surprise.
“By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?”
“Eh?”
Tiera couldn’t help but voice her surprise at the sudden question.
“I mean, you thought you wouldn’t ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single explanation. I honestly doubt that you aren’t the least bit interested in him, with all that happened.”
Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes. She couldn’t help pointing it out.
“It wouldn’t be exaggerated to call him “a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair”, right?”
“Well, um…of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!”
“Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn’t it? Elves don’t seem to like that too much though. But do you really feel only gratitude for him?”
“Ah…um….”
Tiera couldn’t find the words to answer Filma’s dead serious look. But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself.
“Filma. It’s not proper to poke about in people’s love affairs.”
“I know, and I’ll stop now. But Tiera, let me say just one thing.”
“Y-Yes.”
Filma wasn’t grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone.
“It’s better to make your feelings clear. If you do after you feel regret, it’s too late.”
“!!!”
Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her.
“I’m sorry. I know this is none of my business.”
“…no, honestly speaking, I can’t find the answer yet myself.”
Tiera spoke with a small, wry laugh.
Filma was looking at her with a kind smile.
(I wonder what Shin’s answer will be, then.)
That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women.
◆◆◆◆
“First, we’ve secured a means of transport.”
Shin’s entourage, back from the Golden Company, explained to the others about the ship to Sigurd.
Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening.
“When will we depart?”
Konig asked.
“Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel. How were things on your end?”
“I contacted the Church. As I said before, they should come meet us at the town called Leshelle.”
Konig nodded to Shin’s inquiry.
Most members of the group coming to meet them, however, would be heading to the “Summit Faction” base.
The group, composed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop. It was a strategy possible only because Shin’s party had defeated the more powerful demons.
“Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too…”
“Didn’t you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You’ll have to work hard volunteering for a while.”
Milt’s complaints were quickly shut down by Shin.
Even if she had been manipulated, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie. For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period. Starting, of course, from this base capture mission.
“Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let’s go rest.”
As no one had anything in particular to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms.
The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie.
The bright and cheerful Milt had become good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room. Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera’s shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient.
“Anyway Yuzuha, you’re still sick?”
“Kuu…”
“Monsters get sick too, huh. It’s not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be…”
Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right.
Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep.
◆◆◆◆
The next day, Shin’s eyes opened earlier than expected. The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm.
“I think this happened before…Yuzuha, is that you?”
After confirming the situation with 【Analyze】, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him.
She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form. But her appearance was not the “small girl mode” Shin knew.
She looked like she could be in her early teens. Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves. Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlight coming in through the window.
Her ears and tail were the same as before.
“Your feeling sick was because of this, then.”
Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand, laid a blanket over her. As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes.
“….where?”
Staring at where Shin’s arm used to be, Yuzuha’s hands fumbled around in the now empty space. Maybe because she wasn’t fully awake yet, she hadn’t noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away.
Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents.
As she clumsily propped her body up, the blanket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure.
Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold. Shin picked up the fallen blanket and wrapped Yuzuha with it.
“….here.”
Yuzuha didn’t even glance at the blanket; with a mumble, she laid her head on Shin’s lap and quickly slipped into slumber. Her expression was one of simple bliss.
“Wait, you’re going back to sleep!?”
It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all. Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn’t happen this time.
Yuzuha’s clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out.
“Tell me what’s going on, first.”
“Hm?”
“Your looks, I mean. Is it because your power returned?”
“Yes. I’m still not used to it, so this is my limit for now.”
According to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too. A large quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded.
Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more.
“Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?”
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin’s question.
Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed. It was a perfect poker face.
Shin checked Yuzuha’s status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too. Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength.
“I guess we should let Schnee and the others know. Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better.”
“No problem.”
Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin.
After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat. He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid.
Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell her later.
“Ooh, you really got stronger.”
Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha’s new level.
“I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually.”
Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha’s final form.
“Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset.”
As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliable companion she could be.
“Nothing’s particularly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now.”
“Please.”
After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure.
Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor. It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nonetheless.
Shin was walking next to Wilhelm.
“Hermie seems to feel a little better, right.”
“So it seems. But why are you asking me?”
“Isn’t it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now.”
Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm’s direction more often than before. It wasn’t hard to think that something must have happened. Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection.
“We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened.”
“Looking at her tells me something else, though.”
“Whatever.”
Shin felt that it wouldn’t be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic. They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship’s sails.
Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships.
“It’s really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?”
Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port.
“The largest one, over there. I confirmed it yesterday, so there’s no mistake.”
Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships. It was clearly larger than the others around it, looking like it could carry a large quantity of goods.
“It looks like there are people on board already. Shall we go too?”
“We don’t have anything else to do anyway, let’s go.”
Shin answered Tiera’s question and started to walk towards the ship. As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers’ check came up to them.
It was a large, muscular man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second.
“Do you plan to board the Mediel?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?”
The man’s intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor.
Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett. The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents.
“…yes, this will do. Welcome aboard the Mediel. Shall I guide you to your cabins?”
“Please.”
Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too.
The ship’s cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin’s request for a private cabin had been granted as well.
Following the muscular man, Shin’s party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door.
The cabins were divided between men and women. Hermie was camouflaged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others’ eyes as much as possible.
“Guess I’ll go see the ship.”
“Kuu.”
Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry.
“OK, let’s go together.”
Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship. They checked the ship’s interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers.
After they checked most places they had access to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart. More time had passed than expected.
Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner.
“Finally, my sister’s sickness will be healed!!”
“Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too.”
The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant. As the ship was very large, they had already seen several passengers accompanied by servants.
They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly.
Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister. Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl’s voice was brimming with joy.
“It was really hard to find it…aah!?”
“Eh….?”
The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving. Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face. She looked like she was in her early teens.
The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels. Her flame-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature. Her black, clear eyes looked straight at Shin.
“Milady?”
Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai. She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, black with patterns drawn in orange lines. On her shoulders she wore large protective plates called “Osode”, while her chest was protected by a relatively small breast plate.
Her height was probably close to 170 cemels. Her waist-length black hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail.
“Do you have business with these gentlemen?”
The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply black as her hair. Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough.
“No, it’s nothing. It appears I was a little too excited. I didn’t catch their presence. My apologies, fellows. I didn’t pay attention, kindly forget about this.”
“Er, yeah…”
After the woman’s question, the little girl apologized to Shin.
Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl’s words, because the woman’s eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous.
“Ehm, so, I will take my leave.”
“Yes, a good trip to you.”
Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee’s room.
As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there.
“Where are Hermie and Konig?”
“Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig’s taking care of her.”
Shin’s question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a glass of water. The horse carriage hadn’t made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did.
“She wasn’t terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down.”
Schnee added to Milt’s words.
“Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?”
“No, nothing in particular. There weren’t suspicious passengers either.”
Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn’t anyone hiding in places such as the ship’s hold. In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates.
After briefly talking about the party’s next plans, all members went on their separate business.
Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery.
“Ah, I’m coming too.”
“Me too.”
Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin. Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual.
Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery.
“Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up.”
“It feels really nice.”
“Ah, there’s something there!”
Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something.
Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to.
“Oh, Hero Dolphins.”
“As colorful as usual, too.”
What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters.
Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, black or pink.
They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn’t attack unless provoked.
“Oh, that’s rare. There’s a gold one.”
“Wow, it’s true.”
Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, black and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship. It was really rare to witness a golden one.
“It’s shining much brighter than the others.”
“Its power should be about the same though.”
If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others. It was said that if a player found one, their luck would increase.
“Hm? Hey, Tiera, what’s wrong?”
Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater.
“Nothing, I just realized that now we aren’t touching the ground with our feet…”
Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy.
“We won’t sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you.”
A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by a large marine monster, it wouldn’t sink easily.
“I know that in my head, but I won’t calm down until I get used to it, I guess.”
It wasn’t something that could change instantly.
After contemplating the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
The sea travel proceeded smoothly; except a brief stop at a port town, nothing worth mentioning happened.
The only thing notable was that they met the young girl and her attendant a few more times. As it was inconvenient to not know each other’s names, they briefly introduced each other.
The young girl with the unique speech style was Kujou Kanade, a level 159 Archer.
The samurai-like woman’s name was Saegusa Karin, a level 221 Samurai and Kanade’s escort.
Even without fighting, Shin felt that those two had strength surpassing their ages. They could even be Chosen Ones.
“The weather’s pretty bad today.”
“Indeed, you can feel a storm brewing.”
Whispered Shin, while looking at the cloudy sky. Kanade nodded in reply, Karin was standing next to her too.
It was almost dusk, but the setting sun was hidden by thick clouds.
“You two are headed to Hinomoto, was it?”
“Indeed we are.”
“I too would like to visit it if I have the chance, what kind of country is it?”
Shin thought it was a good chance to ask about Hinomoto. Both the country name and the two women’s names reminded him of Japan.
“It is said that Hinomoto came to be when, at the time of the natural disasters, islands detached from the continent were conquered by several groups of people. At present the two representative families of Kujou and Yaejima rule over its eastern and western regions.”
The guilds that Gaien -the Dragnil Shin met during the escort mission to Beirun- talked about apparently only ruled over parts of the country.
“I see…oh? Lady Kanade, you are a Kujou too, aren’t you?”
“I am indeed. I might look like just a little girl, but I am one of the Kujou, the rulers of east Hinomoto.”
“Milady, you are aware that we should not mention such things in public.”
Kanade’s words were met with a reprimand by Karin.
“I know that full well, but we do not need to fret if it’s them.”
For some reason, Kanade seemed to place some trust in Shin’s party after a few conversations. He didn’t feel Karin’s piercing look anymore either.
Incidentally, Shin had to address Kanade politely because not doing so would have attracted intimidating looks from Karin.
“It’s a country overflowing with nature.”
“It reminds me of my homeland. But is it alright for a lady of such a household to leave the country? Having just Karin as an escort seems odd too, to be honest”
“In truth, I left the country in secret. The situation is…rather complex.”
“For a member of the Kujou house to become an adventurer is unheard of, after all.”
“Don’t be like that. You know well there was no other choice, Karin, that’s why you accompanied me. Am I wrong?”
“No, that is correct, but…”
Judging from Karin’s grim expression, one could assume that the “complex situation” Kanade mentioned could not be solved without leaving Hinomoto.
“That’s enough. We obtained what we were seeking after all. We just need to return now.”
Ships for Hinomoto leave from the port Shin’s party will disembark at.
“It started raining.”
They expected it to rain, considering the amount of clouds in the sky. What they didn’t expect was the force with which the rain battered the ship, and the sudden increase of the wind.
Just seconds after the first raindrops, an incredible deluge started pouring down, followed by powerful gusts of wind that stirred the sea.
Around the same time, a group of monsters entered Shin’s perception field. They were closing in on the ship at an alarming speed.
“Monsters. They’re coming straight towards this ship.”
“Is that true? Karin, can you feel it?”
“No, nothing at all.”
Shin’s perception field was quite large, thanks to the combined use of skills. Shin didn’t know the range of Karin’s field, but it would likely take a little more time until she could detect the monsters.
“I don’t know if you will believe me or not, but I detect 10 units, and quite large ones at that.”
While explaining to Kanade and Karin, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.
Schnee and the others had also detected the monsters’ arrival; she replied that Filma had gone to talk with the captain.
Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera were also headed to Shin’s position.
“My companions will come soon. Lady Kanade, what will you two do?”
“If they are headed towards the ship, barricading ourselves in our cabin will do little good. Fortunately, I have some skill with the bow. I shall lend you my aid.”
“I too offer what little strength I have.”
Kanade pulled out a card from her drenched kimono and materialized it.
The next instant, the middle Legend-grade bow 『Fiery Diamond』appeared in her hand.
It was a large weapon, close to a longbow size, which came accompanied with the quiver. Its long range was its major characteristic.
Karin materialized her battle gear as well; her left hand was holding a katana with a red sheath.
It was the middle Legend-grade 『Vermilion Orchid』, a fire elemental katana.
“Did we make it?”
“Just in the nick of time.”
“T-too fast…”
Shin had just drawn his『Kakura』 when Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera arrived on deck.
At Tiera’s feet were both Kagerou and Yuzuha. They were all members capable of defense and long distance attacks.
“What about the others?”
“Lady Hermie is in her room. For added safety, I had Milt and Konig stay with her. Filma went to speak with the captain, and Schnee will come after bolstering Lady Hermie’s defenses.”
Milt, a water spirit user, was a powerful ally on the seas.
“Have you noticed anything?”
“The monsters appeared roughly at the same time as when the weather turned rough. From that, I suppose that they are either serpent or mollusk types.”
Shin quickly answered Wilhelm’s questions with his hypothesis.
There are monsters that influence the weather when they appear. The types of monsters mentioned by Shin often cause storms with their coming.
“Esteemed passengers! We shall deal with the situation, please return to your cabins!”
Maybe they heard from Filma, or detected the presence themselves, but the crew members came to advise Shin and the others to take shelter.
The crew probably also acted as a monster protection team; they were carrying bows, rods, harpoons, and other weapons.
“We shall help too.”
“But sir….!? I understand. Thank you for your assistance!”
The crew members were reluctant at first, but changed their mind after seeing Shin’s party’s postures and equipment.
The ship, battered by the waves, made it difficult to stand straight. While it also depended on the opponents, the more numbers they had the better their chances would be.
“They’re coming!”
Moments after Shin’s warning, the seawater swelled greatly. Then, from the raging sea emerged the silhouettes of several monsters.
“Gale Serpents!”
The monsters appeared from the sea and glared at the ship were Gale Serpents, also called “Dragon of the Seas”. Part of the dragon category, this monster favored attacks such as water breath, roar, and tackles.
Its level usually ranged from 500 to 600, but facing it in an unstable battlefield such as the sea made it more powerful than the level indicated.
“What numbers!”
“And just when we needed to return to Hinomoto…!”
Kanade and Karin reacted with frustration at the sight of the Gale Serpents, emerging one after the other. No matter how sturdy the ship was, under the attacks of 10 Gale Serpents it was inevitable for it to sink, or so they probably thought.
In fact, the crew members that came on deck also stood still, pale after seeing the monsters.
“Wilhelm, Tiera! Don’t let them get any closer! Shibaid, block their long-range attacks!!”
While shouting these orders, Shin let his『Kakura』flash.
The Mallet and Wind combination skill 【Bestial Drive】 created a fierce gust of wind which blew away the rain and wind with a single hit, while also crushing the head of one of the Gale Serpents surrounding the ship.
Even among the battering wind and rain, the sound of the skill’s impact boomed clearly through the deck and the ears of everyone present.
In the span of a few seconds, the Gale Serpent with the smashed cranium gradually sank below the waves.
“Let’s finish this quickly!”
“I won’t lose either!”
After Shin’s attack, Wilhelm threw his Hell Spear 『Vakira』and Tiera started shooting arrows.
The Gale Serpents, stopped in their tracks by the sudden fall of their comrade, tried to avoid the attacks’ trajectory with agility ill fitting their huge bodies.
Their response, however, had been too slow; the Gale Serpent closest to the ship was hit by an arrow on one eye and by 『Vakira』on its body.
“——————————!?!”
The monster did not die on the spot, but unleashed a scream like grinding metal and collapsed among the waves.
“You are far from the average traveler, I see.”
Not just the monsters were surprised by Shin’s movements. While aiming an arrow at a Gale Serpent poking its face from below the water, Kanade talked to Shin.
Shin replied that he was just a common traveler and focused again on his perception field. The Gale Serpents were swimming around the ship, alternatively getting closer and farther.
“Is it just me, or is the ship shaking more and more?”
“It’s probably caused by the monsters.”
Karin also felt something was off, and agreed with Shin’s observation.
“Tch, the bastards went underwater and won’t show up anymore!”
“Hey, Shin!! The ship isn’t going to turn over, is it!?”
Even if she had come closer, Tiera’s voice was almost drowned out by the ever stronger storm’s howling winds. Her concern was well placed, as even the crew members could barely stand without support, that’s how violently the ship was shaking. They all grabbed handrails or sail masts, sticking their weapons on the floor to keep standing.
Only Shin and Shibaid still managed to stand straight.
“Shin! Looks like they’re going to attack!”
Shibaid’s words made Shin look all around himself, only to find 9 Gale Serpents emerging from the waves, open their jaws wide and point them at the ship.
“A breath attack, huh. Shibaid, take care of the ones in front. I’ll handle the rear.”
While sprinting through the shortest path on the ship, Shin pulled out the same shield Shibaid had equipped, the『Great Shell Shield of Collision』. Then, he activated a fully-powered anti-air barrier.
A barrier composed of interlocked hexagons appeared in midair and repelled the Gale Serpents’ water breath.
“Shit, the rain and wind make it hard to aim…”
Shin unleashed several magic attacks while holding up the barrier, but because of the storm rocking the ship and the distance between him and the targets, none reached their intended destination.
Even bow users such as Tiera and Kanade could not reach the monsters with their attacks.
Seeing this, Yuzuha made a proposition.
“Should I support?”
“Please.”
Shin earnestly asked for help.
“I should have lowered the numbers more with the first attack.”
Fighting on a ship during stormy weather was even harder than Shin had expected.
The clouds kept the sunlight from filtering through, making the surroundings constantly dark. The rocking ship made it hard to stand, but they had to fight off the monsters and protect the ship at the same time.
Shin’s party would survive even if the ship sank, but they couldn’t save all the crew members and passengers. If things continued like this, their situation would get worse little by little.
Shin regretted choosing the wrong skill for the first attack.
“Kuu.”
Yuzuha cried and activated a skill, which caused the rain and wind to temporarily weaken.
“There’s no time to hesitate anymore. Yuzuha, cover me!”
“Yes sir!”
Taking advantage of the instant the breath attacks stopped, Shin leapt from the ship.
“Sir Shin!?”
He turned back to see Kanade and Karin, hanging onto the ship handrails, looking at him. They had left the front to the reinforcements and rushed to his aid.
“Don’t go falling into the sea!”
Thinking that he didn’t need any help, Shin gave a short warning and kicked the sea.
“What in the…!?”
Accompanied by Karin’s exclamation of surprise, Shin rushed towards the Gale Serpents while causing bursts of water.
As long as the Movement-type Martial skill 【Water Passage】was active, one could fight using water surfaces as footholds.
The first monster Shin targeted was the one hit in the eye by Tiera’s arrow. Shin swung 『Kakura』from the monster’s blind spot and chopped off its neck.
“One down!!”
At the same time, Shin spun and kicked the Gale Serpent’s fallen head sending it crashing into the next Gale Serpent.
“———!?!”
As the Gale Serpent lost its balance, Shin activated the Light-type magic skill【Avraid Ray】. Thanks to the weakened storm, the light ray pierced two serpent heads.
“Two down!!”
There were 7 remaining Gale Serpents.
As Shin was searching for the next monster, an explosion echoed from the front of the ship.
In the dim darkness, a silver flash reverberated.
Looking at the map, Shin could verify that, among the 5 serpents in front of the ship, 3 had already disappeared. As Shin expected, the reinforcements had arrived.
“Let’s finish this once and….hm?”
As he was about to say “for all”, Shin detected that something else was coming closer.
2 new signals were closing in on the ship, much faster than the other Gale Serpents.
“(Schnee! Shibaid! Two more coming!)”
While taking down another serpent, Shin informed Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat about the two incoming monsters.
“(We have sensed them as well. Who would have expected such an assault though.)”
“(Indeed, were we not on board, the ship would have sunk by now.)”
Shin received a somewhat jaded response via Mind Chat. The location made it difficult to fight, but they did not feel particularly cornered.
With Schnee and Shibaid on deck, the ship would be sufficiently protected.
“They split, huh.”
The new monsters’ signals separated along the way; they were now heading one towards the front and one towards the back of the ship.
The sea swelled even higher than before, sending water spraying all around and revealing the silhouette of a Gale Serpent almost twice the size of the previous ones.
“I see, the Queen and King showed up.”
Even before using【Analyze】on the new monster, clearly different from the 10 Gale Serpents which appeared before, Shin had seen through its identity.
“Gale Serpent Queen – Level 702”
The monster’s details appeared at the same time as Shin’s words.
As expected, the monster name included the word “Queen”. The King was likely headed to the front.
Many monsters had “King” or “Queen” in their names, and most of them were escorted by monsters of the same species.
“I guess they built a nest around here.”
It was confirmed that monsters too, had the notion of territory. Considering their “King” and “Queen” names, these monsters were probably a couple. If so, the serpents that attacked the ship first could have been their children.
“Why did they come and attack the ship I wonder. There should be plenty of other prey.”
Maybe they were chased by a bigger monster, or wanted to practice hunting. Shin couldn’t know what the reason was, but in any case, what they had to do didn’t change.
The prey retaliating against the hunter was also a fact of nature.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t let you sink this ship.”
Shin ran towards the Queen.
He was about to strike it with『Kakura』, while avoiding the breath attacks it unleashed, when the sea showed an unnatural movement.
The rumbling sea created a gigantic wave between Shin and the Queen, forcing them apart.
Then, as if in response to the giant wave, a series of 60 cemels long harpoon-like jets of seawater shot towards Shin.
“【Aqua Lance】, huh? Sorry, that won’t work on me.”
Shin made the lances, coming at him from all sides, focus on one point, then leapt away.
As it used real seawater, this 【Aqua Lance】had a higher number of lances, power, and resistance to magic than an ordinary one, but it wasn’t enough to stop Shin.
With one swing of『Kakura』, Shin blew past the barrage of water lances created by 【Aqua Lance】. It wasn’t necessary to deal with all of them.
“Sorry to do this when you just arrived, but…”
Shin dodged a newly unleashed water breath, slashed through the giant wave and closed in on the Queen.
He then held 『Kakura』’s hilt with both hands, gripping it forcefully.
“The curtains are already closing!!”
With a shout, Shin pounded 『Kakura』into the Queen’s cranium. With a thunderous sound that silenced the winds, the Queen’s skull visibly caved in.
The power of the attack strengthened by the Mallet skill 【Fierce Impact】was not something even a Queen could sustain.
It was a superior species, with a shell that acted as a helmet, so its head was not crushed to bits. The shock did not kill it on the spot; the Queen’s body swung down to sea level, floating powerlessly on the waves.
“W-What in blazes is going on!?”
Kanade, who had been watching Shin’s battle, lost her balance because of the sudden shaking. Shin looked back and saw the shadow of a Gale Serpent beneath the ship.
“Trying to sink the ship now? You got a good beating, time to retreat.”
Of course, Shin would not let the monster succeed.
Shin immediately dove underwater to punch away the Gale Serpent before it could tackle the ship
Thanks to the marine environment, however, the serpent was not killed right away and slithered away from Shin.
“Guess it doesn’t work as well as aboveground.”
This was Shin’s first underwater battle after coming to this world. The response he felt on his fists was also lighter than usual.
“The currents are a pain too.”
He had to move while kicking the water to prevent his body from being dragged away. The invisible water currents were swirling all around Shin.
In an underwater environment, without a solid foothold, even Shin who still retained his memories of his experiences during the game era had to focus at all times or he would lose track of the direction he had to face.
Shin returned temporarily to the sea surface, and jumped in midair while kicking up jets of seawater.
In the same instant, he saw Kanade as she was about to jump into the sea.
“Hey, what are you doing!?!”
Following Kanade, Karin jumped into the water too.
Shin then noticed that the ship was severely tilted. He wanted to chase Kanade and Karin right away, but couldn’t leave the ship like that.
As Shin tried to get closer to the ship with the Movement-type Martial skill【Flying Shadow】, the seawater around the bottom of the ship suddenly froze.
The ice spread as to cover the ship, acting as a floating tube with the surrounding seawater.
The waves were still tall, but not enough to knock over the ship now supported by the ice. Unless the frozen surface was crushed, the ship would not sink.
“I see they’re almost done too.”
From his position in midair, Shin saw Filma unleash crimson sword slashes towards the King and felt positive that the battle would be over soon .
“Then I will—–!?”
Shin turned to quickly chase after Kanade and Karin, when a breath attack was unleashed in his direction. It was from the serpent that he had failed to defeat just before.
“I’m busy enough already!”
Shin kicked the air to dodge the breath attack, then pointed a finger towards the Gale Serpent, which was preparing another water breath, to activate a magic skill.
A light blue beam froze the Gale Serpent along with the surrounding water, instantly creating an ice pillar.
It was the Light and Water combination skill【Freezing Ray】.
This beam of light, characterized by high activation speed and freezing properties, froze the Gale Serpent until deep within its body.
Seconds later, the frozen pillar broke off in large and small blocks of ice.
“It made me waste too much time…they’ve already gotten far.”
Shin checked for Kanade and Karin’s signals and fell down to the water while grumbling. The two women had been swept away farther than he had expected.
“(Schnee, I’m going to pick up two women that fell into the sea. Can I leave the rest to you?)”
“(Understood. We will eliminate the remaining monsters very soon. Be careful.)”
Shin exchanged a Mind Chat with Schnee and kicked the water. Gaining distance by moving through the air, he rushed on the seawater while jumping to avoid the waves.
“There isn’t much time left.”
Kanade and Karin were apparently trapped in a sea current and were moving towards the edge of Shin’s perception field.
They were probably getting swept away by the current. Their signals were moving in a fixed reaction, but the trajectory was highly unstable.
“If I chase after them like this, we won’t be able to return to the ship.”
Shin considered their movement speed and the distance to the ship, then reached a conclusion.
Kanade and Karin were in the perfectly opposite direction to the ship. The ship would disappear from his perception field before he reached the two women’s signals.
“I’m sorry for Hermie and the others, but I have to go.”
The option of prioritizing the return to the ship and abandoning the two women did not exist for Shin.
During the sea trip, they had exchanged words several times. He couldn’t think of them as strangers and leave them alone anymore. For this reason, Shin decided to prioritize rescuing them.
“Let’s go to Karin first.”
Since she had jumped into the sea later, Shin managed to reach Karin first.
Shin deactivated【Water Passage】as he hit the water and dove into the sea. He proceeded while cutting through the currents swirling around him and caught Karin as she was being tossed about by the waves.
“There’s not much time left.”
Shin cast【Dive X】on Karin and sped up.
Shin was holding her torso with an arm and keeping her still, but there was no response from Karin. Considering how much time had passed since she had jumped into the sea, it was not possible for her to be still breathing.
“Don’t tell me I came to rescue them and they’re both dead…!!!”
With a shout, Shin charged through the water. As soon as Kanade entered his sight, he drew the white-sheathed katana 『Hakuramaru』from the item box and swung it vertically very quickly, easily overcoming the water’s resistance.
Katana and Water combination skill 【Deepwater Cleave】.
As if tracing the slash itself, the sea was cleft in a V-shape.
Shin, carrying Karin over his shoulders, jumped in midair and kicked the horizontal sea surface.
In the air, Shin kicked again. He rushed towards the center of the sliced V, towards Kanade.
“Here too?”
Shin, with 『Hakuramaru』in his mouth, carried Karin with his right arm and Kanade with his left. Before the cleft seawater returned to its original state, he kicked against the horizontally sliced sea surface. After jumping back in midair, Shin activated 【Clairvoyance】and looked around.
As he was focused on chasing the two women, He didn’t know where he currently was. He looked around to see if there was any land in the surroundings, and found a promising shadow on the right.
“Hang on, please!!”
Shin ran as fast as he could.
A mad rush straight towards land, leaving water spouts in his wake.
Maybe because the rain clouds had not reached this stretch of land, the waves near the coast Shin reached were very calm.
Shin reached the sandy beach, quickly laid the two women down and checked their breathing and pulse.
“No, don’t tell me.”
They were both in a state of cardiac arrest.
Trying to suppress his growing impatience, Shin thought of a way to solve the situation.
With【Analyze】, he saw that both women’s HP were slowly reaching zero. The decrease speed was more or less the same, but Karin seemed to have incurred damage somewhere, as she had 10% less HP.
The only solution Shin came up with at the moment was to cast【Heal】and then perform CPR on both.
He first performed CPR on Kanade. Even if slightly, she had jumped into the sea earlier than Karin. As she was younger, Shin decided that she was the more urgent case.
“Cough! Cough!!”
“Great, one’s done!!”
With relief at a resurrection quicker than expected, Shin put Kanade in a more comfortable posture and made her spit out the water.
He then left her and performed CPR on Karin. It didn’t go as well this time, so Shin, relying on a hazy memory, tried to perform a heart massage.
“….h…n…? What…are you…?”
Shin was too focused to hear what Kanade was saying.
Was her breathing adequate? Was the heart massage’s strength and rhythm correct? Was there still time for her to come back to life?
That was all Shin could think about.
“Kah!! Cough!!”
“Yes!!!”
Shin’s emergency procedure seemed to have worked, as Karin sprang back to life as well.
Looking at Karin spitting out the seawater, Shin let out a shout and, at the same time, felt all his strength leave his body.
“So this is what it means to be scared to death…”
Shin mumbled after a deep sigh. Life support procedures are not to be made while relying on hazy memories.
Karin’s breath had stabilized and she had woken up, so Shin told the two women to rest while he went to gather dry wood.
It apparently had not rained in their location, so he was able to quickly gather a good quantity of dry wood.
At the same time, Shin looked for any huts or caves where they could rest.
“Oh, this place looks just right.”
It was at a fair distance from the place they came ashore, but he found a naturally formed cave. It was also deep enough that, even if it rained, they would be protected.
Shin placed the dry wood in the item box and returned to the beach.
“There’s a cave over there. I think it’s better to move before the sun sets, but can you walk?”
“I’m all right, but I suppose that Karin would still have trouble walking.”
The two women had fallen into the sea at roughly the same time, but Karin was more exhausted.
Shin had cast healing magic at the time he performed emergency procedures, so their HP was recovered, but both of them were not in good condition. Recovering HP did not mean that one’s condition returned to normal as well.
The sun was already setting over the beach, so after asking permission, Shin carried the still exhausted Karin on his shoulders.
Kanade had recovered enough to be able to walk without problems, so they walked towards the cave at a pace relaxed enough not to tire her.
As they arrived at the cave, Shin let Karin down and prepared to light a fire.
“Let’s use a small Fire spell and…OK, it lit up. Lady Kanade, please use this to warm……what-are-you-two-doing?”
What Shin saw when he turned around was Karin, stripped of her armor and wearing only her kimono.
Her wet hair, sticking to her cheeks, and half exposed chest emitted, in total contrast with their current situation, an aura of sensuality. Karin was apparently the type that looks leaner when clothed.
Judging from the situation, Kanade had probably removed her armor.
“I certainly can’t leave her in those drenched clothes. It is quite unbecoming to show skin in front of a gentleman, but warming Karin up takes priority.”
“Definitely. Then allow me to offer new clothes, a towel, and a cloth for her to lie on.”
In a situation like this, Shin wouldn’t just keep staring at Karin. Prepared for the fact that he might be interrogated about it later, he materialized several items from cards.
The mantle Shin took out for Karin to lie on possessed an HP recovery effect. He didn’t know if it could help relieve her exhaustion, but it was still better than nothing.
“From the number of cards you possess, I am more positive that you certainly are not an ordinary traveller.”
“Rather than that, I suggest that you rest for now. You must be fatigued too. I will stand guard, so please try to rest.”
Shin’s clothes were generally equipped with an underwater mode too, so they weren’t wet at all. He hadn’t lost much energy.
“Atchoo!”
Kanade’s sneeze, echoed within the cave, as she warmed up beside the fire. No matter how close she was to the fire, as drenched as she was, her body couldn’t not feel cold.
Shin told Kanade to also change into another kimono and went outside.
While they were changing, he used a monster repellent item to prevent monsters and wild animals from coming closer to the cave.
Some monsters could come closer despite the item, so for added security Shin set some traps that would damage them the instant they stepped into the cave.
“You may return!”
Shin returned inside the cave to find a changed Kanade and Karin sleeping, wrapped in a blanket.
First, Shin tied the ends of a rope to two short daggers and stabbed them in the cave’s walls, to hang the wet kimonos from this improvised clothesline.
“We are in your debt.”
“As they say, when in trouble people should help each other. Lady Kanade, you should also sleep a little. Are you not tired?”
“However…”
“I will stand guard. First priority is recovery now.”
Kanade’s eyelids were already closing. She was probably at her limit.
“I will repay you for everything one day…”
Shin made sure that Kanade started sleeping too and sat down near the fire.
(Even if they almost drowned, their fatigue is too much for someone who simply fell into the sea. Is this normal when someone nearly drowns? Or not?)
This was the first time Shin had seen someone nearly drown before his eyes, so he didn’t know if their condition was normal or not. But more than 10 minutes had passed between when they fell into the sea and Shin began emergency treatment on them.
He didn’t know how long they had been in cardiac arrest, but Shin thought that the possibility of not saving them must have been higher.
(Both of them are probably Chosen Ones. Maybe when stats and level are high, at times like this the survival rate increases too?)
While dwelling on such thoughts, Shin waited for them to wake up. Until then, he decided to try contacting Schnee.
“(Shin here. Can we talk now?)”
“(Are you alright? Here the storm passed and the ship departed again. Are the people who fell into the sea safe?)”
The Gale Serpents must have been exterminated. Other than Shin and the two women, no one else fell into the sea, fortunately.
Shin explained their current situation and told Schnee to give priority to protecting Hermie.
“(Understood. Please let us know your location once you know where you are. Let’s choose where to meet then. Also, Yuzuha is quite restless, could you summon her by your side?)”
“(Yuzuha?)”
“(She seems to feel down because although you had left those two ladies in her care, they fell into the sea.)”
“(Ah….I don’t think that was Yuzuha’s fault in any way. Anyway, I understand.)”
Shin confirmed his understanding of what Schnee related.
Rather than falling, Kanade had thrown herself into the sea, so Yuzuha didn’t have to feel responsible. Yet Yuzuha herself certainly didn’t think so.
Shin contacted Yuzuha via Mind Chat and called her with a Tamer skill.
“Kuuu…”
“Don’t feel so down, that wasn’t your fault Yuzuha.”
Yuzuha cried weakly, and Shin patted her head while talking.
For Shin too, it was a complete mystery as to why Kanade had leapt into the water like that.
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Chapter 1: Part 3
“Hmh…”
The two women woke up roughly 2 hours later.
Karin woke up first, then Kanade a little later.
Perhaps because their bodies had rested, or because of the equipment’s effects, their conditions had improved greatly.
“I offer you my most heartfelt thanks for saving my mistress’ life.”
“I do too. If you weren’t there, we would be sleeping among fish and seaweed.”
“It would have felt bad to just abandon you, that’s all. Rather than that, it’s almost time for dinner.”
Both had lowered their heads in thanks, but Shin replied that such excessive politeness was not needed, and handed them a large bowl instead.
He had made some stew while they were sleeping. It was simple – he just cut the ingredients and let them boil in the roux he materialized from a card.
“Allow me to thank you again..”
“And this is quite the delicacy too. I feel my whole body getting warmer.”
“It’s a simple dish, I just cut the ingredients, boiled them, and put in some seasonings.”
While saying so, Shin poured himself another bowlful. Yuzuha, of course, had her share too.
The two women were surprised at first by Yuzuha’s presence, but understood when Shin explained that he could call her because they were bound by a contract. Apparently, users of a similar technique were also in Hinomoto.
After the meal, they decided to talk a while before sleeping.
“First, tomorrow shall we see if we can find a dwelling or some sort around here?”
“That’s right. Without knowing where we are, we can’t decide where to go.”
“Ah, at the very least I know in which country we are.”
Shin interrupted the women’s conversation. He had seen a particular mountain when he had exited the cave.
“Is that so. Tell us then, where are we now?”
“Hinomoto, your homeland.”
“Sir Shin. May I ask how you know?”
“When I went outside, I saw the sacred Mount Fuji. Is it not Hinomoto’s symbol?”
Shin, who had heard this piece of information in Balmel, had understood right away where they were.
Sacred Mount Fuji was a map added in the 5th update, “Banquet of Blades”. It had been reproduced with such precision that it was almost identical to the real Mt. Fuji, so Shin understood at a glance that what he saw was Mt. Fuji.
“Indeed it is. In such a case, we can have a rough idea of our current location?”
“Yes. If we are in Hinomoto, we can find a way back.”
Shin thought of heading to a certain port town and meeting with Schnee and the others.
Kanade and Karin’s equipment had not been lost, so they did not need to be accompanied.
“Now that we have a destination, there is something I need to ask, Lady Kanade.”
Also thinking of Yuzuha, Shin decided to ask the question right away.
“What is it?”
“Why did you jump down from the ship? I am sure you knew it would put you in mortal danger.”
Shin had a few theories about the reason, but nothing more.
Kanade appeared to hesitate, but maybe thought that she couldn’t keep silent either, so she nervously started to speak.
“In truth, the medicine we had obtained for my elder sister had been blown away by the wind. I always kept it with me in order to not lose it, but that proved to be my undoing…I owe you both an apology.”
Saying so, Kanade lowered her head towards Shin and Karin. She knew it was dangerous, but moved without thinking.
“Even so, in the end only this much remained.”
What Kanade was holding were green colored leaves with a hint of red.
The name of the plant was “Mimic Dead Snake Grass”. As the name suggests, it was a plant that looked very much like “Dead Snake Grass”, but was a completely different species.
Shin had seen the plant name displayed via【Appraisal】and felt something was off, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he urged Kanade to continue.
“My sister has contracted quite a unique disease you see. She doesn’t have much time left anymore. This medicinal herb can specifically cure it, but it cannot be found in our country, nor did any merchant have it. We had finally managed to obtain some.”
A unique illness, a specific medicine, Dead Snake Grass…Shin tried comparing the pieces of information found in the conversation with his own knowledge.
“However, this much can only prolong her life a little longer…”
“Milady…”
Karin tried to console the downhearted Kanade. The country’s merchants had done everything they could too.
(I think I’ve already heard about this…a quest, maybe?)
Shin took a thinking pose and opened the menu via mental control. Inside the menu, he picked the “Event History” option.
This mode allowed Shin to browse, in detail, the past events he participated in during the game era: the contents, the item rewards, and other information.
Among them, Shin looked for events that required Dead Snake Grass.
(There’s just one…did I hit the jackpot?)
Among the events that required Dead Snake Grass, only one was related to a sickness.
In the events guilds could participate in during the game era, there was one that involved concocting medicine for a villager.
It was mainly aimed at players with alchemist jobs, but Shin took it for the rewards.
(Now I’m not sure if I should say it or not though.)
Shin looked at the event details and grimaced, careful not to be noticed by the two women.
If the illness was the same as the one he looked up, Kanade’s Mimic Dead Snake Grass would have no effect at all.
Not knowing the sister’s symptoms, though, he could not talk lightly. Even if he talked now, he would just dash their hopes of prolonging Kanade’s sister’s life.
“I apologize for the depressing story. We should go to sleep to be ready for tomorrow. We will watch the fire tonight, so please go ahead and sleep sir Shin.”
“My mistress and I will take turns standing guard. Please rest well sir Shin.”
“No, I can’t let you…”
“It must have not been easy to pull us up from the sea. You must be weary too. I assure you, we are better trained than the average person, we shall not succumb to mere monsters.”
Kanade smiled, full of confidence.
Shin was not excessively tired, but realized that even if he insisted he was fine, they would not be convinced, so he decided to rest.
Around 20 minutes after Shin went to rest, Kanade and Karin headed towards the entrance of the cave.
Shin, who stayed awake in case of an emergency, noticed it and checked the surroundings just in case, but did not perceive signals of monsters or the like.
(…someone’s crying?)
In the silent night, except for the sound of bonfire, the sound of someone crying reached his ears.
“…but why…!!…..a little….more and….help….my sist…..this can’t….”
It was Kanade.
She must have kept it all inside while she was talking to Shin.
She had left her house, her country, to save a person…and just when she thought she had achieved her goal, the Gale Serpents attacked.
Without enough medicine left to save her sister, it was natural to feel like crying.
Furthermore, Kanade was still a child. It wouldn’t be weird for her to feel heartbroken.
“(Kanade, crying…sad?)”
“(Well, who wouldn’t…)”
Yuzuha had heard too. Shin patted her head lightly, telling her not to mind and go to sleep.
(If I could….leave her alone, I wouldn’t be concerned like this…)
Sighing at himself for not being able to cut her off as someone he had no relation to, Shin decided to help the two Hinomoto women.
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Chapter 2: Part 1
The next day, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat after breakfast.
“(…and so, I’m going to help them for a while. I’m sorry, but please take care of Hermie and the others.)”
“(Don’t be, we’re just waiting for the ship to reach port here. I doubt that the ship will be attacked again like yesterday after all.)”
Shin told Schnee that he was going to help Kanade and entrusted Hermie and the others to her. Even if they were subjected to an attack of similar magnitude, they had enough fighting power to withstand it, so he wasn’t particularly worried.
Shin ended the Mind Chat with Schnee and spoke to Kanade.
“Lady Kanade, about what we talked about yesterday…could you tell me the name of the herb you went looking for?”
“This? It’s called Dead Snake Grass. Depending on the concoction, it can become a potion, or so they say.”
Hearing the name of the herb, Shin was more and more confident that the situation could be just like the quest he remembered.
“…I apologize in advance for such a personal question, but could you tell me in detail what symptoms your sister has? Ever since I saw that medicinal herb, something was bothering me, and I finally remembered what it was. I might be able to help in curing your sister’s sickness.”
As Shin finished his sentence, Kanade and Karin looked at him with astonishment.
“I am nothing but thankful for such a proposal, but are you sure? We essentially fled from the main house, I doubt we can properly reward your assistance.”
“I realize this might seem suspicious, but there is nothing in particular that I want. A friend of mine lost her life because of a sickness, so I am weak to such circumstances.”
The shadow of Marino, Shin’s passed girlfriend, appeared in his mind. He also thought that he being too kind, but he couldn’t ignore a situation like this after all.
“I see….to be frank, we would grasp at any straw in our current situation. We gladly accept your offer.”
Maybe because she felt something in Shin’s expression, Kanade spoke about her sister’s symptoms after a few moments of silence.
Karin had probably felt how serious Shin’s expression was too, as she did not even try to stop Kanade.
A few minutes later, Kanade stopped talking. What Shin heard was extremely close to the quest he had remembered.
“I see…this is difficult for me to say, but if what I know is true, the medicinal herb you have will be of little use.”
“!? What do you mean?”
“Sir Shin, please do explain!!”
Shin calmed down the surprised women and proceeded to explain.
“Lady Kanade, you think that those leaves come from Dead Snake Grass, correct?”
“Indeed I do, but from your words, I suppose you mean that this is not the case?”
“I do not know if you have been deceived or the person who sold it to you did not know either. But that is Mimic Dead Snake Grass, not a medicinal herb but a poisonous one. If you doubt me, please have someone with the skill 【Appraisal】 examine it.”
“What did you say!?”
Yes, Dead Snake Grass was an herb used to make grade 4 potions, but Mimic Dead Snake Grass was nothing but a toxic herb, which would inflict the status ailment Poison III to anyone unfortunate enough to ingest it.
“The merchant who sold it to us said it was Dead Snake Grass, without a doubt.”
“The appearance is almost completely the same, after all. The base of the leaves, here, is colored purple, isn’t it? The real one is red though.”
Looking at the explanation displayed by 【Appraisal】, visible only to Shin, he explained the difference between Dead Snake Grass and its Mimic counterpart.
“How can this be…”
“Sir Shin. Do you have any idea where we can find a replacement?”
“I have some myself, but not enough to make medicine with. I could ask some acquaintances, but is it really not possible to find within Hinomoto? I heard that it should grow spontaneously near the peak of sacred mountain Fuji.”
Shin mentioned his game knowledge as if he had heard it from someone.
In the quest history page, one could find the locations items had been retrieved in as well.
As the geography was now different, most information was not useful anymore, but if the location corresponding to the original map was still there, there was still a chance.
However, Kanade’s answer was not a hopeful one.
“That is indeed so, however…”
“Is there a problem?”
“The peak of Mt. Fuji is a forbidding area, which does not allow human presence. It is shrouded by mist at all times, which sways the senses not only of humans but of monsters too. In olden times, many brave warriors challenged the peak, but none returned. Even now it is one of the most perilous zones of Hinomoto, where no one dares go to.”
Karin explained the current status of Mt. Fuji’s peak for Kanade. But when Shin had looked at the mountain he had seen the peak too, without any mist, so he felt somewhat doubtful.
“If from afar, looking at the peak is possible. No one knows the reason why though.”
Kanade answered while shaking her head when Shin revealed his doubts. Shin could not remember any quest corresponding to the situation the two had described.
“In any case, it seems that the only way of saving Lady Kanade’s sister is to go to Mt. Fuji. That mist you speak of intrigues me too, so I suggest we pass by it on our way back.”
“What are you saying now? To willingly go to a place none have ever returned from is pure folly. I am thankful for your concern about our circumstances, but do not be hasty. I do want my sister to heal, but I would never just send you to your death so easily.”
Shin’s casual proposal had prompted Kanade to stop him sternly. Her eyes showed how she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“I’ll try to go, and if it looks like things won’t work out, I’ll give up. If we could at least get rid of the mist we wouldn’t get lost. I will contact my acquaintances about it too of course.”
In the game era, the monsters on Mt. Fuji were around level 500. Their unique characteristic was that the level increased together with the altitude. The boss monster was a phoenix-type residing on the peak, Kagutsuchi.
This was an important monster, as it dropped an item essential to learn the skill 【Shiden – Kagutsuchi】, which Filma had used in the battle against the demon Adara.
At the very least, the typical monsters wouldn’t be a problem.
What Shin was concerned about was the presence of unique monsters such as the Skullface Lord, which he had encountered in the past at Wraith Plains. The situation was different now from that time, but as a phenomenon not present in the game era, it was still on his mind.
“Milady, I propose that we at least try to go there. From the battle on the ship, we clearly know that sir Shin’s fighting prowess is out of the ordinary. There might even be the chance to break through the mists.”
“Of course, I would be the first to request for his help if it was possible…but are you really sure? Your party’s companions are not with you now, are they?”
Kanade and Karin, who had traveled alone until now, knew well the dangers of adventuring solo.
“Kuu!”
Yuzuha cried as to protest against Kanade’s words. She might look like a baby fox, but her fighting capabilities were far above the average monster. In addition, Demon Foxes excelled in illusion magic. There was a high probability that she could do something about the mists said to sway human senses.
“I have my partner here, so I’m not really on my own. She might not look it, but she is pretty strong too.”
“Is that so? Well, if it is the partner of a formidable warrior such as you, I should not judge her by her youthful looks.”
Even while saying so, Kanade was eagerly stroking Yuzuha’s fur.
“By the way, when we were on the ship I remember she used a powerful magic spell. If I didn’t witness it with my own eyes, I would doubt that such an adorable creature could perform such a feat.”
Karin was just looking at Kanade at first, but probably lost to the temptation and started stroking Yuzuha too. Cute things were their weak point too it seemed.
The group left the cave and walked along the coast. After roughly an hour, they reached a small fishing village.
There they asked about their current location and the directions to Mt. Fuji, and once again departed on their journey to the sacred mountain.
“How is your condition, you two?”
Just after they lost sight of the village, Shin inquired to his companions.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Rather, I must say I feel even more lively than usual.”
“I have nothing to report either. Is something the matter?”
Shin wondered if they were tired, as they had taken turns standing guard the night before, but the answers he received were very reassuring.
Looking at them, he didn’t feel they were putting up a facade either.
“Well, walking at this leisurely pace is nice too, but considering your lady sister’s sickness, I think we should speed up a bit. Judging from our battle on the ship, I don’t think either of you are average adventurers; if we raise our pace a little, we can shorten the travel time considerably.”
“You had seen through us, after all. Yes, while not as far removed as you are, neither I nor Karin are simple adventurers.”
“People such as I and Milady are called “Returned Ancestors” in Hinomoto. Sir Shin, I assume you are familiar with the term “Chosen Ones”?
As expected, they were both Chosen Ones.
When they introduced themselves to Shin they both mentioned to be rank C, but other than their levels, the weapons they equipped were of Legend grade.
They also carried equipment that required stats impossible to achieve only through level up, so he was sure they had to be Chosen Ones.
Judging from their speech and equipment, it was not difficult to imagine that they came from a household of high rank.
“You too must be a Returned Ancestor, I suppose. I have the ability to read others’ level and job type, but in your case the information I see does not match your actual abilities at all. For someone with your strength to be under level 200 sounds like a joke.”
Kanade could use 【Analyze】, apparently. Shin’s status was modified by skills, so for Kanade, who had seen the battle on the ship, it must have seemed unnatural.
“To tell the truth, there are skills that allow you to hide your status. In the guild of the country where I registered as an adventurer, I was told that there are few people of high level with an appearance close to mine. When appearance and actual ability do not match, in some cases unnecessary trouble occurs. That’s why I’m hiding it.”
Shin had until now taken part in the extermination of the irregular Skullface monster, the “Great Flood” at Balmel, Hermie’s rescue at the Church..all events that would attract a great deal of attention, so he wasn’t sure anymore that hiding his status served any real purpose.
“Indeed. An adventurer’s ability cannot be judged by appearance, but those who will judge a book by its cover can be found everywhere…”
“We are sometimes treated lightly as “just a woman and a kid” as well, so we understand how you must feel.”
“So you had a similar experience too lady Kanade.”
They looked like sisters with a wide age gap, after all. People probably thought that even if they could fight monsters, they could only defeat small ones.
“Just punishment was administered to anyone who acted improperly towards us. Mainly by Karin though.”
“It was troublesome to see how many uncouth people there can be.”
“I can imagine.”
From Kanade’s words, Shin had imagined that Karin wouldn’t keep quiet if someone had dared to look down on them.
His prediction seemed to have been correct; Karin looked sour as she was recalling such situations.
“By the way, are there guild branches in Hinomoto? It is completely separated from the mainland after all.”
Compared to the mainland, Hinomoto was just a small island country.
Shin was wondering how many branches the guilds had located in it. Kanade, as a good representative of one of the ruling houses of the country, answered after pondering for a few moments.
“Certainly there are. Hinomoto’s government structure however, is slightly different from countries; because of this, guilds are only present in large cities.”
“There are guild branches in the city at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Sir Shin, do you have business with them?”
“No, nothing in particular. If there are guilds, in case of necessity we could sell materials to obtain funds for our journey, so I wanted to make sure it was possible, that’s all.”
The reward Shin had obtained after Balmel’s “Great Flood” had been split with Schnee and the others, with everyone managing their part on their own. Shin was carrying a considerable amount, so there was no risk of finding himself without funds for the road.
There was always the possibility of sudden expenses though, so he wanted to know if there were guilds to change materials into money.
“Now that Shin’s doubt has been cleared, let us depart soon. Fortunately, the path is simple enough that we run little risk of losing our way.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s go then.”
Kanade was in the lead, with Karin and Shin in tow. As expected of Chosen Ones, their running speed was faster than a horse’s.
As they could always see their destination, Mt. Fuji, in the worst case they would pass through the forest, but the relatively well-maintained road was naturally easier to run on.
Shin’s entourage of three thus kept running towards the mountain, while surprising passing travelers and carriages with their speed.
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Chapter 2: Part 2
“Shall we seek an inn in this town to spend the night?”
“Are you alright? You looked pretty exhausted.”
“I’m alright, rest assured. Perhaps I felt a bit too excited.”
While they took breaks every now and then, the group had run for almost a full day, so Kanade’s voice was not as energetic as it was in the morning. Karin, who was probably more experienced, looked just a little tired.
“Let us look for the best inn available. Any fatigue left would weigh upon us tomorrow.”
“That’s true. I’ll go gather information, so please wait in that tea shop, have something to drink and rest.”
Shin pointed at the first tea shop he had seen in town and invited his two companions to rest.
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“I am thankful for your concern.”
Shin watched them enter the tea shop, then headed to the first item store he found. The range of goods available was one rank above the store he visited in Bayreuth. Even if some products were the same, their quality was higher here.
“This must be the artisan blood in me boiling…”
From the oriental patterns of its equipment to its name, Hinomoto really resembled Japan. Maybe because of that, like a Japanese artisan, Shin was also very particular about the quality of items.
However, Hinomoto’s towns were not only similar to what one could see in history-themed TV series, as Shin had imagined, but there were also Western-style buildings.
Shin thought that maybe the place they had visited was special, but Kanade had said that it was not the case.
The oriental-style and western-style architecture mixture was jarring, but no one other than Shin seemed to pay any mind.
The citizens of Hinomoto didn’t seem to find this kind of scenery unusual at all.
“Well, it’s not like one is better than the other anyway.”
It might look unusual, but it wasn’t inconvenient.
Shin picked up several items and headed to the register. While paying, he asked for any inn recommendations.
“I apologize for the wait. Oh, and I’ll have a dango.”
Shin finished his shopping and joined Kanade and Karin. The seat next to Karin was open, so he sat down and ordered a dango for himself too.
“Did you learn anything?”
“It looks like the inn called “Kasumitei”, located down this road, has a fairly good reputation.”
After a short break, they headed to the inn recommended by the clerk.
Kasumitei was a historical inn built in traditional Japanese-style architecture.
Lodging for one night cost an expensive price of 5 gold Jul coins, but the services provided well justified the price. Shin’s entourage spent the night and departed again for Mt. Fuji the next morning.
The 2nd day after they started their journey to Mt. Fuji, they arrived at the large forest area surrounding the mountain, Aokigahara.
(From now on, we can’t just go forward normally…)
Aokigahara was, as its name suggested, a map modeled after the Aokigahara “Sea of Trees” around the real Mt. Fuji. In the forest, the players’ map function is severely limited: leaving it without marking one’s progress or using special guide items was extremely difficult.
By the way, it is also possible to reach Mt. Fuji without going through Aokigahara.
“Let us camp near the forest for today. There’s something abnormal about it.”
“Ooh, you perceived it? This forest is indeed different from any other. For some unknown reason, it’s almost impossible to feel the presence of monsters when within. Entering and leaving it is possible once one is used to its geography, but I hear that many have fallen victim to surprise attacks by monsters in it.”
It seemed that the feature of monster signals not appearing on the map was still present.
To lose your way inside the forest, be ambushed by monsters, and come back dead was one of the common patterns of return from Aokigahara.
“What shall we do? Go around the forest?”
“No, that will not be necessary. I have an item to let us pass through.”
Kanade had been thinking of challenging the mountain already, but only as a last resort.
For Shin it would have been a reckless plan, but considering her reasons, it was no laughing matter.
After taking a brief rest just before Aokigahara, they proceeded into the forest, with Shin in the lead and Karin taking the rear.
The map displayed at the edge of Shin’s field of view became smaller and monster signals disappeared.
However, it was still possible to to use various detection skills at the same time, a technique available in the new world, so they ran no risk of being ambushed.
“I say, we are proceeding with impressive ease.”
Kanade made her surprised comment as they were following the light showing them which direction to take, displayed by the item “Wings of Beckoning”.
Any monsters drawing closer would flee after Shin sniped them with a shot of killing intent, so there was not any actual fighting either.
“I think that is better though?”
Shin thought that the fewer obstacles they had the better, as he replied to Kanade. He wasn’t hoping to find any obstacles, naturally.
“That is obviously true. But while things had been going all too well, we found an unexpected obstacle right at the end…so I can’t help but think that this might be the signal that something will happen…”
“I see what you mean…or rather, I feel that what you said just now raised a flag…”
“A flag? I don’t see any flags?”
“Not an actual one, I’m referring to words or actions that decide things that will happen later. Doesn’t it happen sometimes? Before going to a battlefield, whoever says “Once we come back, I will do this or that” will have a high chance of dying for example…”
Shin used a common example of Death flag to explain.
“Hmm? I cannot say I ever heard of such a thing. Have you, Karin?”
“Let’s see, I think I have heard something similar once from Sir Kankurou. When one goes to battle, one should never talk about what they want to do after returning. Promises of marriage are especially taboo…”
An honest to goodness death flag.
Shin thought that this Kankurou person could very well be a former player.
“What kind of person is he?”
“One of the greatest samurai in Hinomoto. He was alive since before the “Dusk of the Majesty”, a true living testimony of that age, we could say. He’s an extremely strong warrior.”
Hearing that he had been alive since before the “Dusk of the Majesty”, Shin thought that he could have been someone’s support character.
As far as Shin knew, former players only appeared after the “Dusk of the Majesty”. There might be exceptions, but Shin knew most of the advanced players caught in the death game, especially if they were samurai like him.
“I’d like to meet—”
Shin stopped while he was expressing how he would have liked to meet him one day.
Here comes the result of the flags…a signal was coming closer to them.
“Sir Shin? Why have you stopped all of a sudden?”
“It looks like the obstacle that Lady Kanade mentioned is coming. We have 12 signals coming from behind. And they’re not monsters.”
After hearing Shin’s words Karin drew her weapon. Slightly later, Kanade did too.
The 12-strong group heading straight towards Shin was using both the magic and martial versions of 【Hiding】. That was the reason why Karin, second only to Shin in signal perception, had not noticed their presence.
“Allow me to confirm, do you know of any ninja equipment-clad group that would attack you?”
“….not exactly, but we have been attacked in the past by a similar group. They were clothed like bandits though. We were attacked during our travels, after all…we heard that such ruffians are common outside Hinomoto.”
Shin asked Karin too; apparently their attackers until now were not anything special in terms of equipment or ability, and they had never been attacked by a clearly bizarre group such as this.
It was difficult to decide whether or not the earlier attacks were connected to the group currently closing in.
“I see we cannot make the situation clear. Let us go ahead and ask them.”
“But they are four times our numbers, are they not?”
“Well, just wait and see. Lady Kanade, please hide yourself for a while.”
After saying so, Shin used illusion magic and 【Hiding】 to hide Kanade and Karin from the ninja group closing in on them, replacing them with illusions.
He then had Yuzuha hide traps in the trees and bushes nearby, then waited for the group to arrive.
The group of ninjas reached Shin’s location roughly 3 minutes later.
Despite their looks, their jobs were not all the same: 8 ninjas and 4 hunters. Their average level was a little over 200.
“I know you are hiding. I just want to talk with you, could you show yourselves?”
The group seemed to be already aware that they had been found. The 4 hunters came before Shin.
“Hand over the women.”
“What if I refused?”
“You will die.”
As they said so, the men threw knives painted in black towards Shin.
Then, with purposefully delayed timing, the ninjas behind them threw their kunai towards Shin.
“Too slow.”
Shin dodged the flying knives and kunais; in exchange, his right hand was holding a throwing knife imbued with paralysing properties. He pulled out a similar knife with his left hand and threw them at the 2 opponents closest to him.
“Guuh!”
2 ninjas fell to the ground at the same time groaning. They fell from a tree, but considering their level they would not die from that level of damage.
Among the remaining six, four had already been caught by Yuzuha. She had paralyzed them with lightning magic and caught them.
“So now there are the trap victims left.”
The last 2 had lost consciousness because of the traps that Shin had Yuzuha set up. They could do little before the mind and negative status combination trap.
“Well, honestly, I didn’t expect things to be over so soon.”
“Agreed.”
It wasn’t weird for Kanade and Karin to comment about the situation in this way.
The ninja job specialized in assassination attacks and was an advanced scouting job. It was normally unthinkable for not only their ambush to be seen through, but also for them to fall so easily to a counterattack.
“First, let’s tie them up and see what they have to say. We should be able to gather some information.”
As their opponents were ninjas, Shin had Kanade and Karin wait while he walked closer to one of them. He was just a few steps away when he suddenly stopped.
“What’s this?”
Shin felt not a look, but a feeling of something pointed towards him, and his eyes narrowed.
There was nothing on the map. His skill-enhanced perception field, however, showed the signal of someone boosting their own magic power at the entrance of Aokigahara.
Shin used 【Clairvoyance】 and focused. He found a man clad in equipment many levels greater than the group that attacked them, raising his hands towards Aokigahara. Countless fireballs were floating around him.
“Yuzuha!! Come back!!”
Shin swiftly called back Yuzuha and ran towards Karin and Kanade. He broke open the bushes they were hiding behind and grabbed them.
“What is going on??”
“Si-sir Shin!?”
“I’m sorry, but please keep quiet for a while!!”
Ignoring their questions, Shin started dashing away to put as much distance possible between them and that place.
After Yuzuha caught up and landed on his shoulder, he accelerated even more.
“I have a question!! Do you know anyone who could shoot countless fireballs at once!?”
“I don’t understand what is going on, but I know someone who would be capable of that!!”
“Anyone that would target your life, Lady Kanade!?”
“None that I know of!!”
“Rather than that, sir Shin!! Please let us down!!”
“Just a little bit more patience!!”
While conversing loudly with the two, Shin expanded his perception behind him. The fireballs were flying towards the location Shin had been attacked.
After a few instants, the booming echoes of consecutive explosions rocked the forest. The vibrations shook the ground under Shin’s feet.
“The group that attacked us is probably dust and ashes by now.”
“The explosion just now…was an attack?”
“Yes. Countless fireballs stormed the location we were in just now.”
The explosions and vibrations had let Kanade and Karin realize the situation. Kanade looked at the billowing smoke, furrowing her brow.
“So their objective was to block our progress and serve as target for the attack.”
“That’s possible. It was already planned for them to be defeated. I don’t think…anyone is chasing us now. It would be difficult.”
Even before verifying the results of the attack, the caster had left the entrance of Aokigahara.
Shin’s perception field registered one signal only, moving away from Aokigahara at high speed. A Chosen One, probably.
“They attack enemies by using their allies as targets…?”
“Lady Karin, do you have any idea who they could be?”
“Not exactly…but I know of a family under the command of the west’s Yaejima house, the Rokuhara. They have a family of ninjas at their command, and rumor has it that if their master wills it, they will use whatever method possible in order to assassinate their target.”
Karin repeatedly states that it was only a rumor.
Regardless of the truth, or lack of it behind the rumor, Shin felt that this mission had suddenly evolved beyond a simple herb-picking quest.
“It will be better to pay attention to such ambushes too from now on. Let us proceed towards Fuji for now. At least, I doubt we will be attacked again soon.”
Maintaining a high level of alertness towards his surroundings, Shin quickly started to head toward the mountain again. Once they exited Aokigahara, it was a straight path to Mt. Fuji.
In the town at the foot of the mountain, they stayed in the inn with the highest security, with one person awake to stand guard.
“Just to be sure.”
Without Kanade and Karin knowing, Shin activated the skill 【Wall】.
That night, however, no assailants appeared; Shin’s entourage left for Mt. Fuji at dawn.
As they were already at the foot of the mountain, it didn’t take long until they reached it.
“It looks like the mists start appearing in the middle of the mountain.”
Shin voiced his thoughts while looking up at the mountain.
Just as Kanade had said, ashen mists invisible from a distance could now be seen hanging on the mountain. It would be difficult to proceed without some sort of countermeasure.
“What do you say? Can you do anything?”
As they arrived at a distance dozens of mels from the mists, Kanade asked for Shin’s opinion, a mixture of expectation and concern in her voice.
“Seeing through them isn’t a problem. To know if we’d get lost or not, we have to go inside first.”
Shin replied while looking towards the other side of the mists.
He asked for Yuzuha’s thoughts via Mind Chat, and she replied that the mists had the same effect as monsters’ illusion techniques. It was a pretty powerful one too apparently.
“I’ll try to go inside first. I will decide later if it’s possible to pass through or not.”
“What if you can’t come back anymore?”
“Shouldn’t we spend some more time inspecting the mists from outside first? We wouldn’t be able to help you after all.”
They probably found his proposal reckless. Kanade and Karin cautioned Shin to be more careful.
“I will tie one end of a rope to my body, and you will hold the other end. Like this, if anything happens you can pull me out. I’m going to check only if it’s possible to pass without getting lost, so I don’t plan to go in too deep, it should be all right.”
“Hmm, I suppose this method could work?”
“If we were to get pulled inside ourselves, we would have no choice but to let go of the rope though…”
“In that case, just let go. I will handle things on my own.”
It would be different if he had no idea about what could happen, but thanks to Yuzuha’s 【Analyze】 Shin knew there would be no problems, so he told Karin that they could let go of the rope.
The two women were still not entirely convinced, but they decided to trust Shin’s promise of not doing anything reckless, and firmly held onto the rope.
“Well, I’m off then. Please wait a while. Yuzuha, stay on the lookout.”
“Kuu!”
Yuzuha cried in reply and Shin turned around to head inside the mists. At his level of ability, seeing through such visibility-limiting mists was not difficult at all.
“Monster signals are…few, but they are there. If it’s the same as it was in the game era, even those two would be fine by themselves.”
Shin walked as much as the rope allowed, then looked towards the peak of Mt. Fuji.
Most signals he could perceive were repeatedly moving and stopping, typical signals of ordinary monsters.
“This feeling…is not normal. Why is Kagutsuchi not there, anyway?”
Shin’s perception field extended until the peak. What he perceived there gave him concern.
On the peak, he felt a small signal and a very large one. In the location where normally Kagutsuchi used to be, he didn’t feel anything.
Both signals were standing firmly on the peak, not moving an inch.
As they weren’t on the map, he couldn’t see the color of their markers; thinking about it from a game perspective, he decided they probably were boss monsters, present in place of Kagutsuchi.
“The medicinal herb is supposed to be near the peak, so we have to get closer in any case…I don’t suppose they’ll just ignore us if we do.”
If the monster was still the Kagutsuchi Shin knew, there were ways to pick up the Dead Snake Grass without being noticed.
It was impossible to know, however, what kind of perception ability the monsters now residing on the peak had. Some bosses did not attack unless challenged, but Shin was having a hard time deciding on whether to bring Kanade and Karin with him or not.
If the mysterious ninja squad had not attacked them he would have left them outside, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility of the fireball shooting man trying something again.
Would it have been better to keep them within his sights, or to give them a defensive item and have Yuzuha guard them? While pondering this dilemma, Shin returned to where he had left them.
“How was the situation inside? It does not appear like there were any serious problems?”
“There is nothing in particular limiting movement inside. Rather than that, something else intrigues me.”
Shin informed Kanade and Karin about the unmoving signals on top of Fuji.
“I assume they are the monsters ruling over Fuji.”
“I see, I see…I find it peculiar that there are two though.”
“Legend says that a divine blade rests on the peak of Mt. Fuji. Could they be there as its protectors?”
A legendary weapon in a place where no one dares tread…a pretty common tale.
However, as far as Shin knew, no hidden weapons such as the one Karin mentioned was supposed to be found on Fuji’s peak.
“We have no intentions of fighting, so it would be ideal if they left us alone, but there’s the possibility that they won’t. I could go on my own, but the possibility of an attack like the one before is still present…”
“Is it possible for our senses not to be swayed by the mists, like yours, sir Shin? If so, we could use it to hide our presence.”
“I also thought about doing that, but I don’t know how these mists confuse human senses. If we moved together, I could pull you forward if need be.”
If they didn’t move, they wouldn’t get lost either. If they simply focused on defending themselves, Shin could take them back after the fighting ended.
It was difficult to decide which method was safer.
“Milady, I propose we follow sir Shin. I shall handle any monsters that attack us.”
“We would make Shin worry, but waiting here is a possibility to consider too, is it not?”
“I am ashamed to admit that I could not perceive the magic attack that targeted us before. If something similar were to happen, I could not handle it by myself. It seems to be possible to perceive enemy signals even within the mists, so I think that the chances of being ambushed are lower there than here.”
All possible developments considered, Karin proposed to Kanade to go inside the mists with Shin.
“You are quite correct too. O Shin, could you allow us to accompany you?”
“Yes. We will avoid confrontations with monsters and use the shortest route available.”
Shin nodded to Kanade’s question. Just in case, he lowered his 【Limit】 to level II, bringing himself to a status close to the time of the Death Game.
They would stay away as much as possible from the bosses. In order to lower the chances of being found, they decided on the simple strategy that two would wait just before the herb’s location, and then they entered the mists.
“I cannot say I enjoy this kind of progression.”
“We cannot tie each other with the rope after all. Please have patience.”
In the mist, the three humans walked while holding hands. Shin was the lead, Kanade in the middle, and Karin took the rear. Because of this, both of Kanade’s hands were occupied.
Kanade, forced in the same situation as a child holding hands with her parents so as not to get lost, was understandably a little vexed.
“Just a little more patience.”
“Please do not worry. If any monsters come out, I will be your shield.”
“O Karin, that is not what I am talking about.”
It seems that Karin thought that Kanade was concerned by the fact that if monsters attacked, she couldn’t wield her weapon.
It’s true that it couldn’t be pleasant to walk in an area where monsters could appear without being able to wield a weapon, but Shin thought that Kanade was really meaning something else.
“Oops, a monster is heading towards us. This way.”
Shin perceived the monster coming closer and headed to a nearby crag. A few minutes later, Kanade and Karin perceived the monster’s signal too and hid in the rocks’ shadow.
After a few more minutes passed, the ground started to shake slightly.
Heavy, rumbling steps gradually closed in on the crag where Shin’s entourage was hiding.
(Must be a golem.)
The monster walking towards them with booming footsteps, possessing a large body measuring over 4 mels of height, was the Bullrock Golem.
Its appearance was simply roughly carved rocks assembled together to vaguely resemble a human shape, while its head resembled a bull’s. As its rock-solid looks suggested, its physical attacks were extremely powerful.
Its level was in the range of 400-500; being hit by the metal bat-like rock slab it wielded would have meant sudden death even for frontline jobs, depending on the equipment. Basically, the apex of focusing on physical attacking.
Except in dungeons, it usually appeared on mountains and within mines.
Its perception skills are very low: as long as one didn’t make loud sounds or attack it, it was easy to avoid.
The Bullrock Golem which had come closer to Shin’s entourage disappeared again in the mists, without showing any signs of having noticed them.
“It’s all right now. Let’s go on.”
After making sure that the Bullrock Golem was far enough, Shin stood up.
The three kept climbing the mountain at a fast pace, while avoiding all monsters.
After roughly 2 hours, they arrived just before the peak.
“Hm?”
Shin, who was in the lead, noticed that the mists disappeared at a certain point of the path leading to the peak.
“Sir Shin, did something happen?”
“It looks like the mists disappear a bit further ahead.”
“Could it be?”
Kanade reacted to Shin’s words. Looking at the peak from below, it looked shrouded in the mists like the rest of the upper side of the mountain.
What Shin noticed was that inside the mist there was a perfectly clear location.
“I see, if we proceed onwards we won’t be hidden anymore.”
Shin stopped a step before the end of the mists and guessed the reason why the mist would let up there.
“To not let any intruders in, I see.”
“(Kuu, there’s, something.)”
They were being watched.
Shin immediately noticed that several sets of eyes, which were not even trying to hide their powerful presence, were pointed at them.
Yuzuha’s ears perked up and she looked towards the source of these signals.
“We are being watched, are we not?”
“To think that such a powerful intimidation was possible by simply looking…”
Kanade and Karin had also realized that someone was watching them.
Karin, with a stern expression, touched her blade’s hilt, but Kanade seemed overwhelmed by the watcher’s aura.
“Will you wait here?”
“No, I believe it is best to proceed together. I think they know that there are three of us. If we separate, they might become even more alert. I don’t feel hostility coming from them. We did not come to fight, so I think it’s best not to provoke them.”
Karin spoke with a very serious expression, and Kanade nodded.
Shin and his entourage proceeded upwards, alert of their surroundings. After roughly 30 minutes, they reached what looked like a small shrine.
“Sir Shin, I feel a bizarre presence.”
“The larger monster’s signal is right before us, isn’t it.”
The map clearly showed the monster’s signal, but what they could see was just rocks, the ground, and some plants. The smaller signal was deep within the small shrine.
As the three stopped, their ears picked up the sound of two hard objects rubbing against each other.
“Ah, so this is the source of the signal.”
Shin looked towards the origin of the sounds and nodded, seemingly understanding what its source was. His materialized 『Kakura』 was still hanging from his hips.
“Shin, isn’t this dangerous…?”
“Milady, if anything happens, I will buy time for you to escape.”
In complete contrast to the impressed tone of Shin’s words, Karin and Kanade turned pale and prepared to run away at any time.
Their reaction was very natural, as on top of the shrine were 8 gigantic snake heads, bent forward and glaring at them.
The snakes’ mouths were large enough to devour an adult human in one bite.
3 of the 8 heads had come closer, and the sound of the air hissing in their mouths reached the party’s ears.
What they thought was a boulder was actually the snake’s body.
“Eight-headed Orochi…isn’t it. It’s not a monster that’s supposed to dwell in these parts though. ”
“How can you be so calm?”
“Just as Karin said, I feel no hostility. If it wanted to attack us, it would have done so before we noticed its presence.”
The marker on the map was the green of neutrality. This eight-headed Orochi was not doing anything in particular and simply kept looking at the 3 humans and the fox.
“(Very, interested?)”
“(Looks like it. It surely doesn’t look like it wants to battle.)”
Maybe also because Shin and his companions were not wielding their weapons, the Eight-headed Orochi did not seem to be particularly wary of their presence.
It simply continued to stare at them, as if to look deep into their hearts.
“Do we have guests? Yachi, do not look at them so much, you’ll scare them. Step back a little.”
The moment Shin thought to say something to it, a female voice was heard from within the shrine.
In response to the voice, the snake slowly drew back its heads, which rested back on its body.
After a few moments, they could see someone emerge from the shrine.
“We must have surprised you. If you don’t try anything funny, you will not be attacked. Be at ease.”
From the shrine emerged a beautiful maiden clad in a platinum armor with blue borders.
Her black hair, extending until her hips, glistened in the sunlight. Her right hand held a helmet, her left a katana.
――――『One of the Five Supreme Blades – Munechika – Level 929』
“….our apologies. We were just at a loss of what to do.”
Shin, after staring blankly for an instant at the name displayed by 【Analyze】, muttered an apology.
“Hum. Generally, people either wield their weapons, thinking they will be attacked, or flee, but you are clearly different. What is your goal?”
Munechika spoke to Shin without showing any wariness of them herself. Her sharp look though, made Shin feel as if he was under interrogation.
“We came to look for an herb called Dead Snake Grass, as we heard it grows on the peak of this Mt. Fuji.”
“Oh, that. Indeed, it does grow here.”
“!!!”
Kanade could not help but gulp after hearing Munechika’s words.
Shin’s information was more than 500 years old. Relying on it and going to Mt. Fuji to find Dead Snake Grass was partly a gamble.
“Could you possibly share some with us? We have no intentions of harming you. As soon as we gather some Dead Snake Grass, we will be on our way.”
“It is not something of great value to us. Letting you have some is not a problem.”
Munechika’s words seemed to imply something else. Her eyes were aimed at Shin.
“T-then we can—”
“However. This area is under our rule. If you want to take away something from here, you will have to give something in return.”
Munechika cut off Kanade’s words and spoke clearly.
“…what do you desire…?”
Shin, feeling Munechika’s eyes on him, inquired her intentions.
Munechika was an NPC/Monster implemented in the 5th update “Banquet of Blades”’ main event, “Trial of the Noble Sword”.
The event consisted of defeating the human form of certain weapons; once defeated, one would obtain the original weapon. In her case, as the name suggested, the Ancient-grade katana 『Mikazuki Munechika』 would become available for use.
As the grade suggests, it was one of the weapons with the highest attributes in THE NEW GATE.
Its gender when facing it was random; it was impossible to know if it transformed into male or female before fighting it.
Incidentally, when Shin fought it during the game era, it was a slim, handsome young man. Every single time.
“An unused weapon can only rust. Finally, someone worthy matching blades against has appeared. I ask for a duel.”
“….what would happen if I refused?”
“I would not allow you the herbs. Do not fret, I do not ask for a duel to the death. I will hold back. I promise to stay my blade if it would inflict a fatal wound.”
Shin couldn’t help reacting to Munechika’s words.
Their genders were different, but Shin had fought against Munechika not once, but multiple times during the game era. Munechika’s fighting power was so high that not even a fully maxed Shin could win.
His stats and equipment were not as good as they were now, and he tasted defeat many times.
He managed to win only once, by a stroke of luck, just before the event ended.
“……Lady Kanade, Karin, please stay back so as not to be involved in the fighting. Yuzuha, I’m counting on you.”
“Kuu!”
Shin carefully checked for the presence of any attackers, then told the two women to stand away.
For added safety, he asked Yuzuha to watch over them.
“Your presence is different now. Better than I expected.”
“I’ve fallen plenty of times already because of you. This time, you won’t say that I won out of luck.”
Shin drew out a card and materialized it.
“Fallen? But moreover….that is…?”
“I cannot lose with this. No need to hold anything back.”
What Shin was holding while he made his declaration was 『Hakuramaru』.
He won’t use 『Kakura』. Or better said, he can’t. 『Kakura』’s attributes were not high enough to withstand Munechika’s weapon.
The 【Limit】 was still II. If Eight-headed Orochi also attacked, he would need to go at full power, but this was just a duel, so he chose to face it in the state he could control best.
“To think there still were such weapons in this world…but now is not the time to talk.”
Munechika wore the helmet she was carrying in her right hand and gripped the hilt of the katana she held with her left.
Munechika herself drew the weapon which could be described as its clone: 『Mikazuki Munechika』.
“Here I come.”
As the words left her lips, Munechika stepped right before Shin’s eyes.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
The distance between the two was roughly 10 mels. For a boss monster on Munechika’s level, a distance like that meant nothing. Her blade drew an arc while closing in on Shin, which he countered with his 『Hakuramaru』.
Two silver lines clashed in the space between the two opponents.
“Karin, could you see what just happened?”
“It’s frustrating to admit, but all I saw were after-images. But, aside from that, Milady, it’s dangerous, so please stand back a little more.”
Karin tried to pull back Kanade, who had become excited at the sight of the two warriors’ rapid sword slashes.
Battles between opponents of high abilities were dangerous to watch, if one were too close.
Karin, who understood the power of the strike they just witnessed, was sure that they needed to stand further back or they would not be safe.
“Good response, and enough muscular strength to withstand my blade I see.”
“I have trained you know.”
“Show me your technique then.”
After Shin’s casual retort, Munechika crouched, as if sliding on the ground. At the same time, a sword slash flew at Shin from the lower left.
Shin, who had been observing Munechika’s movements while standing still, parried the attacking blade with 『Hakuramaru』.
The two blades grinded against each other, launching sparks all around.
“Not bad at all.”
With a slight smile on her lips, Munechika deftly handled her repelled weapon.
Sustained by a strong sword arm fitting of a level 900, a storm of sword slices attacked Shin like a silver torrent.
“Fuuh!!”
Shin parried the slashes with his 『Hakuramaru』, each powerful enough to rend the ground.
The continuous sound of clashing metal continued to reverberate in the surroundings. However, the clashes were so fast that, to Kanade and Karin’ ears, they arrived as one continuous sound.
Each time the blades clashed, the silver torrent produced fiery red sparks, while the ground around Shin was cleaved by traces of sword slices.
(She fights differently, after all.)
Shin analyzed Munechika’s fighting style as he repelled her attacks.
Not all weapons labeled with the name “katana” were the same length. Those like 『Mikazuki Masamune』 had blades roughly 80 cemels long. On the other hand, the category of katana 『Hakuramaru』 belonged to had blades 70 cemels long.
Munechika’s fighting style focused on attacks from a distance, taking advantage of the difference in length of the blades.
Even just 10 cemels felt much longer from Shin’s point of view during the battle.
Each of the female Munechika’s attacks were heavy, but generally she was more focused on quantity.
The male Munechika that Shin had fought in the past was more focused on the power behind each attack, using a fighting style focused on high attack power.
He, or she, had been programmed based on the movements of masters of the sword; Shin remembered that they were much stronger than their level implied.
“So you can match this too. But is defending all you can do?”
“Of course not. I will come very soon!”
Shin parried the opponent’s blade with more intensity than before. He couldn’t go as far as throwing Munechika off balance, but he succeeded in creating space between them.
Taking advantage of that space, lasting less than an instant, Shin slipped closer.
Partly in retaliation towards Munechika, Shin closed in the distance between them in one breath. In the opposite fashion from before, 『Hakuramaru』 turned into a silver flash and attacked, only to be stopped by Munechika.
『Hakuramaru』’s blade was shorter than 『Mikazuki Munechika』, and the difference in their materials made 『Hakuramaru』 lighter too. On the other hand, this allowed it to be swung deep into the opponent’s space with higher speed.
“Ssshh!!”
Munechika tried to step back to gain distance and space. Shin however, stepped in even faster.
The scene of a few seconds ago was repeated, but attack and defense had switched places.
“Hnng…!”
Munechika grunted while parrying Shin’s blow. She had barely managed to parry Shin’s slash, which was faster than she had expected.
“As expected of you!”
Shin’s attacks were fast indeed, but barely failed to reach Munechika.
Munechika, despite her inferior speed, could keep up with Shin simply thanks to her ability with the sword.
Maybe because of the way she had been programmed, or how much she had honed her skills in 500 years, Munechika’s ability was higher than Shin’s.
Shin’s fighting style with the katana was born from the teachings he received from someone who actually practiced swordplay -not Kendo- during the game era. He honed it during the Death Game and all the way to the present.
He had made it faster, stronger, more efficient.
Honing his skills in actual battle gave Shin a new strength impossible to attain through simple training.
However, Shin had no particular talent in martial arts.
In many battles, he would come on top thanks to his higher stats; he had received teachings for less than a year, and even though it had been an intense period, he was far from those who could be called masters of the sword.
“To think you could do so much! Interesting!”
“Honored to satisfy your expectations!”
Shin’s slashes, most of which followed a straight path, were systematically parried by the arc-like motions of Munechika’s sword.
The deflected slashes failed to affect Munechika, carving the rocks behind her with their aftershocks instead.
In just a few seconds, they had already clashed more than 10 times, but both warriors were still unscathed.
The cycle of attack and defense seemed like it would continue unchanged, but Shin suddenly changed his attack pattern.
From a distance ideal to attack with『Hakuramaru』, he pushed even closer.
“Hmh!?”
The same moment Munechika noticed his advance, Shin’s right leg leapt forward.
Faced with a sudden kick, Munechika used her left arm to stop it.
The sound of clashing metal echoed, as Munechika slid 10 mels backwards, leaving two straight tracks on the ground.
“Who would expect a kick at that moment? Unpredictable fellow.”
“Relying too much on weapons would leave one defenseless if without one.”
Shin’s fighting style was never reliant on the katana. He had strictly practiced physical skills, especially in case he had been disarmed and lost his weapons.
It was also possible to combine this style with swordplay.
“You figured that even if we kept crossing swords, nothing would change, right?”
“You found me out. As far as technique is concerned, I am a step below you after all.”
“To realize the level of one’s technique is not something bad……that is fine. It’s been a long time since I crossed swords properly. I shall bring you the Dead Snake Grass, wait a moment.”
She was satisfied, or so it seemed. Munechika casually sheathed her sword, so easily that it caught Shin by surprise.
Even if it was just a skirmish, he thought that even if skills weren’t used, a fiercer clash of swords would have been inevitable.
“Er…we are finished?”
“Yes, that will do. I haven’t had a worthy opponent for 100 years after all. And if we continued any more, I wouldn’t be able to hold back.”
Munechika spoke with a smile. Maybe because the battle’s excitement still lingered in her, she emanated an aura so bewitching that it was hard to imagine that she was a transformed weapon.
“I understand, if so I will gladly accept your kindness.”
Perceiving the aura and presence coming from Munechika, Shin took a step back. A duel was one thing, but if they fought seriously, the surrounding geography would change greatly.
“Here, this is what I promised.”
Munechika returned around 10 minutes later, holding a more than a sufficient amount of Dead Snake Grass in her hands.
“Thank you very much.”
“If you have the chance, come again. I wish to speak to you some more.”
“I see. We are hurrying right now, but one day I will.”
Shin rejoined Kanade and Karin, and together they quickly descended Mt. Fuji.
Kanade was happy and excited, the Dead Snake Grass in hand.
In a completely different fashion, Karin was staring at Shin’s back while he kept walking straight ahead.
Shin, feeling her eyes fixed on his back, wondered what reaction she would show.
◆◆◆◆
After coming down from the mountain, they meant to return straight to the Kujou house to deliver the medicine to Kanade’s sister…but it was not to be.
Maybe because of the trying schedule of their journey, or because obtaining the Dead Snake Grass had relieved her, as they reached the foot of the mountain Kanade was unsteady on her feet.
“Let us go back to town and find an inn first.”
“My apologies…”
They could not make her walk any more, so Shin carried Kanade on his shoulders.
Yuzuha hopped down from Shin’s shoulders and walked on the ground alongside them.
After a few minutes of walking, the sound of Kanade’s sleeping breath reached Shin’s ears.
“She fell asleep. Fortunately it does not seem she has a fever, she must have been very tired.”
“She had been tense all this time, so that’s likely. At Mt. Fuji she had been glared at by Orochi too, so she was probably at her limit mentally as well.”
During the descent from Mt. Fuji, Shin learned that Kanade could not see Eight-headed Orochi’s level.
It was not a mystery why: Orochi’s level was 833, enough to match a Grand Duke-class demon.
With the ability to perceive an opponent’s power, but utterly lack the power to defeat them, Kanade must have been unconsciously tense.
Add the appearance of an opponent at a totally different level like Munechika, and it was no wonder that her tension had reached maximum levels.
This also explained her unusual tone when she joined in Shin and Munechika’s conversation.
“Our first priority is to recover our strength, right. I will stand watch, so please rest Karin. You were tense too, weren’t you?”
Even if their levels of strength were different, Kanade and Karin’s positions were almost the same. On the contrary, it could be said that Karin’s duty of protecting Kanade had probably made her feel even more pressure.
“I am deeply thankful for your consideration. I am embarrassed to admit that I am not perfectly calm right now. The battle between sir Shin and Munechika…even just one aftershock could cause grave injuries, but I was filled with emotions I can’t describe…I suppose I am not normal.”
Karin voiced her inner thoughts, her cheeks slightly flushed.
As far as Shin could see, she was not unwell like Kanade. Being a samurai like him, she must have felt something special.
As they arrived in town, the group headed straight for the inn.
It was the same inn they used before heading for Mt. Fuji, and Yuzuha could stay the night inside too.
They paid for one night and went to their rooms.
“Is your companion ill? If necessary, we can call a doctor.”
The inn owner noticed the sleeping Kanade and asked out of worry.
“It’s fine, I think she is just tired because of the trip. If her condition worsens, we will bring her to the doctor ourselves.”
Shin refused politely so as not to offend the owner, laid Kanade down in her room, and let her sleep.
“I’m in the next room. Let us watch over her, and if she feels better we will depart. Make sure you rest well too, Karin.”
“Thank you very much.”
Shin turned his back to Karin and headed to his room. Using his detection skills to the maximum, he thoroughly checked the surroundings.
He had not felt the presence of anyone following them. The map did not show any red markers either.
If enemies did not clearly show hostility or attack, however, they were not regarded as such. Markers could not be trusted too much.
“Yuzuha, do you feel anything?”
“Kuu? Kuu…no, nothing.”
Yuzuha closed her eyes and perked her ears up, but apparently did not feel anything either.
It was already dusk.
Shin hesitated to leave the two women alone to go eat outside, so he decided to lie on the bed for a while.
Their inn was a high-quality one, so the bed was both large and comfortable.
“She didn’t ask anything in the end.”
Karin’s silhouette appeared in Shin’s mind.
Ever since they started descending Mt. Fuji, Shin felt Karin’s eyes on him…
Maybe it was because of Kanade’s poor condition, or that the timing wasn’t right, but it was a mystery to Shin why Karin hadn’t said a word on their way back from the mountain.
As if to interrupt these thoughts, while he was sprawled out on the bed, Yuzuha jumped up to dive straight on his chest.
“Kuu!”
“Oof!!”
She had turned again into young girl mode, so her dive forced a whimper out of the relaxed Shin’s mouth. The last time she had turned into a girl Shin had her put clothes on, so at least this time it wasn’t a naked dive.
The combination of Yuzuha’s shrine maiden robe, with its vivid contrast between red and white, and her shoulder-length silver hair and silver tail attracted Shin’s attention. There were 6 tails poking out of her crimson skirt. He began to wonder where and how they were attached to her body.
“What’s going on? Why the sudden jumping?”
“Shin, all mine”
Yuzuha answered in the slightly disconnected way that she had started talking in after taking this form.
Usually she would cuddle up in a ball on the side of the bed, but now she rested her head on Shin’s chest and closed her eyes.
When Shin was traveling with Schnee, Tiera, and Kagerou, Shin and Yuzuha slept in the same room, and sometimes she would sneak in the same bed as him, half-asleep.
It didn’t happen anymore after Shibaid joined them, but apparently it was because she was holding back.
(She might look grown up, but inside she’s still a kid. Well, this situation is barely acceptable though…)
It could be excused when she was in little girl mode, but now that her looks were those of a teenager, soon this behavior couldn’t just be called “adorable”.
If she grew any more, it would be difficult to just play with her as a “little sister”.
(….little sister, huh…)
Yuzuha lay still on top of Shin, probably asleep. Shin found himself thinking of his little sister in the real world. As if triggered by that, he started recalling many other memories of his former world.
His parents, his grandmother, his other siblings. His high school friends, his university circle members. The faces that appear and disappear in his mind are, for some reason, all smiling.
“…..atchoo! Hey Yuzuha! Don’t poke my nose with your tails! Your fur! Up my nose!!”
The melancholic mood was destroyed by Yuzuha’s sudden attack.
The ends of her wagging tails were poking Shin’s nose.
“Kuu.”
“No kuu-ing now, little lady. What’s with you all of a sudden.”
“You think, strange things.”
Yuzuha retorted while puffing up her cheeks. Her tails’ movements were meant to pull Shin’s attention back to her apparently. She hadn’t fallen asleep after all, and was not happy being ignored.
Shin’s hands moved to calm her down, but were caught by her tails and brought over her head.
“Sorry, sorry. I just remembered some things…so, should I pat your head now?”
Shin gently caressed Yuzuha’s head, thinking that she was still a little kid after all.
“Kuu….”
Yuzuha’s tails zipped up, down, left, and right.
Shin couldn’t help but think she looked like a puppy dog. It was a really soothing view.
“…..crap, I got too relaxed…I’m getting sleepy.”
Shin was also rather exhausted, so loosening his nerves let a powerful drowsiness come over him.
Because of a past habit, he instantly casted a barrier-type skill to secure the safety of the room.
“Kuu? Shin, sleep?”
“Sorry Yuzuha…we should get something to eat…”
“You can’t, no good.”
Saying this, Yuzuha returned to her fox form.
Yuzuha had grown due to her stat increases, and was now around 1 mel in length.
“Ah…..this is….bad…..”
Shin was struggling against his heavy eyelids, but Yuzuha’s fluffy fur gave him the coup de grace. Before her warmth and soft touch, it was only a matter of time before Shin drifted into slumber.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_02_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 4
“…..mwah?”
The next day, Shin woke up a bit before dawn.
Yuzuha, in beast mode, was sleeping next to him, her tails resting on Shin’s chest and stomach.
“Aah…yeah..I fell asleep.”
While enjoying the tails’ softness, Shin recalled what happened the previous evening. I must have been more tired than I thought, he said to himself while getting up and stretching.
“Kuu?”
“Ah, sorry, did I wake you?”
Yuzuha had felt Shin’s movements and opened her eyes.
One hour after the sun rose, he felt people moving in the next room.
Kanade looked like she felt much better, and Karin was relieved too.
“Well, let’s go ahead and bring the medicinal herb to your sister then.”
“Yes, let us make haste!”
Completely recovered after one night of rest, Kanade ran off ahead of the group.
Behind her, Shin and Karin started running too.
“Please do not push yourself too hard, Milady.”
Karin was worried because of what had happened the day before, so she warned Kanade.
Kanade regretted having worried her, so she replied “I know.”
The group proceeded on their way while taking breaks whenever needed. On the way, Shin used his detection skills to check the surroundings for threats.
To be robbed by thieves just after they obtained the Dead Snake Grass would have been a bad joke.
They would probably not be attacked in a place where people could see, but to be sure he chose to stay alert.
Maybe thanks to that, they could reach Kujou territory without any enemy attacks.
“From here, it would take maybe only another half day.”
“Are you not pushing yourself? Are you not doing anything unusual?”
“I am not. I am alright. We’ve come all this way, I will not collapse right at the end.”
While taking a break at a tea house along the road, Shin’s party discussed the route to their destination.
Kanade’s jinx was that obstacles would always appear right at the end.
The mysterious attackers, the encounter with monsters that shouldn’t have been there…all the events that had happened in the few days since they met Shin were all nothing to laugh about.
It was natural for Shin to be especially careful.
“We still don’t know anything about those assailants, we can’t let our guard down.”
“I have also pondered about them. If they attacked knowing that I am a Kujou, the main family could be on the move too.”
“Could it be that something happened while we were outside the country?”
“I cannot say. But we will know once we return.”
Shin didn’t know what had become of Kanade’s position within the main house, but imagined that they would be able to gather some sort of information.
Shin himself planned to go on his way after he had seen them off at their destination. His face was already known though, so even if he parted with them, there was no assurance that he wouldn’t be involved again.
“Well, we are almost there. Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
“As you wish.”
The group departed again, with Shin in the lead.
As Kanade had said, after half a day the castle’s main compound came in sight. It was unmistakably a Japanese-style castle.
A group clad in armor stood on the path to the castle.
“Are those the castle soldiers?”
“Their flag’s emblem…they’re from the Toudou family.”
“Kankurou, then. Toshiro could be there as well.”
Kanade and Karin seemed to know the emblem depicted on the soldiers’ flags and were not worried by their presence.
Shin also heard a name that was not new to him, so he was relieved and decided to ask about them.
“Do you know them?”
“Yes, not only them, but we have part of our soldiers patrol the territory. Thanks to that, damage and casualties due to monsters and thieves are kept to a minimum.”
The soldiers they had met were apparently on their way back from a patrol.
“But because of that, there are a few branches of adventurers’ guilds.”
“What do you mean?”
“Quests for adventurers to take…especially ones about exterminating monsters that would offer high rewards…well, those monsters are eliminated by the patrolling soldiers. Their average level is 200, so they can handle any monster except extraordinarily powerful ones. Because of that, few in this country aim to become adventurers. Of course, there are powerful warriors belonging to Hinomoto’s adventurer guilds though.”
Karin briefly commented that she was very surprised after leaving the country.
Some people even called Hinomoto a “country of demons and barbarians”.
Even in Balmel, a fortified town always under the threat of the “Flood”, the average level of the soldiers was less than 150. Only a few elites went above 200, so Shin understood the reason behind that name or the people that didn’t know it.
“Hinomoto believes strongly that national matters should be handled within the country. We do not have a large territory like the mainland after all. Our country should be handled by ourselves, and we do.”
Hinomoto was also said to be safer than the mainland.
As they were talking, they caught up with the group of soldiers. The rear troops noticed Shin’s group.
“I am the first-born daughter of the Saegusa family, Saegusa Karin. I accompany Lady Kanade of the Kujou. Who is leading this platoon?”
As Karin introduced herself, the troops hesitated for a moment, then divided in two perfect lines, showing two men in the center.
Shin used 【Analyze】 to display the names and levels of the men that were slowly walking towards them.
One was Yaejima Toshiro, a level 190 samurai. He looked in his early twenties, black hair with white streaks and brown eyes, a proud-looking young man.
In contrast to the lead-colored armor the other soldiers wore, his was navy blue. His social status and standing were probably different.
The two katanas hanging from both sides of his waist suggested he was a two-sword style user.
The other man was Toudou Kankurou, a level 255 samurai and a man between 50 and 60 years of age.
His hair was white and his forehead wrinkled, but his sharply straight posture and stance did not show signs of old age. His eyes were thin almost to a slit, his expression soft and gentle.
He clearly stood out among the armor-clad soldiers, as he was wearing a dark green robe and deep blue, almost black, large-fitting trousers called hakama.
Shin understood the reason why he wasn’t wearing armor. His hakama trousers’ stats were higher than the soldiers’ armor. What caught his attention even more was the katana hanging from the old man’s waist.
“Lady Karin, noble Kanade. I heard you had left Hinomoto, but I am glad to see you are safe and sound.”
“It brings me joy to see you in good health too, Kankurou. Are you returning from a patrol?”
The man Karin called Hinomoto’s strongest warrior started talking to Kanade in a soft tone.
“Yes, we have just slain a monster that was reported to be difficult to subdue. Noble Kanade, if you have returned, does it mean that you have obtained the medicinal herb?”
Kankurou’s expression shifted from smiling to serious. He knew the reason why Kanade had left Hinomoto it seemed.
“Yes, we have obtained a sufficient amount. How is my sister’s condition?”
“Progressively worsening, albeit slowly. But there should still be time. We shall lead the way, your companion is…..!?”
Kankurou talked while shifting his eyes towards Shin. While talking, his expression clearly showed that he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Lord Kankurou, do you know this man?”
“N-no, I…my apologies. He simply resembles someone I used to know.”
“Ah, no, please do not worry.”
Kankurou shook his head to Toshiro’s question and apologized to Shin.
Shin thought that his reaction was somewhat exaggerated, but has nothing to inquire further, so he did not say anything in particular.
“This man is sir Shin. He assisted us in retrieving the medicinal herb. I shall lead him to the mansion. Lord Kankurou, Lady Kanade, please head to Lady Haruna’s quarters.”
“To the mansion? Hm, can he be trusted?”
“Yes.”
Karin looked straight at Kankurou and nodded.
“If lady Karin says so, then there should be no problems.”
“Sir, are you certain? At times like these, it is not advisable to welcome strangers of unknown background…”
“Toshiro, we bear a large debt of gratitude to Shin. I do not know what happened, but I personally vouch that he is no enemy sleuth.”
“…..if Lady Kanade speaks thus, then…”
Toshiro seemed dissatisfied with Kanade’s answer, but presented no objections. But, it could be said that in exchange for that, he glared at Shin sharply.
“If so, I would say we simply part ways here. My work is finished here, these gentlemen are surely more than suitable to guard you. If something is going on, it is not the best time to let someone suspicious in after all.”
He did not have to receive rewards or something similar either. It was not necessary to let him into the residence no matter what.
“After all you have done for us, to just send you back empty-handed would be more than ungrateful for us. At the very least, I wish you to spend the night here.”
“I shall lead him to the residence assigned to the Saegusa family. I understand well Toshiro’s concern. I will be responsible for sir Shin’s actions.”
“Hg, lady Karin, you do not need to go as far as guarding this man, I could do that-”
Toshiro objected at Karin’s intentions of taking responsibility for Shin.
“Toshiro, I doubt it is wise to continue raising objections. Lady Karin is one of Hinomoto’s Brave Ten, I am sure there is no need for concern.”
”That is true, but…”
Karin apparently held a title Shin was not aware of. The name suggested it was given to the most accomplished warriors of Hinomoto.
“Let us be on our way then. Sir Shin, I thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.”
”Ehm…yes.”
Kankurou gave a slight bow and headed towards the castle alongside Kanade.
After a while, Shin and Karin went to the castle town and entered the castle’s perimeter.
In the same way as Toshiro, the gate guards were not pleased with allowing Shin inside, but thanks to Karin’s intervention there was no commotion.
“It’s really huge.”
“There are many facilities within the castle after all.”
The Kujou castle was surrounded by moats, with the main castle compound at its center. The castle perimeter contained training facilities, a smithy, and many residences.
Its large size was the most remarkable feature. It was much larger than the Japanese-style castles Shin knew.
It looked like the castle contained a town, separated from the castle town, outside its walls. Around the main compound, there was another set of walls and gates.
The two walked down paths impossible to navigate without a guide, then arrived in front of one of the largest residences.
The gate guard hurriedly came towards them, but thanks to Karin they could pass without a hitch.
The guard seemed more surprised at Karin’s sudden return than Shin’s presence though.
“I apologize for the disturbance.”
“Please don’t, the guards seemed overjoyed too. They must love you and respect you.”
“That’s right! Our lady is kind to everybody, all the vassals love her.”
Shin’s words were answered with pride by Midou Chiyo, a woman serving the Saegusa house. She was Karin’s caretaker, and undoubtedly the happiest person to see Karin return.
“Enough about me, where is father?”
“He is already waiting inside the residence.”
“Thank you. Sir Shin, I ask you to join me for a brief introduction.”
“Understood.”
Shin and Karin entered the residence, led by Chiyo.
“Our lady Karin and sir Shin have arrived.”
Chiyo announced their arrival in front of the room’s sliding doors.
After hearing the response Chiyo opened the doors, showing a man sitting cross-legged in the center of the room and a woman at his side.
The man had a large and muscular physique, which clearly showed through his kimono. A man shaped like a rugged boulder, or so Shin thought. The woman was sitting next to him with a proper posture, smiling gently. She was of short stature herself, but next to the man she looked even smaller.
“Father, mother, I have returned.”
“Welcome back. I have heard what happened to a degree. It appears you found what you were looking for.”
“Yes, now we only have to wait for the medicine to be made.”
The man Karin called father exchanged brief words with her, then turned towards Shin.
“I apologize for the wait. I am the 3rd head of the Saegusa house, Saegusa Kuyou. This is my wife, Kayo.”
“My name is Shin. This is Yuzuha, we are bound by a contract.”
“Kuu!”
Shin sat in proper posture next to Karin and introduced himself. Yuzuha was sitting on a cushion next to him.
“I was told you lent your aid to our daughter and lady Kanade in their search. Also that you attempted to leave without accepting any reward. You are aware of what lady Kanade was searching for, weren’t you?”
“Only that it was an ingredient for her lady sister’s medicine.”
“Indeed. The results are yet to come, but if Lady Haruna were to be healed, we would owe you a great debt. But even if it were not so, to save others from peril for nothing…that spirit is something I admire. You are welcome to stay in our residence not just one day, but for a brief period if you please.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Father, sir Shin has saved mine and lady Kanade’s life, and—”
“I am coming in!!”
The brief greeting between Shin and Kuyou ended, and just as Karin was about to explain in detail what happened, suddenly Kanade opened the sliding doors and came inside.
“….lady Kanade. I thought you headed to the residence?”
“I gave the Dead Snake Grass to the concocter. There is nothing more for me to do. I wanted to tell my sister that we have all ingredients for the medicine, but we cannot be sure until we see it is really effective…father is busy in some meeting, so I came here first.”
“Lady Kanade. I understand your worry, but please do calm down.”
Kuyou said that she was not acting properly for a Kujou lady, but Kanade pouted and retorted.
“I cannot help this. At least between us, please forgive my behavior.”
Kanade’s worry wouldn’t disappear unless the medicine showed to be effective and her sister healed after all.
Kuyou understood her feelings and did not reproach her further.
“Anyway, what were you talking about?”
“I was going to ask about sir Shin. There was a bit of a commotion before you entered the castle it seems.”
“I have learned the reason why the atmosphere within the castle is not good. It is no wonder that Shin would be viewed with suspicion.”
Kanade had heard from Kankurou what happened as they headed together to the castle.
“Father, Milady, I still have not heard about that. Could you please inform me?”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Ehm, I apologize for interrupting, but is it alright for me to listen to such circumstances?”
Shin interjected while Kuyou was speaking. He felt that it was not something for an outsider to hear.
“That is quite all right, it is nothing more than a rumor after all. People speak about this throughout the castle town. It is but a rumor concerning suspicious movements of the Yaejima house, rulers of the west. Originally we have fought for the rule over Hinomoto: no matter the credibility of the rumor, or lack thereof, people cannot help but be worried. However, as far as I know, the current head of the Yaejima family is close friends with lord Kujou Tadahisa, head of the Kujou family and lady Kanade’s father. I very much doubt that the rumor is true.”
“If something was going on, it could be the Ichinose.”
After Kuyou spoke, Kayo participated in the conversation for the first time.
“The Ichinose?”
“That family has always been very concerned with the changes in balance of power between east and west, until a while ago they were talking about the unification of Hinomoto after all. About the succession matter too, they even went as far as saying that since Karin isn’t here, she should be removed, you know? Truly, nothing but disrespectful!”
“Mother, please calm down. But I understand, so that’s what happened.”
Karin calmed down the irritated Kayo and nodded in understanding of the situation.
Apparently Toshiro had suspected Shin of being sent by the Ichinose.
“Well, it’s not like they’ve done anything yet. There are nothing but rumors at the moment, so we are gathering information. By the way, I personally am more interested in Shin, can you tell me more about your journey?”
“Well…”
“Of course. We met for the first time on a ship, while we were heading back to Hinomoto.”
Kayo changed the subject, expressing high interest in Shin.
As he was thinking about how to respond, Kanade anticipated him by narrating how they first met.
“—-then he saved us when we fell into the sea…by the way, what was the thing he did that time?”
“What thing, exactly?”
“Karin, he was kissing you and fondling your breasts, was he not?”
“W-what!? Sir Shin!! What did you do to me while I was unconscious!?”
Kanade’s words caused Karin to spring up and cover her chest with her arms. She quickly moved away from him towards the wall, using a cushion as protection.
“Ooh, do let us know more.”
“Yes, that is indeed very interesting.”
At the same time, Kuyou unleashed a powerful aura of intimidation, while Kayo’s smile completely left her lips. Shin’s expression became stiff under the influence of a pressure ignoring levels and stats.
“No no no it’s not what it seems! I acted like that as I feared that lady Karin’s breath and pulse had stopped! I assure you I was not thinking of anything improper!! Lady Kanade, please do not use words that could be misunderstood!!”
Shin tried desperately to defend himself from the damage caused by Kanade’s explosive words.
Shin explained how the kiss was to re-start Karin’s stopped breathing and he wasn’t fondling her breasts, but using cardiac massage to make her heart beat again, recalling the limited knowledge he could muster.
That’s how terrifying Kuyou and Kayo’s atmosphere appeared to Shin. This was what they called “irrational fear”, probably.
“Hmm, so it was all to save my daughter, is that so?”
“Exactly. These actions are to be performed as quickly as possible. I am not a true expert, but I thought that there was no time to think about that. I assure you, I absolutely assure you that I had nothing improper in mind.”
“I vouch for him as well. I woke up first, and remember how Shin was desperately trying to help Karin.”
Shin told Kanade “Say that first, will you!?” in his mind, but he refrained from voicing his thoughts in front of Kuyou and his consort.
“In that case, I must give my thanks to sir Shin then. If it weren’t for you, both my daughter and lady Kanade would have drowned in that storm.”
“I am just glad the circumstances are clear now.”
Shin, freed from the parents’ intimidating aura, wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Their presence was even more overwhelming than a boss monster.
Karin, who had moved away from Shin, sat back next to him after hearing his explanation. Her face was bright red.
After that they talked about how they climbed Mt. Fuji and arrived back at the castle, when Chiyo came in to announce that Kanade’s entourage had arrived to pick her up.
“The meeting is finally over then. I shall go now. I will see you tomorrow.”
Kanade said so and returned to the castle. She had arrived suddenly, dropped a powerful bomb and caused a commotion, so after her departure the residence felt extremely quiet.
“Well, we have talked long enough. Let us offer you a meal.”
After dinner, Shin was informed that the bath was ready, so he went to the bathroom as instructed.
After Shin left for the bath, Kuyou, Kayo and Karin remained in the residence to talk.
“In any case, was there really a person like the one Lady Kanade described on top of Mt. Fuji?”
“Yes. I believe that if they did not just match their skills, but fought to the end, only sir Shin would have survived. He called the giant snake “Eight-Headed Orochi”, but I do not know the woman’s identity. To be honest, I am not sure if she was human or not.”
The tone of the conversation was now completely serious. Kuyou himself could not neglect to ask about important information such as what the Mt. Fuji mists were hiding after all.
“The monster legends say devoured entire countries, and a girl who tamed it…if they will not leave the mists, I assume it will be wise for us not to bother them either. I think lord Tadahisa will summon you tomorrow: be sure to let him know as well.”
“I will.”
Kuyou, in the role of head of the house, gave Karin specific orders.
Even now there were people attempting to enter the mists, albeit few. If, by chance, they reached the peak and instigated those dwelling on it, there was the possibility to cause massive damage and casualties.
Kuyou was sure that Tadahisa would understand the risk after hearing about the journey from Kanade, but he opted for added safety.
“Are the difficult topics finally over?”
“They are. Today was quite a surprising day though.”
“That’s true. To think that Karin would bring a man in the house! And that they even kissed already.”
“M-mother! Please do not bring that up again!”
Karin hurriedly tried to put a stop to the return of that embarrassing topic.
“But isn’t it very important? With you away from Hinomoto, I had to refuse all invitations of marriage interviews. Isn’t it time to think about settling down? So, what do you think of sir Shin? He seems polite, and is quite able with the sword too, isn’t he? I don’t think he would be a bad marriage prospect.”
“Hmgh!! That is all too sudden to talk about!!”
“T-that’s right! We barely know each other too!”
Both father and daughter objected to Kayo’s sudden marriage talk.
Kuyou was simply against the idea, but Karin’s words seemed to suggest that things could be different if they came to know each other better.
“You don’t seem to be totally opposed to it, are you. I see we need to know more about sir Shin.”
“Mother! I beg of you, please do not do anything weird!”
“Kayo! M-marriage! It’s too early!”
Such conversations continued in the residence while Shin was in the bath.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_02_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 5
The next morning.
Shin was swinging 『Kakura』 in the garden in front of the room assigned to him.
The reason was that he had painfully learned the limits of his technique during the battle against Munechika.
“I know that I can’t compare to a master, but…”
Shin was aware that he did not possess a natural talent for the sword. Even so, he could improve with effort. Imagining an enemy standing in front of him, he was sometimes dodging, sometimes swinging down 『Kakura』 in slow motion. It was a training method he learned from the person that taught him the sword.
“Fuuuuh…”
This training’s movements might be slow, but they placed a burden on the body. He had lowered his stats on purpose, so『Kakura』 weighed heavily on his whole body.
Sweat dripped down Shin’s cheeks.
“….I focused too much.”
Shin noticed that Karin’s presence was close, stabbed 『Kakura』 in the ground, and took a deep breath. The shirt he was wearing as a training suit was drenched in sweat.
“I apologize for disturbing your training.”
“No, I had lost track of time, so it’s good that you came.”
Karin looked apologetic, but Shin replied that there was nothing to worry about.
She had come to call him because the meal was ready.
Shin wiped his sweat, changed and had his meal; as he finished, someone knocked at the Saegusa gate.
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
The visitor was a messenger from the Kujou house.
Shin, led by Karin, went to the main compound of the Kujou house, castle Kujou. Yuzuha was left at the Saegusa residence.
In the residence where he was led to, Shin found Kanade, Kuyou, and Kankurou waiting.
Kanade had pleaded for Shin to stay because she was grateful to him, but also because she knew he would have been summoned for an inspection.
Kanade herself explained so when she went to meet Shin along with their guide.
Some time later, a man appeared and sat on the seat reserved for the person with the highest standing. The man had shaved hair, thick eyebrows, and a katana scar in the middle of his face. His physique was not bulky, but well trained.
The man was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa.
“Raise your heads everyone.”
All the guests present had bowed their heads when the man appeared, and now raised them back. Shin had followed the others’ example as well, and calmly raised his head again.
“Your name is Shin, yes?”
“Yes.”
The deep voice addressing Shin echoed.
“First of all, I must give you my thanks. I am grateful for everything you have done from the bottom of my heart.”
Seeing Tadahisa thank and bow his head, Shin and all vassals present-except Kankuro- were restless.
For the head of the house to bow his head to a stranger was something normally unthinkable.
“Thanks to the medicine, concocted with the herb we could obtain through your assistance, my daughter has dramatically recovered from her illness. The doctor says that as long as she recovers her strength, she will be able to return to her normal lifestyle.”
“Ooh!!”
Tadahisa’s words now caused a new type of restlessness among those present. The vassals had not been informed yet, apparently.
Kanade’s sister must have been really loved by her subordinates; some vassals could not resist and broke out in tears.
“Sir Shin, I wish to express my gratitude to you somehow. Is there anything you wish?”
“No, I do not wish for anything in particular. If I had to ask for something, it would be for a roof to use until my comrades arrive here.”
“Hm, exactly as I heard from Kanade, you truly have no material desires.”
“I had planned to part ways as soon as we arrived in this land after all. As you may have heard, a person dear to me died because of an illness. I helped just because of that, you do not need to worry about me.”
The conversation between Tadahisa and Shin caused whispers among the vassals.
Shin talked while recalling the historical dramas he had seen. He thought he might have said something disrespectful, but could not think of anything in particular.
“If so, you may continue to lodge in the Saegusa residence. Kuyou, Karin, I entrust him to you.”
“Understood.”
Kuyou and Karin lowered their heads after receiving Tadahisa’s order. They were not surprised, probably because it had already been decided who would have taken care of Shin.
“Personally, I would gladly welcome you to serve in my household though. I have heard of your prowess with the sword. You and your companions as well. What do you think?”
“Sir, my physical abilities are all I have, there are many much more skilled than me with the sword. I have no intention of serving anyone.”
No matter how promising the conditions might be, entering into someone’s service was not an option for Shin. He stated his refusal clearly.
“Then, could I ask for the chance to match my strength against yours?”
As the conversation between the two had died down, Kankurou suddenly joined in. His expression was as peaceful as always, but his aura suggested he was trying to find out more about Shin.
“Oh, now this is unusual, for Kankurou to spontaneously speak in a situation like this.”
“I am aware of my lack of manners. There is, however, something that drew my interest.”
“Hmm, sir Shin, what do you say? I shall prepare a separate reward for this.”
“….there is no need for rewards. If I am allowed to speak my mind frankly, there is something that drew my interest as well, and wished to ask for a match myself.”
This match had no particular merit for Shin. But even so, he accepted Kankurou’s plea.
Shin himself was interested in something about the man.
“How should we set the victory conditions?”
“Both have said to be interested in something about the other. I say we continue until that something is grasped.”
After changing locations to the soldiers’ training area, Shin and Kankurou faced against each other, surrounded by soldiers and vassals.
Considering that they were both Chosen Ones, the spectators to their match gathered at the edges of the training area.
As he had done before the battle with Munechika, Shin set his 【Limit】 to II.
“Shall we take the first move?”
Kankurou took the initiative. With a step as light as if he were simply going on a walk, he reduced the distance between himself and Shin in an instant. He was wielding a special wooden sword made for Chosen Ones.
Kankurou’s swing was parried by Shin with the same wooden sword – after which, he took a step back.
“As good as expected.”
Saying so, Kankurou changed the arc his wooden sword was drawing in the air into a thrust and aimed it at Shin.
The wooden sword, attacking again without the slightest delay, gave Shin the impression that it had a will of its own.
“I have taken the first strike, but I shall let you have the first question.”
Kankurou spoke to Shin in a calm tone that hardly matched their ferocious sword clashes.
“I will go straight to the point then. How did you acquire the katana at your waist?”
“Oh my, you must be a connoisseur to pick this up. I have received this from the former lord, its name is…”
“『Black Moon』, isn’t it? The stronger version of 『Ripple Blade』, with all capacity points used in enlarging the attack range.”
“!!! So you really found out…!”
As Shin talked about the sword in detail, the speed of Kankurou’s swing increased. His smile now was different than the usual, he seemed to be enjoying the situation.
From the speed of his swings and the impact created from their skirmish, Shin thought that Kankurou was the person with stats closest to his among all the people he had met until now. At the very least, his stats were much higher than Rionne’s.
They were still lower than Munechika, the boss of Mt. Fuji, but other than his technique, his experience in fighting other humans was incredibly rich. Shin had not felt much difficulty in fighting Munechika, but against Kankurou he felt it vividly.
Shin had heard from Karin that Kankurou was a powerful warrior born before the “Dusk of the Majesty”. He had undoubtedly experienced many battlefields.
“To think that you would know so much. Nowadays, such details are known only by me and the former lord…no, now that I think about it, there was someone else too.”
Kankurou spoke while knowingly adding pauses between his words.
“The Dark Blacksmith…the man that forged my beloved blade would naturally know such things.”
The words hinting at Shin’s real identity were spoken at the same time of a more powerful clash of the two men’s swords, and did not reach anyone else’s ears.
As their swords were still locked, Kankurou asked Shin.
“Well, sir Shin. May I ask something too?”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever heard of the name Jinkurou?”
“….yes, I have. As a samurai myself, we went along rather well.”
Jinkurou was the name of the guild master of a Japanese-style guild during the game era, “Kachou Fuugetsu”. As they were both samurai, he and Shin were well acquainted.
More than anything, he was the person Shin had given 『Black Moon』 to. He would never forget him.
After hearing all that, Shin remembered Kankurou.
As Schnee was Shin’s main support character, Kankurou was the first name to come up when mentioning Jinkurou’s support characters.
Kankurou’s species was High Lord. He had survived the age of natural catastrophes and was a living witness of its history, the same as Schnee.
“I was under the command of that person. Thus sir Shin, I know very well who you are. I remembered your face, yes, but considering the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora, sir Girard’s death, sir Shibaid’s departure from the empire…it could not be just someone acting like you.”
Thinking of Kankurou’s expression when he first saw Shin, it was clear that he had figured out his identity from the start.
“Lord Jinkurou gave me this before passing away. Sir Shin, why have you returned?”
“I haven’t exactly returned…to be honest, I would also like to know the reason why I am here.”
Shin knocked away Kankurou’s diagonal slash and answered with a sigh.
“Is that so. It could be that there is something you yourself do not know, sir Shin”
“Something, you say?”
“Yes, did you know, sir? The people that served those once called players forget those they served after a certain time passes.”
“Eh?”
Shin’s sword arm slightly trembled after hearing Kankurou’s words. He forcibly parried it thanks to his stat advantage, but could not deny to be shaken.
“What does that mean?”
“Memories, they grow fainter and fainter. Or rather, I should say that one does not focus on them anymore. The memories do not fade away, but the loyalty, affection, everything previously felt becomes of little to no importance. I too must say I am subject to this. I would have never thought of serving the Kujou house in the period following Lord Jinkurou’s departure.”
Kankurou spoke matter-of-factly, but with a tinge of sadness.
The sound of their clashing swords became slightly fainter.
“Why did you tell me all this?”
“I had the chance of meeting lady Schnee around 50 years ago. I thought she would be in the same situation as me. Her feelings towards you, however, seemed unchanged. Wondering about it, I went to meet others that were in your service, sir Girard and sir Shibaid. But the result was the same.”
No one had lost their feelings towards Shin….as he spoke about this, Kankurou’s eyes gleamed with jealousy.
“In my travels outside Hinomoto, I had the chance of meeting others who served “Rokuten”. Their lifestyles might have been different, but all of them were invariably loyal to their masters. That might be tied to the reason why you returned, sir Shin.”
“………….”
“Sir Shin. Please, do reward their loyalty. That is all I wanted to say.”
As he stated these words, Kankurou stopped swinging his sword.
Shin followed suit and stopped his sword arm as well. This unexpected truth had left his expression sour.
“Let us conclude the match here.“
“Yes, let us. You have really surprised me though. I had never heard of any of this before.”
“I doubt anyone would realize it, without being aware as I was….but rather than that, I shall keep your identity hidden for now. Revealing it could cause unneeded trouble. You have no intention of openly stating it, do you? ”
“Yes, it would be a great help if you did so.”
Shin headed towards Tadahisa while talking with Kankurou. He was feeling conflicted within.
They received words of praise from Tadahisa for their battle, then Shin left the Kujou house.
Karin, who was walking next to him, spoke first.
“Sir Shin, during the battle you were talking about something with sir Kankurou, weren’t you?”
“Yes, well…I thought I had seen the katana at his waist somewhere before. But I was wrong.”
“What katana did you think it was?”
“The 『Ripple Blade』, a katana with the effect of extending the range of its slashes. Sir Kankurou said that it was its enhanced version. I was really surprised…what did he say its name was? Maybe 『Black Moon』?”
Shin had no intention of talking about his conversation with Kankurou, so he decided to talk about his katana while avoiding the subject.
“They say that no other katana in Hinomoto can surpass it. It is indeed a sword among swords, some even call it a divine blade. Lord Kankurou said that the legendary Dark Blacksmith forged it, but because of that, there have also been troubles.”
“Trouble you say? Yesterday I heard about some succession problem, is that related maybe?”
“Lord Kankurou said that he should soon hand it down to the next generation…they say that the greatest sword arm in Hinomoto will inherit it. Of course, lord Kankurou excluded.”
Karin added that the title “Hinomoto’s Brave Ten” is given to the best katana users of Hinomoto. Shin had heard this term from Kankurou before.
Among those awarded with the title, their position was designed with the term 1st seat, 2nd seat, and so forth. Currently, Kankurou was the 1st seat, while Karin was 3rd seat.
“Hinomoto’s Brave Ten” was a title given to those excelling in the use of the katana, so there were lower members of the Brave Ten that were more powerful than their superiors, if total fighting prowess was considered.
The separation between higher and lower members was around seat 5. But even among them, Kankurou was a special case.
“He is famous for episodes of bravery such as charging by himself into an enemy battalion and cutting down 1000 enemies for example. From his silhouette wielding the black-sheathed white katana 『Black Moon』, some call him the ‘White Haired Sword Demon’.”
“White Haired Sword Demon, huh…”
Once one becomes famous, such nicknames cannot be avoided apparently.
Shin, whose nickname of “Dark Blacksmith” had spread far and wide, could understand.
“Who is the favored candidate at present?”
“The 2nd to 4th seats are evenly matched for now. As defeating someone carrying a seat would let you make your name known, I have been challenged several times.”
Karin looked at the sky, as if she was remembering a distant memory, and sighed. It was a rather troublesome situation for her it seems.
As the news of her return to Hinomoto spread, such duels would probably increase once again.
As the two arrived at the Saegusa house while talking, something flew towards Shin.
“Kuu!!!”
“Whoa there, what’s wrong Yuzuha?”
What had flown toward Shin’s chest was Yuzuha in fox mode. Her fur was wet for some reason.
“Oh my, that’s no good little Yuzuha. I have to wash you—-oh, lady Karin, Lord Shin. Welcome back.”
Chiyo came out of the residence after Yuzuha, carrying a brush.
“What were you doing Chiyo? This poor thing is all scared.”
“My, I was just giving it a bath.”
“What are those suspicious hand movements…?”
Chiyo replied, surprised and hurt to be accused, but Karin looked with worry and voiced her concern.
The fingers of the hand not holding the brush were repeatedly bending then extending again, at very high speed.
Shin also agreed that hands didn’t move like that when giving baths.
“(The hands, the haaaands!)”
“Calm down Yuzuha. Well, I’ll do the rest. These things should be done by the one she is bound to via the contract after all.”
Shin made his proposal while calming down the almost weeping Yuzuha. He felt things could turn ugly if he let Chiyo handle it.
“Oh no…!!”
“Chiyo…why do you look so desperate.”
Chiyo looked thoroughly disappointed, and Karin talked to her with a tired sigh. Judging from Karin’s expression, Shin imagined that similar episodes had happened before too, and laughed wryly.
◆◆◆◆
While Shin and the others were engaged in this small commotion, in the Kujou residence all vassals except Karin were assembled.
“Thus, Kankurou. I trust you will explain why you requested a duel with that man.”
Tadahisa’s aura was not as peaceful as when he met Shin, but was instead strongly intimidating.
In a way, Tadahisa’s daughter Haruna owed her life to Shin, and Kankurou had challenged him to a duel in that situation. Anyone other than Kankurou would have been thrown out of the residence.
“Yes. There was something I absolutely had to confirm. I am deeply thankful for your permission.”
Kankurou replied to Tadahisa in his usual calm and collected tone.
He had made such a proposal out of confidence; Shin would not be angry over something like that, as Kankurou well knew.
“Both his appearance and aura closely resembled a friend of my late Lord Jinkurou, so I suspected he might be that very friend…and I was right.”
“A friend of your former lord…judging from how he fought, that is not surprising.”
Tadahisa included, all vassals present nodded.
Many of those who witnessed the battle watched Shin with a bitter expression as he not only parried, but even easily beat back Kankurou’s attacks.
Even among the experienced ranks of the Kujou house, few could take Kankurou from the front in training. The speed at which Shin and Kankurou crossed swords exceeded their abilities.
“He is quite a unique young man, at that level of skirmish it is still possible to talk. This and another reason, a more important one.”
“And what would that be?”
“That young man will definitely serve no one. If anyone among those present here was thinking of putting him in his service, it is not advisable to use coercion. In the worst case, all of Hinomoto could crumble.”
Kankurou’s words caused surprise in all present, because of how great the consequences could be. Some of them looked jaded, thinking that it was some bad joke.
Even if his sword arm was on par with Kankurou, it was overly exaggerated to put him above the whole country of Hinomoto others thought.
“….I do not think you would joke in a situation like this.”
“Lord Tadahisa, you have met Schnee Raizar and Girard Estaria in the past, yes?”
“I have, before becoming head of the clan.”
“You do know how powerful they are, do you not?”
“I have been witness to a battle where Schnee Raizar participated. Her annihilation of a swarm of monsters by herself was truly impressive, even terrifying. I do believe her power surpasses human ability. It is certainly not folly to think that she could take down an entire country.”
Maybe because he was recalling that past episode, Tadahisa’s already strict expression had become even more bitter. He had been witness to Schnee destroying a whole swarm of monsters without receiving a single wound.
“Sir Shin’s power is on the same level…no, even superior to theirs. I might have some advantage over him with the use of the sword, if he fought with all his means there would be no way of stopping him. If he fought seriously, simply stalling him for a few minutes would be a great success.”
“You would go so far?”
“Without a doubt. Lord Tadahisa, you know of the High Human legends, yes? The vast majority of those legends as they are narrated today is true. As they say, the world before the Dusk was populated with warriors so powerful it was uncomparable to the world now. In the same way, sir Shin cannot be contained in our current parameters and common sense. Lost skills, hidden arts…I doubt he knows only 10 or 20 of those. Fortunately, his personality would not let him draw the sword unless something really serious happened; as long as we treat him normally, there is no concern of provoking his anger.”
The words of Kankurou, the man considered Hinomoto’s strongest even before the Dusk, were nothing to laugh at. His expression did not contain the slightest hint that he could have been joking.
For a while, no one spoke a word.
No one could take the situation lightly after hearing such serious words from the 1st seat of Hinomoto’s Brave Ten.
Shin was not to be touched. This conclusion was already set in stone.
◆◆◆◆
At the same time that Shin’s party arrived in Kujou territory, in a certain residence, two men and one woman were talking.
The higher seats were occupied by a large Type Bear and a beautiful woman emanating a certain decadent atmosphere.
The other man, clad in black robes, was kneeling before them, his head down.
“So you failed. They shouldn’t have had high defenses against magic though…did they have some countermeasure?”
“No, but a man was traveling with them as well. It appears that he detected the danger.”
The man clad in black reported on what had happened.
“Who was that?”
“An adventurer called Shin. He is becoming more known recently for greatly damaging a swarm of monsters that attacked a city in the mainland. He is a Returned Ancestor, without a doubt. ”
Rumors of Shin’s feats in Balmel were spreading wider than he thought. Information regarding powerful ones spread without their knowledge, as always.
“I tried observing him while blending into crowds, but he is surely dangerous. His appearance is that of a good-natured man, but the stench of blood lays heavy upon him. He is closer to us.”
The man in ninja clothes slightly trembled as he spoke. His unique senses as an inhabitant of underground society had made him feel how dangerous Shin can be via his smell.
“Oh my, the great Kai, the Rokuhara’s number one man, fears some adventurer?”
The woman next to the man sitting in the higher seat spoke in his place. As she slightly turned her neck sideways, her long white hair and animal ears rustled.
Behind the woman, six white furred tails, extending from her behind, were moving gently.
“If I am allowed to stake my life on the line, I shall take him.”
“Do not fret, it is still not the right time to use your life. If we cannot eliminate the successors of the Kujou house, it is all meaningless.”
With a chilling tone, the man sitting on the higher seat curbed the words of the man called Kai.
His body, 2 times larger than the average Type Bear, and the scars carved on it, reinforced his intimidating aura even more.
Kai bowed even more deeply after hearing his words.
“Tamamo. Can’t your techniques do anything? If they enter the castle, we cannot act easily.”
“Lord Juugo, I will gladly lend you my power.”
Tamamo showed a bewitching smile while leaning coyly towards the man. Her smile had charming properties, and was influencing both Juugo’s and Kai’s thoughts, little by little.
If she hadn’t, they would never think that her 6-tailed appearance, impossible for a Type Fox, was normal.
“Heh, after the death of their precious daughter, the Kujou house won’t be able to keep their peace. The sister is not long to this world either, right?”
“Yes, the illness will surely claim Kujou Haruna’s life very soon. I would have loved to eliminate the first born brother too, but regretfully there are no chances of getting close to him.”
“Let’s start from the closest targets. Hinomoto cannot stand divided forever.”
Juugo’s eyes began to sparkle with something resembling madness.
Tamamo and Kai both noticed, but said nothing.
Sparks of fire began to smolder within Hinomoto…
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
The day after the visit to Kujou Tadahisa.
Shin had been swinging 『Kakura』 since early morning, with his 【Limit】 completely removed.
“Fuuh!!”
His abilities were now completely unrestrained, but he was obviously careful not to damage the surroundings.
If he used his full strength it would be more difficult to control himself, but as long as he relaxed it was easy enough. His 【Limit】 had also been removed when he fought Barlux, Bayreuth’s guild master, after all.
Little by little, he put more strength into his swings, carefully monitoring any changes. He still couldn’t grasp it completely, but between understanding and not understanding how to control the blade, a small difference in power was born.
At that moment, he wasn’t thinking if, in the future, he would have had to hold back his strength at full release mode.
“Kuu.”
“Oh, is it time?”
Shin had told Yuzuha to check the time so he could put things in order and change before breakfast.
“Ehm, you may come out, you know?”
“…..so you noticed.”
Shin spoke towards the edge of the veranda, and an embarrassed Karin showed herself.
“I did all I could not to bother you…”
“That’s all right. I just noticed that you were there, you didn’t distract me.”
Just like the time before, Shin had noticed that Karin was close. And just like the time before, she had been careful not to bother him.
“I think it’s still early for breakfast though?”
“Yes, well, I was just curious to see what kind of training you did. After all, your match yesterday against sir Kankurou was truly impressive.”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t do anything special though…by the way, what did you think of my fighting style?”
Shin was concerned about it, so he took advantage of the opportunity to ask Karin’s opinion.
“What I think?”
“My sword arm, I mean. I have to admit, I have received some training in the art of the sword, but most of it is self-taught.”
As a player, Shin was more than powerful enough.
However, in a sword fight with no stats differences, he would not have matched Kankurou or Karin, who had spent much more time honing their technique.
The basis of Shin’s strength was not only his extensive experience in battles against monsters and other humans, but also the great variation of magic spells and skills at his disposal.
His job did not have any weapon limitations, so he could use many main weapons: swords, spears, bows, etc.
This is because he generally battled solo. He would quickly change weapons to strike the opponent’s weak points and conduct the fight in his favor.
Some think that mastering one type of weapon would make one stronger, but Shin did not choose that path.
To learn without being taught, and increase one’s ability by leaps and bounds…Shin had not been blessed by such an overwhelming form of talent.
In a way, it could be said that Shin’s sword was the fruit of his great talent in studying.
“….I think it would be presumptuous and arrogant of me to talk, but…well, something that concerned me was your body’s movements.”
“My movements?”
“Yes. In the Saegusa style handed down in my family, we focus our whole body in each swing of the blade. A precise, flowing slash, under the full control of our will, is considered the apex of the Saegusa style. In comparison, your blade seems to waver, following your body’s movements. I suppose you probably did not make your body remember each technique’s form, but only fought in actual battles?”
“Amazing, that’s completely true.”
After being taught the sword, Shin spent little time training. Most of his technique had been honed on the battlefield. After all, since he was within a game, even if he didn’t perform the best, most ideal movements, as long as the system judged it effective he could cause damage.
Soon Shin’s movements became more refined, and he stopped caring about the techniques’ form.
“Sir Shin, your physical abilities are exceptional. Slight unsteadiness has never been a problem, I’m sure.”
“But from here on out, I can’t keep saying that, can I.”
In the current world, the old damage judgement system is gone. The slight unsteadiness that Karin pointed out would influence the damage inflicted.
“Here on out?”
“I can’t have my body be in control forever.”
He had no intention of defeating any master of the sword, but simply becoming able to fully handle his own power.
Since he felt he was not using his strength properly, Shin wanted to perfect his control over his power, now that he had the time.
“Well…if you would be satisfied with me, I could teach you some of the basics. You will stay in our house until your companions arrive, so I think it could be useful to you.”
“I would be more than grateful, but is it alright to teach an outsider?”
Shin cast doubt to Karin’s sudden proposal.
“I believe that you would not use my teachings for any wrong purpose. What sir Shin needs now is understanding and control of his physical abilities. I would not impart to you teachings concerning our school’s techniques, and doubt anyone would be outraged at just some private lessons. I teach the basics at other dojos too, after all.”
No, someone probably would…thought Shin. Though to be trained by the 3rd seat of Hinomoto’s Brave Ten was something he hadn’t even hoped for, so he chose to not worry about small things.
“Well then, let us start training right after breakfast then.”
“Thank you very much.”
After breakfast, the two moved to the Saegusa dojo. The place Karin led Shin to was a quiet dojo: apparently the lessons for their students were held in another one.
Shin lowered his stats with 【Limit】 and had Karin point out where he was lacking. Probably because he had been self-taught for a long time, Shin had more weird quirks than he thought.
“You use many other weapons other than the katana, I think that is one reason too.”
Karin explained that using many weapons had created a hotbed for the birth of quirks in his fighting style.
“Kuaaa…”
Yuzuha yawned as she watched over the two.
◆◆◆◆
One evening, a few days after Karin had started giving private lessons to Shin.
Sitting on the veranda outside the room assigned to him, Shin was listening to Schnee’s report.
“(….I see. So there weren’t any major troubles after that.)”
“(Yes. We could escort lady Hermie safe and sound. For safety, Wilhelm is with her, but I’m sure she will be alright unless something extraordinary happens.)”
Milt had been sent to attack the Summit Faction base, so only Wilhelm had remained to guard Hermie. He was the one she had opened her heart to the most during their travels, so excluding battle prowess, he was the best choice.
“(That’s reassuring. Nothing in particular is going on here at the moment, but I have a few concerns. Don’t let your guard down when you come, just in case.)”
“(I know. See you soon.)”
Shin cut the Mind Chat after Schnee’s last words, spoken with a cheerful tone. It also depended on the winds, but their arrival to Hinomoto would be about one week later.
Shin gazed at the sky, thinking that it would be nice to use this opportunity to do some sightseeing in Hinomoto. A beautiful full moon was hanging in the darkness.
“A garden in the moonlight…not bad at all.”
“It’s a beautiful moonlit night.”
Shin had talked to himself, but he heard someone answer. He had noticed it already, so he wasn’t surprised; it was Karin, wearing an indoor kimono. Her silky black hair gleamed in the moonlight.
“Father gave me some good sake, so I thought of bringing you some.”
Karin was carrying a tray with a bottle and small cups.
“I see. We have a beautiful moon out too, let’s enjoy some moonlight sake then.”
Shin was not a big drinker in the real world, so this was his first time to enjoy the tradition of drinking sake while gazing at the moon.
“Here you go.”
“Eh? Oh, thanks.”
Before Shin could take the bottle to pour himself a cup, Karin did it for him. There were two small cups, so she would probably drink too.
After she poured the sake for him, Shin did the same in return.
It was probably “THE NEW GATE’s” type of sake. Its sweet aroma reminded Shin of the Ginjo style of flavor.
Recalling how he had tried it at a gathering in university, Shin put the cup to his lips, feeling a faintly sweet aroma and a firm, clean taste. Shin was not an expert by any means, but thought it was really delicious.
The moonlit sky seemed to make the sake even more pleasant. Maybe it was also because a beautiful girl like Karin was pouring it too.
“So beautiful.”
“Yes!? Ah, er, that’s right! The moon is really beautiful!”
“?”
Karin’s surprised reaction made Shin turn to look at her, but she was looking straight at the sky.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing at all….”
She seemed really nervous. The graceful, elegant demeanor she had until a moment ago had gone away somewhere.
“Does it have anything to do with the two people behind the pillar?”
“…..so you had noticed.”
“Well, I think it would be harder not to…”
Shin had detected that, at the edge of the veranda just behind a corner, Kuyou and Kayo were hiding. Kuyou’s eyes emanated a faint killing intent. Anyone who had experience of battle would have realized.
“Did something happen?”
“……actually, mother told me to get to know you more.”
“Know me more?”
The sake served the purpose of facilitating conversation, probably.
“I wonder why, did I do anything disrespectful?”
“Not at all, actually….what I’d like to know is….what food you like, what things you like, what kind of….women you like.”
The last words left Karin’s lips in a whisper.
“Aaah…I see, that’s what it is? She wants me to do a marriage interview?”
Why would Karin’s mother Kayo ask her daughter to gather that information? Shin had guessed the reason, but avoided saying it outright.
During his stay in the Saegusa house, Shin had had the chance to learn more about Hinomoto’s warrior families.
As it had been the case with Kayo, Hinomoto women tended to marry young, and it was not strange to give birth in their late teens.
For someone like Karin, who was female and part of the Brave Ten, it would be natural to have a fiance.
The Saegusa house however, placed a great focus on battle ability: Kuyou wouldn’t approve of a lacking candidate, but to find someone that he, 2nd seat in the Hinomoto Brave Ten, would accept was a difficult feat.
“Mother, well, she said that sir Shin would surely pass…….and father also seemed to accept….”
It seemed that thanks to his duel with Kankurou, Shin had satisfied their expectations. Judging from Karin’s words, Kayo was the main instigator behind it all.
“Did he really accept? The killing intent coming from him is getting gradually stronger…”
Kuyou’s killing intent was gradually growing as time passed. Even if he had accepted, his feelings as a father were a different thing.
“Well, you see…I am really sorry, but I already have a fiancee. I’m afraid I cannot accept that proposal.”
“Eh…..? Oh, I see. Of course! A man like you would surely have at least one fiancee!!”
After hearing Shin’s reply, Karin opened her eyes wide for an instant, then showed an exaggerated reaction.
She was partly surprised, partly relieved…mixed feelings swirled inside her, and for Shin it was difficult to read her expression for a while.
“I’m sorry for bringing up something so weird. It’s a beautiful night, and I almost ruined it.”
“Personally, I feel honored to have you serve me sake.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that.”
Karin bowed, then walked away in Kuyou and Kayo’s direction. Their presence disappeared too, probably thanks to Karin.
“Marriage, huh…”
In the former world too, there existed the concept of marriages focused on households or bloodlines, but Shin had never had anything to do with such things.
If Karin had really fallen in love with him, it would be understandable for them to talk to Shin about marriage, now that he knew about the Saegusa house’s circumstances. Shin, however, had no recollection of any episodes that could have turned her “like” into “love”.
There were happenings that might have made her think of Shin that way, like when he performed CPR and a cardiac massage on her.
“It’s too early for a student like me to think about that…”
Shin’s original “status” was university student. Marriage wasn’t something too far off in the future, but still it didn’t feel realistic yet.
“….sigh”
After leaving Shin, Karin shoved Kuyou and Kayo in their bedroom, then returned to her room.
Her body, which felt strangely heavier than usual, lying in the futon, she stared at the ceiling.
“A fiancee…”
Shin’s battle prowess is extremely high. Outside Hinomoto, he could be a very successful adventurer.
Karin knew that Shin’s name was actually starting to become known.
Tadahisa had forbidden anyone to forcibly pull Shin to their side, but in case of mutual affection there would be no problem.
“I should be happy that a troublesome thing has been taken care of, and yet…”
Karin had always focused on swinging her sword, without caring to practice bridal duties. She had left Hinomoto as an adventurer, so she could cook and sew to an extent, but Karin had never considered the possibility of marriage.
….at least, that’s how it was supposed to be.
“…..sigh.”
She wouldn’t stop sighing after going back to her room.
Maintaining one’s condition was also a warrior’s duty. Yet after talking with Shin, she found herself unable to.
She knew what this feeling was.
The identity of the weariness enveloping her body. It was “loss”.
A sensation felt after losing something of importance. A sensation similar to powerlessness.
That was strange, though. She hadn’t lost anything.
“Beautiful, huh…”
Shin’s words were looping inside Karin’s mind.
Looking at Shin, it was clear enough that those words had not been directed at her. Despite that, she was almost comically surprised by them.
Her face still felt flushed.
At the same time, she could feel a clenching pain, deep in her chest.
Karin knew this sensation too.
“Am I….attracted to sir Shin…?”
She had seen him for the first time on the ship they had boarded to return to their homeland. She understood he was a man of great ability, but he was still just another passenger.
As they talked, she simply had the impression that he probably wasn’t a bad person.
She was surprised at his strength during the battle against the Gale Serpents.
Then, after diving into the sea to follow Kanade, when she regained consciousness the first thing she saw was Shin’s back.
“It was really big…”
Karin could faintly remember when he was carrying her. Shin was of rather lean build, but his back was bigger and larger than she thought, and she didn’t feel uneasy at all when leaning against him.
Then, he helped them look for the medicinal herb for Lady Haruna; on top of Mt. Fuji, he stood fearlessly before a giant 8-headed snake monster, and won the herb with his sword.
Karin remembered the burning sensation in her chest as she watched Shin face the female warrior clad in platinum armor.
However, she thought that it was a sensation born from watching two powerful warriors engage in battle…
“To fall in love while watching him cross swords in battle…there’s something wrong with me.”
She was starting to worry about her sensitivity. She had been focused on the sword all her life, that’s true, but even so that was too violent a beginning.
Something else that could have triggered it all…
“Ah…”
She came up with something else.
The decisive episode that made her think about Shin.
Karin lightly passed her fingers on her lips.
“The kiss.”
Shin had desperately explained that he had done that to save her, and Karin did not doubt his words.
But it was still true that she had been kissed. And according to Kanade, he had touched her breasts too.
She knew she was more developed than other people her age. She also knew that when she was out adventuring with Kanade, men would often gaze at her chest.
She felt nothing but disgust then, but in Shin’s case the disgust disappeared.
Rather, she even…
“Aaaah!! What am I thinking about!?!”
Karin couldn’t help but raise her voice.
Her heartbeat was getting annoyingly noisy. Her thoughts refused to be put in order.
The more she tried not to think about it, the more Shin’s silhouette occupied her mind.
The slightly silly expression he had when they first met.
The brave expression he showed when he blew away the Gale Serpent’s head.
His kind expression when he was worrying about her.
His serious expression while he swung the sword.
“To realize it after being turned down…there really is something wrong with me…”
She would barely sleep that night.
◆◆◆◆
3 days after Karin talked about marriage to Shin, a letter was delivered to the Saegusa house.
Chiyo, who had received it, said it had come from the Kujou.
“It’s for me?”
“Yes, lady Haruna expressed the wish to meet you. The sender is lady Kanade.”
I am aware of the rudeness of my request. But could you make it possible to meet my sister once…was the content of the letter.
Considering Kanade’s personality, she would rather show up personally to talk about it, but as she had been absent from Hinomoto for a long time, she likely had been caught by a servant on her way out.
“Lady Haruna is a very reasonable person. She surely would not think well of requesting the person she owes her life to to come visit her. But just ending things with a thank-you letter isn’t something that she’d accept either.”
Shin had already received a letter of gratitude for the assistance he had lent.
It was rich in old-fashioned expressions and hard to read, but her feelings of gratitude were clearly expressed.
“I have already been thanked by lord Tadahisa too, I don’t think she should concern herself with it though…”
“She’s also unusually stubborn you see. Sir Shin, wouldn’t you give lady Haruna a chance to express her thanks?”
“Well, I don’t have much to do until my comrades arrive after all. If she will be relieved, then it’s fine for me. To be honest, I’m the one feeling nervous though…”
Kuyou wrote the letter of acceptance and handed it to the waiting messenger.
They would go visit lady Haruna the following day.
“Ehm, I think it is best to review the visit protocol…”
“Y-yes…”
As they were walking towards the Kujou residence, Shin talked to Karin, but received an awkward reply.
The day after their marriage conversation, Karin was too restless and they couldn’t continue their usual training.
Now, after a few days had passed, she seemed more calm.
By the way, Yuzuha had stayed back at the residence.
As they arrived to the residence where Haruna was said to be, they showed the gate guard the proof of passage they had received with the reply to their letter.
The proof of passage had half of a seal; combined with the other half, which the gate guard had, it matched perfectly and emitted a faint glow. In order to avoid counterfeiting, a magical defense mechanism had been placed on it as well.
As they were waiting for someone to guide them into the residence, Kanade herself appeared.
“I thank you for coming. Come in, this way.”
“Lady Kanade. The noble daughter of the Kujou house should not behave like that in public!!”
A lady in her 40s, who arrived right after Kanade, reprimanded her. She was Kanade’s tutor and her name was “Ei”.
“I apologize for my rudeness. I shall accompany you inside. Only several days have passed since our lady Haruna rose from her sickbed, thus I pray you not to tire her too much.”
“Understood.”
Ei bowed deeply to them, and Shin nodded in reply. Her illness might have been cured, but Haruna had been sick in bed for a long period, naturally they did not want to be a burden to her.
After they walked for awhile, Ei stopped in front a room with a veranda. Kanade, who had gone back before them, was already inside.
Ei kneeled on the floor and called to who was beyond the sliding doors.
“Lady Haruna. Lord Shin and Lady Karin have arrived.”
“Let them inside.”
After Haruna’s reply, Ei opened the sliding doors. Shin and Karin were encouraged to go inside and complied.
“Let me thank you for coming all the way here to visit me.”
Alongside Kanade, in the room there was another young woman, adorned in a gorgeous kimono.
Shin’s attention was caught by the woman’s captivating waist-length black hair and her eyes, black like polished obsidian gems.
Her facial features were very Japanese-like, with a reserved kind of elegance typical of traditional Japanese beauty.
“Don’t just stand around like that, have a seat. You shouldn’t make my sister wait.”
“You have even less restraint than usual I see.”
There was no doubt that the young lady before them was Haruna.
As Shin sat on the cushion prepared for him, Haruna adjusted her posture, then deeply lowered her head to him.
“I wish to give you my deepest gratitude for saving my sister and her friend’s lives. Thanks to you, the illness afflicting me has been cured as well. I shall never forget the debt of gratitude I owe you for the rest of my life.”
“Raise your head, please. I simply followed my heart. Your feelings of gratitude have already reached me very well.”
Shin felt a bit uneasy, doubting that it was proper for the daughter of the family’s head to bow like that to a mere adventurer.
He appreciated her gesture of thanks, of course, but being treated so formally had the inverse effect of making him nervous.
Being born and raised in modern times, Shin found Haruna’s reactions exaggerated.
“I also wish I could show my gratitude to you somehow…”
“No, please, you really should not concern yourself with that. Er…oh, yes! Seeing Lady Haruna smile would be more than sufficient!”
“My smile?”
“I do not know how you normally are, of course, but your expression now is, how should I say…stiff, lady Haruna. I do not need things or glory, nothing like that, but if possible, I would like to see a more cheerful expression from you.”
Shin went with an idea that had suddenly come to mind, but while talking he was almost annoyed with himself at that totally out of character request.
He knew that when he would recall his actions and words later, he would want to kick himself.
“I say, I also love my sister’s smile very much.”
Saying so, Kanade hugged Haruna.
“I do not know how valuable my smile can be, but I shall not refuse such a request. I have not had much to smile about after being bedridden, so I hope it is not too awkward.”
While caressing Kanade’s head, who had jumped on her lap, Haruna replied to Shin. Her words gave him a small relief.
Haruna’s expression as she cuddled Kanade appeared as if illuminated by sunlight.
“….lending my help has been worth it.”
Thanks to the warmth he felt from looking at Haruna cuddling Kanade, Shin’s uneasiness was gone too.
After explaining briefly what had happened in their travels, they excused themselves from Haruna’s quarters. The tutor Ei had reminded them not to stay too long after all.
Karin had not spoken much, but apparently she had already met and talked with Haruna, whom she counted as a close friend.
“I have been steadily recovering, but everyone’s such a worrywart.”
“I heard you have been bedridden for a long time, so it can’t be helped.”
After consoling the disappointed-looking Haruna, Shin stood up. Haruna didn’t want to see them go yet, but there was nothing else they could do; A presence was clearly sending a “It’s time to let the lady rest—” message from outside towards Shin, probably Ei.
“I shall take my leave then. Please take care not to push yourself too much, as you just recovered.”
Realizing again how loved she had to be by those around her, Shin bid farewell to Haruna.
“Will it be possible to meet again? I am eager to know more about the world outside Hinomoto.”
“I am imposing in the Saegusa house until my companions arrive, so it will be possible until then. Although I fear the vassals will be opposed to the household’s lady meeting a mere adventurer like me.”
“It will be wise to do it without creating any unpleasant rumors, by having someone else with you during the visit, I think.”
The Kujou house was the ruler of east Hinomoto. If people started rumoring that its first-born daughter was intimate with an unknown adventurer, Haruna’s reputation was more at risk than Shin.
Karin thus suggested that they avoided meeting by themselves.
“I understand, but it is truly regretful.”
“Alas, it is how Shin and Karin said. Now that you have recovered, the storm of marriage proposals will start again too.”
Shin thought that Kanade’s prediction was surely on the spot.
Her household and appearance were excellent, talking to her showed a person with a serene personality, clearly quite intelligent too. With so many excellent conditions all together, there will surely be multitudes of men willing to marry her.
As she had just recovered, it was likely that no such topic had been mentioned to her, but sooner or later they surely would. It wasn’t something Shin could do anything about.
“Well then, if there will be the chance, let us meet again.”
“Thank you again for coming.”
“Yes, come again!”
Ei, who was waiting outside Haruna’s quarters, led them back to the entrance gate.
“Thank you very much for sparing your precious time for Lady Haruna today.”
“Not at all, a mere adventurer like me was unworthy of such honor.”
Normally, an attendant would accompany guests from the small gate in the hedges surrounding the residence until the large gate at the entrance of the Kujou estate, but this time Karin assumed that role.
Even if it was a person they owe great gratitude to, they wouldn’t let strangers walk on their own around the main compound after all.
While thinking about this, Shin realized that since he had entered the Kujou domain, every time he left the Saegusa residence he was accompanied by someone.
“Well, I guess that’s obvious.”
He whispered this to himself and looked towards the large gate, when he saw someone other than the guard before it.
“It’s been a while, sir Shin.”
“Sir Kankurou…you have business with lady Haruna as well?”
Kankurou, who was dressed the same way as when he fought Shin, shook his head.
“No, I simply had some free time, so I was taking a walk, and I perceived your presence. I do not have very much time, but would you join me for some conversation?”
“No problem for me, but what about you Karin?”
“That is fine for me too. I see sir Toshiro is here too, what about you?”
“I do not have any pressing duties either.”
In the direction, Karin looked at stood Yaejima Toshiro. He was not wearing armor, but only grey and deep green formal wear.
“However, if time allows it, I would like to ask sir Shin for a match.”
“A match?”
Ever since they first met, when Shin was with Karin and Kanade, he hadn’t felt any amity coming from Toshiro. What he felt almost made him feel like he was considered an enemy instead.
He was slightly surprised, then, to be challenged to a duel in such a direct manner.
“I have heard the rumors. You are receiving lady Karin’s teachings in the way of the sword, yes?”
“There are such rumors?”
Shin raised his eyebrows at Toshiro’s words.
Karin was the Saegusa family’s first-born daughter and the 3rd seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten. If word of her teaching a stranger the art of the sword spread, it would definitely cause a commotion. Shin would have hated to return Karin’s favor with trouble.
“I don’t think I spoke about it with anyone though.”
“I have not heard a word of it either. By the way, Toshiro, recently you seem to strangely disappear rather often, don’t you?”
After hearing Karin and especially Kankurou’s comments, Shin casted a suspicious glance at Kankurou, thinking that he might have been spying on them.
“I just heard it from lady Chiyo! I was told not to say it to anyone else, nor have I any intention to!! I am just all too env-ahem!!!”
The more they talked, the more Shin’s opinion of Toshiro changed.
“Ehm…sir Toshiro?”
Karin looked puzzled at Toshiro, she didn’t seem to have noticed his affection for her yet.
“In any case!! I shall put you to the test and see how much your skills have grown!!”
“My apologies. Toshiro is infatuated with lady Karin, and you see…”
“Oh, yes, I kind of realized it too.”
“T-that has nothing to do with this!!!”
Toshiro yelled at Kankurou and Shin’s whispered conversation.
“?”
Karin, who had not heard the conversation, looked even more confused.
Shin thought that maybe, this Yaejima Toshiro wasn’t a bad person.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
As they did not have anything urgent to do, Shin and Karin followed Kankurou to the Toudou house’s dojo.
It was a separate compound, used only by Kankurou, Toshiro, and a few others.
In the same way as the Saegusa house, the dojos were separated between teaching use and personal use.
“Some wish to focus on personal training without being bothered by their surroundings. This dojo is also used sometimes for matches such as this.”
“….I suppose they don’t want to be seen.”
“Well, yes, that would be better.”
Shin and Toshiro then both wielded wooden swords.
As Kankurou had told Shin on their way to the dojo, Toshiro was close in level to the Hinomoto Brave Ten. The aura Shin felt emanating from Toshiro convinced him that it had to be the truth.
While they were talking, Shin regarded Toshiro as a guy he couldn’t help but like, but now the man before him was nothing but a proud swordsman.
“Here I come.”
With this short declaration, Toshiro stepped forward. Without any pre-emptive movements, he closed in on Shin as if sliding on the ground.
Toshiro’s sword arm might have seemed to be moving leisurely, but an instant later it was already penetrating Shin’s space.
“Shah!!”
Shin swung his sword in response to Toshiro’s strike. The clash of the two wooden swords produced a dull sound that echoed through the dojo.
“Hmm…”
Looking at the two fighters, Kankurou was deep in thought, his chin resting on his hand. He felt that Shin’s movements had become much sharper compared to when they fought a few days before.
(….he’s already changed so much?)
Even more so than Kankurou, Shin was surprised at his own movements.
Karin’s teachings resulted in Shin eliminating unnecessary motions from his movements.
They didn’t do any training for actual fighting, she had just observed him swinging his sword and re-enacting skills with his body movements.
“I see you have grown damn well already.”
“I’m surprised myself.”
Shin was so surprised by the results that he answered exactly what he was thinking.
Toshiro’s first strike was meant to be a test; the second and third strike that followed were much heavier and faster.
They might have been inferior to Kankurou’s, but most Chosen Ones would have had trouble parrying them.
Shin, however, deflected them all with ease.
It was also thanks to the speed boost granted by his high stats, but more than anything, his body felt really light.
He had not changed the 【Limit】 on his status, but he felt the distance linking each one of his strikes had shrunk. The speed of his swings had increased. Each strike’s weight had changed too.
“To think that it can all change this much.”
He might have felt the change more clearly thanks to his high stats.
Even so, the clear results showed that, he had to admit, his former movements were riddled with unnecessary motions.
The sound of the impact between the two men’s wooden swords grew progressively louder, the pause between clashes shorter.
(Slash downwards from the right, then slash up right away from the left…no, stop halfway and thrust forward!)
Shin dodged, parried, blocked the wooden blade attacking him.
The two blades clashed again, this time locked, grinding against each other.
“Fuuh!!”
Toshiro tried to push forward by pressing his weight into the sword, but, after a brief moment, suddenly retreated.
His rapid movements gave the illusion that the floor under Toshiro had slipped away. The distance he had retreated was the exact distance needed for the tip of his sword to reach Shin.
The blade formed an arc in mid-air and swung down, aimed towards Shin’s left side.
“Not so fast!”
Shin didn’t dodge or parry, but stepped in closer to Toshiro before his blow could land. He charged forward, with the intent of shoving Toshiro away.
“Guh!!”
Toshiro probably judged he couldn’t make it in time; he pulled back his sword at the same time as Shin’s tackle.
Shin accelerated his charge against the swing while Toshiro was retreating. Naturally, the former won.
Toshiro avoided the fate of losing balance and falling down, but because of that he couldn’t defend himself against Shin’s following attack.
Toshiro tried to twist his body to avoid Shin’s wooden sword aimed at his neck.
Shin, ready to intercept such struggle, brought down his sword on Toshiro’s neck, then stopped just as the blade touched it.
“….what?”
Toshiro regained his balance and questioned Shin.
Shin answered while looking not at Toshiro, but the dojo entrance.
“Someone is coming. Two people.”
“Hm, looks like it.”
Kankurou had also perceived it, and nodded at Shin’s words. Karin too felt the new presence, and turned to look in the same direction as Shin.
After a little while, two men appeared at the dojo’s entrance.
“Did we interrupt something?”
“Brother! Why are you here!”
Toshiro yelled to one of the two men, who looked apologetic.
According to 【Analyze】, his name was Yaejima Shiden, a young man in his late twenties.
He had black hair mixed with white, red eyes, and was around the same height as Shin, about 180 cemels. In contrast to his soft speech and gentle expressions, both his arms and legs were very thick; to Shin they looked like bundles of steel.
His job was samurai and his level, quite high, was 238.
“I thought that you would be here Toshiro. I have sir Tadahisa’s permission to move within the castle compound. Lord Kankurou, I am glad to see you too. Lady Karin, I see you have returned from the search for Lady Haruna’s medicine.”
“I am glad to see you in good health, sir Shiden.”
“It has been a long time.”
Kankurou and Karin each answered the man’s greetings. Obviously enough, the three all knew each other.
“Sir Kanezuka, I trust you are well too.”
“Hmm.”
After greeting Shiden, Kankurou spoke to Kanezuka Araki.
He was a man between his late thirties or early forties. He seemed to be of rather short stature, maybe because he was standing next to Shiden.
His job was blacksmith, as manifested by the very developed muscles on his arms. His level was 166. His grey hair was cut short, his black eyes fixed on Kankurou’s 『Black Moon』.
“This man is sir Shin, correct?”
“That’s me, but why do you know my name?”
Shiden looked at Shin and inquired about his identity. His expression was very serious as he did so.
“I have been informed that you have assisted in the search for the medicinal herbs to cure lady Haruna’s illness. Oh, I have yet to introduce myself, have I. I am the first-born of the Yaejima house, Yaejima Shiden.”
“Er, as you already know, my name is Shin.”
He was apparently aware of Shin’s status as guest, and had been informed about what Shin looked like.
“What brings you here today then? As sir Shiden came in person, I can imagine what the matter might be though.”
“I think many are aware of the whispers that there are suspicious movements in the west. I would like to say that they are all groundless rumors…but I received a report that the Ichinose house, one of our vassals, is making suspicious moves. I came to inform sir Tadahisa that our Yaejima house, along with 3 other houses, are investigating this matter at the moment.”
After Shiden finished talking, Toshiro interjected.
“The Ichinose house!?”
“Yes, that house always sought to unify Hinomoto. But would they move only by themselves, I wonder?”
Kankurou, after pondering for a moment, voiced his doubts.
“Our investigation being still underway, I cannot say anything yet. However—”
“Ehm, excuse me!”
Shiden and Kankurou were continuing to discuss the matter, ignoring the surprised Toshiro, when Shin interrupted them.
“Is anything wrong?”
“Sirs, please, you know you can’t talk of such delicate matters with an outsider like me around!”
Kankurou looked at Shin as if he had a question mark over his head, without the slightest concern on his expression.
“I have heard from sir Tadahisa and lady Haruna that you are a man worthy of trust, sir Shin. You have no intention of talking about this to anyone, correct?”
“That’s true, but…”
Shin regarded this excessive trust with suspicion.
“Sir Kankurou says that you are someone that can be trusted. I have no reasons to doubt you. Moreover, sir Shin is someone even sir Kankurou said he cannot win against…I would never want such a person to think of us as enemies. I know sir Kankurou’s strength very well after all.”
Both the eastern and western families trusted Kankurou’s word apparently. The reason for this trust came from Shiden’s own experience. No one would want to turn a powerful warrior into an enemy for no reason after all.
“I see that you have crossed swords with Toshiro too. How did my brother fare?”
“He was quite strong, I think. I wonder if it is wise to trust so easily though.”
“I have heard the sound of your swords clashing. Your sword swings straight and true. Sir Kankurou’s words and the sound of those sword clashes, as a samurai myself I cannot mistrust you.”
“…………”
Shin was somewhat at a loss for words.
He had heard that masters could communicate without words, through their fists or their blades.
During his battle against Girard, Shin had understood his feelings. But that time, his mental state was in a kind of extreme condition, and he managed to do it because he knew his opponent very well.
To understand someone he never met before only through the sound of sword clashes was something utterly impossible for Shin.
“You are trusted, isn’t that enough?”
“Well, it is better than to be suspected.”
Araki spoke to the speechless Shin. His expression told him to “stop sweating the small stuff.”
“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet, right. I’m Kanezuka Araki, a blacksmith. Today I came here to admire sir Kankurou’s 『Black Moon』.”
“Yes, here you are.”
Kankurou nodded, took 『Black Moon』 from his waist and handed it to Araki.
Araki sat down on a corner of the dojo and, using a cloth to be sure not to touch it directly, stared intently at 『Black Moon』’s blade.
The user limitation had been removed apparently.
“What is he doing?”
“I am collaborating with sir Kanezuka in order for him to forge a divine blade like 『Black Moon』. I suppose you have heard that I am looking for someone to inherit 『Black Moon』, yes?”
“Only in passing. I know that lady Karin, my host, is a candidate too.”
“At present, 『Black Moon』 is the only katana bearing the “divine blade” moniker. I do not know who will inherit it, but there have been squabbles about it…if it will be kept by the eastern or western forces. Of course, it will be the side the inheritor belongs to, but many worry that it could tilt the balance between the two forces.”
It might be just one blade, but it was not to be underestimated.
The stat bonuses given from the katana to the owner were high, but the long-range attacks it could unleash, paired with high stats, could easily surpass average skills in power.
“Thus I thought that having another divine blade could be a solution, but apparently even for sir Kanezuka, Hinomoto’s finest blacksmith, forging an Ancient-grade katana is no easy feat.”
He observed 『Black Moon』 to find hints, researched documents and oral traditions and continued to forge, through a process of trial and error.
“Do you know what the materials are? It’s quite difficult to obtain them.”
“We have some of the materials left by lord Jinkurou. We don’t know, however, how more than half of them should be used. I am a complete novice in the blacksmith profession after all.”
Shin whispered to Kankurou, who he thought would be knowledgeable in the art of forging. Shin thought that it would have been a very difficult, if not impossible, feat; as expected, success seemed very far.
“Personally, I hoped we could receive some words of advice…”
Kankurou, who knew of Shin’s real identity, hoped that Shin, a blacksmith himself, could offer some advice.
Looking at Araki’s bloodshot eyes, Shin had already understood that he was close to a dead-end.
“If I just said something out of the blue, would he believe me? He looks like a hardcore artisan type, I doubt he’d pay any mind to a youngster like me.”
“Those of relatively high social status already know that you are a Returned Ancestor, what the Adventurers’ Guild calls Chosen Ones. Because of this, I think he will listen to you, at least a little. Even the tiniest hint would suffice.”
Kankurou wasn’t ordering Shin to show all his skills and knowledge as a blacksmith.
It would be far too easy if it was possible to forge an Ancient-grade weapon only after hearing some advice.
Looking at Araki, desperately trying to draw the tiniest bit of information from 『Black Moon』, Shin felt solidarity as a blacksmith. Thus he decided to give him some help.
“I might be able to say something if I saw him forging. Blacksmithing techniques vary greatly from school to school, and the methods I know are influenced by one’s ability. I would at least be able to understand if there are techniques that could be used in this case.”
“Let us do just that then.”
Kankurou went closer to Araki and explained the situation. Araki looked at Shin first with surprise, then with a glare so sharp Shin felt like he could be sniped down any moment. After staring at Shin for several moments, Araki gave a small nod.
“…..you’re knowledgeable about blacksmithing?”
Toshiro, who had been excluded by the recent developments, asked Shin.
“I don’t think I can do anything special, but I might be of some help.”
Shin’s techniques were instinctive, born from his experience during the game era. It was difficult for him to explain crafting processes with words, so he decided to think after looking at Araki’s forging first.
Shin was capable of forging strong weapons not only because of his technique, but also because of his magic powers, so he wasn’t absolutely sure he could be of help.
“Our match ends here then.”
“Is that alright with you?”
“I couldn’t care less about what that man said about balance or whatever. But sir Kanezuka is betting his own life on the order he received. Holding you back here would mean being in his way. Who could do something so uncouth?”
“….I see.”
He was more reasonable than expected. Despite his frustration, he managed to keep his feelings under control.
Shin’s opinion of Toshiro changed yet again.
“What will you do now brother?”
“Return to the Yaejima house of course. I have duly delivered father’s message to sir Tadahisa and could also observe your growth. I could say that my objectives are fulfilled.”
Shiden, saying that his duties were over, went towards the castle town with the Kujou soldiers waiting outside the dojo.
Shin’s group of 5 moved to the smithy.
Kanezuka Araki was the chief blacksmith of the Kanezuka school; they would use his personal facility this time. It was equipped with the highest quality furnace and tools.
They arrived at a smithy equipped with a single furnace. It was not very wide, and apparently had been built with the sole purpose of forging the divine katana.
Araki told his disciples to not get close and beckoned Shin to enter.
The other 3 were told to wait outside. The smithy is a territory with the sole purpose of passing down blacksmithing techniques. When forging weapons, only the blacksmith and those in the same field were allowed inside.
“I will forge trying to create the divine katana. When I finish, tell me what you thought.”
After saying only that, Araki started swinging his hammer.
Shin was looking at him silently, and realized that Araki used next to no magic power when swinging his hammer.
As he had expected, the magic power contained in the katana came only from the materials and the slight quantity present in the surrounding atmosphere, the moment the hammer hit the materials.
The speed at which the mass of iron changed shape was also much slower than that of Shin. Araki appeared to be using skills, but they weren’t at the level of Shin’s, who could make ingots change their shape at will.
Looking at the way the man crafted, Shin estimated that Araki’s crafting level was around VII. If he could use the same techniques as Shin, he could easily create Mythology-grade weapons.
Shin, however, had heard that Araki’s masterpiece was a Legend-grade weapon. The reason was the way he forged. If one focused only on the ability to strike iron, the stats of the produced weapon can only go so high.
Shin didn’t know if the Legend-grade weapon Araki had forged was Higher or Lower, but to forge that sword without using magic, as Araki did, would have been impossible, at least in the game era.
(Either he’s a genius, or it’s a product of his life-long focus on blacksmithing and techniques…possibly both.)
Some use the expression “to breathe life in one’s work”, but in Araki’s case saying “to pour one’s own lifeblood in one’s work” would have been more accurate.
The energy and aura he infused in every swing of the hammer was so powerful, one would think that he was shaving away his own lifespan to do so. “To work as if possessed,” an expression that fit him perfectly.
After the whole process ended, what remained was only to polish the blade.
He would leave this work to an expert polisher.
After the polishing was completed, a katana with a beautiful blade was born.
Its appearance was average, but its grade was middle Unique. For Shin, to be able to forge such a blade from imperfect materials made him understand how Araki forged a Legend-grade weapon.
“….I failed.”
Araki spoke with a sour expression.
He was aiming at forging a blade on par with the Lower Legend-grade katana 『Black Moon』. Considering this, he had not only failed to reach the peak, but didn’t even come close to the foot of the mountain. Araki’s expression remained sour not only because of the katana’s quality.
“What do you have then?”
“A few things concerned me. I would like to ask you a few questions first, if that’s possible.”
“As long as you won’t ask me to teach you my secret techniques, say anything you want.”
“I will, then. First, why don’t you pour magic in the katana?”
“What?”
Araki’s eyes became slits after hearing Shin’s question.
“If a blacksmith pours magic power into the katana, its sturdiness and sharpness increase. As far as I know, there is no other way to forge a katana of Legend grade and above.”
“Just honing one’s skill of striking metal is not enough, you say?”
“Yes. It is also not enough to simply pour in magic power. It’s difficult to put in words, but one must first pour magic in the hammer, then pour it into the katana as the hammer strikes it. That’s a very general way to explain the process. To be perfectly honest, being able to forge a Legend-grade katana in this situation makes you, sir Kanezuka, truly exceptional.”
Without a certain level of blacksmithing skills, of course, one could not forge good weapons, no matter how they poured their magic.
But if one considered only the ability in manipulating magic power, Pixies and Elves would have been more apt at blacksmithing.
“….that is probably a technique that was lost before being handed down. I hear that when Hinomoto was still engulfed in the flames of war, there were many more skilled blacksmiths than today. There were also weapons with much higher quality than the present ones as well.”
Many techniques had been lost during the war apparently.
Blacksmithing techniques never left their respective schools after all. If a whole school disappeared during the war, their techniques refined through the generations would vanish alongside them.
“I would never have thought to hear about one of the lost secret techniques…I swear on the honor of the Kanezuka that I will speak of this to no one.”
“Sir, I have no intention of keeping techniques hidden; as long as you do not mention that you heard it from me, that is enough. It’s a technique that existed in the past, so someone, somewhere, could revive it at any time, or rather, it could be still alive somewhere.”
It would be not be strange if someone like Kankurou, formerly serving a Player, could use it.
Shin also felt that Araki’s seriousness and focus were not inferior to theirs.
“It would be hard for me to explain in detail with words, so I think it will be faster if you just watch me. May I borrow your tools?”
“….use anything you need.”
Practice more than theory, watch and learn. Techniques such as those could not be explained fully just through verbal explanations and theory.
That is why Shin decided to show his craft.
He only performed several strikes, using the “Tamahagane” steel he found in the smithy. Before it could be called complete Shin heated it into the furnace, hammered it and gradually formed the katana’s shape.
He was infusing his magic power in the hammer, so after every strike sparks of different colors burst from the Tamahagane.
“…….”
Araki stared at Shin’s movements, not missing the slightest motion. The aura he emitted was as if he was swinging the hammer together with Shin.
“….I’ve finished. Now it only needs to be polished.”
The blade had been completed, at unnatural speed. Shin could have completed it to the point that it didn’t need polishing, but that would go beyond simply being a capable blacksmith, so he didn’t go that far.
Through the work of the same polisher who had handled the katana that Araki forged before, Shin’s katana gained its shine. It was a middle Unique-grade, the same as the katana that Araki had just forged.
“You forged this on purpose…?”
“No, that’s just a coincidence. But it’s better for us. I would like you to see what’s different between them, but would it be alright if the katana you forged before became unusable?”
“….that is fine. Let me see just how worthy it is.”
Shin took his newly forged katana and held it still, with the blade pointing upwards.
He told Araki to stand back, then swung the katana that Araki had forged onto the blade he had made.
“!?!”
Araki looked wide-eyed at the result.
The katana Araki had forged, which Shin held firmly in hand, had been cut off in the middle. The katana Shin was holding still, on the other hand, did not have the slightest cut.
“To be of the same grade, and yet be so different…”
“Sir Kanezuka, you arrived to this level without using magic. I am sure you can forge much superior katanas. The weapons called “Magic Swords” are called such because magic envelops their blades.”
After saying so, Shin handed the blade he had held still to Araki. As Shin had said, its blade was covered in faint magic power.
According to the game rules, Unique-grade weapons could not really be called “Magic Sword” or “Magic Katana”. It was probably because Shin had forged it, that the katana now in Araki’s hands had specs worthy of the “Magic” moniker.
“A true Magic Katana, huh…it is true that both the katana I forged once and 『Black Moon』 have magic power shrouding their blades. I felt something different than just a Magic Katana from 『Black Moon』 though.”
“I think that the materials might be the reason. I used Tamahagane as the material this time, so only the katana’s specs as a weapon increased. But I have heard that different materials can add all sorts of effects. I don’t know what that means in detail though.”
“That’s more than enough. Young man…no, sir Shin, I owe you very much. If you need my help in anything, just say the word.”
“First of all, as I said before, I would like you to keep the source of all this information a secret. Other than that, there is nothing I need at the moment.”
He had been seen by several Kanezuka disciples, so he knew of the possibility that they would guess that the information came from him.
He didn’t think that Araki would blabber about Shin being the source, but he wanted to be sure.
“You may pass this technique to anyone you deem worthy, sir Kanezuka. It is not something I obtained on my own after all.”
“Is that really alright?”
“Even if I hid it, someone might be spying, and it was a technique commonly used in the past after all. I just hope that the katana built this way will be used to protect others.”
Katanas were nothing more than tools. Depending on the user, they could become blades of protection or of slaughter.
Shin gave some more pieces of advice to Araki, who said he would forge another blade, then left the Kanezuka residence.
He returned with Karin and Toshiro. Kankurou had been called by Araki and stayed back in the Kanezuka residence.
“….did you teach him something?”
“I told him about some techniques I know. The divine katana’s creation will progress a bit, I think.”
Toshiro inquired about what had happened in the Kanezuka residence while they were going back to the Saegusa house.
“Uhm, I have heard that such techniques are kept secret though.”
“I do not belong to any particular school or tradition, so I do not have any intention of keeping techniques for myself. Though, I would not spread them to just anyone.”
Karin still flushed slightly when talking to Shin, but he tried to talk with her as normally as he did before.
“I have never seen sir Kanezuka make that expression before though. It must have been quite an impressive technique.”
“….is that so? I couldn’t tell, to be honest. I just meant to give him some advice, but then I saw him swing his hammer so intensely…as a blacksmith myself, I couldn’t stop at just a word or two.”
Shin could have given a plausible explanation, but chose not to.
For someone who had seriously trained in the art of blacksmithing, the techniques that Shin acquired through the game would seem like cheating. That was partly why Shin respected the blacksmith Kanezuka Araki, who had reached that level of skill while being a normal person.
“What are you, anyway?”
“Just an adventurer and a busybody, nothing more.”
“I, I think he’s a good man…”
“What the…ggh….”
Karin’s comment following Shin’s words made Toshiro’s teeth grind. He must have realized that Karin looked quite different from the usual.
“Then, can I ask something too?”
“Hm….what?”
“Sir Toshiro, you belong to the Yaejima house, correct? I have heard that the Yaejima are a great clan ruling over west Hinomoto. If so, why do you stay alongside Kankurou, a servant of the Kujou house?”
Shin felt this after hearing about the two forces ruling over Hinomoto.
Shin, who had studied Japanese history in school, for a second thought that he might have been a hostage, but Toshiro seemed far too free to be one.
“I am one of sir Kankurou’s disciples. He’s a man who imparts his teachings without care for social status, and lord Tadahisa gave his approval as well.”
However, if the Yaejima house did something to stir conflict in Hinomoto, Toshiro’s life would be forfeit.
“I believe that neither my father nor my brother would ever do something so foolish. But if it ever happened, I would simply offer my life.”
Toshiro spoke every word with conviction, without turning away his eyes.
If they were planning something, having him go on a rampage within the Kujou house would be an ingenious plan.
In case of real danger, one might suddenly hold on to dear life.
Shin, however, did not think Toshiro capable of any such things. That could be said of everyone following Kankurou, too.
In Hinomoto, there was a trust that went beyond reason. That’s what Shin felt looking at Toshiro.
After Shin left, in the smithy where now the furnace did not burn anymore, Araki and Kankurou were talking.
“Did sir Shin say anything helpful for crafting a divine katana?”
“Yes, I can tell you because I feel you know already…but he imparted to me one of the techniques that had been lost in history.”
Thanks to his experience as a support character, Kankurou knew of such techniques, even without detailed explanations from Araki.
“With this, I will probably get closer to the divine katana, however…”
“Is there any problem?”
Kankurou noticed that Araki’s expression looked even more bitter than usual.
The blacksmith’s reply arrived in a feeble tone.
“The divine katana is not something I can forge. Not only me, but no other blacksmith in Hinomoto could I fear.”
“And for what reason would that be?”
“Probably…no, definitely, sir Shin knows techniques we do not possess. And not only one or two…sir Shin would surely be able to forge a blade on par with 『Black Moon』. I heard he’s a samurai, but I know that he is not a man on the side of those who “use” weapons. He’s someone who “makes” them.”
Araki, thanks to a life spent crafting weapons, understood.
During the game era, in fact, Shin’s nickname was “Dark Blacksmith”. The other Rokuten members also had aliases such as “Red Alchemist”, “White Cook”, and “Golden Merchant”.
They all came from the fact that, like Shin, their true nature was that of “creators”.
“Even among Returned Ancestors, only very special individuals could manage it. He might think he was only forging something simple, but his craft was so refined that I clearly understood how I could never compare with him.”
“Is that so. In that case, we can not postpone the inheritance ritual any more than this.”
“Yes. Discounting the miraculous birth of a Returned Ancestor extremely specialized in blacksmithing, I conclude that the divine katana could not be forged even 100 years from now. It would be pointless to delay the inheritance further.”
Araki gave his conclusion with an expression void of spirit, as if what possessed him had now left him emptied.
Then, without thinking, his hand grabbed his hammer.
“Oh, even if you reached the conclusion, you temper swords again?”
Kankurou spoke to Araki as if to a young warrior focused on his harsh training.
“Because I could catch a glimpse of the peak. Even if I know that I will never be able to reach it, I cannot stop climbing…that’s what a blacksmith is. Haha, to think that I would become a challenger again even at this age…I would have never expected it, that’s for sure.”
Araki lit the fire in the furnace, with a completely serene expression on his face.
“Well well, looks like I need to thank sir Shin again.”
After this, the sound of hammered iron echoed from the smithy for a while.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
“(Schnee here. I have arrived at the town ruled by the Kujou. But, where are you at Shin?)”
At noon the day after Shin taught Araki about infusing magic power when forging, Shin received a Mind Chat from Schnee.
“(I will explain the situation and come meet you. Please wait near the castle gates.)”
Shin thought that they would need more time, so he was a little surprised. He explained the situation to Karin, who was coaching him as usual, and headed to the gates.
Once he passed the gate, Shin found Schnee, wearing the equipment she had used in Falnido. As soon as she noticed Shin’s presence, she ran up to him smiling.
Her tail, provided by the transformation set, swayed left and right.
“You arrived quite fast. Where are the others?”
Schnee was waiting beside the gate by herself. The other members were not present.
“I came ahead of others. You would get involved in all sorts of unnecessary troubles on your own, after all. Filma and the others agreed too.”
She had come by crossing the sea with 【Water Passage】. The wind and waves meant nothing to her.
Shin was a little hurt at this lack of trust.
“…looks like I need to reconfirm what everyone thinks of me.”
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha’s cry sounded like she was saying “That’s not how it is?” to Shin.
Truthfully, he had climbed Mt. Fuji and his identity had been found out by Kankurou, so the situation could not be called exactly peaceful, so Shin could not completely deny Schnee’s words.
“You are Saegusa Karin, yes?”
“Yes, your name is lady Yuki, is that right?”
The two women had barely met before, but they remembered their respective names and faces.
They seemed to be talking in a friendly way, but there was a certain tense atmosphere between them.
From Schnee’s conversation with Shin, Karin had instinctively perceived that the woman harbored some affection towards the man.
Schnee, on the other hand, found that Karin’s expression while looking at Shin was different from before, and now contained a sort of affection.
“You have taken good care of Shin. Now that we are reunited, we will stay at an inn in town.”
“There is no need for concern. Since you came all this way, please stay at my residence until your other companions arrive.”
“………..”
Schnee was trying to take Shin out of the Saegusa house, while Karin was trying to keep him in.
Shin was unsure about what to do with the two women and the figurative sparks darting from their eyes.
He knew that a careless intervention would have made him the new target of their battle, but he couldn’t leave things like that.
“(Yuzuha, help!)”
“(Impossible.)”
Shin pleaded to Yuzuha for help, but her refusal came instantly. She knew how dangerous the situation was.
“H-hey, Yuki. Even if I were to leave the residence, I think we should at least thank the master of the residence, don’t you agree? Even after that, it would not be too late to leave, right?”
Shin gathered his courage and spoke to Schnee.
It didn’t have to be decided then and there whether he would leave the residence or not.
“….that’s true. Understood.”
Schnee nodded, then they returned to the Saegusa house.
Kuyou would not be back until late at night, so Kayo welcomed them in his place.
“Oh my, what a beautiful lady. Being Shin’s companion, I imagined you would be his lover.”
“It is true that she is my fiancee, but there are other companions coming. She is Yuki, she just arrived before them.”
“My name is Yuki, pleased to meet you.”
“I am Kayo, wife of the head of the Saegusa family. If your other companions are not here yet, please stay in our house.”
Schnee had greeted Kayo politely, and was invited to stay in their residence together with Shin.
“It would not do to impose for such a long—-”
“My daughter’s life has been saved by him, this is barely enough to express my gratitude.”
Kayo’s words were spoken with a completely innocent tone: it was difficult to think that she was the same person that tried to make a couple out of Karin and Shin.
Her feelings of gratitude towards Shin were genuine. Shin too, through his experience staying in the Saegusa house, had no reason to doubt that. Kayo would sometimes show a humorous side, but deep down she was an honorable person, who would not leave debts of gratitude unpaid.
“…..understood. Allow me to be your guest.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
After a brief exchange, Schnee agreed: the two companions and their fox would stay in the Saegusa residence together.
◆◆◆◆
The situation evolved that very night.
“The inheritance ritual?”
“Yes, it was supposed to be postponed, but we have decided to hold it 10 days from now.”
At dinner, Kuyou mentioned that a formal match would be held to decide the inheritor of the divine katana 『Black Moon』. The Hinomoto Brave Ten would gather at the Kujou residence and engage in battle until one victor remained.
For a tournament battle there would be one competitor without an opponent, so Kankurou would participate and allow his opponent to pass if they had shown a sufficient degree of ability. Kuyou also added that several candidates had already expressed that they would not participate.
Kankurou’s species was one of long life expectancy, but most Hinomoto citizens were the opposite. They must have thought that even if they inherited 『Black Moon』, they would not fight with it for long.
Kuyou, though, hoped Karin would do her best in the tournament.
Kuyou was the 2nd seat of the Brave Ten. He might not match Kankurou in ability, but his sword arm was not to be underestimated.
His advanced age, however, meant that he was long past his physical peak. Thinking about the future, he decided to leave room for the younger generations.
“Tomorrow the notice will reach all the territories. It’ll be like a festival.”
When events like this are held, all sorts of kiosks and stalls are set up, creating a festival-like atmosphere. It’s one type of entertainment.
Ordinary people can’t watch the formal matches. The battles’ results are announced immediately, and they say that some people bet on predictions of the results.
As it can serve as stress release for the citizens, many lords turn a blind eye.
“It’s a bit of a shame that we can’t see it though.”
“Hmm, so would you come too, sir Shin? I could reserve seats for you.”
“No, I would prefer not to stand out, so allow me to decline.”
Receiving special treatments would not be an advantage for him. He knew that because of his match against Kankurou, he was already talked about.
“Hmm. If you came, I’m sure that Karin would truly give her all though.”
“F-father!? What are you saying!?”
Karin’s face grew bright red after Kuyou’s words. Maybe because he now knew that Shin wasn’t interested, Kuyou teased Karin from time to time. It was never in bad humour though, just a kind of communication between father and daughter.
To see that reaction from Karin after refusing her put Shin in a tight spot though.
The next day, news about the formal matches had already spread throughout the castle town, and part of the town was already in a festive mood.
Spectators from the houses serving the Kujou already started gathering.
Shin proposed to go walk around the castle town because of the occasion, and Schnee agreed to accompany him.
Karin wanted to join them too, but Kuyou brought her to the dojo to practice for the formal matches.
Shin changed and waited at the gate for about 15 minutes, when Schnee arrived.
“….Kimono and animal ears combination. Fantastic.”
“(Schnee, so pretty!)”
Shin let out a mumbled comment, charmed by the sight of Schnee in a kimono. Yuzuha cried in agreement.
“Shin?”
Schnee looked at him, slightly puzzled. Her dog ears shook.
She was wearing a brilliant blue kimono with a design of scattered white petals which stressed its elegance.
As they walked side by side, her hair tied behind her head would sometimes show her pale neck, a sensual glimpse inside her neat appearance.
“No, nothing. The kimono looks very nice on you, and…well, I-I was charmed, that’s all.”
“…oh, thank you.”
Schnee smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed. Needless to say Shin was charmed again.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t been to the castle town since the day I first arrived here.”
While walking through the town, Shin was surprised at how bustling it was. The first time he came, he barely had time to look around, since they went straight inside the castle walls.
“Oh, really?”
“I didn’t want people looking at me suspiciously, and I used all the free time I had for training.”
The Saegusa residence was located inside the Kujou castle walls. The mood inside was not so light as to allow him to take walks at leisure.
He knew there was someone watching over them, but Shin decided to use this opportunity to look around a typical Hinomoto town.
He knew that wearing adventurer clothes would have made him stand out, so he changed into something fitting of Hinomoto.
Shin was wearing a traditional garb, deep green in color. It was a very common attire in Hinomoto. The color combination was pretty somber, so Schnee’s brilliant elegance stood out even more next to him.
“Well, let’s make the best of this opportunity and enjoy the festival.”
“Yes, let’s.”
The festival meant a great number of stalls. The two walked around at leisure, stopping at Hinomoto’s characteristic stalls.
The people around them looked bright and cheerful. Shin didn’t know how far the rumours of the west’s suspicious movements had spread, but the people were in a truly festive mood, as if they wanted to dispel those ominous whispers.
“(By the way, do you know anything about the Five Supreme Blades?)”
Shin recalled his encounter on top of Mt. Fuji and inquired to Schnee via Mind Chat. Looking at a stand selling swords had reminded him of Munechika.
He had already talked to Schnee about his battle with Munechika, but had forgot to ask her if she knew anything.
“(I’m afraid I have never heard of that name. If they appeared in town they would certainly cause a big commotion, so, like the Munechika you met, maybe they dwell in uninhabited locations? Their usual stance is to wait for those coming to challenge them after all.)”
“(Now that you mention it, that’s true. She looked like she was protecting something, and there might also be a reason why Kagutsuchi wasn’t there anymore.)”
Shin nodded, thinking that Schnee might have had a point. There was also the possibility that Kagutsuchi was inside the small shrine on the peak, after all.
As Schnee had answered, anthropomorphized blades such as them did not go around searching for challengers.
It was a theory based on the game era, thus they couldn’t be completely sure, but if there weren’t any rumors about them in 500 years, it was likely to be as Schnee said, or so Shin thought.
“Well, no need to think about that. Oh, sir, you have some nice goods here.”
Thinking that it was not a topic to bring up while enjoying a festival, Shin changed the subject by talking to the owner of the stall they happened to be in front of.
The 40-something man, wearing work robes, sold all sorts of accessories.
“Er, Shin?”
Schnee was a bit confused by Shin suddenly striking a conversation to the store owner, but Shin signaled to her to wait a moment.
“Oh! You have a good eye, young man! I made all of these with my hands, carefully picking what materials to use! They’re a wee bit more expensive than the other shops around here, but the quality’s guaranteed!”
As the man had said with a tone full of confidence, the accessories here were of higher quality than the similar ones sold in the nearby stalls.
Shin picked one of the displayed items.
“Let’s see…I’ll take this.”
“You really have keen eyes to go and pick that one. But it’s a bit more expensive than the others, you know?”
“That’s all right. I think this one fits my companion best.”
Saying this, Shin looked at Schnee. The stall owner followed his eyes and nodded as in agreement.
“Haha!! I see! For that beauty over there, this one fits the most indeed! Okay then, normally I’d ask 5 gold jul, but I’ll let you have it for 4.”
“Is that alright?”
“Accessories like this can end up standing out even more than the one who wears them, but your companion is not inferior in terms of presence! She’s fitting to wear it. I like her!”
The stall owner was rather pleased.
Shin thanked him and paid, then turned again towards Schnee.
“And so, will you wear this?”
“Ehm, is it really ok for me to?”
“Honestly, you’re not allowed to refuse. Please do!”
“….understood.”
Schnee couldn’t hide her surprise at the sudden present, but she was certainly happy.
What Shin had chosen for her was a two-pronged hairpin with a transparent blue pearl as decoration. From the base of the pearl hung a flower-like ornament made in silver.
Schnee removed the simple pin she was using to hold her hair and replaced it with Shin’s present.
“How…how do I look?”
Schnee’s was slightly embarrassed as she asked her question.
“Just wonderful, If I say myself, miss.”
“I didn’t think it would have looked so beautiful myself.”
The words popping up in Shin’s mind were all too simple: “it looks good” and “pretty”.
Those who had witnessed their purchase at the stall looked at the two with celebration (20%), envy (50%), and jealousy (30%) in their eyes. The two quickly left the scene and mingled among the crowd.
“I didn’t think so many people would be looking at us. I was focused and didn’t notice.”
When Schnee replaced her pin, they heard voices from the crowd and realized they were the center of attention.
“(Shin, charmed. Focus, scattered.)”
“Mmgh!”
“The stand owner was rather loud, too. I suppose he meant to attract customers too.”
“I see. Using you to promote himself…he’s got guts! But good choice!”
“Ehm…”
“(We lost Shin.)”
Shin spoke with conviction, but Schnee wasn’t sure if he was angry or complimenting her. To her it seemed obvious that they would attract attention.
Yuzuha was kind of annoyed at this Shin, though.
“Hm? What?”
He pretended not to hear Yuzuha’s last comment.
Accepting that they couldn’t avoid the fact that Schnee attracted people’s attention, they resumed their walk. As they were passing through a large avenue, they heard a commotion from the front.
They looked beyond the crowd with a skill and found a large horse carriage slowly proceeding in the middle of the street. In Hinomoto, horse carriages were probably the main means of transport.
Among the voices they heard, some were mentioning the name “Ichinose”.
Inside the carriage was a large bear beast, a female beast next to him, with a human man sitting across from them.
“Schnee, can you see?”
Shin asked his companion. Schnee felt that Shin’s mood had changed and looked towards the carriage, understanding what he meant to say.
“Yes, it appears it was true that something is going on.”
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha, the only one incapable of using【Through Sight】, couldn’t follow.
“Ichinose Juugo, Rokuhara Kai, no problem here. But that Tamamo is different. She’s not human.”
“Tamamo?”
Yuzuha reacted before Schnee could. Still in fox mode, she spoke not via Mind Chat but through her voice.
“Do you know her?”
“….I think, I’ve heard the name.”
Yuzuha tried to remember, but then whimpered as she ultimately couldn’t.
“Well, we know that things probably won’t end peacefully.”
Tamamo’s species was White Tail. Like Yuzuha, it had a human form, but it was without a doubt a monster.
As far as they could see, however, the other passengers of the carriage -Juugo and Kai-had no status ailments.
“They’re not being controlled…I suppose?”
“Certainly doesn’t look like it, they’re not affected with 【Charm】.”
Seeing a monster mingling among humans was a bad sign, but they couldn’t do anything at the moment.
Shin knew that certain monsters, like Yuzuha, coexisted peacefully with humans.
“We can’t confirm anything now, so I’ll talk with Karin later. There are more important things to do now.”
“That’s true.”
Shin talked while looking away from Juugo, and Schnee nodded in response.
On Shin’s map, there was a symbol heading in a straight line to the Kujou main compound, ignoring people and buildings. It was a neutral green color, but the fact that it was hiding its presence was terribly suspicious.
“At first glance, it does not seem too fearsome, but what should we do?”
“Let’s go after it. It would be great if it was just a spy, but for it to come right after seeing that White Tail…I have a bad feeling about this. I’m sorry to say this during the festival.”
“We looked around a bit, and you gave me a present. It’s enough.”
Schnee understood that it could be troublesome later to ignore it, so she had no objections. Thanks to the present, her mood was perfectly happy too.
From the symbol’s movements, they predicted that it was moving on the rooftops: Shin and Schnee then went to a solitary alley and used 【Hiding】 to conceal themselves.
They didn’t change their clothes, but Schnee replaced the hairpin with the original one.
As they followed the symbol, they saw a group clad in very similar clothing as the ninja squad that had attacked Shin before. Ninja clothing often have similar designs, so at first glance it isn’t possible to distinguish them.
“Hm? This isn’t the way to the main compound.”
Shin was following the ninja group, but realized that they were not heading towards the main compound. The most important building in that direction was the residence where Haruna was resting.
“Their target is lady Haruna!?”
The first ninja group had targeted Kanade and Karin. It would not be strange if they targeted Haruna, a daughter of the Kujou house like Kanade.
Shin’s prediction was correct: the ninja group drew their weapons and a 3-cemel wide spherical object, then penetrated the residence without a sound.
“Don’t let even one run away. We’re hunting them down.”
“Understood.”
One of the group pointed a blade at Ei, who happened to be passing.
Before the weapon could strike her however, Shin appeared behind the attacker and struck him down, burying him underground.
At the same time, he released an aura of crushing intimidation towards the other invaders, to oppose their infiltration of the residence.
“W-what!? S-sir Shin!?!”
“I will explain later. I’ll go crush the attackers, please gather everyone in the residence and protect lady Haruna!”
“!! Understood!! Intruders here in the residence!! Come out, men!!!”
Ei was wide-eyed in her astonishment, but quickly grasped the situation and loudly called for help.
They probably had a fixed protocol for emergency situations: less than 30 seconds after Ei’s call, armored men came out in a rush.
“No need to capture them alive—cut them down!”
As soon as the commander-looking man spoke, the men around him assumed the look of warring demons.
Shin thought that they might have had a difficult time against the enemies’ smokescreens, which had the effect of causing poison and paralysis, but the residence’s soldiers dealt with them without trouble.
Some men matched the intruders’ blades within the smokescreens, then countered and sliced the enemies’ necks.
Others launched their spears to pierce the intruders’ torsos.
Others would face intruders, protected by their ninja blades and gauntlets, and cleave them in half, protective gear and all: the difference in fighting power was overwhelming.
Maybe because of Haruna’s presence, it appeared that seasoned veterans had been stationed there.
Some of the intruders with higher levels had been defeated by Shin and Schnee, so the attack by this mysterious group was quelled in an instant.
“We thank you for your assistance.”
“I have had the honor of meeting lady Haruna once. I could not stand by and ignore these people’s foul plans. I must ask though, would you not have wanted to capture at least one alive?”
“Preserving lady Haruna’s wellbeing is of higher priority. In Hinomoto, no assassins that knew their sender’s identity would ever operate like this.”
Some would even allow themselves to be captured, then use skills to explode within enemy lines. Even if captured, they wouldn’t leak information and could cause damage and casualties, so they were always cut down on the spot.
After Shin and Schnee explained why they were tracking the attackers, Karin arrived. She had apparently rushed there as fast as she could, so her breathing was slightly ragged.
“Lady Haruna!?”
“She’s completely safe and sound.”
Shin felt that this information had arrived too quickly, but chose not to say anything.
Because even after the battle ended, the man he thought to be the commander of the residence’s soldiers kept his eyes on Shin, without letting his guard down one second.
Shin had explained that their presence was a coincidence, but the commander was still wary of them.
It certainly wasn’t pleasant to be doubted, but for men in charge of security as they were, keeping the stance of never letting one’s guard down was important.
“What about the intruders?”
“We have dealt all of them. We could not find anything to determine where they came from.”
They had already checked if there was any information to be extracted from the corpses. They only used equipment and tools that could be found pretty much anywhere.
Shin heard that it was not possible to find out where the ninjas had come from by using the 【Listen】 skill. He talked about what happened to Karin, then Shin, Schnee, and Karin returned to the Saegusa house.
According to Kuyou, despite the attack on Haruna’s residence the inheritance ceremony would be held without delays.
“I think they will increase security though.”
Few ruffians would think of targeting the Kujou, but still few was not zero. It was an unavoidable fate for such a large clan.
No matter the era, there are always those dissatisfied with the people governing.
In Hinomoto there existed an organization specialized in assassinations, which would target anyone upon request.
Shin heard about such criminal groups in the mainland too, so he wasn’t surprised.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked about Ichinose Juugo.
“Sir Juugo, huh. You have heard that the Ichinose family holds the ideal of an unified Hinomoto, yes?”
“Yes, I’ve heard it mentioned…”
“After the Kujou and the Yaejima divided the country under their respective rule, for a while the Ichinose showed intentions of becoming independent. The Yaejima and other houses of the west restrained them, but it looks like the current head is planning something. We have received reports that soldiers in the Ichinose domain are on the move. They might be planning to do something during the inheritance ceremony.”
“And it will be held even if you know that?”
“Expert warriors from all over Hinomoto will gather for the inheritance ceremony. Average soldiers wouldn’t hold a candle to them. Even if something happened, it wouldn’t even become a battle.”
In the past, during a similar ceremony, someone had similarly planned dirty deeds. According to Kuyou, the plot had been squashed immediately.
They were not acting out of arrogance, but excessive security would be a burden. They had no proof that the Ichinose were really plotting something after all.
Just in case, Shin decided to tell them about Tamamo.
“Hmm, I never heard that sir Juugo had a female partner.”
“Really. I only saw this with a skill, so I have no actual proof of her presence, but I am sure that I did not see wrong. I thought that it would be better for you to know.”
“I am grateful for your advice. I will try to look into this too.”
Kuyou did not doubt Shin’s words.
“Oh, on a different subject, is 『Black Moon』usable by anyone? I heard that certain high-grade weapons choose who can equip them, so this was on my mind.”
“You are truly knowledgeable. I heard that once there was such a limitation, but not anymore.”
Having stats higher than a certain level or ignoring the decrease in the weapon’s power due to insufficient stats would allow anyone to wield it.
After talking with Kuyou, Shin gave four cards to Karin, who was walking beside Schnee.
“Sir Shin? These are…”
“Please keep them with you, just in case. After what happened today, I have a bad feeling.”
“…..understood. I will definitely return them to you.”
Karin checked the cards’ illustrations, then held them against her chest while nodding. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
“!?”
The next instant, a severe chill ran down Shin’s spine. What he saw after slowly turning around was Schnee smiling and looking at them.
“(Just in case! Just in case, okay!? I don’t have any weird intentions!!)”
“(Oh my, I haven’t said anything, though?)”
Schnee’s smile was terrifying. As they say, eyes can speak as clearly as the mouth…but in Schnee’s case it was not only her eyes: her Mind Chat, expression, and presence all showed how bad her mood was.
Shin, almost panicking, shook his head left and right and explained himself frantically. He could have given the cards to Karin in secret, but the situation would have turned even worse, or so he instinctively felt.
“Kuu kuu…”
While looking at the three, Yuzuha cried as if saying “there we go again…”.
◆◆◆◆
5 days after Schnee’s arrival.
Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Kagerou also arrived at Shin’s location.
As they had now become a large group, they thought of moving to an inn in town, but after Kayo’s plea, it was decided that they would all stay at the Saegusa house.
They planned to stay in town until the inheritance ceremony was held, so that time limit was the condition. They could not impose on the Saegusa forever after all.
“So that’s what happened! Aah, we sent Schnee first for nothing!”
“What do you mean?”
“You were always traveling as 3 people or more, right? So I thought to let you two stay by yourselves for a while. I should have told Schnee to take it more seriously.”
Filma sighed, looking disappointed. She had no intention of hiding her plan apparently.
“It was Filma that proposed I come here first, to be clear.”
“Just what do you have in mind!?”
“I heard that she waited 500 years. Is it bad for Schnee to have a good time once in awhile? Or do you have some other maiden in mind?”
“I don’t, but the situation here is complex and… but if we really were by ourselves, I cannot say that nothing would have happened…”
“Oh, you don’t deny that?”
All party members knew of Schnee’s affection towards Shin. If they had stayed in an inn by themselves, the chances of something happening between them was not zero.
Shin had expressed his plans to return to his original world, but it was not something he wanted to achieve no matter what.
Only the gods would know if he would be able to dodge Schnee’s approach.
“I think I know the kind of person I am. I couldn’t say that I would never go with the flow in such situations”
Shin was not insecure or undecided, but his will wasn’t unshakable steel either.
“Oh, now that’s a good thing to know.”
“You’re planning something again, you’ve got it written all over your face…”
“Definitely not a wholesome plan.”
“She never learns, does she.”
“Hey!! Shibaid, you too!?”
Shibaid spoke through a sigh, probably tired of their conversation.
“So, when will that inheritance ceremony thing start?”
Shin had already informed Shibaid and the others of the inheritance ceremony. Also because the divine katana Shin had crafted was the final reward, Shibaid was interested in the outcome.
“5 days from now. I’m sorry to say this after you just arrived, but some trouble happened. A battle might break out.”
“Eh, what? I heard that Hinomoto’s a peaceful place though?”
Tiera was surprised to hear the word battle. She had heard about how safe and peaceful Hinomoto usually was.
Shin explained about the circumstances.
“I just don’t understand. Why are they so fixated on uniting the country?”
“Who knows. Even if they did so through military power, it’s not like governing it would become any easier. What do you think Shibaid?”
It was not exactly like Japan’s Warring States period, but as Hinomoto was now in a similar situation, Shin asked for Shibaid’s opinion, who had participated in the founding of the Empire.
“Without understanding the head of the Ichinose family, I cannot say anything. Such things change depending on who is leading the various groups. In the era after the natural disasters wrecked the land, many countries were founded, but each underwent a different fate.”
According to Shibaid, several countries had tried invading others hoping to unify the continent under their rule.
The areas where monsters spawned and the natural barriers formed by mountains, however, led to the current situation. Despite this, some countries still haven’t given up their ambitions apparently.
Some countries governed while thinking of their citizens’ well-being, others had become military states, so it was not possible to give one single answer.
“Well, I have just heard that the Ichinose are acting suspiciously, but I don’t know anything decisive. It would be great if nothing happened, but please stay alert.”
“Hmm, understood.”
Both Filma and Tiera nodded to Shin’s words.
In the end, the identity of Haruna’s attackers was a complete mystery.
Shin, however, did not think that Juugo, Kai, and the monster Tamamo would simply sit back and do nothing.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
The inheritance ceremony.
As the name suggests, this ceremony seeks to determine the person fit to inherit the relics passed from generation to generation in Hinomoto.
This time, the relic to be inherited is the divine katana 『Black Moon』, a national treasure of Hinomoto.
The challengers are the valiant warriors whose names are included in the Hinomoto Brave Ten.
Excluding the 1st seat and current owner of the katana, Kankurou, and those-such as Kuyou- who declined to participate to give the opportunity to the new generations, the participants are 6.
The 3rd seat, Saegusa Karin.
The 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden.
The 5th seat, Kujou Akitaka.
The 6th seat, Ichinose Juugo.
Lastly, the twin sibling swordsmen: the 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa and the 9th seat Tsuguho.
“The formal matches will start now. Show your prowess in battle and prove your worth as rightful successor of the divine katana!”
The participants silently nodded to Kujou Tadahisa’s words.
The first round was 3rd seat Saegusa Karin VS 9th seat Shijou Tsuguho.
With black hair tied behind their head and a sharp piercing look, the two female warriors even shared a similar physique. Without a word, they headed to the center of the arena, then took their respective stances.
Both used the “Seigan” stance, holding their swords at waist height, the blade pointed at the opponent’s eyes.
Their aura, one with their weapon, exuded a certain refinement that would cause all spectators to feel chills down their spines.
“Fight!”
“!!”
As the signal of the start of the battle was sounded, the two duelists’ silhouettes blurred, the arcs drawn by their wooden blades in mid-air crossing each other.
Both contestants performed one single swing.
They now stood in the opponent’s starting point, as if they had switched places, their backs facing each other.
A few seconds pass, then the wooden sword fell from Tsuguho’s hand.
“Match finished! The winner is Saegusa Karin!”
The battle was decided in an instant.
Tsuguho’s strike had barely scraped Karin’s shoulder, while Karin’s strike had cleanly hit Tsuguho’s right arm.
3rd seat and 9th seat. They were respectively in the higher and lower positions in the hierarchy.
Even if they were both part of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, the difference in ability was evident.
“I could not reach you, after all.”
“You have improved again.”
Karin expressed praise for the dejected Tsuguho. The Tsuguho Karin knew wouldn’t have been able to touch her shoulder.
“No, I still have much to learn. I will keep improving and temper myself again.”
Because of her youth and straightforward personality, Tsuguho showed both frustration and peace of mind at the result.
The two bowed to each other and left the arena.
The 2nd round was 5th seat Kujou Akitaka versus 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa.
They were both young, but in Tsugumasa’s case it was more evident.
Compared to Akitaka’s virile looks and well-built physique, Tsugumasa appeared very young and physically lacking.
Even without considering their difference in ability, Tsugumasa appeared childish before his opponent.
However, the two swordsmen were unconcerned about being young. Beyond the impression given by their appearances, the clashing of their swords’ auras was stinging the spectators’ skin.
“The rumored genius swordsman, huh. This is our first bout face to face, isn’t it?”
“I have often heard rumors about you too. I am eager to see how much my blade can match yours.”
After a brief exchange, they took their stances.
Akitaka used an upper stance, while Tsugumasa a lower one.
“—-fight!!”
“!!!”
Just like the first round, their blades also pierced the air at the same time as the start signal. The difference was the loud clashing sound produced by the wooden swords, which repeated 3 times.
Each fighter had drawn three arcs in mid-air. Akitaka and Tsugumasa’s wooden swords were grinding against each other, sending wooden fragments dancing around.
“To be so skilled at such a young age. I’m looking forward to your future.”
“Well, thank you very much!”
In contrast to Akitaka’s confident tone, Tsugumasa raised his voice loudly while charging at him again.
Akitaka parried each and every attack coming from Tsugumasa, attacks different than what was taught at the dojo.
Even though he was constantly attacking, Tsugumasa’s expression gradually contorted. It was the result of both duelists understanding the extent of their respective abilities during the first exchange.
Tsugumasa’s sword arm was fast, its patterns difficult to read. Despite being just over 16 years old, his sword arm was worthy of being called genius: Akitaka acknowledged it too.
However, it was not enough.
He might have been able to match an ordinary soldier or a swordsman with some skill, but to reach Akitaka, strictly trained as the Kujou family’s first-born son, Tsugumasa needed experience in actual combat —especially against opponents stronger than himself, which he severely lacked.
“Ssshh!!”
The connecting point between two slashes.
Akitaka did not miss the small gap in Tsugumasa’s barrage created by his impatience.
Akitaka’s wooden sword blew Tsugumasa’s away. Tsugumasa’s weapon spun in mid-air, then landed behind him.
“Match finished!! The winner is Kujou Akitaka!”
Kankurou announced the winner.
The two duelists assumed a proper stance and bowed silently.
“Good fighting style. Let us battle again one day.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
After nodding at each other, Akitaka and Tsugumasa left the field.
The 3rd round was the 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden, versus the 6th, Ichinose Juugo.
Different from Karin and Tsuguho or Akitaka and Tsugumasa, this time the spectators felt prickled by the turbulent aura coming from the contestants.
While they both held wooden swords, the tension hanging in the atmosphere was as if they were using real swords.
“You’re even more intense than usual.”
“I might be a servant of the Yaejima, but today I fight as a swordsman. I will not hold anything back!”
“That’s all right. I too would hate to make people think that I didn’t give it my all.”
As in response to the murderous intent emanated by Juugo’s sword, the aura of Shiden’s blade grew sharper and sharper as well.
Differently from the two previous duels, which contained a certain pure aura, the current contestants seemed to be participating in a duel to the death.
They both took upper stances, sharing also the trait of holding the sword slightly bent to the right.
“—-fight!!”
The signal of the start of the duel echoed throughout the surroundings.
The beginning of this match is very different from the two previous bouts.
There was no clash of swords, thought to start as soon as the signal was sounded: the two contestants did not move an inch. They both stared at each other, their bodies moving ever so slightly, searching for something in their opponent.
The Yaejima house, rulers of the west, and the Ichinose studied schools of swordplay which shared the same roots. Because of this, they could both predict what the opponent’s moves would be.
The wooden sword’s angle, leg motions, the position of the center of gravity, how to use space in battle…everything.
They could predict the opponent’s strike from looking at their movements, thus mentally preparing how to counter.
If the tip of Juugo’s sword was slightly lowered, Shiden took half a step backwards.
If Shiden stepped in range, Juugo lowered his center of gravity.
Though it was not visible to the eye, the small, almost imperceptible movements comprised a formidable series of exchanges taking place between the two of them.
Those gathered for this ceremony were warriors capable of such feats.
“The contestants with the least difference in rank. Will sir Juugo match sir Shiden though I wonder?”
“Now, Tsugumasa. Don’t speak out of line.”
Shiden’s strength was known throughout Hinomoto. His title of 4th seat in the Brave Ten was not for show.
Juugo was the 6th seat, but the fact that there was a large power gap between the seats smaller and bigger than 5 was also well known.
“Hmph, as I thought, I am not one to play reading battles.”
“Saying that means that you could lose winning battles, you know?”
“None of—–your business!!”
It wasn’t clear if he had talked before moving, or vice versa. That’s how quickly Juugo had stepped in, close to Shiden.
The movement itself reminded of the 1st round of Karin versus Tsuguho, but the speed was definitely higher.
“!?”
Shiden, who had sparred against Juugo in the past, was taken aback by his opponent’s speed. He blocked the swinging sword with his, but was pushed back.
Juugo was a bear-type beastman, and the wooden sword he wielded was thicker, in accordance with his build. However, it simply added mass and could not fill the gap in their muscular strength.
Juugo’s swing, however, had enough power to cause Shiden’s feet to sink into the ground for blocking it.
“Gh…! How heavy…!”
“…so this is all you can do.”
His voice now filled with self-assurance, Juugo withdrew his sword and, at the same time, moved behind Shiden’s back. Before Shiden could react, the tip of Juugo’s sword had been thrust at his neck.
“Match finished!! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!”
The inferior in rank bested the superior.
It was not something unheard of, but those that knew of Juugo’s abilities were astonished of the performance he showed in the battle.
Bear-type beastmen generally focused on power rather than speed. Even considering that Juugo was a Returned Ancestor, the speed at which he had moved behind Shiden’s back had been excessively fast.
“Hmm, it does not look like you used status boosting herbs or magic.”
Considering the possibility of foul play, Kankurou viewed him with 【Analyze】, but there was no sign of boosted stats.
Thanks to the game’s system still existing, any status boosts via herbs or other methods would be discovered immediately.
“I never neglect my training. That produced results, I suppose.”
“Well, there is nothing I can say to that.”
Kankurou knew, however, that there were things that his 【Analyze VIII】 could not display, based on the target’s status.
They had performed tests to prevent illegal activities, but despite the suspicion aroused by Juugo’s exceptional increase in ability, there was no concrete proof to denounce it.
The matches continued: the remaining three contestants would fight until one was left standing.
Because of her high rank in the hierarchy, Karin was treated as seed.
The 4th match was Akitaka and Juugo. But exactly as it happened to Shiden, Akitaka could not adapt to Juugo’s movements and suffered defeat. There was a clear difference between the Juugo of the past and present.
Juugo, after all, was one of Hinomoto’s Brave Ten. Even without this mysterious increase in power, he was a warrior of considerable power.
The formal tournament reached the final match.
Karin and Juugo faced each other.
“—–fight!”
After the signal for starting hostilities, Juugo moved first. He swung down his sword with the power that had overwhelmed Akitaka.
Karin reacted by striking the side of Juugo’s blade with hers, to deviate it from its course. She could not parry the full power of the swing, however, and slightly lost her balance.
“Kh…”
Juugo followed with another attack, a storm of air-rending blows which Karin withstood with her solid guard.
Watching Akitaka’s match made her understand that she was at a disadvantage in terms of strength and choose a strategy of looking for an opening.
“What’s wrong, daughter of the Saegusa. Staying on the defense will not make you win.”
“I have no intention of losing, so no need for concern.”
Juugo talked to Karin during his barrage of attacks, but she replied without changing her expression. It could be said that she was forcing herself, but she kept a poker face, not wanting to show any weakness.
“Heh, impertinent little girl.”
As the words left his mouth, Juugo’s silhouette disappeared. Karin however, could react to his strike coming from behind.
“I have seen this already.”
The speed was unthinkable for the past Juugo. But in terms of speed, Karin still had a chance of winning.
She parried the swinging blade while spinning and thrust her blade at Juugo’s stomach while moving to his side.
“As expected from the 3rd seat, I should say.”
Karin’s strike was supposed to have struck its target, but Juugo had parried it while jumping to the side.
He was superior to Karin in both speed and power. It was now clear to everyone watching.
From then, the match became -while not overwhelmingly one sided- a clearly unbalanced one.
Karin withstood Juugo’s fierce attacks and used any openings to counter.
Juugo dodged her counters and resumed his storm-like barrages of slashes and thrusts.
The match continued for 20 minutes, when finally, Karin’s wooden sword was broken by Juugo, who thrust his at her neck, ending the match.
“—-match finished! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!”
The two contestants bowed to each other and left the arena.
The winner was now decided, leaving only the conferment of the divine katana.
Ichinose Juugo was the head of the Ichinose family, recently subject of suspicious rumors; his victories in the matches, however, meant that he was to receive the divine katana.
“Ichinose Juugo, I confer to you the divine katana. Come forward.”
“Yes.”
『Black Moon』 would be presented by its current wielder, Kankurou.
Juugo accepted the katana with both hands and…
….proceeded to unsheathe 『Black Moon』, then and there.
“【Infiltrator Blade】!”
『Black Moon』 was swung down and unleashed a red slash.
The long range slash created by the Katana-type martial skill 【Infiltrator Blade】, powered by 『Black Moon』’s effects, turned into a crimson killing blade.
The target of the slash was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa.
“Hmgh!!”
While all stood frozen by the unexpected happening, a shadow leapt between Juugo and Tadahisa to stop the flying slash.
“You could parry that?”
“Well well, now I would have never expected you to take such a direct approach here.”
Kankurou spoke to Juugo with a jaded expression, holding his short sword in a backhand grip.
“There is no better opportunity. With that blade you could only stop me one more time. Do not stand in my way.”
“I’m afraid I cannot comply. Allow me a question instead, how did you think you could escape this place, after everything you did?”
“As I am now, that much is nothing.”
Juugo put something in his mouth after talking. The next instant, a white, bright aura rises from his body.
“Sir Juugo. That cannot be…!?”
“So you know of this. You must also know that you cannot stop it then!!”
Juugo’s 『Black Moon』 turned into a blur. A red slash appeared in midair, causing severe damage to all who were charging towards him, weapon in hand.
Akitaka and Shiden suffered wounds on their arms, their katana broken. The same had happened to Tsuguho and Tsugumasa.
Kuyou and the other Brave Ten who had avoided the slash hesitated to attack, as they knew of 『Black Moon』’s abilities.
In such a situation, Karin charged in to attack from behind, a step after the others.
Her speed was much higher than what she had shown during the match.
“Nngh!!”
『Black Moon』’s dark blade clashed against the white blade of Karin’s katana.
Even when clashing against 『Black Moon』, which could slice even Legend-grade weapons in two, Karin’s katana did not suffer even a single scratch.
“This can’t be!?”
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
“Lord Kankurou!! I will deal with him!!”
Karin was wielding a katana of the Ancient grade, like『Black Moon』: 『Hakuramaru』.
『Black Moon』, crafted as a test blade when creating 『True Moon』, was a weapon with high specs. However, 『Hakuramaru』 had been upgraded by Shin and possessed abilities high enough to match it.
“This weight!? Just what is going on!?”
“Do you think I would answer?”
Karin chose to mock the growling Juugo.
The weight of Karin’s slashes was growing not only thanks to the status boosts provided by 『Hakuramaru』.
The status boosts were also provided by another card that Shin had given her, the Morning Star Hairpin. It was an Ancient-grade item which boosted STR, VIT, and DEX.
After hearing the rumors concerning the Ichinose, Shin had made Karin get used to the item while receiving her training, so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the status boost.
Karin stepped back for a moment, then used her speed to go back on the offensive.
『Black Moon』 and 『Hakuramaru』 clashed again, scattering sparks all around.
“A katana that does not suffer damage even if struck by the divine katana. So you did not leave Hinomoto simply to go looking for herbs!”
Karin did not answer Juugo’s frustrated shouts. Wondering if he expected her to deliberately divulge where the blade had come from, she added power to her grip.
Every time the two blades crossed, sparks danced around the two warriors.
The tournament’s arena was already nearly destroyed by the long-range slashes Juugo would sometimes unleash. The ground was carved, the buildings cleaved from front to back.
The soldiers who had rushed to the location because of the commotion could only stand and watch the formidable exchange of blows.
The people around them had prioritized their safety, so no one wounded was present, but there was no one that could join in Karin and Juugo’s battle. Their physical abilities were not sufficient, but more than that, they had no weapons capable of matching them.
It did not mean, however, that everybody simply stood there wringing their hands.
“【Shadow Bind】!”
“【Arc Bind】!”
Amidst the clanging sounds of the crossing blades, clear voices resounded. At the same time, a shadow writhed at Juugo’s feet, and a chain of light reached down from the air.
“Nngh!?”
The binding spells had been cast by Kayo and Haruna. Hinomoto favored direct combat strategies, but magic was not in disuse.
Juugo, locked in battle with Karin, had reacted to the spells, but could not avoid them completely and was affected by the binding.
One chain of light and three shadow bindings were clinging to Juugo’s body. Two of the shadow bindings already showed cracks.
The light chain was almost shaken off.
『Black Moon』did not have any particular special features, in fact it was almost featureless, but being an Ancient-grade weapon, it could somewhat influence magic skills in its natural state.
“That was not something to try here, was it.”
Karin slipped in close to the restrained Juugo.
Focusing on the binding chains had created a decisive opening.
『Hakuramaru』’s blade cut through Juugo’s abdomen in a rising diagonal slash. The cut sliced across his chest, above his heart, and through his shoulder.
The samurai job usually does not possess DEF bonuses.
Generally, average defense gear is mere paper before Ancient-grade weapons, but the participants to the formal matches wore nothing but formal wear.
Even for a Returned Ancestor, one slash would prove fatal.
“Gwaahh!!”
Juugo fell down backwards, screaming in pain. The spraying blood doused Karin and the arena.
“——–a—–n——”
The sound he whispered as he drew his last breath failed to form into words, remaining just vibrations in the air.
『Black Moon』 fell from Juugo’s now powerless hands. The conclusion had arrived suddenly and unexpectedly.
That too was one of the possible ways for a battle between masters to end though.
Considering the weapon’s power, it was impressive that the beastman’s abdomen had not been sliced in half.
“Sir Juugo. Was this world so unbearable for you to live in?”
Kankurou whispered while picking up 『Black Moon』 and returning it to the sheath.
No answer would, however, return.
(The flames of war, once again…)
Juugo’s last thoughts, who failed to form into words, had reached Kankurou.
“In any case, what caused sir Juugo’s incredible strength?”
“That is a forbidden medicine that shaves away one’s own lifeforce. However, I do not know the reason behind his power before using it. Maybe he knew of a reinforcement method unknown to us.”
Kankurou answered Toshiro’s doubts about Juugo’s strength. It was another question they could not know the answer to now.
“Rather, lady Karin, that—-”
“Report!!! A messenger just came in saying that a large battalion of Ichinose soldiers has invaded our domain!!”
A soldier had come shouting in the arena, as to interrupt Kankurou’s question.
“Ichinose soldiers? Is this true?”
“Yes! We have confirmed the presence of an estimated 5000 soldiers and several 3-mel tall large beasts. The beasts appear to be monsters, but they do not seem to be attacking the Ichinose troops.”
Tadahisa had interrogated the soldier, whose words in reply left all present with troubled expressions.
The country of Hinomoto typically had few Tamers, and even fewer could control large monsters as the ones reported.
Furthermore, the Ichinose house was known for valuing individual strength. They would focus on improving themselves rather than learning to tame monsters.
Because of this, they could not help but doubt the report stating that there were monsters among the troops.
“Truly bizarre. Are those troops really from the Ichinose?”
Kuyou expressed his doubts that the described troops really belonged to the Ichinose house. No one else had said it, but everyone had thought the same question.
“Are there any known characteristics about the monsters?”
“Yes, their bodies are colored differently, but their appearance is unmistakably that of the demon fox species. The number of tails is different for each unit, usually 4 or 5.”
“I see, that’s pretty clear.”
After hearing about the monsters’ characteristics, Kankurou seemed to have reached a conclusion.
“Kankurou, do you know anything?”
“Yes. During the past unification wars, there was one member of the demon fox species who tried to take control of Hinomoto. It happened more than 100 years ago, so I suppose few remember it anymore.”
“The disaster-bringing demon foxes spoken about in the chronicles…I thought they were extinct.”
Tadahisa replied to Kankurou’s words.
Among everyone present, only Kankurou was alive at the time, but those events had been reported in chronicles.
“It could be a survivor, or someone with a different goal. The mastermind then had 7 tails, with 6-tailed foxes at its service.”
“How much difference does it make?”
“Against the beasts mentioned in the report, the Brave Ten would be enough. Against a 6-tailed one, at least 3 would be necessary. Against a 7-tailed one, I and 6 other people on my same level could maybe win. In the past battle against one of those, 4 of us died.”
Kankurou’s words caused everyone present to swallow their breath.
4 people out of 6 died, 4 people as strong as Kankurou, whose ability was unmatched in Hinomoto. It meant clearly that even if the Brave Ten fought all together, they would not stand a chance.
“Is there a possibility that such powerful beasts are being kept out of battle for now?”
“I could not rule it out. In the previous conflict, we were attacked from the front, but if they know that, they could be using a feint to strike from the rear. But this is also just a guess.”
“Is that so. In any case, we must do something. Everybody—-”
“Report!!! We received an emergency report of a large army of monsters approaching the Futaba and Shijou domains!!”
“!!!”
Tadahisa’s orders were interrupted by another soldier who rushed into the arena.
A shiver of unease ran through everyone present.
“3 locations attacked at the same time…are the monsters demon foxes?”
“The reports tell of 6-tailed demon foxes leading large numbers of monsters. There is one fox per group, apparently.”
“Kuyou. You said that the demon fox woman who was with Juugo disappeared, yes?”
“Yes.”
Tadahisa had already been informed of Tamamo’s disappearance.
“The name is different, but a demon fox capable of transforming into a human…is likely connected to the past disasters. The units leading the monsters are probably high-ranked ones, close to the mastermind. If they knew that we would gather here, they might have chosen to strike this location.”
The 6-tailed monster that, as Kankurou said, 3 of the Brave Ten would be necessary to fight. The possible presence of a 7-tailed monster loomed in everyone’s minds.
“Would it be impossible to stop a 6-tailed beast without the Brave Ten?”
“I would not say impossible. But considering that together with the 6-tails, other monsters are also present…”
There is no telling of how much damage and casualties there would be.
“….there is no other way out. The Brave Ten will have to be split.”
Even if concerned with the possible existence of a 7-tails, Tadahisa chose not to abandon the other domains.
To the Shijou domain would go the 10th seat, Futaba Akara, Kujou Akitaka and Shiden of the great clan of the west, the Yaejima.
To the Futaba domain, the Shijou house’s Tsugumasa and Tsuguho with Karin.
“What shall we do if a 7-tails appears?”
“Survive as long as you can. I will not allow you to die in vain.”
The possibility of a 7-tails appearing in the Kujou domain, the most prosperous in Hinomoto, was not low.
Even so, Tadahisa spoke without hesitation.
Even if the 7-tails appeared and the Kujou domain ravaged, every house’s bloodline would still survive. For the Yaejima, Toshiro would stay.
“All of you, to your duties!! Give it your all!”
“Yes sir!!”
After Tadahisa’s order, all reinforcements headed to the domains they had been assigned to.
The ones who remained made preparations to attack the approaching Ichinose Army, composed of soldiers and monsters.
“Lady Karin. Could that katana be…”
“It is as you imagine, sir.”
“I see, there is one more thing I must thank him for then.”
He did not say the name outright, but Kankurou had realized who had given 『Hakuramaru』 to Karin.
“Karin. I am going to send people too, but if you see sir Shin on the way, please ask them to lend us a hand. If they helped us, we could even take down a 7-tails.”
“Understood.”
Karin nodded to Kuyou, then ran off.
Tsuguho and Tsugumasa followed after her, taking replacements for their broken katana from the Kujou armory.
“Lady Karin, who is this Sir Shin that Sir Kuyou spoke about?”
Tsuguho asked about the name she heard in Kuyou and Karin’s conversation, completely new to her.
“He helped us during our search for the medicine to cure lady Haruna. He’s someone Sir Kankurou says to be stronger than himself. His companions are very skilled warriors as well. If we could obtain their assistance, as father said, even a 7-tails would not be a threat.”
“Such a person is in the city now!? Please do tell me what he looks like. I will go look for him too. If he helped us, the casualties would surely decrease.”
Tsugumasa’s expression lightened up after hearing Karin’s confident words. In the west, only Shiden knew of Shin at this point.
“We cannot spend too much time looking for him though.”
“Father said that he would send people from the Saegusa house to look for him. Our first priority is the reinforcements to the Futaba domain. Let’s just look around us carefully as we go.”
After these words of caution to Tsuguho, Karin raised her running speed.
Running on the rooftops, they cross the main avenue in a huge leap.
Karin said to look for Shin only if they could, but her eyes darted everywhere to find him.
◆◆◆◆
While the inheritance ceremony was being held, Shin and Schnee were looking at the results posted in the main avenue.
“The higher ranked seats won in the first two matches, I see. In the third…Ichinose won, hmm.”
Looking at the results, Shin thought that something might have happened. The results for the 4th match, posted shortly later, reinforced his suspicions.
Because Juugo had defeated two superior Brave Ten members in a row, Shiden and Akitaka.
“Unexpected results?”
“Yeah, as far as I’ve been told, the two that lost to that Ichinose Juugo are both ranked higher than him. His opponents should have been stronger.”
Shin answered Filma’s question about Juugo, who he had seen in town before.
“I see, that’s intriguing for sure.”
“Maybe he took some kind of boosting device? Here you go.”
“Thanks. I think Kankurou would notice something like that though. But seeing that the matches are continuing, I suppose they didn’t find any trace of foul play.”
Shin took the dango offered by Schnee and waited for the results of the next match.
Most matches until now had been brief, so he expected the next results to come soon too.
Shibaid and Tiera were also looking at the result postings, while munching on dango.
“I expected it all to last longer, but it’s been surprisingly quick.”
“It depends, but… Ichinose’s movements were probably different than what his opponents expected. Kuyou also said that there’s a clear difference in level between them, so I guess they got caught by surprise?”
Shin tried to put together a plausible explanation. If the cause was Juugo’s real ability, then the items he had entrusted would not be needed.
“It’s taking longer this time.”
“….that’s true. It’s already been a while, though.”
Shibaid talked while looking in the direction of the arena, as the results from the 4th match onwards did not arrive.
20 minutes had passed already. The other people around them seemed to be thinking the same thing: voices of expectation and curiosity about the results reached Shin’s ears.
Shin checked the map and saw two light dots repeatedly getting closer and farther from each other. The battle seemed to be still going on.
Shin looked away from the map after confirming just that.
“Oh, the results are out…!? Ichinose won, huh.”
Many in the surrounding crowd expressed their disappointment at the result. As they lived in Kujou territory, they probably wished for Karin’s victory.
“That doesn’t look like a good sign.”
“I agr….bingo. Something’s coming.”
“Something is…coming?”
“It’ll reach your perception field in a minute or so, Schnee. It’s monsters and a large crowd of people. Seems like we can’t take it easy anymore, folks.”
Shin talked while looking towards the opposite direction of the results’ postings board.
As he had predicted, after about 1 minute an army-like group entered Schnee’s perception field.
At the same time, they heard the sounds of something crumbling and a cloud of dust arose from the arena.
“Kuu! Kuu kuu!!”
“Yuzuha? What’s wrong?”
As to sound the alarm to the already alert group, Yuzuha started barking all of a sudden.
After they calmed her down, Yuzuha said that a powerful force was drawing closer to Mt. Fuji.
“(Something bad!! There!!)”
“(Something bad? A demon?)”
“(No. But the presence is nasty!!)”
Yuzuha talked frantically while beating on Shin’s shoulders.
Yuzuha’s unusual behavior made Shin think that she had perceived a special opponent, so he looked towards the direction she mentioned. He could not detect anything in his range, but Yuzuha seemed absolutely sure that there was something.
“The Kujou soldiers are on the move. Perfect, someone that should know what’s going on is coming. I’ll be right back.”
Karin was not by herself, so Shin told Schnee and the others to wait and jumped on a roof. He was looking towards Karin, hastily moving on the rooftops like him.
Two other people were following her.
“Sir Shin!!”
“You seem in a rush, did something happen?”
Karin was relieved at seeing Shin.
He already had an idea of what could have happened from the sounds and clouds of dust coming from the arena, but seeing that 『Hakuramaru』 was dangling at Karin’s waist, his suspicion became certain.
“I am really glad I could meet you. There is something I must ask you.”
Karin talked about the reports she had heard in the arena.
“I see, the Ichinose. Tamamo was not there, right?”
“Yes, if possible I would like to request you and your companions’ assistance…”
“No problem for me, but let me talk about it with my companions first. There’s something that concerns me. I will catch up with you later.”
The Futaba domain Karin mentioned was close to Mt. Fuji. Shin was concerned about the monster forces drawing closer to it, but he could not put Yuzuha’s words aside.
The direction was the same, so Shin decided to solve Yuzuha’s concern, then join Karin’s reinforcements.
“I heard what happened. Listen up, everyone.”
Shin reported what he heard to Schnee and the others. He used 【Silent Domain】 to soundproof the area around them, so the surrounding crowd did not hear anything.
“Monsters, is it. Could the “bad thing” Yuzuha talked about be the now disappeared Tamamo?”
“Could be. I’m going there. I would like to ask you all to go to each domain as reinforcements.”
“I will go to the Futaba domain. Once things have been taken care of, I will come to Mt. Fuji.”
Schnee chose the location close to Shin’s, without hesitation. As she boasted the highest speed in the group, she could act faster than anyone else regarding the matter of Yuzuha’s worry, the most unpredictable element.
“I shall stay here. It is shameful to say, but I am the slowest among us.”
As Shibaid expressed his intention of staying, Filma made her decision.
“Okay, I’m going to the Shijou territory with Tiera then. If we physically reinforce Kagerou’s legs, we’ll arrive there quickly.”
“Un-understood!”
Shibaid also had concerns. He mentioned the reason for staying behind is his slow movement speed. However, with Filma’s cooperation they avoid getting Tiera involved in a war between humans.
If the Ichinose soldiers had started their march on their own free will, a different kind of battle than the simple survival against monsters would take place.
It was also different than fighting thieves or bandits. It would be true war, a bloodbath, multitudes of people killing each other.
Shibaid and Filma thought that Tiera, who had only experience fighting monsters, should not be exposed to a war between thousands of people just yet.
“Things might turn harsh here, but will you be alright, Shibaid?”
“I have experienced this type of battle plenty of times. I do not know if they come of their own will or are being manipulated, but if it’s the latter I will save as many as possible. I despise this way of doing things, after all. If they come at me with intent to do battle, however, I will have to react accordingly.”
Shibaid’s statement implied that he would not hesitate to cut his opponents down, would their actions demand it.
“That is perfectly fine. Everybody, we’re off!”
With Shin’s words as a signal, the party of four (plus one fox) set on their respective tracks.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
The first one to reach the battlefield was, obviously enough, Shibaid.
The Kujou soldiers were in formation, ready to meet the Ichinose-monster allied army.
Alongside the Ichinose troops there were 6 monsters in total. They included 3 Green Tails around level 500 and 3 Yellow Tails around level 400.
There were no other monsters to be seen, maybe because they were acting alongside humans.
“It does not seem like they are being manipulated either.”
Shibaid, who had survived countless battlefields, knew very well the taste of the air on the field of battle. He had cut down manipulated soldiers, and those who were fighting on their own will.
Because of this, he instinctively felt that the Ichinose troops were not manipulated when he looked at them. He also confirmed it with 【Analyze】.
They appeared to be in the typical excited frenzy soldiers felt before battle, but no one was affected by status ailments such as 【Charm】 or 【Confusion】.
“Are they possessed by the battle?”
Shibaid whispered after looking over the troops. They were a mixture of many different races and species, but they had one thing in common.
No one young was among them. Even Elves and Lords, who typically did not change much as they aged, looked like they had already passed middle age.
Among the others, there were many who appeared to be in their early elderly years. Their eyes, however, sparkled bright with the intent to battle.
Shibaid was reminded of berserker warriors who would not stop fighting until their last breath.
“Hmm?”
He saw one man from the Kujou camp head towards the Ichinose troops. He was carrying a katana, but no armor.
It was an unthinkable thing to see on the battlefield, but Shibaid knew who the man was.
“Hinomoto’s strongest swordsman, huh.”
The man’s name was Toudou Kankurou.
As Kankurou was walking towards the Ichinose army, a man on horseback, clad in superb-looking armor, galloped closer to him.
“That’s quite a large entourage you came with. Unfortunately, we received no announcement of your visit.”
“Of course you haven’t. This is war.”
Kankurou knew the man well: he had once been appointed battalion commander in the Ichinose army.
“Why are there monsters with you? Are they not beasts to be defeated?”
“Who knows what those creatures think? They have their own plans too, I assume. Nothing that concerns us.”
The man answered clearly and boldly. He did not seem to be lying.
Kankurou thought that they were allied probably just because they shared similar goals.
“Why would you do something like this?”
“We were born among the flames of war. With large battles ceasing to exist, some of us simply pass away in silence. But we wish to die on the field of battle! We will not just wait to pass away in our beds!”
“You plan to kindle the fires of war in Hinomoto for such a reason?”
“You may laugh and call us foolish. All who came here today are such fools. Battle-crazy fools who cannot accept these times of peace.”
The man then laughed. A pure, clear laugh, without a shade of doubt in it. A ferocious smile on his lips.
The men behind him shared the same expression.
“The Ichinose house originally formed and grew from a gathering of such people. If not now, then in the near future, but this day was inevitable. Personally, I thought I was going to find some understanding from you.”
“I don’t have the slightest idea of what you mean.”
“In Hinomoto, no man has seen as many battlefields as you, killed as many as you have. O “White haired sword demon”. I give thanks to the heavens that my last battle will be against you.”
The man held up his spear, readying for battle.
His fighting spirit and murderous intent mingled together, prickling Kankurou’s skin.
“….so this is a warrior’s way of life?”
“Hah. Nothing more than complacency.”
The man’s lips sealed shut after those words.
We shall speak through our blades now, is what his eyes expressed..
“So be it then. I, Toudou Kankurou, shall be your opponent in this final battle!”
Before men who viewed death as a righteous boon, Kankurou’s atmosphere changed.
Waves of murderous intent silently spread throughout the battlefield.
“Here I come!!”
Although pressured by Kankurou’s murderous intent, the man unleashed a thrust enveloped in violent winds.
A single sharp thrust, which did not betray the man’s old age. It was his coup de grace, a powerful blow which had felled many an opponent in the past.
This time, however, his spear…did not meet its target.
“Won…derful…”
As the man fell from his horse and into the ground, the tip of his spear, which had been cut off and blown away, stabbed the ground beside him.
The arc 『Black Moon』 had drawn in the air disappeared, the metal sound accompanying the katana’s return to its sheath was overwhelmed by the trampling sound of the approaching cavalry troops.
The men rushing on their horses, the men marching on the ground, no one bore expressions of sorrow on their faces. Their expressions well fit battle-crazy warriors, as the man had called them.
“Well well, to face such numbers of soldiers ready to die will be quite troublesome.”
The Kujou soldiers were not weak by any means. But against soldiers who do not fear death, or rather, soldiers heading towards death, even the most powerful soldier will be burdened with exhaustion.
For Kankurou, it was a group he could easily defeat, provided he had the time.
However, considering the possibility of the 7-tails’ presence, he wanted to avoid both using too much time and exhausting his troops.
“Let me offer my assistance then.”
Kankurou was pondering how to break through the situation, when a Dragnil carrying a black halberd appeared before him.
The fighting spirit he emitted casted an overwhelming pressure on the surroundings.
“Well now, you are sir Shin’s…”
“Sir Kankurou. I shall participate in this battle.”
“My, it is a true honor to fight side by side with one of sir Shin’s companions.”
Kankurou naturally knew of Shibaid and his position in Shin’s service. Kankurou had witnessed him fight during his travels in the continent.
“I believe you have more speed than me, sir Kankurou. I will hold the soldiers back, I ask you to deal with the monsters.”
“That is a very welcome proposal. I shall go hunting then, please wait a while.”
Kankurou nodded at Shibaid’s proposal and quickly ran off.
He was running among thousands of troops searching for just a few monsters, but his expression was not clouded.
“Be ready.”
Kankurou’s path was opened by streaks of red slashes, created by the same skill Juugo had used, 【Infiltrator Blade】.
Its power, however, was much different. Maybe because of his stats, or because of his expertise. The army was torn apart, as the armored men and horses on Kankurou’s path were cleaved in two.
“It’s the blade demon!! The blade demon is coming!!”
Crimson Slash. That was another name for Kankurou on the battlefield.
His sword arm alone could decide the fate of a battle. That was the symbol of Hinomoto’s strongest swordsman.
“Do not enter the path of his sword!! Surround—”
“I beg your pardon.”
A captain-looking man tried to give out instructions, as Kankurou’s slashes cut through the army’s formation.
But before he could finish barking his orders, Kankurou appeared behind him.
At the same time, the man’s body was ran through by the same crimson slashes.
“!?”
The man’s torso, cut off from the rest of his body, slowly fell to the ground.
His dying expression, much like the spear-wielding man Kankurou had cut down before, seemed satisfied.
“So strong…”
“A truly worthy opponent!!”
The army was losing its officers one after the other, but its morale was not falling, instead rising even higher. A phenomenon that normally would never happen when facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent.
Kankurou, slicing through the enemy formation, now pointed his blade at one of the monsters, a Green Tail. The monster was swinging its tails towards Kankurou.
Before a beast so huge one had to look up to see properly, Kankurou swung 『Black Moon』 without a word. The monsters’ tails, sweeping through the surroundings-Ichinose soldiers included- were sliced away.
The instant after, the Green Tail wailed in pain, Kankurou was at its feet, the monster’s blind spot, holding the sheathed 『Black Moon』 at his hip, ready to attack.
“First one.”
『Black Moon』 was unsheathed, once again crimson slashes flew.
One slash was enough to cut off the Green Tail’s head: soon after, the beast’s huge body, much larger than a horse’s, crumbled to the ground, causing a small tremor.
A cloud of dust rose, the soldiers stopped in their tracks for a moment. But even that would not stop them. As their actions showed, they did not count on the monsters from the beginning.
“Are you looking for a place to die? The country and age might not be the same, but those who live by the blade all share the same destination, don’t they.”
Shibaid quietly whispered while sweeping away those who aimed to strike Kankurou from the back.
Even if he was not using any skill, the soldiers around Shibaid were blown away as if an explosion had gone off right next to them.
In the 500 years of Shibaid’s life, he met many who thought of nothing except how to die.
Girard, who had battled and died at Shin’s hands, was not too different, a berserker who only thought about himself.
One of the destinations of those who live by the blade was now spreading before Shibaid.
Witnessing his formidable sweeps, many soldiers recognized Shibaid’s great ability and gathered around him.
While silently countering their assaults, Shibaid shot a skill towards one of the Yellow Tails.
“Hnngh!”
『Placid Moon』 was held high, then came crashing down.
Spear/Wind combination skill 【Storm Hammer】.
Differently from Kankurou’s 【Infiltrator Blade】, the spherical hurricane born from 『Placid Moon』’s tip blew the soldiers far away, carved into the ground and through the battlefield, also damaging those outside the skill’s range.
The hurricane, ravaging the battlefield in a fan-like shape, claimed the lives of 2 Yellow Tails, which happened to be close to its path. At the same time, Kankurou finished off his second Green Tail.
Then, among the chaotic ranks of the Ichinose soldiers, the Kujou troops finally arrived.
“To battle!!!”
The cavalry broke through the enemy troops, then the foot soldiers struck the separated groups of enemy soldiers. Their well-planned movements were the clear sign of the strict training they went through.
Corpses piled upon corpses on the reddening ground, riddled with broken weapons and crushed armor.
In such a scenery, the two oldest veterans of the battlefield simply continued to swing their blades in silence.
◆◆◆◆
The second to arrive to the battlefield was Schnee.
After joining with Karin, Schnee separated from Shin -who was heading to Fuji- and went on to ambush the monsters approaching the Futaba domain from the rear.
After self-introductions, Schnee had explained that she would fight alongside them.
When Shin said that Schnee would come with them instead, Karin was not exactly convinced, but after hearing that there was something unusual going on at Mt. Fuji, she did not inquire further.
“Well then, as we discussed, I will take the first move.”
“Please do.”
After this exchange with Karin, Schnee raised a hand in the direction of the large monster army.
They were about 1 kemel from the monsters. Tsuguho and Tsugumasa furrowed their brows, wondering what Schnee was planning on doing, but the next instant the twins’ expressions were filled with surprise.
“Woooh!! W-what’s that!?”
Tsugumasa let out an exclamation, startled by the cold wind that had suddenly started to blow.
His eyes were fixed on the plains before his eyes, now covered in platinum white ice.
“Lady Karin, just who is she…?”
“—-an ally. You do not need to think any deeper than that for now.”
Karin gave a matter-of-fact answer to Tsuguho’s question, pronounced with a mixture of fear and awe.
She was not as surprised because, during the battle on the ship leading to Hinomoto, she had been witness of Schnee’s crushing victory over the Gale Serpents.
The skill Schnee used was the Water-type magic skill 【Cocytus】, a spell with a wide area of effect.
It was not magic exclusive to battles against guilds like 【Blue Judgement】.
However, its caster was Schnee, who had undergone a power-up during Filma’s rescue. The spell’s power was something beyond the imaginations of Karin and the others, who were running beside Schnee.
Naturally, she had adjusted the spell’s effect in order not to cause damage to the Futaba forces.
“With this, the enemy army’s rear has been taken care of. Let us go assist those fighting on the frontlines. I will take that White Tail.”
“Regarding that one, we could—”
“No, I believe it is best if it is you who informs the Futaba soldiers that we came to help, lady Karin. I do not wish to cause confusion in their ranks. My apologies, but now let us prioritize a speedy extermination of the monsters.”
Karin realized that it would be faster and more people could be saved if Schnee used her magic, rather than if Karin’s group of three went around slaying monsters.
However, due to the abrupt use of 【Cocytus】, a considerable amount of confusion was produced on the frontlines.
Just like what Schnee said, if the messenger announcing that reinforcements arrived was between Karin, one of the Brave Ten, or a nameless adventurer, there would surely be different reactions.
The present problem was that the frontlines were already engaged in a chaotic battle. It would be difficult even for Schnee to eliminate only the enemy monsters.
“….Understood. I leave that to you then. Please be careful.”
The Futaba soldiers were not weak troops that would be trampled without resisting, but they were in severe numerical disadvantage.
Karin, who had heard the approximate numbers of the monster units, feared that they would bypass the Futaba troops and directly invade the towns.
Because of this, she swallowed her pride and agreed to Schnee’s proposal.
“You too.”
Schnee replied to Karin with a small nod and headed in a different direction. Using the frozen monsters as footholds, she closed in on the White Tail, which was heading for the frontlines.
“Too slow.”
Schnee unsheathed 『Blue Moon』 and released a skill.
It was the Water/Katana combination skill 【Frozen White Arc】.
A platinum white slash sprang forward from 『Blue Moon』.
The crescent moon-shaped blade of ice, which had frozen even the arm of raid rank 3 demon Scoruas, cut off 2 of the White Tail’s tails: the monster had reacted at the last moment at Schnee’s slight killing intent.
The tails froze in midair before landing, while the freezing affecting the other tails was expanding towards the monster’s legs.
“———!?!”
A scream, which failed to become words, made the surrounding air tremble.
The White Tail wildly swung its remaining tails, attacking humans and monsters without distinction.
“….just what is this supposed to be?”
Schnee whispered while looking at the White Tail, which had lost all reason because of the pain and anger.
Based on level and monster rank, the White Tail before her was supposed to be the peak of its kind. But in actuality it didn’t match such a description at all.
The monster was simply flailing wildly and did not show any trace of intellect, which should increase as the monster’s level did.
Not all monsters were like that, but as far as Schnee knew, the intelligence of Demon Fox monsters tended to increase along with their level.
“I suppose Yuzuha’s “hunch” is right on the money, huh?”
Schnee stood on the monster, now with neck and tails cut off, and looked towards Fuji.
However, that lasted no longer than a few seconds, she immediately glanced at the battlefield once more and pointed her blade towards the monsters.
◆◆◆◆
Filma and Tiera, riding on Kagerou’s back, arrived in Shijou territory at the time Schnee’s group had started fighting, when Shibaid and Kankurou had finished exterminating the Ichinose troops and monster army.
Akara, Akitaka, and Shiden, who were also headed towards the Shijou territory, had not arrived yet.
Even if they were guests in the Saegusa house, Filma and Tiera had not even met the Saegusa heiress, let alone knowing anyone from the Futaba or Yaejima.
Because of this, even if they knew that there were others coming that way, they did not go talk to them.
For Filma they would have only been in the way, and Tiera was not certain that they were heading to their same destination.
“We’re almost there.”
“There’s smoke coming from behind the defensive walls…”
The soldiers seemed to be fighting back the invaders, but part of the frontlines appeared to have been breached. A 6-tailed Demon Fox monster was sweeping through the soldiers.
“I’m going to take down the one with 6 tails, so please take care of the small fry, Tiera.”
“Understood. I’ll draw them away as much as I can.”
After their conversation, Kagerou charged headfirst towards the monsters’ pack. Casting a wall of thunderbolts in its path while charging through with his huge body, Kagerou reduced the monsters to ashes in an instant.
“Okay then, my turn!”
Using the recoil from Kagerou’s braking motion, Filma jumped high in the air. Bathed in the sunlight, the unique armor covering only her chest and waist area – named 『Magic Armor of Hollow Lacquer』- gave a dull gleam.
On the surface of 『Magic Armor of Hollow Lacquer』a geometrical pattern emerged. The pattern was painted with two pigments of purple. Purple that was almost black, and purple that had a brilliant reddish tint.
These patterns, which made it seem as if wings had grown from Filma’s back, were proof of one of the armor’s abilities, magic power release.
This allowed the user to consume MP and use magic power as a booster or thruster, thus achieving higher speed.
After using it, it was no longer possible to perform quick changes in direction and its MP consumption was high, so it was a function no one used. According to Shin however, it was simply an ability that “chose its users”: the right person would surely be able to tame it.
As she ran freely through the air, almost like she was really flying, Filma readied her 『Red Moon』 .
The soldiers around the fox were just surrounding it while limiting its movements. As no one was especially close to the monster, the timing was just right.
“I’m sorry to say this all of a sudden, but you’re out.”
Occupied with the human soldiers, Filma attacked the demon fox from the sky, which became its blind spot. She came down with the momentum of a falling star.
No one managed to react in time. Both the soldiers and the demon fox stood still before the raging flame falling from the sky.
The soldiers increased their distance because of the heat levels, while the fox wailed loudly because of the strike that had pierced its body.
“W-what!? What the he–!?”
The soldiers who regained their bearings after the sudden fireball attack raised their voices. But they couldn’t finish their sentences.
Inside the flame that had slain the fox, a shadow was moving.
“Something’s coming out…”
The more the shadow came closer, the more it looked human. In the end, the flames split as of their own will, and from the fire whirlpool appeared Filma.
Despite being in the middle of searing hot flames, neither her skin nor her armor showed any burn marks.
Emerging from the flames in that manner, the soldiers both feared Filma and were charmed with her beautiful appearance.
The armor she was wearing could hardly be said to be battle-oriented. No one, however, felt like pointing it out.
It looked good on her, and from the patterns rising from it, anyone would understand that it was no ordinary armor.
“You’ll forgive me for snatching your little prey, yes? —hm? Can you hear me?”
“EH!?! No, well, we were struggling in fact, you saved us. May I ask who you are though?”
“Let’s just say I’m reinforcements. My buddies are rampaging over there, but don’t attack them by mistake, okay?”
Filma pointed towards the large monster army.
What the soldiers saw when they turned was a large wolf-like monster routing the other packs of monsters. In addition, the person riding it was releasing attacks like flashes of light.
“Are you, allies?”
“Of course, didn’t I say that I’m reinforcements? Okay then, I’m going that way so I leave this to you. It’s the place you live in, you better protect it well.”
After saying all that, Filma gracefully leapt towards the masses of monsters.
The monsters turned to black ashes as her waves of flames spread at unbelievable speed.
Looking at this, the soldiers even started thinking that the demon fox they had been fighting until then maybe wasn’t that strong.
“Filma is really amazing…in a totally different way than master.”
Tiera felt somewhat at a loss for words, looking at Filma’s performance of leaping over the monster hordes and attacking the demon fox.
Tiera’s head was filled with questions, like what were those wing-like things that sprouted on Filma’s back, what was up with her armor, which barely covered anything…but for now she put them away and shot her bow.
Her enemies were monsters: there was no need to hesitate.
“I’m stronger than before, after all.”
Maybe because of the fragments absorbed within her body when Filma was freed, Tiera felt that her bow had become very light. If she infused just a bit of magic power in it, her arrows pierced through monsters with much more speed and power than before.
In the Balmel battle, she only managed to shoot arrows with Kagerou and Yuzuha’s help, but now she could could fly with just her strength, and with more power than before.
Combined with her original abilities, Tiera’s fighting power had increased exponentially.
“GRUAAAAAAAAA!!!”
As if encouraging her sniping, Kagerou roared. A mad dance of thunderbolts erupted in their surroundings, turning monsters into ashes.
Because of this overwhelmingly superior presence, even the monsters heading towards the Shijou city now proceeded more slowly.
In addition, the demon fox commanding them was now gone. The monster army was on the verge of collapse.
“I was worried that they would think we were enemies, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to attack us.”
Tiera looked in the direction of the fighting soldiers and felt a little relieved.
She was a bit apprehensive when Filma had charged into the demon fox like that.
“!?”
Just after this brief relief, Tiera prepared another arrow to shoot, but something other than monster corpses entered her line of sight.
That mostly torn and eaten thing she saw was a human corpse.
It was not the first time for Tiera to see a dead body. But the sight of that body, ravaged and destroyed to the point that it barely retained its original shape, was horrifying enough to make her swallow her breath.
“—-I—-I won’t allow any more of this!!!”
Tiera inhaled briefly, then looked straight at the scenery before her eyes.
Maybe because the soldiers’ numbers were too few, she understood that some monsters had entered the town. But that would end now. Filma had crushed the monster’s commander, and Kagerou was lowering their morale with its intimidating aura.
To lower casualties as much as possible, Tiera aimed at the units with higher levels.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_04_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 4
“What’s with these numbers?”
Shin had parted ways with Schnee and headed towards Fuji, but the formation of demon foxes he found around the mountain made him raise a brow. Almost all units were around level 700, with 6 or 7 tails. For Shin it was nothing special, but for this world it was close to a natural disaster.
Such monsters were now surrounding Mt. Fuji. They were also clearly expressing hostile intentions.
“Kuu!! Tamamo, not here!!”
“That’s true, I can’t pick up any presence that could be hers. What’s this about, anyway? There are the 8-headed Orochi and Munechika on top of Fuji. No matter how many boss-level monsters you gather, with their fighting power they’re just going to get annihilated.”
The gap between the level 900 Munechika and the level 700 demon foxes was just too large. That’s what their difference in fighting power meant.
Because of the demon foxes’ large numbers, Munechika could maybe suffer some injuries, but if they fought they would be surely exterminated.
Despite that, the demon foxes were unmistakably heading towards the mists covering the mountain.
“Hmm?”
Among the demon foxes climbing up Mt. Fuji, Shin detected a small presence moving up as well.
It was not being attacked despite being right next to the demon foxes, so it was likely to be an ally.
Shin thought it could be Tamamo, and asked Yuzuha for confirmation, but she denied that possibility.
“Yuzuha, I’m going to see this sneaky one before dealing with them. What are you going to do?”
“….I feel a bad presence from there. Yuzuha, go there. Shin, go to Fuji.”
After a short pause, Yuzuha turned to a direction different than the mountain.
“Will you be fine by yourself?”
“Leave it to Yuzuha!!”
Yuzuha hopped down from Shin’s shoulder, transformed into little girl mode, and puffed up her chest.
Shin would have been worried until a while ago, but her level was now higher and her control over her powers were much better.
Shin looked at Yuzuha, who was looking back at him with straight and honest eyes, and nodded.
“—-got it. Take these with you, just in case.”
Shin took an accessory that would take damage instead of the user and items to heal status ailments from the item box.
Yuzuha took them, put them in her robes, then ran off in fox form.
“OK, time to do my part.”
After whispering to himself, Shin went on his way.
While concealing his presence with 【Hiding】, Shin drew closer to the dot moving among the demon foxes.
When he came close enough to see, he spotted a man clad in black ninja wear head to toe.
The name displayed via 【Analyze】 was Rokuhara Kai, the man who was with Juugo.
Shin jumped in front of Kai and deactivated 【Hiding】.
“!?! You are the man from that time…!?”
Kai reacted to Shin’s sudden appearance by drawing his ninja blade. He was clearly wary of Shin after recognizing him.
“Do you mean, the time at Aokigahara?”
“Who can say!”
Before even an attempt to conversation was made, Kai casted a magic spell towards Shin.
What flew towards Shin was the flame-type magic skill 【Fireball】. It was a basic offensive magic, widely used by beginners and experts alike.
However, magic used by a ninja like Kai, whose job leaned more towards physical attacks, could not work on Shin.
The 【Fireball】 flying towards Shin vanished into nothingness just before hitting him.
“If possible, I’d like to know why you are doing this.”
“….to once again spread the flames of war in Hinomoto.”
“—-I’m surprised to receive an answer. But why? I hear that there is much to lose in the flames of war. What would you gain in doing this?”
Shin did not expect any answers, but as he received one instead, he expressed another doubt.
“…..Hinomoto has had continuous conflicts, all within this small island country. One needed to be strong, lest everything be taken away from them. Because of that, in those times everyone was strong. But now the people forgot those times of war, and became weak. The Brave Ten as well, none of them can even match sir Kankurou now, they are just brats with nothing more than their Returned Ancestor status going for them. If peace continues on like this, Hinomoto will eventually grow weak.”
“As someone who saw the continent’s adventurers and soldiers, I can tell you that Hinomoto soldiers are clearly stronger than them.”
Shin said what he honestly thought. Even in Balmel, a city exposed to the dangers of the Flood’s monster hordes, the soldiers’ quality was lower than Hinomoto.
“It is not enough for soldiers to be strong. The lords governing its domains, the soldiers serving under them, the people inhabiting its lands…all of them need to be strong, or a small country like Hinomoto has no future.”
“Even so, is setting monsters on the people an acceptable way? It would just cause a burden on those precious soldiers and citizens.”
“If they fall because of something like that, it means that they were worth that much in the first place. This was one of the truths in the era of wars.”
“You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes.”
Based on his experiences until now, Shin thought that Kai’s race was Human.
Humans have short life spans. No one from this race could have witnessed the age of wars and still be alive.
“Because they showed it to me.”
“They “showed” it?”
“The one who controls these beasts did. They seem to have different goals, but no matter if we are being used or not, our wish will be fulfilled.”
Kai spoke while pointing at a Blue Tail among the demon foxes surrounding them.
Shin never heard of abilities allowing the user to see the past, but before that, he could not know if the past Kai saw was the truth or not.
“I will not accept a unification scared of sacrifices. Hinomoto will become a strong country only if the truly strong rule over it.”
“The man called Ichinose Juugo is already dead. Even so, do you continue?”
“Do you think I would stop now?”
“I suppose not.”
Kai’s killing intent grew more intense. In response, Shin’s hand reaches to the katana 『Moonless』 at his waist.
“…..I did not think it would be possible to talk like this. Are you sure it was fine to leak all that information?”
“It makes no difference. Dead men tell no tales.”
“That man might be you though, you know?”
“That is fine too. The strong live, the weak perish. That is all.”
Even his own death was an acceptable outcome. Kai’s eyes as he said so were straight and true, despite the haziness within them.
“…were the days of peace so painful?”
“……..”
Shin’s last words were the only ones Kai did not reply to.
Wielding his ninja blade, Kai disappeared into the shadow of a Red Tail.
The monsters surrounding Shin were 3 Red Tails and 3 White Tails. The former were around level 600, the latter level 700: all boss-class monsters.
There were also other monsters of the demon fox species, but except those heading towards Shin, they were all proceeding towards the peak.
“That’s a shame.”
Shin spoke in response to Kai’s silence. The echo of these words was so cold, it would have ran chills down the spines of whoever heard them.
Shin then unsheathed 『Moonless』 while shifting his line of sight to the right.
As he drew a silver arc in the air with the blade, a sound of clashing metal followed and 3 kunai fell on the ground, split clean in half.
Even if he had concealed himself, Kai’s 【Hiding】 was inferior to Shin’s perception abilities.
“Did you think you were hiding?”
Shin’s line of sight uncovered Kai’s position.
Because Kai felt a chill down the back of his spine he turned towards the origin of this savage thirst for blood. Even though his facial expression became stiff, it also changed into a smile.
“What I sensed that time was no lie, I see.”
Even if he had accepted death as positive, some things could not be overcome.
The stench of blood Kai had sensed from Shin was not something that would emanate from someone who only battled against monsters.
It was proof that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people.
Kai looked downward towards the rattling sound that had reached his ears. He found his right arm, the one holding his blade, shaking.
The demon foxes around Shin too, intimidated by his killing intent, could not move.
Even the other demon foxes heading towards the peak turned towards Shin, their bodies trembling.
“Heh, this is how true war must be.”
Kai pulled out a round pill from his robe and swallowed it, then charged towards Shin.
Kai’s after-images split and attacked Shin.
It was a technique combining high-speed movement and illusions, by using the skills 【Ground Shrink】 and 【Mirage Dance】. The round pill allowed Kai to move at a speed easily surpassing the average Chosen One.
This combination, which Schnee often uses too, served to enhance all of Kai’s techniques, also taking advantage of his boosted physical abilities.
However—-.
“A ninja should never attack from the front, come on.”
Before Shin’s 『Moonless』, it was all meaningless.
No matter how deftly Kai hid within the illusions, Shin’s eyes could see through them. Attacking him from the front was a poor strategy, no matter how boosted Kai was by the round pill.
In the blink of an eye, Shin closed in on one of Kai’s copies: it was the real one.
Even if wide-eyed in surprise, Kai tried to dodge with all his might. Maybe because of his long experience in battle, his body moved before he could think.
Thanks to this, the air-rending slash performed by 『Moonless』 stopped at slicing the ninja’s left arm off.
“I alone am no match, I see. —-Attack!!”
After Kai’s order, the demon foxes, frozen still because of Shin’s killing intent, started moving. They targeted Shin with fangs and claws, taking advantage of their large bodies.
They had already understood, from watching the exchange between Kai and Shin, that magic would not work.
“You’re in the way.”
The White tail and Red Tail’s claws were approaching Shin from both the left and right side. Shin responded indifferently by swinging 『Moonless』.
Two silver flashes run through the air. As they disappeared, the HP of two demon foxes reached zero.
Their heads and front legs fell to the ground seconds later.
Katana-type martial skill 【Beast Hunt】.
Thanks to the skill’s increased damage against animal-type monsters such as the demon foxes, two units fell with ridiculous ease.
Shin lightly swung 『Moonless』, still not stained with a single drop of blood, and spoke.
“I will cut down everything. Give up.”
In the space of one single breath, Shin slayed the White Tail approaching from behind. He then took the killing intent he had been focusing on his surroundings to intimidate the monsters and released it to the fullest, without limiting it.
His opponent being shifted from humans to monsters, his intent also shifted from defeating to killing.
Differently from a bandit or ruffian, in Shin’s eyes Kai was acting with a clear objective.
He seemed to have been influenced by something, but as also displayed by 【Analyze】, he was not under complete manipulation.
He did not know what the reason was, but Shin felt that for both Kai and Juugo, deep down their own will was behind their actions. After his conversation with Kai, Shin’s supposition turned into certainty.
If their will desired war and killing though, for Shin there was no other choice.
Excluding the monster’s involvement, a commotion like this would have happened sooner or later.
For the present Hinomoto, their position was that of heretics. Their ways and thoughts would never be understood.
Even if in a contorted form, their love for their country was at the heart of it all.
That too was a way of thinking. But no matter what their reasons were, Shin would not accept Juugo and Kai’s way of doing things.
And thus, he cuts.
The killing intent emanating from his body, as chilling as a deathly cold breeze, spoke to those facing Shin, telling them to prepare to die.
“After a life spent in the darkness, for my last opponent to be someone of such might…I am thankful.”
A smile widening on his lips, Kai leapt and ran through Shin’s killing intent.
Normally he could have closed the distance in an instant. However Kai’s body, although boosted by the round pill, could not keep up with his mind.
Shin was looking in Kai’s direction, but did not move a step.
He held 『Moonless』 straight in front, its tip pointed forward, quietly staring at Kai. There were no openings in his stance.
“Gwah”
As he was running towards Shin, Kai’s legs creaked. His long battle experience told him that something was wrong with his bones. Then, as if provoked by that, his legs and arms produced strange noises.
“I see the recoil has come.”
Shin said while looking at Kai.
After looking at Kai’s status display, Shin had guessed what the pill Kai swallowed had to be.
Shin’s decision of cutting down Kai was out of compassion: having him destroy himself would have been too pitiful of an ending.
“It’s been awhile since I last saw someone use a forbidden drug.”
“But even if I did, look at me now.”
What Shin called forbidden drug was actually an item with the official name of “Miracle Drug of Blinking Life”.
Using it would instantly raise all stats by several stages, but in exchange HP would decrease at a fixed rate, the player dying after a few minutes.
In addition, recovering lost HP or reviving right after dying was not possible: as penalty for dying, the player would also be forcefully transported to their hometown.
In the game, it was an item used only in battles between players.
Even if one defeated a boss using it, the system would prevent any EXP or loot gain, so the players that just enjoyed adventuring did not even know of its existence.
“This is the end.”
Kai’s HP was already close to zero. Even in such a state, the techniques he unleashed were not weakened in the least.
The ninja blade’s attacks continued. Kai’s katana, painted black to be used in stealth missions, was met by Shin’s 『Moonless』.
The platinum and gleaming black weapons crossed paths. Shin and Kai stopped moving, their backs to each other.
“Im…pressive…”
After this one last word, Kai fell. The katana he still held in his right hand had its blade cut in half.
“…can’t say this feels right.”
When Shin turned around, Kai had already drawn his last breath.
Looking at his somehow pleased-looking expression, Shin scratched his head, perplexed.
Possibly finding an opening in his now relaxed guard, Shin was attacked by a mass of flame and ice. However, it was enough to attract his attention. The attack was canceled by his magic resistance.
“So it’s not like he was in command, huh. You should at least know that laying a hand on me or Fuji would be the end of you though.”
As he finished talking, at Shin’s feet lied the corpses of 1 Red Tail and 1 Blue Tail. His opponents were now only monsters, so he swung his sword without the slightest hesitation.
Shin directed his perception towards Fuji and noticed a dot of light moving rapidly around the demon foxes. It was Munechika.
As the small dot came closer, the big ones would disappear. The speed at which they were annihilated was overwhelming: the 8-headed Orochi did not even move from the peak.
“There are still plenty of them; guess I’ll lend a hand.”
Shin started hunting down the demon foxes from the direction opposite to the dot he thought to be Munechika.
After less than an hour, most of the demon foxes that had gathered on Fuji had been exterminated.
As Shin took down the last unit, the sparkle of platinum armor appeared before him.
“So it was you, Shin.”
What appeared was the katana and person carrying the name of One of the Five Supreme Blades – Mikazuki Munechika. As she was battling, she was wearing her helmet, but not her flowing black hair nor her armor were stained by enemy blood.
“I see you did not have trouble either.”
“Monsters of that level are nothing to me. Curious to see you appear at the same time as the monsters’ assault though. Do you know something?”
“I don’t know much in detail, but I’ll tell you all I can.”
Shin briefly explained about Juugo, Kai, Tamamo and the plan they had put into action.
After he finished talking, Munechika thought for a while, holding her fingers to her lips, then she looked towards the peak of Fuji.
“The demon foxes’ goal for attacking was probably what we are protecting on top of the mountain. Not only the demon foxes, but many of Hinomoto’s monsters with a certain degree of intellect came to attack Fuji.”
“Is there something of much importance there? I did think it was strange that the mountain’s master Kagutsuchi wasn’t there, but…no, I do not mean to pry. You don’t need to answer.”
“Heh, I know that. I suppose I could tell you. Because your partner, the Element Tail, probably noticed already.”
“Eh? You knew Yuzuha was an Element Tail?”.
Shin was also surprised that Yuzuha apparently knew the reason behind Kagutsuchi’s absence, but Munechika’s knowledge of Yuzuha’s species was even more astonishing to him.
“The energy of the Ley lines has a peculiar aura. I heard from Kagutsuchi that Element Tails have the ability of influencing Ley lines, as well.”
Judging from Munechika’s words, it didn’t look like Kagutsuchi had been slain.
Just like Yuzuha, it was apparently possible to communicate with it. During the game the battle would always start without any actual conversation, so Shin found it a bit surprising.
“Well, this is not the time to stand around chatting. Go to your partner. And one more thing, you haven’t forgotten the promise to return to me, have you? I cannot claim to be patient, I will wait for only 10 years at most.”
“I will go now then. Rest assured, I have no intention of making you wait that long.”
Shin replied thinking that for an impatient person, that was a pretty long time span.
Strictly speaking, Munechika was like a spirit hosted within a sword, so there was no concept of lifespan for her, or so Shin reflected.
“I am looking forward to it then.”
Shin thanked Munechika, who told him the direction Yuzuha was in, and headed off.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 08 - The Divine Katana's Inheritor/The-New-Gate-Volume-08-The-Divine-Katana's-Inheritor-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_08_Chapter_04_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 5
While Shin was talking with Munechika after the battle, Yuzuha was running over the plains, at the largest size she could currently take.
She was already considerably far from Fuji. Even though she still wasn’t in her perfect form, the Element Tails’ proverbially high physical abilities were serving her well enough.
“…..there.”
Yuzuha was looking towards a forest located from the path leading to Fuji.
The nasty presence she had felt while traveling with Shin was getting closer and closer.
She had already perceived the being behind this presence. It too should have noticed Yuzuha’s approach.
The owner of the presence was deep in the forest and not moving. It appeared to be waiting for Yuzuha.
“Kuu.”
Thinking that it was even better if it didn’t run away, Yuzuha proceeded into the forest, mindful of any traps.
After a few minutes, she arrived in an open area without any trees.
It was an area roughly 50 mels wide, where only 10 cemels tall grass grew.
In that deserted place, there was one shadow other than Yuzuha’s. Long white hair reaching to the ground, gently flowing in the wind. A woman was standing there, alone.
Perfectly proportioned features that 10 people out of 10 would surely describe as beautiful, animal ears of the same color as her hair. As she was loosely wearing her kimono, her bountiful breasts and the captivating whiteness of her thighs sometimes peeked from her clothing.
On her back, from her waist sprouted 6 white tails, softly swaying left and right.
The woman’s name was Tamamo.
“Kuu! Found you!”
Yuzuha was growling, her fur standing because of the aura coming from Tamamo, whose appearance made her look like a person from the Fox Tribe.
Yuzuha knew that Tamamo wasn’t actually a person from the Fox Tribe. No member of that species would have 6 tails.
“Hehe, and I was here wondering who was coming…it was the Element Tail after all. My, you look quite weakened, though.”
In complete contrast with the hostility Yuzuha openly displayed, Tamamo’s expression showed her confidence.
As the strength of a demon fox was displayed by the number of tails, Yuzuha was suspicious of the fact that the 6-tailed Tamamo was acting on her own.
Among the demon foxes on Fuji, there were ones with 7 tails as well.
Normally, those would be the commanding officers.
“Kuu, you give, bad aura.”
Yuzuha spoke while taking human form.
“Bad aura, hmm. Could it maybe be….this!?”
A black ball of fire shot out of Tamamo’s hand. Yuzuha dodged it instinctively and looked at where the ball of fire landed. She saw the ground dyed in purple where the black flames burnt the grass.
Something different from miasma was tainting the land. Yuzuha understood it through her intuition.
“You!! Inside, different! This person, container!”
“So YoU CAn UndERstaND ThAT mUCh. YeS, thIS BODy iS VErY vERy GoOD!”
Tamamo’s voice was gradually distorting. The sounds it emitted, which could barely be understood as words, were human speech no more.
Yuzuha’s eyes saw the pitch black silhouette of another demon fox rise behind Tamamo.
The contour of this figure was blurred here and there, but it was obviously a demon fox.
When Yuzuha had seen Tamamo, together with Juugo, in Kujou territory, she had not perceived this presence.
Furthermore, Yuzuha knew of only one thing who matched this presence.
“Disaster-bearing Demon Fox, Tamamo. The corrupted form of an Element Tail, who possesses other people.”
“Kah KAh! THaT Is ME iNDEed. We mEEt LiKE tHIs fOR ThE FiRSt tIme, yEs. O eSTeEmEd “pROgENItoR” oF aLL uSs eLEMeNt tAiLs!”
Knowledge of each other came out of their mouths. But only a handful in this world could comprehend what was said.
In the game era, Tamamo was just an event boss and the Element Tails were hidden bosses that only a handful of advanced players knew of.
There was a clear gap in their strength, but the players did not know that there was a clear difference in the strengths of these individuals.
Even if the players did not know, the difference in strength was certainly there. Consequently, Yuzuha and Tamamo were personally aware it was so.
“Kuu! Why you do these things!”
“ThAt’S a cURiOUs tHInG To aSk. I cAMe tO THis wORLd To bRinG fOrTH dISAsTEr! To kIlL aNd To dEsTRoY iS My rEAsOn fOr eXIStINg! aFTeR tHEsE lONg yEArS, YOu hAve fORGoTTen eVeN tHAt?!”
The black shadow trembled, the demon fox possessing Tamamo roared.
To invade cities and bring terror to the people. To be defeated by players, to be reborn, to do so again.
That endless cycle is what let Tamamo be Tamamo. It was something completely natural, as natural as people breathing.
However, now that the world had become reality, it was nothing more than a curse implanted in the cycle of life.
—-Moveed “however”.
“Kuu, that is not necessary now”
“I cARe nOTHinG aBOut tHat. I SHAalL fULFiLl mY eXISTenCe. THIs bOdY haS aLREaDy lOst aLl seNSe oF seLf. IT wAs bETRraYEd, It hATed, It oFfeReD itSeLF To Me. ITS bEAUty liES oNly in itS aPPEAraNCe nOw.”
“….kuu.”
Yuzuha cried with melancholy while looking at Tamamo.
The manipulated woman was smiling. Tamamo said that it did not have a sense of self anymore, but that expression seemed to convey that she had no regrets.
Yuzuha thought that a great many people would have been charmed by her, if it weren’t for the red tears flowing down her cheeks.
“If you wish to stop me, use your strength to annihilate my body. O progenitor of the Element Tails, surely you can!!”
The black demon fox returned inside the woman’s body. Then, the six tails stood up, swaying as always, and became covered in black flames.
Yuzuha understood that the woman’s negative feelings fed Tamamo and increased its power.
“Hnn!!”
As if in response to Tamamo’s grunt, the tails attacked Yuzuha.
The 6 tails, spreading in a fan-like motion, moved as if they had individual will and surrounded Yuzuha, as to cut off any possible escape route.
“Kuu!!”
Yuzuha responded by casting a magic spell with quick activation. She then enveloped her own tails in different magic spells, repelling Tamamo’s tails, half of which had turned into black flames.
The most effective tails were the ones wrapped in light-type magic and divine-type magic.
“….you can sleep, now. You don’t have to, fight.”
“Nonsense!!”
Tamamo’s tails repeatedly went on the offensive, while Yuzuha only defended herself.
Maybe because of the demon fox’s higher pressure, the attacks that Yuzuha couldn’t fully defend herself from ripped Yuzuha’s shrine maiden clothes.
“You understand too, do you not?”
Tamamo’s tails increased after this question.
Suddenly, 2 tails made completely of black flames had appeared. They were attached to her waist, just like the others.
“Juugo and Kai have died?”
Tamamo whispered with an expression mixed with envy and sadness.
Their relationship consisted in using each other, but it was not manipulation via Tamamo’s infusion of power.
The power Tamamo had given them returned to its owner, making it even stronger.
Yuzuha now faced even fiercer attacks: she countered 6 tails with her own and 1 with the flames she spewed from her mouth.
However, she could not counter the last one and tried to avoid it with a jump, but the black flames managed to singe Yuzuha’s body.
“If you will do nothing, then die!!”
The 8 tails attacked again. If they hit directly, they would cause considerable damage even to Yuzuha. Before the attack, the item Shin gave her activated.
A transparent membrane appeared all around Yuzuha and stopped Tamamo’s attack.
“A barrier…but I know well, that it won’t last long!!”
Tamamo’s tails repeatedly struck the barrier. Exclusively, as the tails made of black flames hit it, tiny cracks start appearing on its surface.
Yuzuha could not see the barrier’s resistance decreasing. But the gradually increasing cracks showed that its limit was now close.
“Kuu…”
The sound of the cracking barrier canceled Yuzuha’s cries.
Just like snakes eyeing their prey, the black flame tails pierced the ground where Yuzuha was.
“….you’re finally getting serious.”
As if in response to Tamamo’s whispered words, the black flames were repelled away.
The black flames and dust of clouds were mixed together in the air, within that mixture several silhouettes could be seen.
Yuzuha had transformed into the Adult form of an Element Tail with 9 gently swaying tails.
“I cannot return for long, you see.”
Silver waist-length hair, transparently violet eyes, animal ears of the same color of her hair standing briskly up.
Along with a breathtaking beauty that would charm anyone who saw her, Yuzuha -who had regained her original powers- quietly stared at Tamamo.
“Is hastening your death important too?”
“That is my only desire. Come on, o originator, wielder of powers the legends sing of!! Show them to me!!”
After Tamamo’s scream, the 8 tails once again targeted Yuzuha. Their power and momentum were at their highest.
“….you poor thing.”
Yuzuha whispered as the 2 black flame tails and 6 tails enveloped in black flames approach her with frightening speed. Following her whisper, her silver tails became flashes of light and pierced the space between the 2.
A clash of silver and black, with the latter as the loser.
The black flames scattered and vanished, the tails were torn to shreds.
Tamamo had 8 tails, Yuzuha 9. Along with the 8 tails who won the clash, the unattended 9th tail closed in to Tamamo.
“Gwaaahhh!!!”
Tamamo crossed its arms in defense, but it made little difference before an attack that tore to shreds tails filled with power. Tamamo was launched into the air.
Both arms were torn and severed from Tamamo’s body, its insides broken and ripped.
It seemed like a lie that until a few instants ago, Yuzuha was locked in defense. That’s how overwhelming her superiority was.
This was temporary for Yuzuha, but her original power was clearly above Tamamo.
“….kh……kh….”
Tamamo came crashing down on the ground and was now lying face up. The only sound to be heard was her ragged breathing.
She was not dead yet, but her body was on its final throes. Even if left alone, it would have lasted a few minutes at most.
As she was looking at Tamamo, a golden flame appeared over Yuzuha’s head.
Tamamo was roused as her line of sight got fixed onto Yuzuha’s figure. The mere sight of that divine flame would be enough to bring anyone to its knees, due to its incommensurable heat.
“….you may pass on now.”
A few seconds later, accompanied by Yuzuha’s words, the golden flame swallowed Tamamo.
Tamamo’s body turned into molten ashes in seconds.
The very last instant, her expression seemed to sketch a smile.
“Phew…”
The flames disappeared as Yuzuha breathed quietly. Nothing but a scorched ground remained, where Tamamo’s body used to be.
After the flames completely disappeared, a silver light leaked from Yuzuha’s body.
Her body progressively returned to the teenager-like form it had until a few moments before, just like a video played in reverse.
“Kuu…..”
She then returned in fox mode and plopped down on the ground.
Even if she had regained some of her powers from the location where Filma had been trapped, it was still not complete. Focusing her strength to return to her adult form would only last for a few minutes.
Furthermore, even if she temporarily regained that form, she could not retrieve the memories and knowledge amassed throughout the years.
It was a sort of ace up the sleeve to use in emergency situations.
“……..”
As she closed her eyes to recover her strength, Yuzuha felt a familiar presence approaching.
She slowly tried to stand up, then remembered something and fell down again.
“!? Yuzuha!?”
The approaching presence was Shin.
As soon as he saw Yuzuha lying on the ground, he rushed to her with enough speed to leave behind after-images. He gently picked her up in his arms and checked her condition.
“Her HP and MP don’t seem to have decreased much. The item’s broken, she seems to be powerless…what crazy things did you do?”
Yuzuha had barely received any damage, but the recoil of returning to her adult form had robbed her immature body of its energy.
“Defeated, Tamamo.”
“Still you went too far!! What would happen if you died….?”
Yuzuha judged that what she did was something bad. As she could comprehend from Shin’s voice that he was really worried. To tell you the truth, she actually had enough energy left to stand and walk.
Oblivious of Yuzuha’s actual condition, Shin gently held her in his arms.
“Kuu”
Wrapped by the warm sense of security provided by Shin’s arms, Yuzuha emitted a small cry.
◆◆◆◆
The invasion of several domains acted by the Ichinose soldiers and monsters had been on a large scale, but it had been suppressed before it caused large damage.
Special mention should be made to the reinforcements sent to the various regions.
Toudou Kankurou, 1st seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, and the black-scaled Dragnil who performed actions on par with him.
Saegusa Karin, Shijou Tsugumasa and Tsuguho, also from the Brave Ten, and the silver-haired Elf who appeared with them.
The red-haired Lord who fought the monsters attacking the Shijou domain even earlier than the Brave Ten, along with the huge wolf-like monster and the black-haired Elf.
After showing performances comparable with the Brave Ten, they all simply vanished without a word after the battle.
Many tried looking for them, obviously, but for some reason no one seemed to remember what they looked like.
Among Hinomoto’s soldiers, some rumor that they were spirits of the age of wars, who appear when the country is in peril.
In reality it was all due to concealment skills. The only ones capable of remembering were the few who met them and spoke face to face. And these few too were ordered by their superiors not to speak about these reinforcements to anyone else.
These mysterious helpers were now in front of the gates of the Saegusa house. They did not have much luggage with them but were all equipped for traveling.
Shin’s group had no more reason to stay with the Saegusa.
They had no pressing reason to go anywhere, but as the battle ended, they decided it was the right timing to depart.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Along with the Saegusa house members (Karin, Kuyou, Kayo, Chiyo), Kankurou too had come to see Shin’s party off.
“Must you truly depart? We owe you the gratitude of saving Hinomoto from the flames of war. If only we could express our thanks somehow…”
Karin, reluctant to see them go, had the proud 『Black Moon』 at her waist.
As Juugo’s foul play was discovered, the last remaining contestant, Karin, was chosen to be the divine katana’s successor.
“You are already keeping the 『Hakuramaru』 matter a secret for me. I thank you too for your cooperation, sir Kankurou. If word spread that I had that katana, the country itself could come after me.”
Shin replied to Karin and bowed his head to Kankurou.
Ancient-grade weapons were sought after by anyone, individuals and countries alike.
Shin had given 『Hakuramaru』 to Karin as he feared something would happen during the inheritance ceremony, but he did not regret that choice.
『Black Moon』 was a katana tempered by Shin. Average weapons would not be able to match its blade.
To all who saw that Shin was in possession of 『Hakuramaru』, they explained that he was traveling to return it to its rightful owner, clearly stating that it was not possible to obtain it from Shin.
Kankurou had concluded by stating that Shin was to be treated with maximum courtesy, so there was no particular attempt at negotiation.
“We have not been able to thank you properly for Lady Haruna’s matter either, though. Is there really nothing we could do?”
“I discussed this with everyone else too, but there is nothing we require at the moment. Thus, if in the future we will need help or assistance, please lend us your aid. I am sure there could be matters, besides war, that we cannot solve on our own.”
Shin answered clearly to Kuyou’s question and its serious tone. In case of necessity, having human connections would surely help.
“In that case, we shall do our utmost when that time comes. I look forward to our next meeting.”
“We will be counting on you then.”
Schnee and the others too bid their farewells, and the party left the Kujou domain.
——their destination was Hinomoto’s sacred mountain, Fuji.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0001_Prologue.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Prologue
What is loneliness?
It’s the silence so profound that you can count your own heart beats from one to ten thousand.
What is loneliness?
It’s the lack of a listener. When you want to say something, you can only speak to the ice, cold wall and mirror.
What is loneliness?
It’s the terror and fear that seeps deep into the marrow of every single bone.
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0002_Chapter_1_..._beginning.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 1: A silent beginning
Light rain drizzled down from the grey skies as if it was springtime, but I was walking down a street that did not belong to this season with my hand crooked in daddy’s arm. There weren’t that many people, just a few here and there, and the most eye catching was a ragged, rumped, young girl lying on the side of the road. She was barely breathing, and was staring at us with grey eyes that the light had gone out of. There was nothing but the sign of death in her eyes. Daddy stopped and stood in front of the girl, his face full of sorrow as he shook his head without speaking. He led us forward and a grey wind swept some discarded paper and fallen leaves in front of me.
“Daddy, I have something to do, I’ll be right back.” I hurriedly said as soon as we’d sat down at home.
“The weather isn’t looking too good. Make sure you take a jacket with you!” Daddy headed straight into the kitchen as soon as we returned, and began to busy himself with cleaning the vegetables and meat we’d just bought. Daddy had prepared a feast as he’d just gotten his bonus today.
“Okay!” I agreed and walked into the bedroom, taking out a black cloak from the closest. Cloaks are my favorite type of clothing because they protect against the wind and rain. As for black? I think it’s the color of night, of silence. A beautiful color.
I pulled on the floor length cloak and silently recited a sentence, undoing the first seal. I left the bedroom and home like the gust of wind.
A black shadow flashed through the gloomy streets and stopped before the young girl who was barely alive. The shadow was a little girl wearing a cloak that was the color of night. She bent down and said to the young girl, “I can give you unending life, but in return you must pay the price of your soul.” The girl used the last of her strength to wink slightly, and so the little girl brought her face up to the young girl’s neck and revealed a pair of sharp teeth. She bit down, but the young girl’s face was full of happiness. The little girl retracted her teeth after a short while and used her sharp nails to draw a small cut on her arm. The liquid of sin quickly gushed out of the cut and dripped into the young girl’s mouth. Death moved further and further away from her as she swallowed, and this fantastical scene was fully witnessed by a dark figure in the corner. The little girl left after the young girl had recovered, with only a sentence floating back behind her. “Treasure other people’s lives as if they are your own.” The young girl scrambled up and left, and so the dark figure left as well, leaving only the wind behind. The wind continued to add a bit of color to the nondescript street by stirring up fallen leaves and dust, even though it was only grey.“Jing’er, hurry down and come eat breakfast, it’s getting late!” Daddy called from downstairs, an occurrence that had become a daily routine over the past two years.
“I know, coming!” I grabbed my bookbag and rushed towards the stairs after combing my hair. To me, having someone call me down to breakfast every morning was the happiest thing. You could say that I waited for this moment with bated breath every morning.
“It’s your favorite deep-fried bread sticks and soy milk today,” Daddy said to me as he perused the newspaper.
“Daddy, why aren’t you eating?” He was staring fixedly at the newspaper.
“There’s an odd article here,” Daddy’s eyes were still fixed on the upper left corner of the paper.
“What’s so weird about it?” I asked as I ate.
“There’s been a murder in a village called Wei,” Daddy relayed.
“Murders happen everywhere, everyday. What’s so special about this one?” I took a large gulp of soy milk in disinterest. The sensation of soy milk smoothly gliding down my throat was a joy indescribable by words.
“But the article says that animals seemed to have drained the victim’s blood.” Daddy said in growing disbelief.
“Did anyone see anything?” I suddenly remembered something.
“No.” Daddy shook his head with resignation.
“Then how do they know it was animals that drained the blood?” I was usually not too interested in topics like this, but this time…
“The report said that some are speculating that an animal’s teeth made the four neat puncture marks found on the victim’s neck.”
“Vampires!” I bit off a piece of bread stick and said decisively.
“Vampires? Have you read too many novels Jing’er? Listen to daddy. There is no such thing as vampires in this world. Their existence is merely a way for people to explain what they can’t explain, and these explanations have no scientific basis at all.” Daddy put on his ‘I’m-a-parent’ face and started lecturing me.
“Oh, I know.” I didn’t talk back because there wasn’t a need to. If the subject was something you disbelieved in from the depths of your heart, then you would not believe no matter how hard someone tried to prove that it was true. Unless you saw it with your own eyes. But in this moment, where on earth would I find the real thing! Not to mention that some things were better off not knowing.
“However, this animal is truly frightening, it’s almost the same as a vampire. I wonder what really happened.” Daddy said heartfeltly, as he couldn’t imagine what could have happened. But I could. I could clearly see in my mind every scene that had taken place in that village and hear every sound coming from that place.
Night had fallen on a rural village. The laughter of a man and woman enjoying themselves emanated from a lit room. But suddenly, a shrill scream rended the air, and the entire village fell silent. It was a terrifying silence that did not belong to this world, like the silence of walking into a tomb at midnight. But it was the type of silence I liked, it made me feel comfortable, feel safe, feel like I existed.
Villagers sought the source of the scream as they came pouring out of their houses.
“Ah!” It was the scream again, but this time it came from the crowd of villagers. It wasn’t just one scream, but multiple. What had they seen to make them so terrified? Someone called the police, and the police came to disperse the villagers. The police took away the bodies, sealed the scene, and left silently as if nothing had happened. Everyone had left, leaving behind only the silence that I liked. A pure silence.
“Jing, what are you thinking about?” Xiaoya gave me a light shove, waking me from my daze.
“Nothing,” I answered coldly. I was used to these kinds of dazes, well actually, stillness was the more apt word. Perhaps it was unsuitable for a girl of my age, but Xiaoya was the perfect example of someone the exact opposite of me.
“Okay, nothing then. Let’s go eat lunch. We’re getting KFC today.” She pulled me behind her, running in the direction of the KFC across from school, before I had said anything, like a bat on the hunt, springing towards its prey.
(“Xiaoya, a cute girl in middle school, my classmate and only friend. She’s outgoing, naive, and very innocent. She likes to eat KFC’s Doublicious and often drags me along as well. She also has idols she adores, and is a very normal middle school girl. And one other thing, she’s very gentle. Her gentleness is the most irresistible part about her.)
I grew silent again as we sat in the restaurant, thinking back to the scene that had occurred between classes. The day was dark and gloomy, and day was almost as dark as the night, thanks to the weather. I leaned against the railing at the top of the classroom building and stared off into the distance.
“Luvian,” came a voice from behind me.
“Did you come here just to say my name,” I asked, expressionless.
“You’re still the same, so cold. So cold that it makes me afraid!” She gave a cold laugh as she talked, a laugh that sounded like it had floated out of the mouth of a thousand year old zombie.
“And your laugh is warm?” I asked coldly in return.
“You’re something alright. To think that I was bested by a middle schooler.” She still wore that irritating expression, and hadn’t changed at all from the first time she’d appeared.
“I’m going back to class if there’s nothing else. Middle school isn’t a time for just randomly skipping class. Plus, I have no interest in the cheap laughter of a thousand year old hag.” I turned to leave.
“You! You’re still so penurious. Let’s talk about serious things, you –”
“Jing, what’s up, why are you staring off into space again?” Xiaoya widened her eyes and stared at me closely.
“I’m not staring off into space… aren’t I eating the burger?” I waved the burger in my hand.
“Yeah? But you’ve held it for more than ten minutes and haven’t taken a single bite.” She looked at me in confusion.
“Oh, is that so? Has it been that long?” I bit off a mouthful and chewed as I spoke.
“Look,” she waved her own burger as if to say, look I’m almost done eating.
“What’s up with you today, is something wrong? You keep staring off into space. You have to let me know if there’s anything I can help with, alright?” I nodded involuntarily as I looked at the concerned expression on her face. I guess she’s the only one who can make me act so involuntarily. We went to the library after lunch. She continued to read her unfinished “Pride and Prejudice”, whereas I took a random book and sat in front of a table, reliving the moment between classes again.
“What do you intend to do about the girl?” She asked with no good intentions.
“So you were the rat hiding in the corner!” I said in realization.
“Who are you calling a rat?” She yelled, unable to contain her fury.
“I don’t suppose the cat needs to tell the rat that it’s a rat!” I made a small analogy.
“You,” she spoke again after a moment of silence. “You were her creator, yet didn’t teach her anything!”
“Who allowed you to poke your nose into my business.” I countered unceremoniously.
“Can you lay down your hackles? I’m not poking my nose in your business, just reminding you out of the goodness of my heart.” That disgusting laugh accompanied her words, but there seemed to be a bit of anger mixed in. It would seem that her heart was no longer as calm.
“Who would have thought that a thousand years wouldn’t be enough to teach you how to be a proper noble.” I sighed in cold reflection.
“You! I’m going to go if there’s nothing else.” She hurriedly floated away, as if I had been the one to come looking for a fight. What a kid.
I clapped the dust, from the railing, off my hands and glanced at the grey sky. It looked like it would rain again, and soon. It was then that the bell rang for class, and so I turned and walked back towards the classroom.
When I came back to myself, a boy was sitting across from me, staring at me in a stupor. I ignored him and lowered my head to read the book. That was when I noticed that I was holding a book of lesser known Spanish folklore. I was pretty impressed with my luck. To have grabbed a Spanish novel in an ordinary middle school library! I understood now why the boy was staring at me — he’d discovered that the book in my hand was a little odd, but was too polite to say anything. What an embarrassing incident. I didn’t tell Xiaoya for fear that she would laugh at me. But maybe also because I was afraid she would ask why I was so distracted. Anyways, I didn’t tell her because of certain reasons.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0003_Chapter_2_...ng_a_Visit.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 2: Paying a VisitWe spent our lunch time in the library and looked at books that were way out of our depth. I could only sit there in a daze, waiting until Xiaoya told me to leave because the class was about to start.
In the afternoon I had physical education, which I don’t like even though my motor functions were well developed. Perhaps it was because every time I ran faster than the other team, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because I had a mysterious power that made me run faster than others. If that’s the case, then I’m a cheater. Even if it’s not the case, there’s simply no way to verify because in this world, I was born a cheater; a cheater who could escape everything, a shameful cheater. Fortunately, the finishing point was not far away and I didn’t need to continue thinking about this painful thought. In the end, I still ended up first.
Xiaoya’s cheering, the teacher’s unavoidable expression, the sound of praise and envy of everyone else – they all fused together and entered my ears and transformed into pain, creating a feeling of suffocation. I wanted to escape, but I was afraid to escape. I was afraid that if I continued escaping, it would become habit. There was a saying that a habit would turn into nature. What should I do if that were to happen, how would I face others, how would I face myself, how would I continue living my life?
I walked slowly towards Xiaoya and she rushed towards me with a pleased look before hugging me while laughing out loudly: “Awesome, you won again, let’s go to KFC to celebrate!” The kind of happiness she showed was like I was her greatest pride. However, I couldn’t feel happy at all and just slightly nodded my head. Maybe I had already forgotten that feeling called happiness and how to express it.
“For next Monday’s sports festivities, you have to give it your all! You’re my class’s greatest hope.” The PE teacher Yang patted my shoulder while saying.
“I will.” I quietly replied.
“If it’s you, then there won’t be any problems with winning at all.” Sunao came and encouraged me. However, none of them knew. None of them knew that I was a cheater, and that I didn’t deserve their encouragement or envy. It only made me ashamed.
“That goes without saying, she is my best friend! – Lin Jin.” Xiaoya playful added.
Lin Jing, it was the name my daddy gave me. With it, I had this identity, had schoolmates, friends, and everything that I currently possess. However, did it really belong to me? I did not know and even if I spent thousands of years, I might not be able to get an answer.
“Making a posture as if Lin Jin is part of your family….” I didn’t know when Xiaofeng managed to stand behind me and start talking. A shiver erupted from my spine as if a general with outstanding military achievement was standing on a killing field in the center of countless corpses and someone suddenly patted him on the back. It was undoubtedly an extremely scary thing.
“What happened to you, don’t tell me I scared you?” Xiaofeng looked at me with a blank expression and asked me concerned.
“It’s nothing.” Something I often used to say. My schoolmates said it was my mantra. Maybe, I wasn’t too sure myself, but during all these years, I seemed to say those words quite often. Perhaps because these words were easy to say and I could not find anything else to say anymore. I sometimes worry that I might even forget how to talk one day, as it is often said: “Time can make you forget everything.”
“Why are you in a daze again! Recently, you always seem to be staring off into space. Is there something on your mind?” Xiaoya caught me red-handed again.
“Xiaoya is right. I also think you have something on your mind.” Xiaofeng then secretly conspired and whispered in my ear: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“It’s nothing.” I said those words again.
“What’s nothing, you should at least say if you don’t have anything on your mind!” Xiaofeng looked surprised at me.
“Alright, I don’t and I also don’t have a boyfriend.” I loudly replied.
“Keep your voice down, the teacher is still here!” Xiaofeng didn’t know what to do and covered my mouth, while her eyes kept looking around. Her eyes looked as if they could speak while indicating: “Where’s the teacher, where did the teacher go?”
“It’s alright, just pretend I’m gone.” Yang walked towards her from behind.
“Teacher, how could you say that you’re already gone?! You’re still so young!” The embarrassed Xiaofeng suddenly tried to be sarcastic, to change the topic.
“I must say, you have quite the sharp tongue. No wonder your nickname is Aristotle?” Mr. Yang joked.
“As a teacher, how could you so casually give your students nicknames, wouldn’t it be unfair towards your other students?” Xiaofeng asked and grinned cheekily.
“This was not invented by me. You should ask your classmates!” Replying with a smile, Mr. Yang left, leaving us to do our own activities.
“If you don’t have a boyfriend, then what else could be on your mind?” Xiaofeng turned her head and asked.
“It is you guys who said that I have something on my mind.” I replied.
“Are you saying that there is nothing on your mind?” Xiaofeng asked again.
“There is nothing.” I replied full of confidence.
“If there is nothing, then forget about it. Just pretend that we made a mistake, alright?” Xiaofeng sighed, full of doubts.
Not being able to find another interesting topic, everyone stopped talking and went to do their own stuff. Some played badminton, some hacky sack, and others formed a circle to exchange rumors.
I continued standing there, staring off into space.
I couldn’t remember what else I did that day, and even when I went home, maybe I had already learned how to forget. Perhaps those small things were just too easily forgettable.
That night, when the moon illuminated the sky, I quietly left my room – It was also something that daddy gave me. I knew very clearly what I wanted to do, but it was not clear yet whether there would be any results. However, I still had to go.
I stood on the roof of our neighbor’s house and looked at my daddy’s room, where the light was turned off. A grim feeling suddenly emerged from within my heart, but I couldn’t say exactly what kind of emotion it was. It only made me feel unpleasant. Was it shame? Maybe it was! When an owl hooted, I suddenly disappeared into the vast darkness.
When I stopped my body, I had already arrived at the entrance of a remote mountain village.
The village was small, but there were a lot of families living inside. The houses were built next to each other, and used this small area of land to its fullest extent. When I walked into the village, I immediately saw the house where the accident happened. The owner died in a bizarre way and the house was closed down, but someone tore the seal and the remaining part was floating in the night wind. It seemed to want to say something, but unfortunately no one could understand it. I went straight towards the house and unexpectedly discovered that the door was unlocked. It was unlatched, how could this be possible? I pushed the door open and suddenly a shadow that was hiding in a corner of the house flashed in front of my eyes. I leisurely walked into the house before closing the door. At the center of the room, there was a square table with four chairs placed around it. I sat down on the northern chair and said coldly: “Come out, I know you’re here.”
However, even after waiting for some time, she didn’t come out. I used an even more indifferent voice and asked: “I suppose you want me to help you come out. I don’t want to hurt you, but even if you can’t die, you will still feel pain.”
“If I come out, can you promise not to hurt me?” A timid female voice asked.
“Are you still talking conditions with me?” I asked sharply “Do you really think that you still have the qualifications?”
“I …” Like someone who stopped breathing, the voice was cut off all of the sudden. Even after waiting for some time, she still did not issue any trace of sound. Since I did not have time to wait any longer, I sneered: “Do you think if I wanted to make you disappear, I would still need to talk so much? Thinking about it now, maybe it would be simpler just to make you disappear. ”
“Don’t!” When the voice came out, a woman, wearing a white dress with fear written on her face, stood in front of me. Her expression resembled that of a child that did something wrong and couldn’t help but make people pity her.
“Don’t be so afraid, I just wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?” Before I could finish my sentence, she already interrupted me and asked. However, she immediately noticed her mistake and quietly lowered her head without making another sound.
“I created you, because I did not want you to die in such a sad state. After the transformation, you obtained immortality and normal food could no longer satisfy you, therefore you started to live such a bloodthirsty life. There is no gain without loss, such is the truth of this world. Right now you are a member of the blood family and can choose to join either the Camarilla (Secret party) or the Sabbat (Magic Party). However there is one thing I do hope you can remember: If you are thirsty, you can suck a human’s blood, but please cherish their lives like your own. If you can comply with this one rule, then you will not see me again.” Having said this, I calmed down and waited for her answer, which was also the result I came for.
“I understand, but…” Her voice got fainter and fainter. At the end nothing could be heard anymore.
“But what?” I asked.
“But I want to see you again, although you are a bit scary… but, but I think you’re my only family member. I.. I… besides you, I have no relatives.” She stuttered and her pale, snow-white face shone in a sweet light.
“Soon you’ll find out that in this chaotic and uncertain world, you still have many of your so-called family members. However, not all those family members will love you, and some relatives might even try to kill you. You have to keep this in your mind.” I advised in a fatherly manner.
“I’ll remember it.” She obediently listened and answered.
“That’s good. I hope we don’t see each other again.” Finishing my sentence, I turned away, preparing to leave and suddenly turned back while adding “It is in your best interest not to quench your thirst in such a crowded place, since there are no lack of hidden demons amongst humans.” Just when my voice faded, I suddenly heard something happening outside the door. It looked like someone discovered us; maybe someone noticed us or maybe saw the torn seal or the unlocked door.
“You leave from the back door. If you see someone, you might not be able to control yourself again. I do not want to get involved with that kind of trouble.” I ordered.
“What about you, what will you do?” She was suddenly concerned about me.
“Me? If you are worried about me, then don’t be. Leave fast!” I ungratefully urged her.
“By the way, what is your name?” Just when she was about to leave, I suddenly called out to her again to ask.
“I don’t have a name!” She replied somewhat sadly.
“Then you will be called Xiaojie!” I even named her.
“Thank you!” She looked at me and gratefully thanked me.
“Alright, you should go now!” I urged again.
Just when she turned and left, a lone figure came out of the house and disappeared in the distance in just a few seconds. Perhaps she was very pitiful, very lonely, but it was her choice, her life. She was required to face it herself; no one could help her and she was helped by no one. I always thought that survival was a person’s own business. Perhaps because of this, I did not go with her. Maybe. . . . . . .
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0004_Chapter_3_...nd_reunion.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 3: One’s first meeting and reunion
Perhaps I didn’t know myself very well, and perhaps I didn’t know the reason why I didn’t go with her. It might’ve been because I got more accustomed to talking and acting like ordinary people now. This may seem ridiculous, but I hope it is the truth.
When you hide in the mountains and close the jungle-like curtains, you would never come into contact with other people. Even if you rotted there, no one would care; you would discover that loneliness had become a way of life. Loneliness would become your shadow. However, when you wanted to pull that curtain away and go out of the mountains in order to join society again, you would quickly find that relationships between people have become more simple and more complex for you at the same time. You would soon understand that there were no more friends and relatives in this world, and even if there were more people in this world, you were just alone – a wandering ghost.
I closed the opened back door and sealed the First Seal. Turning around, I sat on the chair facing the south and blankly looked at the main entrance, while waiting for the arrival of the storm. It was very quiet inside, unusually quiet, but it wasn’t the silence that I liked, nor was it part of my silence.
Just when I was thinking about this in my head, the door was pushed open gently, and a tall figure appeared in front of me. Judging from his height and body, he should be a young man. He seemed to have prepared himself beforehand to find someone inside and did not show any hesitations. Very spontaneously, he sat down opposite me, as if we were in a cafe and he was late.
“You should say something!” I coldly said after I immersed myself in this feeling and noticed that he stayed silent after sitting down.
“Should I say ‘sorry to keep you waiting’?” He asked with a somewhat playful tone.
“How long do you still want to keep me waiting?” I asked relentless.
“Three questions, if you answer them, I will send you home.” He calmly said.
“First question?”
“Who are you?”
“Lin Jing!”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to find a person, maybe she’s no longer a person.”
“Did you find her?”
“I found her.”
“Where is she now?”
“This is the fourth question and I don’t need to answer it.” Just when I started to leave, he stopped me and said: “I’ll take you home.”
“No need, I know how to get home and I never promised to let you send me home.” Finishing my sentence, I didn’t turn my head, and walked towards a small, dark mountain road, walking towards the direction of home. He didn’t follow, for whatever reasons; I didn’t intend to find out. This was for the better, because I could unseal the First Seal and quickly go home.
When the moon was at it’s highest point in the dark sky, I was walking alone on a rugged trail. Except for some small animal sounds in the surroundings, it was really quiet. I liked the silence, especially when I was alone at night. It was really enjoyable.
“How lonely of you to go home by yourself!” Suddenly a voice rang out of the woods, followed by laughter.
“Do really think I am human?” I asked while walking.
“Maybe!” She replied after thinking for a moment.
“You are here as well, how can I be lonely?” I walked step by step on the road, while she followed step by step in the woods. We were both walking very quickly. I wanted to go home and sleep, what about her? Why did she walk so fast?
“You want to send me home?” I asked.
“Don’t be so self-centered, I just want to go home to sleep.” Her words were followed by that annoying, TV drama-like laughter and entered into my ears.
“Do you have a home?” I asked coldly.
“You have home, why can’t I?” I could tell from her tone that she was not really angry and just wanted to quarrel with me.
“Didn’t you say I am a human? Humans, of course, should have home, while you are a noble. Do nobles have a home?” I analyzed precisely.
“Nobles also need a place to sleep!” She argued.
“Isn’t it just a coffin? Just go find a cemetery to place it there. It is inappropriate to put it in a room!” I said, saying these unnatural things with a natural tone.
“You, that’s exactly what people don’t like about you likes. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend.” She said angrily.
“Vampires are lonely.” I said coldly, with a bit of helplessness and a little sadness.
“That’s why I came looking for you. Ha! Ha! Ha!” She started laughing in this middle of the night on the small mountain road. While listening to this laughter, even if you did not feel fear, there was at least an uncomfortable feeling!
“We are family, Ha! Ha! Ha!” A great deal of emotions emerged, and I surprisingly started laughing. My pace became faster and faster, she was getting further and further away, but I was getting closer to home.
Now that I thought back to the affairs of that night, there were no violent conflicts, nor were there any unbearable farewells. Why, then, does it remain so clear in the recesses of my mind? I don’t even clearly remember the faces of those people. Even I myself cannot say to the point of it being etched into my mind? Perhaps it was like a single leaf, that fell upon the surface of certain still, mirror-like lake; even the slightest of ripples is unforgettable.
***After freshening up, I went downstairs. When daddy heard my footsteps, he talked to me from the kitchen:”Jing’er, why are you getting out of bed so early. Today is Saturday, why don’t you sleep a little longer?”
“Xiaoya asked me to accompany her to buy clothes today.” As always, I drowsily sat in front of the dinner table.
“Then wait a minute, breakfast will be ready soon.” Like always, Dad took care of me and woke up early every morning to prepare breakfast for me. I knew he loved me very much, and if I had to leave one day, he would surely be very sad. I did not want to see him sad and didn’t even want to imagine it.
I joined daddy for breakfast. I was full of joy while watching him eating so happily. He was very busy at work and even worked on weekends. Usually, he drives me to the bus station, because our home is located at the end of a small path that is quite far away from the bus station.
When I got off the bus at the bus station today, I slowly walked towards the place where I had agreed to meet with Xiaoya. She was already waiting for me, therefore we started to stroll through all the big and small clothing stores. However, even after walking around for a while, she did not even buy a piece of clothing; it was unlike her.
“Do you want to talk to me about something?” I didn’t want to walk around aimlessly. It was better to simply ask what was wrong.
“Actually, actually today is my birthday. I would like to invite you to my house for dinner tonight, can I? There’s no problem if you can’t make it.” She asked timidly while bowing her head.
“Sure!” I readily agreed, since I suddenly felt that only when I became a real human, I could live a quiet life with daddy.
“Really? Are you sure?” She raised her head excitedly and gave me a pleasantly surprised look, as if she could not believe what she had just heard.
“Of course.” I repeated.
“Awesome! Awesome! Today will be the best birthday ever.” She was so overjoyed, that passers around us started to stare at us with puzzled looks. Even after they walked further away, they still kept looking back.
“Then let’s go.” I didn’t want to stand here and become a public display, while I urged her to leave quickly. Just when I wanted to turn around, she suddenly pulled me back and said: “Wait, we have to wait here.”
“Who will come to pick us up? Your father?” I asked.
“No, but you will know soon.” Then she smiled at me. Within her smile, I felt helplessness and sadness, but I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to see this kind of smile ever again, since it didn’t suit Xiaoya’s round, innocent, and pure face. Exactly at that time, a white, very clean car was heading towards us. Instead of a sign plate, there was a very simple but very strange wooden cross that was held together by two small wooden nails. It slowly stopped beside us and when the door opened, a man came out of the car. He was not old and only a bit older than Xiaoya. I guessed that it should be her brother, and just as I expected, Xiaoya shouted towards him.
“Brother, you came just in time!”
“Because I happen to have a habit of wearing a watch.” He said with a smile.
“Brother, this is my best friend, the one I always tell you about – Jing’er.” Their eyes turned towards me.
“Hey, I’m Xiaoya’s older brother.” He walked towards me and gave me a polite handshake.
“Hello.” When I held out my left hand to shake his hand, a sudden strange feeling emerged. I’ve seen him before, who was he and why couldn’t I remember his face? I searched through every corner and depth of my memory, but still nothing.
“Have we met before?” He suddenly asked.
“I think this is the first time.” I replied.
“I feel like we had seen each other before. You give off a familiar vibe.” He looked at me and said.
“Really?” I just answered with a simple word, making it look like I had no interest in this. In fact, I was constantly thinking about it in my mind.
Some say déjà vu exists, and at that time I really had this feeling. How could you have a kind of familiarity with someone you had clearly never met before? His gestures, his tone of voice while speaking all gave me this feeling. Was this an illusion? No, normal people might have this kind of illusion, but I wouldn’t. Also, didn’t he have the same feeling? It couldn’t be that both of us had that the same kind of illusionary feeling at the same time. This would be too unbelievable, right?
“What are you thinking about? It’s already late, let go!” Xiaoya said while pushing me.
“Oh, nothing.” I got into the car together with her.
“Brother, what are you doing? Why don’t you get into the car and start driving?” Xiaoya, who was sitting next to me, shouted at his brother, who was still staring in space outside.
“By your command My Lady, I’ll drive right away.” It seemed like he was still completely trapped deep in his thoughts just now.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0005_Chapter_4_...e_Sunshine.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 4: Meeting Underneath the Sunshine
I made no sound in the car on the way to Xiaoya’s house. I hadn’t felt the feeling of being bothered by a question in a long time, and only wanted to bury myself singlemindedly into this feeling. The odd thing was, I felt like an extremely happy person in that moment. Happiness? I think I must have been mistaken. I have never known what it is to be happy, simply because happiness would cruelly abandon me the moment I began to understand it. So I’ve never been acquainted with the feeling, and had no basis for comparison.
A fashionable girl opened the door for me when we got to Xiaoya’s place. She looked roughly the same age as Xiaoya’s brother, possibly his girlfriend. At least, I really thought so at the time. I thought I would be seeing Xiaoya’s parents today, but apart from the girl, who had opened the door for us and our party, there was no one else in the living room. Seeing that I was puzzled, Xiaoya answered my question before I even asked, “My mom and dad actually both passed away in an accident shortly after I was born. My brother has always taken care of me. Do you pity me now?” I saw tears sparkle in Xiaoya’s eyes as she spoke.
“You will be happy as long as you don’t pity yourself. My parents left me a long, long time ago, but I have a daddy now, and I don’t think I’m miserable. So I’ve always been quite happy.” Even I couldn’t tell myself if I was speaking the truth or not.
“So you’re the same as me!” Xiaoya ran into my embrace and started crying as she hugged me.
“Don’t cry Xiaoya. We shouldn’t shed tears. That spells the defeat of our body to our heart. We can’t let tears prove that there’s sadness in our hearts. We have to keep on living, whatever the circumstances, until courage turns into numbness.” I said as I wiped her tears away.
“But what do you mean? I don’t really understand.” She looked at me in a silly way as she asked.
“You’ll understand when you grow up.”
“But why do you understand it now?” She didn’t give up her line of questioning.
“Because I’m older than you.” I suddenly recalled that I was a bit older than Xiaoya on my legal documents.
“Just by a year!” She didn’t seem to be very convinced or accepting.
“Sometimes, great changes happen in the blink of an eye, not to mention a year.” I sighed with emotion. Indeed, it had only been a matter of one night when I had become an orphan and grown up. Growing up wasn’t a matter of age, but more of whether or not the heart had grown older.
“Alright, let’s stop talking about this. Come have some fruit. Xiaoyu, why are you standing there, dumbly listening in? Are you interested in the conversations of little girls as well?” The girl, who had opened the door, came in with a bowl of fruit.
“Aw, don’t make fun of me, cousin,” we all sat down around the table.
“I’m their cousin, I visit when I have time. My mom, dad, and I don’t feel at ease because Xiaoya is still young, and Xiaoyu is a boy.” She handed an orange to me and added, “My name is Jiang Lan, but if you’re willing to, you can call me sister Lan.
“I’m called Lin Jing, my daddy’s always called me Jing’er.” I responded with my name in return.
“You say you’re called Lin Jing? Your surname is Lin?” Xiaoya’s brother suddenly cried out involuntarily.
“Brother, what’s wrong? Why are you so loud? You scared me.” Xiaoya patted her chest with surprise.
“I’m sorry, I was a bit too loud just now. Are you really called Lin Jing?” He repeated.
I suddenly remembered a person, a person who had wanted to know my name. Could he be that person? I hadn’t gotten a clear look at that person’s face before, so it was possible. Therefore, I answered another question in cautious trial.
“Yes, I’m called Lin Jing. Lin from the characters for forest, Jing from the characters for quiet. Is something the matter?”
“Nothing’s the matter, it’s just that I have an online friend who’s also called Lin Jing. She says that’s her true name, so I suddenly thought that the world was a really small place!” Although he explained it very smoothly, it didn’t feel real to me. There couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, did he really have an online friend called Lin Jing? I think that no one other than him would know.
“I see.” I agreed with him on the surface.
“Xiaoya mentions you often.” Her brother suddenly changed the topic.
“Really? What does she say about me?” I asked carelessly.
“She says that you don’t like talking to other people, and that you don’t like to get close to other people. You always hide away in your own little world, and stare off into space.” For some unknown reason, her brother used the word “hide”. I think he had some ulterior motive.
“I don’t like to talk.” I said quietly.
“But you’re willing to talk to Xiaoya, isn’t that so?” He kept up the pressure.
“That’s because it’s usually Xiaoya doing the talking herself. She doesn’t force me to listen, and doesn’t force me to respond.” I had no choice but to reply.
“Xiaoya says that you don’t seem to like the sun?” He was finally about to reveal his true intentions.
“No, I like the sun a lot. I just don’t like standing underneath the sun. I’m afraid of getting tanned.” I chose an answer that jived most closely with a girl’s logic.
“True, most girl don’t like the sun. They’re afraid of their skin getting darker with a tan.” He stopped there, leaving me perplexed. I wondered who he truly was, and what he was up to.
We then engaged in idle chitchat at the table, talking about random, unimportant things. Sister Lan brought out the birthday cake she had bought earlier, raising the curtain on the birthday party’s festivities.
The four of us, including Xiaoya, lit sixteen brightly-colored birthday candles together, celebrating Xiaoya’s birthday.
“Xiaoya, your birthday present!” Sister Lan smiled and brought out a present she had hidden in the TV console.
“Brother, where’s yours?” Xiaoya asked evilly as she unwrapped her first present.
“It’s the birthday cake!” Her brother responded with all seriousness.
“A tennis uniform! This is so pretty! Thank you cousin!” She smiled so happily, so sweetly, as she held the tennis uniform.
“Yes, it will look beautiful on you.” Her brother complimented her as well.
“Brother, don’t think you’re getting off this easily. Stop drawing it out.. hurry up and show me. I know you got it a long time ago.” It would seem that Xiaoya was incredibly astute.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me off that easily.” He brought out a wrapped box from his pocket as he responded, and handed it over to his sister.
“Thank you, brother!” Xiaoya smiled as she accepted the gift and started to unwrap it. It was a pair of exquisite hair clasps that were shaped rather oddly. They looked a bit like the pastoral staffs that western archbishops would handle, but were also a bit cute.
Her brother picked up the hair clasps, pinned up the hair that had fallen to the front of her face, and said, “This is a pair of holy hair clasps that I’ve asked a good friend to make. Although they’re small, they are quite powerful and can protect you.”
“I’m good if I have you to protect me.” Xiaoya said naively as she ran her hands lightly over the pair of hair clasps sitting in her hair.
“But I can’t always be beside you! For instance, when you go to school or go to sleep, I won’t be next to you then.” Her brother patted her head.
“Xiaoya, I didn’t prepare a present.”
“That’s okay, it’s my fault, I didn’t tell you it was my birthday today. Besides, you attending my birthday party is the best present you can give me. You’ve never visited a classmate’s house, so my home is your first time!” Xiaoya cut in before I had a chance to finish, but she seemed to realize that “your first time” wasn’t the most appropriate choice of words, and ducked her head in embarrassment.
“However, I still have something to give you.” I undid the chain around my neck as I spoke. It had always been with me, for I don’t even know how many years now, but it was meaningless to me now. It only represented the past, and I no longer needed its protection. Might as well give it to Xiaoya. Perhaps it could serve as protection, or a memento at the very least.
Everyone was shocked silly when I slowly put the chain onto Xiaoya’s neck, as if I had frightened them. No one made a sound. The party atmosphere, that had been present a second ago, vanished without a trace. I stood in front of Xiaoya, not knowing what to do myself.
“Jing’er, I don’t know if I can call you this.” Her brother said gravely.
“You can.” I responded decisively.
“Jing’er, your gift is too precious. I don’t think we can accept it.”
“But it means nothing to me now. A meaningless item is a worthless item, much less a precious one. However, maybe it will render some assistance to Xiaoya.” I spoke unreservedly and gave my reason.
“Help, Jing, you said it would help me. What do you mean?” Xiaoya was utterly befuddled.
“Yes, what do you mean by this help. Can you go into more detail?” Her brother seemed to be very interested, and asked eagerly with a face full of excitement.
“Judging from your car’s bumper sticker, the present you just gave, and the meaning of that present, I think your job must not be too ordinary. Xiaoya says you’re a detective, would you happen to be one of those spirit detectives often seen in manga?” I cut straight to the chase.
“Jing’er you really know how to crack a joke. I merely started a discussion group at school that studies legendary creatures, what detective? You can’t possibly believe Xiaoya’s nonsense!” Although laughter was painted onto his face, his eyes held the distinctive sharp gaze of a detective. It was as if they could see into your heart. Looking into his eyes was like facing a mirror, with my reflection clearly shining back out.
“So what creatures do you discuss?” I actually already knew the answer in my heart, but still had to display some degree of curiosity.
“Have you ever heard of vampires?” He asked probingly.
“The blood family? I’ve heard of some things.” I answered lightly and gave a slight sigh. “It looks like the blood family still hasn’t learned how to live peacefully!”
“What do you mean by that?” He stared closely at me, not letting up even a tiny bit.
“Nothing, just wondering why can’t the blood family assimilate into this ordinary society!” I felt that I had to watch every sentence, every word I uttered in front of him.
“The chain isn’t just to ward off evil, is it!” He obviously didn’t want me to change the topic.
“It can’t ward off evil. It’s useless against everything but the blood family,” I explained. I originally wanted to say “it’s much more useful than the pair of hair clasps you gave”, but didn’t want to provoke a deeper line of questioning and so I swallowed that thought.
“You mean against the blood family?” It looked like he wasn’t going to get off my case.
“Brother, why are you talking about vampires again. Those things don’t exist. You’re always going on and on about vampires, and won’t stop talking about it even during a rare moment of peace.” Xiaoya started complaining off towards the side.
“Xiaoya, the candles have almost gone out. Hurry, make a wish and blow out the candles.” Sister Lan suddenly spoke up and diverted the conversation. It was helping me, in a way.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0006_Chapter_5_...wledgement.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 5: Indistinct Acknowledgement
She blew out the candles, cut the cake, and we all ate a bit of it. Xiaoya was truly happy today. Watching her wear the chain reminded myself of who I’d been many years ago, when I had been so happy, and so simple. I had liked it because it was so pretty, but hadn’t thought about what the red color represented.
Sister Lan then prepared a sumptuous dinner for us but what was strange was, her brother kept staring at my every action while I was eating, as if he was observing something. I pretended to know nothing, and only paid attention to eating. I announced that I was going home after dinner, but Xiaoya insisted that her brother take me home.
“My brother will send you home!”
“Sure, no problem,” he agreed quite readily.
“That’s not necessary. I can go back myself.” I’ve always been alone, for who knew how many years now. I was used to it. I’ve always believed that you usually aren’t in any danger just because you’re alone; you’d only be in danger if you wanted to commit suicide.
“No, Jing. It’s too dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night!” Xiaoya really did care about me.
“Xiaoya’s right, it would be even more dangerous for such a pretty girl like you.” Sister Lan also gave her opinion.
“I’m not sure which is more dangerous,” I sighed softly.
“What did you say?” Xiaoya’s brother hung onto my every word and action, and had heard my even barely audible remark.
“I said all right!” How could one successfully argue against the two of them? Not to mention her brother, who was constantly monitoring me.
“Then let’s go.” Her brother said, and walked towards the garage. I had no choice but to follow him.
We got into his car. I still chose to sit in the backseat, although no one was in the passenger seat. Sometimes keeping your distance is the wise thing to do. We set off, with me not making a sound. He was also silent, but his silence didn’t last for long; he finally opened his mouth to speak.
“Why did you give Xiaoya such a precious chain? It seemed to be very important to you. Would your father even agree with such an action?”
“Didn’t I already tell you the reason? Besides, my biological parents are long gone,” I said coldly
“I’m sorry to bring up painful memories. However, I have a clear understanding that the power of the chain lies not within itself, but with its true master.”
“Its real master died thousands of years ago. ” I knew avoidance was futile when I looked into his eyes.
“Who was it?”
“Vampires,” I didn’t evade.
“You’re joking.” He didn’t really seem to believe it.
“Your call to believe it or not.” I retorted.
“Then why was it on your neck?” He asked.
“Someone gave it to me.”
“Your answer is too general. Are you trying to dodge the question?”
“No, I’m not evading. I just don’t want to recall the past again.”
“Not thinking doesn’t mean you’ll be able to forget it. Sometimes you have to think of it again to truly forget it.”
“My mother gave it to me. The night I became an orphan, I was left with nothing but that chain. I curled into a ball in a corner of the house, and watched the blood covering the floor slowly congeal and darken. I couldn’t help but watch dumbly. It looked like a type of purely colored pigment. It was silent, and everything in the house gradually began to grow cold, including my body and heart.” I quickly discovered that it wasn’t that difficult to say these words again, as if these matters suddenly had nothing to do with me.
“I had no idea you’d experienced such a terrible thing before, but keeping yourself trapped in the past serves no purpose. Now, you can, and should, completely forget those memories. His eyes were locked on the road ahead, but it gave me the feeling of being seen through. I think it must have been an illusion, because I firmly believed that there was no one in this world who could see right through me. It was quiet for a while, until he suddenly asked,
“How much power is in the chain?”
“As long as you wear it, absolutely no noble will dare touch her.” I explained.
Curiously, he asked, “Aren’t you scared without it?”
“I… I have never been afraid. Now, I have a father, a home, a school, some classmates, and some friends. Without the chain, I’m a true female student. There will no longer be any ties between me and that blood family.”
“This is your choice?”
“Yes.”
“To give up eternal life, and choose to die of old age. Is it worth it?”
“The only thing I have given up is the past ”
“Do you care about life and death?”
“I don’t know. No one knows until the moment they face death.”
“That’s true.”
The car had arrived at my driveway as we were talking. It was a dark building, with some white roses planted in the small garden. Vines crawled on the fence as the perfume from flowers filled the air..
He stopped and gallantly opened the door for me. When we were standing in front of my house, he sighed and said “What a beautiful place!”
“You like it?” I asked. “You don’t think it looks like Dracula’s Castle?”
“I’ve never seen his castle, but it does seem similar to the descriptions in novels.”
“I’ve seen it.”
“What, are you serious?” He seemed incredibly shocked.
“Dracula used to live here,” I responded naturally.
“Here, what about other people?”
“He has disappeared for many years already.”
“Disappeared? You mean dead, but can you still die if you’re a vampire?”
“As long as it is willing, then it’s easier than death for humans. We will forever disappear without a trace left on this world if we merely watch a sunrise.”
“Why do you live here?”
“Do you intend to stand in the doorway and ask all your questions?”
“Do you want to offer me a cup of tea?”
“I will in return for taking me home,” I said as I pushed open the gate and walked towards the main entrance.
“Is the door not locked?” He followed behind me.
“We never lock the door.”
“That’s true. No one would dare come to such a terrifying place. Locking it would be a waste of effort.”
“No, it’s because we couldn’t find a lock to match the door.”
“That’s a strange reason.”
The main entrance was still not locked, and I turned on the dim chandelier in the hall after I walked through the door. Everything in the hall emitted an even more terrifying aura under this kind of light, but I had long since gotten used to this kind of atmosphere.
“Have a seat. I’ll go and make some tea.” I said as I entered the kitchen. He started inspecting the various room furnishings while waiting.
“Find anything of interest?” I put the tea on the table.
“These are all priceless antiques. This house must have been really expensive when you bought it.” He also sat down at the table.
“Expensive, if $100 is expensive.” I savored the tea aroma as I spoke.
“$100? How is that possible? Any one of these random antiques will far exceed that price.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” I replied quite seriously.
“There must have been a reason.”
“The reason is simple, because this is the Dracula’s castle and no ordinary person dared to live here.”
“Aren’t you an ordinary person?”
“Would the owner of that chain. Be. An. Average. Person?”
“I’ve always thought that someone who could bask in the sun was an ordinary person. ” He answered confidently.
“If only everyone else thought so.” My eyes were filled with a resigned look.
“Come to me if you run into any trouble. I can help you.” He seemed to see something in my eyes.
“Because I’m an ordinary person, or because I can bask in the sun?” I stared at him curiously.
“Because you are Xiaoya’s friend, because you gave her that chain, because you want to protect her, and also because you want to forget the past and be who you are now.” He gave a string of answers, but I knew he had only spoken one sentence. Because I was no longer of the blood family.
“What if I’m a vampire?” I asked coldly.
“But you’re not. “His answer was quite simple.
“How do you know?” I responded, still expressionless.
“Because I can bask in the sun?” I further asked before he had a chance to respond.
“It felt very strange the first time I saw you. You gave me a mysterious feeling. No, the proper word is divine. I never thought you were a member of the blood family, there wasn’t a trace of vampire characteristics to be found in you. Of course, the next time I saw you, I was even more certain that you weren’t a noble because of your ease underneath the sun. That image is still in my mind.”
“So it’s because I can bask in the sun.” I said coldly as I sipped some tea.
“Beep! Beep! Beep! .. ” His phone suddenly rang. He shouted urgently into the phone, “I’m in the area, be there soon,” and then turned hurriedly to me.
“I’m really sorry, something’s come up.” He stood up and got ready to leave.
“Have the vampires come out to hunt?” I said coldly. “Good bye, you can see yourself out!” I didn’t stand up, nor did I look at him. I continued to taste my tea, closely savoring the bitterness within.
“Okay. See you later.” He turned towards the door, but suddenly turned around just as he reached the door and said, “Let’s chat more next time.”
He rushed out afterwards, and I heard the sounds of the car slowly fade away. I still sat there and tasted the tea, mouthful by mouthful, expressionless, thinking back to what had happened today. I seemed to have said too much today, but it needed to be said. Whatever. It made no difference to me whether I said it or not. I was still myself, drinking tea, with bitterness and silence accompanying me. I was very comfortable and liked this feeling. Silence meant everything was safe, being able to drink tea was to enjoy life.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0007_Chapter_6_...The_Hunter.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 6 – The Hunter
In the dark night sky,
The moon hid behind the clouds.
A faint, white light radiated from the clouds
The night seemed to become even darker. Two people stood under a dark, moonlit sky.
“Junyu, you came really quickly!” A man, dressed in casual clothes, greeted Xiaoyu with an amicable demeanor. Next to him stood a man with a solemn expression, who wore a suit. A murderous aura was radiating from his face.
“Xuxing, how did it go?”, Xiaoyu asked while walking toward the man who greeted him.
“It ran away.”, the man with the murderous aura replied.
“Xuqing, what did you say? He ran away? There’s no place to hide in this vicinity.” Xiaoyu’s face suddenly turned serious and a hint of anger could be felt, as if he turned into a general dealing with an emergency military affair.
“In the direction you just came from, did you not see anyone?” Xuxing waited for Xiaoyu’s reply.
“No, I didn’t see anything.”
“I believe there’s a very suspicious place.” Xuqing said coldly.
“Where? ” Xiaoyu asked.
“That house. ” Xuqing pointed his finger towards direction. Surprised, Xiaoyu slightly opened mouth in shock, but did not say anything for a while.
“Do you mean that house?” Startled, Xiaoyu asked again.
“Yes,” the two brothers replied at the same time.
“Damn! Let’s go!”, Xiaoyu shouted in panic. Immediately, the three of them sprinted to the car and speeded off toward the big castle.
Inside the car someone asked: “Xiaoyu? What’s wrong? Your expression is frightening me!”
“No one should live in that house, right?”
“Yes, I just came from there.” While talking, Xiaoyu continued to increase the speed and the car shot off like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace.
“Impossible. We investigated it before you came. Legends say that long time ago, this house was-”
“Dracula’s Castle.” Xiaoyu blurted out.
“Did you check it?”
“No”
“How do you know then?”, the tone was full of suspicion.
“Someone told me a moment ago. What happened afterwards?” Xiaoyu’s eyes never averted from the road, and it could be said he keep staring in the direction of the house. He seemed afraid that something terrible might have happened.
“The later happenings were very vaguely described in the files and only said that someone paid a small fortune to buy it”. Just when he finished this sentence, the car suddenly stopped and it was parked next to the courtyard in front of the castle’s front door. The three men got out of the car, gently closed the doors, and did not directly enter the castle, but stopped right in front of the gate.
“We absolutely can’t let the girl inside the house get injured.” Xiaoyu touched the gate and it instantly opened. He remembered clearly that he closed it firmly before he left, but now…. When his eagle-like eyes discovered something – he turned his head and said to the other two: “It must be hiding inside.”
“Understood.”, the two replied in unison.
Entering the castle, the trio walked through the lobby illuminated by lights. The lobby door was still open, but Xiaoyu remembered that he did not close it when he left. Therefore believed that nothing might have happened and thinking she might still be sitting at the table drinking tea. However, he did not know that just moments after he left someone else came in.
— (A few moments ago)—
Crack! The front gate opened.
“Daddy came back so early. Perhaps he was able to finish his work ahead of schedule. Coming home earlier was a natural thing and was also perhaps the most unnatural thing is this house. Who would believe that an office worker would be living in such a ancient house?!” That was what I thought in the beginning.
I took the cup he drank from to the kitchen and washed it before putting it away. After getting a new cup for daddy, I poured in some tea and waited for him to come in. I was waiting for him to tell me in a caring manner, “It’s so late, why didn’t you go to sleep? You don’t have to wait for daddy.” However, after waiting for a few moments, he did not come in. Everything was so quiet and this silence had a strange feeling. There were no footsteps, as if the sound a moment ago never happened. Then who opened the door just now. Who just came in?”
“I will find out as soon as he comes in.” I thought to myself while sitting at the table, waiting for his arrival. Sitting there quietly, I listened to the all the movement in the surroundings. However there wasn’t any. Forget about it, I’d better go take a bath! I put down the cup and went straight upstairs. Taking my pajamas, I walked into the bathroom and began to fill the bathtub water. While lying in the bathtub, everything was so quiet. Nothing had happened, as if I was the only one in the house, but I clearly knew that I was not alone.
“Jing’er, where are you?” Xiaoya’s brother’s voice came from downstairs.
“I’m here.” I wore a white dress that reached the floor and slowly walked out of the room. Standing on the second floor’s corridor, I have a complete view of downstairs.
“Are you alright?” He asked nervously.
“Does it look like I’m not alright?” I asked coldly.
“Xiaoyu, who is she? Is she your girlfriend?” A teasing voice asked him, and when he turned around, he saw that Xuxing was grinning at him.
“Don’t spurt nonsense. She is Xiaoya’s classmate. “Xiaoyu hurriedly explained
“Why did you come back? Don’t tell me you chased a noble into my house.“ I ignored their laughing and asked coldly.
“Oh god, how do you know that?” Xuxing was startled.
“Xuxing, be quiet.” Xiaoyu stopped him from talking and said:”Jing’er, we discovered that a vampire entered your house.”
“I don’t care, I want to sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Just as I wanted to turn around and enter my room.
“I found him. Bern, you have no way to escape anymore.” A voice suddenly shouted. Just when I heard that voice, I saw a shadow spring from behind Xiaoyu and head straight for the stairs. Exactly at that moment, another shadow shot out from the guest room next to me and rushed to where I stood.
“Don’t!” With those two small words, everything stopped. It was as if time froze. The first shadow turned out to be Xuqing, and I see him standing motionless in the middle of the stairway. Behind me stood another shadow, and both Xiaoyu and Xuxing remained frozen in the same place.
“Don’t you dare to move, or I’ll suck her dry. I don’t think you would want to let this beautiful, young lady become a mummy.” I felt an ice-cold hand stroking my neck, gently touching my snow-like skin.
“Alright, we won’t move, but you can’t hurt this lady.” Xiaoyu agreed to his request.
“Take your hands off me.”, I said coldly, I was not even taking this matter seriously.
“Miss, you’re not afraid? You dare to even talk to me in such a tone.” The person behind me wondered.
“Jing’er, you’d better keep quiet. I won’t let him hurt you. “Xiaoyu words indicated that he didn’t want a conflict between me and that vampire. He meant well, but I didn’t appreciate it.
“This is between him and me. Don’t stick your nose in it.” I answer him expressionless.
“Miss, what are you doing? Jun is only interested in your well being.” Xuxing scolded me after not able to bear watching anymore.
“You are a part of the secret party?” I didn’t reply to Xuxing, and instead asked the vampire behind me.
“How do you know?” He seemed to panic a bit and probably didn’t expect to be asked such a question.
“You were hiding outside the window for so long, but still did not come out. You probably did this in order to comply with the first commandment: Don’t intervene with the real world” I coldly gave him the answer he wanted to hear.
“Who are you?”
“I advise you to quickly let go of me. You cannot hurt me.” I didn’t respond to his question.
“Who are you?” He repeated his previous question.
“She is not a human! Hahaha!” Accompanied by this kind of disgusting laughter, a person came out of the room on my right.
“Luvian, I missed you so much that I came to visit you. I didn’t think I would stumble onto such an interesting scene. Hahaha!” She was dressed like a 1960’s courtesan, wearing a purple dress with a slit up to the hips and held a small fan in her hands.
“Did you just come back from a patron, or were you waiting until midnight to join one?” I coldly ridiculed her.
“You, you are so heartless. I came to see you with well-intentions, but you, you treat me like this.” She put on a pitifully expression, as if she was a young madam being mistreated by her lover.
“Alright, treat as if I pity you. I will gift you something. Take the one behind me to play!” I said without hesitation.
“What do you mean?” The man behind me couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Nothing much, Luvian said that she’d give you to me.”
“Who are you?” Bern asked again.
“She’s not a human.” I repeated the same answer as she had used before.
“Then what is she?” Xiaoyu, who was standing also downstairs, seemed to be interested in this matter.
“A thousand year old monster.” I said rudely.
“How can there be monsters in this world?” Xuxing didn’t seem to believe it.
“I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. However, you can ask her yourself.” I showed a helpless expression.
“Pretty lady, what are you?” Xuxing stupidly asked.
“What do you think?” She didn’t seem to take offence and asked Xuxing with a naïve tone.
“…….” Xuxing was speechless after hearing this question. He didn’t know to reply and stayed quiet.
“Jing’er, stop joking. What exactly is she? Xiaoyu chose to let me answer.
“A vampire.” I replied truthfully. Except me and her, everyone downstairs and upstairs was completely stupefied.
“What, she is also a vampire?” Bern, who was standing behind me, spurted out this sentence in surprise after a while.
“Thousand years old?” Xuqing, who was standing silently for so long, at center of the stairway suddenly said those three words, half in doubt and half asking for confirmation.
“Exactly, to be honest I don’t remember clearly anymore. Let me calculate for a moment. I should probably be over 1500 years old by now.” She proudly mentioned her own age, followed by a bunch of outrageous laughter.
“The older the antiques, the more valuable they are. However women on the other hand, the older they are, the more unwanted they become.” I probably told her the eternal truth, but I kind of felt happy when quarrelling with her. The reason being, probably in some aspects, she and I were alike.
“You, You!” She was at a loss of words from anger. After calming down, she said “Since you’re in such a bad mood today, I will leave first.” She turned around and left.
“Bern, why are you not following me?!” After walking two steps, she suddenly turned back and shouted.
“Why would I follow you?” Bern angrily asked.
“Didn’t you hear a moment ago? Luvian already gave you to me to play with.” She explained.
“Why should I listen to her?” Bern was so angry, that he wanted to start a fight after finding himself being gifted away by a little girl.
“Do you want to stay and become prey?” She told the real reason why she wanted to take Bern away.
“I have a hostage. They don’t dare to try something.” Bern answered with confidence.
“Do you know the Pupil of Blood?” She asked and abruptly changing the subject.
“I have heard about it. According to legend, the second generation vampires had 13 descendents who created the 13 great clans. Later, they rebelled and exterminated the second generation vampires and it was said that the Pupil of Blood was made of the blood from the second generation vampires.” Byrne said in detail.
“You actually know a lot about it?”
“The Elders have warned us that if we see someone wearing the Blood of Pupil necklace, we must absolutely not offend that person. It is said that there was a curse on that chain and the one wearing it is the proxy of the second generation, watching in their stead, waiting for the ultimate fate of the traitors.” Bern continued and told everything he knew.
“Knowing this, you still dare to take Luvian hostage?”
“What does she have to do with the Pupil of Blood?”
“She is currently the owner of that chain.” She had never talked to seriously before. “What do you want to do to her?”
The moment her voice quieted down, the hand, that was pinching my neck, immediately pulled back. Exactly at that moment, she grabbed Bern in a split second and rushed down the stairs. When the present hunters recovered, they had already disappeared into the vast darkness of night. The moon appeared, but there were always places that its illumination could not reach. Whatever is happening there or whatever happened there, the humans with not know. Maybe, the humans did not want to know either.
“Quickly chase them!” shouted Xuqing from the middle of the stairs as he rushed out the door.
“There is no need. You can’t catch up with her and even if you catch her, can you injure her? You cannot imagine the power of a thousand year old noble.“ I stopped them.
“You seem to be helping them.” Xuxing suddenly said.
“I was helping myself. I let her take away Bern, because I don’t want my home to turn into a thousand year old vampire’s battlefield. Preventing you from chasing her is because I don’t want to see Xiaoya heartbroken when her brother has an accident. ”
“Thank you, I know you are acting in our interest. With our current ability, we absolutely cannot match against a thousand year old vampire.” It seemed like Xiaoyu understood my good intentions.
“Alright, you should go back now. You don’t have to shut the door, daddy didn’t come back yet.” I sent them away.
“I want to talk to you, can I?” Xiaoyu had no intentions to leave.
“Tomorrow, I want to sleep now.” I said without even considering it. In fact, I already guessed what he wanted to talk about with me. Without waiting for his response, I turned and went into my bedroom to lie down to sleep.
“Jinyu, who exactly is she?” The empty lobby transmitted Xuxing’s cold voice.
“Let’s go, we’ll talk on the road.” Immediately, I heard a series of footsteps disappearing in the distance and I knew they were gone. I closed my eyes in order to sleep, but surprisingly I was unable to fall asleep for a long time. Everything that happened today flashed before my eyes as scenes flashed in my mind. The me of today and the me of the past were totally different people now. Perhaps, it was because I had already chosen to become a normal girl.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0008_Chapter_7_...nd_reality.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 7 – Between nightmare and reality
“Junyu!” Xuqing shouted from the back seat.
“What’s the matter?” Junyu coyly asked.
“Tell us now about what she is!” Xuxing asked with something that looked like a smile from the other seat.
“A human!” Xiaoyu simply replied.
“Are you sure?” Both of them unanimously and suspiciously asked.
“Of course. When I saw her today, both she and Xiaoya were standing together under the hot sun.” Xiaoyu slowly described some of the facts that he saw. His tone was uncertain, as if even he was doubtful of whether everything he saw was real.
“If she’s not a member of the blood family, then her composure was just too abnormal.” Xuqing raised an objection.
“In that kind of situation, if it was us, we wouldn’t be that calm in that mess, let alone just a girl.” Xuxing continued.
“Maybe she’s already been through something even worse.” Xiaoyu replied with some thought
“What happened? Could it be you know something? Tell us now! You can’t hide it from us~” Xuxing’s interest seemed to increase more and more.
“Thinking about the conversation from this afternoon, I think she witnessed her parents getting killed by a vampire when she was but a child.” Xiaoyu noted after thinking for a while.
“What?! For a child to witness something like this… it must have been horrible.” Xuxing couldn’t help but pity her.
“Then why didn’t the vampire harm her? They usually like innocent and pure bloods the most, right?” Xuxing was always calm and calculated, not blinded by worldly feelings. He wouldn’t leave any doubts in his mind Though this was his strength, it was his weakness as well.
“That’s because she was wearing that chain.” Xiaoyu explained.
“The Pupil of Blood?” Those words struck like lightning.“Correct.”
“If she’s not a vampire, then how can she possess that chain?” Xuxing asked and his pity suddenly changed to doubt in his heart.
“She said her mother gave it to her.” Xiaoyu explained while he was a bit confused himself. Could it be that her mother was a vampire? If her mother was a vampire, was she one as well? If she wasn’t a vampire, then her parents shouldn’t be vampires either; then how did her mother get the Pupil of Blood? Only the dead would know the truth, and perhaps this would forever stay a mystery.
“Right now, blind guessing won’t help us. Let’s go look into her past after we get back.” The three of them stood there silently for a while, when Xiaoyu suddenly indicated.
“Yes, I know. ” Xuxing readily agreed. All matters of investigation were usually given to Xuxing. He had a special talent in this kind of aspect, and regardless of the difficulty, as long as he tried he could definitely find out everything.
“When you see Xiaoya, please don’t mention anything. I’m afraid that she’ll start to worry.” Xiaoyu changed the topic.
“We understand.” They promised.
“By the way, have you seen the Pupil of Blood before?” Xuqing suddenly asked.
“I have seen it, she gave it to Xiaoya as a birthday gift.”
“What?! As a birthday gift, what a big gift!” Xuxing was extremely surprised.
“Why did she give that chain to Xiaoya?” Like always, Xuqing asked calmly. Perhaps he didn’t know the meaning of excitement or passion.
“She said it was in order to protect Xiaoya. Back then, I didn’t believe it, but after hearing it from Bern’s mouth, I think what she said was the truth. That chain can indeed protect Xiaoya from the blood family’s harm.” Xiaoyu replied with determination. After everything that just happened, he was sure that everything Jing’er said was the truth. Jing’er did not need to lie to him, and maybe she couldn’t bother to lie to him.
“Are you really going to see her tomorrow?” Xuqing suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
“Yeah, I want to know the details.” Xiaoyu said calmly.
“You seem to really care about her?” Xuxing finally asked the question that he considered for a while.“You think too much nonsense.” Xiaoyu denied.
“Is it really nonsense? The moment that you heard that Bern ran into her house and when you saw her being held by it, the anxiousness was written all over your body.” Xuxing tried to prove that he wasn’t talking nonsense.
“A vampire was holding a girl hostage and perhaps hurt her because of our hunt. Wouldn’t it be normal to feel anxiousness?” Xiaoyu wanted to justify that Xuxing was thinking too far.
“However, when we encountered this situation before, you were always calm, yet today you were completely different.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “however, I think how you behaved today was more human.”, he smiled.
“Maybe I am seeing her as a sister, just like Xiaoya.” Xiaoyu thought for a long time and finally found a reason that was reasonable. However, it’s only purpose was to answer a question at a particular time so its reliability or accuracy was definitely in question.
“Really?” Xuxing seemed to have already doubted the validity behind this answer.
“Alright, let’s stop brooding over this question. Please tell me what you find as soon as possible.” Xiaoyu put an end to the discussion. Xuxing nodded and silence entered the car, as if everyone entered their own world of thoughts. No one could break into the world of others nor would they want to let others into their own world.
It began to drizzle outside, and although some of them saw it happening outside the car, no one seemed to hear the raindrops clattering on the window. The relentless raindrops were like merciless tears, falling rhythmically on everyone’s heart that had loved, creating the tiniest ripple.
During the silence of the night, under the dim moonlight,
A shrill scream pierced the sky.
Hearing this, Xiaoyu rushed over and saw a girl like Jing’er sitting there.
She held something in her hands that looked like a man.
“Jing’er? What are you doing?” Coming closer, Xiaoyu opened his mouth in surprise and started half shouting.
“You don’t see? I’m sucking blood.” Jing’er who raised her head had her lips stained red with blood, which began to drip down. In her hands lay an apparently unconscious handsome young man that had four small holes on his neck.
“You, how could you… how could you suck blood?” Suppressing his inner fear, Xiaoyu stuttered and asked.
“What is there to fuss about a vampire sucking blood?” Jing asked coldly as she wiped the blood dripping down her mouth.
“But, but you are not a vampire?” Xiaoyu couldn’t suppress his feelings any longer and loudly roared.
“Who said that I’m not a vampire?” Jin asked with a harsh tone while releasing the young man who had lost his consciousness and stood up to face Xiaoyu.
“But, but weren’t you able to walk into the sunlight?” Xiaoyu mentioned the fact he saw when he picked up Jing’er and Xiaoya that time.
“Why can’t vampires walk in the sunlight?” Jing looked at Xiaoyu and her cold stare seemed to stab at every point on him.
“Aren’t vampires afraid of the sun? They turn into ashes under the sunlight.” Xiaoyu barely managed to gather his own thoughts and talked about his firm understanding that he believed in for many years.
“But I’m not afraid of it. And I’m a still vampire that has to suck blood. Jing coldly smiled and moved step by step towards Xiaoyu. Her answer turned Xiaoyu’s whole theory upside down.
“Since you are not afraid of the sunlight, then you surely don’t have to suck blood. Please let me help you.” Xiaoyu was still not beaten mentally, and instead seemed calmer and calmer. He didn’t run away and looked at Jing’er. Saying that he wanted to help her in this dark night, where anything could happen, was definitely an extremely foolish decision.
“Do you want to help me? Alright, then help me quench my thirst!” Just when her voice fell, Jing already arrived in front of Xiaoyu. Extending her cold and white hands to hold him, she hugged Xiaoyu’s neck, slowly pulling him closer to her lips. Although Xiaoyu did not expect this outcome, he did not resist and only felt a sudden sharp pain in his neck followed by a fiery burning sensation. Xiaoyu’s eyes gradually became dizzy while his whole body became soft and fell down.
Xiao Yu suddenly opened his eyes wide and unexpectedly found himself lying on his bed. Looking around the room, he found only silence, and the only thing he could hear was his own breathing.
“A dream?” Xiaoyu breathed out and sighed in relief as it turned out to be a dream.
Easing his mind, he sighed again.After waking up, he could not fall asleep again and was constantly thinking the scene in his dream. It was so real and so unreal at the same time. If he did not wake up and find himself lying in his bed, he would not believe that the scene was just a dream. He dreamt of Jing’er, but she was drinking blood.
“It can’t be, it’s can’t be possible.” He denied it over and over again in his mind.
“Dream, it was only a dream.” He constantly repeated to himself in his mind.
Tossed and turning in his bed, the more he moved, the less sleepy he got. Opening the lamp next to his bed, he casually pulled a book from his bedside cabinet and started to open it without even seeing the title.
Exactly at that time, his phone started vibrating near his pillow “zzzzzzzzzz”.
“Hey, what’s up!” Xiaoyu said after answering.
“Xiaoyu, it’s me, Xuxing.” Across the phone came Xuxing’s voice. How could Xiaoyu not recognize it?
“What did you find?” Xiaoyu guessed that for Xuxing to call him at midnight, it must be something important.
“The archives only documented that the widowed Mr. Lin Youcheng adopted an orphan. She was named Lin Jing after the adoption, and goes to middle school at the Southern district. Except for this, I couldn’t find anything else.” Xu Xing said in disappointment.
“Didn’t it mention anything about her past?” Xiaoyu asked.
“Nothing, it didn’t even record that she was once called Luvian, let alone the names of her parents.” Xuxing replied and was getting more and more disappointed. He, who could normally find out anything, was unable to discover anything this time.
“That’s too strange. It’s definitely not easy to get an adoption. We have to investigate first if she has any parents!” Xiaoyu said while wondering.
“Yes, she might have been too young to know, and didn’t know anything. That’s why it was impossible to find anything!” Xiaoyu suddenly thought about it.
“Not possible, she was only adopted two years ago. If she is seventeen years old now, then she was fifteen years old back then. How could she possibly not know about anything? If she didn’t know where they lived, her parents and her name, or in what school she went, then she would be mentally retarded. You could see today that she was not quite normal, right?” The more Xuxing talked, the more confused he got. Perhaps, all of this could only wait until Xiaoyu got an answer tomorrow.
“Ok, I understand. You go rest now. We will talk about it when I come back tomorrow.” Xiaoyu hung up the phone.
Right now, Xiaoyu was unable to fall asleep. After the dream and Xuxing’s words, the whole ordeal was like a thickening fog. How could he break through these layers of fog? Xiaoyu had already determined that he would have Jing’er tell him everything tomorrow.
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0009_Chapter_8_...confession.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 8 – Date and confession
“Aaaaaaa!” I stretched my arms and felt the soft and comfortable bed, and a kind of indescribable feeling entered my heart. Perhaps it was because my bed is so comfortable and I’m very happy to be able to sleep on a bed.
“I slept really late last night, and so it should be late right now… What time is it?” Thinking, I stretched my hand to pick up the bedside alarm clock and looked at it.
“What, half past 2? It’s already past noon?” I couldn’t believe my eyes, how could it be so late? Although it was a Sunday, and I never got up on Sundays to eat breakfast, I also never slept past noon. I quickly rubbed my sleepy eyes, got up from my bed, and put on a long white cloak. Although it was already spring, the early spring weather was still slightly cold. I went to the window and opened the curtain. It was sunny outside and the weather was good. “I wonder how the two guys that escaped last night are; they definitely can’t see such a beautiful bright sky.” I was surprised to suddenly even think of them, as I had nothing to do with them.
I walked into the washroom, washed my hair, and prepared to change my clothes, but on second thought, “Today’s a Sunday and I don’t have to go out. Forget it, I don’t need to change, and no one else is home either.” With that thought I opened the door and walked out of the room.
“Jing’er, you finally got up. Your friends have been waiting for you!” Daddy suddenly shouted from downstairs.
I looked downstairs and saw daddy and Xiaoyu sitting, drinking tea. Seeing Xiaoyu’s suit, it seemed too formal, but I had to admit that that the suit made him look even more handsome.
“It’s you?” I was stunned and asked in surprise.
“Jing’er, why are you in a daze. Come down fast, he has been waiting for you for almost four hours. ” Daddy anxiously instructed me.
I didn’t answer, but walked slowly, step by step down the spiral case before them.
“Jing’er, don’t tell me you forgot?” Xiaoyu looked at me and smiled and asked.
“I don’t remember making an appointment with you.” I answered straightforwardly.
“Yesterday, didn’t you promis to talk to me today? I would like to ask you out to eat. Can I?” Xiaoyu did not expect that I would answer like that; he paused for a second and asked hesitantly.
“I only said that I can talk to you,” I glanced at my father, “Besides, I have to accompany my father to eat!”
“No need, you guys go have fun! There’s a lot of work in the office today, and I have to go to the office now.” As Daddy finished his words, he got up and left. He really seemed to be in a hurry as he left without looking back at me and Xiaoyu. He seemed to be eager to meet someone.
“Daddy?” My voice was so soft that I could hardly it hear myself. Looking at my father leave, I silently turned towards Xiaoyu and sat down.
“Do you want to invite me for a meal or do you want to talk to me?” I held my cloak tighter around my body and asked.
“Can’t we talk while eating?” Xiaoyu replied with a smile.
“Okay. Anyway, no one is cooking for me today.” I replied and rose to leave.
“Then you?” Suddenly, Xiao pulled me back and asked, as he seemed to worry that I would run away.
“Well, I can’t go in my pajamas!” I shook off his hand and said apathetically.
“Oh, but you’re very beautiful even when wearing this dress, like an elegant princess with an extraordinary demeanor.” He also felt that his own action just now was somewhat rude as he picked up his tea cup, taking a sip and praised with a smile on his face.
“Maybe!” I let out a soft sigh and returned to my room. I didn’t need to wear the school uniform today, so I chose a buff turtleneck sweater, and went back downstairs after I was done wearing my shoes.
“Let’s go!” I said to him and walked straight to the door.
“Jing’er, you don’t look like a teenage girl. ” Xiaoyu didn’t stand up as he spoke while staring at my back.
“Is that praise or criticism?” I stopped and turned to look at his eyes.
“They are my sincere remarks.” Xiaoyu actually found the third answer in an instant. Every question had a perfect answer. With a perfect answer, the only imperfect thing of a question would not be easily found.“I’m hungry, let’s go.” I didn’t react to his answer but only prompted him.
“Well, let’s go.” At this moment, Xiao Yu stood up and followed me out the door. We then got in his white car.
“Do you have a restaurant that you like?” He asked me in the car.
“I think you’ve already selected a place, haven’t you?” I replied.
“There’s this nice restaurant that I always go to.” Xiaoyu simply explained his decision to ease the awkwardness brought by my indifferent attitude.
“Ok. But now it’s almost three in the afternoon, I do not know that there will be any food to eat.” Since he had made preparations, why should I worry about those things. It would be fine to have food to eat.
He then only focused on handling the steering wheel and did not utter a word anymore. Yet, I actually, unexpectedly, began to take note of his appearance. He had neat, short hair, which was pitch black that flashed a green radiance, and a pair of deep and serene eyes which reminded me of my gray past. I don’t know how much time had passed, yet I only knew that there was no longer a feeling of grief in my heart, but rather a slight feeling of bitter frustration and a sense of helplessness.
My mind drifted back to the past——
“Xiaoyou, I, I like you very much,” Under the silver colored moonlight,on a bench at the edge of the forest, a shy boy was confessing to the girl seated beside him.
“So you asked me out here for this, but… “The girl was not impressed by that gentle voice of confession. She paused for a moment, stood up and continued with an apathetic tone, “But we can’t be together. ”
“Why? Why can’t we? You don’t like me?” The boy was agitated, stood up, grasped the girl’s shoulders and asked loudly.
“No, but it’s still not possible.” The girl interrupted his series of questions and answered coldly.
“Then, then why?!” The boy said, increasingly unable to control his own emotions. His voice was getting louder and louder, scaring away the bird that had slept earlier on the tree.
“Because I’m a vampire.” The girl coldly stared into the boy’s eyes. The pair of eyes were so deep and serene, like the mouth of a spring that possessed souls.
“No, no, I don’t believe that vampires exist, and even if they do, it’s not possible for them to see the sun. However, you can, you can, so it’s impossible for you to be a vampire. You’re lying to me. Say, say you are lying to me.” The boy shook the girl crazily as he yelled madly.
“Whether you believe it or not, I am a vampire.” The girl shook away the boy’s hands, and turned without looking back. She ran into the woods at the side and disappeared.
The boy stood there blankly, motionless, like a lost soul. His deep, serene, and spirited eyes turned deathly gray. In his mind, each word she said earlier felt like a knife thrusted deep into his heart. The pain felt was indescribable. This pain instantly became a rope, wrapped tightly around his neck while he didn’t resist. Perhaps he already did not have the strength to break it, or perhaps he didn’t want to break free at all, allowing the rope to wrap itself around him tighter and tighter until it became suffocating.
At this point, in his anguish, he did not notice that another shadow came from the other direction of the woods. To be more specific, that was a black long cloak. It went along with the wind and went step by step closer to him. Yet, he still stood there in a daze, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
A hand as white as snow gently caressed his neck, and he turned around abruptly, but only faced disappointment. Before his eyes was a beautiful but unfamiliar face. It wasn’t her. If it was not her, then even a more beautiful appearance wouldn’t bring his bright smile and white teeth back, or fill his deep and serene eyes with spirit. He then lowered his head, no longer facing the beautiful face. He just wanted to think of her in his mind, her lovely face, because that is what he wanted in his heart. Yet, that hand refused to let him drop his head as it lifted his chin slowly, wanting him to look directly at the beautiful face. However, his eyes had already been drained lifeless with no trace of vitality.
“A lifeless one.” The lips on that beautiful face spit out that sentence.
“If I weren’t this thirsty, I would never drink your blood.” She said to the boy as she put her lips together on his neck, biting down fiercely.
At this point, the boy’s face was shining with light of happiness, in his mind he seemed to see that lovely face moving towards him, smiling at him, saying something to him, he couldn’t hear clearly, but he just knew it was happiness. With the loss of the last hint of smile on the boy’s face, she gently put him down softly. She knew that he was already dead, and couldn’t be drank from anymore.
“I knew the taste wouldn’t be good!” She sighed and wiped the trace of blood from her lips, then turned and walked in the other direction. Perhaps, more blood could be found in that direction.
The girl ran for a while, stopped and stood in the dense woods thinking back to the scene, the shy voice said “like” her, but she gave up. Perhaps no one would be willing to speak those words again, maybe she shouldn’t have left, or act so coldly. However, she knew that she had done nothing wrong, because she clearly understood that there is a huge gap between them which was impossible to cross. Since there was no chance, so what was the point of trying?
At this moment, a shadow flashed by her side, and disappeared into the darkness ahead.
“That was!” She clearly knew what it was. In the dark, only “vampires” possessed that kind of strength.
When that word flashed through the mind, her body involuntarily dashed back. At this time her heart felt slightly bitter, a bitter pain that she has never felt before. She was worried, worried that he was hurt, worried that she would never see him, and now this nervousness for him could not be concealed. Now, all she could think of was to get back to his side as fast as possible, regardless of what would happen in the future, as long as she could see that shy smile again when he faced her, and hear him say “I like you”.
“Zhen, what’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you?” When the girl went back to the bench, he——the guy was already lying on the ground motionlessly. She picked up the guy and shouted incessantly, but when she saw the four small holes in the boy’s neck, she stopped crying. She realized that even if she shouted until her throat broke, he would never open his eyes, smile to her, and tell her that he liked her, and that he wants to be forever with her in the same place again.
The girl held the boy tightly, but the warmth of the boy’s body still body slipped away as time passed. She herself felt colder as the night darkened. With her cold hands, she stroked his short black hair——which flashed green light in the moonlight.
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0010_Chapter_9_...t_the_past.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 9: Discussion about the past
“We’re here.” A voice interrupted my reminiscing, and pulled me away from that faraway world. The car had stopped, and Xiaoyu was devoting his full stare towards me.
“Oh.” I responded as I opened the door and got out of the car.
“Vampire Restaurant.” I raised my head to look at the restaurant in front of me. The decorations outside the door were quite unique. The signage was a frayed, wooden board hung by two metal chains red with rut. The words “Vampire Restaurant” were written in blood red on it, appearing particularly creepy.
“Is it scaring you?” Xiaoyu asked when he saw me staring at the sign dumbly.
“No.” I said and walked into that restaurant with the weird name. Xiaoyu followed behind me.
“Miss, I’ve made a reservation. My name is Junyu.” Xiaoyu walked to the hostess stand and spoke to the pretty lady.
“Please follow me.” The lady said as she led us to the table that Xiaoyu had reserved. It was a table in a dark corner of the restaurant, extremely private. Add a few effects from lighting, and the result was that no one else could see clearly into this corner, but we could clearly see the movement of all the guests in the restaurant.
“Miss, sir, what would you like to order?” Another lady asked after pouring tea.
“Lunch.” I answered.
“Two lunches.” Xiaoyu added.
“What would you like to drink?” The lady further asked.
“Just tea will be fine.” I raised the glass of tea from the table in reference.
“Who would have thought they would still be serving at this hour!” I reflected as I took a sip of tea.
“Can you tell me more about the ‘thousand year old monster’?” Xiaoyu suddenly asked.
“She says her name is Lisa and that she’s Thai. She’s never joined any party, has never hurt anyone, and only takes blood from animals.” I delivered all I knew in one breath to spare him asking an endless stream of questions. Take it as my portion of the lunch money.
“How did you make her acquaintance?” It looked like Xiaoyu wasn’t about to let me eat lunch in peace.
“She appears every now and then to irritate me, does this count as an acquaintance?” I asked in return.
“It looks like she rather likes you.” Xiaoyu smiled after taking a sip of his red tea.
“I don’t like girls.” I also took a sip of tea.
“Your cold humor is quite appealing sometimes.” Xiaoyu played with the golden teacup in his hand. In the darkness, his deep eyes appeared to have an even greater depth to them, and was even more mesmerizing.
“Is this a compliment suitable for a 17 year old girl?” I asked in my accustomed cold voice.
“I’ve long said that you don’t seem like a 17 year old girl.” Xiaoyu argued.
“Being unlike something, and not being something, is more than a single word’s difference.” I continued to stare closely at his eyes, those eyes with such a depth to them. I had to admit that I liked eyes with that color. They were so enticing.
“Then can you tell me if being unlike a 17 year old, or not being a 17 year old, is more appropriate?” He cut straight to the chase. It was at the moment that our lunch arrived. I pretended not to have heard and quietly ate the lunch in front of me. I observed our surroundings as I ate. This was beyond an ordinary restaurant. A few tables, a few chairs, and a few unassuming customers. It wasn’t related to vampires in the slightest way. I wondered why the restaurant had been given such a name.
“Is something wrong?” Xiaoyu had possibly noticed the confusion in my heart.
“If anything’s wrong, then it’s the restaurant’s name.” I said with a very natural tone, without the customary cold feeling.
“That’s the tone most suitable for you, a girl from the season of flowers.” I had absolutely not anticipated that Xiaoyu would suddenly say something like this. I didn’t know how to respond in the heat of the moment, but we couldn’t stay silent forever.
“It looks like you’re a regular here, you should know what to order!” I diverted the conversation topic again after thinking for a while.
“If you want to know, then you’ll have to have a few drinks. Let me preface this with, you can’t have alcohol, but you can have tomato juice.” He smiled a slightly evil smirk at me.
“Why do I have to drink tomato juice? Because it’s red?” I asked discontentedly.
“You don’t like it?” He seemed to be probing for something.
“If we’re talking about juice, then I prefer orange juice.” I said coldly, but ripples slowly moved through the surface of the lake in my heart, one that had been as calm as a mirror previously.
“Then what about color?” He put down the cutlery in his hands and gazed at me severely.
“Silver.” I put a small piece of beef into my mouth and chewed slowly.
“Then I’ll treat you to orange juice later.” He suddenly became very happy with a smile that would put others at ease. Maybe it was because he had received an answer he wanted. We dined amidst that comfortable smile as if everything was peaceful, a type of calm that no one wanted to disturb for any reason whatsoever.
We were eating lunch not at lunch time. Good thing we were hidden in the dark, although perhaps “hidden” wasn’t the best word for it, but we looked a bit odd in the eyes of others. All the other guests in the restaurant were either drinking tea or coffee, or snacking on exquisite desserts. This was the thing to do at this hour, and not to relish lunch like we were doing.
We finally finished eating. For the record, he finished first, and I swallowed the last few bites under his unblinking adoration.
“Alright, I’m full and I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s go!” I dabbed at my lips with the napkin and indicated my desire to leave.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen enough. But let’s go, where to?” His original big brother image completely vanished after these words.
“I want to know why this restaurant is called by this name.” I merely sighed lightly in my heart, and replying serenely while maintaining an emotionless facade.
“Then why leave?” He appeared completely perplexed.
“Will we learn why if we just stay in this restaurant?” I stared into his eyes as I asked. I liked to look into the other’s eyes when I talked to them. Past experience has taught me to search for answers in people’s eyes, and not in their words.
“When this restaurant enters the dark world, that’s when it becomes a real restaurant for vampires.” It looked like Xiaoyu no longer wanted to continue hiding the truth.
“Will there really be vampires?” I was more interested in this.
“Perhaps! But we’re not really sure who is and who isn’t.” Xiaoyu responded as he glanced at his watch.
“Isn’t it a bit dark outside already? When will it start operating?” I was very aware that Xiaoyu had just wanted to check to see if it was the Vampire Restaurant’s operation hours yet when he’d looked at his watch.
“Not yet, it’s only 5:50 pm. It’s probably dark due to bad weather. It usually doesn’t start until 6:30 pm.” Xiaoyu said with a face full of resignation. “Perhaps we wouldn’t have to wait if you’d slept until 3 pm.”
“Then you guys are to blame for not causing enough fuss last night.” I said coldly, in the tone that I used most often.
“I think it’s because your friend Lisa was too strong.” Xiaoyu refused to back down.
“First, Lisa isn’t my friend. Second, that vampire called Bern was too weak.” I argued back.
“Oh right, you haven’t told me yet how you two met.” Xiaoyu suddenly thought of this question.
“Who!” I pretended not to know who he meant by “you two” as I took a sip of tea.
“Why, you and Lisa of course.” Xiaoyu stared closely at me without letting up for a second.
“I don’t remember either.” I didn’t wish to answer this question.
“You’re evading again.” It looked like Xiaoyu really didn’t intend to let me off the hook that easily today.
“No, just that it’s in the past and I’ve forgotten already.” I ignored him and continued to drink tea.
“Have you really forgotten, and really are unable to recall it?” Xiaoyu asked ceaselessly.
“I’ve really forgotten. Since I’ve forgotten, there’s no need to dwell on it.” I said calmly, not a trace of emotion in my tone.
“Then I have another question to ask you, is that alright?” Xiaoyu knew that there was no point in asking further and so changed the topic.
“If I haven’t forgotten.” I said coldly.
“What were you so lost in thought about in the car? I looked at you a few times and you didn’t even realize.” Xiaoyu interrogated me with his deep, deep eyes.
“….” I didn’t respond, perhaps for a second, I didn’t know how to begin.
“You’ve forgotten?” Xiaoyu asked upon seeing that I remained silent.
“No just that I don’t know where to begin.” I could not escape when faced with those deep, soulful depths.
“It’s just an interlude in my past, do you really want to hear?” I asked.
“I do, will you tell me?” Xiaoyu’s face was full of astonishment, such was the satisfaction humans received from having their curiosity satisfied.
“It’s actually quite simple. I had a friend once, he was killed by vampires the night he told me he liked me.” I knew the past was already past, and only through talking about it would I truly be able to let go. However, I didn’t wish to talk about that matter in great detail. After all, it was an unsavory and woeful memory.
“You still like him?” Instead of comforting me, Xiaoyu asked me the question I least wished to answer, because its answer touched the most fragile part of my heart. It would shatter at the slightest touch, and be in pain when shattered, a type of pain that was indescribable with words.
“I don’t know, but I didn’t admit it then, and now I can’t forget it!” I took another sip of tea and avoided Xiaoyu’s eyes.
“Because of love?” Xiaoyu seemed to have sworn an oath to never rest until he had fully gotten to the bottom of everything.
“Perhaps because of guilt. He was severely affected by me leaving him, and met a vampire in the end.” Although I knew this wasn’t my fault, I had been the only one who could save him, and so I should have saved him. He was someone I had to save, but I hadn’t. I left. I left him behind. I left behind a person who loved me deeply. I let him to face the vampire alone, face death, face the fear of never seeing me again. I was indeed filled with remorse, but wasn’t sure that a hint of love hadn’t been mixed in. In this dog eat dog society, why would you feel remorse or find it hard to forget someone if not for love!
“Why did you reject him? Did you not love him?” Why wouldn’t Xiaoyu leave that little bit of my secrets alone?
Beep beep beep! Xiaoyu’s phone suddenly rang urgently before I had a chance to respond.
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0011_Chapter_10_-_Warmth.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 10 - Warmth
“Ah,” Bern sat up and shook his dizzy head, yet shaking seemed to have no effect. He started patting his own head heavily with his hands while asking, “What’s wrong with me? Where is this place?”
“A room.” The black shadow that stood on the windowsill with it’s back facing Bern answered.
“You! It’s you!” At this moment, Bern finally regained his senses. The things that had happened earlier to him flashed through his mind and he yelled in agitation.
“Who am I? Do you know? The black shadow did not turn around nor move a step. It only questioned with a laughing and mocking tone.
“A thousand year old monster,” As five words flashed across Bern’s mind, he blurted out the words. As soon as he had spoken, he realized that it was inappropriate and hastily corrected himself, “No, no. It’s senior.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Senior! A very appropriate form of address.” That black shadow turned around and approached Bern slowly, as the terrifying laughters also drew closer. The laughters crashed against his ears and affected his heart until it no longer had the lively undulation.
“Thank, thank you for saving me! Bern stammered as he stared at that shadow which was drawing closer and closer. Yet, his body began to back away involuntarily, until he hit the corner of the wall.
“So how do you plan to repay me?” Seeing that Bern had curled up in the corner, trembling slightly, the black shadow stopped and did not move any closer.
“What…what do you want?” Bern asked dumbly as he gazed into the flashing green eyes.
“You!” The terrifying voice answered.
“Want… want me…. want me for what?” Bern’s voice began to quiver. At first, he was only slightly afraid of her, but now it has totally overcome by fear. Facing a one thousand, five hundred years old vampire was something he had never experienced before. Bern was an Ancilla. In the secret party, he had obeyed the rules for more than sixty years. Although he was rather young among the blood family, he did possess considerable ability. Thus, he caught the attention of the Elders. Sometimes, he could even chat a few words with the Elders. However, among the Elders that he knew, the oldest was only one thousand years old. Yet, the one that was facing him and talking to him was five hundred years older than that oldest Elder. This is a number that he still couldn’t even imagine now. Feeling fear because of ignorance was reasonable.
“Play with me.” That sound answered, along with a long string of “Hahaha” laughter.
“Play.. play what?” Bern froze for a moment. He absolutely did not expect such a request. A one thousand, five hundred years old vampire actually wanted him to play with her. What fun is there between the two of them? He seriously couldn’t figure it out.
“I still don’t know now, but you can make some suggestions. As long as it’s fun then it will be fine.” She said with a smile. “By the way, just call me Lisa.” As she was still saying, she drew closer to Bern while stretching out her hand, seeming to be about to help him up.
“What….what do you want?” Bern totally did not comprehend her words and actions, as he screamed in shock.“How long do you plan to stay here? From last night until now, it has been a day and a night. You aren’t bored of it, but I can’t stand it anymore.” With this, she pulled Bern up from the ground abruptly without even giving him a second of consideration.
“………………. “ Bern opened his mouth but not a sound could be uttered. He had no idea whether it was because of the fear or because there was not enough time. There he stood dumbly, staring at Lisa silently.
“What’s wrong? Am I really that terrifying?” Lisa laughed and asked. However, the laughter at this moment was no longer that terrifying. It was as if she was talking to a little kid, with a tone that seemed gentle, calm and amiable.
“No, not at all.” Bern answered. The weird thing was, now, warmth was suddenly felt in his heart. The dozen years of snow like coldness vanished into thin air along with that question. It was like returning to mommy’s embrace, feeling warm and comfy.
“Hey. Are you alright?” Seeing that Bern was stunned with no reactions, Lisa hastily asked.
“Ye…Yes” Bern lowered his head. He was grinning. It had been a long time since he had smiled. Ever since his only family——his Mom, left him, he had stopped smiling. It was not that he didn’t want to smile, but that he couldn’t smile anymore. But now, Lisa had retrieved his smile for him. She helped him retrieve warmth and the feeling of having a family.
“Then let’s go; I am thirsty.” Lisa said while pulling Bern out of that dark room. Outside was also as dark as the room, but all the darkness that they saw with their eyes was still beautiful.
Bern didn’t resist, but allowed Lisa to pull him out. He had no idea where they would be going and he didn’t want to know. He only knew that he wanted to be with Lisa. He didn’t want to leave that warmth which only family members had. Affection is a very peculiar thing. Whether it’s between humans or between vampires, as long as it exist, it will possess extremely strong power. For them now, the affection between the two of them had made Lisa not frightening anymore. Instead, Lisa had become very amiable, like a family member. Therefore, he has decided that no matter what happens, he will never leave her. He will stay by her side, play with her, laugh with her, and retrieve the things that they have lost.
And so, under that faint moonlight, the two dark shadows slowly disappeared into the dusk.
Within a very ordinary house in the city, another scene of warmness was being performed.
“The sky has darkened already. Why isn’t brother back?” In the living room, Xiaoya was worrying while eating chips.
“Maybe there’s work!” Sister Lan answered while sipping her tea.
“But isn’t today his day off?” Xiaoya asked again with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Right. He usually accompanies you home on Sunday!” Sister Lan was slightly confused too. She then took a sip of the tea again. The tea tasted a little bitter but when you were used to it, you would think it had a rather good fragrance.
“Let’s give brother a call!” Xiaoya put down the chips in her hand and grabbed the phone. Seeing that Sister Lan who sat at the side was leaning over, she placed the phone in her hand down and pressed the handsfree button.
“Hi. Hello, I am Jun Yu.” On the other side came Xiaoyu’s deep and attractive voice.
“Brother, it’s me. I am Xiaoya.” A sunny voice spoke.“Oh. Xiaoya, it’s you. Did something happen that made you call me specially?” Xiaoyu hastily asked. Normally, Xiaoya rarely calls her brother, unless a big problem which she herself couldn’t solve happened.
“No. I just saw that you still haven’t returned home since you left this morning. Cousin and I are a little worried.” Xiaoya explained. This is family. No matter where you are, you won’t feel lonely as long as your family is there. Because you know that in some place, your family is caring about you and thinking about you.
“Oh. I see. I am alright. Just invited a friend out for food.” Xiaoyu answered with a natural tone, while warmth flowed incessantly in his heart. It was good to have family!
“Eating until now?” Sister Lan suddenly interrupted.
“It’s not easy to invite people out for food. I waited for her to wake up until two o’clock at noon. Xiaoyu sighed emotionally.
“What! Two o’clock at noon! That means you waited a few hours! What friend is this? You were willing to wait that long, don’t tell me it’s a girlfriend!” Sister Lan had watch the two siblings grew up since she was young and she had also been taking care of them. Therefore, she knew Xiaoyu’s character very well. Since young, many girls have had a crush on him, yet he was not attracted to any one of them. This time, could it really be……..
“Cousin, don’t say nonsense. I don’t have any girlfriend. However, I do have a friend that is slightly special.” Xiaoyu explained again and again.
“Alright, I‘m just kidding. I won’t disturb you two. Come home earlier this time, and tell me what special friend that is when you are back.” Although she said so, but Sister Lan didn’t really believe that it was merely a special friend!“Okay, I got it. Goodbye then.” Xiaoyu said and turned off his phone. As Xiaoya heard the beeping sound from the other side, she could only hang up the phone.
“Cousin, I thought that brother became slightly weird since he came back yesterday.” Xiaoya picked up the bag of chips she placed down just now and started eating.
“Why?” Sister Lan questioned with a dubious face.
“Yesterday, he came back around ten pm after sending Jing home. Although I have never gone to Jing’s house before, I am very clear that it only takes a half an hour drive from my house to her house. Yet, it took brother three to four hours. Don’t you think it’s weird?” Xiaoya played with the bag of chips in her hand and elaborated like a detective peeling off the layers of confusion slowly.
“He might have stayed at Jing’er’s house for a while.” Sister Lan answered skeptically.
“I don’t think that’s possible. Jing is a person that doesn’t like to be close to people, nor a person that likes people to be close. I can hardly imagine brother being able to chat a few hours with Jing.” Xiaoya firmly believed that she knew Jing very well, since Jing was only willing to speak to her alone.
“Speaking of Jing’er, I don’t think she’s a normal girl. She has that sharp expression in her eyes that look down upon everything, and a philosopher’s peculiar view that makes one deep in thought. Also, her way of talking is noble, elegant, and apathetic, totally like a young lady who has experienced a lot.” Sister Lan recalled Jing’er’s manner and demeanor of speaking, and concluded her impression of Jing’er elaborately.
“Cousin’s eyes are sharp indeed. I also felt that Jing was slightly weird, but I just didn’t know how to describe it.” With an admiring expression, Xiaoya gestured a thumbs-up at Sister Lan with her thumb which was covered with the smell of the chips.
“Kiddo, don’t talk glibly.” Sister Lan chided while laughing.
“But what kind of person is Jing?” Xiaoya held up the jewel that gave off a blood-color glow on her neck and asked emotionally.
“How would I know. However, I think someone might know something about this.” Sister Lan said meditatively.
“Who?” Xiaoya asked in surprise.
“Xiaoyu.” Sister Lan stared into Xiaoya’s eyes, seeming to be waiting for a corresponding reply.
“My brother! How is it possible for my brother to know clearer than me!” Xiaoya just couldn’t believe it.
“I also don’t know why, but I just have this feeling. However, just wait for Xiaoyu to return and then we will know after we ask him.” With this, Sister Lan walked into the kitchen. She still had to prepare dinner!
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.” Xiaoya thought as she sat there alone. “Brother has never met Jing. Even if Brother and Jing have chatted for a few hours after he has sent her home, it would be impossible for him to understand what kind of girl Jing is. Because her words never allowed others to comprehend every meaning clearly, thus, it would be impossible to have even a hint of her past. I spoke to her the most in school, and I am the one that is the closest to her. If I don’t know, how would brother know? Cousin must have guessed wrong. When Brother returns, I must have him tell cousin that she has guessed wrong.” Xiaoya made up her mind, and ate the last few chips in her hand. She threw the empty bag of chips into the dustbin easily, and turned on the television to watch the entertainment shows. Soon, she burst out into a guffaw, “Hahaha.” The doubt just now was hurled beyond the highest heavens. Maybe this is youth; this is the carefree flower age.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0012_Chapter_11__Food.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 11 – Food
“Miss, are you alone?” A man fill with the flavour of gentlemen asked me. I lifted head and looked gave him a glance and noticed that he didn’t look bad. With almost perfect facial features put on his face, it was excessively impeccable even from my point of view.
“Didn’t you notice?” I coldly replied. Please don’t misunderstand; I am not attempting to flirt with him. I am really currently really alone, that was an indisputable fact. Why just to avoid some unknown trouble offend someone in front of you! Furthermore, he seemed a bit…
“Thank you!” He sat right across from me. Xiaoyu and I was sitting on a table meant for four people, but I wasn’t too worried about what Xiaoyu will do after he comes back that was his business. So I drank tea and pretended that I was alone while not uttering a single word.
“Are you waiting for it to open?” He looked at me and silently asked.
“No, I’m already inside and waiting for the other guests to tell me why this restaurant has this name.“ I said coldly.
“That’s because there are vampires here in the evening.” He said casually but it gave people a sense of doubt.
“You can tell the difference between who is and who isn’t?” I asked.
“Even without looking, I know who is and who isn’t.” He answered simply.
“How many?” In fact, I could hardly imagine a scene with a large group of vampires drinking and chatting together.
“That, I don’t know, but in a minute you can see for yourself.” He said that sincerely, not intending to joke.
“Can I ask, how can you confirm that?” I asked for his method and furthermore it was in a respectful tone. It didn’t matter if what he said earlier was a sincere offer or just making fun of me.
“In order to hide their identity, they won’t show any difference. However they will deliberately approach their favorite food, so that they could bring them back when they leave to slowly enjoy them later. “Although he used third person, he seemed like praising his own virtue with high spirit.
“Why not enjoy it here?”, I was a bit puzzled. Although secret party vampires must comply with this principle of not intervening with the real world, but in the dark they don’t have to hold back, let alone the magic party.
“The reason being; this restaurant does not allow vampires to drink blood here.” He said a little helpless.
“But vampires really abide the rule?” I was a bit puzzled.
“They are afraid not to abide.” Talking about it, he suddenly remembered to ask the waiter to a cup of red wine and continued,” the owner of this restaurant is a vampire who is 1800 years old and who fails to abide this principle will be punished. ”
“Have you seen the boss before?” I’m rarely interested in a person.
“I have, he normally comes here once every year to this restaurant. Right, today is the day. It looks like you’re lucky. Wait a moment and you will be able to see him.” He seemed to be talking about an immortal-like person with a tone of endless worship and envy.
“What a pity, it’s just a noble who is less than two thousand years old!” I was a little disappointed, it really was disappointing. My heartfelt the disappointment, it was something I also hadn’t felt for a long time. Even though it was a bit strange, I was sure it was disappointment.
“Less than two thousand years old? Ha! Ha! Ha! Even a 1000 year old vampire is very difficult to find and you are still not satisfied with a vampire who almost reached 2000 years! Could it be that you met a 2000 years of noble?” He felt as if I was from a fantasy.
“Of course.”, I couldn’t help but blurt it out in order to stop his laughter.
“Have you really seen one?” He stopped laughing and seriously asked.
“Never met one, I just meant that they must exist.” I know that I let it slip and immediately explained, “I just that, since vampires don’t die, certainly there should be some vampires that are over 2000 years old.”
“That isn’t necessarily true. Eternal life comes with eternal sorrow. Everyone could get at a point where they couldn’t endure it anymore and choose to end this suffering.” He sighed, showing a deep sadness.
“Would you?” I suddenly thought of this problem.
“Me, why do you ask me, do you think that I am a vampire?” He asked in surprise.
“Aren’t you?” I asked.
“. ” He didn’t know how to answer, so he kept silent.
“How did you find out?” After a while, he woke up from his silence and asked.
“Didn’t you just tell me that they would deliberately approach their favorite food?” I didn’t show a trace of unease and surprise.
“You mean, you’re my favorite food?” He slowly said after talking a slip.
“That, only you would know?” I sipped some tea, not intending to directly answer his question.
“If you are, what will you do next?” He smiled at me and asked.
“Against a little noble like you who only has a few hundred years, I don’t need take it seriously.” I said coldly.
“You, you are a thousand year old vampire?” He became somewhat excessively surprised that even his voice became a little distorted.
“I know a vampire who is more than a thousand and five hundred years old.” I was very calm and didn’t take our conversation nor him seriously. Frankly it wasn’t necessary to take it seriously.
“He didn’t touch you.” He was even more surprised.
“She just comes to talk to me from time to time, every annoying.” I said casually. Hearing what I said, he was so confused that he didn’t know what to say next.
“Jing’er, this is?” While we were keeping our silent, Xiaoyu came back from the outside after finished his call.
“A vampire.” I was outspoken.
“You’re really called Jing’er, your name is really fitting! And he is?” Asked the vampire while laughing.(TL: Jing means calm and silent in Chinese.)
“A hunter.” I didn’t hide anything.
“It’s an interesting introduction! My name is Sinmo. What do I call you?” The vampire smiled and held out his right hand to Xiaoyu. It was an interesting scene seeing a vampire and a hunter introducing to each other and shaking hands, which was rarely happening.
“My name is Junyu. Hello!” Xiaoyu also stretched out his right hand the handshake portrayed that vampires and hunters were not real natural enemies. Someday, at a special time and in a special place they would no longer be natural enemies and that they could shake hands, laugh and chat.
Suddenly, I felt that in this world real natural enemies may not exist. The so-called natural enemies may be only be relative for a period of time, created by an environment.
“Jing’er, don’t crack this kind of joke in the future, you will scare people!” Xiaoyu sat down beside me after lecturing me.
“Do you think there’s temperature on his hand?” I asked coldly.
“You are not joking?” Xiaoyu experienced the residual cold on his hands and quickly asked.
“It’s true, I can prove it.” Sinmo replied for me.
“Why are you together with Jing’er? Could it be that you knew each other before?” Xiaoyu seemed to suspect something.
“If we knew each other before, then you wouldn’t have had the chance to meet me.” I stared at Sinmo’s eyes and answered.
“Why?” Xiaoyu didn’t understand.
“Because she is my favorite and the most ideal food.” Sinmo was always willing to help others by sweeping away doubts.
“You, you think with me here I would let you hurt her?” Xiaoyu tensed up and fiercely yelled at Sinmo.
“I can’t hurt her, but not because of you!” Sinmo was still calm and answered gallantly.
“Is it because of this shop?” Xiaoyu saw that he wouldn’t harm and calmed down.
“It’s because of herself.” Sinmo smiled and looked at me while saying.
“Me? Do I have such a high ability?” I interrupted them.
“In fact, I do not know exactly who you are. However, I know if human beings were called a short-lived species then you definitely are not an ordinary short-lived specie. Your eyes tell me that you don’t care about the worldly matters, including human life which made you become like us and just as powerful.” Like a psychologist, Sinmo gave a careful analysis of my personality with rights and wrongs, but only I know.
“In just a few minutes, you have done such a thorough analysis on me. Could it be that you have a natural dark gift in this aspect?” I suddenly remembered of “natural dark gift”, it was floating in the depths of my memory.
“What is the natural dark gift?” Xiaoyu, who seemed to not knowing about the meaning of this word, asked puzzled.
“So you even know about the natural dark gift. You really aren’t a simple girl. Xiaoyu. I think I’m perhaps a few hundred years older than and it should be more appropriate to call you Xiaoyu. Maybe you are too young, otherwise as a hunter how couldn’t you even know this?”Sinmo was using the tone of an older generation while talking. “Natural dark gift is an ability that each noble has, but each noble has a different kind. The moment when you become a noble, you will receive some kind of magical ability that no one can predict in advance what kind of ability you will get. There was also no other way to change it to a different kind of ability afterwards, therefore it is called a natural gift and there shouldn’t be a need to explain the word dark.”
“Why do you look like you are teaching a student?” I said what I thought.
“Jing’er, what are you talking about? Who did you call a student?” Xiaoyu asked me grumpily.
“You, are there any other person here who doesn’t know what ‘natural dark gift’ means!” I sighed.
“Alright, see it as my loss.” Xiaoyu was powerless against me and could only agree with me. “However, Jing’er how were you able to find a vampire when it is your first time here. I have been coming here for so long and I had never seen one.”Xiaoyu said in doubt.
“That you have to ask your teacher. It was him who found me.” I gave him a clear hint.
“That’s right, I was looking for her but I didn’t tell her that I was a noble!” Sinmo pushed the ball towards me and it seemed like I couldn’t escape anymore.
“True, he gave me too many details about him being a noble. Except a noble who else would know so much in such details?” I made a resigned look.
“How can you be sure that everything I said was true? Could be that you were also a noble?” Sinmo asked sharply.
“No, Jing’er can’t be a noble.”, Xiaoyu was even more nervous than me.
“Why?” Sinmo took advantage of the opportunity to ask.
“She has a home, classmates and most importantly she can bathe in the sun.” Xiaoyu replied full of certainty.
“Can she really bath in the sun?” Sinmo wasn’t willing to believe.
“I can assure you that we came here at noon. She was covered in brilliant sunlight while walking into the restaurant.” Xiaoyu convinced himself about everything he saw.
“Perhaps she is a vampire living under the sun! Ha! Ha! Ha! I am joking.” Sinmo said with a smile. Maybe he was joking, but I felt my heart twitch.
“There are vampires who are living under the sun. For example those corrupt officials and those who don’t work to hold all the wealth.” Xiao Yu proposed a new point of view.
“Jing’er is not that kind of person.” Xiaoyu went on to explain.
“Of course, Jing’er is a bit unusual; perhaps the better term would be a little extraordinary.” Sinmo said to himself, but his voice was loud enough for people like us who were present to hear.
“It’s just because your experiences were too meagre, too common. That’s why you would describe me like that.” I actually felt a little ashamed after listening to their words of praise. Maybe I have a past that was too long with too many painful memories. Some people say that the more you experience, the more you learn. However, who could tell that while you learn those things you might meanwhile lose others. Moreover, the way you lose them was extremely cruel.
“What did you mean?” It seemed that Sinmo heard a deeper meaning and quickly asked.
“The isn’t any other meaning, she was just casually talking about it.” Xiaoyu actually replied for me.
“You are not her, how can you know?” Sinmo countered.
“Of course I know, Jing’er is like my sister.” Xiaoyu argued.
“Is it just a sister? That’s great.” Sinmo’s mood suddenly reversed and cheered up.
“How is that relevant to you?” Xiaoyu hated to see him that cheerful.
“Of course it is! As long as she is not your girlfriend, I would still have the opportunity to make her my girlfriend!” Sinmo always manage to stun others.
“I am not suitable for you both.” I said sincerely.
“Why?” Both of them actually cried together.
“Why are there so many whys in this world!” I tried to avoid them.
“I have the feeling that we are not worthy. You are definitely not someone an ordinary person or a noble could dream off.” Sinmo can always make you feel immeasurably deep with the ordinary words.
“Sinmo, you seem to evaluate Jing’er really high!” Xiaoyu change from topic that he wanted to understand himself.
“I’ve never met a girl like her before, not even in a blood family. It was as if she could see everything clearly and everything in the world was like a passing gust of wind. She didn’t care about it at all.” Sinmo really seemed to have a natural dark gift in the psychological aspect.
“How could she be comparable to you? Weren’t you people who didn’t care about human life at all?” Xiaoyu didn’t agree with his opinion about me.
“Do you think she cares? She didn’t even care and look down on us nobles with powerful abilities. I think whether it was fear or love, there won’t be anything that would still move her heart in this world!” Sinmo always understood others as if he was talking about himself.
“Jing’er, you should at least defend yourself, right? Xiaoyu wasn’t unable to beat Sinmo and could only as the person herself for help.
“What he said was actually quite fitting for me.” I had no objections.
“Jing’er, how could you agree, his words don’t fit you at all.” Xiaoyu was not willing to believe that I was such a person.
“Not fitting doesn’t mean I am not!” I actually didn’t care at all. After so many years, what is there to hide about what kind of person I am? Furthermore, I didn’t really care. However, it looked like they both care about this and when I fully admit it; they actually didn’t know what to do anymore. Silence took over, but the noise surrounding us increased and I didn’t know when so many people arrived. It was double as much as during the day, a bunch there, a table here. Not sure what they were drinking, chatting loudly, their voices didn’t stop while laughing and bustling.
The night was getting darker and darker and the streets were shrouded in darkness.
There were two figures that weren’t fitting for the crowd around them and were running forward at a flying speed. Although I used the word ‘run’, but there was no difference in speed compared to flying. In short it was not comparable with the speed of an ordinary human.
“Where are you going?” Bern who was following behind for a long time finally could not help but ask.
“I’m hungry; of course I am going to find something to eat.” Lisa turned her head and replied.
“Isn’t there food everywhere here?” Bern looked around and saw a person’s shadow flying by. They were not flying but where travelling with the speed of flying.
“They are not my favorite food.” Lisa said very seriously.
“I understand.” Bern gently agreed with a soft cry and said nothing more. He knew very clearly that it was not strange for a 1500 year old vampire to have some strange hobby. It was already not only easy to survive a hundred years of dark nights and loneliness, let alone 1500 years? Moreover, how many people knew about their story, no matter if those stories were happy or sad eventually they required her to face it alone. After facing too many stories would change a human or a vampire. Letting her to have a more or less peculiar hobby was not really surprising.
“We are almost here, it is just in front.” Lisa interrupted Bern’s thoughts.
“Ok.” Bern agreed with another cry as if he was proving that he didn’t have any opinions and only listened to her. Exactly at that time, Lisa suddenly stopped in front and said with a happy face: “We arrived, it’s here.”
“Vampire restaurant!” Of course, when Bern raised his head he saw that there was a restaurant in front of him. He had heard that name before but had never been inside so inevitably he couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0013_Chapter_12...ed_Banquet.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 12 – Sacred Banquet
“Give me that table called “Sacred Banquet.” Lisa stood before the service desk and said while staring at the server.
“Really sorry, Miss.That table had been occupied by someone since afternoon. The waitress answered apologetically.
“What? How can this be… It’s already the time for the nobles to dine. You……must make that person leave today. Do you understand?” Lisa spoke with a seriousness which was rarely seen.
“Sorry, I don’t think it’s possible. They have already eaten their food but they seemed to be waiting for something. There is also a noble with them, so…….” The waitress was feeling very troubled because she originally knew Lisa and understood that she was not to be messed with. Plus, she looked rather fierce now. Indeed. There were too many maybes in everything, thus life has a meaning. Having choices is the reason to continue moving forward.
“How about we discuss this with them and have them give us the table?” Bern who was standing beside them broke this awkward pause.
“Is that alright? Miss? Lisa asked but she was still looking fixedly into the lady’s eyes.
“Alright. Give it a try!” That lady said and reluctantly led them towards that table.
“Luvian? and you?” When Lisa and the others went around some obstacles surrounding the Sacred Banquet, Lisa saw two people which she had not expected.
“Another two are here. Looks like this restaurant really has a well-deserved reputation!” I sighed without even lifting up my head.
“You guys?” While I sighed, Xiaoyu who sat beside me was also shocked.
“What ‘you guys’ ‘you guys!’” I wanted to ask why you two are together! Don’t tell me it’s a date? Ha! Ha! Ha!” Lisa exclaimed along with the string of abhorrent laughter.
“But who is he?” Lisa added when she noticed Sinmo.
“Same as you.” I said to her while looking at Sinmo.
“Hello, Lisa! I am Sinmo!” Sinmo stood up very politely and stretched out his hand to show his friendliness.
“Hello. Are we friends?” With a dubious facial expression, Lisa stretched out her hand which was wearing a long lace glove and accepted his hand.
“If we can be friends today, that will be my honor!” Sinmo’s words and actions were always very gentlemanlike.
“Dididididi……” Xiaoyu’s phone rang again.
“Excuse me!” Xiaoyu had no choice but to take this call. “Hello, I am Jun Yu.”
“What? Magic Party? Okay, I will be right there!” With this, Xiaoyu stood up and spoke with a troubled expression “Really sorry, Jing’er. I think……I think I will have to send you home.”
“It looks like someone has awaken, but I still don’t want to sleep!” I took a sip of the tea and sat there with no intention of leaving.
“But I can’t leave you here alone!” It seemed like Xiaoyu really cared about me. Yet, I really did not want to go back since I have been greatly intrigued by the owner who I have never met. Plus, I felt relaxed when I was among them because in here, in their midst, I was no longer a cheater.
“Mr Hunter, if you are busy you can leave first. As a gentleman, I will send this lady home. In this regard you do not have to worry.” Sinmo stared at Xiaoyu and said solemnly.
“I think he doesn’t trust you! Ha! Ha! Ha! Once again, Lisa had a reason to guffaw presumptuously.
“Oh. It’s me. Am I really that scary?” Sinmo asked. It could be possible that Sinmo thought of himself as a kind angel.
“There’s also me? So just relax.” Seeing Xiaoyu’s troubled appearance, Lisa took pity and uttered words of assurance.
“Then I shall leave first. Goodbye!” Xiaoyu understood clearly that he couldn’t stall anymore. “By the way give me a call when you get home. You know my house’s phone number, right? While he went two steps away, he looked back and exhorted.
“……” I remained silent. Maybe it was a silent acquiescence or maybe I was just ignoring him. Maybe I just didn’t want to show how close I was with him. Well, who knows? And Xiaoyu departed. In the end, only four of us were left. Now there were no disputes in regard to the “Sacred Banquet.” Maybe Xiaoyu was destined to leave. Talking about “destiny” many people often view it in many different ways. They viewed this word with much more meanings than it’s original meaning. They always thought “It was written in the book, and so it will happen.” However, it was because they believed in “destiny,” therefore they had to tire themselves for this “destiny.”
“There aren’t a lot of people that knows my name except friends?” After Lisa sat down, she asked the first question.
“You come every year this day, so I took a slight notice!” Sinmo answered casually.
“Oh, only the name?” Lisa inquired with a faint sneer.
“Also, you have been through fifteen centuries. Not bad, right?” Sinmo added as he tried to save his face which was more important to the humans.
“Oh, you know this too? Luvian told you?” Lisa turned and said while staring at me.
“By the way, I have been hearing about who you called Luvian but no one here has that name!” Sinmo seemed to suddenly thought about something.
“Luvian,this is your bad. Chatting with him without even telling him your name.” Lisa spoke to Luvian like a senior instructing a junior.
“Is that necessary?” I had absolutely no interest in this, so I was lazy to explain.
“What? You are called Luvian? Aren’t you called Jing’er?” Sinmo still seemed to be doubtful.
“Is that important?” I said as I felt more and more bored.
“True that. Names are just a symbol. Once years past, no one would remember anymore.” Sinmo seemed to recall some unhappy past, thus we went into silence naturally.
“Looks like you really like this table?” After a long time of silence, I suddenly looked at Lisa and questioned.
“Like? Ehm, no.” Sadness flashed past Lisa’s face as she answered.
“Hate?” I asked again.
“Also no.”
“That means you have an unforgettable past related to it?” I continued to inquire though I had already guessed it.
“Why can’t I hide anything from your eyes?” Lisa asked back with a helpless and pitiful tone.
“Stop appearing like you are being interrogated. I have no interest in listening to your disgusting past.” Although I said so but actually I was thinking differently in my mind. Because I knew clearly that sometimes the past was a secret and also a pain which exists forever.
“Many years ago, this area was a habitation for the heretics. The restaurant we are now at was their sacred altar and this table was the place they used to place the gifts for the fans. Around one thousand, five hundred years ago, a ritual was held here. It was also the last time this ritual was held and this the name of this ritual was “Sacred Banquet.” Lisa looked really sad now. This was the first time I have seen her like this
“I know a few stories regarding those heretics, but I have no idea whether it’s true or false.” Seeing that she was really sorrowful, I felt sorry for her.
“You really aren’t young! Ha! Ha! Ha! Lisa suddenly changed the topic, but her laughter still sounded slightly forceful.
“I think seventeen years old doesn’t count as old!” It seemed like someone really wasn’t worth the pity.
“But it’s impossible for a seventeen years old child to know about these.” Sinmo interrupted.
“Is it not possible for me to hear about it?” I really don’t understand that why I must find reason for every sentence I said.
“Then what did you heard?” Lisa asked.
“These heretics believed and worshiped the God of Life. They believed that blood is the source of all living beings. Every ten years, they would held a ritual and offer a sacrifice to their God of Life. If you have some imaginations, you would maybe say you can imagine what the sacrifice was.” I told some stories from the depth of my memories. Sometimes, I really think having some additional memories is quite useful. Although they wouldn’t help you get full marks in every subject or let you know what other species are exist besides the Nobles. For example,the wolverines, mummies, demons or monsters which caused disasters in movies.
“The hot drink of blood!” Sinmo exclaimed as anticipation was seen on his face.
“It’s not that simple. They needed a stainless girl that met the conditions.” Lisa added.
“Conditions? A stainless girl was not enough?” It seemed like Sinmo could be satisfied very easily.
“That’s a condition for misfit little nobles like you.” I said as I felt like laughing.
“Oh, then what conditions did they demanded?” Sinmo asked as he really couldn’t figure it out.
“For example: green eyes, a mixed blood of four countries and silver long hair. I don’t remember the rest.”
“Born during a full moon at the stroke of midnight.” Lisa added again.
“That means you dyed your hair?” I looked at her pitched-black long hair and questioned.
“Luvian, I really have to admire your imagination.” Having someone point out that she had changed her appearance slightly, Lisa was slightly unhappy. Actually, dyeing her silver hair black was unnecessary. In today’s society, there were countless people who dyed their hair into golden monkeys, red parrots, and green tortoises so people naturally became inured to the unusual.
“Did you seen the appearance of that God of Life? It was always hard for me to imagine the things that shouldn’t exist in this world.
“Are you in a hurry to get marry?” Lisa asked while looking at me evilly.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t like me as I don’t have long silver hair or green eyes? I explained.
“That means you are a mixed-blood of four countries?” Lisa was trying to catch my drift again.
“No, maybe there were no countries when you were born? Ha! Ha! Ha!” Lisa laughed. Why is she always so annoying, especially that laughter.
“As the person involved, please allow me to correct one point. Actually, I have no nationality so I wouldn’t be a mixed blood of a few countries.” I was saying some truth, some truths could not be understood by others.
“That’s not possible!” Sinmo was the first to question.
“No, that’s possible. For example, *dead people* doesn’t have nationality.” Lisa did not spend thousand years living in vain. She had even grown wiser.
“Wrong. I am still alive and was never dead.” You can know just by looking at my neck.
“Really?” Lisa was very suspicious.
“Do you want to take a look at my neck?” I spoke with a tone which clearly meant that I would hate to pull down my collar.
“Yes!” Lisa actually agreed happily as if she did not hear my feelings of disgust. However, it wouldn’t be possible as I have said it very obvious. Unless, she has been expecting this for a long time.
“Too bad I am wearing turtleneck today.” I had no choice but to say it clearly and distinctly again.
“Then when are you not wearing turtleneck?” I could see Lisa really planned to pester me.
“When I wear a dress.” Of course, I meant the thing that would fluttered once a breeze blows.
“I have more than enough time!” Lisa said something that couldn’t be more true.
“Then how did you obtained so much time?” I changed the topic back again.
“‘The God of Life’ gave it. Do you even have to ask?” When mentioning the God of Life, Lisa’s tone showed much more respect than just now.
“Looks like he was not only very handsome but also possessed an eternally young appearance!” Even the obtuse Sinmo understands.
“Looks like mentality is still proportional to age.” Lisa smiled. It was a natural smile but I felt like it was unnatural when it was placed on her face. Maybe it was because I was deeply poisoned!
“But I have never heard that girls who became sacrifices would still live. This is a little weird!” In regards to the ritual that I know, the sacrifice will die after every drop of blood was drawn. You can tell their “God of Life” was not very kind and merciful.
“A thing that is even harder to imagine: are you perhaps more attractive than the previous ones?” I added another question.
“You! Nevermind, I am not in a mood to quarrel with you today. Fine, I will tell you guys maybe it will make me famous?” Lisa held up the “red wine which she had ordered and shook it gently before her face. She then said,”At that time, my heart was broken because I knew clearly that the people that cared about my life were no longer breathing. The only thing I could do now was to wait for my own death. Therefore, I allowed them to place the delirious me on the rectangular altar. They surrounded and went circles around me with candles in their hands as they muttered some unknown words or spells. I was not able to see clearly nor hear clearly. Suddenly, they all disappeared. I am not saying they vanished into thin air but I couldn’t see them in my view. At that moment, a huge object suppressed the top of my body causing me who had difficulty in breathing to gasped for air. Next, a tremendous pain was felt on my neck and I had no knowledge of what happened next until I opened my eyes again. The images I saw could never be forgotten. No matter how long I live, it would still be impossible to forget. I was still lying on this table when I woke up, yet everything around me changed. Redness was seen on the walls, on the floor, everywhere. The more frightening things were the scattered pieces of corpses, hands, feet and horrifying heads. However, I was already unable to feel fear during that time. I sat up slowly and naturally touched my neck. It was hurt but it was no longer bleeding.
“How do you feel? This was my first try. I really didn’t expect that it actually worked.” At this moment, a voice asked.”
“Who..who are you?” Out of natural reaction, I blurted out a question.
“I should be considered as a father to you now!” At this moment, I realized that a man around thirty years old stood at my side. He was dressed in noble clothes and was glowing with health.
“My father have already been killed by them.” I had a clear mind.
“That’s your human father, but I am your noble father.” While he was still speaking, he approached me slowly.
“Noble? I am not a noble.” I knew who I was and what status I had.
“The nobles that I am talking about aren’t the kind you think. It also has many names. For example: Longevity Species, vampires, blood family, demons, monsters,etc. You have heard of it,right?” He explained to me again and again.
“You are saying I have turned into a vampire?” I touched my face and scrutinized my hands. “No, I am still me. I did not go through any transformation. It’s impossible for me to become those blood-sucking monsters.”
“Transformation? What an interesting word. How big do you want the transformation to be? The face of a demon or sharp claws?“No?” I was still a naive and innocent little girl.
“Of course not! The only transformation is that your sharp canine teeth have grown sharper. However, this has good use.” He halted before me and stroke my head softly like how a kind father often does.
“That’s great! But do I really have to drink human blood?” That was the thing I was most afraid of. I did not want to hurt anyone, whether it’s an acquaintance or stranger, kind person or evil one. I just didn’t want more people to lose their family, friends and home.
“This? Let me ponder that. Of course not, if you can buy it with money!” Of course, during that time it was impossible to buy it anywhere.
“But I don’t want to hurt others.” I lowered my head.
“Then just drink animal blood!” He said casually as if drinking blood was a very reasonable thing.
“That means the thing that just bit my neck was a vampire. Was that you??” I asked as I remembered some broken and interrupted images.
Yes, he is a noble. Please allow me to use these two words. But it wasn’t me. That guy got injured and fled.” Not a sign of lying could be seen on his face.
“Then who is he?” To be honest, when I asked this question not a bit of hatred was felt in my heart. I only felt some unknown sense of familiarity.
“He was a guy that I liked, but he did not like me.” I could tell the “like” that he had said was very meaningful.
“Oh, then what should I do now?” I continued asking.
“Follow me! I will teach you like a real father, about eating, sleeping and entertainment.” And this was the end of the story. My new father and I formed a new and peculiar family.” Lisa sighed softly after telling her greatest secret.
“It’s very easy to tell that your father is the owner of this restaurant. From his style of work, he should be part of the secret party!” I continued speaking.
“No, it’s Magic Party.” Sinmo suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.
“That’s right. My father belongs to the Magic Party.” Lisa confirmed.
“Magic Party?” The truth of the owner as the member of the Magic Party shocked me and Bern.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0014_Chapter_13...agic_Party.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 13: Magic Party
“Magic Party? You mean The Magic Party — was anyone else involved?” Xiaoyu rushed to the scene, muttering continuously along the way, “no casualties, no casualties.”
“No.” The two brothers answered in unison.
“That’s good. Did you guys destroy it?” Xiaoyu was extremely relieved by their response in the negative, but was incredulous when he saw the pile of sand on the ground.
“No, the Magic Party one did that.” Xuqing seemed to be contemplating something.
“But we really don’t understand why the Magic Party would have engaged in such blatant provocation! No matter what, this is still Secret Party territory!” Xuxing was completely perplexed.
“I think the biggest possibility was that the balance was upset.” Xuqing’s tone was exceedingly cold as he touched the gun in his hand.
“The possibility of this is great. Although the two parties have been at odds with each other for a long time, they were keeping the peace because of a balance in power. But now.” Xiaoyu had gained some knowledge from the mound of broken and dirty records which his father left behind, but he didn’t know anything beyond that. That’s why he didn’t even know what a dark gift was.
“The guys just now were really strong!” Xuqing suddenly blurted out this sentence.
“Looks like we’ve got trouble!” Xuxing sighed with emotion.
“If it’s really as we think, then not only us but all the humans, particularly this city is in danger.” Xiaoyu’s face grew heavy with concern but he was clearly aware of what was the Magic Party and what was the Secret Party. If the balance of power between the two parties was upset then all of humanity will face a disaster.
“Then should we help the Secret Party?” Xuxing asked with a smile, but it wasn’t really a smile.
“I actually hope that the Secret Party can help us!” Xiaoyu said as he walked back to the car door.
“What have you heard today?” Xuqing didn’t care about Xuxing, the former looked up coldly and asked after shoving his gun back into his pocket.
“Let’s talk in the car!” Xiaoyu wormed into the car after opening the door, closely followed by Xuqing and Xuxing.
“You went to lunch with her today?” Xuxing started interrogating as the car started to move.
“You’ve been to my place?” Xiaoyu didn’t directly answer the question.
“Yes, we went to find you around 3 pm, but Xiaoya said you took a friend out for lunch and hadn’t been back yet. It’s most likely the girl from yesterday!” It looked like Xuxing was also interested in the girl with no past.
“What did you hear?” Xuqing was uninterested in the process. He only cared about the result and that was who, or what, they had met last night.
“Yes, what did she say?” Xuxing also wanted to know but for reasons obviously different from Xuqing.
“Nothing much. She only said that Lisa wasn’t her friend and that she couldn’t remember how they met.” Xiaoyu answered as he drove. He naturally wouldn’t mention the other matters he discussed with Luvian.
“Just that?” Xuxing seemed unsatisfied.
“And that she used to have a boyfriend, but he was killed by vampires.” Xiaoyu had to “reveal” a little bit more.
“Looks like she’s seen vampires many times before, no wonder she wasn’t afraid!” Thinking back about the events of last night, an expression of dawning enlightenment appeared on Xuxing’s face.
“If a vampire hugged your neck right now, would you not be afraid?” Who knew that Xuqing would toss him a cold retort.
“I…” Xuxing could speak no more because he was clearly aware that if that was the case, he would be scared out of his mind. Even though he had seen countless blood family and killed countless vampires, what use was that? He would still be afraid, that was human nature! But she…
“Then why wasn’t she afraid?” Xuxing thought and asked again, but there was only silence in the car, because no one could answer his question. All questions have answers, but no everyone could find them.
“However, I learned a secret today. Every vampire receives an incredible power the moment they become part of the blood family. No one is able to predict beforehand what kind of power it will be and no one is able to transmute it to another power afterwards. They call it a dark gift. Every vampire has one, but each power is different.” Xiaoyu told his companions what he had just learned. This would benefit them in their future hunts, even though they didn’t currently know what use it would have.
“Oh, interesting!” Xuxing fumbled for his notebook and recorded this according to his self invented code.
“She told you this?” Xuxing suddenly lifted his head in query after a while of recording.
“No, she only mentioned it. Sinmo gave the details.” Xiaoyu said.
“Who’s Sinmo?” It was the first time that Xuqing had heard this name, and was quite curious about this person given that he knew so much.
“A vampire.” Xiaoyu seemed to be worried about something.
“Where did you go eat? …the vampire restaurant?!” Xuxing’s tone suddenly changed to one of interrogation. Xiaoyu didn’t respond but only nodded with intent.
“So there really are vampires here. But under the cover of night, they appear the same as ordinary people if they don’t take any blood. How did you know he was a vampire?” Xuqing was extremely surprised. Afterall, he himself had gone there many times, but had not met even one bloodsucking animal.
“Jing’er said he was a vampire and he admitted it. I think there can be no mistake.” Xiaoyu believed that Jing’er wouldn’t lie to him, but this faith didn’t seem to be born out of a rational reason.
“Her again. Why is there always a member of the blood family around here? The thousand year old Lisa last night and now Sinmo.” Xuxing found it harder and harder to trust her.
“Speaking of Lisa, we met her again today. Jing’er still with them right now.” Xiaoyu’s face wore unconcealed worry.
“You left her there alone?” Xuxing was more than a little shocked. He had thought that Xiaoyu cared deeply for the girl but now he’d left her alone in such a dangerous place and left!
“I… I wanted to send her home, but she wanted to sit a while longer. I had no other choice, I couldn’t…. well drag her home!” His tone was suffused with Xiaoyu’s resignation.
“Why did she stay?” Xuqing suddenly blurted out this question, helping everyone immediately realize something they hadn’t thought of before.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0015_Chapter_14_Father.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 14: Father
“Why the huge reaction. He only used to be!” Lisa shouted, the desire to protect fully evident from her tone. Bern was scared almost immediately into silence and he ducked his head to observe his fingers.
“The Magic Party opening a restaurant on Secret Party territory isn’t shocking news?” I looked at Bern, he was too frightened to make a noise. “Why are you so loud, be careful of scaring your new little friend.”
“Is it possible to surprise you? I could never tell!” Lisa made a joke again. Perhaps she had noted Bern’s reaction, and so sought to lighten up the tense atmosphere caused by her sharp words.
“This only proves that you have no observation skills.” I didn’t want to negate her good intentions and so played along.
“But, a Magic Party member who opened a restaurant, that sounds a bit ridiculous!” I couldn’t hold in my laughter as I spoke, it was a feeling I hadn’t had in a long time.
“Oh! You laugh!” Lisa exclaimed in astonishment.
“I wasn’t born out of an egg, why wouldn’t I laugh.” I extremely disliked her habit of making a big deal out of nothing. It wasn’t a big deal originally, but her emphasis made it seem like I hadn’t known how to laugh before, and only through her help did I learn something that everyone underneath the sky could do.
“You can’t say I’m a making a mountain out of a molehill! I’ve never seen you smile in all the years that I’ve known you!” Lisa seemed to have been sorely aggrieved and pouted fiercely.
“Who can laugh when faced with a monster.” I didn’t pull my punches when sparring with females, not to mention she wasn’t the fragile and delicate type.
“Why are you always at odds with me? Did I kill your parents? But I don’t remember harming a single good person!” Lisa looked at me perplexed, as if recalling something. Perhaps an old person’s memory was never too good.
“Do you think you have the right to?” My tone immediately turned as frosty as snow, and my eyes were filled with hostility.
“Jing’er, what’s wrong? It was just a small joke! Why so scary, even I’m a bit frightened!” Sinmo had been sitting silently all this time, but even he was scared by my look and called out involuntarily.
“Nothing!” I responded coldly. There was actually a pain in my heart which was as frigid as winter and cut to the bone, so painful that I was unable to consider the feelings of others.
After my icy rage, even Sinmo and Lisa made no more sounds, not to mention Bern. The surroundings quieted down, as if the banter and chatter a moment ago had belonged to another world.
“Sir, the restaurant is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!”
“Ma’am, the restaurant is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!”
We sat silently as the voices of waitresses asking guests to leave surrounded us. We continued not saying a single word, or perhaps no one knew which words to use to break the silence. After all, none of them had seen me truly angry before, and it was natural that they didn’t know what to do.The unnatural thing was why the inventory check had to be conducted so early.
“Miss, the restaurant is is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!” A waitress stood in front of me not long thereafter, asking me to leave.
“She is my friend!” Lisa spoke before I could open my mouth.
“My apologies for disturbing you.” The waitress left respectfully afterwards.
“Is he really coming?” There was no way I would thank Lisa for her “good intentions”, perhaps they weren’t any real good intentions at all.
“It’s about time, father always likes to come early.” It was the first time that Lisa had used such a respectful tone in front of me. It suddenly hit me with a stabbing pain. ‘Father’ is it? After so many years, why would my heart still be hurt by this word? Why do the wounds of the heart always start bleeding again whenever you think they’re fully healed?
“Jing’er, are you alright?” Simon asked after seeing me with a face full of concern.
“Why wouldn’t I be!” I guess my expression wasn’t looking too good then.
“As long as you’re okay. Aren’t you a bit afraid that you’ll meet a vampire even stronger than me?” Lisa started her banter again.
“What do you think?” I didn’t directly answer her question, because the answer was a foregone conclusion. The waitresses started closing the doors and shuttering the windows, as if it really was closing down. They then all left silently. The restaurant was curiously silent, as if every person and item present was just a mere illusion. The only thing I could hear was my own breathing and heartbeat. I think it was the same for them.
I looked around, suddenly thinking that the overly respectful faces were a bit comical. Who did they think they were greeting? Just an older vampire, and here they were making it seem like the manifestation of a true god. But on the other hand, perhaps the manifestation of a true god wouldn’t even see this kind of treatment! It looked like ghosts will only believe in ghosts, but why do humans believe in gods and not themselves? May this is the reason why mankind will never move out of the jurisdiction of gods!
“Luvian, what are you looking at?” Sinmo seemed to like to stare at me when he had nothing better to do.
“Seeing how many believers are in this restaurant.” I turned my head in response.
“Quite a few!” Sinmo smiled.
“Are you not” I suddenly thought of this question.
“No, but I’ve had some dealings with him.” Sinmo played with the cup in his hand.
“No wonder you knew things about Lisa.” I brought up another topic.
“Who are you, seriously?” Lisa stared at him, her eyes full of doubt.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0016_Chapter_15_Sinmo.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 15: Sinmo
As all of you can see, I am a two or three hundred years old small vampire who is considered slightly handsome, a bit wealthy and with a lot of knowledge.” Sinmo answered with a grin.
“Oh. So that means if you ever have your eyes on a girl from any family, it would really count as a blessing to her!” Lisa was rarely serious, while Sinmo only smiled and stared at me without a uttering a single word.
“Why are you looking at me?” I asked sulkily.
“It looks like Luvian in our family is really a blessed person!” Lisa smiled evilly.
“Who’s part of your family!” I glared at Lisa fiercely.Yet, she didn’t seemed to care at all as she smiled even more evilly.
“You two are really close. It’s really rare for a human and a vampire to have such a good relationship.” Sinmo stared at us while he was squabbling with enjoyment.
“Well, you are wrong about this!” Lisa immediately corrected.
“Indeed. We are not on good terms!” I also declared.
“Not this. I meant our relationship isn’t even the relationship of humans and vampires.” Lisa said with a serious tone which was rarely seen.
“Aren’t you a vampire?” Sinmo asked in astonishment.
“You really grew only more handsome but not wiser. I am talking about her.” Lisa said as she looked towards me with a mysterious expression.
“Don’t tell me Jing’er is really a vampire!” Sinmo was shocked as his mouth agaped slightly, unable to be shut.
“To be honest, I am not very clear but I can guarantee you that she is definitely not a human.” Lisa actually spoke sternly again as if she was always a serious person.
“Jing’er, you………” Although I lowered my head, but I could still sense Sinmo’s eyes were staring at me directly as if the answer was now written on my face
“I think we were discussing about you just now?” Without lifting up my head, I changed the topic of this conversation. I did not want this topic to continue because even I myself did not know if I was a human or not, or what thing I was.
“Did I not talk about this just now?” Sinmo noticed my displeasure and didn’t dare to ask anymore.
“That’s too vague!” Lisa also began pestering Sinmo. Maybe she knew clearly that the questions about me couldn’t be understood in such a short time. If it was that simple, she wouldn’t have followed me for years without a clue of what was going on with me.
“He is……..” Bern who was sitting at the side suddenly spoke two words. However, when he met Sinmo’s eyes, he immediately lowered his head and no longer talked. Yet, that scene had revealed everything.
“It seems like Bern is very afraid of you!” Lisa pointed out sharply as she sighed.
“You only realize this now.. so slow.” I said with a disdainful tone.
“Do you mean you already found out what background he has?”
“Well, no. However, I noticed something unusual before you got here and Bern’s reaction had proved my doubts.” I stared at Sinmo as I spoke while casually casting a glance at Lisa.
“Oh. Did I give myself away?” Sinmo’s courteous smile always gave people a comfortable feeling.
‘It was not you, but your fellow-creatures.” I flashed a smile as I said. I have been smiling many times today, it is something that had never happened in many years. Plus,every smile was sincere.
“What do you mean by that?” Sinmo consulted mannerly.
“All the other single girls out there were surrounded by a swarm of vampires. Yet, why none of the other vampires didn’t come annoy me again when you sat opposite me. And…” I paused and continued explaining, “The moment Bern saw you, he lowered his head involuntarily and acted in/with a constrained manner. Consequently, he originally knew you and was very afraid of you. This means you are part of the secret party and your position is higher than Bern. Also……”
“Also what?” Lisa hastily asked.
“Why are you so impatient?” I flashed her a glare and continued speaking, “Also, Bern knows you but you don’t know him and no one has greeted you since you have came in, which means that you do not know the other guests. This tell me that it’s impossible for the other guests to tell Bern about you. Therefore, there is only one person that could have told him these things, that person is the restaurant owner who is the only one familiar with you. Finally, the one point that we can understand is that Sinmo has a special relationship with the owner instead of being just slightly acquainted like what Sinmo had said.” I explained everything in one breath, but I had no idea if that slow brain will be able to understand.
“I didn’t expect that, can I hide anything from you, Jing’er?” Sinmo grinned even more sophisticatedly, showing the demeanor of a gentleman.
“If that’s the case, you just have to disclose the truth. Plus, father will tell me when he comes. Is it necessary to keep this a secret?” It looks like Lisa is demanding to know it now.
“Alright! I will be friends with you two today. Actually, I don’t have a great background. I am just a Novitiate Elder in the secret party.” Sinmo’s tone sounded as if he was not taking this/his position seriously.
“Not bad. You are already a Novitiate Elder at this young age. To my knowledge, there are only one Great Elder, three Vice-Elders and ten Novitiate Elders among these parties. If the Great Elder disappears, then one of the Vice-Elders will be chosen to get promoted to Great Elder. When there is an empty spot among the Vice-Elders, it will be chosen from the Novitiate Elders. Luvian, looks like you have a very good luck! You must grasp this chance!” Lisa learned what she wanted to know and her mood immediately became happy. As a result, she started making fun of me.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0017_Chapter_16_Louyu.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 16: Louyu
“The restaurant owner is here! The restaurant owner is here! Everyone, be quiet!” A sound was heard coming from an unknown place, and the hall immediately became dead silent. The originally soft voices which were discussing stopped, and all those seated stood up, including Bern. As for me, of course I wouldn’t be that respectful. Since I don’t even know what he looks like, why should I stand up and make myself suffer! Plus, I have always pursued the policy: If I could sit, I would absolutely not stand, and if I could lie down, I would absolutely not sit. Therefore, it was impossible for me to stand up and welcome him. However, there was one thing that was giving me a headache; I couldn’t see what kind of person he is when I was sitting like this! (The “Person” here refers to ordinary and also extraordinary ones.)
The lucky thing was that this restaurant owner came in from the inner door beside us. Although he was not very close to me, I could still see him very clearly.Clothed in a black cloak, he had black short hair and a pair of black eyes. Black, a beautiful and familiar color. On the whole, he was not someone that I hated. As he passed our side, he turned and cast a smile at us, before continuing directly towards the small stage diagonally opposite us. A black grand piano was placed on the small stage, but the performer had already disappeared. When he stepped upon the stage, he turned and faced everyone, peering at the ones in the restaurant with a sharp glint in his eyes. And yet, the hall still remained silent, no sound was made.
“As usual, I am here today to simply ask whether the friends here know of, or maybe have heard of, a person named Louyu.”
“No!” “No!” Next, the answers resounded in the hall from time to time. After some time had passed, the answering voices stopped, and the hall became dead silent again.
“Could it be him!” I sighed softly.
“You know?” He uttered the two words and before I could react, my whole body was lifted up by an enormous strength, and was floating above the ‘Sacred Banquet.’ This feeling of being in the air wasn’t good but it was also not bad. It was as if my entire body had lost the force of gravity. Feeling as light as a feather, I didn’t even know where I should place my hands while Sinmo and Lisa beside me were shocked. They couldn’t even utter a word as they stared at me, who was floating in the air.
“I do not know if the one you were talking about is him.” With no facial expression, I stared straight in his eyes, showing not even a hint of fear.
“Are you really not afraid?” Instead, he thought my calmness was weird.
“What do you think?” I still appeared the way I was, but as I had adapted to the floating, I naturally felt more comfortable and talked more casually.
“A little human girl actually possessed such audacity. This is rare indeed. Alright, if you answer my questions seriously, I promise to not hurt you.” He laughed heartily, as if he was about to bestow me with something.
“What do you want to know?” At this moment, I had an extremely weird feeling in my heart. I seemed to have decided that the guy in my mind was the one that the person before me wanted to find. However, there was no rational reason as to why I thought so.
“Good. This ‘Louyu’ that you know is a guy, right?” The owner asked.“Yes.” I answered.
“He is with a woman?” The restaurant owner inquired again
“Yes.” I replied again
“That woman must be very old, right?” The restaurant owner continued to ask.
“No, she is his wife, and she looked as young as him.” I continued to answer his questions.
“Then does he have a mother?” The restaurant owner questioned with a slightly different kind of tone.
“As far as I know, she died of a sickness soon after being abandoned by Louyu’s father.” I was still calm like I how was just now, or you could say I was trying to pretend to be calm.
“Really?” A sorrowful expression flashed across the restaurant owner’s face.
“The Louyu I know told me so.” I answered robotically, because I didn’t want any words of emotion to remind me of the past hidden deep within my mind, especially the extremely unhappy images.
“Is he a human or a vampire?” The owner pondered for a few moments and continued questioning.
“He was a human before the year 89, and he became a noble after that.” Why did I remember so clearly that it was year 89?
“How did he become a vampire?” As the owner asked more and more, he began inquiring more details.
“To save his child, he sucked the blood of a vampire.” I spoke slowly as if the words had been uttered without a second thought.
“Then how is he now?” The owner paused and continued.
“He died.” My heart suddenly convulsed in my chest and my mind went blank.“How did he die?” The owner’s voice was no longer serene; his voice was even shaking slightly.
“He was killed.” At this moment, the pain in my heart was indescribable.
“Impossible. With his power, it’s impossible to be killed easily.” The owner’s voice was already slightly furious now.
“He was really killed” I felt extreme pain as I spoke these words and every word uttered was like an ice pick pierced into my heart.
“Who killed him?” These words seemed to be roared out with the hell’s fire within from the owner’s mouth.
“I don’t want to answer anymore!” I finally broke down and yelled loudly.
“No, you must tell me!” The restaurant owner stretched his right hand and gestured softly. I immediately flew forcefully towards him and halted before him. At such a close distance, I could sense every odor coming from his body clearly.
“You!” Suddenly, an unforgettable sense of familiarity collided with every nerve of mine.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0018_Chapter_17_Murderer.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 17: Murderer
“On the night of the year ‘02, did you kill a sixteen or seventeen year old boy at Snowy Mountain Park?” I suddenly shouted at the owner furiously.
“Year ‘02?” He actually really began thinking. After a few moments, he shook his head and answered, “It’s has been such a long time that I don’t remember.”
“He has pitched-black short hair——under the moonlight, it would flash a green light. He also had a pair of deep and spirited eyes, but he might’ve looked spiritless at that moment. He should’ve been standing blankly at the small fountain beside a long bench.” I recalled every scene during that time details. Unknowingly, tears flowed down my face, yet I still spoke distinctly.“Oh! it’s that kid. Sigh. He didn’t taste good at all.” He contemplated and sighed emotionally like he was evaluating a dish of food that he had savored.
“You…….” The anger had rendered me slightly speechless. “You took his life away, yet you are actually still so scornful! Is this the style of a magic party member?”
“Oh. You knew I was a member of the magic party? But I am no longer one.” With this, he let out a sigh. He also seemed to have lots of painful memories.
“Humph! I don’t care about the Magic Party or Secret Party at all. However, you killed him so I definitely won’t let you off! I glared at him ferociously as a murderous aura glowed in my eyes.“Hahaha! A little human girl actually said she won’t let me off! Hahaha! This is hilarious!” He guffawed while telling the fellow creatures around him.
“What’s so funny?” His laughter made me even angrier.
“Not bad. Your courage is commendable. I admire you. Alright! If you answer two more questions, then I will be at your disposal.” His tone suddenly changed as he spoke while staring at me calmly. Within his eyes, determination could be seen clearly.
“Okay. What do you want to ask?” I said while peering into his eyes.
“Is that boy really that important to you? To the point that it made you so desperate.” This was his first question.
“He was the only person I knew during that time, the only one that I could talk to; the only one that cared about me. To me at that time, losing him changed my world into a lonely place, a place with no life and no sounds. Can you see how important he was to me?” I recalled deeply the feelings I had at that time——Loneliness, helplessness and fear, while all of my senses were lost.
“It looks like I really killed a very important person.” He lifted his head and sighed regretfully.
“The second question?” Instead, I reminded.
“Who killed Louyu?” He asked this question again.
“I don’t want to answer!” I resolutely refused to answer this question
“Don’t you want to take revenge for that boy?” He inquired suspiciously.“I do, but I still can’t answer this question.” I still told him in a resolute tone. This was the only question that I won’t answer no matter what.
“If so, then I will use this secret to take revenge!” I pondered for a while and made the last decision.
“No, you must tell me!” he roared and choked my throat with only one hand. He was actually thinking of killing me.
“No way!” Although my throat felt very painful because of the choke, I definitely wouldn’t change what I had decided, no matter the cost.
“Are you really not afraid of death?” He glared into my eyes, like he was really going to eat me.
“You want to bite me?” I did not answer his question but asked in a scornful tone.
“If you force me!” He paused for a second and answered.
“ I didn’t expect that vampires to be forced to drink blood. Humph! Does it mean that you were also forced when you bit him?” I felt even more scornful for his reason.
“Yes. I had no choice but to suck his blood.”
He actually agreed with my words and admitted it.
“Perhaps he has answers that you desired to know but refused to tell you?” For a moment, I actually didn’t know how to react.
“Well, no. However, I was being pursued by Yama during that time and was using a huge amount of my strength. If I did not replenish myself in time, I would be in danger.” Surprisingly, he really did give a reason while everyone around nodded in agreement to his words.
“Yes. This is the way you vampires survive. You guys always hurt others just for your own good.” I detest the people that sacrificed others easily for their own sake. No matter whom you are and how strong you are, you have no right to let other people pay for your own survival.
“You will never understand our pain, so you don’t have any right to criticize whether our actions are correct not.” He was slightly angered as he rebuked.
“Correct? Yes, what is correct? If it’s correct, then you guys shouldn’t exist when there were humans in this world! I yelled out loud, yet I was shouting out in my mind, “And I shouldn’t exist!”
“Alright, since you say so, then I will make you one of us and let you know clearly the pain and struggles of a noble!” With this, he slowly pulled me closer. When my neck was almost against his mouth, everything seemed to be motionless and even the movement of air could be seen clearly
“NO!” Just when he revealed his fangs, Sinmo and Lisa yelled simultaneously; Unknowingly, they had already stood near the stage.
“Are you guys really going to oppose me just for this insolent little girl?” The owner withdrew his lethal weapon and asked harshly.
“We dare not. However, Father, she is just a little girl that knows nothing of this world, so why should you break your resolution just because of her?” Lisa persuaded slowly. Actually, she was not doing it for my sake.
“Yes! Owner, why would you take a teenage girl seriously? She only spoke without a second thought because she was too sad. Are you really going to make her a member of the blood family just because of her childish words? Isn’t this punishment too heavy?” While Sinmo was really persuading sincerely.
“It looks like you all care a lot about her. Fine. I will let her go if she answers the question. I will even promise to do one thing for her. If not…….” With this, he averted his eyes to look at me, as if he was waiting for my answer.
“No! Impossible!” I glared at him fiercely as I crushed the only chance of reconciliation. The surroundings became dead silent again. The eyes of the owner before me flashed a blood-red icy glow as he opened his mouth and moved to kiss me on my neck.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0019_Chapter_18_Bloodlust.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 18: Bloodlust
“Father!” Lisa shouted. “Jing’er!” Sinmo screamed at the same time.
Blood slowly dripped down along the corner of my mouth, and a dark red thick liquid dripped on his arm. I fiercely sucked at the stream of blood, and I didn’t know how many years it had been since I had last tasted such a sweet taste. As the nectar slowly flowed through my body, each one of my cells was nourished. That kind of feeling kept awakening memories from the past that were buried a moment ago.
I remembered that on a cloudy afternoon, the usually crowded park became quiet. I was walking alone aimlessly here, as this was another lonely day after my parents had left me. Since my parents had left, I had become a frequent visitor here, because I liked the noise and the joyful laughter. Maybe because those were things that I didn’t possess in my own life.
Like I did in the past, I sat on that wooden bench next to that small fountain while observing my surroundings. Since there were not that many people around, I could only stare at a mother and her child. It was a nice young woman holding the hand of a little girl who was maybe three or four years old. That little girl had a round, chubby face and looked really cute. Perhaps my eyes stared at her too long, since they seemed to have realized that I was looking at them and turned their heads,giving me a friendly smile.
“Mama, why is that big sister watching us?” The little girl asked with an incomparably tender voice.
“Baby, it is because you are too cute!” Mama’s expression was one of incomparable affection.
“Really?”The little girl asked skeptically.
“How could mama lie?!” Mama smiled while saying. A glittering, gentle light could be seen on her face, and I could clearly feel that it was love. It was a mother sending her endless love towards her child, and it was exactly what the lonely me desired, which was why I felt so strongly about this scene.
Afterwards, they continued playing on the small slide inside the park with indescribable joy.
“Mama, I want to eat ice cream,” the little girl who was sweating profoundly from playing asked her mother.
“Alright baby, mama will go buy it for you,” the mother readily agreed, and then added: “However, don’t run around and obediently play here.”
“I understand mama. Come back quickly!” The little girl happily complied.
“Mama will be back very soon!” The mother promised, and walked in the direction of the small forest, as the ice cream shop was at the end of it.
Although the forest was not very big, it was very dense, so usually no one would go there. Generally, a place that was always empty would frequently, with no good reason at all, create an eerie feeling; hence it would get even more deserted. With such a vicious circle, it naturally would become a place forgotten by the world. What existed in such places and what happened there was no longer something that ordinary people could imagine or understand.
Although the mother was somewhat afraid of that small forest, she also wanted to quickly return to her daughter’s side, and so she took up the courage to choose this shortcut.
While walking, the mother kept turning her head to look around and joyfully smile. However, when she approached the forest, a quick shadow broke all the happiness and joy. It flew across the edge of the forest, took away the mother and disappeared in the depths of the forest without a sound.
The little girl continued playing as if her mother was with her. She ran everywhere and played without worrying about anything. Looking at her, I was reminded of my past self, and when I was about the same size as her, I also liked to play happily, just like her. I felt joy like her, and I did not know what loneliness and pain was.
“Let me go, help! Help!” In a deep place within the forest, the mother’s scream crossed each leaf and vanished in that boundless forest. It was still peaceful outside, and the daughter still happily slid down the slide, unaware of the distant screams. I could actually hear each word clearly.
“Stop screaming, no one will be able to hear you!” The shadow’s master shouted.
“Who are you? Why did you catch me!” The mother asked, frightened.
“Even if I told you who I am, it doesn’t matter, since you will be dead soon anyways,” he replied.
“No, I beg you Sir! Let me go, I have a four-year-old daughter that I must look after. I beg you.” The mother kept pleading.
“I am really sorry, but I am hungry today.” Finishing his sentence, he bit into the mother’s neck and gulped down the mother’s life. Soon, the mother was getting her life sucked away quickly and reached the brink of death, but he didn’t bother to take back his fangs.
“Relax! I will take good care of your daughter.” He smiled crookedly while her eyes grew desperate.
“No. . .” A final sound came from the body with a breath filled with death, but vanished in a single step.
“Little girl, who are you waiting for?” He asked after arriving next to the slide.
“I am waiting for mama!” The little girl replied innocently.
“Your mama is waiting for you on the other side of the forest Here, let me take you there,” he said gently. No one would have guessed that he was a murderer.
“Really?” The little girl asked out of habit.
“Of course, let’s go. We don’t want to let your mother wait too long.” While talking, he held the little girl’s hand and walked towards the forest. However, I also got up from the bench and followed them inside.
“Mama, what happened to you? Quickly wake up! I am your baby, quickly wake up!” When the little girl saw her mother lying unconscious on the ground, she started to push her while weeping and wailing. However, she knew that her mother would never wake up again.
“Stop yelling. I will send you to see your mama right now!” He said, his face ominous.
“Haven’t you eaten enough yet?” I asked as I silently followed behind them.
“I am full, so she is just a dessert.” After replying, he asked in surprise, “But wait, who are you?”
“Even if I told you who I am, it doesn’t matter since you will be dead soon anyways,” I coldly replied. Then, a dramatic scene took place. The vampire’s blood continued to flow into my body, and it was extremely delicious and unforgettable.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0020_Chapter_19_Contract.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 19: Contract
I retracted my sharp, greedy teeth with some difficulty and lifted my head slowly. I tasted my lips with the tip of my tongue, looking at the owner in satisfaction. I could feel an unbridled fear emanating from his lips that had fallen open in shock, and a confusion that he had never experienced before.
“You, you, what… What are you?” He stammered.
“You have no need to know.” I answered coldly and landed softly on the stage after descending from the air. Now I was a full head shorter than him. Seeing that he had nothing more to say, I turned slowly and faced those who were beneath the stage.
“Luvian? Again?” Lisa asked dumbly, but this question seemed to be more of an emotional sigh. I ignored her and walked down slowly from the stage.
“Jing’er, your hair?” Sinmo asked and pointed at my head.
“Oh, it always seems to mysteriously grow longer.” I responded without a trace of surprise.
“That’s simply too amazing!” Sinmo sighed.
“There are even vampires in this world, what else is impossible?” I felt above it all.
“Where are you going?” The frozen owner on the stage called out when I’d reached the door.
“Home!” I answered simply.
“Why didn’t you kill me? Didn’t you want to get revenge for the child?” He could not understand why I hadn’t sucked his blood dry.
“Forget it, what good is it if you die?” Now I truly understood the meaning behind ‘two wrongs don’t make a right.’
“Then, can you tell me who killed Louyu?” His tone no longer maintained his previous composure as he faced me.
“Sorry, I don’t want to talk about it.” I answered clearly again.
“Alright, then what can I do to get you to tell me the killer’s name?” He truly didn’t know what to do.
“Let me think.” I thought carefully and said. “Become my servant. The only thing I can promise is that, one day I will tell you what happened to Louyu.” Yes, that day would only come once. When my wounds no longer hurt and I no longer fear talking about the tragic events of the past. And he would have enough time to await that day’s arrival.
“Alright! I, Liuyu, swear in the name of blood that from this day forth, you are my master, and I am your servant.” He agreed without hesitation because he knew from what had just happened that it was impossible to get me to speak using force. Apart from agreeing to my terms, he would never know who killed Louyu.
“As my servant, the rules you must follow are:
Do not ask about my past.Do not harm a single human.You must do as I say with no exception.You may not appear in front of me or someone I know without my summon.”
I delivered all my demands in one breath and turned to face him, waiting for his response.
“Yes, I can do all this.” He said quietly.
“Alright, now I want to go home. Now that I’ve taken your blood, I can summon you using the blood contract.” I responded one more time and turned to leave. It was getting late, and I had never returned home so late since getting a father.
“Surely you don’t want to walk back! I have a car, let me take you back!” On the side, Sinmo suddenly spoke up.
“Okay!” I responded after some thought. Thus, SInmo and I left the Vampire Restaurant together, leaving an audience that had not recovered from its shock. We arrived at the parking lot behind the restaurant. There were many cars parked randomly within it.
“It looks like all vampires are quite rich!” I sighed with emotion.
“I’m the richest!” Sinmo grinned merrily.
“You’re not afraid of me?” I suddenly thought it a bit odd.
“Why should I be afraid of you?” Sinmo asked in return.
“I just fed off a vampire, don’t you think that’s frightening enough?” I really couldn’t completely make out Sinmo. It would seem that elder level figures were truly different.
“You’re already full, what else is there for me to fear. Not to mention, aren’t we friends? You wouldn’t attack a friend!” Sinmo listed a bunch of reasons not to fear me, but he didn’t mention the most important point, which was, in my heart, I have never really wished to harm anyone, whether it was a human or a ghost, unless he had committed an unforgivable act and I couldn’t bear it.
“Am I wrong?” Sinmo asked when he saw that I had no reaction.
“No, but you’re not correct either.” I said lightly.
“Is that so? You truly are a special person, I’ve thought so from the beginning. People often say that first impressions are the most accurate.” Sinmo talked as he drove.
“But, your hair is really strange. It grew so long within a second.” Sinmo turned his head to look at me.
“To be honest, I’m not sure why my hair grows so long.” I touched the hair that had suddenly grown so long that it brushed my ankles.
Truly! Why did it grow so long within the blink of an eye? The only thing I knew was that, whenever I loosened the silver ring, my hair would grow extremely long. But when I tightened the ring again, my hair would go back to its original shoulder length form.
I lightly recited a line and the silver ring locked onto my upper left arm again. My hair naturally returned to its normal length.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0021_Chapter_20_Father.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 20: Father
“Left.”
“Right.” Silence meant keeping straight ahead. I gave simple directions to my home to Sinmo, and he followed them accordingly. It was calm trip between the two of us, with neither one of us saying anything until we neared my house.
“This place is really off the beaten path!” Sinmo expressed his opinion as he turned onto the only small path that led to my house.
“Because my house is the only one at the end of the road.” I explained.
“Looks like your family is rich too! Paving such a nice little road for convenience sake.” Sinmo laughed.
“This road was here before I moved in. This previous owner probably put it in.” I said lightly as I looked out the window. I’ve actually always liked this road, particularly the two rows of towering trees on its two sides. Their thick branches interwove in the air, as if they were embracing each other.
“Does it have a name?” Sinmo could always think of some special questions.
“Daddy named it Ancient Road.” I remembered that the first time daddy and I had walked down this path, daddy had suddenly wanted to give it a name. Daddy had said then that no matter what, people would only remember something if it had a name. Only then would the world remember it, no matter how strong the currents of time and history.
“Very appropriate!” Sinmo looked at the ancient trees and smiled at me.
“It actually has another name.” I said calmly. “The previous owner came up with it, I think it was Hidden Forest Road.”
“Oh, this name is interesting!” Sinmo kept muttering to himself after he’d responded. “Hidden road, hidden road, a road that is hidden!”
“The daddy that you mention is your adopted father, right?” Sinmo suddenly changed the topic.
“Yes, I admitted.”
“Is he human?” Sinmo kept asking.
“Yes.” I also continued to respond.
“Does he have any other family?” Sinmo asked. He seemed to be very interested in my white collar father.
“It’s just me now.” I thought back to the first time I saw him. It was a truly bizarre night. I was devastated beyond belief, but resigned and without a plan. I was out of my mind and roamed the roads for the entire night. A small car came speeding by around dawn and I was rammed to the ground because I was unable to avoid it. When I woke again, I was lying on a white hospital bed, and the driver was watching over me.
I learned later that he was an orphan, and had grown up in the orphanage because no one had adopted him. He was self taught and found a nice job when he was 28. He met a gentle girl not long after he starting working, and formed a beautiful family after a few years. But all this changed a week before that day. His wife, who was four months pregnant, died in a car accident, and a day after his wife was buried, his wife’s parents used the excuse that their daughter was no longer present to take back the house they had lived in, throwing him out.
Having salt rubbed in his wounds, he drove the little car, the only thing under his name, like a madman on that road. He wanted to drive to the end of the road, to the cliff, and just drive off of it. But his plans were ruined with my appearance. He had to take me to the hospital and he had to take care of me when I was in a coma for two days. Later on, he said that he would adopt me and that I was a gift from the heavens. He would continue living for me. I became his daughter just like that. His name was Lin Youcheng, and he changed my name to Lin Jing. Because he had no place to stay, he went with me to the ancient castle that I had bought with the 100 dollars that my parents had left me. This was also where we were currently headed.
“Thinking of the past?” Sinmo asked when he saw me emerge from my silence.
“Yes! The memories are still so clear even though it’s been two years already.” I sighed with emotion.
“Is this the ancient castle?” Sinmo suddenly pointed the clear image of my home off in the distance.
“Looks like we’ll be there soon.” I answered.
When we neared my house, I noticed that faint beams from a car’s lights came from the front yard. Its lights never cut out, and I wasn’t sure what was going on. If it it was daddy’s car, then he would’ve parked as soon as he came back, and wouldn’t have left the car running in the front with the lights on.
“So it’s you guys!” I realized it was Xiaoyu’s car when our car was parked in front of the yard. I spoke to the three standing by their car when I got out of Sinmo’s car.
“Jing’er, why did you only just get back? And you’re still with him?” Xiaoyu questioned and pointed at me like he was a big brother.
“I don’t think I need your approval for when I return home!” I sternly riposited. This was the first time that I had given him so little face.
“I didn’t mean it that way!” Xiaoyu explained with a face full of embarrassment.
“Then what did you mean? I walked in front of him.
“I was a bit worried about you, so I went to the restaurant. But it was long after hours. I was still worried so I came to your place to see if you came back safely, but we’ve waited until now. We’ve been here an hour before you returned just now.” Xiaoyu gave a detailed account.
“I see. Yes, the restaurant closed earlier than usual today. I took Jing’er for a drive after we left and have only just returned, you have my apologies for making you so worried.” Sinmo rushed to get his explanation in. Xiaoyu and co’s facial expressions became unnatural as they looked at the cheerily smiling Sinmo. I suppose hunters and the hunted will always be ill at ease with each other!
“Since you’re fine, we’ll be on our way.” Xiaoyu said and then got back into the car and prepared to leave, but Xuqing looked back with unwilling look on his face.
“Good bye!” I said lightly and watched as their red car drove off.
“I should go home as well!” Sinmo also left.
“Thank you for bringing me home!” I expressed my gratitude and watched him leave. I turned to walk through the front door. There weren’t any lights on at home, so daddy wasn’t home yet. Why is it that daddy always came home quite late these days, was work that busy?
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0022_Chapter_21_Sister.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 21: Sister
Under the moonlight, a small car flew past on the silver road, leaving a streak of white light in the air.
It eventually halted below a shabby,small two-story building. Three young men exited the car. One of them gently knocked on the door, which had weird symbols drawn on it. The door opened to reveal a person standing behind the ajar door. Under the dim lights, the only distinguishable thing about the person was that she was a girl, but her age was unknown. The three young men then entered, and the door was closed.
“Zhile, I haven’t seen you for days. Did you grow taller?” Xuxing asked while ascending the stairs, as he stretched out his hand to touch the head of the girl beside him.
“Yeah!” The girl answered happily.
“That’s great!” Xuxing laughed, and continued saying, “You must grow up quickly!”
“Why?” The girl asked perplexedly.
“If you don’t grow up any sooner, your brother Xiaoyu will be taken by someone else!” Xuxing continued laughing and even averted his head to look at Xiaoyu, who was thinking about something.
“Big Brother Xu, what nonsense are you saying?” The girl’s face turned red as she naturally lowered her head while Xiaoyu had no reaction at all.
“I am not talking nonsense. These days, your brother Xiaoyu has been chasing a girl all day and night!” Arriving on the second level, Xuxing chose a comfortable spot on the sofa and sat down, while Xuqing sat down in the corner. This was his special seat, and Xuxing had given it a funny name, ‘Throne’. As for Xiaoyu, he simply sat down wordlessly.
“What girl?” Zhile sat beside Xuxing and asked anxiously.
“Now you are anxious!” Xuxing then purposely stopped talking.
“Big Brother Xuxing, quickly tell me! I will cook delicious food for you, okay?” Zhile knew that Xuxing loved to eat the dessert that she made, and so she decided to use it to tempt him.
“Sure, but I am afraid that Xiaoyu will get mad at me if I tell you,” Xuxing said, while glancing at Xiaoyu.
“It’s alright. He seems to be pondering about something! He has always been very focused when he is thinking, so he won’t hear your words. Don’t worry.” Whether it’s interest,hobbies,or emotions,Zhile had always known Xiaoyu very well.
“Alright. Seeing that you are so pitiful, I will reveal a bit,” Xuxing said as he faced Zhile, while Zhile stretched her neck and waited.
“The girl is a classmate of Xiaoyu’s sister, and she is called Linjing now.” Xuxing talked excitedly.
“That’s it?” Zhile was very unsatisfied.
“Well, what else do you want to know?” Xuxing asked.
“How old is she and what is her character like? Also, what does she look like?” As she was asking, Zhile felt embarrassed and lowered her head.
“She seemed to be a year older than Xiaoya, so she should be seventeen years old! As for her character? She is indifferent to everything and talks contemplatively like an elder. As for her appearance, I need to think carefully about this!” Xuxing continued answering as he recalled her appearance. “She has black long hair that falls to her shoulders and a pretty face. Yet, a transparent frost always seems to enshroud her. You can say that she is cold and beautiful. One more thing; she has a noble temperament that looks down upon everything.”
“She’s that attractive?” After listening to Xuxing’s description, Zhile lowered her head even further, and no one knew what she was thinking.
“Don’t give up that quickly! She seemed to have no feelings for your brother Xiaoyu. If you behave well, we will definitely do our best to help you,”Xuxing said confidently. He even glanced at Xiaoyu after he spoke, but Xiaoyu kept wiping the silver dagger and paid no attention to him.
“Really?” Zhile instantly lifted her head with an excited expression on her face. Zhile had always been saying that she would marry Brother Xiaoyu, be his wife, and take care of him for all her life!
“Xuxing, have you said enough?” Xiaoyu suddenly shouted while looking very displeased.
“Alright, alright. I will stop, okay? I knew you would get mad.” Xuxing made a face and answered.
“Brother Xiaoyu, are you done thinking? I will go make tea for you guys.” Being tactful, Zhile left the room.
“That little girl is becoming more and more sensible. Now, she’s very different from when she arrived. At that time, she only knew how to cry.” Xuxing recalled Zhile’s appearance when she had first come. Zhile had been an orphan who had wandered in the fields by herself. When Xiaoyu found her, he took her here and gave her shelter. From that time onwards, the little girl had been saying that she would marry Xiaoyu to repay his kindness.
“She is a good girl.” Xiaoyu also agreed with Xuxing’s opinion.
“So does that mean you have some feelings for her?” Xuxing immediately seized the chance and asked.
“Don’t speak nonsense. I have always seen her as my little sister,” Xiaoyu scolded.
“You also said that you saw that Jing’er as a sister, but anyone with eyes could see that it’s not like that at all,” Xuxing expostulated.
“Alright, stop talking about it. I do admit I have a weird feeling towards Jing’er, but I am not quite sure what that feeling is,” Xiaoyu admitted.
“You have finally admitted it. However, the little girl will be sad now.” Xuxing sighed as he made this emotional remark.
“Why did we let that vampire go?” Xuqing suddenly blurted out.
“He didn’t hurt anyone, so killing him wasn’t necessary!” Xuxing was the first to answer.
“We can only kill the vampire when it is hurting someone?” Xuqing inquired puzzlingly.
“That’s right,” Xiaoyu explained. “We hunters made this agreement with the vampires.”
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0023_Chapter_22_Agreement.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 22: Agreement
“Agreement? Was there really such an agreement?” Xuxing was always the one who opened his mouth first.
“There is, but it is a very ancient agreement!” Xiaoyu calmly replied.“What kind of agreement?” Xuqing asked seriously.“The content of this agreement is very simple, and only has a few words: Only when a vampire has hurt someone, are the hunters allowed to kill it. In return, the other vampires are not allowed to retaliate against the hunters in such a case.” Xiaoyu remembered that his father had told him about it when he was still young. However, at that time, he didn’t care about anything except playing, and that had only changed after his father was gone. When his father was dying in his bed, he pulled Xiayu, who was next to him, over and repeatedly urged over and over again, “No matter what, you absolutely mustn’t betray this agreement; otherwise you will bring a disaster upon us.” These were his father’s last words.
“Who told you that?” Xuxing took out a little book and was planning to write it down.
“My father.” Xiaoyu proudly said.
“Then, between who was this agreement?”Xuxing wanted to clarify all the details, as this was his character.
“My father didn’t talk about it, but I saw being mentioned in the notepads that my father left behind. However, it was not very detailed, and only mentioned this: the original vampires were very small in population, and although each one was very powerful, they rarely lived together. So the hunters gathered together and intended to wipe out the vampires one by one. However, in order to fight back the hunters, the vampires also started to unite and retaliate. As a result, the two sides wounded each other badly. And during that time, there was a very powerful hunter, whom was was a vampire, but also a human born king. He never killed any vampires, nor did he harm any humans, and therefore had a very good reputation on both sides. Since he didn’t want to be left without more work, he acted as a middleman and proposed a convention, which was the agreement we just talked about.” Xiaoyu clearly remembered everything that was written inside the book. “We don’t even have the name of that guy!” said Xuxing somewhat disappointed.
“It’s already pretty good that we know about this. Perhaps, people won’t even know about this agreement after a few generations.” Xiaoyu smiled a bit helplessly.
“Rest assured, as long it’s in my book, some people will definitely know about it.” Xuxing said while waving the small book in his hand
“Can your book withstand the decay of time?!” Xiaoyu didn’t have any hope for it at all.
“Don’t look down on my book. Although this book is small, the quality is not bad at all! Each page is made of leather, and as long as I write with my specially-made carbon pen, even if it falls into water, it won’t fade even after a hundred years!” Xuxing always took good care of his precious things.
“If you throw it into the fire, let alone the words, even the book will be gone.” Xiaoyu shook his head while talking about the facts. Every book’s fate was the same – the same as the one his father left behind – in the end, they all turned into ashes in the fire.
“Xiaoyu, you don’t need to take your revenge on me! Wasn’t I only joking with your latest love fling?” Xuxing said while putting on an innocent face.
“Don’t bother with this acting.” Xiaoyu immediately interrupted Xuxing’s banter.
“Do you guys really want to comply with this agreement?” Xuqing rarely talked, but each word he said made people start thinking.“Yes, I will.” Xiaoyu remembered his father’s serious look, and he assured , with those eyes looking down on him in his mind, that he would keep this agreement.
“I think this agreement makes sense, so I will also comply with it.” Xuxing also decided.
“However, I am not sure if I should follow this agreement. After all, this agreement was not made by me and them, so I don’t need to comply.” Xuqing’s face was full of killing intent. Even though he usually had the appearance of a killer, whenever someone mentioned vampires, his murderous intent instantly doubled and began to overflow.
“Although I don’t have the authority to request you to do so, as your best friend and companion, I must remind you that it is better to comply with this agreement. Just before my father’s death, he said that the people who doesn’t follow this agreement with only bring disaster upon themselves.”Xiaoyu looked at Xuqing with a serious face.
“It’s better if you comply with it anyway, since following this agreement won’t do us any harm.” Xuxing’s thinking was very rational.
“Really?” Xuqing said softly and didn’t say anything afterwards, while he continued cleaning his short sword.
“What is it that we must agree to?” Zhile come from downstairs while carrying a pot of tea.
“Nothing, this is not related to you.” Xuxing answered.
“Ah yes, this only concerns us. You don’t have to worry about it.” Xiaoyu also agreed. It was obvious that they didn’t want to involve this cute poor girl with these dangerous things. They all knew very well that being a huntress wasn’t a good fate.
“Oh, then I won’t ask.” Zhile obediently pour out the tea for everyone.
“However, there is a thing that has always bothered me.” Xuxing said after taking a sip.
“What?” Xiaoyu asked. Normally the questioning and answering was only between the two of them, and Xuqing would rarely join in. Zhile normally stood obediently beside them, pouring them tea, and quietly listening to them. She rarely expressed her own opinion.
“What did the investigation find out about what happened to that girl before?” Xuxing asked.
“The only thing I know is that she had a pitiful past.” Xiaoyu sadly replied.
“It it that girl called Jing’er?” Zhile suddenly asked.
“Yes, there were always some vampires near her, but they never harmed her. It was very strange!” Xuxing said.
“Could she also be a vampire?!” Zhile shouted out.
“No, Jing’er is definitely not a vampire.” Xiaoyu also shouted. Everyone who was drinking next to him was scared by this suddenness and didn’t know how to reply.
“I’m sorry.” After Xiaoyu apologized, he continued, “however, although his parents’ death were related to the vampires, her boyfriend was also killed by a vampire. Having vampires appearing close to her wasn’t her fault. She is already very pitiful, and now you actually claim that she herself iss a vampire. This is too unjust towards her. Alright, let’s stop here for today. I have to go home or Xiaoya will be worried!” After talking, Xiaoyu went downstairs to go home.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0024_Chapter_23...Loneliness.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 23: Loneliness
I pushed open the door and walked into the living room. It was pitch-black inside, and dead silent. A familiar feeling came over me, but I couldn’t contemplate what the feeling was as I stretched my hand to turn on the large chandelier in the living room. Everything became bright. At that moment, my first realization was that Daddy really hadn’t returned!
After today, I knew so many things. For a moment, it gave me an extremely tired feeling. Hence, I didn’t stay in the living room. Dragging my weary body and soul, I walked up the stairs and decided to get a good rest. I went to my own room and took out a pair of pajamas as I headed into the bathroom. Some people said that water possessed the most spirituality, therefore placing my body into the water would be the best way to rest.
When I lay in the water, I thought I would feel extremely comfortable, almost like I would’ve in the past, but it was different today. The sound of the water flowing on my skin was so clear that I was unable to relax and get a good rest. And so, I could only wash myself and got out of the water. The moment I stood before the mirror, the two circles on my left arm flashed a brilliant radiance. I put on my pajamas and helplessly walked out of the bathroom. What should I do now? I pondered as I laid on the bed. Sleep? However, Daddy hadn’t returned and I felt very worried. This way, I absolutely couldn’t fall asleep. Nevermind. I’ll just wander around upstairs, or go downstairs and sit in the living room. Maybe Daddy will be back later, so it wouldn’t be too late if I sleep when he returns. I made up my mind; I then wore the white cloak that was placed on my bed this morning and headed out of the room. Everything in the ancient castle was eerily silent as the soft sounds of my footsteps resounded continually in the living room.
I went around the winding corridor on the second floor, and slowly walked step-by-step past each room and door. Yet, I had no urge to push open the door to head into the room. I simply allowed them to pass by me. Maybe I was scared, because each door was connected to another world. The moment you opened it, you would have no choice but to face every possibility, whether it’s good or bad, whether it was familiar or not, while the thing I feared the most was——loneliness.
And when I stepped into the living just now, the feeling that washed over me was loneliness. The loneliness which I hadn’t felt for two years. Today, I suddenly felt the sentiment of being by myself again. As I was thinking, I found myself at the door of the room that belonged to my parents in the past. A layer of thick cobwebs was on the door, but it still gave me a sense of familiarity. Although it wasn’t locked, I couldn’t muster courage to open it. In my mind, I recalled distinctly everything inside the room. Everything was the same as it used to be; a bed, two tables and a few chairs. All these things must be covered by dust. However, I was still afraid of seeing this shocking feeling with my own eyes. Therefore, I averted and dashed downstairs. This was escaping!
After I went downstairs, I went to the kitchen to make a cup of red tea, and sat down on the sofa in the living room. The feeling of tasting tea alone would never be better than with two people drinking it together. I took a sip of the tea and my casual sight suddenly stopped on a low cabinet beside the sofa. I’m not quite sure how many years this low cabinet has been placed here. I only knew that a checkerboard and some pieces were placed on top of the low cabinet a very long time ago. They were the battlefield used for me and my daddy in the past to compete with each other when we were bored, while the daddy now would put some newspapers on top of the low cabinet. Yet, nothing is on the low cabinet now. I don’t know if the cabinet is feeling lonely and is afraid of loneliness like me.
I’m being so weird today. When do I feel lonely with everything that I see. The me in the past would never pay attention to these things. In the past, I would return to my room to do homework after I came home from school, and eat dinner with daddy when it was dinner time. After dinner, I would help daddy wash the dishes and wipe the tables. After everything was done, I would sit here with daddy, and enjoy tea and chat with him, or I might read the newspaper. However, why is it just me alone today? Why isn’t daddy back?
I moved my eyes away, refusing to look at that cabinet which seems to make people feel lonely. However, I then accidentally saw the corner of the wall opposite me. That was the place that I was the most familiar of, because I stayed there for one thousand days, and one thousand nights.
I remember the time when my parents just passed away, I was alone. Me, who never went outside, felt even more afraid of leaving the castle. I was afraid of everything outside that door, regardless of whether it was harmful or not. Plus, I didn’t know anyone at that time, therefore I would have no place to go even if I went out of the door. Thus, I felt afraid and curled up in that corner. Because only when my back leaned upon that icy cold wall, did I feel like I had something to depend on. That icy feeling was still so clear, once I tried to recall it. That corner seemed to be summoning me. As I kept staring at it, the urge to curl up in that corner grew stronger. I took a sip of my tea and calmed myself. However, I still stood up and walked to that corner.
I hugged my knees, curled up, and leaned against the corner as I lay down. Closing my eyes quietly, my back felt the coldness which came from the wall. This must be the temperature of loneliness -The temperature was as cold as the icy snow!
Now I felt it distinctly again; loneliness was a very weird feeling.
When you couldn’t hear a sound from the surrounding, the thing you felt was loneliness.
When there were noises around you, but the noises had nothing to do with you, the thing you felt was also loneliness.
Anyway, I really don’t like this feeling.
Daddy! Why aren’t you back? Why did you leave me here by myself, so alone and afraid?
As I lay there, I asked myself these questions in my heart again and again, but none of the voices could answer my questions. I could only lay down quietly at the corner of the wall as I waited for someone to answer, for daddy to return, for someone to pull me up from the cold corner and for someone to drive away the loneliness and fear from my life. But would someone really do it? Would someone really know that there’s me, a pitiful person, who was waiting?
No, never. Since the past, a long time ago until now, I was still lying here. Does that mean the icy cold corner is the place I should be at?
No, no way. Mommy said, “You are still too young. There will be happy times in the future, therefore you just have to wait silently for the arrival of that day.”
Mommy, did you hear? I am waiting. I have always been waiting. Because I promised you, therefore I will keep my promise. I will keep waiting until my happiness arrives.
However my body is so cold now, really, very cold, while my surroundings are so quiet. There is no one and no sound.
My consciousness gradually became blurry. I don’t know how much time has passed, or whether I’m awake or asleep. Everything seems to have stopped, as I just don’t feel anything anymore.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0025_Chapter_24...mth_Part_I.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 24: Warmth (Part I)
“Mommy, you’re home!” I raised my head and saw that mom had come home from work.
“Yes indeed, did you guys have fun today?” Mommy asked with a smile.
“Daddy cheated, he always eats my pieces without me knowing!” I pouted and complained.
“Oh, so daddy always wins at Chinese chess!” Mommy smiled.
“ Where is daddy now?”
“Daddy is writing stuff in the room!” I said with a face full of childishness and kept moving the pieces. I kept thinking, why was daddy’s pieces always a step ahead of minet?
“Come Luvian, give this bottle of blood to daddy. Daddy must be thirsty.” Mommy brought out a thermos from her bag and handed it over.
“Okay!” I grabbed the bottle and rushed upstairs.
“Daddy! Daddy! Hurry and drink, mommy brought blood back.” I yelled as I barrelled through the door of my parents’ room.
“Come, baby.” Daddy turned around and grabbed me in a hug, putting me on his legs. I smiled as I handed the bottle over, looking into daddy’s eyes. His black eyes were filled with fatherly love. That kind of love had a color to it — the color of night. Therefore I liked night, the colors of the night, and the love that accompanied nightfall.
“Thank you baby.” Daddy smiled as he raised the bottle in his hand and started drinking.
Watching daddy drink blood reminded me of that night half a year ago. The night was just as dark, with an occasional startled bird in flight disturbing the peace it should’ve had.
“Luvian, we’re home.” I was too lazy to walk and had hitched a ride on daddy’s back. He pushed open the garden gate.
“You lazy bug, come on down! Daddy must be tired!” Mommy said with a laugh behind me.
“No, I’m not tired. How could I be tired with our baby on my back!” Daddy said hurriedly. And just like that, our family of three walked in talking and laughing. I didn’t come down from daddy’s back until we reached the main hall, and went to do the homework that teacher had assigned today.
“Dear, I’m going to make dinner. Rest for a bit and we’ll have a big meal later to celebrate our baby jumping into third grade.” Mommy said as she carried a large bag of vegetables into the kitchen.
“I’ll wait for dinner then.” Daddy followed me up the stairs, as if he was going to rest for a little while in the room.
Everything was so natural, so harmonious and warm. We were the most perfect and happiest family in anyone’s eyes.
“Ah! Let go of me! Who are you? Let go of me, you’re hurting me! Daddy! Mommy!” The sudden ambush that hit me as I walked through my room door made me scream involuntarily. I only remember struggling fiercely, and the unending pain that followed. It was that pair of hands that brought me endless pain and drew back the curtains of my tragic fate.
The first person to appear in front of me after hearing my screams was daddy. When daddy saw the person holding me, the fear on his face was as if he had seen an alien. That was the only simile I could think of in that moment. But daddy quickly overcame his shock and asked, “Who are you? What do you want? Release my baby.”
To be honest, that was the first time I’ve heard daddy speak in that kind of tone. Calm, grave, and a kind of tone that commanded the other person’s obedience like he was the commander of thousands of troops and horses.
“Who do you think you are trying to order me around? Why don’t you live to three hundred first!” It was a mocking tone. Although I couldn’t see his face, I could imagine it was an insufferably arrogant face.
“Release her. Take me instead. I think you want more right now!” Daddy still had traces of authority in his voice.
“Alright!” The person behind me had already hurtled in front of daddy before I could react. The next thing that happened greatly impacted my entire perspective on life.
The person opened his bloodthirsty mouth, revealing a pair of sharp teeth, and bit down onto daddy’s neck. But in the blink of an eye, daddy had also grabbed that arm and bitten down sharply. In that moment, not only I, but also mommy (who had appeared at some point in time) froze in our places like dummies. But we weren’t the ones who were most surprised. Rather, it was the person who had attacked us. He released my daddy’s neck in astonishment, allowing daddy to continue feeding on him.
When daddy let go of his arm, that man, or creature, had long since gone. Only daddy was left sitting on the floor, curled up in extreme agony, frightening howls emitting from his mouth. Mommy sat helplessly at the door, her face full of sorrow.
I could watch no longer. I ran up to hug daddy and cried out, “Daddy! Daddy! What’s wrong with you?” But daddy pushed me away and gave himself over to the pain. Mommy walked over to hug me and kept comforting me. I no longer remember what she said, but it was probably something that went along the lines of, “Don’t be afraid, nothing’s going to happen, everything will be fine.” Stuff like that.
It was just as mommy said, everything was “fine”. Daddy regained his vigor the very next day, and no traces of last night’s pain could be found on his face. Except that he never set foot outside the house from that day forth, and I left school after that day. I left my classmates, my teacher, the environment of a normal child. I stayed at home, like I do now, playing Chinese chess with daddy and relieving him of his boredom.
Even though it wasn’t like before, but our family now led a peaceful, quiet life and was still happy.
I wanted to lie closely in daddy’s embrace. Even though daddy didn’t give me warmth like he did before that day, I still liked to lie in his arms. It was only there that I felt safe and unalone.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][WebToEpub]/0026_Chapter_25...th_Part_II.txt
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Blood Hourglass
Chapter 25: Warmth (Part II)
“Baby, what are you think about?” Daddy put the thermos in his hand down and looked at me.
“Nothing, I’m not thinking of anything!” I denied because I knew the pain from the events of that day still plagued daddy. Perhaps they would never disappear.
“Your quickly-darting eyes tell me that you haven’t spoken the truth.” Daddy lightly pinched my face.
“Alright, I’ll tell you okay?” I rubbed my cheek and said with resignation. “I was thinking about what I should do so that I can eat all of daddy’s pieces.”
“You don’t need to think about that, you can’t do it yet.” Daddy smiled.
“Why, why can’t I do it yet?” I refused to quit and kept up with the questions.
“There are many reasons, such as: you’re too young, your skill at Chinese chess isn’t there yet, you know nothing of strategy, etc.” Daddy came up with a ton of reasons in one breath, as if there really wasn’t the slightest chance of me beating him at the moment.
“I’m not young anymore! And I’ve been learning Chinese chess for six months now!” I completely disagreed with the last two points that daddy made.
“But you’ll always be daddy’s baby!” Daddy hugged me with both hands. True! Although I was eight now, but I would always be a child to daddy. And I’ve only played Chinese chess for half a year. According to daddy, this amount of time was nothing for chess players. I had merely just started.
“But daddy, what’s strategy?” I asked naively. It seemed like daddy was right, it would be a while before I could beat him!
“Strategy? This is a bit difficult to explain. It’s too complicated. You wouldn’t understand either.” Daddy found himself put in a spot.
“Then explain it in an easier way so that I can understand!” I insisted.
“The easy way to explain it is that someone already made plans in advance to achieve some goal, or some sort of means.” Daddy had to explain.
“Just like how I need to wear a pair of gloves when I pick roses?” I asked seriously.
“Wearing gloves is a means to an end. When playing chess, both sides will set some plans in motion and try their best to take the other side’s pieces in order to win. Of course, the most important thing is to take the other person’s general. This way, you win. It’s just like fighting a war – you win if you take out all of the other side’s soldiers. But if possible, kill the other side’s general first. This way, the other army will fall into disarray and you will win. You may even win faster.” Daddy taught me patiently.
“Then daddy, how should I set up my plans so that I can take your general?” I asked directly.
“Hahaha!” Daddy laughed loudly.
“Daddy stop laughing, tell me?” I pouted.
“What’s so funny?” Mommy walked into the room at this moment.
“Baby is too cute!” Daddy continued to chuckle.
“It took you this long to discover that!” Mommy walked up and reached out her hands for a hug.
“Come, baby let’s go take a bath and have dinner downstairs afterwards.” Mommy said as she brought me to the bathroom. The tub had already been filled with water. Mommy took my clothes off for me and placed me in the water. The water was warm and comfortable.
“Dear, I’m going to serve the rice first, I’ll wait for you!” Daddy shouted outside the bathroom door.
“Okay!” Mommy replied as she washed me.
“Mommy, do you know how to set up a plan so that I can take daddy’s general?” I asked as I played with the water.
“Oh? Still thinking about chess?” Mommy smiled.
“Yes, I’ve got to win. Daddy says there is no way I can beat him now.” I pouted with my small mouth.
“Is that so? Daddy thinks so little of our baby!” Mommy was ever so gentle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her lose her temper in my memories. She has always had that tender face and that tender tone.
“Mommy, don’t be so perfunctory!” To think such a profound word existed in my small mind.
“Baby even knows perfunctory! So smart!” Mommy often complimented me in such a gentle way.
“Okay, we’re done. Come on out, take the towel off and put your clothes on. Let’s go downstairs before daddy falls asleep.” Mommy said as she wiped me dry and helped me into my clothes.
Mommy was right, daddy had already served the food when we went downstairs. The plates were laid out nicely on the table, and he was nearly falling asleep on the couch nearby. I thought it was a prime opportunity and motioned for mommy to not make a sound. I crept soundlessly next to daddy, intending to scare him.
“Ah!!!” But just as I was about to scare him, he suddenly opened his eyes and pulled me into a hug, frightening a scream out of me instead.
“It’ll be a long time before baby can scare daddy!” Daddy smiled and didn’t let go.
“I hate it when daddy says that.” I complained when I calmed down.
“Alright, stop playing, there is homework to be done after dinner!” Mommy stopped our play. I hadn’t attended a day of school since that day, but mommy and daddy didn’t want me to give up on my schoolwork. They decided to establish a classroom at home. After all,daddy was a teacher to begin with, and he was placed in charge of my education.
“Alright, let’s eat first.” Daddy said as he let go of me.
“Yes, teacher!” I called daddy that sometimes since he was my chess opponent and my teacher! At the end of the day, this was a small comedy that occurred before we had dinner. This was the case everyday and we never got tired of it.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0000_Chapter_1_..._beginning.txt
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Chapter 1: A silent beginning
Light rain drizzled down from the grey skies as if it was springtime, but I was walking down a street that did not belong to this season with my hand crooked in daddy’s arm. There weren’t that many people, just a few here and there, and the most eye catching was a ragged, rumped, young girl lying on the side of the road. She was barely breathing, and was staring at us with grey eyes that the light had gone out of. There was nothing but the sign of death in her eyes. Daddy stopped and stood in front of the girl, his face full of sorrow as he shook his head without speaking. He led us forward and a grey wind swept some discarded paper and fallen leaves in front of me.
“Daddy, I have something to do, I’ll be right back.” I hurriedly said as soon as we’d sat down at home.
“The weather isn’t looking too good. Make sure you take a jacket with you!” Daddy headed straight into the kitchen as soon as we returned, and began to busy himself with cleaning the vegetables and meat we’d just bought. Daddy had prepared a feast as he’d just gotten his bonus today.
“Okay!” I agreed and walked into the bedroom, taking out a black cloak from the closest. Cloaks are my favorite type of clothing because they protect against the wind and rain. As for black? I think it’s the color of night, of silence. A beautiful color.
I pulled on the floor length cloak and silently recited a sentence, undoing the first seal. I left the bedroom and home like the gust of wind.
A black shadow flashed through the gloomy streets and stopped before the young girl, who was barely alive. The shadow was a little girl wearing a cloak that was the color of night. She bent down and said to the young girl, “I can give you unending life, but in return you must pay the price of your soul.” The girl used the last of her strength to wink slightly, and so the little girl brought her face up to the young girl’s neck and revealed a pair of sharp teeth. She bit down, but the young girl’s face was full of happiness. The little girl retracted her teeth after a short while and used her sharp nails to draw a small cut on her arm. The liquid of sin quickly gushed out of the cut and dripped into the young girl’s mouth. Death moved further and further away from her as she swallowed, and this fantastical scene was fully witnessed by a dark figure in the corner. The little girl left after the young girl had recovered, with only a sentence floating back behind her. “Treasure other people’s lives as if they are your own.” The young girl scrambled up and left, and so the dark figure left as well, leaving only the wind behind. The wind continued to add a bit of color to the nondescript street by stirring up fallen leaves and dust, even though it was only grey.
“Jing’er, hurry down and come eat breakfast, it’s getting late!” Daddy called from downstairs, an occurrence that had become a daily routine over the past two years.
“I know, coming!” I grabbed my bookbag and rushed towards the stairs after combing my hair. To me, having someone call me down to breakfast every morning was the happiest thing. You could say that I waited for this moment with bated breath every morning.
“It’s your favorite deep-fried bread sticks and soy milk today,” Daddy said to me as he perused the newspaper.
“Daddy, why aren’t you eating?” He was staring fixedly at the newspaper.
“There’s an odd article here,” Daddy’s eyes were still fixed on the upper left corner of the paper.
“What’s so weird about it?” I asked as I ate.
“There’s been a murder in a village called Wei,” Daddy relayed.
“Murders happen everywhere, everyday. What’s so special about this one?” I took a large gulp of soy milk in disinterest. The sensation of soy milk smoothly gliding down my throat was a joy indescribable by words.
“But the article says that animals seemed to have drained the victim’s blood.” Daddy said in growing disbelief.
“Did anyone see anything?” I suddenly remembered something.
“No.” Daddy shook his head with resignation.
“Then how do they know it was animals that drained the blood?” I was usually not too interested in topics like this, but this time…
“The report said that some are speculating that an animal’s teeth made the four neat puncture marks found on the victim’s neck.”
“Vampires!” I bit off a piece of bread stick and said decisively.
“Vampires? Have you read too many novels Jing’er? Listen to daddy. There is no such thing as vampires in this world. Their existence is merely a way for people to explain what they can’t explain, and these explanations have no scientific basis at all.” Daddy put on his ‘I’m-a-parent’ face and started lecturing me.
“Oh, I know.” I didn’t talk back because there wasn’t a need to. If the subject was something you disbelieved in from the depths of your heart, then you would not believe no matter how hard someone tried to prove that it was true. Unless you saw it with your own eyes. But in this moment, where on earth would I find the real thing! Not to mention that some things were better off not knowing.
“However, this animal is truly frightening, it’s almost the same as a vampire. I wonder what really happened.” Daddy said heartfeltly, as he couldn’t imagine what could have happened. But I could. I could clearly see in my mind every scene that had taken place in that village and hear every sound coming from that place.
Night had fallen on a rural village. The laughter of a man and woman enjoying themselves emanated from a lit room. But suddenly, a shrill scream rended the air, and the entire village fell silent. It was a terrifying silence that did not belong to this world, like the silence of walking into a tomb at midnight. But it was the type of silence I liked, it made me feel comfortable, feel safe, feel like I existed.
Villagers sought the source of the scream as they came pouring out of their houses.
“Ah!” It was the scream again, but this time it came from the crowd of villagers. It wasn’t just one scream, but multiple. What had they seen to make them so terrified? Someone called the police, and the police came to disperse the villagers. The police took away the bodies, sealed the scene, and left silently as if nothing had happened. Everyone had left, leaving behind only the silence that I liked. A pure silence.
“Jing, what are you thinking about?” Xiaoya gave me a light shove, waking me from my daze.
“Nothing,” I answered coldly. I was used to these kinds of dazes, well actually, stillness was the more apt word. Perhaps it was unsuitable for a girl of my age, but Xiaoya was the perfect example of someone the exact opposite of me.
“Okay, nothing then. Let’s go eat lunch. We’re getting KFC today.” She pulled me behind her, running in the direction of the KFC across from school, before I had said anything, like a bat on the hunt, springing towards its prey.
(“Xiaoya, a cute girl in middle school, my classmate and only friend. She’s outgoing, naive, and very innocent. She likes to eat KFC’s Doublicious and often drags me along as well. She also has idols she adores, and is a very normal middle school girl. And one other thing, she’s very gentle. Her gentleness is the most irresistible part about her.)
I grew silent again as we sat in the restaurant, thinking back to the scene that had occurred between classes. The day was dark and gloomy, and day was almost as dark as the night, thanks to the weather. I leaned against the railing at the top of the classroom building and stared off into the distance.
“Luvian,” came a voice from behind me.
“Did you come here just to say my name,” I asked, expressionless.
“You’re still the same, so cold. So cold that it makes me afraid!” She gave a cold laugh as she talked, a laugh that sounded like it had floated out of the mouth of a thousand year old zombie.
“And your laugh is warm?” I asked coldly in return.
“You’re something alright. To think that I was bested by a middle schooler.” She still wore that irritating expression, and hadn’t changed at all from the first time she’d appeared.
“I’m going back to class if there’s nothing else. Middle school isn’t a time for just randomly skipping class. Plus, I have no interest in the cheap laughter of a thousand year old hag.” I turned to leave.
“You! You’re still so penurious. Let’s talk about serious things, you –”
“Jing, what’s up, why are you staring off into space again?” Xiaoya widened her eyes and stared at me closely.
“I’m not staring off into space… aren’t I eating the burger?” I waved the burger in my hand.
“Yeah? But you’ve held it for more than ten minutes and haven’t taken a single bite.” She looked at me in confusion.
“Oh, is that so? Has it been that long?” I bit off a mouthful and chewed as I spoke.
“Look,” she waved her own burger as if to say, look I’m almost done eating.
“What’s up with you today, is something wrong? You keep staring off into space. You have to let me know if there’s anything I can help with, alright?” I nodded involuntarily as I looked at the concerned expression on her face. I guess she’s the only one who can make me act so involuntarily. We went to the library after lunch. She continued to read her unfinished “Pride and Prejudice”, whereas I took a random book and sat in front of a table, reliving the moment between classes again.
“What do you intend to do about the girl?” She asked with no good intentions.
“So you were the rat hiding in the corner!” I said in realization.
“Who are you calling a rat?” She yelled, unable to contain her fury.
“I don’t suppose the cat needs to tell the rat that it’s a rat!” I made a small analogy.
“You,” she spoke again after a moment of silence. “You were her creator, yet didn’t teach her anything!”
“Who allowed you to poke your nose into my business.” I countered unceremoniously.
“Can you lay down your hackles? I’m not poking my nose in your business, just reminding you out of the goodness of my heart.” That disgusting laugh accompanied her words, but there seemed to be a bit of anger mixed in. It would seem that her heart was no longer as calm.
“Who would have thought that a thousand years wouldn’t be enough to teach you how to be a proper noble.” I sighed in cold reflection.
“You! I’m going to go if there’s nothing else.” She hurriedly floated away, as if I had been the one to come looking for a fight. What a kid.
I clapped the dust, from the railing, off my hands and glanced at the grey sky. It looked like it would rain again, and soon. It was then that the bell rang for class, and so I turned and walked back towards the classroom.
When I came back to myself, a boy was sitting across from me, staring at me in a stupor. I ignored him and lowered my head to read the book. That was when I noticed that I was holding a book of lesser known Spanish folklore. I was pretty impressed with my luck. To have grabbed a Spanish novel in an ordinary middle school library! I understood now why the boy was staring at me — he’d discovered that the book in my hand was a little odd, but was too polite to say anything. What an embarrassing incident. I didn’t tell Xiaoya for fear that she would laugh at me. But maybe also because I was afraid she would ask why I was so distracted. Anyways, I didn’t tell her because of certain reasons.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0001_Chapter_2_...nd_to_lose.txt
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Chapter 2: To possess and to lose
We spent our lunch time in the library and looked at books that were way out of our depth. I could only sit there in a daze, waiting until Xiaoya told me to leave because the class was about to start.
In the afternoon I had physical education, which I don’t like even though my motor functions were well developed. Perhaps it was because every time I ran faster than the other team, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because I had a mysterious power that made me run faster than others. If that’s the case, then I’m a cheater. Even if it’s not the case, there’s simply no way to verify because in this world, I was born a cheater; a cheater who could escape everything, a shameful cheater. Fortunately, the finishing point was not far away and I didn’t need to continue thinking about this painful thought. In the end, I still ended up first.
Xiaoya’s cheering, the teacher’s unavoidable expression, the sound of praise and envy of everyone else – they all fused together and entered my ears and transformed into pain, creating a feeling of suffocation. I wanted to escape, but I was afraid to escape. I was afraid that if I continued escaping, it would become habit. There was a saying that a habit would turn into nature. What should I do if that were to happen, how would I face others, how would I face myself, how would I continue living my life?
I walked slowly towards Xiaoya and she rushed towards me with a pleased look before hugging me while laughing out loudly: “Awesome, you won again, let’s go to KFC to celebrate!” The kind of happiness she showed was like I was her greatest pride. However, I couldn’t feel happy at all and just slightly nodded my head. Maybe I had already forgotten that feeling called happiness and how to express it.
“For next Monday’s sports festivities, you have to give it your all! You’re my class’s greatest hope.” The PE teacher Yang patted my shoulder while saying.
“I will.” I quietly replied.
“If it’s you, then there won’t be any problems with winning at all.” Sunao came and encouraged me. However, none of them knew. None of them knew that I was a cheater, and that I didn’t deserve their encouragement or envy. It only made me ashamed.
“That goes without saying, she is my best friend! – Lin Jin.” Xiaoya playful added.
Lin Jing, it was the name my daddy gave me. With it, I had this identity, had schoolmates, friends, and everything that I currently possess. However, did it really belong to me? I did not know and even if I spent thousands of years, I might not be able to get an answer.
“Making a posture as if Lin Jin is part of your family….” I didn’t know when Xiaofeng managed to stand behind me and start talking. A shiver erupted from my spine as if a general with outstanding military achievement was standing on a killing field in the center of countless corpses and someone suddenly patted him on the back. It was undoubtedly an extremely scary thing.
“What happened to you, don’t tell me I scared you?” Xiaofeng looked at me with a blank expression and asked me concerned.
“It’s nothing.” Something I often used to say. My schoolmates said it was my mantra. Maybe, I wasn’t too sure myself, but during all these years, I seemed to say those words quite often. Perhaps because these words were easy to say and I could not find anything else to say anymore. I sometimes worry that I might even forget how to talk one day, as it is often said: “Time can make you forget everything.”
“Why are you in a daze again! Recently, you always seem to be staring off into space. Is there something on your mind?” Xiaoya caught me red-handed again.
“Xiaoya is right. I also think you have something on your mind.” Xiaofeng then secretly conspired and whispered in my ear: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“It’s nothing.” I said those words again.
“What’s nothing, you should at least say if you don’t have anything on your mind!” Xiaofeng looked surprised at me.
“Alright, I don’t and I also don’t have a boyfriend.” I loudly replied.
“Keep your voice down, the teacher is still here!” Xiaofeng didn’t know what to do and covered my mouth, while her eyes kept looking around. Her eyes looked as if they could speak while indicating: “Where’s the teacher, where did the teacher go?”
“It’s alright, just pretend I’m gone.” Yang walked towards her from behind.
“Teacher, how could you say that you’re already gone?! You’re still so young!” The embarrassed Xiaofeng suddenly tried to be sarcastic, to change the topic.
“I must say, you have quite the sharp tongue. No wonder your nickname is Aristotle?” Mr. Yang joked.
“As a teacher, how could you so casually give your students nicknames, wouldn’t it be unfair towards your other students?” Xiaofeng asked and grinned cheekily.
“This was not invented by me. You should ask your classmates!” Replying with a smile, Mr. Yang left, leaving us to do our own activities.
“If you don’t have a boyfriend, then what else could be on your mind?” Xiaofeng turned her head and asked.
“It is you guys who said that I have something on my mind.” I replied.
“Are you saying that there is nothing on your mind?” Xiaofeng asked again.
“There is nothing.” I replied full of confidence.
“If there is nothing, then forget about it. Just pretend that we made a mistake, alright?” Xiaofeng sighed, full of doubts.
Not being able to find another interesting topic, everyone stopped talking and went to do their own stuff. Some played badminton, some hacky sack, and others formed a circle to exchange rumors.
I continued standing there, staring off into space.
I couldn’t remember what else I did that day, and even when I went home, maybe I had already learned how to forget. Perhaps those small things were just too easily forgettable.
That night, when the moon illuminated the sky, I quietly left my room – It was also something that daddy gave me. I knew very clearly what I wanted to do, but it was not clear yet whether there would be any results. However, I still had to go.
I stood on the roof of our neighbor’s house and looked at my daddy’s room, where the light was turned off. A grim feeling suddenly emerged from within my heart, but I couldn’t say exactly what kind of emotion it was. It only made me feel unpleasant. Was it shame? Maybe it was! When an owl hooted, I suddenly disappeared into the vast darkness.
When I stopped my body, I had already arrived at the entrance of a remote mountain village.
The village was small, but there were a lot of families living inside. The houses were built next to each other, and used this small area of land to its fullest extent. When I walked into the village, I immediately saw the house where the accident happened. The owner died in a bizarre way and the house was closed down, but someone tore the seal and the remaining part was floating in the night wind. It seemed to want to say something, but unfortunately no one could understand it. I went straight towards the house and unexpectedly discovered that the door was unlocked. It was unlatched, how could this be possible? I pushed the door open and suddenly a shadow that was hiding in a corner of the house flashed in front of my eyes. I leisurely walked into the house before closing the door. At the center of the room, there was a square table with four chairs placed around it. I sat down on the northern chair and said coldly: “Come out, I know you’re here.”
However, even after waiting for some time, she didn’t come out. I used an even more indifferent voice and asked: “I suppose you want me to help you come out. I don’t want to hurt you, but even if you can’t die, you will still feel pain.”
“If I come out, can you promise not to hurt me?” A timid female voice asked.
“Are you still talking conditions with me?” I asked sharply “Do you really think that you still have the qualifications?”
“I …” Like someone who stopped breathing, the voice was cut off all of the sudden. Even after waiting for some time, she still did not issue any trace of sound. Since I did not have time to wait any longer, I sneered: “Do you think if I wanted to make you disappear, I would still need to talk so much? Thinking about it now, maybe it would be simpler just to make you disappear. ”
“Don’t!” When the voice came out, a woman, wearing a white dress with fear written on her face, stood in front of me. Her expression resembled that of a child that did something wrong and couldn’t help but make people pity her.
“Don’t be so afraid, I just wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?” Before I could finish my sentence, she already interrupted me and asked. However, she immediately noticed her mistake and quietly lowered her head without making another sound.
“I created you, because I did not want you to die in such a sad state. After the transformation, you obtained immortality and normal food could no longer satisfy you, therefore you started to live such a bloodthirsty life. There is no gain without loss, such is the truth of this world. Right now you are a member of the blood family and can choose to join either the Camarilla (Secret party) or the Sabbat (Magic Party). However there is one thing I do hope you can remember: If you are thirsty, you can suck a human’s blood, but please cherish their lives like your own. If you can comply with this one rule, then you will not see me again.” Having said this, I calmed down and waited for her answer, which was also the result I came for.
“I understand, but…” Her voice got fainter and fainter. At the end nothing could be heard anymore.
“But what?” I asked.
“But I want to see you again, although you are a bit scary… but, but I think you’re my only family member. I.. I… besides you, I have no relatives.” She stuttered and her pale, snow-white face shone in a sweet light.
“Soon you’ll find out that in this chaotic and uncertain world, you still have many of your so-called family members. However, not all those family members will love you, and some relatives might even try to kill you. You have to keep this in your mind.” I advised in a fatherly manner.
“I’ll remember it.” She obediently listened and answered.
“That’s good. I hope we don’t see each other again.” Finishing my sentence, I turned away, preparing to leave and suddenly turned back while adding “It is in your best interest not to quench your thirst in such a crowded place, since there are no lack of hidden demons amongst humans.” Just when my voice faded, I suddenly heard something happening outside the door. It looked like someone discovered us; maybe someone noticed us or maybe saw the torn seal or the unlocked door.
“You leave from the back door. If you see someone, you might not be able to control yourself again. I do not want to get involved with that kind of trouble.” I ordered.
“What about you, what will you do?” She was suddenly concerned about me.
“Me? If you are worried about me, then don’t be. Leave fast!” I ungratefully urged her.
“By the way, what is your name?” Just when she was about to leave, I suddenly called out to her again to ask.
“I don’t have a name!” She replied somewhat sadly.
“Then you will be called Xiaojie!” I even named her.
“Thank you!” She looked at me and gratefully thanked me.
“Alright, you should go now!” I urged again.
Just when she turned and left, a lone figure came out of the house and disappeared in the distance in just a few seconds. Perhaps she was very pitiful, very lonely, but it was her choice, her life. She was required to face it herself; no one could help her and she was helped by no one. I always thought that survival was a person’s own business. Perhaps because of this, I did not go with her. Maybe. . . . . . .
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Chapter 3: One’s first meeting and reunion
Perhaps I didn’t know myself very well, and perhaps I didn’t know the reason why I didn’t go with her. It might’ve been because I got more accustomed to talking and acting like ordinary people now. This may seem ridiculous, but I hope it is the truth.
When you hide in the mountains and close the jungle-like curtains, you would never come into contact with other people. Even if you rotted there, no one would care; you would discover that loneliness had become a way of life. Loneliness would become your shadow. However, when you wanted to pull that curtain away and go out of the mountains in order to join society again, you would quickly find that relationships between people have become more simple and more complex for you at the same time. You would soon understand that there were no more friends and relatives in this world, and even if there were more people in this world, you were just alone – a wandering ghost.
I closed the opened back door and sealed the First Seal. Turning around, I sat on the chair facing the south and blankly looked at the main entrance, while waiting for the arrival of the storm. It was very quiet inside, unusually quiet, but it wasn’t the silence that I liked, nor was it part of my silence.
Just when I was thinking about this in my head, the door was pushed open gently, and a tall figure appeared in front of me. Judging from his height and body, he should be a young man. He seemed to have prepared himself beforehand to find someone inside and did not show any hesitations. Very spontaneously, he sat down opposite me, as if we were in a cafe and he was late.
“You should say something!” I coldly said after I immersed myself in this feeling and noticed that he stayed silent after sitting down.
“Should I say ‘sorry to keep you waiting’?” He asked with a somewhat playful tone.
“How long do you still want to keep me waiting?” I asked relentless.
“Three questions, if you answer them, I will send you home.” He calmly said.
“First question?”
“Who are you?”
“Lin Jing!”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to find a person, maybe she’s no longer a person.”
“Did you find her?”
“I found her.”
“Where is she now?”
“This is the fourth question and I don’t need to answer it.” Just when I started to leave, he stopped me and said: “I’ll take you home.”
“No need, I know how to get home and I never promised to let you send me home.” Finishing my sentence, I didn’t turn my head, and walked towards a small, dark mountain road, walking towards the direction of home. He didn’t follow, for whatever reasons; I didn’t intend to find out. This was for the better, because I could unseal the First Seal and quickly go home.
When the moon was at it’s highest point in the dark sky, I was walking alone on a rugged trail. Except for some small animal sounds in the surroundings, it was really quiet. I liked the silence, especially when I was alone at night. It was really enjoyable.
“How lonely of you to go home by yourself!” Suddenly a voice rang out of the woods, followed by laughter.
“Do really think I am human?” I asked while walking.
“Maybe!” She replied after thinking for a moment.
“You are here as well, how can I be lonely?” I walked step by step on the road, while she followed step by step in the woods. We were both walking very quickly. I wanted to go home and sleep, what about her? Why did she walk so fast?
“You want to send me home?” I asked.
“Don’t be so self-centered, I just want to go home to sleep.” Her words were followed by that annoying, TV drama-like laughter and entered into my ears.
“Do you have a home?” I asked coldly.
“You have home, why can’t I?” I could tell from her tone that she was not really angry and just wanted to quarrel with me.
“Didn’t you say I am a human? Humans, of course, should have home, while you are a noble. Do nobles have a home?” I analyzed precisely.
“Nobles also need a place to sleep!” She argued.
“Isn’t it just a coffin? Just go find a cemetery to place it there. It is inappropriate to put it in a room!” I said, saying these unnatural things with a natural tone.
“You, that’s exactly what people don’t like about you likes. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend.” She said angrily.
“Vampires are lonely.” I said coldly, with a bit of helplessness and a little sadness.
“That’s why I came looking for you. Ha! Ha! Ha!” She started laughing in this middle of the night on the small mountain road. While listening to this laughter, even if you did not feel fear, there was at least an uncomfortable feeling!
“We are family, Ha! Ha! Ha!” A great deal of emotions emerged, and I surprisingly started laughing. My pace became faster and faster, she was getting further and further away, but I was getting closer to home.
Now that I thought back to the affairs of that night, there were no violent conflicts, nor were there any unbearable farewells. Why, then, does it remain so clear in the recesses of my mind? I don’t even clearly remember the faces of those people. Even I myself cannot say to the point of it being etched into my mind? Perhaps it was like a single leaf, that fell upon the surface of certain still, mirror-like lake; even the slightest of ripples is unforgettable.
***
After freshening up, I went downstairs. When daddy heard my footsteps, he talked to me from the kitchen:”Jing’er, why are you getting out of bed so early. Today is Saturday, why don’t you sleep a little longer?”
“Xiaoya asked me to accompany her to buy clothes today.” As always, I drowsily sat in front of the dinner table.
“Then wait a minute, breakfast will be ready soon.” Like always, Dad took care of me and woke up early every morning to prepare breakfast for me. I knew he loved me very much, and if I had to leave one day, he would surely be very sad. I did not want to see him sad and didn’t even want to imagine it.
I joined daddy for breakfast. I was full of joy while watching him eating so happily. He was very busy at work and even worked on weekends. Usually, he drives me to the bus station, because our home is located at the end of a small path that is quite far away from the bus station.
When I got off the bus at the bus station today, I slowly walked towards the place where I had agreed to meet with Xiaoya. She was already waiting for me, therefore we started to stroll through all the big and small clothing stores. However, even after walking around for a while, she did not even buy a piece of clothing; it was unlike her.
“Do you want to talk to me about something?” I didn’t want to walk around aimlessly. It was better to simply ask what was wrong.
“Actually, actually today is my birthday. I would like to invite you to my house for dinner tonight, can I? There’s no problem if you can’t make it.” She asked timidly while bowing her head.
“Sure!” I readily agreed, since I suddenly felt that only when I became a real human, I could live a quiet life with daddy.
“Really? Are you sure?” She raised her head excitedly and gave me a pleasantly surprised look, as if she could not believe what she had just heard.
“Of course.” I repeated.
“Awesome! Awesome! Today will be the best birthday ever.” She was so overjoyed, that passers around us started to stare at us with puzzled looks. Even after they walked further away, they still kept looking back.
“Then let’s go.” I didn’t want to stand here and become a public display, while I urged her to leave quickly. Just when I wanted to turn around, she suddenly pulled me back and said: “Wait, we have to wait here.”
“Who will come to pick us up? Your father?” I asked.
“No, but you will know soon.” Then she smiled at me. Within her smile, I felt helplessness and sadness, but I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to see this kind of smile ever again, since it didn’t suit Xiaoya’s round, innocent, and pure face. Exactly at that time, a white, very clean car was heading towards us. Instead of a sign plate, there was a very simple but very strange wooden cross that was held together by two small wooden nails. It slowly stopped beside us and when the door opened, a man came out of the car. He was not old and only a bit older than Xiaoya. I guessed that it should be her brother, and just as I expected, Xiaoya shouted towards him.
“Brother, you came just in time!”
“Because I happen to have a habit of wearing a watch.” He said with a smile.
“Brother, this is my best friend, the one I always tell you about – Jing’er.” Their eyes turned towards me.
“Hey, I’m Xiaoya’s older brother.” He walked towards me and gave me a polite handshake.
“Hello.” When I held out my left hand to shake his hand, a sudden strange feeling emerged. I’ve seen him before, who was he and why couldn’t I remember his face? I searched through every corner and depth of my memory, but still nothing.
“Have we met before?” He suddenly asked.
“I think this is the first time.” I replied.
“I feel like we had seen each other before. You give off a familiar vibe.” He looked at me and said.
“Really?” I just answered with a simple word, making it look like I had no interest in this. In fact, I was constantly thinking about it in my mind.
Some say déjà vu exists, and at that time I really had this feeling. How could you have a kind of familiarity with someone you had clearly never met before? His gestures, his tone of voice while speaking all gave me this feeling. Was this an illusion? No, normal people might have this kind of illusion, but I wouldn’t. Also, didn’t he have the same feeling? It couldn’t be that both of us had that the same kind of illusionary feeling at the same time. This would be too unbelievable, right?
“What are you thinking about? It’s already late, let go!” Xiaoya said while pushing me.
“Oh, nothing.” I got into the car together with her.
“Brother, what are you doing? Why don’t you get into the car and start driving?” Xiaoya, who was sitting next to me, shouted at his brother, who was still staring in space outside.
“By your command My Lady, I’ll drive right away.” It seemed like he was still completely trapped deep in his thoughts just now.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0003_Chapter_4_...e_sunshine.txt
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Chapter 4: Meeting Underneath the Sunshine
I made no sound in the car on the way to Xiaoya’s house. I hadn’t felt the feeling of being bothered by a question in a long time, and only wanted to bury myself singlemindedly into this feeling. The odd thing was, I felt like an extremely happy person in that moment. Happiness? I think I must have been mistaken. I have never known what it is to be happy, simply because happiness would cruelly abandon me the moment I began to understand it. So I’ve never been acquainted with the feeling, and had no basis for comparison.
A fashionable girl opened the door for me when we got to Xiaoya’s place. She looked roughly the same age as Xiaoya’s brother, possibly his girlfriend. At least, I really thought so at the time. I thought I would be seeing Xiaoya’s parents today, but apart from the girl, who had opened the door for us and our party, there was no one else in the living room. Seeing that I was puzzled, Xiaoya answered my question before I even asked, “My mom and dad actually both passed away in an accident shortly after I was born. My brother has always taken care of me. Do you pity me now?” I saw tears sparkle in Xiaoya’s eyes as she spoke.
“You will be happy as long as you don’t pity yourself. My parents left me a long, long time ago, but I have a daddy now, and I don’t think I’m miserable. So I’ve always been quite happy.” Even I couldn’t tell myself if I was speaking the truth or not.
“So you’re the same as me!” Xiaoya ran into my embrace and started crying as she hugged me.
“Don’t cry Xiaoya. We shouldn’t shed tears. That spells the defeat of our body to our heart. We can’t let tears prove that there’s sadness in our hearts. We have to keep on living, whatever the circumstances, until courage turns into numbness.” I said as I wiped her tears away.
“But what do you mean? I don’t really understand.” She looked at me in a silly way as she asked.
“You’ll understand when you grow up.”
“But why do you understand it now?” She didn’t give up her line of questioning.
“Because I’m older than you.” I suddenly recalled that I was a bit older than Xiaoya on my legal documents.
“Just by a year!” She didn’t seem to be very convinced or accepting.
“Sometimes, great changes happen in the blink of an eye, not to mention a year.” I sighed with emotion. Indeed, it had only been a matter of one night when I had become an orphan and grown up. Growing up wasn’t a matter of age, but more of whether or not the heart had grown older.
“Alright, let’s stop talking about this. Come have some fruit. Xiaoyu, why are you standing there, dumbly listening in? Are you interested in the conversations of little girls as well?” The girl, who had opened the door, came in with a bowl of fruit.
“Aw, don’t make fun of me, cousin,” we all sat down around the table.
“I’m their cousin, I visit when I have time. My mom, dad, and I don’t feel at ease because Xiaoya is still young, and Xiaoyu is a boy.” She handed an orange to me and added, “My name is Jiang Lan, but if you’re willing to, you can call me sister Lan.
“I’m called Lin Jing, my daddy’s always called me Jing’er.” I responded with my name in return.
“You say you’re called Lin Jing? Your surname is Lin?” Xiaoya’s brother suddenly cried out involuntarily.
“Brother, what’s wrong? Why are you so loud? You scared me.” Xiaoya patted her chest with surprise.
“I’m sorry, I was a bit too loud just now. Are you really called Lin Jing?” He repeated.
I suddenly remembered a person, a person who had wanted to know my name. Could he be that person? I hadn’t gotten a clear look at that person’s face before, so it was possible. Therefore, I answered another question in cautious trial.
“Yes, I’m called Lin Jing. Lin from the characters for forest, Jing from the characters for quiet. Is something the matter?”
“Nothing’s the matter, it’s just that I have an online friend who’s also called Lin Jing. She says that’s her true name, so I suddenly thought that the world was a really small place!” Although he explained it very smoothly, it didn’t feel real to me. There couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, did he really have an online friend called Lin Jing? I think that no one other than him would know.
“I see.” I agreed with him on the surface.
“Xiaoya mentions you often.” Her brother suddenly changed the topic.
“Really? What does she say about me?” I asked carelessly.
“She says that you don’t like talking to other people, and that you don’t like to get close to other people. You always hide away in your own little world, and stare off into space.” For some unknown reason, her brother used the word “hide”. I think he had some ulterior motive.
“I don’t like to talk.” I said quietly.
“But you’re willing to talk to Xiaoya, isn’t that so?” He kept up the pressure.
“That’s because it’s usually Xiaoya doing the talking herself. She doesn’t force me to listen, and doesn’t force me to respond.” I had no choice but to reply.
“Xiaoya says that you don’t seem to like the sun?” He was finally about to reveal his true intentions.
“No, I like the sun a lot. I just don’t like standing underneath the sun. I’m afraid of getting tanned.” I chose an answer that jived most closely with a girl’s logic.
“True, most girl don’t like the sun. They’re afraid of their skin getting darker with a tan.” He stopped there, leaving me perplexed. I wondered who he truly was, and what he was up to.
We then engaged in idle chitchat at the table, talking about random, unimportant things. Sister Lan brought out the birthday cake she had bought earlier, raising the curtain on the birthday party’s festivities.
The four of us, including Xiaoya, lit sixteen brightly-colored birthday candles together, celebrating Xiaoya’s birthday.
“Xiaoya, your birthday present!” Sister Lan smiled and brought out a present she had hidden in the TV console.
“Brother, where’s yours?” Xiaoya asked evilly as she unwrapped her first present.
“It’s the birthday cake!” Her brother responded with all seriousness.
“A tennis uniform! This is so pretty! Thank you cousin!” She smiled so happily, so sweetly, as she held the tennis uniform.
“Yes, it will look beautiful on you.” Her brother complimented her as well.
“Brother, don’t think you’re getting off this easily. Stop drawing it out.. hurry up and show me. I know you got it a long time ago.” It would seem that Xiaoya was incredibly astute.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me off that easily.” He brought out a wrapped box from his pocket as he responded, and handed it over to his sister.
“Thank you, brother!” Xiaoya smiled as she accepted the gift and started to unwrap it. It was a pair of exquisite hair clasps that were shaped rather oddly. They looked a bit like the pastoral staffs that western archbishops would handle, but were also a bit cute.
Her brother picked up the hair clasps, pinned up the hair that had fallen to the front of her face, and said, “This is a pair of holy hair clasps that I’ve asked a good friend to make. Although they’re small, they are quite powerful and can protect you.”
“I’m good if I have you to protect me.” Xiaoya said naively as she ran her hands lightly over the pair of hair clasps sitting in her hair.
“But I can’t always be beside you! For instance, when you go to school or go to sleep, I won’t be next to you then.” Her brother patted her head.
“Xiaoya, I didn’t prepare a present.”
“That’s okay, it’s my fault, I didn’t tell you it was my birthday today. Besides, you attending my birthday party is the best present you can give me. You’ve never visited a classmate’s house, so my home is your first time!” Xiaoya cut in before I had a chance to finish, but she seemed to realize that “your first time” wasn’t the most appropriate choice of words, and ducked her head in embarrassment.
“However, I still have something to give you.” I undid the chain around my neck as I spoke. It had always been with me, for I don’t even know how many years now, but it was meaningless to me now. It only represented the past, and I no longer needed its protection. Might as well give it to Xiaoya. Perhaps it could serve as protection, or a memento at the very least.
Everyone was shocked silly when I slowly put the chain onto Xiaoya’s neck, as if I had frightened them. No one made a sound. The party atmosphere, that had been present a second ago, vanished without a trace. I stood in front of Xiaoya, not knowing what to do myself.
“Jing’er, I don’t know if I can call you this.” Her brother said gravely.
“You can.” I responded decisively.
“Jing’er, your gift is too precious. I don’t think we can accept it.”
“But it means nothing to me now. A meaningless item is a worthless item, much less a precious one. However, maybe it will render some assistance to Xiaoya.” I spoke unreservedly and gave my reason.
“Help, Jing, you said it would help me. What do you mean?” Xiaoya was utterly befuddled.
“Yes, what do you mean by this help. Can you go into more detail?” Her brother seemed to be very interested, and asked eagerly with a face full of excitement.
“Judging from your car’s bumper sticker, the present you just gave, and the meaning of that present, I think your job must not be too ordinary. Xiaoya says you’re a detective, would you happen to be one of those spirit detectives often seen in manga?” I cut straight to the chase.
“Jing’er you really know how to crack a joke. I merely started a discussion group at school that studies legendary creatures, what detective? You can’t possibly believe Xiaoya’s nonsense!” Although laughter was painted onto his face, his eyes held the distinctive sharp gaze of a detective. It was as if they could see into your heart. Looking into his eyes was like facing a mirror, with my reflection clearly shining back out.
“So what creatures do you discuss?” I actually already knew the answer in my heart, but still had to display some degree of curiosity.
“Have you ever heard of vampires?” He asked probingly.
“The blood family? I’ve heard of some things.” I answered lightly and gave a slight sigh. “It looks like the blood family still hasn’t learned how to live peacefully!”
“What do you mean by that?” He stared closely at me, not letting up even a tiny bit.
“Nothing, just wondering why can’t the blood family assimilate into this ordinary society!” I felt that I had to watch every sentence, every word I uttered in front of him.
“The chain isn’t just to ward off evil, is it!” He obviously didn’t want me to change the topic.
“It can’t ward off evil. It’s useless against everything but the blood family,” I explained. I originally wanted to say “it’s much more useful than the pair of hair clasps you gave”, but didn’t want to provoke a deeper line of questioning and so I swallowed that thought.
“You mean against the blood family?” It looked like he wasn’t going to get off my case.
“Brother, why are you talking about vampires again. Those things don’t exist. You’re always going on and on about vampires, and won’t stop talking about it even during a rare moment of peace.” Xiaoya started complaining off towards the side.
“Xiaoya, the candles have almost gone out. Hurry, make a wish and blow out the candles.” Sister Lan suddenly spoke up and diverted the conversation. It was helping me, in a way.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0004_Chapter_5_...wledgement.txt
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Chapter 5: Indistinct Acknowledgement
She blew out the candles, cut the cake, and we all ate a bit of it. Xiaoya was truly happy today. Watching her wear the chain reminded myself of who I’d been many years ago, when I had been so happy, and so simple. I had liked it because it was so pretty, but hadn’t thought about what the red color represented.
Sister Lan then prepared a sumptuous dinner for us but what was strange was, her brother kept staring at my every action while I was eating, as if he was observing something. I pretended to know nothing, and only paid attention to eating. I announced that I was going home after dinner, but Xiaoya insisted that her brother take me home.
“My brother will send you home!”
“Sure, no problem,” he agreed quite readily.
“That’s not necessary. I can go back myself.” I’ve always been alone, for who knew how many years now. I was used to it. I’ve always believed that you usually aren’t in any danger just because you’re alone; you’d only be in danger if you wanted to commit suicide.
“No, Jing. It’s too dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night!” Xiaoya really did care about me.
“Xiaoya’s right, it would be even more dangerous for such a pretty girl like you.” Sister Lan also gave her opinion.
“I’m not sure which is more dangerous,” I sighed softly.
“What did you say?” Xiaoya’s brother hung onto my every word and action, and had heard my even barely audible remark.
“I said all right!” How could one successfully argue against the two of them? Not to mention her brother, who was constantly monitoring me.
“Then let’s go.” Her brother said, and walked towards the garage. I had no choice but to follow him.
We got into his car. I still chose to sit in the backseat, although no one was in the passenger seat. Sometimes keeping your distance is the wise thing to do. We set off, with me not making a sound. He was also silent, but his silence didn’t last for long; he finally opened his mouth to speak.
“Why did you give Xiaoya such a precious chain? It seemed to be very important to you. Would your father even agree with such an action?”
“Didn’t I already tell you the reason? Besides, my biological parents are long gone,” I said coldly
“I’m sorry to bring up painful memories. However, I have a clear understanding that the power of the chain lies not within itself, but with its true master.”
“Its real master died thousands of years ago. ” I knew avoidance was futile when I looked into his eyes.
“Who was it?”
“Vampires,” I didn’t evade.
“You’re joking.” He didn’t really seem to believe it.
“Your call to believe it or not.” I retorted.
“Then why was it on your neck?” He asked.
“Someone gave it to me.”
“Your answer is too general. Are you trying to dodge the question?”
“No, I’m not evading. I just don’t want to recall the past again.”
“Not thinking doesn’t mean you’ll be able to forget it. Sometimes you have to think of it again to truly forget it.”
“My mother gave it to me. The night I became an orphan, I was left with nothing but that chain. I curled into a ball in a corner of the house, and watched the blood covering the floor slowly congeal and darken. I couldn’t help but watch dumbly. It looked like a type of purely colored pigment. It was silent, and everything in the house gradually began to grow cold, including my body and heart.” I quickly discovered that it wasn’t that difficult to say these words again, as if these matters suddenly had nothing to do with me.
“I had no idea you’d experienced such a terrible thing before, but keeping yourself trapped in the past serves no purpose. Now, you can, and should, completely forget those memories. His eyes were locked on the road ahead, but it gave me the feeling of being seen through. I think it must have been an illusion, because I firmly believed that there was no one in this world who could see right through me. It was quiet for a while, until he suddenly asked,
“How much power is in the chain?”
“As long as you wear it, absolutely no noble will dare touch her.” I explained.
Curiously, he asked, “Aren’t you scared without it?”
“I… I have never been afraid. Now, I have a father, a home, a school, some classmates, and some friends. Without the chain, I’m a true female student. There will no longer be any ties between me and that blood family.”
“This is your choice?”
“Yes.”
“To give up eternal life, and choose to die of old age. Is it worth it?”
“The only thing I have given up is the past ”
“Do you care about life and death?”
“I don’t know. No one knows until the moment they face death.”
“That’s true.”
The car had arrived at my driveway as we were talking. It was a dark building, with some white roses planted in the small garden. Vines crawled on the fence as the perfume from flowers filled the air..
He stopped and gallantly opened the door for me. When we were standing in front of my house, he sighed and said “What a beautiful place!”
“You like it?” I asked. “You don’t think it looks like Dracula’s Castle?”
“I’ve never seen his castle, but it does seem similar to the descriptions in novels.”
“I’ve seen it.”
“What, are you serious?” He seemed incredibly shocked.
“Dracula used to live here,” I responded naturally.
“Here, what about other people?”
“He has disappeared for many years already.”
“Disappeared? You mean dead, but can you still die if you’re a vampire?”
“As long as it is willing, then it’s easier than death for humans. We will forever disappear without a trace left on this world if we merely watch a sunrise.”
“Why do you live here?”
“Do you intend to stand in the doorway and ask all your questions?”
“Do you want to offer me a cup of tea?”
“I will in return for taking me home,” I said as I pushed open the gate and walked towards the main entrance.
“Is the door not locked?” He followed behind me.
“We never lock the door.”
“That’s true. No one would dare come to such a terrifying place. Locking it would be a waste of effort.”
“No, it’s because we couldn’t find a lock to match the door.”
“That’s a strange reason.”
The main entrance was still not locked, and I turned on the dim chandelier in the hall after I walked through the door. Everything in the hall emitted an even more terrifying aura under this kind of light, but I had long since gotten used to this kind of atmosphere.
“Have a seat. I’ll go and make some tea.” I said as I entered the kitchen. He started inspecting the various room furnishings while waiting.
“Find anything of interest?” I put the tea on the table.
“These are all priceless antiques. This house must have been really expensive when you bought it.” He also sat down at the table.
“Expensive, if $100 is expensive.” I savored the tea aroma as I spoke.
“$100? How is that possible? Any one of these random antiques will far exceed that price.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” I replied quite seriously.
“There must have been a reason.”
“The reason is simple, because this is the Dracula’s castle and no ordinary person dared to live here.”
“Aren’t you an ordinary person?”
“Would the owner of that chain. Be. An. Average. Person?”
“I’ve always thought that someone who could bask in the sun was an ordinary person. ” He answered confidently.
“If only everyone else thought so.” My eyes were filled with a resigned look.
“Come to me if you run into any trouble. I can help you.” He seemed to see something in my eyes.
“Because I’m an ordinary person, or because I can bask in the sun?” I stared at him curiously.
“Because you are Xiaoya’s friend, because you gave her that chain, because you want to protect her, and also because you want to forget the past and be who you are now.” He gave a string of answers, but I knew he had only spoken one sentence. Because I was no longer of the blood family.
“What if I’m a vampire?” I asked coldly.
“But you’re not. “His answer was quite simple.
“How do you know?” I responded, still expressionless.
“Because I can bask in the sun?” I further asked before he had a chance to respond.
“It felt very strange the first time I saw you. You gave me a mysterious feeling. No, the proper word is divine. I never thought you were a member of the blood family, there wasn’t a trace of vampire characteristics to be found in you. Of course, the next time I saw you, I was even more certain that you weren’t a noble because of your ease underneath the sun. That image is still in my mind.”
“So it’s because I can bask in the sun.” I said coldly as I sipped some tea.
“Beep! Beep! Beep! .. ” His phone suddenly rang. He shouted urgently into the phone, “I’m in the area, be there soon,” and then turned hurriedly to me.
“I’m really sorry, something’s come up.” He stood up and got ready to leave.
“Have the vampires come out to hunt?” I said coldly. “Good bye, you can see yourself out!” I didn’t stand up, nor did I look at him. I continued to taste my tea, closely savoring the bitterness within.
“Okay. See you later.” He turned towards the door, but suddenly turned around just as he reached the door and said, “Let’s chat more next time.”
He rushed out afterwards, and I heard the sounds of the car slowly fade away. I still sat there and tasted the tea, mouthful by mouthful, expressionless, thinking back to what had happened today. I seemed to have said too much today, but it needed to be said. Whatever. It made no difference to me whether I said it or not. I was still myself, drinking tea, with bitterness and silence accompanying me. I was very comfortable and liked this feeling. Silence meant everything was safe, being able to drink tea was to enjoy life.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0005_Chapter_6_...he_hunters.txt
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Chapter 6: The Hunters
In the dark night sky, the moon hid behind the clouds.
A faint, white light radiated from the clouds.
The night seemed to become even darker. Two people stood under a dark, moonlit sky.
“Junyu, you came really quickly!” A man, dressed in casual clothes, greeted Xiaoyu with an amicable demeanor. Next to him stood a man with a solemn expression, who wore a suit. A murderous aura was radiating from his face.
“Xuxing, how did it go?”, Xiaoyu asked while walking toward the man who greeted him.
“It ran away.”, the man with the murderous aura replied.
“Xuqing, what did you say? He ran away? There’s no place to hide in this vicinity.” Xiaoyu’s face suddenly turned serious and a hint of anger could be felt, as if he turned into a general dealing with an emergency military affair.
“In the direction you just came from, did you not see anyone?” Xuxing waited for Xiaoyu’s reply.
“No, I didn’t see anything.”
“I belief there’s a very suspicious place.” Xuqing said coldly.
“Where? ” Xiaoyu asked.
“That house. ” Xuqing pointed his finger towards direction. Surprised, Xiaoyu slightly opened mouth in shock, but did not say anything for a while.
“Do you mean that house?” Startled, Xiaoyu asked again.
“Yes,” the two brothers replied at the same time.
“Damn! Let’s go!”, Xiaoyu shouted in panic. Immediately, the three of them sprinted to the car and speeded off toward the big castle.
Inside the car someone asked: “Xiaoyu? What’s wrong? Your expression is frightening me!”
“No one should live in that house, right?”
“Yes, I just came from there.” While talking, Xiaoyu continued to increase the speed and the car shot off like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace.
“Impossible. We investigated it before you came. Legends say that long time ago, this house was-”
“Dracula’s Castle.” Xiaoyu blurted out.
“Did you check it?”
“No”
“How do you know then?”, the tone was full of suspicion.
“Someone told me a moment ago. What happened afterwards?” Xiaoyu’s eyes never averted from the road, and it could be said he keep staring in the direction of the house. He seemed afraid that something terrible might have happened.
“The later happenings were very vaguely described in the files and only said that someone paid a small fortune to buy it”. Just when he finished this sentence, the car suddenly stopped and it was parked next to the courtyard in front of the castle’s front door. The three men got out of the car, gently closed the doors, and did not directly enter the castle, but stopped right in front of the gate.
“We absolutely can’t let the girl inside the house get injured.” Xiaoyu touched the gate and it instantly opened. He remembered clearly that he closed it firmly before he left, but now…. When his eagle-like eyes discovered something – he turned his head and said to the other two: “It must be hiding inside.”
“Understood.”, the two replied in unison.
Entering the castle, the trio walked through the lobby illuminated by lights. The lobby door was still open, but Xiaoyu remembered that he did not close it when he left. Therefore believed that nothing might have happened and thinking she might still be sitting at the table drinking tea. However, he did not know that just moments after he left someone else came in.
— (A few moments ago)—
Crack! The front gate opened.
“Daddy came back so early. Perhaps he was able to finish his work ahead of schedule. Coming home earlier was a natural thing and was also perhaps the most unnatural thing is this house. Who would believe that an office worker would be living in such a ancient house?!” That was what I thought in the beginning.
I took the cup he drank from to the kitchen and washed it before putting it away. After getting a new cup for daddy, I poured in some tea and waited for him to come in. I was waiting for him to tell me in a caring manner, “It’s so late, why didn’t you go to sleep? You don’t have to wait for daddy.” However, after waiting for a few moments, he did not come in. Everything was so quiet and this silence had a strange feeling. There were no footsteps, as if the sound a moment ago never happened. Then who opened the door just now. Who just came in?”
“I will find out as soon as he comes in.” I thought to myself while sitting at the table, waiting for his arrival. Sitting there quietly, I listened to the all the movement in the surroundings. However there wasn’t any. Forget about it, I’d better go take a bath! I put down the cup and went straight upstairs. Taking my pajamas, I walked into the bathroom and began to fill the bathtub water. While lying in the bathtub, everything was so quiet. Nothing had happened, as if I was the only one in the house, but I clearly knew that I was not alone.
“Jing’er, where are you?” Xiaoya’s brother’s voice came from downstairs.
“I’m here.” I wore a white dress that reached the floor and slowly walked out of the room. Standing on the second floor’s corridor, I have a complete view of downstairs.
“Are you alright?” He asked nervously.
“Does it look like I’m not alright?” I asked coldly.
“Xiaoyu, who is she? Is she your girlfriend?” A teasing voice asked him, and when he turned around, he saw that Xuxing was grinning at him.
“Don’t spurt nonsense. She is Xiaoya’s classmate. “Xiaoyu hurriedly explained
“Why did you come back? Don’t tell me you chased a noble into my house.“ I ignored their laughing and asked coldly.
“Oh god, how do you know that?” Xuxing was startled.
“Xuxing, be quiet.” Xiaoyu stopped him from talking and said:”Jing’er, we discovered that a vampire entered your house.”
“I don’t care, I want to sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Just as I wanted to turn around and enter my room.
“I found him. Bern, you have no way to escape anymore.” A voice suddenly shouted. Just when I heard that voice, I saw a shadow spring from behind Xiaoyu and head straight for the stairs. Exactly at that moment, another shadow shot out from the guest room next to me and rushed to where I stood.
“Don’t!” With those two small words, everything stopped. It was as if time froze. The first shadow turned out to be Xuqing, and I see him standing motionless in the middle of the stairway. Behind me stood another shadow, and both Xiaoyu and Xuxing remained frozen in the same place.
“Don’t you dare to move, or I’ll suck her dry. I don’t think you would want to let this beautiful, young lady become a mummy.” I felt an ice-cold hand stroking my neck, gently touching my snow-like skin.
“Alright, we won’t move, but you can’t hurt this lady.” Xiaoyu agreed to his request.
“Take your hands off me.”, I said coldly, I was not even taking this matter seriously.
“Miss, you’re not afraid? You dare to even talk to me in such a tone.” The person behind me wondered.
“Jing’er, you’d better keep quiet. I won’t let him hurt you. “Xiaoyu words indicated that he didn’t want a conflict between me and that vampire. He meant well, but I didn’t appreciate it.
“This is between him and me. Don’t stick your nose in it.” I answer him expressionless.
“Miss, what are you doing? Jun is only interested in your well being.” Xuxing scolded me after not able to bear watching anymore.
“You are a part of the secret party?” I didn’t reply to Xuxing, and instead asked the vampire behind me.
“How do you know?” He seemed to panic a bit and probably didn’t expect to be asked such a question.
“You were hiding outside the window for so long, but still did not come out. You probably did this in order to comply with the first commandment: Don’t intervene with the real world” I coldly gave him the answer he wanted to hear.
“Who are you?”
“I advise you to quickly let go of me. You cannot hurt me.” I didn’t respond to his question.
“Who are you?” He repeated his previous question.
“She is not a human! Hahaha!” Accompanied by this kind of disgusting laughter, a person came out of the room on my right.
“Luvian, I missed you so much that I came to visit you. I didn’t think I would stumble onto such an interesting scene. Hahaha!” She was dressed like a 1960’s courtesan, wearing a purple dress with a slit up to the hips and held a small fan in her hands.
“Did you just come back from a patron, or were you waiting until midnight to join one?” I coldly ridiculed her.
“You, you are so heartless. I came to see you with well-intentions, but you, you treat me like this.” She put on a pitifully expression, as if she was a young madam being mistreated by her lover.
“Alright, treat as if I pity you. I will gift you something. Take the one behind me to play!” I said without hesitation.
“What do you mean?” The man behind me couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Nothing much, Luvian said that she’d give you to me.”
“Who are you?” Bern asked again.
“She’s not a human.” I repeated the same answer as she had used before.
“Then what is she?” Xiaoyu, who was standing also downstairs, seemed to be interested in this matter.
“A thousand year old monster.” I said rudely.
“How can there be monsters in this world?” Xuxing didn’t seem to believe it.
“I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. However, you can ask her yourself.” I showed a helpless expression.
“Pretty lady, what are you?” Xuxing stupidly asked.
“What do you think?” She didn’t seem to take offence and asked Xuxing with a naïve tone.
“…….” Xuxing was speechless after hearing this question. He didn’t know to reply and stayed quiet.
“Jing’er, stop joking. What exactly is she? Xiaoyu chose to let me answer.
“A vampire.” I replied truthfully. Except me and her, everyone downstairs and upstairs was completely stupefied.
“What, she is also a vampire?” Bern, who was standing behind me, spurted out this sentence in surprise after a while.
“Thousand years old?” Xuqing, who was standing silently for so long, at center of the stairway suddenly said those three words, half in doubt and half asking for confirmation.
“Exactly, to be honest I don’t remember clearly anymore. Let me calculate for a moment. I should probably be over 1500 years old by now.” She proudly mentioned her own age, followed by a bunch of outrageous laughter.
“The older the antiques, the more valuable they are. However women on the other hand, the older they are, the more unwanted they become.” I probably told her the eternal truth, but I kind of felt happy when quarrelling with her. The reason being, probably in some aspects, she and I were alike.
“You, You!” She was at a loss of words from anger. After calming down, she said “Since you’re in such a bad mood today, I will leave first.” She turned around and left.
“Bern, why are you not following me?!” After walking two steps, she suddenly turned back and shouted.
“Why would I follow you?” Bern angrily asked.
“Didn’t you hear a moment ago? Luvian already gave you to me to play with.” She explained.
“Why should I listen to her?” Bern was so angry, that he wanted to start a fight after finding himself being gifted away by a little girl.
“Do you want to stay and become prey?” She told the real reason why she wanted to take Bern away.
“I have a hostage. They don’t dare to try something.” Bern answered with confidence.
“Do you know the Pupil of Blood?” She asked and abruptly changing the subject.
“I have heard about it. According to legend, the second generation vampires had 13 descendents who created the 13 great clans. Later, they rebelled and exterminated the second generation vampires and it was said that the Pupil of Blood was made of the blood from the second generation vampires.” Byrne said in detail.
“You actually know a lot about it?”
“The Elders have warned us that if we see someone wearing the Pupil of Blood necklace, we must absolutely not offend that person. It is said that there was a curse on that chain and the one wearing it is the proxy of the second generation, watching in their stead, waiting for the ultimate fate of the traitors.” Bern continued and told everything he knew.
“Knowing this, you still dare to take Luvian hostage?”
“What does she have to do with the Pupil of Blood?”
“She is currently the owner of that chain.” She had never talked to seriously before. “What do you want to do to her?”
The moment her voice quieted down, the hand, that was pinching my neck, immediately pulled back. Exactly at that moment, she grabbed Bern in a split second and rushed down the stairs. When the present hunters recovered, they had already disappeared into the vast darkness of night. The moon appeared, but there were always places that its illumination could not reach. Whatever is happening there or whatever happened there, the humans will not know. Maybe, the humans did not even want to know either.
“Quickly chase them!” shouted Xuqing from the middle of the stairs as he rushed out the door.
“There is no need. You can’t catch up with her and even if you catch her, can you injure her? You cannot imagine the power of a thousand year old noble.“ I stopped them.
“You seem to be helping them.” Xuxing suddenly said.
“I was helping myself. I let her take away Bern, because I don’t want my home to turn into a thousand year old vampire’s battlefield. Preventing you from chasing her is because I don’t want to see Xiaoya heartbroken when her brother has an accident. ”
“Thank you, I know you are acting in our interest. With our current ability, we absolutely cannot match against a thousand year old vampire.” It seemed like Xiaoyu understood my good intentions.
“Alright, you should go back now. You don’t have to shut the door, daddy didn’t come back yet.” I sent them away.
“I want to talk to you, can I?” Xiaoyu had no intentions to leave.
“Tomorrow, I want to sleep now.” I said without even considering it. In fact, I already guessed what he wanted to talk about with me. Without waiting for his response, I turned and went into my bedroom to lie down to sleep.
“Jinyu, who exactly is she?” The empty lobby transmitted Xuxing’s cold voice.
“Let’s go, we’ll talk on the road.” Immediately, I heard a series of footsteps disappearing in the distance and I knew they were gone. I closed my eyes in order to sleep, but surprisingly I was unable to fall asleep for a long time. Everything that happened today flashed before my eyes as scenes flashed in my mind. The me of today and the me of the past were totally different people now. Perhaps, it was because I had already chosen to become a normal girl.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0006_Chapter_7_...nd_reality.txt
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Chapter 7: Between nightmare and reality
“Junyu!” Xuqing shouted from the back seat.
“What’s the matter?” Junyu coyly asked.
“Tell us now about what she is!” Xuxing asked with something that looked like a smile from the other seat.
“A human!” Xiaoyu simply replied.
“Are you sure?” Both of them unanimously and suspiciously asked.
“Of course. When I saw her today, both she and Xiaoya were standing together under the hot sun.” Xiaoyu slowly described some of the facts that he saw. His tone was uncertain, as if even he was doubtful of whether everything he saw was real.
“If she’s not a member of the blood family, then her composure was just too abnormal.” Xuqing raised an objection.
“In that kind of situation, if it was us, we wouldn’t be that calm in that mess, let alone just a girl.” Xuxing continued.
“Maybe she’s already been through something even worse.” Xiaoyu replied with some thought
“What happened? Could it be you know something? Tell us now! You can’t hide it from us~” Xuxing’s interest seemed to increase more and more.
“Thinking about the conversation from this afternoon, I think she witnessed her parents getting killed by a vampire when she was but a child.” Xiaoyu noted after thinking for a while.
“What?! For a child to witness something like this… it must have been horrible.” Xuxing couldn’t help but pity her.
“Then why didn’t the vampire harm her? They usually like innocent and pure bloods the most, right?” Xuxing was always calm and calculated, not blinded by worldly feelings. He wouldn’t leave any doubts in his mind Though this was his strength, it was his weakness as well.
“That’s because she was wearing that chain.” Xiaoyu explained.
“The Pupil of Blood?” Those words struck like lightning.
“Correct.”
“If she’s not a vampire, then how can she possess that chain?” Xuxing asked and his pity suddenly changed to doubt in his heart.
“She said her mother gave it to her.” Xiaoyu explained while he was a bit confused himself. Could it be that her mother was a vampire? If her mother was a vampire, was she one as well? If she wasn’t a vampire, then her parents shouldn’t be vampires either; then how did her mother get the Pupil of Blood? Only the dead would know the truth, and perhaps this would forever stay a mystery.
“Right now, blind guessing won’t help us. Let’s go look into her past after we get back.” The three of them stood there silently for a while, when Xiaoyu suddenly indicated.
“Yes, I know. ” Xuxing readily agreed. All matters of investigation were usually given to Xuxing. He had a special talent in this kind of aspect, and regardless of the difficulty, as long as he tried he could definitely find out everything.
“When you see Xiaoya, please don’t mention anything. I’m afraid that she’ll start to worry.” Xiaoyu changed the topic.
“We understand.” They promised.
“By the way, have you seen the Pupil of Blood before?” Xuqing suddenly asked.
“I have seen it, she gave it to Xiaoya as a birthday gift.”
“What?! As a birthday gift, what a big gift!” Xuxing was extremely surprised.
“Why did she give that chain to Xiaoya?” Like always, Xuqing asked calmly. Perhaps he didn’t know the meaning of excitement or passion.
“She said it was in order to protect Xiaoya. Back then, I didn’t believe it, but after hearing it from Bern’s mouth, I think what she said was the truth. That chain can indeed protect Xiaoya from the blood family’s harm.” Xiaoyu replied with determination. After everything that just happened, he was sure that everything Jing’er said was the truth. Jing’er did not need to lie to him, and maybe she couldn’t bother to lie to him.
“Are you really going to see her tomorrow?” Xuqing suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
“Yeah, I want to know the details.” Xiaoyu said calmly.
“You seem to really care about her?” Xuxing finally asked the question that he considered for a while.
“You think too much nonsense.” Xiaoyu denied.
“Is it really nonsense? The moment that you heard that Bern ran into her house and when you saw her being held by it, the anxiousness was written all over your body.” Xuxing tried to prove that he wasn’t talking nonsense.
“A vampire was holding a girl hostage and perhaps hurt her because of our hunt. Wouldn’t it be normal to feel anxiousness?” Xiaoyu wanted to justify that Xuxing was thinking too far.
“However, when we encountered this situation before, you were always calm, yet today you were completely different.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “however, I think how you behaved today was more human.”, he smiled.
“Maybe I am seeing her as a sister, just like Xiaoya.” Xiaoyu thought for a long time and finally found a reason that was reasonable. However, it’s only purpose was to answer a question at a particular time so its reliability or accuracy was definitely in question.
“Really?” Xuxing seemed to have already doubted the validity behind this answer.
“Alright, let’s stop brooding over this question. Please tell me what you find as soon as possible.” Xiaoyu put an end to the discussion. Xuxing nodded and silence entered the car, as if everyone entered their own world of thoughts. No one could break into the world of others nor would they want to let others into their own world.
It began to drizzle outside, and although some of them saw it happening outside the car, no one seemed to hear the raindrops clattering on the window. The relentless raindrops were like merciless tears, falling rhythmically on everyone’s heart that had loved, creating the tiniest ripple.
During the silence of the night, under the dim moonlight,
A shrill scream pierced the sky.
Hearing this, Xiaoyu rushed over and saw a girl like Jing’er sitting there.
She held something in her hands that looked like a man.
“Jing’er? What are you doing?” Coming closer, Xiaoyu opened his mouth in surprise and started half shouting.
“You don’t see? I’m sucking blood.” Jing’er who raised her head had her lips stained red with blood, which began to drip down. In her hands lay an apparently unconscious handsome young man that had four small holes on his neck.
“You, how could you… how could you suck blood?” Suppressing his inner fear, Xiaoyu stuttered and asked.
“What is there to fuss about a vampire sucking blood?” Jing asked coldly as she wiped the blood dripping down her mouth.
“But, but you are not a vampire?” Xiaoyu couldn’t suppress his feelings any longer and loudly roared.
“Who said that I’m not a vampire?” Jin asked with a harsh tone while releasing the young man who had lost his consciousness and stood up to face Xiaoyu.
“But, but weren’t you able to walk into the sunlight?” Xiaoyu mentioned the fact he saw when he picked up Jing’er and Xiaoya that time.
“Why can’t vampires walk in the sunlight?” Jing looked at Xiaoyu and her cold stare seemed to stab at every point on him.
“Aren’t vampires afraid of the sun? They turn into ashes under the sunlight.” Xiaoyu barely managed to gather his own thoughts and talked about his firm understanding that he believed in for many years.
“But I’m not afraid of it. And I’m a still vampire that has to suck blood. Jing coldly smiled and moved step by step towards Xiaoyu. Her answer turned Xiaoyu’s whole theory upside down.
“Since you are not afraid of the sunlight, then you surely don’t have to suck blood. Please let me help you.” Xiaoyu was still not beaten mentally, and instead seemed calmer and calmer. He didn’t run away and looked at Jing’er. Saying that he wanted to help her in this dark night, where anything could happen, was definitely an extremely foolish decision.
“Do you want to help me? Alright, then help me quench my thirst!” Just when her voice fell, Jing already arrived in front of Xiaoyu. Extending her cold and white hands to hold him, she hugged Xiaoyu’s neck, slowly pulling him closer to her lips. Although Xiaoyu did not expect this outcome, he did not resist and only felt a sudden sharp pain in his neck followed by a fiery burning sensation. Xiaoyu’s eyes gradually became dizzy while his whole body became soft and fell down.
Xiao Yu suddenly opened his eyes wide and unexpectedly found himself lying on his bed. Looking around the room, he found only silence, and the only thing he could hear was his own breathing.
“A dream?” Xiaoyu breathed out and sighed in relief as it turned out to be a dream.
Easing his mind, he sighed again.
After waking up, he could not fall asleep again and was constantly thinking the scene in his dream. It was so real and so unreal at the same time. If he did not wake up and find himself lying in his bed, he would not believe that the scene was just a dream. He dreamt of Jing’er, but she was drinking blood.
“It can’t be, it’s can’t be possible.” He denied it over and over again in his mind.
“Dream, it was only a dream.” He constantly repeated to himself in his mind.
Tossed and turning in his bed, the more he moved, the less sleepy he got. Opening the lamp next to his bed, he casually pulled a book from his bedside cabinet and started to open it without even seeing the title.
Exactly at that time, his phone started vibrating near his pillow “zzzzzzzzzz”.
“Hey, what’s up!” Xiaoyu said after answering.
“Xiaoyu, it’s me, Xuxing.” Across the phone came Xuxing’s voice. How could Xiaoyu not recognize it?
“What did you find?” Xiaoyu guessed that for Xuxing to call him at midnight, it must be something important.
“The archives only documented that the widowed Mr. Lin Youcheng adopted an orphan. She was named Lin Jing after the adoption, and goes to middle school at the Southern district. Except for this, I couldn’t find anything else.” Xu Xing said in disappointment.
“Didn’t it mention anything about her past?” Xiaoyu asked.
“Nothing, it didn’t even record that she was once called Luvian, let alone the names of her parents.” Xuxing replied and was getting more and more disappointed. He, who could normally find out anything, was unable to discover anything this time.
“That’s too strange. It’s definitely not easy to get an adoption. We have to investigate first if she has any parents!” Xiaoyu said while wondering.
“Yes, she might have been too young to know, and didn’t know anything. That’s why it was impossible to find anything!” Xiaoyu suddenly thought about it.
“Not possible, she was only adopted two years ago. If she is seventeen years old now, then she was fifteen years old back then. How could she possibly not know about anything? If she didn’t know where they lived, her parents and her name, or in what school she went, then she would be mentally retarded. You could see today that she was not quite normal, right?” The more Xuxing talked, the more confused he got. Perhaps, all of this could only wait until Xiaoyu got an answer tomorrow.
“Ok, I understand. You go rest now. We will talk about it when I come back tomorrow.” Xiaoyu hung up the phone.
Right now, Xiaoyu was unable to fall asleep. After the dream and Xuxing’s words, the whole ordeal was like a thickening fog. How could he break through these layers of fog? Xiaoyu had already determined that he would have Jing’er tell him everything tomorrow.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0007_Chapter_8_...confession.txt
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Chapter 8: Date and confession
“Aaaaaaa!” I stretched my arms and felt the soft and comfortable bed, and a kind of indescribable feeling entered my heart. Perhaps it was because my bed is so comfortable and I’m very happy to be able to sleep on a bed.
“I slept really late last night, and so it should be late right now… What time is it?” Thinking, I stretched my hand to pick up the bedside alarm clock and looked at it.
“What, half past 2? It’s already past noon?” I couldn’t believe my eyes, how could it be so late? Although it was a Sunday, and I never got up on Sundays to eat breakfast, I also never slept past noon. I quickly rubbed my sleepy eyes, got up from my bed, and put on a long white cloak. Although it was already spring, the early spring weather was still slightly cold. I went to the window and opened the curtain. It was sunny outside and the weather was good. “I wonder how the two guys that escaped last night are; they definitely can’t see such a beautiful bright sky.” I was surprised to suddenly even think of them, as I had nothing to do with them.
I walked into the washroom, washed my hair, and prepared to change my clothes, but on second thought, “Today’s a Sunday and I don’t have to go out. Forget it, I don’t need to change, and no one else is home either.” With that thought I opened the door and walked out of the room.
“Jing’er, you finally got up. Your friends have been waiting for you!” Daddy suddenly shouted from downstairs.
I looked downstairs and saw daddy and Xiaoyu sitting, drinking tea. Seeing Xiaoyu’s suit, it seemed too formal, but I had to admit that that the suit made him look even more handsome.
“It’s you?” I was stunned and asked in surprise.
“Jing’er, why are you in a daze. Come down fast, he has been waiting for you for almost four hours. ” Daddy anxiously instructed me.
I didn’t answer, but walked slowly, step by step down the spiral case before them.
“Jing’er, don’t tell me you forgot?” Xiaoyu looked at me and smiled and asked.
“I don’t remember making an appointment with you.” I answered straightforwardly.
“Yesterday, didn’t you promis to talk to me today? I would like to ask you out to eat. Can I?” Xiaoyu did not expect that I would answer like that; he paused for a second and asked hesitantly.
“I only said that I can talk to you,” I glanced at my father, “Besides, I have to accompany my father to eat!”
“No need, you guys go have fun! There’s a lot of work in the office today, and I have to go to the office now.” As Daddy finished his words, he got up and left. He really seemed to be in a hurry as he left without looking back at me and Xiaoyu. He seemed to be eager to meet someone.
“Daddy?” My voice was so soft that I could hardly it hear myself. Looking at my father leave, I silently turned towards Xiaoyu and sat down.
“Do you want to invite me for a meal or do you want to talk to me?” I held my cloak tighter around my body and asked.
“Can’t we talk while eating?” Xiaoyu replied with a smile.
“Okay. Anyway, no one is cooking for me today.” I replied and rose to leave.
“Then you?” Suddenly, Xiao pulled me back and asked, as he seemed to worry that I would run away.
“Well, I can’t go in my pajamas!” I shook off his hand and said apathetically.
“Oh, but you’re very beautiful even when wearing this dress, like an elegant princess with an extraordinary demeanor.” He also felt that his own action just now was somewhat rude as he picked up his tea cup, taking a sip and praised with a smile on his face.
“Maybe!” I let out a soft sigh and returned to my room. I didn’t need to wear the school uniform today, so I chose a buff turtleneck sweater, and went back downstairs after I was done wearing my shoes.
“Let’s go!” I said to him and walked straight to the door.
“Jing’er, you don’t look like a teenage girl. ” Xiaoyu didn’t stand up as he spoke while staring at my back.
“Is that praise or criticism?” I stopped and turned to look at his eyes.
“They are my sincere remarks.” Xiaoyu actually found the third answer in an instant. Every question had a perfect answer. With a perfect answer, the only imperfect thing of a question would not be easily found.
“I’m hungry, let’s go.” I didn’t react to his answer but only prompted him.
“Well, let’s go.” At this moment, Xiao Yu stood up and followed me out the door. We then got in his white car.
“Do you have a restaurant that you like?” He asked me in the car.
“I think you’ve already selected a place, haven’t you?” I replied.
“There’s this nice restaurant that I always go to.” Xiaoyu simply explained his decision to ease the awkwardness brought by my indifferent attitude.
“Ok. But now it’s almost three in the afternoon, I do not know that there will be any food to eat.” Since he had made preparations, why should I worry about those things. It would be fine to have food to eat.
He then only focused on handling the steering wheel and did not utter a word anymore. Yet, I actually, unexpectedly, began to take note of his appearance. He had neat, short hair, which was pitch black that flashed a green radiance, and a pair of deep and serene eyes which reminded me of my gray past. I don’t know how much time had passed, yet I only knew that there was no longer a feeling of grief in my heart, but rather a slight feeling of bitter frustration and a sense of helplessness.
My mind drifted back to the past——
“Xiaoyou, I, I like you very much,” Under the silver colored moonlight,on a bench at the edge of the forest, a shy boy was confessing to the girl seated beside him.
“So you asked me out here for this, but… “The girl was not impressed by that gentle voice of confession. She paused for a moment, stood up and continued with an apathetic tone, “But we can’t be together. ”
“Why? Why can’t we? You don’t like me?” The boy was agitated, stood up, grasped the girl’s shoulders and asked loudly.
“No, but it’s still not possible.” The girl interrupted his series of questions and answered coldly.
“Then, then why?!” The boy said, increasingly unable to control his own emotions. His voice was getting louder and louder, scaring away the bird that had slept earlier on the tree.
“Because I’m a vampire.” The girl coldly stared into the boy’s eyes. The pair of eyes were so deep and serene, like the mouth of a spring that possessed souls.
“No, no, I don’t believe that vampires exist, and even if they do, it’s not possible for them to see the sun. However, you can, you can, so it’s impossible for you to be a vampire. You’re lying to me. Say, say you are lying to me.” The boy shook the girl crazily as he yelled madly.
“Whether you believe it or not, I am a vampire.” The girl shook away the boy’s hands, and turned without looking back. She ran into the woods at the side and disappeared.
The boy stood there blankly, motionless, like a lost soul. His deep, serene, and spirited eyes turned deathly gray. In his mind, each word she said earlier felt like a knife thrusted deep into his heart. The pain felt was indescribable. This pain instantly became a rope, wrapped tightly around his neck while he didn’t resist. Perhaps he already did not have the strength to break it, or perhaps he didn’t want to break free at all, allowing the rope to wrap itself around him tighter and tighter until it became suffocating.
At this point, in his anguish, he did not notice that another shadow came from the other direction of the woods. To be more specific, that was a black long cloak. It went along with the wind and went step by step closer to him. Yet, he still stood there in a daze, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
A hand as white as snow gently caressed his neck, and he turned around abruptly, but only faced disappointment. Before his eyes was a beautiful but unfamiliar face. It wasn’t her. If it was not her, then even a more beautiful appearance wouldn’t bring his bright smile and white teeth back, or fill his deep and serene eyes with spirit. He then lowered his head, no longer facing the beautiful face. He just wanted to think of her in his mind, her lovely face, because that is what he wanted in his heart. Yet, that hand refused to let him drop his head as it lifted his chin slowly, wanting him to look directly at the beautiful face. However, his eyes had already been drained lifeless with no trace of vitality.
“A lifeless one.” The lips on that beautiful face spit out that sentence.
“If I weren’t this thirsty, I would never drink your blood.” She said to the boy as she put her lips together on his neck, biting down fiercely.
At this point, the boy’s face was shining with light of happiness, in his mind he seemed to see that lovely face moving towards him, smiling at him, saying something to him, he couldn’t hear clearly, but he just knew it was happiness. With the loss of the last hint of smile on the boy’s face, she gently put him down softly. She knew that he was already dead, and couldn’t be drank from anymore.
“I knew the taste wouldn’t be good!” She sighed and wiped the trace of blood from her lips, then turned and walked in the other direction. Perhaps, more blood could be found in that direction.
The girl ran for a while, stopped and stood in the dense woods thinking back to the scene, the shy voice said “like” her, but she gave up. Perhaps no one would be willing to speak those words again, maybe she shouldn’t have left, or act so coldly. However, she knew that she had done nothing wrong, because she clearly understood that there is a huge gap between them which was impossible to cross. Since there was no chance, so what was the point of trying?
At this moment, a shadow flashed by her side, and disappeared into the darkness ahead.
“That was!” She clearly knew what it was. In the dark, only “vampires” possessed that kind of strength.
When that word flashed through the mind, her body involuntarily dashed back. At this time her heart felt slightly bitter, a bitter pain that she has never felt before. She was worried, worried that he was hurt, worried that she would never see him, and now this nervousness for him could not be concealed. Now, all she could think of was to get back to his side as fast as possible, regardless of what would happen in the future, as long as she could see that shy smile again when he faced her, and hear him say “I like you”.
“Zhen, what’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you?” When the girl went back to the bench, he——the guy was already lying on the ground motionlessly. She picked up the guy and shouted incessantly, but when she saw the four small holes in the boy’s neck, she stopped crying. She realized that even if she shouted until her throat broke, he would never open his eyes, smile to her, and tell her that he liked her, and that he wants to be forever with her in the same place again.
The girl held the boy tightly, but the warmth of the boy’s body still body slipped away as time passed. She herself felt colder as the night darkened. With her cold hands, she stroked his short black hair——which flashed green light in the moonlight.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0008_Chapter_9_...t_the_past.txt
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Chapter 9: Discussion about the past
“We’re here.” A voice interrupted my reminiscing, and pulled me away from that faraway world. The car had stopped, and Xiaoyu was devoting his full stare towards me.
“Oh.” I responded as I opened the door and got out of the car.
“Vampire Restaurant.” I raised my head to look at the restaurant in front of me. The decorations outside the door were quite unique. The signage was a frayed, wooden board hung by two metal chains red with rut. The words “Vampire Restaurant” were written in blood red on it, appearing particularly creepy.
“Is it scaring you?” Xiaoyu asked when he saw me staring at the sign dumbly.
“No.” I said and walked into that restaurant with the weird name. Xiaoyu followed behind me.
“Miss, I’ve made a reservation. My name is Junyu.” Xiaoyu walked to the hostess stand and spoke to the pretty lady.
“Please follow me.” The lady said as she led us to the table that Xiaoyu had reserved. It was a table in a dark corner of the restaurant, extremely private. Add a few effects from lighting, and the result was that no one else could see clearly into this corner, but we could clearly see the movement of all the guests in the restaurant.
“Miss, sir, what would you like to order?” Another lady asked after pouring tea.
“Lunch.” I answered.
“Two lunches.” Xiaoyu added.
“What would you like to drink?” The lady further asked.
“Just tea will be fine.” I raised the glass of tea from the table in reference.
“Who would have thought they would still be serving at this hour!” I reflected as I took a sip of tea.
“Can you tell me more about the ‘thousand year old monster’?” Xiaoyu suddenly asked.
“She says her name is Lisa and that she’s Thai. She’s never joined any party, has never hurt anyone, and only takes blood from animals.” I delivered all I knew in one breath to spare him asking an endless stream of questions. Take it as my portion of the lunch money.
“How did you make her acquaintance?” It looked like Xiaoyu wasn’t about to let me eat lunch in peace.
“She appears every now and then to irritate me, does this count as an acquaintance?” I asked in return.
“It looks like she rather likes you.” Xiaoyu smiled after taking a sip of his red tea.
“I don’t like girls.” I also took a sip of tea.
“Your cold humor is quite appealing sometimes.” Xiaoyu played with the golden teacup in his hand. In the darkness, his deep eyes appeared to have an even greater depth to them, and was even more mesmerizing.
“Is this a compliment suitable for a 17 year old girl?” I asked in my accustomed cold voice.
“I’ve long said that you don’t seem like a 17 year old girl.” Xiaoyu argued.
“Being unlike something, and not being something, is more than a single word’s difference.” I continued to stare closely at his eyes, those eyes with such a depth to them. I had to admit that I liked eyes with that color. They were so enticing.
“Then can you tell me if being unlike a 17 year old, or not being a 17 year old, is more appropriate?” He cut straight to the chase. It was at the moment that our lunch arrived. I pretended not to have heard and quietly ate the lunch in front of me. I observed our surroundings as I ate. This was beyond an ordinary restaurant. A few tables, a few chairs, and a few unassuming customers. It wasn’t related to vampires in the slightest way. I wondered why the restaurant had been given such a name.
“Is something wrong?” Xiaoyu had possibly noticed the confusion in my heart.
“If anything’s wrong, then it’s the restaurant’s name.” I said with a very natural tone, without the customary cold feeling.
“That’s the tone most suitable for you, a girl from the season of flowers.” I had absolutely not anticipated that Xiaoyu would suddenly say something like this. I didn’t know how to respond in the heat of the moment, but we couldn’t stay silent forever.
“It looks like you’re a regular here, you should know what to order!” I diverted the conversation topic again after thinking for a while.
“If you want to know, then you’ll have to have a few drinks. Let me preface this with, you can’t have alcohol, but you can have tomato juice.” He smiled a slightly evil smirk at me.
“Why do I have to drink tomato juice? Because it’s red?” I asked discontentedly.
“You don’t like it?” He seemed to be probing for something.
“If we’re talking about juice, then I prefer orange juice.” I said coldly, but ripples slowly moved through the surface of the lake in my heart, one that had been as calm as a mirror previously.
“Then what about color?” He put down the cutlery in his hands and gazed at me severely.
“Silver.” I put a small piece of beef into my mouth and chewed slowly.
“Then I’ll treat you to orange juice later.” He suddenly became very happy with a smile that would put others at ease. Maybe it was because he had received an answer he wanted. We dined amidst that comfortable smile as if everything was peaceful, a type of calm that no one wanted to disturb for any reason whatsoever.
We were eating lunch not at lunch time. Good thing we were hidden in the dark, although perhaps “hidden” wasn’t the best word for it, but we looked a bit odd in the eyes of others. All the other guests in the restaurant were either drinking tea or coffee, or snacking on exquisite desserts. This was the thing to do at this hour, and not to relish lunch like we were doing.
We finally finished eating. For the record, he finished first, and I swallowed the last few bites under his unblinking adoration.
“Alright, I’m full and I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s go!” I dabbed at my lips with the napkin and indicated my desire to leave.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen enough. But let’s go, where to?” His original big brother image completely vanished after these words.
“I want to know why this restaurant is called by this name.” I merely sighed lightly in my heart, and replying serenely while maintaining an emotionless facade.
“Then why leave?” He appeared completely perplexed.
“Will we learn why if we just stay in this restaurant?” I stared into his eyes as I asked. I liked to look into the other’s eyes when I talked to them. Past experience has taught me to search for answers in people’s eyes, and not in their words.
“When this restaurant enters the dark world, that’s when it becomes a real restaurant for vampires.” It looked like Xiaoyu no longer wanted to continue hiding the truth.
“Will there really be vampires?” I was more interested in this.
“Perhaps! But we’re not really sure who is and who isn’t.” Xiaoyu responded as he glanced at his watch.
“Isn’t it a bit dark outside already? When will it start operating?” I was very aware that Xiaoyu had just wanted to check to see if it was the Vampire Restaurant’s operation hours yet when he’d looked at his watch.
“Not yet, it’s only 5:50 pm. It’s probably dark due to bad weather. It usually doesn’t start until 6:30 pm.” Xiaoyu said with a face full of resignation. “Perhaps we wouldn’t have to wait if you’d slept until 3 pm.”
“Then you guys are to blame for not causing enough fuss last night.” I said coldly, in the tone that I used most often.
“I think it’s because your friend Lisa was too strong.” Xiaoyu refused to back down.
“First, Lisa isn’t my friend. Second, that vampire called Bern was too weak.” I argued back.
“Oh right, you haven’t told me yet how you two met.” Xiaoyu suddenly thought of this question.
“Who!” I pretended not to know who he meant by “you two” as I took a sip of tea.
“Why, you and Lisa of course.” Xiaoyu stared closely at me without letting up for a second.
“I don’t remember either.” I didn’t wish to answer this question.
“You’re evading again.” It looked like Xiaoyu really didn’t intend to let me off the hook that easily today.
“No, just that it’s in the past and I’ve forgotten already.” I ignored him and continued to drink tea.
“Have you really forgotten, and really are unable to recall it?” Xiaoyu asked ceaselessly.
“I’ve really forgotten. Since I’ve forgotten, there’s no need to dwell on it.” I said calmly, not a trace of emotion in my tone.
“Then I have another question to ask you, is that alright?” Xiaoyu knew that there was no point in asking further and so changed the topic.
“If I haven’t forgotten.” I said coldly.
“What were you so lost in thought about in the car? I looked at you a few times and you didn’t even realize.” Xiaoyu interrogated me with his deep, deep eyes.
“….” I didn’t respond, perhaps for a second, I didn’t know how to begin.
“You’ve forgotten?” Xiaoyu asked upon seeing that I remained silent.
“No just that I don’t know where to begin.” I could not escape when faced with those deep, soulful depths.
“It’s just an interlude in my past, do you really want to hear?” I asked.
“I do, will you tell me?” Xiaoyu’s face was full of astonishment, such was the satisfaction humans received from having their curiosity satisfied.
“It’s actually quite simple. I had a friend once, he was killed by vampires the night he told me he liked me.” I knew the past was already past, and only through talking about it would I truly be able to let go. However, I didn’t wish to talk about that matter in great detail. After all, it was an unsavory and woeful memory.
“You still like him?” Instead of comforting me, Xiaoyu asked me the question I least wished to answer, because its answer touched the most fragile part of my heart. It would shatter at the slightest touch, and be in pain when shattered, a type of pain that was indescribable with words.
“I don’t know, but I didn’t admit it then, and now I can’t forget it!” I took another sip of tea and avoided Xiaoyu’s eyes.
“Because of love?” Xiaoyu seemed to have sworn an oath to never rest until he had fully gotten to the bottom of everything.
“Perhaps because of guilt. He was severely affected by me leaving him, and met a vampire in the end.” Although I knew this wasn’t my fault, I had been the only one who could save him, and so I should have saved him. He was someone I had to save, but I hadn’t. I left. I left him behind. I left behind a person who loved me deeply. I let him to face the vampire alone, face death, face the fear of never seeing me again. I was indeed filled with remorse, but wasn’t sure that a hint of love hadn’t been mixed in. In this dog eat dog society, why would you feel remorse or find it hard to forget someone if not for love!
“Why did you reject him? Did you not love him?” Why wouldn’t Xiaoyu leave that little bit of my secrets alone?
Beep beep beep! Xiaoyu’s phone suddenly rang urgently before I had a chance to respond.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0009_Chapter_10_Warmth.txt
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Chapter 10: Warmth
“Ah,” Bern sat up and shook his dizzy head, yet shaking seemed to have no effect. He started patting his own head heavily with his hands while asking, “What’s wrong with me? Where is this place?”
“A room.” The black shadow that stood on the windowsill with it’s back facing Bern answered.
“You! It’s you!” At this moment, Bern finally regained his senses. The things that had happened earlier to him flashed through his mind and he yelled in agitation.
“Who am I? Do you know? The black shadow did not turn around nor move a step. It only questioned with a laughing and mocking tone.
“A thousand year old monster,” As five words flashed across Bern’s mind, he blurted out the words. As soon as he had spoken, he realized that it was inappropriate and hastily corrected himself, “No, no. It’s senior.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Senior! A very appropriate form of address.” That black shadow turned around and approached Bern slowly, as the terrifying laughters also drew closer. The laughters crashed against his ears and affected his heart until it no longer had the lively undulation.
“Thank, thank you for saving me! Bern stammered as he stared at that shadow which was drawing closer and closer. Yet, his body began to back away involuntarily, until he hit the corner of the wall.
“So how do you plan to repay me?” Seeing that Bern had curled up in the corner, trembling slightly, the black shadow stopped and did not move any closer.
“What…what do you want?” Bern asked dumbly as he gazed into the flashing green eyes.
“You!” The terrifying voice answered.
“Want… want me…. want me for what?” Bern’s voice began to quiver. At first, he was only slightly afraid of her, but now it has totally overcome by fear. Facing a one thousand, five hundred years old vampire was something he had never experienced before. Bern was an Ancilla. In the secret party, he had obeyed the rules for more than sixty years. Although he was rather young among the blood family, he did possess considerable ability. Thus, he caught the attention of the Elders. Sometimes, he could even chat a few words with the Elders. However, among the Elders that he knew, the oldest was only one thousand years old. Yet, the one that was facing him and talking to him was five hundred years older than that oldest Elder. This is a number that he still couldn’t even imagine now. Feeling fear because of ignorance was reasonable.
“Play with me.” That sound answered, along with a long string of “Hahaha” laughter.
“Play.. play what?” Bern froze for a moment. He absolutely did not expect such a request. A one thousand, five hundred years old vampire actually wanted him to play with her. What fun is there between the two of them? He seriously couldn’t figure it out.
“I still don’t know now, but you can make some suggestions. As long as it’s fun then it will be fine.” She said with a smile. “By the way, just call me Lisa.” As she was still saying, she drew closer to Bern while stretching out her hand, seeming to be about to help him up.
“What….what do you want?” Bern totally did not comprehend her words and actions, as he screamed in shock.
“How long do you plan to stay here? From last night until now, it has been a day and a night. You aren’t bored of it, but I can’t stand it anymore.” With this, she pulled Bern up from the ground abruptly without even giving him a second of consideration.
“………………. “ Bern opened his mouth but not a sound could be uttered. He had no idea whether it was because of the fear or because there was not enough time. There he stood dumbly, staring at Lisa silently.
“What’s wrong? Am I really that terrifying?” Lisa laughed and asked. However, the laughter at this moment was no longer that terrifying. It was as if she was talking to a little kid, with a tone that seemed gentle, calm and amiable.
“No, not at all.” Bern answered. The weird thing was, now, warmth was suddenly felt in his heart. The dozen years of snow like coldness vanished into thin air along with that question. It was like returning to mommy’s embrace, feeling warm and comfy.
“Hey. Are you alright?” Seeing that Bern was stunned with no reactions, Lisa hastily asked.
“Ye…Yes” Bern lowered his head. He was grinning. It had been a long time since he had smiled. Ever since his only family——his Mom, left him, he had stopped smiling. It was not that he didn’t want to smile, but that he couldn’t smile anymore. But now, Lisa had retrieved his smile for him. She helped him retrieve warmth and the feeling of having a family.
“Then let’s go; I am thirsty.” Lisa said while pulling Bern out of that dark room. Outside was also as dark as the room, but all the darkness that they saw with their eyes was still beautiful.
Bern didn’t resist, but allowed Lisa to pull him out. He had no idea where they would be going and he didn’t want to know. He only knew that he wanted to be with Lisa. He didn’t want to leave that warmth which only family members had. Affection is a very peculiar thing. Whether it’s between humans or between vampires, as long as it exist, it will possess extremely strong power. For them now, the affection between the two of them had made Lisa not frightening anymore. Instead, Lisa had become very amiable, like a family member. Therefore, he has decided that no matter what happens, he will never leave her. He will stay by her side, play with her, laugh with her, and retrieve the things that they have lost.
And so, under that faint moonlight, the two dark shadows slowly disappeared into the dusk.
Within a very ordinary house in the city, another scene of warmness was being performed.
“The sky has darkened already. Why isn’t brother back?” In the living room, Xiaoya was worrying while eating chips.
“Maybe there’s work!” Sister Lan answered while sipping her tea.
“But isn’t today his day off?” Xiaoya asked again with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Right. He usually accompanies you home on Sunday!” Sister Lan was slightly confused too. She then took a sip of the tea again. The tea tasted a little bitter but when you were used to it, you would think it had a rather good fragrance.
“Let’s give brother a call!” Xiaoya put down the chips in her hand and grabbed the phone. Seeing that Sister Lan who sat at the side was leaning over, she placed the phone in her hand down and pressed the handsfree button.
“Hi. Hello, I am Jun Yu.” On the other side came Xiaoyu’s deep and attractive voice.
“Brother, it’s me. I am Xiaoya.” A sunny voice spoke.
“Oh. Xiaoya, it’s you. Did something happen that made you call me specially?” Xiaoyu hastily asked. Normally, Xiaoya rarely calls her brother, unless a big problem which she herself couldn’t solve happened.
“No. I just saw that you still haven’t returned home since you left this morning. Cousin and I are a little worried.” Xiaoya explained. This is family. No matter where you are, you won’t feel lonely as long as your family is there. Because you know that in some place, your family is caring about you and thinking about you.
“Oh. I see. I am alright. Just invited a friend out for food.” Xiaoyu answered with a natural tone, while warmth flowed incessantly in his heart. It was good to have family!
“Eating until now?” Sister Lan suddenly interrupted.
“It’s not easy to invite people out for food. I waited for her to wake up until two o’clock at noon. Xiaoyu sighed emotionally.
“What! Two o’clock at noon! That means you waited a few hours! What friend is this? You were willing to wait that long, don’t tell me it’s a girlfriend!” Sister Lan had watch the two siblings grew up since she was young and she had also been taking care of them. Therefore, she knew Xiaoyu’s character very well. Since young, many girls have had a crush on him, yet he was not attracted to any one of them. This time, could it really be……..
“Cousin, don’t say nonsense. I don’t have any girlfriend. However, I do have a friend that is slightly special.” Xiaoyu explained again and again.
“Alright, I‘m just kidding. I won’t disturb you two. Come home earlier this time, and tell me what special friend that is when you are back.” Although she said so, but Sister Lan didn’t really believe that it was merely a special friend!
“Okay, I got it. Goodbye then.” Xiaoyu said and turned off his phone. As Xiaoya heard the beeping sound from the other side, she could only hang up the phone.
“Cousin, I thought that brother became slightly weird since he came back yesterday.” Xiaoya picked up the bag of chips she placed down just now and started eating.
“Why?” Sister Lan questioned with a dubious face.
“Yesterday, he came back around ten pm after sending Jing home. Although I have never gone to Jing’s house before, I am very clear that it only takes a half an hour drive from my house to her house. Yet, it took brother three to four hours. Don’t you think it’s weird?” Xiaoya played with the bag of chips in her hand and elaborated like a detective peeling off the layers of confusion slowly.
“He might have stayed at Jing’er’s house for a while.” Sister Lan answered skeptically.
“I don’t think that’s possible. Jing is a person that doesn’t like to be close to people, nor a person that likes people to be close. I can hardly imagine brother being able to chat a few hours with Jing.” Xiaoya firmly believed that she knew Jing very well, since Jing was only willing to speak to her alone.
“Speaking of Jing’er, I don’t think she’s a normal girl. She has that sharp expression in her eyes that look down upon everything, and a philosopher’s peculiar view that makes one deep in thought. Also, her way of talking is noble, elegant, and apathetic, totally like a young lady who has experienced a lot.” Sister Lan recalled Jing’er’s manner and demeanor of speaking, and concluded her impression of Jing’er elaborately.
“Cousin’s eyes are sharp indeed. I also felt that Jing was slightly weird, but I just didn’t know how to describe it.” With an admiring expression, Xiaoya gestured a thumbs-up at Sister Lan with her thumb which was covered with the smell of the chips.
“Kiddo, don’t talk glibly.” Sister Lan chided while laughing.
“But what kind of person is Jing?” Xiaoya held up the jewel that gave off a blood-color glow on her neck and asked emotionally.
“How would I know. However, I think someone might know something about this.” Sister Lan said meditatively.
“Who?” Xiaoya asked in surprise.
“Xiaoyu.” Sister Lan stared into Xiaoya’s eyes, seeming to be waiting for a corresponding reply.
“My brother! How is it possible for my brother to know clearer than me!” Xiaoya just couldn’t believe it.
“I also don’t know why, but I just have this feeling. However, just wait for Xiaoyu to return and then we will know after we ask him.” With this, Sister Lan walked into the kitchen. She still had to prepare dinner!
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.” Xiaoya thought as she sat there alone. “Brother has never met Jing. Even if Brother and Jing have chatted for a few hours after he has sent her home, it would be impossible for him to understand what kind of girl Jing is. Because her words never allowed others to comprehend every meaning clearly, thus, it would be impossible to have even a hint of her past. I spoke to her the most in school, and I am the one that is the closest to her. If I don’t know, how would brother know? Cousin must have guessed wrong. When Brother returns, I must have him tell cousin that she has guessed wrong.” Xiaoya made up her mind, and ate the last few chips in her hand. She threw the empty bag of chips into the dustbin easily, and turned on the television to watch the entertainment shows. Soon, she burst out into a guffaw, “Hahaha.” The doubt just now was hurled beyond the highest heavens. Maybe this is youth; this is the carefree flower age.
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Chapter 11: Food
“Miss, are you alone?” A man fill with the flavour of gentlemen asked me. I lifted head and looked gave him a glance and noticed that he didn’t look bad. With almost perfect facial features put on his face, it was excessively impeccable even from my point of view.
“Didn’t you notice?” I coldly replied. Please don’t misunderstand; I am not attempting to flirt with him. I am really currently really alone, that was an indisputable fact. Why just to avoid some unknown trouble offend someone in front of you! Furthermore, he seemed a bit…
“Thank you!” He sat right across from me. Xiaoyu and I was sitting on a table meant for four people, but I wasn’t too worried about what Xiaoyu will do after he comes back that was his business. So I drank tea and pretended that I was alone while not uttering a single word.
“Are you waiting for it to open?” He looked at me and silently asked.
“No, I’m already inside and waiting for the other guests to tell me why this restaurant has this name.“ I said coldly.
“That’s because there are vampires here in the evening.” He said casually but it gave people a sense of doubt.
“You can tell the difference between who is and who isn’t?” I asked.
“Even without looking, I know who is and who isn’t.” He answered simply.
“How many?” In fact, I could hardly imagine a scene with a large group of vampires drinking and chatting together.
“That, I don’t know, but in a minute you can see for yourself.” He said that sincerely, not intending to joke.
“Can I ask, how can you confirm that?” I asked for his method and furthermore it was in a respectful tone. It didn’t matter if what he said earlier was a sincere offer or just making fun of me.
“In order to hide their identity, they won’t show any difference. However they will deliberately approach their favorite food, so that they could bring them back when they leave to slowly enjoy them later. “Although he used third person, he seemed like praising his own virtue with high spirit.
“Why not enjoy it here?”, I was a bit puzzled. Although secret party vampires must comply with this principle of not intervening with the real world, but in the dark they don’t have to hold back, let alone the magic party.
“The reason being; this restaurant does not allow vampires to drink blood here.” He said a little helpless.
“But vampires really abide the rule?” I was a bit puzzled.
“They are afraid not to abide.” Talking about it, he suddenly remembered to ask the waiter to a cup of red wine and continued,” the owner of this restaurant is a vampire who is 1800 years old and who fails to abide this principle will be punished. ”
“Have you seen the boss before?” I’m rarely interested in a person.
“I have, he normally comes here once every year to this restaurant. Right, today is the day. It looks like you’re lucky. Wait a moment and you will be able to see him.” He seemed to be talking about an immortal-like person with a tone of endless worship and envy.
“What a pity, it’s just a noble who is less than two thousand years old!” I was a little disappointed, it really was disappointing. My heartfelt the disappointment, it was something I also hadn’t felt for a long time. Even though it was a bit strange, I was sure it was disappointment.
“Less than two thousand years old? Ha! Ha! Ha! Even a 1000 year old vampire is very difficult to find and you are still not satisfied with a vampire who almost reached 2000 years! Could it be that you met a 2000 years of noble?” He felt as if I was from a fantasy.
“Of course.”, I couldn’t help but blurt it out in order to stop his laughter.
“Have you really seen one?” He stopped laughing and seriously asked.
“Never met one, I just meant that they must exist.” I know that I let it slip and immediately explained, “I just that, since vampires don’t die, certainly there should be some vampires that are over 2000 years old.”
“That isn’t necessarily true. Eternal life comes with eternal sorrow. Everyone could get at a point where they couldn’t endure it anymore and choose to end this suffering.” He sighed, showing a deep sadness.
“Would you?” I suddenly thought of this problem.
“Me, why do you ask me, do you think that I am a vampire?” He asked in surprise.
“Aren’t you?” I asked.
“. ” He didn’t know how to answer, so he kept silent.
“How did you find out?” After a while, he woke up from his silence and asked.
“Didn’t you just tell me that they would deliberately approach their favorite food?” I didn’t show a trace of unease and surprise.
“You mean, you’re my favorite food?” He slowly said after talking a slip.
“That, only you would know?” I sipped some tea, not intending to directly answer his question.
“If you are, what will you do next?” He smiled at me and asked.
“Against a little noble like you who only has a few hundred years, I don’t need take it seriously.” I said coldly.
“You, you are a thousand year old vampire?” He became somewhat excessively surprised that even his voice became a little distorted.
“I know a vampire who is more than a thousand and five hundred years old.” I was very calm and didn’t take our conversation nor him seriously. Frankly it wasn’t necessary to take it seriously.
“He didn’t touch you.” He was even more surprised.
“She just comes to talk to me from time to time, every annoying.” I said casually. Hearing what I said, he was so confused that he didn’t know what to say next.
“Jing’er, this is?” While we were keeping our silent, Xiaoyu came back from the outside after finished his call.
“A vampire.” I was outspoken.
“You’re really called Jing’er, your name is really fitting! And he is?” Asked the vampire while laughing.
(TL: Jing means calm and silent in Chinese.)
“A hunter.” I didn’t hide anything.
“It’s an interesting introduction! My name is Sinmo. What do I call you?” The vampire smiled and held out his right hand to Xiaoyu. It was an interesting scene seeing a vampire and a hunter introducing to each other and shaking hands, which was rarely happening.
“My name is Junyu. Hello!” Xiaoyu also stretched out his right hand the handshake portrayed that vampires and hunters were not real natural enemies. Someday, at a special time and in a special place they would no longer be natural enemies and that they could shake hands, laugh and chat.
Suddenly, I felt that in this world real natural enemies may not exist. The so-called natural enemies may be only be relative for a period of time, created by an environment.
“Jing’er, don’t crack this kind of joke in the future, you will scare people!” Xiaoyu sat down beside me after lecturing me.
“Do you think there’s temperature on his hand?” I asked coldly.
“You are not joking?” Xiaoyu experienced the residual cold on his hands and quickly asked.
“It’s true, I can prove it.” Sinmo replied for me.
“Why are you together with Jing’er? Could it be that you knew each other before?” Xiaoyu seemed to suspect something.
“If we knew each other before, then you wouldn’t have had the chance to meet me.” I stared at Sinmo’s eyes and answered.
“Why?” Xiaoyu didn’t understand.
“Because she is my favorite and the most ideal food.” Sinmo was always willing to help others by sweeping away doubts.
“You, you think with me here I would let you hurt her?” Xiaoyu tensed up and fiercely yelled at Sinmo.
“I can’t hurt her, but not because of you!” Sinmo was still calm and answered gallantly.
“Is it because of this shop?” Xiaoyu saw that he wouldn’t harm and calmed down.
“It’s because of herself.” Sinmo smiled and looked at me while saying.
“Me? Do I have such a high ability?” I interrupted them.
“In fact, I do not know exactly who you are. However, I know if human beings were called a short-lived species then you definitely are not an ordinary short-lived specie. Your eyes tell me that you don’t care about the worldly matters, including human life which made you become like us and just as powerful.” Like a psychologist, Sinmo gave a careful analysis of my personality with rights and wrongs, but only I know.
“In just a few minutes, you have done such a thorough analysis on me. Could it be that you have a natural dark gift in this aspect?” I suddenly remembered of “natural dark gift”, it was floating in the depths of my memory.
“What is the natural dark gift?” Xiaoyu, who seemed to not knowing about the meaning of this word, asked puzzled.
“So you even know about the natural dark gift. You really aren’t a simple girl. Xiaoyu. I think I’m perhaps a few hundred years older than and it should be more appropriate to call you Xiaoyu. Maybe you are too young, otherwise as a hunter how couldn’t you even know this?”Sinmo was using the tone of an older generation while talking. “Natural dark gift is an ability that each noble has, but each noble has a different kind. The moment when you become a noble, you will receive some kind of magical ability that no one can predict in advance what kind of ability you will get. There was also no other way to change it to a different kind of ability afterwards, therefore it is called a natural gift and there shouldn’t be a need to explain the word dark.”
“Why do you look like you are teaching a student?” I said what I thought.
“Jing’er, what are you talking about? Who did you call a student?” Xiaoyu asked me grumpily.
“You, are there any other person here who doesn’t know what ‘natural dark gift’ means!” I sighed.
“Alright, see it as my loss.” Xiaoyu was powerless against me and could only agree with me. “However, Jing’er how were you able to find a vampire when it is your first time here. I have been coming here for so long and I had never seen one.”Xiaoyu said in doubt.
“That you have to ask your teacher. It was him who found me.” I gave him a clear hint.
“That’s right, I was looking for her but I didn’t tell her that I was a noble!” Sinmo pushed the ball towards me and it seemed like I couldn’t escape anymore.
“True, he gave me too many details about him being a noble. Except a noble who else would know so much in such details?” I made a resigned look.
“How can you be sure that everything I said was true? Could be that you were also a noble?” Sinmo asked sharply.
“No, Jing’er can’t be a noble.”, Xiaoyu was even more nervous than me.
“Why?” Sinmo took advantage of the opportunity to ask.
“She has a home, classmates and most importantly she can bathe in the sun.” Xiaoyu replied full of certainty.
“Can she really bath in the sun?” Sinmo wasn’t willing to believe.
“I can assure you that we came here at noon. She was covered in brilliant sunlight while walking into the restaurant.” Xiaoyu convinced himself about everything he saw.
“Perhaps she is a vampire living under the sun! Ha! Ha! Ha! I am joking.” Sinmo said with a smile. Maybe he was joking, but I felt my heart twitch.
“There are vampires who are living under the sun. For example those corrupt officials and those who don’t work to hold all the wealth.” Xiao Yu proposed a new point of view.
“Jing’er is not that kind of person.” Xiaoyu went on to explain.
“Of course, Jing’er is a bit unusual; perhaps the better term would be a little extraordinary.” Sinmo said to himself, but his voice was loud enough for people like us who were present to hear.
“It’s just because your experiences were too meagre, too common. That’s why you would describe me like that.” I actually felt a little ashamed after listening to their words of praise. Maybe I have a past that was too long with too many painful memories. Some people say that the more you experience, the more you learn. However, who could tell that while you learn those things you might meanwhile lose others. Moreover, the way you lose them was extremely cruel.
“What did you mean?” It seemed that Sinmo heard a deeper meaning and quickly asked.
“The isn’t any other meaning, she was just casually talking about it.” Xiaoyu actually replied for me.
“You are not her, how can you know?” Sinmo countered.
“Of course I know, Jing’er is like my sister.” Xiaoyu argued.
“Is it just a sister? That’s great.” Sinmo’s mood suddenly reversed and cheered up.
“How is that relevant to you?” Xiaoyu hated to see him that cheerful.
“Of course it is! As long as she is not your girlfriend, I would still have the opportunity to make her my girlfriend!” Sinmo always manage to stun others.
“I am not suitable for you both.” I said sincerely.
“Why?” Both of them actually cried together.
“Why are there so many whys in this world!” I tried to avoid them.
“I have the feeling that we are not worthy. You are definitely not someone an ordinary person or a noble could dream off.” Sinmo can always make you feel immeasurably deep with the ordinary words.
“Sinmo, you seem to evaluate Jing’er really high!” Xiaoyu change from topic that he wanted to understand himself.
“I’ve never met a girl like her before, not even in a blood family. It was as if she could see everything clearly and everything in the world was like a passing gust of wind. She didn’t care about it at all.” Sinmo really seemed to have a natural dark gift in the psychological aspect.
“How could she be comparable to you? Weren’t you people who didn’t care about human life at all?” Xiaoyu didn’t agree with his opinion about me.
“Do you think she cares? She didn’t even care and look down on us nobles with powerful abilities. I think whether it was fear or love, there won’t be anything that would still move her heart in this world!” Sinmo always understood others as if he was talking about himself.
“Jing’er, you should at least defend yourself, right? Xiaoyu wasn’t unable to beat Sinmo and could only as the person herself for help.
“What he said was actually quite fitting for me.” I had no objections.
“Jing’er, how could you agree, his words don’t fit you at all.” Xiaoyu was not willing to believe that I was such a person.
“Not fitting doesn’t mean I am not!” I actually didn’t care at all. After so many years, what is there to hide about what kind of person I am? Furthermore, I didn’t really care. However, it looked like they both care about this and when I fully admit it; they actually didn’t know what to do anymore. Silence took over, but the noise surrounding us increased and I didn’t know when so many people arrived. It was double as much as during the day, a bunch there, a table here. Not sure what they were drinking, chatting loudly, their voices didn’t stop while laughing and bustling.
The night was getting darker and darker and the streets were shrouded in darkness.
There were two figures that weren’t fitting for the crowd around them and were running forward at a flying speed. Although I used the word ‘run’, but there was no difference in speed compared to flying. In short it was not comparable with the speed of an ordinary human.
“Where are you going?” Bern who was following behind for a long time finally could not help but ask.
“I’m hungry; of course I am going to find something to eat.” Lisa turned her head and replied.
“Isn’t there food everywhere here?” Bern looked around and saw a person’s shadow flying by. They were not flying but where travelling with the speed of flying.
“They are not my favorite food.” Lisa said very seriously.
“I understand.” Bern gently agreed with a soft cry and said nothing more. He knew very clearly that it was not strange for a 1500 year old vampire to have some strange hobby. It was already not only easy to survive a hundred years of dark nights and loneliness, let alone 1500 years? Moreover, how many people knew about their story, no matter if those stories were happy or sad eventually they required her to face it alone. After facing too many stories would change a human or a vampire. Letting her to have a more or less peculiar hobby was not really surprising.
“We are almost here, it is just in front.” Lisa interrupted Bern’s thoughts.
“Ok.” Bern agreed with another cry as if he was proving that he didn’t have any opinions and only listened to her. Exactly at that time, Lisa suddenly stopped in front and said with a happy face: “We arrived, it’s here.”
“Vampire restaurant!” Of course, when Bern raised his head he saw that there was a restaurant in front of him. He had heard that name before but had never been inside so inevitably he couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
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Chapter 12: Sacred Banquet
“Give me that table called “Sacred Banquet.” Lisa stood before the service desk and said while staring at the server.
“Really sorry, Miss.That table had been occupied by someone since afternoon. The waitress answered apologetically.
“What? How can this be… It’s already the time for the nobles to dine. You……must make that person leave today. Do you understand?” Lisa spoke with a seriousness which was rarely seen.
“Sorry, I don’t think it’s possible. They have already eaten their food but they seemed to be waiting for something. There is also a noble with them, so…….” The waitress was feeling very troubled because she originally knew Lisa and understood that she was not to be messed with. Plus, she looked rather fierce now. Indeed. There were too many maybes in everything, thus life has a meaning. Having choices is the reason to continue moving forward.
“How about we discuss this with them and have them give us the table?” Bern who was standing beside them broke this awkward pause.
“Is that alright? Miss? Lisa asked but she was still looking fixedly into the lady’s eyes.
“Alright. Give it a try!” That lady said and reluctantly led them towards that table.
“Luvian? and you?” When Lisa and the others went around some obstacles surrounding the Sacred Banquet, Lisa saw two people which she had not expected.
“Another two are here. Looks like this restaurant really has a well-deserved reputation!” I sighed without even lifting up my head.
“You guys?” While I sighed, Xiaoyu who sat beside me was also shocked.
“What ‘you guys’ ‘you guys!’” I wanted to ask why you two are together! Don’t tell me it’s a date? Ha! Ha! Ha!” Lisa exclaimed along with the string of abhorrent laughter.
“But who is he?” Lisa added when she noticed Sinmo.
“Same as you.” I said to her while looking at Sinmo.
“Hello, Lisa! I am Sinmo!” Sinmo stood up very politely and stretched out his hand to show his friendliness.
“Hello. Are we friends?” With a dubious facial expression, Lisa stretched out her hand which was wearing a long lace glove and accepted his hand.
“If we can be friends today, that will be my honor!” Sinmo’s words and actions were always very gentlemanlike.
“Dididididi……” Xiaoyu’s phone rang again.
“Excuse me!” Xiaoyu had no choice but to take this call. “Hello, I am Jun Yu.”
“What? Magic Party? Okay, I will be right there!” With this, Xiaoyu stood up and spoke with a troubled expression “Really sorry, Jing’er. I think……I think I will have to send you home.”
“It looks like someone has awaken, but I still don’t want to sleep!” I took a sip of the tea and sat there with no intention of leaving.
“But I can’t leave you here alone!” It seemed like Xiaoyu really cared about me. Yet, I really did not want to go back since I have been greatly intrigued by the owner who I have never met. Plus, I felt relaxed when I was among them because in here, in their midst, I was no longer a cheater.
“Mr Hunter, if you are busy you can leave first. As a gentleman, I will send this lady home. In this regard you do not have to worry.” Sinmo stared at Xiaoyu and said solemnly.
“I think he doesn’t trust you! Ha! Ha! Ha! Once again, Lisa had a reason to guffaw presumptuously.
“Oh. It’s me. Am I really that scary?” Sinmo asked. It could be possible that Sinmo thought of himself as a kind angel.
“There’s also me? So just relax.” Seeing Xiaoyu’s troubled appearance, Lisa took pity and uttered words of assurance.
“Then I shall leave first. Goodbye!” Xiaoyu understood clearly that he couldn’t stall anymore. “By the way give me a call when you get home. You know my house’s phone number, right? While he went two steps away, he looked back and exhorted.
“……” I remained silent. Maybe it was a silent acquiescence or maybe I was just ignoring him. Maybe I just didn’t want to show how close I was with him. Well, who knows? And Xiaoyu departed. In the end, only four of us were left. Now there were no disputes in regard to the “Sacred Banquet.” Maybe Xiaoyu was destined to leave. Talking about “destiny” many people often view it in many different ways. They viewed this word with much more meanings than it’s original meaning. They always thought “It was written in the book, and so it will happen.” However, it was because they believed in “destiny,” therefore they had to tire themselves for this “destiny.”
“There aren’t a lot of people that knows my name except friends?” After Lisa sat down, she asked the first question.
“You come every year this day, so I took a slight notice!” Sinmo answered casually.
“Oh, only the name?” Lisa inquired with a faint sneer.
“Also, you have been through fifteen centuries. Not bad, right?” Sinmo added as he tried to save his face which was more important to the humans.
“Oh, you know this too? Luvian told you?” Lisa turned and said while staring at me.
“By the way, I have been hearing about who you called Luvian but no one here has that name!” Sinmo seemed to suddenly thought about something.
“Luvian,this is your bad. Chatting with him without even telling him your name.” Lisa spoke to Luvian like a senior instructing a junior.
“Is that necessary?” I had absolutely no interest in this, so I was lazy to explain.
“What? You are called Luvian? Aren’t you called Jing’er?” Sinmo still seemed to be doubtful.
“Is that important?” I said as I felt more and more bored.
“True that. Names are just a symbol. Once years past, no one would remember anymore.” Sinmo seemed to recall some unhappy past, thus we went into silence naturally.
“Looks like you really like this table?” After a long time of silence, I suddenly looked at Lisa and questioned.
“Like? Ehm, no.” Sadness flashed past Lisa’s face as she answered.
“Hate?” I asked again.
“Also no.”
“That means you have an unforgettable past related to it?” I continued to inquire though I had already guessed it.
“Why can’t I hide anything from your eyes?” Lisa asked back with a helpless and pitiful tone.
“Stop appearing like you are being interrogated. I have no interest in listening to your disgusting past.” Although I said so but actually I was thinking differently in my mind. Because I knew clearly that sometimes the past was a secret and also a pain which exists forever.
“Many years ago, this area was a habitation for the heretics. The restaurant we are now at was their sacred altar and this table was the place they used to place the gifts for the fans. Around one thousand, five hundred years ago, a ritual was held here. It was also the last time this ritual was held and this the name of this ritual was “Sacred Banquet.” Lisa looked really sad now. This was the first time I have seen her like this
“I know a few stories regarding those heretics, but I have no idea whether it’s true or false.” Seeing that she was really sorrowful, I felt sorry for her.
“You really aren’t young! Ha! Ha! Ha! Lisa suddenly changed the topic, but her laughter still sounded slightly forceful.
“I think seventeen years old doesn’t count as old!” It seemed like someone really wasn’t worth the pity.
“But it’s impossible for a seventeen years old child to know about these.” Sinmo interrupted.
“Is it not possible for me to hear about it?” I really don’t understand that why I must find reason for every sentence I said.
“Then what did you heard?” Lisa asked.
“These heretics believed and worshiped the God of Life. They believed that blood is the source of all living beings. Every ten years, they would held a ritual and offer a sacrifice to their God of Life. If you have some imaginations, you would maybe say you can imagine what the sacrifice was.” I told some stories from the depth of my memories. Sometimes, I really think having some additional memories is quite useful. Although they wouldn’t help you get full marks in every subject or let you know what other species are exist besides the Nobles. For example,the wolverines, mummies, demons or monsters which caused disasters in movies.
“The hot drink of blood!” Sinmo exclaimed as anticipation was seen on his face.
“It’s not that simple. They needed a stainless girl that met the conditions.” Lisa added.
“Conditions? A stainless girl was not enough?” It seemed like Sinmo could be satisfied very easily.
“That’s a condition for misfit little nobles like you.” I said as I felt like laughing.
“Oh, then what conditions did they demanded?” Sinmo asked as he really couldn’t figure it out.
“For example: green eyes, a mixed blood of four countries and silver long hair. I don’t remember the rest.”
“Born during a full moon at the stroke of midnight.” Lisa added again.
“That means you dyed your hair?” I looked at her pitched-black long hair and questioned.
“Luvian, I really have to admire your imagination.” Having someone point out that she had changed her appearance slightly, Lisa was slightly unhappy. Actually, dyeing her silver hair black was unnecessary. In today’s society, there were countless people who dyed their hair into golden monkeys, red parrots, and green tortoises so people naturally became inured to the unusual.
“Did you seen the appearance of that God of Life? It was always hard for me to imagine the things that shouldn’t exist in this world.
“Are you in a hurry to get marry?” Lisa asked while looking at me evilly.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t like me as I don’t have long silver hair or green eyes? I explained.
“That means you are a mixed-blood of four countries?” Lisa was trying to catch my drift again.
“No, maybe there were no countries when you were born? Ha! Ha! Ha!” Lisa laughed. Why is she always so annoying, especially that laughter.
“As the person involved, please allow me to correct one point. Actually, I have no nationality so I wouldn’t be a mixed blood of a few countries.” I was saying some truth, some truths could not be understood by others.
“That’s not possible!” Sinmo was the first to question.
“No, that’s possible. For example, *dead people* doesn’t have nationality.” Lisa did not spend thousand years living in vain. She had even grown wiser.
“Wrong. I am still alive and was never dead.” You can know just by looking at my neck.
“Really?” Lisa was very suspicious.
“Do you want to take a look at my neck?” I spoke with a tone which clearly meant that I would hate to pull down my collar.
“Yes!” Lisa actually agreed happily as if she did not hear my feelings of disgust. However, it wouldn’t be possible as I have said it very obvious. Unless, she has been expecting this for a long time.
“Too bad I am wearing turtleneck today.” I had no choice but to say it clearly and distinctly again.
“Then when are you not wearing turtleneck?” I could see Lisa really planned to pester me.
“When I wear a dress.” Of course, I meant the thing that would fluttered once a breeze blows.
“I have more than enough time!” Lisa said something that couldn’t be more true.
“Then how did you obtained so much time?” I changed the topic back again.
“‘The God of Life’ gave it. Do you even have to ask?” When mentioning the God of Life, Lisa’s tone showed much more respect than just now.
“Looks like he was not only very handsome but also possessed an eternally young appearance!” Even the obtuse Sinmo understands.
“Looks like mentality is still proportional to age.” Lisa smiled. It was a natural smile but I felt like it was unnatural when it was placed on her face. Maybe it was because I was deeply poisoned!
“But I have never heard that girls who became sacrifices would still live. This is a little weird!” In regards to the ritual that I know, the sacrifice will die after every drop of blood was drawn. You can tell their “God of Life” was not very kind and merciful.
“A thing that is even harder to imagine: are you perhaps more attractive than the previous ones?” I added another question.
“You! Nevermind, I am not in a mood to quarrel with you today. Fine, I will tell you guys maybe it will make me famous?” Lisa held up the “red wine which she had ordered and shook it gently before her face. She then said,”At that time, my heart was broken because I knew clearly that the people that cared about my life were no longer breathing. The only thing I could do now was to wait for my own death. Therefore, I allowed them to place the delirious me on the rectangular altar. They surrounded and went circles around me with candles in their hands as they muttered some unknown words or spells. I was not able to see clearly nor hear clearly. Suddenly, they all disappeared. I am not saying they vanished into thin air but I couldn’t see them in my view. At that moment, a huge object suppressed the top of my body causing me who had difficulty in breathing to gasped for air. Next, a tremendous pain was felt on my neck and I had no knowledge of what happened next until I opened my eyes again. The images I saw could never be forgotten. No matter how long I live, it would still be impossible to forget. I was still lying on this table when I woke up, yet everything around me changed. Redness was seen on the walls, on the floor, everywhere. The more frightening things were the scattered pieces of corpses, hands, feet and horrifying heads. However, I was already unable to feel fear during that time. I sat up slowly and naturally touched my neck. It was hurt but it was no longer bleeding.
“How do you feel? This was my first try. I really didn’t expect that it actually worked.” At this moment, a voice asked.”
“Who..who are you?” Out of natural reaction, I blurted out a question.
“I should be considered as a father to you now!” At this moment, I realized that a man around thirty years old stood at my side. He was dressed in noble clothes and was glowing with health.
“My father have already been killed by them.” I had a clear mind.
“That’s your human father, but I am your noble father.” While he was still speaking, he approached me slowly.
“Noble? I am not a noble.” I knew who I was and what status I had.
“The nobles that I am talking about aren’t the kind you think. It also has many names. For example: Longevity Species, vampires, blood family, demons, monsters,etc. You have heard of it,right?” He explained to me again and again.
“You are saying I have turned into a vampire?” I touched my face and scrutinized my hands. “No, I am still me. I did not go through any transformation. It’s impossible for me to become those blood-sucking monsters.”
“Transformation? What an interesting word. How big do you want the transformation to be? The face of a demon or sharp claws?
“No?” I was still a naive and innocent little girl.
“Of course not! The only transformation is that your sharp canine teeth have grown sharper. However, this has good use.” He halted before me and stroke my head softly like how a kind father often does.
“That’s great! But do I really have to drink human blood?” That was the thing I was most afraid of. I did not want to hurt anyone, whether it’s an acquaintance or stranger, kind person or evil one. I just didn’t want more people to lose their family, friends and home.
“This? Let me ponder that. Of course not, if you can buy it with money!” Of course, during that time it was impossible to buy it anywhere.
“But I don’t want to hurt others.” I lowered my head.
“Then just drink animal blood!” He said casually as if drinking blood was a very reasonable thing.
“That means the thing that just bit my neck was a vampire. Was that you??” I asked as I remembered some broken and interrupted images.
Yes, he is a noble. Please allow me to use these two words. But it wasn’t me. That guy got injured and fled.” Not a sign of lying could be seen on his face.
“Then who is he?” To be honest, when I asked this question not a bit of hatred was felt in my heart. I only felt some unknown sense of familiarity.
“He was a guy that I liked, but he did not like me.” I could tell the “like” that he had said was very meaningful.
“Oh, then what should I do now?” I continued asking.
“Follow me! I will teach you like a real father, about eating, sleeping and entertainment.” And this was the end of the story. My new father and I formed a new and peculiar family.” Lisa sighed softly after telling her greatest secret.
“It’s very easy to tell that your father is the owner of this restaurant. From his style of work, he should be part of the secret party!” I continued speaking.
“No, it’s Magic Party.” Sinmo suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.
“That’s right. My father belongs to the Magic Party.” Lisa confirmed.
“Magic Party?” The truth of the owner as the member of the Magic Party shocked me and Bern.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0012_Chapter_13...agic_Party.txt
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Chapter 13: Magic Party
“Magic Party? You mean The Magic Party — was anyone else involved?” Xiaoyu rushed to the scene, muttering continuously along the way, “no casualties, no casualties.”
“No.” The two brothers answered in unison.
“That’s good. Did you guys destroy it?” Xiaoyu was extremely relieved by their response in the negative, but was incredulous when he saw the pile of sand on the ground.
“No, the Magic Party one did that.” Xuqing seemed to be contemplating something.
“But we really don’t understand why the Magic Party would have engaged in such blatant provocation! No matter what, this is still Secret Party territory!” Xuxing was completely perplexed.
“I think the biggest possibility was that the balance was upset.” Xuqing’s tone was exceedingly cold as he touched the gun in his hand.
“The possibility of this is great. Although the two parties have been at odds with each other for a long time, they were keeping the peace because of a balance in power. But now.” Xiaoyu had gained some knowledge from the mound of broken and dirty records which his father left behind, but he didn’t know anything beyond that. That’s why he didn’t even know what a dark gift was.
“The guys just now were really strong!” Xuqing suddenly blurted out this sentence.
“Looks like we’ve got trouble!” Xuxing sighed with emotion.
“If it’s really as we think, then not only us but all the humans, particularly this city is in danger.” Xiaoyu’s face grew heavy with concern but he was clearly aware of what was the Magic Party and what was the Secret Party. If the balance of power between the two parties was upset then all of humanity will face a disaster.
“Then should we help the Secret Party?” Xuxing asked with a smile, but it wasn’t really a smile.
“I actually hope that the Secret Party can help us!” Xiaoyu said as he walked back to the car door.
“What have you heard today?” Xuqing didn’t care about Xuxing, the former looked up coldly and asked after shoving his gun back into his pocket.
“Let’s talk in the car!” Xiaoyu wormed into the car after opening the door, closely followed by Xuqing and Xuxing.
“You went to lunch with her today?” Xuxing started interrogating as the car started to move.
“You’ve been to my place?” Xiaoyu didn’t directly answer the question.
“Yes, we went to find you around 3 pm, but Xiaoya said you took a friend out for lunch and hadn’t been back yet. It’s most likely the girl from yesterday!” It looked like Xuxing was also interested in the girl with no past.
“What did you hear?” Xuqing was uninterested in the process. He only cared about the result and that was who, or what, they had met last night.
“Yes, what did she say?” Xuxing also wanted to know but for reasons obviously different from Xuqing.
“Nothing much. She only said that Lisa wasn’t her friend and that she couldn’t remember how they met.” Xiaoyu answered as he drove. He naturally wouldn’t mention the other matters he discussed with Luvian.
“Just that?” Xuxing seemed unsatisfied.
“And that she used to have a boyfriend, but he was killed by vampires.” Xiaoyu had to “reveal” a little bit more.
“Looks like she’s seen vampires many times before, no wonder she wasn’t afraid!” Thinking back about the events of last night, an expression of dawning enlightenment appeared on Xuxing’s face.
“If a vampire hugged your neck right now, would you not be afraid?” Who knew that Xuqing would toss him a cold retort.
“I…” Xuxing could speak no more because he was clearly aware that if that was the case, he would be scared out of his mind. Even though he had seen countless blood family and killed countless vampires, what use was that? He would still be afraid, that was human nature! But she…
“Then why wasn’t she afraid?” Xuxing thought and asked again, but there was only silence in the car, because no one could answer his question. All questions have answers, but no everyone could find them.
“However, I learned a secret today. Every vampire receives an incredible power the moment they become part of the blood family. No one is able to predict beforehand what kind of power it will be and no one is able to transmute it to another power afterwards. They call it a dark gift. Every vampire has one, but each power is different.” Xiaoyu told his companions what he had just learned. This would benefit them in their future hunts, even though they didn’t currently know what use it would have.
“Oh, interesting!” Xuxing fumbled for his notebook and recorded this according to his self invented code.
“She told you this?” Xuxing suddenly lifted his head in query after a while of recording.
“No, she only mentioned it. Sinmo gave the details.” Xiaoyu said.
“Who’s Sinmo?” It was the first time that Xuqing had heard this name, and was quite curious about this person given that he knew so much.
“A vampire.” Xiaoyu seemed to be worried about something.
“Where did you go eat? …the vampire restaurant?!” Xuxing’s tone suddenly changed to one of interrogation. Xiaoyu didn’t respond but only nodded with intent.
“So there really are vampires here. But under the cover of night, they appear the same as ordinary people if they don’t take any blood. How did you know he was a vampire?” Xuqing was extremely surprised. Afterall, he himself had gone there many times, but had not met even one bloodsucking animal.
“Jing’er said he was a vampire and he admitted it. I think there can be no mistake.” Xiaoyu believed that Jing’er wouldn’t lie to him, but this faith didn’t seem to be born out of a rational reason.
“Her again. Why is there always a member of the blood family around here? The thousand year old Lisa last night and now Sinmo.” Xuxing found it harder and harder to trust her.
“Speaking of Lisa, we met her again today. Jing’er still with them right now.” Xiaoyu’s face wore unconcealed worry.
“You left her there alone?” Xuxing was more than a little shocked. He had thought that Xiaoyu cared deeply for the girl but now he’d left her alone in such a dangerous place and left!
“I… I wanted to send her home, but she wanted to sit a while longer. I had no other choice, I couldn’t…. well drag her home!” His tone was suffused with Xiaoyu’s resignation.
“Why did she stay?” Xuqing suddenly blurted out this question, helping everyone immediately realize something they hadn’t thought of before.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0013_Chapter_14_Father.txt
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Chapter 14: Father
“Why the huge reaction. He only used to be!” Lisa shouted, the desire to protect fully evident from her tone. Bern was scared almost immediately into silence and he ducked his head to observe his fingers.
“The Magic Party opening a restaurant on Secret Party territory isn’t shocking news?” I looked at Bern, he was too frightened to make a noise. “Why are you so loud, be careful of scaring your new little friend.”
“Is it possible to surprise you? I could never tell!” Lisa made a joke again. Perhaps she had noted Bern’s reaction, and so sought to lighten up the tense atmosphere caused by her sharp words.
“This only proves that you have no observation skills.” I didn’t want to negate her good intentions and so played along.
“But, a Magic Party member who opened a restaurant, that sounds a bit ridiculous!” I couldn’t hold in my laughter as I spoke, it was a feeling I hadn’t had in a long time.
“Oh! You laugh!” Lisa exclaimed in astonishment.
“I wasn’t born out of an egg, why wouldn’t I laugh.” I extremely disliked her habit of making a big deal out of nothing. It wasn’t a big deal originally, but her emphasis made it seem like I hadn’t known how to laugh before, and only through her help did I learn something that everyone underneath the sky could do.
“You can’t say I’m a making a mountain out of a molehill! I’ve never seen you smile in all the years that I’ve known you!” Lisa seemed to have been sorely aggrieved and pouted fiercely.
“Who can laugh when faced with a monster.” I didn’t pull my punches when sparring with females, not to mention she wasn’t the fragile and delicate type.
“Why are you always at odds with me? Did I kill your parents? But I don’t remember harming a single good person!” Lisa looked at me perplexed, as if recalling something. Perhaps an old person’s memory was never too good.
“Do you think you have the right to?” My tone immediately turned as frosty as snow, and my eyes were filled with hostility.
“Jing’er, what’s wrong? It was just a small joke! Why so scary, even I’m a bit frightened!” Sinmo had been sitting silently all this time, but even he was scared by my look and called out involuntarily.
“Nothing!” I responded coldly. There was actually a pain in my heart which was as frigid as winter and cut to the bone, so painful that I was unable to consider the feelings of others.
After my icy rage, even Sinmo and Lisa made no more sounds, not to mention Bern. The surroundings quieted down, as if the banter and chatter a moment ago had belonged to another world.
“Sir, the restaurant is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!”
“Ma’am, the restaurant is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!”
We sat silently as the voices of waitresses asking guests to leave surrounded us. We continued not saying a single word, or perhaps no one knew which words to use to break the silence. After all, none of them had seen me truly angry before, and it was natural that they didn’t know what to do.The unnatural thing was why the inventory check had to be conducted so early.
“Miss, the restaurant is is going to conduct our annual inventory check. May we ask you to leave? Our deepest apologies!” A waitress stood in front of me not long thereafter, asking me to leave.
“She is my friend!” Lisa spoke before I could open my mouth.
“My apologies for disturbing you.” The waitress left respectfully afterwards.
“Is he really coming?” There was no way I would thank Lisa for her “good intentions”, perhaps they weren’t any real good intentions at all.
“It’s about time, father always likes to come early.” It was the first time that Lisa had used such a respectful tone in front of me. It suddenly hit me with a stabbing pain. ‘Father’ is it? After so many years, why would my heart still be hurt by this word? Why do the wounds of the heart always start bleeding again whenever you think they’re fully healed?
“Jing’er, are you alright?” Simon asked after seeing me with a face full of concern.
“Why wouldn’t I be!” I guess my expression wasn’t looking too good then.
“As long as you’re okay. Aren’t you a bit afraid that you’ll meet a vampire even stronger than me?” Lisa started her banter again.
“What do you think?” I didn’t directly answer her question, because the answer was a foregone conclusion. The waitresses started closing the doors and shuttering the windows, as if it really was closing down. They then all left silently. The restaurant was curiously silent, as if every person and item present was just a mere illusion. The only thing I could hear was my own breathing and heartbeat. I think it was the same for them.
I looked around, suddenly thinking that the overly respectful faces were a bit comical. Who did they think they were greeting? Just an older vampire, and here they were making it seem like the manifestation of a true god. But on the other hand, perhaps the manifestation of a true god wouldn’t even see this kind of treatment! It looked like ghosts will only believe in ghosts, but why do humans believe in gods and not themselves? May this is the reason why mankind will never move out of the jurisdiction of gods!
“Luvian, what are you looking at?” Sinmo seemed to like to stare at me when he had nothing better to do.
“Seeing how many believers are in this restaurant.” I turned my head in response.
“Quite a few!” Sinmo smiled.
“Are you not” I suddenly thought of this question.
“No, but I’ve had some dealings with him.” Sinmo played with the cup in his hand.
“No wonder you knew things about Lisa.” I brought up another topic.
“Who are you, seriously?” Lisa stared at him, her eyes full of doubt.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0014_Chapter_15_Sinmo.txt
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Chapter 15: Sinmo
As all of you can see, I am a two or three hundred years old small vampire who is considered slightly handsome, a bit wealthy and with a lot of knowledge.” Sinmo answered with a grin.
“Oh. So that means if you ever have your eyes on a girl from any family, it would really count as a blessing to her!” Lisa was rarely serious, while Sinmo only smiled and stared at me without a uttering a single word.
“Why are you looking at me?” I asked sulkily.
“It looks like Luvian in our family is really a blessed person!” Lisa smiled evilly.
“Who’s part of your family!” I glared at Lisa fiercely.Yet, she didn’t seemed to care at all as she smiled even more evilly.
“You two are really close. It’s really rare for a human and a vampire to have such a good relationship.” Sinmo stared at us while he was squabbling with enjoyment.
“Well, you are wrong about this!” Lisa immediately corrected.
“Indeed. We are not on good terms!” I also declared.
“Not this. I meant our relationship isn’t even the relationship of humans and vampires.” Lisa said with a serious tone which was rarely seen.
“Aren’t you a vampire?” Sinmo asked in astonishment.
“You really grew only more handsome but not wiser. I am talking about her.” Lisa said as she looked towards me with a mysterious expression.
“Don’t tell me Jing’er is really a vampire!” Sinmo was shocked as his mouth agaped slightly, unable to be shut.
“To be honest, I am not very clear but I can guarantee you that she is definitely not a human.” Lisa actually spoke sternly again as if she was always a serious person.
“Jing’er, you………” Although I lowered my head, but I could still sense Sinmo’s eyes were staring at me directly as if the answer was now written on my face
“I think we were discussing about you just now?” Without lifting up my head, I changed the topic of this conversation. I did not want this topic to continue because even I myself did not know if I was a human or not, or what thing I was.
“Did I not talk about this just now?” Sinmo noticed my displeasure and didn’t dare to ask anymore.
“That’s too vague!” Lisa also began pestering Sinmo. Maybe she knew clearly that the questions about me couldn’t be understood in such a short time. If it was that simple, she wouldn’t have followed me for years without a clue of what was going on with me.
“He is……..” Bern who was sitting at the side suddenly spoke two words. However, when he met Sinmo’s eyes, he immediately lowered his head and no longer talked. Yet, that scene had revealed everything.
“It seems like Bern is very afraid of you!” Lisa pointed out sharply as she sighed.
“You only realize this now.. so slow.” I said with a disdainful tone.
“Do you mean you already found out what background he has?”
“Well, no. However, I noticed something unusual before you got here and Bern’s reaction had proved my doubts.” I stared at Sinmo as I spoke while casually casting a glance at Lisa.
“Oh. Did I give myself away?” Sinmo’s courteous smile always gave people a comfortable feeling.
‘It was not you, but your fellow-creatures.” I flashed a smile as I said. I have been smiling many times today, it is something that had never happened in many years. Plus,every smile was sincere.
“What do you mean by that?” Sinmo consulted mannerly.
“All the other single girls out there were surrounded by a swarm of vampires. Yet, why none of the other vampires didn’t come annoy me again when you sat opposite me. And…” I paused and continued explaining, “The moment Bern saw you, he lowered his head involuntarily and acted in/with a constrained manner. Consequently, he originally knew you and was very afraid of you. This means you are part of the secret party and your position is higher than Bern. Also……”
“Also what?” Lisa hastily asked.
“Why are you so impatient?” I flashed her a glare and continued speaking, “Also, Bern knows you but you don’t know him and no one has greeted you since you have came in, which means that you do not know the other guests. This tell me that it’s impossible for the other guests to tell Bern about you. Therefore, there is only one person that could have told him these things, that person is the restaurant owner who is the only one familiar with you. Finally, the one point that we can understand is that Sinmo has a special relationship with the owner instead of being just slightly acquainted like what Sinmo had said.” I explained everything in one breath, but I had no idea if that slow brain will be able to understand.
“I didn’t expect that, can I hide anything from you, Jing’er?” Sinmo grinned even more sophisticatedly, showing the demeanor of a gentleman.
“If that’s the case, you just have to disclose the truth. Plus, father will tell me when he comes. Is it necessary to keep this a secret?” It looks like Lisa is demanding to know it now.
“Alright! I will be friends with you two today. Actually, I don’t have a great background. I am just a Novitiate Elder in the secret party.” Sinmo’s tone sounded as if he was not taking this/his position seriously.
“Not bad. You are already a Novitiate Elder at this young age. To my knowledge, there are only one Great Elder, three Vice-Elders and ten Novitiate Elders among these parties. If the Great Elder disappears, then one of the Vice-Elders will be chosen to get promoted to Great Elder. When there is an empty spot among the Vice-Elders, it will be chosen from the Novitiate Elders. Luvian, looks like you have a very good luck! You must grasp this chance!” Lisa learned what she wanted to know and her mood immediately became happy. As a result, she started making fun of me.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0015_Chapter_16_Louyu.txt
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Chapter 16: Louyu
“The restaurant owner is here! The restaurant owner is here! Everyone, be quiet!” A sound was heard coming from an unknown place, and the hall immediately became dead silent. The originally soft voices which were discussing stopped, and all those seated stood up, including Bern. As for me, of course I wouldn’t be that respectful. Since I don’t even know what he looks like, why should I stand up and make myself suffer! Plus, I have always pursued the policy: If I could sit, I would absolutely not stand, and if I could lie down, I would absolutely not sit. Therefore, it was impossible for me to stand up and welcome him. However, there was one thing that was giving me a headache; I couldn’t see what kind of person he is when I was sitting like this! (The “Person” here refers to ordinary and also extraordinary ones.)
The lucky thing was that this restaurant owner came in from the inner door beside us. Although he was not very close to me, I could still see him very clearly.
Clothed in a black cloak, he had black short hair and a pair of black eyes. Black, a beautiful and familiar color. On the whole, he was not someone that I hated. As he passed our side, he turned and cast a smile at us, before continuing directly towards the small stage diagonally opposite us. A black grand piano was placed on the small stage, but the performer had already disappeared. When he stepped upon the stage, he turned and faced everyone, peering at the ones in the restaurant with a sharp glint in his eyes. And yet, the hall still remained silent, no sound was made.
“As usual, I am here today to simply ask whether the friends here know of, or maybe have heard of, a person named Louyu.”
“No!” “No!” Next, the answers resounded in the hall from time to time. After some time had passed, the answering voices stopped, and the hall became dead silent again.
“Could it be him!” I sighed softly.
“You know?” He uttered the two words and before I could react, my whole body was lifted up by an enormous strength, and was floating above the ‘Sacred Banquet.’ This feeling of being in the air wasn’t good but it was also not bad. It was as if my entire body had lost the force of gravity. Feeling as light as a feather, I didn’t even know where I should place my hands while Sinmo and Lisa beside me were shocked. They couldn’t even utter a word as they stared at me, who was floating in the air.
“I do not know if the one you were talking about is him.” With no facial expression, I stared straight in his eyes, showing not even a hint of fear.
“Are you really not afraid?” Instead, he thought my calmness was weird.
“What do you think?” I still appeared the way I was, but as I had adapted to the floating, I naturally felt more comfortable and talked more casually.
“A little human girl actually possessed such audacity. This is rare indeed. Alright, if you answer my questions seriously, I promise to not hurt you.” He laughed heartily, as if he was about to bestow me with something.
“What do you want to know?” At this moment, I had an extremely weird feeling in my heart. I seemed to have decided that the guy in my mind was the one that the person before me wanted to find. However, there was no rational reason as to why I thought so.
“Good. This ‘Louyu’ that you know is a guy, right?” The owner asked.
“Yes.” I answered.
“He is with a woman?” The restaurant owner inquired again
“Yes.” I replied again
“That woman must be very old, right?” The restaurant owner continued to ask.
“No, she is his wife, and she looked as young as him.” I continued to answer his questions.
“Then does he have a mother?” The restaurant owner questioned with a slightly different kind of tone.
“As far as I know, she died of a sickness soon after being abandoned by Louyu’s father.” I was still calm like I how was just now, or you could say I was trying to pretend to be calm.
“Really?” A sorrowful expression flashed across the restaurant owner’s face.
“The Louyu I know told me so.” I answered robotically, because I didn’t want any words of emotion to remind me of the past hidden deep within my mind, especially the extremely unhappy images.
“Is he a human or a vampire?” The owner pondered for a few moments and continued questioning.
“He was a human before the year 89, and he became a noble after that.” Why did I remember so clearly that it was year 89?
“How did he become a vampire?” As the owner asked more and more, he began inquiring more details.
“To save his child, he sucked the blood of a vampire.” I spoke slowly as if the words had been uttered without a second thought.
“Then how is he now?” The owner paused and continued.
“He died.” My heart suddenly convulsed in my chest and my mind went blank.
“How did he die?” The owner’s voice was no longer serene; his voice was even shaking slightly.
“He was killed.” At this moment, the pain in my heart was indescribable.
“Impossible. With his power, it’s impossible to be killed easily.” The owner’s voice was already slightly furious now.
“He was really killed” I felt extreme pain as I spoke these words and every word uttered was like an ice pick pierced into my heart.
“Who killed him?” These words seemed to be roared out with the hell’s fire within from the owner’s mouth.
“I don’t want to answer anymore!” I finally broke down and yelled loudly.
“No, you must tell me!” The restaurant owner stretched his right hand and gestured softly. I immediately flew forcefully towards him and halted before him. At such a close distance, I could sense every odor coming from his body clearly.
“You!” Suddenly, an unforgettable sense of familiarity collided with every nerve of mine.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0016_Chapter_17_Murderer.txt
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Chapter 17: Murderer
“On the night of the year ‘02, did you kill a sixteen or seventeen year old boy at Snowy Mountain Park?” I suddenly shouted at the owner furiously.
“Year ‘02?” He actually really began thinking. After a few moments, he shook his head and answered, “It’s has been such a long time that I don’t remember.”
“He has pitched-black short hair——under the moonlight, it would flash a green light. He also had a pair of deep and spirited eyes, but he might’ve looked spiritless at that moment. He should’ve been standing blankly at the small fountain beside a long bench.” I recalled every scene during that time details. Unknowingly, tears flowed down my face, yet I still spoke distinctly.
“Oh! it’s that kid. Sigh. He didn’t taste good at all.” He contemplated and sighed emotionally like he was evaluating a dish of food that he had savored.
“You…….” The anger had rendered me slightly speechless. “You took his life away, yet you are actually still so scornful! Is this the style of a magic party member?”
“Oh. You knew I was a member of the magic party? But I am no longer one.” With this, he let out a sigh. He also seemed to have lots of painful memories.
“Humph! I don’t care about the Magic Party or Secret Party at all. However, you killed him so I definitely won’t let you off! I glared at him ferociously as a murderous aura glowed in my eyes.
“Hahaha! A little human girl actually said she won’t let me off! Hahaha! This is hilarious!” He guffawed while telling the fellow creatures around him.
“What’s so funny?” His laughter made me even angrier.
“Not bad. Your courage is commendable. I admire you. Alright! If you answer two more questions, then I will be at your disposal.” His tone suddenly changed as he spoke while staring at me calmly. Within his eyes, determination could be seen clearly.
“Okay. What do you want to ask?” I said while peering into his eyes.
“Is that boy really that important to you? To the point that it made you so desperate.” This was his first question.
“He was the only person I knew during that time, the only one that I could talk to; the only one that cared about me. To me at that time, losing him changed my world into a lonely place, a place with no life and no sounds. Can you see how important he was to me?” I recalled deeply the feelings I had at that time——Loneliness, helplessness and fear, while all of my senses were lost.
“It looks like I really killed a very important person.” He lifted his head and sighed regretfully.
“The second question?” Instead, I reminded.
“Who killed Louyu?” He asked this question again.
“I don’t want to answer!” I resolutely refused to answer this question
“Don’t you want to take revenge for that boy?” He inquired suspiciously.
“I do, but I still can’t answer this question.” I still told him in a resolute tone. This was the only question that I won’t answer no matter what.
“If so, then I will use this secret to take revenge!” I pondered for a while and made the last decision.
“No, you must tell me!” he roared and choked my throat with only one hand. He was actually thinking of killing me.
“No way!” Although my throat felt very painful because of the choke, I definitely wouldn’t change what I had decided, no matter the cost.
“Are you really not afraid of death?” He glared into my eyes, like he was really going to eat me.
“You want to bite me?” I did not answer his question but asked in a scornful tone.
“If you force me!” He paused for a second and answered.
“ I didn’t expect that vampires to be forced to drink blood. Humph! Does it mean that you were also forced when you bit him?” I felt even more scornful for his reason.
“Yes. I had no choice but to suck his blood.”
He actually agreed with my words and admitted it.
“Perhaps he has answers that you desired to know but refused to tell you?” For a moment, I actually didn’t know how to react.
“Well, no. However, I was being pursued by Yama during that time and was using a huge amount of my strength. If I did not replenish myself in time, I would be in danger.” Surprisingly, he really did give a reason while everyone around nodded in agreement to his words.
“Yes. This is the way you vampires survive. You guys always hurt others just for your own good.” I detest the people that sacrificed others easily for their own sake. No matter whom you are and how strong you are, you have no right to let other people pay for your own survival.
“You will never understand our pain, so you don’t have any right to criticize whether our actions are correct not.” He was slightly angered as he rebuked.
“Correct? Yes, what is correct? If it’s correct, then you guys shouldn’t exist when there were humans in this world! I yelled out loud, yet I was shouting out in my mind, “And I shouldn’t exist!”
“Alright, since you say so, then I will make you one of us and let you know clearly the pain and struggles of a noble!” With this, he slowly pulled me closer. When my neck was almost against his mouth, everything seemed to be motionless and even the movement of air could be seen clearly
“NO!” Just when he revealed his fangs, Sinmo and Lisa yelled simultaneously; Unknowingly, they had already stood near the stage.
“Are you guys really going to oppose me just for this insolent little girl?” The owner withdrew his lethal weapon and asked harshly.
“We dare not. However, Father, she is just a little girl that knows nothing of this world, so why should you break your resolution just because of her?” Lisa persuaded slowly. Actually, she was not doing it for my sake.
“Yes! Owner, why would you take a teenage girl seriously? She only spoke without a second thought because she was too sad. Are you really going to make her a member of the blood family just because of her childish words? Isn’t this punishment too heavy?” While Sinmo was really persuading sincerely.
“It looks like you all care a lot about her. Fine. I will let her go if she answers the question. I will even promise to do one thing for her. If not…….” With this, he averted his eyes to look at me, as if he was waiting for my answer.
“No! Impossible!” I glared at him fiercely as I crushed the only chance of reconciliation. The surroundings became dead silent again. The eyes of the owner before me flashed a blood-red icy glow as he opened his mouth and moved to kiss me on my neck.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0017_Chapter_18_Bloodlust.txt
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Chapter 18: Bloodlust
“Father!” Lisa shouted. “Jing’er!”Sinmo screamed at the same time.
Blood slowly dripped down along the corner of my mouth, and a dark red thick liquid dripped on his arm. I fiercely sucked at the stream of blood, and I didn’t know how many years it had been since I had last tasted such a sweet taste. As the nectar slowly flowed through my body, each one of my cells was nourished. That kind of feeling kept awakening memories from the past that were buried a moment ago.
I remembered that on a cloudy afternoon, the usually crowded park became quiet. I was walking alone aimlessly here, as this was another lonely day after my parents had left me. Since my parents had left, I had become a frequent visitor here, because I liked the noise and the joyful laughter. Maybe because those were things that I didn’t possess in my own life.
Like I did in the past, I sat on that wooden bench next to that small fountain while observing my surroundings. Since there were not that many people around, I could only stare at a mother and her child. It was a nice young woman holding the hand of a little girl who was maybe three or four years old. That little girl had a round, chubby face and looked really cute. Perhaps my eyes stared at her too long, since they seemed to have realized that I was looking at them and turned their heads,giving me a friendly smile.
“Mama, why is that big sister watching us?” The little girl asked with an incomparably tender voice.
“Baby, it is because you are too cute!” Mama’s expression was one of incomparable affection.
“Really?”The little girl asked skeptically.
“How could mama lie?!” Mama smiled while saying. A glittering, gentle light could be seen on her face, and I could clearly feel that it was love. It was a mother sending her endless love towards her child, and it was exactly what the lonely me desired, which was why I felt so strongly about this scene.
Afterwards, they continued playing on the small slide inside the park with indescribable joy.
“Mama, I want to eat ice cream,” the little girl who was sweating profoundly from playing asked her mother.
“Alright baby, mama will go buy it for you,” the mother readily agreed, and then added: “However, don’t run around and obediently play here.”
“I understand mama. Come back quickly!” The little girl happily complied.
“Mama will be back very soon!” The mother promised, and walked in the direction of the small forest, as the ice cream shop was at the end of it.
Although the forest was not very big, it was very dense, so usually no one would go there. Generally, a place that was always empty would frequently, with no good reason at all, create an eerie feeling; hence it would get even more deserted. With such a vicious circle, it naturally would become a place forgotten by the world. What existed in such places and what happened there was no longer something that ordinary people could imagine or understand.
Although the mother was somewhat afraid of that small forest, she also wanted to quickly return to her daughter’s side, and so she took up the courage to choose this shortcut.
While walking, the mother kept turning her head to look around and joyfully smile. However, when she approached the forest, a quick shadow broke all the happiness and joy. It flew across the edge of the forest, took away the mother and disappeared in the depths of the forest without a sound.
The little girl continued playing as if her mother was with her. She ran everywhere and played without worrying about anything. Looking at her, I was reminded of my past self, and when I was about the same size as her, I also liked to play happily, just like her. I felt joy like her, and I did not know what loneliness and pain was.
“Let me go, help! Help!” In a deep place within the forest, the mother’s scream crossed each leaf and vanished in that boundless forest. It was still peaceful outside, and the daughter still happily slid down the slide, unaware of the distant screams. I could actually hear each word clearly.
“Stop screaming, no one will be able to hear you!” The shadow’s master shouted.
“Who are you? Why did you catch me!” The mother asked, frightened.
“Even if I told you who I am, it doesn’t matter, since you will be dead soon anyways,” he replied.
“No, I beg you Sir! Let me go, I have a four-year-old daughter that I must look after. I beg you.” The mother kept pleading.
“I am really sorry, but I am hungry today.” Finishing his sentence, he bit into the mother’s neck and gulped down the mother’s life. Soon, the mother was getting her life sucked away quickly and reached the brink of death, but he didn’t bother to take back his fangs.
“Relax! I will take good care of your daughter.” He smiled crookedly while her eyes grew desperate.
“No. . .” A final sound came from the body with a breath filled with death, but vanished in a single step.
“Little girl, who are you waiting for?” He asked after arriving next to the slide.
“I am waiting for mama!” The little girl replied innocently.
“Your mama is waiting for you on the other side of the forest Here, let me take you there,” he said gently. No one would have guessed that he was a murderer.
“Really?” The little girl asked out of habit.
“Of course, let’s go. We don’t want to let your mother wait too long.” While talking, he held the little girl’s hand and walked towards the forest. However, I also got up from the bench and followed them inside.
“Mama, what happened to you? Quickly wake up! I am your baby, quickly wake up!” When the little girl saw her mother lying unconscious on the ground, she started to push her while weeping and wailing. However, she knew that her mother would never wake up again.
“Stop yelling. I will send you to see your mama right now!” He said, his face ominous.
“Haven’t you eaten enough yet?” I asked as I silently followed behind them.
“I am full, so she is just a dessert.” After replying, he asked in surprise, “But wait, who are you?”
“Even if I told you who I am, it doesn’t matter since you will be dead soon anyways,” I coldly replied. Then, a dramatic scene took place. The vampire’s blood continued to flow into my body, and it was extremely delicious and unforgettable.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0018_Chapter_19_Contract.txt
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Chapter 19: Contract
I retracted my sharp, greedy teeth with some difficulty and lifted my head slowly. I tasted my lips with the tip of my tongue, looking at the owner in satisfaction. I could feel an unbridled fear emanating from his lips that had fallen open in shock, and a confusion that he had never experienced before.
“You, you, what… What are you?” He stammered.
“You have no need to know.” I answered coldly and landed softly on the stage after descending from the air. Now I was a full head shorter than him. Seeing that he had nothing more to say, I turned slowly and faced those who were beneath the stage.
“Luvian? Again?” Lisa asked dumbly, but this question seemed to be more of an emotional sigh. I ignored her and walked down slowly from the stage.
“Jing’er, your hair?” Sinmo asked and pointed at my head.
“Oh, it always seems to mysteriously grow longer.” I responded without a trace of surprise.
“That’s simply too amazing!” Sinmo sighed.
“There are even vampires in this world, what else is impossible?” I felt above it all.
“Where are you going?” The frozen owner on the stage called out when I’d reached the door.
“Home!” I answered simply.
“Why didn’t you kill me? Didn’t you want to get revenge for the child?” He could not understand why I hadn’t sucked his blood dry.
“Forget it, what good is it if you die?” Now I truly understood the meaning behind ‘two wrongs don’t make a right.’
“Then, can you tell me who killed Louyu?” His tone no longer maintained his previous composure as he faced me.
“Sorry, I don’t want to talk about it.” I answered clearly again.
“Alright, then what can I do to get you to tell me the killer’s name?” He truly didn’t know what to do.
“Let me think.” I thought carefully and said. “Become my servant. The only thing I can promise is that, one day I will tell you what happened to Louyu.” Yes, that day would only come once. When my wounds no longer hurt and I no longer fear talking about the tragic events of the past. And he would have enough time to await that day’s arrival.
“Alright! I, Liuyu, swear in the name of blood that from this day forth, you are my master, and I am your servant.” He agreed without hesitation because he knew from what had just happened that it was impossible to get me to speak using force. Apart from agreeing to my terms, he would never know who killed Louyu.
“As my servant, the rules you must follow are:
Do not ask about my past.
Do not harm a single human.
You must do as I say with no exception.
You may not appear in front of me or someone I know without my summon.”
I delivered all my demands in one breath and turned to face him, waiting for his response.
“Yes, I can do all this.” He said quietly.
“Alright, now I want to go home. Now that I’ve taken your blood, I can summon you using the blood contract.” I responded one more time and turned to leave. It was getting late, and I had never returned home so late since getting a father.
“Surely you don’t want to walk back! I have a car, let me take you back!” On the side, Sinmo suddenly spoke up.
“Okay!” I responded after some thought. Thus, SInmo and I left the Vampire Restaurant together, leaving an audience that had not recovered from its shock. We arrived at the parking lot behind the restaurant. There were many cars parked randomly within it.
“It looks like all vampires are quite rich!” I sighed with emotion.
“I’m the richest!” Sinmo grinned merrily.
“You’re not afraid of me?” I suddenly thought it a bit odd.
“Why should I be afraid of you?” Sinmo asked in return.
“I just fed off a vampire, don’t you think that’s frightening enough?” I really couldn’t completely make out Sinmo. It would seem that elder level figures were truly different.
“You’re already full, what else is there for me to fear. Not to mention, aren’t we friends? You wouldn’t attack a friend!” Sinmo listed a bunch of reasons not to fear me, but he didn’t mention the most important point, which was, in my heart, I have never really wished to harm anyone, whether it was a human or a ghost, unless he had committed an unforgivable act and I couldn’t bear it.
“Am I wrong?” Sinmo asked when he saw that I had no reaction.
“No, but you’re not correct either.” I said lightly.
“Is that so? You truly are a special person, I’ve thought so from the beginning. People often say that first impressions are the most accurate.” Sinmo talked as he drove.
“But, your hair is really strange. It grew so long within a second.” Sinmo turned his head to look at me.
“To be honest, I’m not sure why my hair grows so long.” I touched the hair that had suddenly grown so long that it brushed my ankles.
Truly! Why did it grow so long within the blink of an eye? The only thing I knew was that, whenever I loosened the silver ring, my hair would grow extremely long. But when I tightened the ring again, my hair would go back to its original shoulder length form.
I lightly recited a line and the silver ring locked onto my upper left arm again. My hair naturally returned to its normal length.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0019_Chapter_20_Father.txt
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Chapter 20: Father
“Left.”
“Right.” Silence meant keeping straight ahead. I gave simple directions to my home to Sinmo, and he followed them accordingly. It was calm trip between the two of us, with neither one of us saying anything until we neared my house.
“This place is really off the beaten path!” Sinmo expressed his opinion as he turned onto the only small path that led to my house.
“Because my house is the only one at the end of the road.” I explained.
“Looks like your family is rich too! Paving such a nice little road for convenience sake.” Sinmo laughed.
“This road was here before I moved in. This previous owner probably put it in.” I said lightly as I looked out the window. I’ve actually always liked this road, particularly the two rows of towering trees on its two sides. Their thick branches interwove in the air, as if they were embracing each other.
“Does it have a name?” Sinmo could always think of some special questions.
“Daddy named it Ancient Road.” I remembered that the first time daddy and I had walked down this path, daddy had suddenly wanted to give it a name. Daddy had said then that no matter what, people would only remember something if it had a name. Only then would the world remember it, no matter how strong the currents of time and history.
“Very appropriate!” Sinmo looked at the ancient trees and smiled at me.
“It actually has another name.” I said calmly. “The previous owner came up with it, I think it was Hidden Forest Road.”
“Oh, this name is interesting!” Sinmo kept muttering to himself after he’d responded. “Hidden road, hidden road, a road that is hidden!”
“The daddy that you mention is your adopted father, right?” Sinmo suddenly changed the topic.
“Yes, I admitted.”
“Is he human?” Sinmo kept asking.
“Yes.” I also continued to respond.
“Does he have any other family?” Sinmo asked. He seemed to be very interested in my white collar father.
“It’s just me now.” I thought back to the first time I saw him. It was a truly bizarre night. I was devastated beyond belief, but resigned and without a plan. I was out of my mind and roamed the roads for the entire night. A small car came speeding by around dawn and I was rammed to the ground because I was unable to avoid it. When I woke again, I was lying on a white hospital bed, and the driver was watching over me.
I learned later that he was an orphan, and had grown up in the orphanage because no one had adopted him. He was self taught and found a nice job when he was 28. He met a gentle girl not long after he starting working, and formed a beautiful family after a few years. But all this changed a week before that day. His wife, who was four months pregnant, died in a car accident, and a day after his wife was buried, his wife’s parents used the excuse that their daughter was no longer present to take back the house they had lived in, throwing him out.
Having salt rubbed in his wounds, he drove the little car, the only thing under his name, like a madman on that road. He wanted to drive to the end of the road, to the cliff, and just drive off of it. But his plans were ruined with my appearance. He had to take me to the hospital and he had to take care of me when I was in a coma for two days. Later on, he said that he would adopt me and that I was a gift from the heavens. He would continue living for me. I became his daughter just like that. His name was Lin Youcheng, and he changed my name to Lin Jing. Because he had no place to stay, he went with me to the ancient castle that I had bought with the 100 dollars that my parents had left me. This was also where we were currently headed.
“Thinking of the past?” Sinmo asked when he saw me emerge from my silence.
“Yes! The memories are still so clear even though it’s been two years already.” I sighed with emotion.
“Is this the ancient castle?” Sinmo suddenly pointed the clear image of my home off in the distance.
“Looks like we’ll be there soon.” I answered.
When we neared my house, I noticed that faint beams from a car’s lights came from the front yard. Its lights never cut out, and I wasn’t sure what was going on. If it it was daddy’s car, then he would’ve parked as soon as he came back, and wouldn’t have left the car running in the front with the lights on.
“So it’s you guys!” I realized it was Xiaoyu’s car when our car was parked in front of the yard. I spoke to the three standing by their car when I got out of Sinmo’s car.
“Jing’er, why did you only just get back? And you’re still with him?” Xiaoyu questioned and pointed at me like he was a big brother.
“I don’t think I need your approval for when I return home!” I sternly riposited. This was the first time that I had given him so little face.
“I didn’t mean it that way!” Xiaoyu explained with a face full of embarrassment.
“Then what did you mean? I walked in front of him.
“I was a bit worried about you, so I went to the restaurant. But it was long after hours. I was still worried so I came to your place to see if you came back safely, but we’ve waited until now. We’ve been here an hour before you returned just now.” Xiaoyu gave a detailed account.
“I see. Yes, the restaurant closed earlier than usual today. I took Jing’er for a drive after we left and have only just returned, you have my apologies for making you so worried.” Sinmo rushed to get his explanation in. Xiaoyu and co’s facial expressions became unnatural as they looked at the cheerily smiling Sinmo. I suppose hunters and the hunted will always be ill at ease with each other!
“Since you’re fine, we’ll be on our way.” Xiaoyu said and then got back into the car and prepared to leave, but Xuqing looked back with unwilling look on his face.
“Good bye!” I said lightly and watched as their red car drove off.
“I should go home as well!” Sinmo also left.
“Thank you for bringing me home!” I expressed my gratitude and watched him leave. I turned to walk through the front door. There weren’t any lights on at home, so daddy wasn’t home yet. Why is it that daddy always came home quite late these days, was work that busy?
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LNWNCentral
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0020_Chapter_21_Sister.txt
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Chapter 21: Sister
Under the moonlight, a small car flew past on the silver road, leaving a streak of white light in the air.
It eventually halted below a shabby,small two-story building. Three young men exited the car. One of them gently knocked on the door, which had weird symbols drawn on it. The door opened to reveal a person standing behind the ajar door. Under the dim lights, the only distinguishable thing about the person was that she was a girl, but her age was unknown. The three young men then entered, and the door was closed.
“Zhile, I haven’t seen you for days. Did you grow taller?” Xuxing asked while ascending the stairs, as he stretched out his hand to touch the head of the girl beside him.
“Yeah!” The girl answered happily.
“That’s great!” Xuxing laughed, and continued saying, “You must grow up quickly!”
“Why?” The girl asked perplexedly.
“If you don’t grow up any sooner, your brother Xiaoyu will be taken by someone else!” Xuxing continued laughing and even averted his head to look at Xiaoyu, who was thinking about something.
“Big Brother Xu, what nonsense are you saying?” The girl’s face turned red as she naturally lowered her head while Xiaoyu had no reaction at all.
“I am not talking nonsense. These days, your brother Xiaoyu has been chasing a girl all day and night!” Arriving on the second level, Xuxing chose a comfortable spot on the sofa and sat down, while Xuqing sat down in the corner. This was his special seat, and Xuxing had given it a funny name, ‘Throne’. As for Xiaoyu, he simply sat down wordlessly.
“What girl?” Zhile sat beside Xuxing and asked anxiously.
“Now you are anxious!” Xuxing then purposely stopped talking.
“Big Brother Xuxing, quickly tell me! I will cook delicious food for you, okay?” Zhile knew that Xuxing loved to eat the dessert that she made, and so she decided to use it to tempt him.
“Sure, but I am afraid that Xiaoyu will get mad at me if I tell you,” Xuxing said, while glancing at Xiaoyu.
“It’s alright. He seems to be pondering about something! He has always been very focused when he is thinking, so he won’t hear your words. Don’t worry.” Whether it’s interest,hobbies,or emotions,Zhile had always known Xiaoyu very well.
“Alright. Seeing that you are so pitiful, I will reveal a bit,” Xuxing said as he faced Zhile, while Zhile stretched her neck and waited.
“The girl is a classmate of Xiaoyu’s sister, and she is called Linjing now.” Xuxing talked excitedly.
“That’s it?” Zhile was very unsatisfied.
“Well, what else do you want to know?” Xuxing asked.
“How old is she and what is her character like? Also, what does she look like?” As she was asking, Zhile felt embarrassed and lowered her head.
“She seemed to be a year older than Xiaoya, so she should be seventeen years old! As for her character? She is indifferent to everything and talks contemplatively like an elder. As for her appearance, I need to think carefully about this!” Xuxing continued answering as he recalled her appearance. “She has black long hair that falls to her shoulders and a pretty face. Yet, a transparent frost always seems to enshroud her. You can say that she is cold and beautiful. One more thing; she has a noble temperament that looks down upon everything.”
“She’s that attractive?” After listening to Xuxing’s description, Zhile lowered her head even further, and no one knew what she was thinking.
“Don’t give up that quickly! She seemed to have no feelings for your brother Xiaoyu. If you behave well, we will definitely do our best to help you,”Xuxing said confidently. He even glanced at Xiaoyu after he spoke, but Xiaoyu kept wiping the silver dagger and paid no attention to him.
“Really?” Zhile instantly lifted her head with an excited expression on her face. Zhile had always been saying that she would marry Brother Xiaoyu, be his wife, and take care of him for all her life!
“Xuxing, have you said enough?” Xiaoyu suddenly shouted while looking very displeased.
“Alright, alright. I will stop, okay? I knew you would get mad.” Xuxing made a face and answered.
“Brother Xiaoyu, are you done thinking? I will go make tea for you guys.” Being tactful, Zhile left the room.
“That little girl is becoming more and more sensible. Now, she’s very different from when she arrived. At that time, she only knew how to cry.” Xuxing recalled Zhile’s appearance when she had first come. Zhile had been an orphan who had wandered in the fields by herself. When Xiaoyu found her, he took her here and gave her shelter. From that time onwards, the little girl had been saying that she would marry Xiaoyu to repay his kindness.
“She is a good girl.” Xiaoyu also agreed with Xuxing’s opinion.
“So does that mean you have some feelings for her?” Xuxing immediately seized the chance and asked.
“Don’t speak nonsense. I have always seen her as my little sister,” Xiaoyu scolded.
“You also said that you saw that Jing’er as a sister, but anyone with eyes could see that it’s not like that at all,” Xuxing expostulated.
“Alright, stop talking about it. I do admit I have a weird feeling towards Jing’er, but I am not quite sure what that feeling is,” Xiaoyu admitted.
“You have finally admitted it. However, the little girl will be sad now.” Xuxing sighed as he made this emotional remark.
“Why did we let that vampire go?” Xuqing suddenly blurted out.
“He didn’t hurt anyone, so killing him wasn’t necessary!” Xuxing was the first to answer.
“We can only kill the vampire when it is hurting someone?” Xuqing inquired puzzlingly.
“That’s right,” Xiaoyu explained. “We hunters made this agreement with the vampires.”
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0021_Chapter_22_Agreement.txt
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Chapter 22: Agreement
“Agreement? Was there really such an agreement?” Xuxing was always the one who opened his mouth first.
“There is, but it is a very ancient agreement!” Xiaoyu calmly replied.
“What kind of agreement?” Xuqing asked seriously.
“The content of this agreement is very simple, and only has a few words: Only when a vampire has hurt someone, are the hunters allowed to kill it. In return, the other vampires are not allowed to retaliate against the hunters in such a case.” Xiaoyu remembered that his father had told him about it when he was still young. However, at that time, he didn’t care about anything except playing, and that had only changed after his father was gone. When his father was dying in his bed, he pulled Xiayu, who was next to him, over and repeatedly urged over and over again, “No matter what, you absolutely mustn’t betray this agreement; otherwise you will bring a disaster upon us.” These were his father’s last words.
“Who told you that?” Xuxing took out a little book and was planning to write it down.
“My father.” Xiaoyu proudly said.
“Then, between who was this agreement?”Xuxing wanted to clarify all the details, as this was his character.
“My father didn’t talk about it, but I saw being mentioned in the notepads that my father left behind. However, it was not very detailed, and only mentioned this: the original vampires were very small in population, and although each one was very powerful, they rarely lived together. So the hunters gathered together and intended to wipe out the vampires one by one. However, in order to fight back the hunters, the vampires also started to unite and retaliate. As a result, the two sides wounded each other badly. And during that time, there was a very powerful hunter, whom was was a vampire, but also a human born king. He never killed any vampires, nor did he harm any humans, and therefore had a very good reputation on both sides. Since he didn’t want to be left without more work, he acted as a middleman and proposed a convention, which was the agreement we just talked about.” Xiaoyu clearly remembered everything that was written inside the book.
“We don’t even have the name of that guy!” said Xuxing somewhat disappointed.
“It’s already pretty good that we know about this. Perhaps, people won’t even know about this agreement after a few generations.” Xiaoyu smiled a bit helplessly.
“Rest assured, as long it’s in my book, some people will definitely know about it.” Xuxing said while waving the small book in his hand
“Can your book withstand the decay of time?!” Xiaoyu didn’t have any hope for it at all.
“Don’t look down on my book. Although this book is small, the quality is not bad at all! Each page is made of leather, and as long as I write with my specially-made carbon pen, even if it falls into water, it won’t fade even after a hundred years!” Xuxing always took good care of his precious things.
“If you throw it into the fire, let alone the words, even the book will be gone.” Xiaoyu shook his head while talking about the facts. Every book’s fate was the same – the same as the one his father left behind – in the end, they all turned into ashes in the fire.
“Xiaoyu, you don’t need to take your revenge on me! Wasn’t I only joking with your latest love fling?” Xuxing said while putting on an innocent face.
“Don’t bother with this acting.” Xiaoyu immediately interrupted Xuxing’s banter.
“Do you guys really want to comply with this agreement?” Xuqing rarely talked, but each word he said made people start thinking.
“Yes, I will.” Xiaoyu remembered his father’s serious look, and he assured , with those eyes looking down on him in his mind, that he would keep this agreement.
“I think this agreement makes sense, so I will also comply with it.” Xuxing also decided.
“However, I am not sure if I should follow this agreement. After all, this agreement was not made by me and them, so I don’t need to comply.” Xuqing’s face was full of killing intent. Even though he usually had the appearance of a killer, whenever someone mentioned vampires, his murderous intent instantly doubled and began to overflow.
“Although I don’t have the authority to request you to do so, as your best friend and companion, I must remind you that it is better to comply with this agreement. Just before my father’s death, he said that the people who doesn’t follow this agreement with only bring disaster upon themselves.”Xiaoyu looked at Xuqing with a serious face.
“It’s better if you comply with it anyway, since following this agreement won’t do us any harm.” Xuxing’s thinking was very rational.
“Really?” Xuqing said softly and didn’t say anything afterwards, while he continued cleaning his short sword.
“What is it that we must agree to?” Zhile come from downstairs while carrying a pot of tea.
“Nothing, this is not related to you.” Xuxing answered.
“Ah yes, this only concerns us. You don’t have to worry about it.” Xiaoyu also agreed. It was obvious that they didn’t want to involve this cute poor girl with these dangerous things. They all knew very well that being a huntress wasn’t a good fate.
“Oh, then I won’t ask.” Zhile obediently pour out the tea for everyone.
“However, there is a thing that has always bothered me.” Xuxing said after taking a sip.
“What?” Xiaoyu asked. Normally the questioning and answering was only between the two of them, and Xuqing would rarely join in. Zhile normally stood obediently beside them, pouring them tea, and quietly listening to them. She rarely expressed her own opinion.
“What did the investigation find out about what happened to that girl before?” Xuxing asked.
“The only thing I know is that she had a pitiful past.” Xiaoyu sadly replied.
“It it that girl called Jing’er?” Zhile suddenly asked.
“Yes, there were always some vampires near her, but they never harmed her. It was very strange!” Xuxing said.
“Could she also be a vampire?!” Zhile shouted out.
“No, Jing’er is definitely not a vampire.” Xiaoyu also shouted. Everyone who was drinking next to him was scared by this suddenness and didn’t know how to reply.
“I’m sorry.” After Xiaoyu apologized, he continued, “however, although his parents’ death were related to the vampires, her boyfriend was also killed by a vampire. Having vampires appearing close to her wasn’t her fault. She is already very pitiful, and now you actually claim that she herself iss a vampire. This is too unjust towards her. Alright, let’s stop here for today. I have to go home or Xiaoya will be worried!” After talking, Xiaoyu went downstairs to go home.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0022_Chapter_23...Loneliness.txt
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Chapter 23: Loneliness
I pushed open the door and walked into the living room. It was pitch-black inside, and dead silent. A familiar feeling came over me, but I couldn’t contemplate what the feeling was as I stretched my hand to turn on the large chandelier in the living room. Everything became bright. At that moment, my first realization was that Daddy really hadn’t returned!
After today, I knew so many things. For a moment, it gave me an extremely tired feeling. Hence, I didn’t stay in the living room. Dragging my weary body and soul, I walked up the stairs and decided to get a good rest. I went to my own room and took out a pair of pajamas as I headed into the bathroom. Some people said that water possessed the most spirituality, therefore placing my body into the water would be the best way to rest.
When I lay in the water, I thought I would feel extremely comfortable, almost like I would’ve in the past, but it was different today. The sound of the water flowing on my skin was so clear that I was unable to relax and get a good rest. And so, I could only wash myself and got out of the water. The moment I stood before the mirror, the two circles on my left arm flashed a brilliant radiance. I put on my pajamas and helplessly walked out of the bathroom. What should I do now? I pondered as I laid on the bed. Sleep? However, Daddy hadn’t returned and I felt very worried. This way, I absolutely couldn’t fall asleep. Nevermind. I’ll just wander around upstairs, or go downstairs and sit in the living room. Maybe Daddy will be back later, so it wouldn’t be too late if I sleep when he returns. I made up my mind; I then wore the white cloak that was placed on my bed this morning and headed out of the room. Everything in the ancient castle was eerily silent as the soft sounds of my footsteps resounded continually in the living room.
I went around the winding corridor on the second floor, and slowly walked step-by-step past each room and door. Yet, I had no urge to push open the door to head into the room. I simply allowed them to pass by me. Maybe I was scared, because each door was connected to another world. The moment you opened it, you would have no choice but to face every possibility, whether it’s good or bad, whether it was familiar or not, while the thing I feared the most was——loneliness.
And when I stepped into the living just now, the feeling that washed over me was loneliness. The loneliness which I hadn’t felt for two years. Today, I suddenly felt the sentiment of being by myself again. As I was thinking, I found myself at the door of the room that belonged to my parents in the past. A layer of thick cobwebs was on the door, but it still gave me a sense of familiarity. Although it wasn’t locked, I couldn’t muster courage to open it. In my mind, I recalled distinctly everything inside the room. Everything was the same as it used to be; a bed, two tables and a few chairs. All these things must be covered by dust. However, I was still afraid of seeing this shocking feeling with my own eyes. Therefore, I averted and dashed downstairs. This was escaping!
After I went downstairs, I went to the kitchen to make a cup of red tea, and sat down on the sofa in the living room. The feeling of tasting tea alone would never be better than with two people drinking it together. I took a sip of the tea and my casual sight suddenly stopped on a low cabinet beside the sofa. I’m not quite sure how many years this low cabinet has been placed here. I only knew that a checkerboard and some pieces were placed on top of the low cabinet a very long time ago. They were the battlefield used for me and my daddy in the past to compete with each other when we were bored, while the daddy now would put some newspapers on top of the low cabinet. Yet, nothing is on the low cabinet now. I don’t know if the cabinet is feeling lonely and is afraid of loneliness like me.
I’m being so weird today. When do I feel lonely with everything that I see. The me in the past would never pay attention to these things. In the past, I would return to my room to do homework after I came home from school, and eat dinner with daddy when it was dinner time. After dinner, I would help daddy wash the dishes and wipe the tables. After everything was done, I would sit here with daddy, and enjoy tea and chat with him, or I might read the newspaper. However, why is it just me alone today? Why isn’t daddy back?
I moved my eyes away, refusing to look at that cabinet which seems to make people feel lonely. However, I then accidentally saw the corner of the wall opposite me. That was the place that I was the most familiar of, because I stayed there for one thousand days, and one thousand nights.
I remember the time when my parents just passed away, I was alone. Me, who never went outside, felt even more afraid of leaving the castle. I was afraid of everything outside that door, regardless of whether it was harmful or not. Plus, I didn’t know anyone at that time, therefore I would have no place to go even if I went out of the door. Thus, I felt afraid and curled up in that corner. Because only when my back leaned upon that icy cold wall, did I feel like I had something to depend on. That icy feeling was still so clear, once I tried to recall it. That corner seemed to be summoning me. As I kept staring at it, the urge to curl up in that corner grew stronger. I took a sip of my tea and calmed myself. However, I still stood up and walked to that corner.
I hugged my knees, curled up, and leaned against the corner as I lay down. Closing my eyes quietly, my back felt the coldness which came from the wall. This must be the temperature of loneliness -The temperature was as cold as the icy snow!
Now I felt it distinctly again; loneliness was a very weird feeling.
When you couldn’t hear a sound from the surrounding, the thing you felt was loneliness.
When there were noises around you, but the noises had nothing to do with you, the thing you felt was also loneliness.
Anyway, I really don’t like this feeling.
Daddy! Why aren’t you back? Why did you leave me here by myself, so alone and afraid?
As I lay there, I asked myself these questions in my heart again and again, but none of the voices could answer my questions. I could only lay down quietly at the corner of the wall as I waited for someone to answer, for daddy to return, for someone to pull me up from the cold corner and for someone to drive away the loneliness and fear from my life. But would someone really do it? Would someone really know that there’s me, a pitiful person, who was waiting?
No, never. Since the past, a long time ago until now, I was still lying here. Does that mean the icy cold corner is the place I should be at?
No, no way. Mommy said, “You are still too young. There will be happy times in the future, therefore you just have to wait silently for the arrival of that day.”
Mommy, did you hear? I am waiting. I have always been waiting. Because I promised you, therefore I will keep my promise. I will keep waiting until my happiness arrives.
However my body is so cold now, really, very cold, while my surroundings are so quiet. There is no one and no sound.
My consciousness gradually became blurry. I don’t know how much time has passed, or whether I’m awake or asleep. Everything seems to have stopped, as I just don’t feel anything anymore.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0023_Chapter_24...mth_Part_I.txt
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Chapter 24: Warmth (Part I)
“Mommy, you’re home!” I raised my head and saw that mom had come home from work.
“Yes indeed, did you guys have fun today?” Mommy asked with a smile.
“Daddy cheated, he always eats my pieces without me knowing!” I pouted and complained.
“Oh, so daddy always wins at Chinese chess!” Mommy smiled.
“ Where is daddy now?”
“Daddy is writing stuff in the room!” I said with a face full of childishness and kept moving the pieces. I kept thinking, why was daddy’s pieces always a step ahead of minet?
“Come Luvian, give this bottle of blood to daddy. Daddy must be thirsty.” Mommy brought out a thermos from her bag and handed it over.
“Okay!” I grabbed the bottle and rushed upstairs.
“Daddy! Daddy! Hurry and drink, mommy brought blood back.” I yelled as I barrelled through the door of my parents’ room.
“Come, baby.” Daddy turned around and grabbed me in a hug, putting me on his legs. I smiled as I handed the bottle over, looking into daddy’s eyes. His black eyes were filled with fatherly love. That kind of love had a color to it — the color of night. Therefore I liked night, the colors of the night, and the love that accompanied nightfall.
“Thank you baby.” Daddy smiled as he raised the bottle in his hand and started drinking.
Watching daddy drink blood reminded me of that night half a year ago. The night was just as dark, with an occasional startled bird in flight disturbing the peace it should’ve had.
“Luvian, we’re home.” I was too lazy to walk and had hitched a ride on daddy’s back. He pushed open the garden gate.
“You lazy bug, come on down! Daddy must be tired!” Mommy said with a laugh behind me.
“No, I’m not tired. How could I be tired with our baby on my back!” Daddy said hurriedly. And just like that, our family of three walked in talking and laughing. I didn’t come down from daddy’s back until we reached the main hall, and went to do the homework that teacher had assigned today.
“Dear, I’m going to make dinner. Rest for a bit and we’ll have a big meal later to celebrate our baby jumping into third grade.” Mommy said as she carried a large bag of vegetables into the kitchen.
“I’ll wait for dinner then.” Daddy followed me up the stairs, as if he was going to rest for a little while in the room.
Everything was so natural, so harmonious and warm. We were the most perfect and happiest family in anyone’s eyes.
“Ah! Let go of me! Who are you? Let go of me, you’re hurting me! Daddy! Mommy!” The sudden ambush that hit me as I walked through my room door made me scream involuntarily. I only remember struggling fiercely, and the unending pain that followed. It was that pair of hands that brought me endless pain and drew back the curtains of my tragic fate.
The first person to appear in front of me after hearing my screams was daddy. When daddy saw the person holding me, the fear on his face was as if he had seen an alien. That was the only simile I could think of in that moment. But daddy quickly overcame his shock and asked, “Who are you? What do you want? Release my baby.”
To be honest, that was the first time I’ve heard daddy speak in that kind of tone. Calm, grave, and a kind of tone that commanded the other person’s obedience like he was the commander of thousands of troops and horses.
“Who do you think you are trying to order me around? Why don’t you live to three hundred first!” It was a mocking tone. Although I couldn’t see his face, I could imagine it was an insufferably arrogant face.
“Release her. Take me instead. I think you want more right now!” Daddy still had traces of authority in his voice.
“Alright!” The person behind me had already hurtled in front of daddy before I could react. The next thing that happened greatly impacted my entire perspective on life.
The person opened his bloodthirsty mouth, revealing a pair of sharp teeth, and bit down onto daddy’s neck. But in the blink of an eye, daddy had also grabbed that arm and bitten down sharply. In that moment, not only I, but also mommy (who had appeared at some point in time) froze in our places like dummies. But we weren’t the ones who were most surprised. Rather, it was the person who had attacked us. He released my daddy’s neck in astonishment, allowing daddy to continue feeding on him.
When daddy let go of his arm, that man, or creature, had long since gone. Only daddy was left sitting on the floor, curled up in extreme agony, frightening howls emitting from his mouth. Mommy sat helplessly at the door, her face full of sorrow.
I could watch no longer. I ran up to hug daddy and cried out, “Daddy! Daddy! What’s wrong with you?” But daddy pushed me away and gave himself over to the pain. Mommy walked over to hug me and kept comforting me. I no longer remember what she said, but it was probably something that went along the lines of, “Don’t be afraid, nothing’s going to happen, everything will be fine.” Stuff like that.
It was just as mommy said, everything was “fine”. Daddy regained his vigor the very next day, and no traces of last night’s pain could be found on his face. Except that he never set foot outside the house from that day forth, and I left school after that day. I left my classmates, my teacher, the environment of a normal child. I stayed at home, like I do now, playing Chinese chess with daddy and relieving him of his boredom.
Even though it wasn’t like before, but our family now led a peaceful, quiet life and was still happy.
I wanted to lie closely in daddy’s embrace. Even though daddy didn’t give me warmth like he did before that day, I still liked to lie in his arms. It was only there that I felt safe and unalone.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/0024_Chapter_25...th_Part_II.txt
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Chapter 25: Warmth (Part II)
“Baby, what are you think about?” Daddy put the thermos in his hand down and looked at me.
“Nothing, I’m not thinking of anything!” I denied because I knew the pain from the events of that day still plagued daddy. Perhaps they would never disappear.
“Your quickly-darting eyes tell me that you haven’t spoken the truth.” Daddy lightly pinched my face.
“Alright, I’ll tell you okay?” I rubbed my cheek and said with resignation. “I was thinking about what I should do so that I can eat all of daddy’s pieces.”
“You don’t need to think about that, you can’t do it yet.” Daddy smiled.
“Why, why can’t I do it yet?” I refused to quit and kept up with the questions.
“There are many reasons, such as: you’re too young, your skill at Chinese chess isn’t there yet, you know nothing of strategy, etc.” Daddy came up with a ton of reasons in one breath, as if there really wasn’t the slightest chance of me beating him at the moment.
“I’m not young anymore! And I’ve been learning Chinese chess for six months now!” I completely disagreed with the last two points that daddy made.
“But you’ll always be daddy’s baby!” Daddy hugged me with both hands. True! Although I was eight now, but I would always be a child to daddy. And I’ve only played Chinese chess for half a year. According to daddy, this amount of time was nothing for chess players. I had merely just started.
“But daddy, what’s strategy?” I asked naively. It seemed like daddy was right, it would be a while before I could beat him!
“Strategy? This is a bit difficult to explain. It’s too complicated. You wouldn’t understand either.” Daddy found himself put in a spot.
“Then explain it in an easier way so that I can understand!” I insisted.
“The easy way to explain it is that someone already made plans in advance to achieve some goal, or some sort of means.” Daddy had to explain.
“Just like how I need to wear a pair of gloves when I pick roses?” I asked seriously.
“Wearing gloves is a means to an end. When playing chess, both sides will set some plans in motion and try their best to take the other side’s pieces in order to win. Of course, the most important thing is to take the other person’s general. This way, you win. It’s just like fighting a war – you win if you take out all of the other side’s soldiers. But if possible, kill the other side’s general first. This way, the other army will fall into disarray and you will win. You may even win faster.” Daddy taught me patiently.
“Then daddy, how should I set up my plans so that I can take your general?” I asked directly.
“Hahaha!” Daddy laughed loudly.
“Daddy stop laughing, tell me?” I pouted.
“What’s so funny?” Mommy walked into the room at this moment.
“Baby is too cute!” Daddy continued to chuckle.
“It took you this long to discover that!” Mommy walked up and reached out her hands for a hug.
“Come, baby let’s go take a bath and have dinner downstairs afterwards.” Mommy said as she brought me to the bathroom. The tub had already been filled with water. Mommy took my clothes off for me and placed me in the water. The water was warm and comfortable.
“Dear, I’m going to serve the rice first, I’ll wait for you!” Daddy shouted outside the bathroom door.
“Okay!” Mommy replied as she washed me.
“Mommy, do you know how to set up a plan so that I can take daddy’s general?” I asked as I played with the water.
“Oh? Still thinking about chess?” Mommy smiled.
“Yes, I’ve got to win. Daddy says there is no way I can beat him now.” I pouted with my small mouth.
“Is that so? Daddy thinks so little of our baby!” Mommy was ever so gentle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her lose her temper in my memories. She has always had that tender face and that tender tone.
“Mommy, don’t be so perfunctory!” To think such a profound word existed in my small mind.
“Baby even knows perfunctory! So smart!” Mommy often complimented me in such a gentle way.
“Okay, we’re done. Come on out, take the towel off and put your clothes on. Let’s go downstairs before daddy falls asleep.” Mommy said as she wiped me dry and helped me into my clothes.
Mommy was right, daddy had already served the food when we went downstairs. The plates were laid out nicely on the table, and he was nearly falling asleep on the couch nearby. I thought it was a prime opportunity and motioned for mommy to not make a sound. I crept soundlessly next to daddy, intending to scare him.
“Ah!!!” But just as I was about to scare him, he suddenly opened his eyes and pulled me into a hug, frightening a scream out of me instead.
“It’ll be a long time before baby can scare daddy!” Daddy smiled and didn’t let go.
“I hate it when daddy says that.” I complained when I calmed down.
“Alright, stop playing, there is homework to be done after dinner!” Mommy stopped our play. I hadn’t attended a day of school since that day, but mommy and daddy didn’t want me to give up on my schoolwork. They decided to establish a classroom at home. After all,daddy was a teacher to begin with, and he was placed in charge of my education.
“Alright, let’s eat first.” Daddy said as he let go of me.
“Yes, teacher!” I called daddy that sometimes since he was my chess opponent and my teacher! At the end of the day, this was a small comedy that occurred before we had dinner. This was the case everyday and we never got tired of it.
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Blood Hourglass/Blood Hourglass - Chapter 00-25/Blood-Hourglass-Chapter-00-25-[volarenovels][Dreamer2908]/Title.txt
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Blood Hourglass - 血之沙漏
Type: Chinese Novel
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Tags: Cold Female Lead, Female Protagonist, Hidden Past, Secret Identity, Strong Female Lead, Strong Male Lead, Vampires
Author: 林静 (Quiet Forest)
Description:
A blood hourglass, a powerful object capable of causing time to become eternal and even reversing the future. An enigmatic girl walked into a cryptic world. When she deciphered her own riddle, she also revealed the truth behind the three realms of the world. Blood ties,twists of fate and the paradox of choice. The only hope was to avoid giving up the present and future for the sake of yesterday. The future is surprise, tomorrow is hope.
Translations by Gravity and volaretranslations.
Ebook by dreamer2908.
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/4gth3wic.cfc.txt
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Joseph Brothers
Joseph Brothers
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – my savior! I’d offer my first born child but that would probably scare them away.
Chapter 22: The Joseph Brothers
A rush of wind carrying dirt and leaves, rushing towards the man’s face, the man reflexively raised his right hand to cover his eyes. Quickly following that, he felt a sharp pain in the left hand holding the sword, the longsword fell from his grip onto the floor.
He stared disbelievingly at his weakened arm, the arrow had pierced the gap between the armor, passing between the bones in his arm, through to the backside.
His companion had already drew his dagger, planning to toss him the sword he took from the knight. The man was about to raise the hand that was still mobile to receive the sword, but a voice stopped him.
“Put down your weapon, back up. Or else the next arrow pierces your throat.”
Matching that comment, the bushes surrounding the two men started shaking, as if to threaten.
The man sighed, nodding to his companion. The two man started to slowly back up.
Waiting until the two had backed up a ways, before the elf emerged from the trees. His arrow was still notched on the bow string, his gaze following the two closely, preparing for any suspicious movement.
But the man’s companion, who was silent before, suddenly shouted.。
“My God, Ellen! What are you doing here?”
“I don’t care who you are, reveal yourself.” The elf frowned.
The two reached out their hands to pull down the mask covering their faces. The man had a full beard, with a dignified aged look, his companion looked younger, his lively smiling face was covered in light freckles, both of them had a head of smart red hair.
They were a pair of mercenary brothers by the last name of Joseph, a warrior and a bandit, they were always together, often appearing with them was an archer, called White.
“…Thomas and Titan?” the elf was a little shocked, though he still didn’t plan to lower his weapon, “Why are you here?”
“I want to ask the same,” the older one named Thomas sighed again, “Why are you with this ra… with this person?”
“We’ve become the regular employee of the Marquis Arnold,” at that time Titan interrupted, “He said there was a Holy Knight involved with his daughter’s death, and that person would pass through here today, told us to wait, and after we get the information from him, we can just kill him
“Titan,” Thomas stopped him unhappily, “Shut up!”
“We’ve lost anyways,” Titan said with indifference, “Anyways I don’t think he would do that to the Marquis’ daughter. – Look at that body, and that face! …If I was the Marquis’ daughter, if he just smiled at me, I would have happily taken my clothes off for him to do as he pleased. Whatever the position, for however long!”
“Titan! Don’t insult the dead!” the older brother’s face was a little green.
Titan Joseph shrugged, “I wasn’t talking about her, I’m just saying what I think…”
The elf didn’t spare any time to listen to their conversation, he swiftly cut the rope around the knight, helping him up.
“Are you injured?”
“It’s no problem,” the knight shook his head, turning towards Titan, “What did you say about the Marquis’ daughter… what’s that about?”
“Then, you really don’t know?” Thomas shook his head, “According to the whispers in the Marquis’ residence, when they examined the lady’s body, they found out that she… erm, isn’t pure, and might have committed suicide.”
“That old man was sure strange,” Titan spread his hands out, interrupting, “Saying that by dying in order to protect her purity she could go to heaven, and can give her fiancé some amends, if however, she had an affair with someone and lost her virginity then she deserves to go to hell. Why do I feel that when I’m listening to him, it seems like he would rather his daughter was raped.”
“The Marquis’ daughter was more noble and pure than her father ever was,” the knight’s voice was shaking a little, “the Marquis Arnold couldn’t hold a single candle to her. – But, if that would give her a suitable funeral, then this blame, I wouldn’t mind bearing it.”
The elf reached out, gripping the knight’s hand tightly.
“Go back and tell him, that the paladin he was looking for is dead.”
The Joseph brothers seemed to relax a little.
“That’s best … by the way where is White?”
“Injured, but not fatal.” The elf nodded, “Sorry, I had to make sure he lost mobility for a bit.”
“Oh my God,” Titan suddenly let out a strange shout, “you didn’t shoot the junior right? – That guy is completely useless(1), except for the little guy, if you cripple him, I’d have to find another one.”
“No, it seemed like he was just turning around to run at that time,” the elf replied with a little embarrassment, “anyways, I had some knowledge of first aid and herbs, so let me treat that.”
He pointed to Thomas’s arm.(2)
The group returned to the place where they separated. The dwarf and siren were obediently waiting at the original spot, upon seeing them appear, they released a big sigh of relief.
“The man over there, seems to be crying the whole time…” the dwarf pointed gingerly in White’s direction.
“I threw a bag of travel rations over, but it seems like he didn’t want to eat.” The young siren added grumbling a little.(i)
The injury on White’s leg was not severe(3), but seemed to have received some deep emotional trauma, he curled up to one side after the elf had removed the arrow and applied some salve, gripping Titan’s shirt sleeve and crying.
In comparison, Thomas’s injury was much more sever, but since it was his left hand,(ii) he claimed that it didn’t affect his fighting abilities much.
The knight’s horse, having stepped into the trap, broke its front leg. After securing it with boards, it should make a full recovery, but won’t be able to travel in the short term, so it was entrusted to the Joseph brothers to take care of.(4)
After dealing with these things, the elf lifted his head, saying to the knight sitting to the side.。
“Cain, let me look at your back.”
Next to him Titan made a ‘gulping’ sound swallowing his saliva, lifting his head, staring intently at the knight.
“It’s bruised at most,” the knight saw the wolf-like gaze on him, and waved helplessly, “let’s talk about it after they’ve left.”
“You won’t lose anything by letting us look,” Titan shook his head with regret, “you’re too shy, little knight. Can I call you Cain as well? … Wait, Cain? That Cain? Iron Bucket Cain?!”
“… You’ve got the wrong person.” The knight turned away.
Titan jumped up, “No no no, it’s that voice, I should have remember this sooner. – Oh God, if I knew this was underneath the bucket…”
“Titan, we should go.” Thomas finally couldn’t take it, coming over to pull his brother away.
“Right, that…” he thought for a moment, turning back to ask, “is there anything, you can leave with us? Anything to identify you. – It makes it easier to convince the Marquis.”
“Right, a lock of hair or something,” Titan grinned, “along with a kiss would be even more…”。
The knight sighed, reaching into his shirt, to untie a string with a small cross attached.
“This is my proof of oath when I became a paladin, my name is carved on it, will it do?”
“Good, that should be enough.” Thomas nodded, taking the cross, “You won’t be back in Elvira anytime soon right? Best to wait a few months, so this won’t be discovered.”
“We won’t,” the elf replied, “thank you very much, we owe you one.”。
“Well said, well said,” Titan licked his lips, “Next time you come back to the capital, let me have a go with that little knight, then we’ll be even.”
“Titan!” Thomas practically screamed in anger, “Behave yourself!”
To one side White’s cries seemed to become louder.
Translator’s Notes
1. 怂包 – literally a flaky/lose bread I think. When used to describe someone it means they’re unmotivated, useless, cowardly, weak and all sorts of bad things😄. …wait… OMG lol is he talking about what I think he’s talking about?😄 Titan makes me laugh, he’s so flamboyantly gay that it makes translating him kinda fun.
2. You know, I just realized, Ellen basically shot through a gap in the armor AND between the two bones on the arm. Talk about a good shot!
3. Oh, it was only the leg? Lol I thought it was his…er…backside😄. But I guess he didn’t turn fully around when the arrow reached him and he got shot in the side instead. Again, Ellen, what good aim😄 I remember that you didn’t even see him when you released that arrow!
4. Generally speaking, most of time horses with broken legs (lame) are put down. Because it’s so hard to heal a leg injury on a horse, since they mostly stay standing and the injury won’t be able to rest and that means no healing. Granted, there are some cases where they are able to recover but rarely. (I was a bio-med student once upon a time lol before I switched completely to classical studies).
Editor’s Note:
(i). Food is the apparent cure for injuries and depression xD
(ii). Wasn’t it his right hand that hurt at the beginning and hence his right arm was hit?!? I corrected it, the right hand was covering the face and the left hand was pierced, apparently I can’t tell the difference between left and right T^T (Translator’s reply)
(iii) Wonder if Titan has anything to do with the size of his package, hence the namesake ( -_-)… poor Cain ( T_T)
<< Chapter Twenty One Chapter Twenty Three>>
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Holy Arrow
Holy Arrow
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – you deserve a cookie for your hard work!
Chapter 30: Holy Arrow
It was pitch black, only the lamp’s soft glow lit the path in front.
The man walked along with one step heavy and one step light (1), cursing his bad luck.
If only he had a few more days, then he would be able to leave this cursed place with his rewards. Only to have some Queen’s Officer to appear and mess up his plans at this time.
The officer himself was fine, he was just a dozy(2), what does the Queen see in him? He probably used his good looks to get his position.
The mage student was still young, still inexperienced, and even though the dwarf looks like he’s easy to fool, he’s surprisingly clever.
As for the knight… for some reason, every time that person’s eyes meets his, he would feel a shiver down his back.
–It is said that a Paladin can see through magic disguises, he hasn’t been found out has he?
He should have moved sooner. Even if there’s a chance for him to be found out, as long as he gets his hands on the black crystals everything is insignificant.
But there’s no point in regretting now, he should have done it himself if he wanted it done right ages ago.
A slope covered with thick vegetation appeared in sight. It should be around here.
The man searched the ground near his feet, very soon he found the mouth of the burrow.
Quickly he tipped out the poison bomb he had prepared earlier, throwing it into the hole.
Then the surroundings suddenly became bright, the man raised a hand to block out the light.
After his sight returned, he found himself standing in an empty field. The gnome burrow had disappeared, replaced by an empty bucket, the poisoned gas leaked out continuously, shocking him into a coughing fit.
“The night air is quite cold, Mr.Village Chief,” the green eyes of the elf official looked at him, “why, it seems that your old bones are suddenly able to tolerate it?”
The man stepped fearfully, and immediately felt something against his back.
“Careful not to hit the sword,” the knight’s voice appeared from behind, “it hasn’t been sharpened in a while, it wouldn’t be too clean when cutting through flesh.”(3)
The man could only stiffen, looking at the elf’s eyes, he walked forward a few steps.
“I was blinded by anger, please forgive me Lord Official. I felt that these gnomes should be punished, so…” he tried show an expression of indignation.
But the elf was unmoved, looking back at him without expression, “to punish them for using black crystals to trade for food?”
They knew about the black crystals. Could it be…
The man’s knees weakened, he fell to the ground kneeling.
“Lord Official… My Lord… I was just… just blinded by greed. Seeing as I have done no harm could you… please overlook this?”
“Even if you had really killed a hundred or more gnomes, it’s considered ‘having done no harm’,” the elf replied coldly, “since magical creatures aren’t protected by the law”
“I didn’t really want to kill them… what… whatever compensation you want or the black crystal vein, it’s all yours to do with… please let me go, I’ll leave immediately.”
“Why?” the elf asked calmly, “If I kill you here, those would still become mine.” (4)
The man whimpered, “No, please… have mercy… I still have some very valuable magic texts with me, if you agree to let me live… I haven’t committed any atrocities…”
“Last question. – Where have you hidden the real chief’s body?”
The man’s eyes narrowed, he raised his ‘cane’ stabbing it into the ground, in a moment he was already ten yards away. Then he waved his hand, a wave of fire as tall as a person rushed towards the elf.
The knight rushed forward to block the attack, in that moment of distraction, the man quickly cast two to three speed magic on himself, immediately running in the direction of the dense forest.
The sound of an arrow cutting the air came from behind him, the man waved his hand again, and a Chaos Shield spell surrounded him. The arrow shifted away from its original target, curving away along the shield.
The man laughed coldly in his mind.
Before the Chaos Shield disappears, all physical attacks are negated. By the time the shield disappears, he would be out of the range of the bow.
“Cain!” the elf had already nocked the second arrow through, calling the knight’s name.
Understanding his meaning, the knight touched his shoulder, a faint light flowed down the elf’s fingers gathering onto the arrow before it was released.
Hearing the sound of the second arrow, it felt weak and powerless.
The man had trouble holding back his laughter.
–What beautiful double strafe(5), but what is the use, even if he could shoot out a hundred arrows in a moment it would still be pointless.
Further away, the sound of the third arrow reached him.
The man finally laughed mockingly.
Outperforming yourself, elf, too bad –
Too bad—
Too bad what?
His brain stopped thinking without permission. His legs were still moving forward like a machine, but it had already lost its direction.
His breathing became difficult, something hot and wet seeped into the fabric of his shirt.
The man’s eyes widened, wanting to cry out, but he could only release a short sound.
The man fell.
The third arrow pierced the back of his neck, completely passing through his throat.
“Let’s go, take a look.” The elf said calmly, putting down his bow..
“Julian, let’s go.” The siren appeared from his hidden position, pulling on the dazed dwarf.
“That’s… a real fight?” the dwarf stood up, his body wavering, “God… that was way too cool.”
“That could only be considered a real escape.” The knight grinned, “The type that almost succeeded.”
“Teleportation, then a Fireball?” the dwarf scratched his head, “I couldn’t see the ones after too clearly, probably a Speed and Flotation spell, all without incantation, that’s…”
“Hey hey, when you said cool, you meant the opponent?” the knight interrupted, a little disgruntled.
“That’s Julian’s field of expertise,” the elf took over the conversation, “if you want to hear praise then leave it to me? Hmm… since I don’t really understand a Paladin’s powers, I could only rely on you to break through the mage’s protections. – It worked out perfectly in the end, you are indeed worthy of being my knight.”
“The ‘Holy Grip’(6). This is the first time I’ve tried to use it on other weapons,” the knight squinted, “by the way, that was also the first time I’ve seen a triple strife on a moving target, very beautifully done.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, ‘My Knight’,” the siren turned his back, saying low enough that only he could hear(6), “only touching the shoulder is being too careful, feel up some other places too occasionally …”
“Shelly? Don’t look if you’re scared.” The elf had already reached the fallen man’s side, looking back to see that the siren had turned around, he immediately asked concernedly.
“Don’t worry,” the siren shook his head replying, “Whether it’s illusions or bodies, I’ve seen a lot.”
Hearing this, the dwarf was the one that reacted, his face became white.
“Julian as well,” the elf knelt down, confirming the man’s death, “move further away, so you won’t smell the blood.”
“No…. don-don’t worry Mr.Ellen,” the dwarf said gritting his teeth, “thi-this-this type of thing, we will encounter it a lot in the future, I should learn to get used… urg…”
After taking a look at the body, he finally couldn’t hold back, running to the side and started vomiting.
The knight sighed, going over to pat his back, casting a calming spell on him at the same time.
“Sorry, Mr.Frank.” the dwarf said coughing, “I’m too weak.”
“That’s not a show of weakness,” the knight replied, “no one likes to see dead bodies.”
“Does Mr.Frank also feel bad…”
“If I could face this sort of scene without emotion, then I would start questioning my own conscious.” The knight shook his head, “To take a life is truly a cruel thing, but sometimes it must be done. I hope you understand.”
“I do,” the dwarf lifted his sleeve, wiping the corner of his mouth(8), “… ‘God asks us to love all people, but that’s not possible. Because to impose false kindness on enemies, is to hurt your own allies; to flood the perpetrator with sympathy, is the cruelest thing to do to the victim.’ ”
“Although that’s a little disrespectful,” the knight said a little astonished, “but that’s a really unusual declaration. Did you think of that yourself?”
“Something Mr.Todd wrote in his journal,” the dwarf stood up supporting himself, “in the Legendary Era, the ‘Unicorn Legion’s’ –“
His eyes suddenly widened, “elven archer with the record of triple strife without miss – ‘The Most Dazzling Morning Star’ Dawntracker said it…”
“Mr.Ellen… Mr.Ellen · Dawntracker.”
Translator’s Notes:
深一脚浅一脚 – kinda like limping? But not exactly?
和稀泥一把好手 – I think it means something along the lines of ‘easy to fool’, ‘half-hearted person’ etc?
That’s kind of disturbing Cain… and blunt sword through flesh…yuck?
Oh my, a cold-blooded Ellen😄 I kinda like it
二连矢 – Double Strife is apparently the name of a technique in Ragnarok Online (MMORPG) where two bolts/arrows are shot at the same target (yay trivia?)
神圣之握 – ‘Holy Grip’ is a horrible name lol I’m sorry… the other choices: Holy Hold or Holy Grasp or any other similar words are equally horrible😄
I think Shelly was talking to himself there, so Cain didn’t hear the comment? But that would have been interesting😄
Ew Julian! Make sure to change out of that shirt immediately when you get back!!
<< Chapter Twenty Nine Chapter Thirty One >>
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Extra Luggage
Extra Luggage
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – I give up, you can all just deal with my typos and bad grammar😄
Chapter 19: Extra Luggage
The Morning of the second day, Mr.Mageless leading three of his workers, appeared at the door of the ‘Mercenary’s Home’ just as promised.
“Thank you for your patronage, we wish you a safe journey, viscount! It is an honor to have a client such as you, please you must come back again.”
When he saw the elf, he spoke a string of well wishes, before jumping aboard the carriage, starting to instruct his workers to unload the goods, securing them on the back of the horse.(1) A moment later, of the three grown horses, the back of one already had a small mountain of items piled on top, but there were still several more items being taken from the carriage. Even without the three packaging boxes, the remaining things would definitely exceed the weight this horse could carry.
The knight frowned, just when he was about to start questioning, Mr.Mageless was already speaking, “Since this tent is a little large, I took the initiative to bring a horse. This is the shop’s horse, you are free to use it. Just bring it back when you return.”
“Mr.Mageless, this…”
“Please don’t worry, there is absolutely no added rental charges. Since the Legendary Era this shop, has operated under the philosophy of trust.”
As he was speaking, the three workers had already finished loading the goods, and Mr.Mageless bowed deeply, thrusting the reins into the knight’s hands, “Not to mention it’s such a generous and forthright client as the viscount, how can I fuss over such a small thing, hahaha.”
Without waiting for a reply, Mr.Mageless had already jumped onto the carriage, before sticking his head back out again, saying to the elf, “Viscount, your order list is inside the box of gear, I have already personally checked, nothing is missing. – Of course, if there are anything else you need, please visit our store at any time!”
“Forthright? Generous?” The elf watched as the carriage went further and further away, “I clearly remember I didn’t pay a single coin. – Military stipend should only pay the base cost of the items, why does Mr.Mageless speak as if I had spent a thousand gold at the shop?”
“The Mr.Mageless today seems a little different than the one yesterday.” The knight said, “Doesn’t he have more wrinkles on his face? Although I’m not an expert in differentiating the features of dwarves, at least the three workers looked the same to me.”
“That’s not my expertise either,” the elf shook his head, “but one thing I can be certain of, is that ‘this’ Mr.Mageless, did not mention a single word about ‘magic’.”
“There has to be some secret hidden in these things,” the knight grinned, resting his hand on his sword, “time to open some presents.”
There was nothing wrong with the horse, it was in good shape, even a little stronger than the three horses they had chosen.
The box of gear was carefully opened, in case some sort of catch was triggered, but there was nothing to be discovered. As for the gear itself, the knight used all the appraisal magic in his arsenal, and still did not find anything irregular.
The travel rations followed, a little bit was taken out of every pack and appraised by the sparrows and crows at the door of the ‘Mercenary’s Home’(2), there was no poison. The elf even borrowed someone’s silver broach to test it, the results were still the same. And just from looking, the items were definitely not normal military grade munition.
All that remained was the tent. Taking a whole horse to carry, it seemed to be the same size as a normal tent. The order list said, ‘magic tent with super large space setting, attachment: four hammocks, one set of folding desk and chair, one set of self-erecting frame(3), pegs with guy ropes(4),damp-proofed flooring (including special heavy weights)’.
“There aren’t any fire crystal showers,” the knight shook his head, “I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.”
The elf took everything down one by one.
When he opened the double layered canvas, the hammocks and folding table were at the very top, below that was a box with frame pokes and pegs, and below that the floorboards were tied tightly together along with a bucket the size of a wine barrel.
The knight knocked the outside of the bucket, a deep sound came out. Other than three holes, the outside was smooth, without any seams, it seems to be solid.
“So that’s probably… the heavy weight…right?” the elf came back to compare the items on the order list, “We could have found a few stones of the same size outdoors. What type of tent needs ‘special’ weights.”
The knight casted ‘Holy Eye’, carefully inserting the tip of his sword into one of the holes. An opening silently appeared at the barrel. The knight took one look inside, and smiled somewhat helplessly.
He reached his hand in, taking out what was inside, placing it in front of the elf.
“—The type that has a dwarf attachment.”
The dwarf wore the uniform of Mageless’s Workshop, and seemed to be sleeping soundly before this. Currently he was sitting on the floor, looking around, although it seemed he was not completely awake yet.
“Magic Academy… are we there yet?”
The elf also smiled, bending down, he said to the dwarf, “Not yet.”
“If you still want to go there, best give us an explanation.” The knight added from the side.
The dwarf looked at the sword that was still unsheathed in the knight’s hands, the blade reflected the sunlight, giving off a dangerous feeling. Then he lifted his head seeing the walls of the ‘Mercenary’s Home’, then released a sign of despair.。
“Oh Lord, am I going to be locked up?”
“That depends on how reasonable your explanation is,” the knight said, “you might just be tied to the back of your horse and returned to the shop.”
“If I had to choose one, please just lock me up,” the dwarf replied in depression, “my life will be over, if you send me back.”
“Cain, stop teasing him.” The elf grinned, nodding to the dwarf, “Let’s introduce ourselves first, ‘Mr.Mageless’?”
The knight sheathed his sword, the dwarf looked back at the knight and elf, finally decided to start speaking.
“I’m Julian · Mageless Jr, the son of the current Workshop owner Julian · Mageless.” He removed the white powder in his beard, lifting his sleeve to wipe his face, revealing a face that was clearly much younger, “Of course, when I’m in the store, I pretend to be my father, this helps gain client trust more easily.”
“My father gave me his name, in the hopes that I could be the next him. Honestly, I respect my father a lot. I’ve never done anything rebellious growing up. But this time, I can’t stand it, he… wants me to get married and take over the family business!”
“Let me guess,” the knight grinned, “She has a long beard, and a temper like a mother bear?”
“No, Sir Knight, you are mistaken,” the dwarf pressed the bridge of his nose, “she is a lady from an impoverished noble family, beautiful, gentle. My father wants me to marry her, this way we can officially merge into human society, and no longer find marriage partners within the clan.”
“That’s pretty creative thinking, but you don’t want it?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of…” the dwarf shuddered, “I’m afraid that I will want it.”
“I’m a normal dwarf, I like money, treasures, food, good wine, a soft bed – but that’s all secondary. I know what I really want, ever since I read that diary I had known. It was a diary left by my ancestor, he wrote about his adventures there. In the past he traveled with a group that deals specially with cases to do with magical creatures, and traveled throughout this continent.”
The elf noiselessly drew in a breath.
“Since reading that diary when I was ten, till now that I am twenty eight, almost reaching the age of thirty. I invented all sorts of magical tools, helped the workshop continue to thrive. My father thinks I have the potential to surpass him, the clan respects me, human merchants envy me. In these eighteen years, I have spent them well, if someone were to say I was unhappy, I will definitely say ‘nonsense’.”
“But it’s not the same,” the dwarf shook his head, “I like this sort of life, but it’s not enough. In the eyes of the people who struggle just to eat, I am probably a greedy person.”
“But, his blood runs in my veins, I want to become …an adventurer.” The dwarf lifted his head, saying in a shaky voice.
“I’m weak, cowardly, without self-control, even having dreamed for eighteen years, I still haven’t really been striving for it. I cling to the current peaceful life. That’s because I know I’m useless, so I run away. But I’m scared that if this continues, I will really become Julian Mageless the owner of the Workshop, and not…”
“The descendant of the Merchant adventurer Todd · Mageless.(5)”
Translator’s Notes
So they really only have just the horse lol, no carriage. Poor horse!
Poor birds!! They’re used as poison testers! I’d haunt them if I was a bird and died from poison! Lol
可自立支架一套 – I’m not too familiar with camping stuff, but I think it was talking about the poles that your normally have to assemble and pull up to support the fabric of the tent? (Magical self-erecting ones lol – 可自立 = can stand by itself. So I assumed that to be the case, plus magic is always better XD).
地钉风绳若干 – according to wiki (wiki banzai!) large tents are usually secured with pegs attached to ropes (called guy ropes, why is it guy? Not gal?). Again, I guess this was what the author is talking about.
多德 · 梅吉利斯 – Seriously, I am no good with translating names T^T.
What’s with the animal abuse this chapter? lol
So we are introduced to Julian😄, I wonder how he’ll fit into this mismatched group? Next chapter, they finally depart for the Magic Academy… I think? *Glances at next chapter*, kinda.
Edit: Wow, lots of miss types, sorry about that T^T. Hopefully I’ve corrected most of them! (I should probably go back to my previous chapters and do the same lol…*crickets chirping*….yah).
<< Chapter Eighteen Chapter Twenty >>
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Two Knights
Two Knights
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Yep, still waiting.
Chapter 13: Two Knights
It was already late into the night, in comparison to its’ normal quiet the Duke Elmond’s manor was brightly lit, bursting with the sound of people.
Large numbers of armored soldiers carrying the royal coat of arms went in and out, continuously carrying a great many boxes, piling them onto the carriage at the door. Many people came to see the sight in curiosity, sharing all sorts of rumors.
Although there were many versions, the contents were very similar, to summarize in one sentence, “The duke was a very rich bad person.”
This type of news was something that everyone enjoyed hearing and seeing(1), so after watching for long enough, they all congratulated the Queen’s good decision, and left in satisfaction.
On the bulletin on the streets, Duke Elmond’s wanted poster was already posted, the reward amount wonderfully broke the continent’s wanted criminal record as the highest amount, reaching a shocking 100 gold.
At this moment the members of the Unicorn Legion was engaged in something Shelly called ‘Observe and blend into human society’ but what normal people referred to as an ‘after dinner stroll’.
‘The Mermaid’ had also been closed down, as they bassed the brothel, Cain said, “A large part of the Elviran(2) citizen’s night-life has been destroyed by us.”
“Why do you sound regretful about that?” Shelly asked.
“No way.”
“Frequent customer?”
“Never been there.”
“Ah, then it’s regret at never having been?” the siren squinted his eyes, “What I offered to you before is still available .”
Even though he didn’t drink anything, the knight still choked.
Once the coughing stopped, he lifted his head, and glared at the youth saying, “Never say that again. A child, always saying these things… either way it’s too strange.”
“Raymond says that too, but he told me not to say it until I become an adult.”
“You’re still not an adult now, right? Then again, age is not the problem!”
“So it’s a problem of human etiquette?”
“Something like that.”
“Ah.” The youth nodded his head at little at a loss, “But since I was twelve that was all they had been teaching me. — What do humans do when they are twelve?”
The knight let out a long sigh of relief to the change of topic, “Hum, lots. Commoner children should be at the age where they start their apprenticeship, that means training for their future occupations. Nobles don’t become apprentices, but they receive similar education. Human’s…”
He suddenly stopped, because at the front, as a tall person dressed in full body armor blocking their way.
“Viscount?”
“Yes.” The elf replied after a moment.
The person wasn’t a stranger.
Hazlett Duncan — Captain of the Royal Knights, one month ago he was the one to bring the request for the ambush mission.
If Cain was a newly forged long sword that gleamed sharply, the one before their eyes was like an antique dagger, whose cold killing intent could be felt even without leaving its sheath. — Definitely not a pleasing person.
“Please follow me.” There was no explanation, although he used ‘please’, the tone did not carry a single hint of courtesy, “Alone.”
“No.” Cain immediately stepped in front of the elf.
Hazlett glanced at his companion, at seeing the cross on his sword, his face turned dark.
“This has nothing to do with the church, paladin.”
“I’m not a paladin,” Cain replied coldly, “I am the viscount’s knight. I have the responsibility to assure his safety. — Even if you can produce solid proof that you were sent by the Queen, I will not let him follow you alone. Especially at night.”
The Captain’s face revealed a clearly mocking expression, “Knight, I believe your master had already been weaned off milk, and does not need you to follow behind him to change his diapers. — Or, do you doubt that my skills are above yours?”
“Against something like a vampire? Yes.”
In a moment, the black fires of anger could practically be seen surrounding the captain. But then, the corner of his mouth lifted in an almost indiscernible manner, tilting upwards.
“It’s been a long time since anyone has dared to talk to me this way, knight.”
“Considering how approachable you are normally, that’s really very shocking.”
“Bravery should always be awarded, even if it is meaningless.” The captain was silent for a moment, before finally relenting, “Knight, you may come a long.”
The tilt of his lips became even more apparent.
“Then, can I come too?” From behind them, the timid voice of a girl came out.
The siren had transformed at some point, long pale golden hair arranged neatly, dressed in a matching white one piece dress, looking exactly like a young noble lady.
‘She’ walked up to the captain, lightly lifting the hem of her skirt, gave a perfect curtsey, lifted her head, and said to him with innocent eyes, “Shirley doesn’t want to stay here by herself, it’s really dark here, sir knight.”
The captain looked at ‘her’ expressionlessly, then crouched down expressionlessly, using the same gloomy voice, said.
“You’re called Shirley?”
“Un.”
“I am Hazlett Duncan. Very pleased to meet you, young lady. You are the viscount’s… daughter?”
The elf stared as the situation shifted in a completely unexpected direction. Not even remembering to stop it.
“So, Mr.Duncan, can I go as well?”
“A knight cannot refuse a lady in need.”
“Thank you, Mr.Duncan.” ‘Shirley’ said, reaching out a hand, to rest on the captain’s arm.
“I don’t know if this can be considered lèse-majesté(3)... “ the elf said helplessly, watching the captain and the ‘girl’ walking in front.
“We’re not meeting the Queen directly, we’re not going to be convicted for fooling a simple captain of the Royal Chivalric Order.” Cain replied quietly, “Moreover, Shelly never replied directly, he just completely misunderstood it himself.”
“It sounds like you have a deep grudge against him…”
“No, I just hate those useless noble sons that only know how to fool around(4) in his command. They besmirch the title of knight.”
“He doesn’t look like the type that would recruit that sort of subordinate.”
“It’s not up to him. All the noble families want to send their sons into the Royal Chivalric Order. I’m afraid that in the end they’ll all be made to quit while crying home to their parents by Hazlett, that should give them some bragging rights.”
“That’s probably why he has that type of attitude towards people.”
“You seem to have a high opinion of him…” Cain suddenly said cooly.
“Huh?”
“No, nothing.” The knight turned his face away, pointing forward, “We’re almost at the castle.”
They passed through the side door of the castle, the guards at the door silently saluted the captain and stepped aside.
“Heads down, follow me, don’t stare around.” After he said that, Hazlett release ‘Shirley’s’ hand, and walked in front.
The corridor was long and twisting, after walking for an unknown length of time, they finally reached a small building.
Hazlett opened the door, leading them inside the house.
It was a waiting room, not elaborately decorated, it looked very normal, giving out a calming feeling.
The fireplace was lit up, chasing away the night chill.
“You can wait here.” The captain said in a commanding tone, “viscount, please follow me.”
He indicated for the elf to put down his bow and dagger, leading him up the winding staircase.
Translator’s Notes
1.喜聞樂見 – I think this means people liked this type of gossip, not that everyone knew the duke was a douchebag and was happy to see him get his due. (Granted, we all know he was a douche anyways lol)
2.埃爾維拉人民 – since in Chinese the distinction between, for example: German and Germany is pretty much non existent (the literal translation would be People of Germany – 德国人 and Germany – 德国) I decided to use “Elviran” instead of “the citizens of Elviran” since it would sound awkward.
3.欺君之罪 – the crime of lying to the crown.
4.混吃等死 – Literally translates to “beg for food and wait to die”, meaning good for nothing layabouts.😄 Harsh Cain, harsh.
Is that jealousy I hear from Cain?
<< Chapter Twelve Chapter Fourteen >>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/dvrj4xfi.x0a.txt
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The Reasonable Use of Mist Magic
The Reasonable Use of Mist Magic
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – you deserve a cookie for your hard work, and a gold medal for finishing these last two chapters so fast❤
Chapter 31: The Reasonable Use of Mist Magic
“Julian.” The elf replied softly, “I can no longer use that last name, let the past be the past.”
It was as if the dwarf could not hear what he said, he just raised his hand to his face, pinching himself hard.
“Aaaaaahhhhhh – If this is a dream please don’t let me wake up!”
Seeing that he had indeed regained his energy, the knight moved over to the elf.
“Find anything?”
The elf pointed to the face of the body, the mask on the face was already starting to peel.
The man was around forty years of age, the color of his skin indicated someone that stayed indoors. The cane was obviously a staff in disguise, from the man’s pockets, they discovered some magic potions and runes, the bottles carried the insignia of the Mage Academy.
“Traitor?”
“Perhaps,” the elf nodded, “from his face and writing, we should be able to find his records in the Mage Academy.”
“Then the next step –“
“Investigate the chief’s room, explain to the villagers, and on the gnome’s side…”
“Don’t worry,” the knight patted his shoulder, “everything else can wait. It’s best to take care of the body, then go back to rest.”
“Do I look very worried?” the elf lifted his head, smiling at the knight, “Perhaps.”
As if they timed it, the conversation between the siren and the dwarf started to become loud.
“So Ellen is that famous?”
“Famous? Mr.Shelly, that word is not enough to describe it! He is the user of the magic weapon ‘Morningstar’, all archers in the Legendary Era look up to him, from the wandering minstrels –“
“Julian! Please stop!” the elf final couldn’t take it and stood up, his face carrying a hint of red, “It’s very embarrassing…”
“Eh? But…”
“No buts, that’s an order!”
The knight looked between the elf and dwarf, finally couldn’t resist laughing.
“Julian, leave it at that. If you say anymore, the captain will order us to dig another hole, to bury him as well.”
“I don’t understand…” the dwarf said stubbornly, “isn’t it something to be proud of?”
“You’ll understand one day,” the elf looked as if he wanted to hide behind the knight, “when you’re being scrutinized.”
The dwarf didn’t seem to hear that either, his gaze turning worshipful, he looked at the normal looking weapon on the elf’s back.
“Could it be… that bow is–?”
“At a discounted price from the weapons shop at Elvira Lower City, a total of three gold including the quiver and twenty four arrows.”
“Eh… then… what happened to ‘Morningstar’?”
“… I don’t know,” the elf shook his head, “anyways I don’t have the ability to control that now.”
In a delicate silence, they buried the body of the mage, returning to the rooms of the ‘Gnome Inn’.
“… Even though I’m very tired, but I don’t feel like sleeping.” The dwarf said in a small voice, “Is this called insomnia?”
“Go take a bath first,” the siren suddenly suggested happily, “human bathhouses are really fun.”
“True,” the knight looked down as his mud covered body, nodding, “seize this opportunity. In a few days, even if you want to take a bath it would only be with cold water.”
The bathing facilities of the ‘Gnome Inn’ were underground, a cauldron sat on top of a stove. There’s a well in the courtyard, wood and water bucket was placed on one side, everything was left for the clients to assist themselves.
The inside of the bathing room was simple and large, but there was still wooden boards lining out individual cubicles.
“That’s surprisingly detailed and considerate of privacy,” the knight said in surprise, “it feels much better than Elvira.”
“Could it be to prevent incidents of ‘picking up soap’ from happening?”(1) the Siren asked.
“What is ‘picking up soap’?”
“…Julian, don’t ask.” The knight seems to be choking again.
In order to prevent the siren from creating more trouble, the knight picked him up, and threw him into one of the cubicles along with the hot water.
“No more talking, bathing is more important.”
The siren agreed happily, then mist could be seen seeping out of the cubicle, quickly filling the whole room.
Then, from the mist, came the sound of water and the harsh voice of a burly man.(2)
“OH~ my beautiful and cute fat maiden~,
She has a chest as wide as the sea,
Pillowed on that thick arm every night,
Accompanying me into the happy dreams of a sailor~ da da~”
“Shelly! What are you doing!?” The knight shouted gritting his teeth.
“Getting rid of people,” the siren replied, his voice returned to normal, “because I like to transform back to my original form when singing so Raymond asks me to be careful not to let anyone see. Every time I do this, every one runs away.”
“It’s the middle of the night! No one but us are going to come!”
“Ah~” the siren replied, “then I don’t have to use that voice.”
“… And stop playing in the water!”
Answering him, the siren’s beautiful voice started to sing again.
“OH~ her thick black eyebrows~
Are like the seaweed floating~ in the sea…”
“Shelly–! Can’t you change to another song?!”
“Isn’t hot water supposed to remove your tiredness?” half an hour later, the knight staggered into the room, “But why do I feel even more tired?”
“Isn’t that good…” the elf mumbled, falling onto the mattress.
“Hey hey, you’re not going to dry your hair before falling asleep? You’ll get a cold.” The knight frowned.
“Don’t worry… elves don’t get colds… fu… racial trait. – Goodnight, Cain.”
The knight sighed, reaching his hand out, brushing the elf’s long hair aside, “Goodnight, Ellen.”
The dwarf’s face reddened again.
The siren hid in his blankets, smiling secretively.
It was now the darkest hour before dawn.
The room was silent and warm, the best atmosphere for sleeping.
But the dwarf was still wide awake, staring at the indistinguishable ceiling.
There was a time, when he thought about giving up, even consoling himself, that perhaps Todd’s journal was just an adventure novel he thought up himself.
But now he was experiencing the sequel to that novel.
It was as if the battle just a few hours ago was burned into his eyes, even with his eyes closed, the scene would circle his mind refusing to go away.
“The most dazzling Morningstar, the name itself Ellen · Dawntracker (Star · One who seeks the dawn), was a surprisingly suitable title. Because no matter how bright the star, next to the brilliance of the sun and moon, would become insignificant.
In the ‘Unicorn Legion’, the role that elven archer played was something like that. In comparison to those reckless members, his modest actions really made him inconspicuous. Or because, he would always hide himself whether intentionally or unintentionally in other’s spotlight.
That doesn’t mean he would purposefully distance himself from others, quite the opposite, to every teammate, including someone like me who was a non-combatant, he was very kind and gentle. He cares and trusts everyone, but that sentiment doesn’t have a clear direction. No one can claim to be his best friend, and in terms of romance, it seems he is completely uninterested. He is a very reliable teammate, but on the other hand, he would not readily rely on others.
–Is this due to the indifferent nature of elves, or caused by his own history, that I do not know.
If one sees him fight with their own eyes, then they would surely understand the meaning of ‘Dazzling’.
Only on the battlefield would he reveal that passion and bravery, I can say without exaggeration, that it truly makes you awestruck.
Perhaps that is Ellen · Dawntracker’s true nature.”
The most detailed description of the elf in Todd’s journal, was only this short page.
Thinking about that, the dwarf unconsciously gave a pleased little smile.
Mr.Todd, I don’t know what happened in these three hundred years, but the Mr.Ellen I know now, is no longer the same as the Dawntracker that you have described.
The story of the ‘Unicorn Legion’ is not finished yet, I wish to witness everything.
That journal, let me continue it.
Translator’s Notes
Lol Shelly, only you would think ‘prevent voyeurism’ when you see cubicles in a bath house.
Facepalm… that’s my only reaction.
Raymond, I’m starting to wonder about you…
And so this is the end of the first book, Book Two, they will finally be arriving at the Mage Academy. Who will they meet? What sort of surprises will they encounter?
<< Chapter Thirty Book Two Chapter One>>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/es5a2k2n.g14.txt
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Moving Castle
Moving Castle
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – my savior! I’d offer my first born child but that would probably scare them away.
Chapter 23: Moving Castle
“Indeed it’s not serious, rest for the night and you should be completely healed by tomorrow morning.” The elf examined the knight’s condition, coming to this conclusion, “Alright, put your clothes back on, be careful not to wipe off the medication.”
“Herbology and first aid… is there something you don’t know?” the knight stared at him curiously, “Last time I seem to have seen you pick a lock with your dagger.”
“I can’t spend a hundred or so years just on fighting skills.” The elf replied nonchalantly, “but it’s all just superficial knowledge, don’t hope for too much.”
“Then Wind magic, is that also superficial knowledge?” The knight put on his jacket, “That wind that distracted the Joseph brothers, that’s not natural wind.”
“You realized? It’s hard to aim on a horse, but I was afraid they might move too quickly, so I first released a…” the elf seemed a little embarrassed, “I can’t really be considered as a wind element magician, my magical powers are too weak, and can’t really make anything damaging. –Plus it could only be used in the forest, so strictly speaking, it would be called racial trait
“It’s still a form of attack, not needing to use your hands to throw a face full of dirt at them.” The knight grinned, “Isn’t there a phrase that says, there are no low level magic, just low level magicians?”
“Right, it seems like Julian said that several times today…”
“What is it, Mr.Ellen?” the dwarf who was waiting at a distance heard his name, and immediately looked up to ask, “Did you need my help with something?”
“It’s nothing, time to go.” The elf took his own horse, then handed the reins to the knight, and said to the siren who was busy stuffing himself with the dry rations, “Shelly, we can make camp once we leave the forest, wait till then for dinner.”
The young siren wiped the food crumbs from the corner of his lips, happily agreed, standing to run towards ‘Afternoon Tea’.
“If you gave me the horse, what will you do?” The knight didn’t take the reins.
“Walk of course,” the elf nodded, then added, “I can’t let an injured member walk after all.”
“I can walk as well…” the dwarf added carefully at the side, then looked down at his short legs.
“Julian,” the elf ordered helplessly, “I appreciate your kindness, get on the horse.”
“If you don’t mind,” the dwarf didn’t back down, “Mr.Ellen can ride with me. – The weight shouldn’t be a problem.”
“…Alright, then I’ll take you up on the offer.” The elf smiled, jumping onto the dwarf’s horse, then offered his hand to pull the dwarf up as well.
“Cain? Can you get on yourself?” Seeing that the knight had yet to move, the elf asked worriedly.
“No problem.” The knight silently turned around to mount the horse, suddenly feeling that he should probably curse the trio that had caused his injury.(1)
“Just so I have a few questions I want to ask.” After traveling for a while, the elf suddenly inquired.
“Julian, about your ancestor, what Mr.Todd wrote in that journal… do you mind revealing it to me?”
“It’s not any secret, Mr.Ellen.” the dwarf replied immediately, “I remember the events in the diary very well, so feel free to ask.”
“Specifically speaking, it’s about the status of the team he was in…”
“The Unicorn Legion, Mr.Ellen,” the dwarf said smiling, “it was a group that specializes in dealing with things to do with Magical Creatures. Including the protection of endangered and harmless species, or to minimize the damage caused by the harmful ones and so on. And magical creatures, refers to…”
“I understand the meaning,” the elf gave a soft helpless smile, breaking off his speech, “the journal should mention something about the Death Dragon.”
“Um,” the dwarf thought for a moment, replying seriously, “the last entry on the journal was about the ‘Death Dragon’. Though I also want to know what happened, but the journal didn’t record the details. It was just written that as a non-combatant member, he didn’t participate, and stayed in their headquarters in Elvira.”
“What I want to know is,” the elf took a deep breath, “after that mission, did the Unicorn Legion return to find him.”
“Unfortunately,” the dwarf said softly, “no, not a single one. It was as if they had disappeared from the earth.”
“…Disappeared… is it?”
“The reason Mr.Todd didn’t join the other dwarves when they returned to their homeland underground, was because of this. There was a section in the journal that said this – ‘I believed they succeeded, I also believe that they would return alive. So, I will continue to stay here, until they come back safely.”(2)
“I see…” the elf was silent for a while, replying softly, “thank you, I have no more questions.”
“About that, Mr.Ellen,” the dwarf added excitedly, “at that time in the ‘Unicorn Legion’, there was also an elf called…”
“Julian,” the elf shook his head, “Sorry, I’m a little tired. Can we not talk about this for now?”
By the time they exited the forest, it was already dark.
Luckily there was a large empty field next to the forest. With a water source nearby, and there were signs of campfire on the ground, it was obvious that many people had camped at this spot in the past.
The group started a fire easily, solving the problem of dinner. Then, under the directions of the creator, the tent was quickly erected.
The inside of the tent did indeed look larger than the outside, the hammocks hung in various levels, using rope ladders and curtains, to cleverly give each individual some personal space. Once it was complete, the siren cheered loudly, climbing on top of one of the beds then refused to come down anymore.
“I hope this is satisfactory to everyone?” the dwarf bowed, his expression showing both a little shy and a little pride. “The quality of the Mageless’s Workshop’s product.”
“Satisfied? Are you joking?” the knight sat down, patting the pillow that accompanied the hammock, in shock, “This is practically a moving palace! – Compared to this, the rooms in the Mercenary’s Home are like horse sta… no, pig sties!”
“Thank you for your compliment.” The dwarf grinned blindingly, pointing to a stand next to the bed, “Weapon and shield could be hung here, it wouldn’t fall. And you can put your armor in this corner.”
“Julian, you are a genius.” The knight placed the shield on the stand, took off his armor, and fell back onto the bed. Then immediately sat back up with an ‘ow’, “Damn, my back… looks like I’d have to sleep facing down tonight.”
“I’ll change your medicine again in a moment,” the elf sighed, “looks like when we reach the next village, the first thing we have to do is get medical supplies.”
“I’m fine.” The knight looked at the young siren that had fallen asleep after filling his stomach, “In comparison, replenishing our food supplies are more important.— We’ve originally prepared five days of dry rations, but we’ve had to throw some away in order to reduce weight, from the looks of it now it would be a good thing if it could last for two days.”(3)
“No problem, I eat very little.” The dwarf grinned, “I’ve already made an accord with Mr.Shelly, the extra dried fish that I brought along all belong to him.”
“Julian,” the knight patted his shoulder, “you are a perfect team mate, I really don’t know why those groups in the past reject you.”
“They’re probably afraid that I’ll snore,” the dwarf said in a small voice, “they said dwarves lift the tent with our snoring.”
“Eh?! You snore?!”
“No, Mr.Frank,” the dwarf replied in protest, “but just in case of any unforeseen circumstances, please don’t kick me from the team.”(4)
“Don’t worry it won’t happen,” the knight smiled, “this tent can’t be lifted anyways…by the way how much does this thing actually cost?”
“Um, originally there were no plans to sell it, so we randomly priced it at two thousand gold,” the dwarf considered for a moment before replying, “there’s no shower room this time, but the price is still calculated from the set price, in the end I paid one thousand six hundred – I never really bothered about saving money in the past, good thing I had enough put aside.”
“One thousand six…” the elf shook his head, “well, now I know while old Mr.Mageless was so enthusiastic. In his eyes I must be the pie that fell from the sky, extra-large, elven brand.”。
Translator’s Notes
Poor Cain, foiled once again!😄
Poor Ellen! Damnit, again with the feels! Gah!😥
现在看起来能撑两天就不错了 – he means something along the lines of “as long as it can last at least two days it would be something to be thankful for.” Lol Shelly and food has kinda become a running joke hasn’t it? Granted, it’s all true!
Wait, what unforeseen circumstances? Can you snore accidentally? Or does he mean if he blows the tent away accidentally? I don’t understand
I personally think that Shelly cheated Julian with the food thing lol, Julian is too nice and Shelly’s totally gonna walk all over him😄
<<Chapter Twenty Two Chapter Twenty Four>>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/fler4qwy.4yc.txt
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Gnome Village
Gnome Village
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – have I mentioned how awesome they are yet?
Chapter 26: Gnome Village
“Alright gentlemen, let’s end the ‘teasing the human’ session, it’ll be noon if we don’t leave now.”
The elf jumped onto the horse’s back, planning to reach out to help the dwarf up. But, different than yesterday, the dwarf didn’t touch his hand, rather he backed up a few steps, his face red.
The elf looked at him a little confusedly, “Julian?”
“Pl…Please let me walk.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just half a day anyways, what I mean is…” the dwarf turned to look at the knight, lowering his head again to continue mumbling, “that… I can’t… I shouldn’t…”
“Ah… you’re not used to riding with someone?” the elf nodded, “Sorry, I didn’t think about that.”
He hopped off the horse, and returned the reins to the dwarf smiling, “Don’t worry, this was yours originally. Anyways, I walk faster.”
“Ellen.”
The elf turned his head, the knight had already positioned his horse next to him, he patted the front half of the saddle, “Get on.”
“You’re sure…?” The elf eyed his full armor, “It won’t cause some sort of tragedy where the elf crushes the horse right?”
“There’s not a lot of rations left, and most of the things are on the other horses.” The knight grinned, reaching a hand out towards him, “Anyways, it’s not like I haven’t carried you before, you’re not that heavy. Get on.”
“That’s not my fault,” the elf complained quietly, gripping his hand, and vaulting onto the horse, “three hundred years living on the energy of the moon, I’ve lost more than half my strength.”
“Then be a bit more cautious,” the knight reached past his waist, holding onto the reins, “If you want to sleep you can sleep a bit more.”
The siren winked at the dwarf, with an expression that said ‘see, what did I say.’
The dwarf’s face was red again, he silently muttered, “this way, I shouldn’t be kicked by the horse.”(1)
“Julian? What is it?”
“Nothing at all, Mr.Frank,” the dwarf nodded heartily, “I was just talking to myself.”
Their destination was the village indicated on the map, by the name of Gnome. Although it’s small, it had existed since before the Legendary Era.
Almost all the groups traveling from the Capital to the Mage Academy, would pass by here to replenish their supplies. Since there would be no more villages in the road after, only mountain ranges and forests.
The elf still remembered how grand the villages was in those years, if it is as the knight said, that the Mage Academy had lost its former glory, he feared this village would not be as it was in the past.
“Ellen,” the knight’s voice said next to his ears, “the quiver and bow are blocking my vision.” “Ah, sorry,” the elf removed the weapon from his back a little embarrassed, “I can’t believe I forgot about that.”
“I never knew maps were so fascinating,” the knight grinned, “don’t tell me there’s a hidden treasure from three hundred years ago?”
“I’ve been to Gnome village in the past,” the elf said, “I wonder what it looks like now.”
“Ahh…” the knight’s grin subdued.
“Don’t misunderstand,” the elf heard the worry in his voice, and immediately turned back to look at him, “I’m not feeling bad, just a little… nervous. Like meeting a friend that I haven’t seen in many years. I can’t help but think, how much has changed, will I be able to recognize them… and such.”
“Something familiar is bound to remain.”
“Even if it’s changed it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” the elf grinned, “it’s just that elderlies prefer the nostalgia.”
“Elderly…”
“No, should I say elderly elves?”
“As a race that lives for a thousand or so years,” the knight grinned, “four hundred is certainly old. – Proportionally, you might be able to catch the end of puberty.”
“No,” the elf said mock seriously, “the puberty of the elven tribe starts at around two hundred until four hundred. After four hundred is considered to be an adult.”(2)
“That means, you completely slept through that. – How does it feel to wake up as an adult, elven child?”
“Not bad,” the elf turned around smiling, reaching out to pat the knight on his helmet, “human child.”
“Heh… you dare to do that to me when you’re on my horse,” the knight pulled hard on the elf’s cape, covering his whole head and face, and pulled the elf into his arms to tickle him, “you think you have a chance to win? Hmmm?”
“Hey stop fooling around, what happens if there’s an ambush — Nnnn …”
“Admit defeat, if you do I’ll let you go.”
“In your dreams …Unn… Haa… let go, I’ll suffocate!”
Watching the knight and elf who were messing around on the horse, the siren sighed like an old man.
“Ah, to be young.”
“God…” the dwarf reached out a hand, desperately trying to cover his face, “I can’t watch anymore, my heart can’t take it.”
“You’ll get used to it.” The siren said comfortingly.
They arrived at Gnome Village a little after noon. Looking around, the surroundings were mostly made up of farms. It should almost be spring planting time, but for some reason there was no one around.
“By the way, Gnome, means earth spirits right.” The dwarf said hesitantly, “the elemental faeries that are good at farming?”
“Yes,” the elf grinned, “originally many Gnomes and humans live together here, that’s why this was called Gnome Village.”
“Too bad you can’t see them anymore,” the dwarf sighed, “I really want to go back to the Legendary Age.”
Before he even finished speaking, they could see in a distance, a group of farmers with hoes walking by.
“Ah, someone’s coming!” the siren called happily, “Oi—Hello –”
Hearing the greeting, the farmers turned around, and a few even waved back happily, they stopped, waiting for the group to get closer.
“Seems like this really is a very peaceful village.” The knight grinned.
“Yes…” the siren nodded, “can we not eat dried rations for lunch?”
But when the group came closer, close enough to be able to see each other clearly, the farmers smiles suddenly disappeared. One of them, jerkily raised a hand, pointing at the dwarf, and shouted.
“Oh God – Gnome! A giant Gnome!”
Then they all raised their hoes, rushing over in anger.
“Gnome king! Get out of this village!”
“Haa?” The dwarf started, “Gn, Gnome King? Me?”
The elf frowned, reaching out a hand to grab the bow hanging from the horse, but he was stopped by the knight.
“Wait, he can handle this.” “Julian,” the knight took off his helmet, throwing it to the dwarf along with the shield, “battle training starts now.”
“Un, Understood!” The dwarf put on the helmet, hopping off the horse, then rushed to the middle of the road holding the shield.
“Come, humans! Let me see how strong you are!”(3)
“…Is that…taunting?” The elf’s eyes widened looking at the knight, “Did you teach him that?”
“Not me,” the knight shook his head honestly, “If I did teach him that, would it be so gentle?”
“Hmm… true,” the elf turned his head, watching a bit worriedly as the dwarf rushed in among the farmers, “Will Julian… be alright?”
“Don’t worry,” the knight grinned, “If he really can’t hold it, I’ll show you a real taunt.”
“Julian, go!” The siren watched with concentration, shaking his fist in the air.
Translator’s Notes.
I think he meant he wouldn’t be kicked by Cain’s horse ‘accidentally’ for what he did yesterday lol.
OMG 200 years of puberty… you have my condolences.
😄 Julian sounds a little villainous
<< Chapter Twenty Five Chapter Twenty Seven >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/k4anivs4.bwb.txt
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Welcome to the Era of Reality
Welcome to the Era of Reality
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Era of Reality
[In the 100 years since the “Unicorn Legion” fought the Death Dragon, magical creatures slowly started to disappear. The other intelligent species other than humans, such as elves, dwarves, werewolves and beastmen, all started to leave this land for various reasons, to look for a new home. Humans became the only species on this continent with higher intellect. Historians generally agree, that this signified the end of the Legendary Age.”
–Lim . Boladier
<<Historical Records of the Ulia Continent>> Scroll 18
Sighing, Ellen lowered his last book.
During the time he had been in the capital, he had already read through all the books about the “Legendary Age”. Every one of those books makes some mention of the Unicorn Legion, but none had any solid information.
“All the members of the Unicorn Legion sacrificed themselves to defeat the Death Dragon”, this seems to be the common consensus amongst the modern historians.
They don’t even care to know the name of the members…
The elf thought as he quickly walked out of the library.
The bar “The Three Pirates” in the lower city has basically regained its atmosphere since the war, and its supplies were adequate, but the prices has been increased by several multiples.
This forced the mercenaries to accept jobs with higher rewards more enthusiastically, and also increased the rate of them creating dead bodies by quite a bit. If the dead bodies created were not their own, they would come to this bar after work for sure. – This tradition has existed since 300 years ago, and would probably continue to exist.
It was very easy to forget the difference in time in this rowdy atmosphere.
A woman carry a baby walked between the patrons of the bar with difficulty, occasionally calling out pitifully with a low voice. Her responses were either harsh scolding or vulgar jokes.
Ellen sat in a far corner of the bar, holding a silver coin and hesitating as to how he would pass it over.
Suddenly, someone took the coin from between his fingers, calling out to the owner of the establishment “two cups of Dawn Manor Wine.”
Ellen turned his head to look at the self-assertive client: it was a party member who had joined in the mission to ambush the rebels during the war, everyone calls him Cain.
Cain was a very unique individual, not because his face made him especially memorable or anything – truthfully, his getup had always been the same as today’s: heavy armor from head to toe, even his face was covered – it was because, in the several months since Ellen had known him, even despite having partied together in several missions, Ellen still could not completely grasp what this person was thinking.
This heavy armored individual was a silent, lone wolf, and almost always received only solo missions. In the few rare occasions when they operated together, he always left immediately after the mission was complete, even the reward was collected by a middleman.
But his skills and sense cannot be made light of.
For example, during the mission against the rebels, Cain secretly cast several area magic. The timing was perfect, with none the wiser, the others in the party would shore that up as their “condition seeming to be exceptionally good today.” If it was not for his familiarity with magic and an elf’s exceptional night vision, Ellen would probably have missed it as well.
A warrior with magical talents would surely be a great boon to any party, and yet he chooses to hide it.
Ellen wasn’t someone who likes to look into another’s past, so he chose to keep silent. But since then, he can’t help but pay closer attention to this person.
— If he wasn’t that antisocial, he would be a hot choice for employers.
But “antisocial” seems to be too mild a term, “extremely withdrawn” is a more accurate description. He was never seen greeting anyone, giving a nod in return to another’s greeting, is already a very friendly gesture. Most of the time, talking to him is similar to talking to a brick wall. It might be because the circumstances of their meeting was a bit different, or because Ellen was one of the few among the mercenaries to try to maintain a relationship with him, Cain retains a reluctant hot and cold attitude towards him.
But being so forward in interacting with him, today was the first time ever.
The bar owner looked at the silver coin with suspicion, placing it in his mouth to bite it and staring at it for a long while, before finally going towards the counter, coming back a moment later and placing two cups on the table, he said in a rough voice “ain’t got enough in the storage.”
The mugs were only filled a little over half-full by wine, certainly not enough to be worth half a silver coin. But it seemed that Cain was not someone to make a fuss either, so he received the mugs without a word.
Ellen waited for him to take off his helmet, but he simply flipped his visor up, turned towards an empty corner and tossed the drink back.
It wasn’t as if the elf was not curious, he simply refrained from prying.
And so, in the rowdy bar, only this corner seemed to be under a silencing spell.
Until the warrior put his cup down, and replaced his visor, did Ellen push his own cup towards him and said softly, “can you tell me, why I shouldn’t give charity to that woman?”
Cain gave a low sarcastic laugh from under the helmet, “the child she’s holding is bought. – Something like a nun from the Grand Temple having a child, while it can’t be announced as a miracle, it still can be traded for a few coins.”
“But…that’s—“
“Until that child gets to about 6 or 7, and can’t garner anymore sympathy, they will be sold to the [Mermaid Brothel] the next street over. After that, she can buy another one.”
The elf stared at him in shock, hoping to find that it was a joke under the helmet, but logically he can tell that Cain was completely truthful.
As if thinking that Ellen’s reaction seemed to be a little too big, Cain stood up, and patted him on the shoulder.
“Sometimes I really don’t know where you’re from, the Legendary Age from 300 years ago? – Either way, welcome to the Era of Reality.”
“In the Era of Reality,” when Cain pushed the cup back towards him, Ellen asked without looking back at him, “As a Holy Paladin, do you have to be so careful?”
The armored hand froze for a moment, “Because in the Era of Reality, rather than gods, people have more faith in this.”
He didn’t deny his guess, and the sound of the armor gradually became distant.
Ellen looked at the item Cain placed down – a silver coin, hesitated for a moment, then stretched his hand towards the cup of wine, picked it up, and drained it.
In the past, his friends would often say he was too rigid and disciplined, not even drinking wine, something that was harmless and enjoyable. Now that he has tried it, he felt disappointed.
Perhaps he should have tried it 300 years ago. The wine back then would probably taste as sweet as they say, at least it wouldn’t taste like it did now, of a bitterness that burned in that empty corner of his heart.
At his third cup, the elf felt that he was waiting.
Perhaps in a moment, someone would push open the door while joking loudly, and call out his name, complaining about how difficult that the old Ent they had dealt with today was.
But until the bar closed, the ones he was waiting for never came.
–Because, whether it was Ents or them, neither exists in the world anymore.
<< Prologue Chapter Two >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/kmyfhliy.r0q.txt
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Someone Else’s Lady
Someone Else’s Lady
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – *sniffle*
Chapter 14: Someone Else’s Lady
There was only one room on the second floor, smaller than the waiting room by half, the remaining area was separated into an aisle.
Though there were soldiers on guard, for some reason they were standing by the stairwell, and not in front of the room’s door.
Hazlett glanced at them, but didn’t say anything, walking to the door to tear down the paper that was stuck on it.
The elf glanced at it, written in a girls round handwriting were the words, “Meeting of National importance, do not eavesdrop.”
The captain used a particular rhythm to know on the door. Then, the sound of footsteps came from within.
Surprisingly, the one to appear was the Queen. She took one look at the elf and beckoned him in smiling.
The elf silently bowed, stepping into the room.
The floor was covered in all sorts of notes, and on the large table thick stacks of folders were piled up.
The queen returned to the desk to sit down, indicating for the elf to sit on the sofa to one side.
“I saw your report, viscount.” She said, “Very good work. Too bad there’s only one Duke Elmond – do you think there are more vampires in the nobility? If there were a few more, then our economic crisis would be solved easily.”
The elf looked at her not knowing how to reply.
“Just kidding.” The Queen shrugged, “Speak, you should be rewarded. What do you want? Though I can’t award you with the title of duke – raising in the ranks too quickly will make the old geezers jealous but there are still other areas we can be more generous to you, just say it.”
“Actually there is one thing,” the elf replied after thinking for a moment, “the duke casted a curse on one of my companions, so we need the aid of a magician. I’m not too clear on the situation of the magic research in the country…”
“Magician?” For some reason the Queen seemed to be a little proud, straightening she replied, “Just so I know one.”
“In Elvira?”
“Of course not,” the young lady’s face showed a matter of fact expression saying, “Other than the Magic Academy, where else? – Just a moment.”
She opened the drawer, taking out letter and envelope, and started to bend her head down to write.
The Queen did not wear a gown today, instead wearing a plain one piece dress, with a jacket casually thrown over top, making her seem even smaller than before.
At the award ceremony, she was regal and cold, rarely speaking, undoubtedly full of kingly dignity.
But sitting here now, it was as if she was a normal girl writing a letter home. Occasionally nibbling on the end of the pen, trying to remember a difficult word. Revealing all sorts of facial expressions.
Could this be considered a human trait, being able to reveal a different personality according to different clothing.
The elf thought about the first meeting with Cain, always behind the armor, aloof, so somber as to be comparable to Hazlett, in comparison to now it was difficult to connect the knight then.
Queen Grecia finished writing one letter and raised her head, just in time to see the viscount looking in her direction, smiling very gently.
In that moment the Queen’s heart skipped a beat, she hurriedly lowered her head again, on one hand she pretended not to notice, on the other had she continued to write, but her mind was no longer on the letter.
She spent longer than normal to finish writing the second letter. Peeking at the elf, to find that he was no longer looking in her direction.
The girl released a breath of relief, at the same time feeling a little disappointed.
“One letter for the current Grand Master, the other for his disciple.” She gave the sealed missive to the elf.
“Thank you very much, your highness.”
“One more thing –“ The Queen asked after thinking for a moment, “the report, the tone and handwriting were completely different. I guess the latter is yours, what about the one before?”
The elf smiled softly again, “That was my knight.”
“Knight?” The Queen’s eyes brightened, “You have a knight, how lucky… I want one as well.”
“Your highness, you have a whole knight order.” The elf said laughing.
“That belongs to the ‘Royal family’.” Was the Queen’s muffled reply, “The older ones were sworn to my father, not I. – Even if his successor was a donkey(1), they would still be respectful to it.”
“As for the new ones.” The girl’s thing eyebrows screwed up, “Every one of them dress up with powdered faces and slicked hear to drift around in front of me, thinking they’re attractive. If they have time why not go practice swordsmanship. Unbelievable, those people can’t even beat me!”
“Ahem, Highness…”
“Just talking about it gives me a headache, let’s end that here.” The girl shook her head, “I’ll have Haz show you out. If you need anything just go find Duke Lesting – that would be the Minister of Finance, I’ll give him a heads up. Viscount, safe journey.”
After escorting the elf away, Hazlett once again returned to the Queen’s residence.
At this time the girl had already returned to her sea, continuing to work – most of the time staying until late night.
“I found out you chased away your maid again.”
“I’ve said it before,” the Queen replied not looking up, “I don’t like to be stared at by someone standing next to me when I’m working.”
“That was for your safety, Highness.” The stoic captain replied, “Especially something like receiving your subjects at night, it be best if it didn’t happen again.”
“That’s because the whole thing needs to be kept secret. I can’t very well praise his bravery at defeating a vampire in public can I?”
“That’s exactly because of that that I said ‘if it didn’t happen again’. If someone finds out that a nobleman frequently visits the palace, it would cause… unkind rumors. Especially someone like the viscount who is… exceptional in looks.”
“If there are really such rumors I would be thankful,” the Queen put down the documents in her hands, “at least those bizarre suitors would go home and take a look in the mirror, realize the strength of their competition, then retreat willingly.”
“… I think the viscount is very outstanding. But no matter how excellent, an elf is not a suitable partner. You should know this better than me.”
“Haz,” the Queen sighed, “I’m not my father, nor will I repeat his mistakes. But occasionally I just want to look at a beauty, seeing your cloudy face every day, I would turn to stone – why don’t, you smile a little?”
“…” The knight completely ignored her request.
“Ah… nevermind, you can leave. I’ll go to sleep after looking through these.”
“There’s one more thing.” The knight captain turned around, before closing the door, “If the one on the throne was a donkey, I would have quit long ago, highness.”
“…I said no eavesdropping!” The girl’s face was red with embarrassment.
“That’s just because you shouted really loudly,” in just that moment, the corner of the captain’s lips pulled upwards, “for a lady.”
“Arggg, don’t use that ‘someone else’s lady’(2) tone again.” The girl covered her ears.
“Talking about a lady, it seems the viscount is already married with an heir.”
“—Get out!”
“Goodnight, highness.” The captain silently closed the door.
Translator’s Notes
1….哪怕繼任者是頭驢子… – I’m not sure if she means idiots or an actual donkey lol. But I think she means an actual donkey since she continues by referring to the donkey as “it”
2.別人家的淑女 – I more or less means something like ‘look at that girl from the other family, in comparison to you.’ Sort of deal, kinda like ‘look at mrs. So and so’s son, why can’t you be more like that?’
Although this is a BL novel, I kinda like the idea of pairing Grecia and Hazlett together lol. They’re cute.
Illustration below: Hazlett and Grecia in the study. By Tina
<< Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fifteen >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/kyoqoakj.xp5.txt
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Magical Creatures in the Age of Reality
Magical Creatures in the Age of Reality
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – you deserve a cookie for your hard work!
Chapter 28: Magical Creatures in the Age of Reality
The siren caught five earthworms.
“Five to four, Cain lost, hehehe.”
“No one’s competing with you…” the knight stood up helplessly, “Julian?”
“No problem, Mr.Frank!” the dwarf waved the second fishing pole he had just completed, “should I make two more?”
“No need to be so diligent,” the knight turned, looking around, “the one taking a walk is still not back?”
Before he even finished speaking, the ‘one taking a walk’ appeared running out from the forest holding something in his hand, covered by the cloak.
“Shelly, are you still carrying around any rations?”
Using the cloak and bamboo poles he temporarily built a lean-to, the elf used the river water to soak the rations for a bit, before placing it next to the unconscious gnome.
Smelling the food, the gnome’s small body shuddered, opening its(1) eyes. Upon seeing the food, it took a deep breath, struggled to get up and started to take large bites of food.
But after taking a few bites, it stopped, turning to face the elf, using a sharp urgent tone, it started to speak a long chain of foreign words.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand gnome,” the elf shook his head, “Can you use the common tongue?”
The small creature stood on the elf’s palm, waving his hands around exaggeratedly, “locked up! Many days! Hungry! I’m small! Ran out! Help!”
“Um… you’ve been locked, starved for some days, you ran out to seek help? – Where were you locked up?”
The gnome pointed in the direction of the forest, “Burrow! Door! Locked up!”
“In the gnome’s burrow?”
“Yes! Help!”
With the directions of the small gnome, the burrow was located quickly.
A few wooden boards were nailed together blocking the entrance, some rocks were even placed on top, with the gnome’s strength, there was no way it could be moved.]
The group removed the rocks, lifting up the wooden boards.
Having heard the movement, a few gnomes immediately came out to investigate, but seeing the sunlight, they quickly shrunk back in.
The siren generously threw the rations he was carrying into the burrow, immediately tiny high-pitched cheers could be heard from within.
“When the sun sets, find us at the grassy area.” The elf said placing the small gnome down.
When the gnome reached the ground, it took of its hat, bowed to the group, then turned and ran back into the tunnel.
“It really does look like Julian.” The knight said grinning.
“To be locked up like that… that’s so cruel.” The dwarf muttered, “Who in the world did that…”
“That is what we have to find out,” the elf replied, “but before that, let’s go fishing.”
The knight taught the siren and the dwarf some basics about fishing, then walked to one side, only giving out some advice occasionally.
The elf spread his cloak on the grass, and laid down to look at the sky.
The sun was bright but didn’t burn his eyes, shining down on his face, even the air felt warmer. Occasionally a breeze would pass by, carrying the scent of green grass and earth. The surroundings were calm, with only the sound of the river, along with the knight’s voice could be heard lowly.
Feeling weary, the elf’s eyes closed unintentionally.
In between dream and wakefulness, the sound of footsteps came closer, without opening his eyes he knew it was the knight.
“Not going to compete, do you plan to let the newbies fend for themselves… fishing master?”
“So you were not asleep,” the knight smiled, sitting down beside him, “one has the racial talent of the water element, the other has the talent for tools, I’m just a normal human no point in making a fool of myself.”
“Cain.”
“Humm?”
“Other than Todd, of the non-humans in the ‘Unicorn Legion’ during the Legendary Era, there was only myself and Anna. Anna was a werewolf, but that was only after she was bitten.”
“So?”
“It’s strange. At the beginning when I asked the Queen to reinstate the Legion, I never thought it really could be functional – and for it to be such a special group.”
“Then what were you thinking at first?
“Umm… strictly speaking, nothing at all,” the elf replied opening his eyes, “magical creatures were supposed to have disappeared, but I still made such a request. The Queen must have thought I was crazy.”
“At least she doesn’t think so now.”
“That’s the most interesting part,” the elf laughed lightly, “gnomes have appeared, and the other magical creatures have probably returned as well… it seems this world, still needs the ‘Unicorn Legion’.”
“As the human representative, I feel honored.”
“The one who should be honored is me. …I never thought I would be qualified to be the leader, but for you all, I will work hard.”
“Ellen, you would be an outstanding captain.”
“Hmm… even with that much flattery, you still won’t receive a wage, Cain.”
“No worries, I’m not for sale.”
“Ten to six!” from afar, the siren’s voice called out.
“See, newbies have luck on their side.” The knight said.。
The grassland at sunset was busy, the elven made short dagger and the knight’s sword became tools to scale fish.
The fire was built up, with a rack to cook the fish above it made from branches, not long after a delicious scent started flowing out.
From farther into the forest, small red dots started to appear, flocking into the area.
— The gnomes have come to join the banquet.
This is a banquet with a large number of ‘people’ but very low cost, only a total of five fishes were shared, over a hundred gnomes and already half were so full, they could not get up. The remaining half after chatting together in their language, ran back into the forest again.
Not long after, a small cart the size of Cain’s foot was pushed out. The small gnome that the elf had saved ran forward to meet them, waving its arms around enthusiastically again.
“Food! Thank you! Trade!” it pointed to the ores on the cart.
“This is enough,” the elf randomly took one of the ores, nodding, “thank you.”
The gnomes started chattering again, after a long while, they seemed to have reached an agreement. They lined up together, bowed, and then ran back into the forest hand in hand, quickly disappearing from sight.
“Julian, I’ll leave this to you.
The dwarf took the ore, carefully removing the mud from the surface, his jaw dropped, after only taking a look.
“Five fish… for a black crystal?!”
“Even the part where they like to throw money around, is like you, Julian.” Said the knight, patting his shoulder.
When they arrived back at the ‘Gnome Inn’, the village chief was already waiting inside.
The chief was an elderly man with a humped back, he spoke in slow tones, and seemed to be very polite.
“We are honored to welcome you my lords, I never thought the small problems of this village, would trouble the Queen, please accept our apology.”
“Don’t worry, her Majesty does not know of this, we were just doing our duty while passing by.”
“Then did you go ask around, this afternoon? The villagers are mostly uneducated farmers, if they have done anything to offend you, please forgive us.”
“No, we just went fishing.” The elf replied smiling gently, “About the gnomes, could you please tell us more details?”
“I understand,” the chief sighed slowly again, “this, either way is my responsibility. It was around the winter of last year, those gnomes appeared in the village, out of kindness, we gave them some of our food, and allowed them to live nearby. As trade, they offered to help us with the farming.”
“Then, were there problems?”
“Everything was normal, until lately, after planting the field, everyone suddenly realized, nothing would grow in the field wherever the gnomes helped till the soil. I started to become suspicious, and sent a few youngsters, to stand watch during the night.”
“Then a few days again, we finally found some clues.” The chief sighed again, “They had been… poisoning the fields this whole time.”
Translator’s Notes
I don’t think gnomes have gender. The original used “它” = ‘it’ as a description rather than ‘he’ or ‘she’.
Julian found some distant relatives in this chapter?😄
<< Chapter Twenty Seven Chapter Twenty Nine>>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/l4ltuwci.d2q.txt
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Paladin/Holy Knight
Paladin/Holy Knight
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Still looking for one, contact me if interested!
Chapter 6: Paladin/Holy Knight*
They hurried through the streets, hoping to reach the Mercenary’s Home before the day lightened anymore.
The elf returned to his usual form, the boy had transformed into a regular human boy, silently following closely behind.
Whenever the knight tried to get close, the boy would turn and glare at him, so the knight could only follow at a distance behind.
“The one that locked you up was a vampire,” when they reached within viewing distance of the Mercenary’s Home, Cain finally couldn’t resist saying, “not humans.”
The young siren didn’t reply.
“At least we…”
“That’s right,” the youth finally stopped, turning to look at the knight, “you saved me, as a reward, I can give you a night of good dreams.”
“I’m not…”
“Just say it, how do you want it? It’s my expertise.” The boy’s expression was mocking, “a nun? Or a female knight? Kneeling in front of the holy statue to service you?”
Cain’s eyes were wide, speechlessly staring at the boy.
“Even if you want the Queen it’s possible.” The boy continued briskly, “Just a few days ago someone requested it.”
“Don’t be that way.” Ellen sighed, reaching out to rest a hand on the young boy’s shoulder, turning him towards himself, “Cain didn’t mean to pressure you.”
The boy snorted, not saying anything more.
Therefore, the group continued forward with an awkward air.
Upon reaching the inside of the walls of the Mercenary’s Home, the door to the inn just opened, two people dressed as paladins stepped out.
Cain drew a shocked breath, making as if to hide. But the gaze of the two had already landed on him.
“Damn it!” One of the paladins turned around fiercely closing the door, the other one rushed towards Cain, lowered his voice, and said in a urgent tone, ‘Felix, you idiot! You should have ran months ago, why did you stay in the city!?”
“I –“
“They have the Pope’s arrest warrant, and they’re about to start a countrywide manhunt! – run! As fast as possible!”
“Carl” Cain said faintly as the other pressed a bag of coins into his hand, “I didn’t…”
“I know, we all know” the knight called Carl pulled him into a strong hug, then pushed him away, “Leave quickly! Before we find out the truth, don’t die!”
“Such a touching reunion.” Clapping sound came from behind them, “Carl Turner, conspiring to assist a fugitive and his accomplices, you are guilty of malfeasance, you will be sentenced to the whip and your name struck from the Order**. – Knott, what are you standing around for, arrest him.”
The elf turned around, to stare silently at the owner of the clapping sound, fingers lightly brushing the hilt of his dagger. The young siren hid behind him, watching everything with a hint of fear.
The knight who closed the door came forward very unwillingly, grasping his companion’s wrist, pulling him to one side.
“The others are still inside?”
“…yes.”
“Let them continue searching, there could be other criminals hiding inside.” The owner of the applause, the bishop of the lower city church Charles Wrede, ordered the team behind him in a self-satisfactory manner, “surround them, kill any who runs.”
A sound of unenthusiastic footsteps, the paladins behind him formed a circle full of holes, surrounding Cain and his companions.
The bishop searched his pockets for a moment, fishing out a piece of document, wiped his monocle, coughed loudly, and started to read aloud.
“Former knight of the holy order***, Felix Paladin****. For severe misconduct and sacrilege, and harming…”
Before he could finish reading, the document in his hands were snatched away.
The bishop lifted his head in rage, only to have another piece of paper thrust in his face.
“Please finish reading this first.”
“You you you –“ the bishop pulled down the piece of paper from his face, pointing a shaking finger at the elf, “how dare you to God’s servant –“
“God’s servant, the Queen’s citizen.” The elf pointed to the paper in the bishop’s hands, at the end was Queen Gracia’s elegant signature.
The bishop’s eyes widened, then angrily looked down to read the document.
As his eyes scanned downwards, his face became red.
“What is this! Outrageous!”
“If you are dissatisfied, you can always go ask the Queen.” The elf balled up the arrest warrant, throwing it away behind him, “The Pope’s orders are no longer valid, I am exercising first class recruitment rights on this man.”
“Absurd! I refuse to acknowledge this!”
“Also, please rescind Carl Turner’s punishment, he was assisting the Queen’s immediate subordinate, not a criminal.”
“You shameless liar –“
“The newly appointed Viscount of Soloris Valley, at your service.” The elf bowed slightly, watching as the bishop’s face slowly changed from red to purple.
The paladin’s surrounding them started talking in small voices, just loud enough for the bishop to hear.
“I heard that the former Archduke Crane was on very good terms with the Pope…”
“Lately, it seems the Queen wants to remove members of the clergy from all over.”
“No matter what, the Pope wouldn’t want to go against the Royal house…”
Normally, the bishop would have already scolded them for their rude actions, but hearing those words now, his face turned pale.
One insignificant lower city bishop, and a new noble, if there was to be any argument with the one said to be the Queen’s favored, the Pope would definitely not stand on his side.
The bishop finally withdrew.
He forcefully arranged his face into a smile that looked worse than if he was crying, humbly returned the document, “Please… please forgive this humble, humble servant’s rude behavior, Lord Viscount. Everything will be as you say, I’ll… take my leave now. May God’s protection be with you. Please… don’t mention this to the Queen.”
Following the bishop’s retreat, the paladin’s also started to leave.
When they passed by the elf, each of them nodded in respect, and when they passed Cain, they patted his shoulder, pushed him, or made all sorts of strange faces.
“Good luck.”
“May God protect you.”
“Long live the Queen.”
“Now you can openly drink wine.”
“Now you can wolf whistle the nuns.”
“Now you can go seduce noble ladies.”
Cain stood in place, listening to those well wishes that were gradually groing more ridiculous, working hard to maintain a smile.
Because if he didn’t do that, tears would start leaking.
“You’re smiling like an idiot.” The siren observed.
But when he looked at the knight, there was no longer any antagonism in his eyes.
“If you wish, you could return” the elf said softly, “Cai… no… Mr. Paladin?”
“Cain is fine,” the knight turned his gaze, no longer looking in the direction of his retreating peers.
“Felix Paladin was a name given by the Church, I no longer need it.”
Translator’s Notes
*圣殿骑士 – I couldn’t decide between Paladin and Holy Knight (basically the same thing lol) but they both work? Google actually translates it to the Knights Templar but it didn’t seem suitable for this.
**He means that Carl’s will basically be dishonorably discharged and be disgraced in history because his name is removed from the records – something along those lines
***This time in particular, I’m using Holy Knight instead of Paladin because his last name is Paladin and it would be so confusing T^T
****菲尼克斯 帕拉丁 – Paladin was the actual phonetic translation, don’t look at me.
Sorry, there will be a delay in the translation this week, I’m currently on holiday in Taiwan and will be spending most of my time sightseeing and shopping. But hopefully I’ll still be getting some things done in the evening, it just won’t be coming out as fast.😄
<< Chapter Five Chapter Seven >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/lmdtzes5.rxl.txt
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They Come
They Come
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Still looking for one, contact me if interested!
Chapter 8: They Come
When the elf woke up, he didn’t know for how long he had slept.
His head was aching, there was a ringing sound in his hears, his limbs felt heavy, it was as if he had not rested at all.
The lighting in the room was dark – as an inn refurbished from a prison, it was almost impossible to distinguish between day and night inside the rooms of the Mercenary’s Home.
But in this familiar environment, there was a foreign presence.
“You’re awake?” In the darkness, came Cain’s smooth voice, “The door wasn’t locked, so I came in.”
The sound of flint striking, followed by the piercing candlelight.
Ellen instinctively raised his hand to block it, but before that, a piece of cool cloth was placed on his forehead.
“Best not to move,” Cain sat down next to him, “unless you want to feel worse.”
“So this is the so called ‘hang-over’…” Ellen closed his eyes, muttering.
“As the first time drinking, you’re adapting fairly well.”
“How long did I sleep?”
“It’s not even evening.”
Upon hearing the word ‘evening’, the elf struggled to sit up, “Duke Elmond… should apply for a country wide search warrant –“
“It’s done.” The knight reached out to push him back down, “The duke is currently under investigation by the Holy Order of Paladins, for worshiping an evil cult and performing secret rituals in his home. They didn’t find his person, but the evidence of blood magic was really present. Right now the duke’s manor is full of servants from the Queen and the Church. I don’t think he would reveal himself for some time.”
The knight smiled, and continued, “Of course, he’s also charged with murder, child trafficking, and the unsuccessful kidnapping of a noble. – I sent the Queen a letter using your seal, hope you don’t mind”
“Cain?”
“Hm?”
“Goodnight.” The elf speedily fell back onto his pillow, covered his eyes with the cloth; his breath evened out soon afterwards.
The knight watched quietly for a moment, then blew out the candle.
“Goodnight, Ellen.”
When the elf woke up again, it was because of the sound of light cat like scratching at his door.
It seemed his hearing had returned, his head no longer ached.
The elf got up to open the door, sunlight filtered into the room through the windows in the hall.
The young siren crouched in front of the door, he lifted his head after hearing the sound of the door opening, face full of innocence he said, “Cain said not to disturb you, but I was hungry.”
Hearing that, the knight who was standing to one side let out a long sigh of lament.
“You’ve already cleared out all my travel rations.”
“Those were trophies that you should have offered to me as the victor.”
“… I call you out on a duel. No magic allowed, a warrior should solve the problems with a sword honorably!”
“Sword? Foolish human, do you want to compare sizes or stamina?”
“… That’s not what that means! Pull your pants back up!”
“Wait a moment.” The elf closed the door laughingly, leaving the arguing knight and siren outside.
The market of the “Golden Capital” Elvira was situated just outside the boundary between the lower city and the city proper, relying on the nearby harbor to supply a large number of goods, it had reverted back to its prosperous state soon after the civil war.
Here, status and titles do not matter, all the merchants care about was whether the clients could pay the suitable amount. Thus even though the elf’s appearance might attract some curious gazes, it did not cause any sort of commotion. – Exotically dressed travelers were too common, many observers had already automatically considered the pointy ears as some sort of new fashion trend. Enterprising stall owners, had probably already started to consider releasing a series of dwarf or ogre costume sets.
Facing this type of large crowd, the siren was a very nervous at first, but soon he was attracted by the dazzling goods on display, and started to look around without a care.
‘Hello Robin’ was a small modest stall in the corner near the lower city, but the regulars know, that the city’s tastiest buttered bread and honey wine* could be found here.
Ellen frowned when he heard the words honey wine, but Cain immediately guaranteed, that it was basically just a sweet drink, and will definitely not cause a hangover.
Soft bread baked to perfection, paired with melting butter, with just one small bite the warm and rich flavor will spread through mouth. The warmed honey wine was not too sweet, and had an elusive aftertaste of flowers.**
The young siren certainly didn’t have this sort of appreciation for the pursuit of delicious food, in the blink of an eye he had already finished his own breakfast, and was eyeing the basket of a street vender. In the next moment he ran back, carrying the unscaled and un-gutted fish, with its fins still attached, sandwiching it between two pieces of bread, he started eating it with gusto.
“It tastes better cooked.” He said, after swallowing his self-made raw fish sandwich, “Humans do come up with some good ideas once in a while.”
“I thank you for your appreciation on behalf of humanity.” Cain rolled his eyes, pointing to the fountain in the middle of the market, “Underneath the angel statue, there’s a stall that sells grilled fish, remember not to pay more than half his asking price.”
As the siren weaved through the crowd on his way back with a fish kabob in his mouth, a few sailors sat down in front of their table at the ‘Robin’. The knight turned his head, saying something to the elf, the two then looked at each other and laughed together.
The knight’s expression when looking at the elf contained a familiar gentleness.
The young siren vaguely remember, it seemed like a long time ago, that someone also looked at him with the same expression.
“Don’t trust humans.” By the siren’s ears, Duke Elmond’s voice said clearly.
The boy jumped in fright, turning to look around, but he couldn’t find anything.
“Don’t trust humans,” the voice continued, “have you forgotten?”
But Cain saved me.
“So what? The one who took you from the sea, didn’t he save you as well?”
That’s different. Humans and humans are different.
“They’re all the same,” Duke Elmond smiled, “remember, the one who gave you that promise, how he treated you. That sailor –“
Sailor…
It was as if that word had opened a floodgate of fear.
The siren started to shake uncontrollably.
They’re coming they’re here –
Stumbling the young man pushed away the people surrounding him, running towards the elf.
“Ellen!” He shouted “Run! They –“
The youth raised his hand, a cloud of black mist spread out amongst the crowd, the people closest – the sailors fell to the ground, wailing soundlessly.
Following the chaos, the boy disappeared from sight.
“Luckily it’s just a fear spell,” the knight turned the fallen sailor over and lifted his eyelids, sighing, “You go first. I’ll take care of this then meet up with you.”
Translator’s Notes
*蜂蜜酒 – Honey wine is also known as mead, but I wasn’t sure if Ellen knew what “mead” means so I’ll stick with honey-wine. It is basically fermented honey with water, historically one of the oldest alcoholic drinks. (There are actually youtube videos on how to make this😄 I’m actually interested).
**I felt like I was translating a chapter of Konjiki no Wordmaster.
This was a short chapter. Ideally I would like to release the next 3 chapters at the same time, because the effect would be better if it was read together. So the next release might be a little slower (but then again, considering it’s me, it might come out tomorrow, who knows, but don’t hold your breath).
– The joys of quick editing… on that note, someone please help me edit this! Lol if only just to point out spelling mistakes cause autocorrect sometimes creates weird words and sometimes misspelling slips through the cracks and I end up with something strange.
<< Chapter Seven Chapter Nine >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/m2bd3lcc.wr0.txt
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Farewell Golden Capital
Farewell Golden Capital
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – I give up, you can all just deal with my typos and bad grammar 😄
Chapter 21: Farewell Golden Capital
The saddle and reins on the Mageless Workshop’s horse were specially made, just right to seat a dwarf. So the folding table and similar additions were abandoned, the luggage separated to the four other horses, emptying the area for Julian to ride. The siren was highly envious of that, but listened to the knight, and didn’t ask for an exchange.
Having such an unpredictable event as ‘gaining an extra person’ caused the preparation time to be extended, when the members of the ‘Unicorn Legion’ left Elvira, it was already midafternoon.
In order to match the horse’s pace, the travel speed was already slower than normal(1). According to this speed, it would take at almost a day’s walk to reach the closest village, no matter what they would need to camp outdoors tonight.(2) Even so, as long as they can find a suitable flat ground then the problem is solved. Thus the group traveled even more leisurely.
For a while at the start, they would often pass by merchants heading towards the capital. But following the directions on the map, turning onto a narrower path, there were less and less travelers about. After some time, even the path created by travelers repeatedly walking through had become fuzzy, finally what appeared in front of them, was only nature.
The wilderness of early spring, green grass were just starting to sprout. The scenery could not be called beautiful, and even carried a few hints of winter, but no one cared about that. The discussion about magic continued, but the main lecturer became Julian, the topic had naturally become about the creation of magic tools. When the discussion became more passionate, the dwarf swiftly brought out pen and paper, drawing the internal designs for all sorts of tools.
The knight listened to their discussion, occasionally adding his own opinion, and the elf was silent almost the whole way, only when his companions asked him directly, did he answer, unknowingly walking to the front of the team. When the knight noticed this, he said nothing, only lightly tapping the whip to speed up, moving forward to walk beside the elf.
The trees around them started to become thicker, after passing a stream, the team entered a forest. Ancient trees reaching into the sky grew tall and lush, almost covering the sun that was already in the west.。
“There used to be a village here.”
When they passed a large boulder, the elf took the initiative to break the silence for the first time.
“It was called Luta. This rock was where the entrance of the village was. – Of course, that should be three hundred years ago.”
“Ellen.” The knight stared at him worriedly. The elf’s voice didn’t have the normal calm and warm feeling, becoming somewhat lost.
“It’s nothing,” the elf smiled, “I just feels… strange. At that time the war was very taxing, at least in terms of appearance Elvira was the same as before, the mercenaries were a different group of people, but what they do was the same as in the past. So I would always have some sort of misconception, which I’ve only left for a few months, or a few years at most.”]
“Just when I see something like this on occasion, that I would suddenly realize,” the elf lowered his head, as if asking the knight, or talking to himself, “it’s already been this long…”
“I don’t have that sort of experience,” the knight was silent for some time, “so I don’t know what to say to make you feel a little better. – In truth, nothing I say would be useful.”
“So, at this time,” the knight half turned, indicating for the elf to come closer, then said quietly into his ears, “I’ll just pretend you’re Shelly.”
Then he quickly reached out his hand, messing up the elf’s hair, “Don’t think about it, be good.”
Before the elf could react, the knight was pulling his reins to run away. Realizing the elf didn’t follow, he turned and looked back at him with regret.
“…” the elf sighed again, silently pulling his hood up. The knight saw his movement, and couldn’t resist laughing.
“I wasn’t looking at the ears, really.”
The sharp sound of wind suddenly came from behind the team, the knight’s horse cried out, starting to dash forward. The knight reacted quickly to secure himself on the back of the horse, and didn’t fall down. He pulled hard on the reins, but the horse that was hit in the flank by the arrow was still in the grips of its instincts, bringing him deeper into the forest in its mad run.
The elf quickly reached out a hand to grip the bow, taking an arrow from the quiver, shooting in the direction of the sound. A cry followed from that direction. He waited for a moment, his opponent did not continue to attack, and there were no other sounds of movement, only then did he turn to say to the dwarf and siren.
“Wait here, protect yourselves.”
Then he flicked the whip hard, rushing in the direction that the knight had disappeared towards.
The knight on horseback frowned irritated. If the opponent’s goal is to separate the team to attack, waiting for the horse to stop by itself, would probably be too late. Even though it’s a little dangerous, but getting of the horse as quickly as possible would be the best choice.
He looked in front, originally planning to wait for the horse to slow down a little, but realized that the road in front on him, was very uneven and covered in twigs and branches.
No time –。
The knight gritted his teeth, released the reins, pushing hard against the horse’s back, and jumped down. The forward momentum caused him to roll several times on the ground, his back hitting a tree hard. At the same time, the horse stepped into a trap, and fell down screaming.
The knight struggled to sit up, reaching a hand to draw his sword. But there were already two shadows in his field of vision, the cold blade of the sword neared his throat.
“Take off his weapon, and tie him up tighter.” The man holding the sword said. His face was masked, only revealing his eyes.
His companion, also masked, bent down carefully, removing the knight’s sword. Then brought out bundle of rope, circling around the knight’s wrists and ankles many times, and tying a knot.
“You’re Felix Paladin?”
“Who are you?” the knight asked.
The man laughed coldly, increasing the pressure at the tip of the sword, “Someone with the right to ask questions.”
— So they came for me.
The knight released a breath softly, replying calmly, “Yes.”
“The incident in November last year, tells us everything.”
“I’ve already told the magistrate, how many more times do you want me to say it?”
“Once, if what you say is the truth, I can give you a quick death.” The man pulled his sword back a little, but still pointing it towards the knight.
“At the request of the Marquis’ daughter, I escorted her from the lower city church to the Marquis’ residence.” The knight said his face blank, “When we were almost at the manor, she told me that there was no more problems, she could walk the rest of the way herself, so we went our separate ways.”
“What did you do afterwards?”
“Returned directly to my rooms in the church.”
“Humph…” the man laughed coldly again, “then the next day the body of the Marquis’ daughter was found, what coincidence.”
“I’ve been interrogated(3) before,” the knight replied coldly, “there is only one answer(4), I did not kill her.”
“And before that? After you left the church, you did not return directly to the marquis’ manor. Where did you go? Who did you see?”
“I cannot divulge that.(5)” the knight said calmly.
“Oh~ so it’s that again,” the man said mockingly, “ ‘I made an oath so I can’t say’? You still think you’re a knight, a dog of the church.”
“That is the truth.” The knight frowned, “In addition she has already passed away, do you want me to break an oath to the dead?”
The man rested his sword against the knight’s throat again, glaring at him. The knight looked back without fear, with no indication of wanting to escape in his gaze.
“Even if what you say is the truth,” the man backed up a step half believing, “But… I still have to answer to my employer.”
He gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, raising the blade, aiming for the knight’s throat.
“Any last words?”
Translator’s Notes
Shouldn’t you be faster on horses? But then again, I guess the horses aren’t in the best shape and since they’re also carrying luggage it would slow them down.
Remember, they started out at noon, and since it takes a full day’s walk they won’t be able to reach the closest village before dark. (It took me a moment to realize that lol so I decided to explain just in case someone is like me and completely forgetful about what was said a paragraph ago XD)
拷问 – google translate actually says ‘interrogation with torture’ , I decided just to use interrogation (I’m not sure if, in this context, you can read the implied torture in there, but I didn’t want to write ‘interrogation with torture’ or even just ‘torture’, it just doesn’t seem to fit…could be just me)
Detective Conan! “There is only one truth!” OMG someone stop my brain from making all these weird and completely useless connections!
无可奉告 – Basically means he’s not going to speak, but also has the meaning of ‘I swore I would not say anything’ or ‘there’s no need for you to know’. (Top secret!)
Uh-oh, CLIFFHANGER!! Ellen! Where are you!??? Hurry!!
And that part when Cain whispers in Ellen’s ear!! Kyaaa!! (Lol yes, I had a total a fangirl moment).
On a completely random note, boy am I glad Cain is now Cain and no longer Felix, I knew a Felix, I had bad memories… lol plus Cain is a much cooler name.
I won’t leave you hanging for long, have faith in my ability to translate! Mwahahah *sneakily marks calendar to delay the update* No, seriously, I’ll be good and try to get the next one up asap😄
<< Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty Two >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/mirz4ocb.bdq.txt
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Mageless’s Workshop
Mageless’s Workshop
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – *sniffle*
Chapter 16: Mageless’s Workshop
Just as Cain predicted, early next morning, the Minister of Finance took the initiative to send a warm welcoming letter. The contents of the letter gave high praise to the Unicorn Legion’s success in their first mission, at the same time indicating, he would fully support their future endeavors. Along with the letter was a list of militant supplies, everything in the list, can be acquired through royal channels, and as long as it is within the indicated amount, the price can be reduced by a large amount or even be free.
“It seems Duke Elmond is richer than we imagined,” the knight scanned the list over the elf’s shoulder, whistling, “The range of things we can chose from can basically catch up to the Royal Knight. – The armor Hazlett wears is actually only the third on the list.”
“Based on rating?”
“No, on price.” The knight replied resting his chin on his hand, “the second place ‘Dragon Scales’ is too focused on all round defense, it requires three people to help put it on. As for the ‘Angel’ in the first place, the weight and protectiveness can’t even be considered a full armor, basically it can only be used as decoration – I say, who would want to wear something covered in lily patterns, and with a pair of wings on the head to battle?”
“The iron bucket?” the elf asked curiously.
The knight took the list, flipping through a few pages, pointing at the last line in the heavy armor section, “Here, universal type heavy armor, 5 gold 12 silver. Mine was second hand bought from the black market, not even half price. – Even so he still earned some. That thing was definitely stolen from some unfortunate soul that keeled over on the side of the road, when I first wore it, the smell of corpse that still lingered inside made me feel like I was a death knight.”(1)
“Before when you refused to talk to people, other than being afraid of being recognized, was also because of this reason.”
“Perhaps,” regarding this topic, it seemed the knight didn’t want to say much, “on the bright side, thanks to that armor, I’m immune to any olfactory attacks.”
“Since it needs to be exchanged sooner or later, let’s not wear it out today.” The elf watched as the knight’s face paled immediately, and added laughing, “Don’t worry, we’re not going on the path that goes past the market.”
‘Mageless’s Workshop’ is the most famous weapon and gear shop in the city, with no competition.
A mercenary can’t afford this type of expensive products, thus clients were mainly nobles from militant families. At most the fighting they come across would only be hunting and yearly competitions, as well as duels to gain some female admiration, but in terms of gear, each person’s investment could equal that of an army. On one hand it is because they never care about regular maintenance on the armor, on the other hand it is because many craftsman started to cater to their tastes, creating all sorts of gear that were beautiful and elaborate but with almost no practicality, to be sold as consumers goods.
But ‘Mageless’s Workshop’ was popular, not only because their craftsman could carve detailed patterns even on the tip of spurs, there was another determining reason – the owner of the workshop Mr.Mageless was a dwarf.
‘Dwarven creation’ suggests mystery, magic and the most advanced technology – more advanced than what human craftsmen could keep up with. Even so long after the Legendary Era had passed, this word was still full of charm.
According to the stories Mr.Mageless’s ancestor was strange even amongst dwarves. When the others of his race decided to hide deep into the earth, cutting all ties with the human society, he led his five wives, eighteen sons and various cousins and relatives and insisted on staying in the Golden Capital. He fully utilized the gift of a merchant that ran in his veins, and this ability was inherited by the current workshop master. Since he succeeded, the workshop no longer sold just armor, magic tools like jewelry boxes that were larger on the inside, delicate mechanical birds for delivering love letters and so on, all became popular commodity. Due to the limited numbers, black market merchants were able to ear quite a bit from the difference.
But Mr.Mageless’s greatest breakthrough was specific gear that was ‘uniquely’ tailored for individual nobles. From attributes to appearance (naturally it’s mostly appearance), all made to the client’s request. Boots with thicker soles for shorter statures, soft form-fitting light armor that uses special materials to emphasize the chest, reduce beer belly, or a hidden love message to some madam in the etched patterns. Each piece will help their owner stand in the limelight in certain events. – The price is naturally several or even tens of times that of utilitarian armor.
Perhaps some old time craftsman might doubt Mr.Mageless, thinking he had abandoned the pride of being a creator, changing to pursue ‘despicable’ money. But that was not the truth. The goods created by ‘Mageless’s Workshop’, even if they were common items found all over the market, were definitely the best amongst items of similar caste.
They say that Mr.Mageless is over half a century old, with a grey beard, and didn’t seem to be as welcoming as the legends say. He glanced at the elf and his companions, taking the list.
“Don’t have the materials for this, that’s out of stock, this was out of production ages ago…”
In a moment he crossed out half the list and returned it, “Don’t bother going to other places in the city to find them, they plan to get their goods from here anyways. – to avoid running into trouble, merchants transporting crafting materials all changed jobs, who knows when production’s going to start again. – Whatever’s left, you can look around.”
Regarding Mr.Mageless’s rude behavior, the elf didn’t mind, after saying thanks he starting to browse through the ‘remaining’ list. The siren was attracted by the mechanical bird on the shelf, and began to question Mr.Magelss unrelentingly, though the other only replied unenthusiastically. As for the knight standing beside the elf, perhaps because the trauma of a certain event last night has yet to fade, he remained uncharacteristically calm in public.
“Cain, this seems to be the only armor left with magical attributes, is it suitable?”
“ ‘Holy Cross’ huh, that’s what regular paladins wear, it’s not bad.” The knight replied.
“Weapon?”
The knight took a look, shaking his head, “I can’t see anything practical, the shield as well, I’ll just use my old one, you?”
“There are quite a bit that’s suitable,” the elf said with a little regret, “but for some reason none of them are a set….”
“Why care about that?” the knight spread his hands, “They don’t add magic to armor anymore, so having a set isn’t useful.”
“But for some reason they color the leather now,” the elf replied, “they probably felt that it makes it easier to hide in certain environments?”
“I see,” the knight smiled, looking at the list closely, “So…um, the effect of desert boots, and tundra belt with jungle pauldrons along with lava knee pads as well as midnight cloak…wow, that’s…”
“Even if I didn’t care about the appearance,” the elf replied raising an eyebrow, “in any environment this combination makes a moving target.”
“It’s fine even if you cared.” The knight replied slowly, scanning the elf from head to toe.
“Cain… don’t imagine strange things.” The elf replied dryly.
“Did anyone ever tell you, even though you’re pretty expressionless when you’re mad, but your ears would stand up?”
Despite being hard to spot, just for a moment, the elf’s cheeks flushed a very pale pink.
Then he said airily, “Cain… when we go back, we might still pass by the market.”
“All I’m saying is, the colors on the armor is not permanent, you can request for it to be restored,” the knight immediately withdrew, replying with a smile, “my lord.”
The elf glared at him stoically for a moment, before returning to the list.
“Although there’s no need for him to join in the fighting, Shelly also needs some protective gear. His height is similar to a dwarf’s, it’s probably not possible to find gear that small in a human workshop. – Mr.Mageless, do you have light armor for this child?”
Before the dwarf could reply, Shelly interrupted, “Why not a mage’s robe? I’ve tried light armor, it’s heavy, why is it called light armor when it’s that heavy?”
Mr.Mageless’s eyes suddenly widedned, “What did you say? Say it again?”
“If it’s that heavy it shouldn’t be called light armor.” The siren nodded.
“No no, I meant the one before? Mage what?”
“Mage’s robe?”
“Mage’s robe, mage’s robe…” Mr.Mageless muttered those words several times, for some reason revealing a very impressed expression, “are you a mage sir?”
“No,” Shelly shook his head solemnly, “But we are going to the Magic Academy. I heard they wear that there, so it’s what you would call ‘do what they do’?”(2)
“You’re going to the Magic Academy!” Mr.Mageless was already so emotional as to almost faint, “God! Why didn’t you say so earlier? I almost, I almost gave some useless metal to the sirs going to the Magic Academy!”
“Please wait a moment! I’ll go find it!” he jumped up, rushing to the inner room tripping.
“Is the Magic Academy…so famous amongst the dwarves now?” the elf asked in confusion.
“I don’t know,” the knight shook his head, “Normally other than magic tools, dwarves should be completely unrelated to magic?”
Translator’s Notes
1. Wait, so does that mean ‘Iron Bucket’ is actually what that armor is called!? Lol I keep thinking they were making fun of it by calling it that.
2. 入鄉隨俗 – “When in Rome” sort of deal, but obviously they don’t have Rome there, so I can’t use that lol.
Seriously very sorry about the delay T^T. I had a bit of an accident involving a cup of tea and my laptop. Thank god it was salvageable😄 The next one should be out soon.
On another note: We are halfway through the first book!! Yay😄
<< Chapter Fifteen Chapter Seventeen >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/nw2z1pnr.rfw.txt
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Subtle Victory
Subtle Victory
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – *sniffle*
Chapter 18: Subtle Victory
‘Nightmare’ was a pure black stallion, temperamental, hard to control, but his strength in comparison to the ‘Dawn Mist’ that the earl’s son was riding, was basically equal. The earl’s son had chosen hurdles, naturally he was planning to take advantage of ‘Dawn Mist’s’ tameness, and win with equestrian skills. Plus hurdles were more dangerous than racing on flat grounds, a single mistake, may cause great injury or death, and being in full armor becomes a safety measure. From this, it seems that this ‘rich kid’ was pretty canny.
The earl’s son was in exceptionally good condition today, in the first lap within 4 miles, ‘Dawn Mist’s’ pace was quick and agile when jumping over the first hurdle, and her master’s focus was in front, not having the time to spare to check his opponent’s performance. But once the ear’s son was certain of his advantage, he planned to look back, that was when he realized ‘Nightmare’ was only half a horse length behind, and in the moment that he lost his concentration, it seemed like his opponent was about to gain speed.
The earl’s son increased his own speed a little nervously, regarding how his opponent was sticking so close to him like a burr, it seemed that he would be passed by if he was even the slightest bit distracted. In the fifth lap, both horses were starting to sweat heavily, their nostrils flaring with heavy breathing.
‘Dawn Mist’s’ endurance was not as great as ‘Nightmares’, plus her rider’s armor was causing her to tire faster, her speed was starting to decrease. A moment later, ‘Nightmare’ took the lead.
Luckily the goal was right in front, the earl’s son lost his patience, fiercely kicking his horse’s flank, ‘Dawn Mist’ reared in shock from the pain, but when she landed she didn’t want to continue, rather she tossed her body, throwing the earl’s son to the ground heavily. At that moment ‘Nightmare’ had already passed the past hurdle.
“ ‘Dawn Mist’ is a very sensitive lady, you have to be more gentle, or she’ll rebel.” The knight jumped off his horse, coming over the calm the enraged white horse. Then looking at the earl’s son covered in mud(1), he offered his hand, “I hope you are not injured. Honestly, if you didn’t have that armor, you would have had a chance to win.”
Although the knight spoke with respect, but to the earl’s son, he still sounded very sarcastic. His face paled even more, the knight thought he might faint on the spot or start crying, but he struggled up by himself, climbed back on the horse without a word, and started towards the audience stands.
The knight grinned, saying as he stroked ‘Nightmare’s’ mane, “Let’s go, to get our prize.”
“As promised, the horse is yours, viscount.” The earl’s son nodded to the elf, “An excellent victory.”
The siren cheered running towards the clearing.
The knight returned ‘Nightmare’s’ reins to its owner, he returned to the elf’s side.
The earl’s son took the reins walked a few paces away, then he turned his horse around suddenly, saying to the elf.
“Viscount, your knight… are you willing to transfer him over? Treatment and such will naturally not be a problem, any other additional clauses can be discussed as well.”
“Sorry, he wasn’t hired,” the elf’s ears stood up clearly, he was silent for a while before replying, “not for sale.”
The knight exaggeratedly bowed taking the elf’s hand, pulling it to his lips where he placed a light kiss.
The earl’s son frown deepened when he saw this.
“A sworn knight, that’s rare these days,” his tone was full of dissatisfaction, “but I still want to give you an advice, don’t be too indulgent on your servants. To allow a peasant to imitate a nobleman’s mannerism. That’s too –”
The elf interrupted his tirade simply, “According to the kiss of oath, he has full rights to do so.”
“Ki…” the earl’s son’s eyes widened again.
“Very sorry, I take back what I said.” For some reason, after that short moment of shock, his hostility was visibly reduced by a large amount.
“Good afternoon, viscount. – For my rudeness, please accept my apologies again.”
“Did he… suddenly turn polite?” The elf watched the retreating back of the earl’s son quizzically.
“Because… you created a very deep misunderstanding.” The knight seemed to be trying very hard to hold back his laughter, “from now on it’s better if you didn’t tell people about the kiss of oath.”
“Huh?”
“I want to ask just to make sure, the kiss of oath in the Legendary Era, what does it generally mean?”
“Even though it’s a master and servant relationship, it’s one of equality,” the elf reply was unhesitant, “so the knight has no need to obey the master and servant formality, nor will he be punished for not doing so.”
“I thought that was the case.”
“Thought?”
“Actually in this time, it’s enough just to make an equal response to the oath, that would have the same meaning.” The knight chose his words with a little amusement, “As for the kiss of oath, ahem, it is more common with female masters, it means that they will allow for a more… intimate relationship.”
“…Ah,” the elf froze for a moment before reacting, his face clearing flushing a deep red colour, “sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”(2)
“I know,” looking at the elf’s expression, the knight finally couldn’t resist laughing, “Now you know why he was so respectful. Just he words about transferring, you could request a duel with him.”
“Cain,” the elf raised a hand to press against his forehead, “if something like that ever happens again, please at least… warn me first.”
“Sorry, because I didn’t know how to break it to you, so I didn’t say anything.” The knight shrugged, “But you don’t have to worry too much, there are as many stars in the sky as there are back alley rumors in Elvira, even if it were to be spread around no one will think it’s real.”
“That sure is pleasing to hear.” The elf said helplessly.
“If you really feel troubled,” the knight drew his sword halfway out of the sheath, and then returned it with a smacking sound, “then allow me to protect your honor with my sword, my lord.”
“I think that’s called murder(3), not protecting my honor.”
“It’s almost the same thing,” the knight replied with a straight face, “I feel that I can solve the problem in the market the same way.”
“… Let’s just go take a look at the uninjured grown horses.” The elf sighed.
“About that,” the knight suddenly thought of something, and said with a bit of regret, “When I was still a paladin, I would come here every weekend to do some part time jobs. I actually watched both ‘Dawn Mist’ and ‘Nightmare’ grow up. – If only the bet included them both.”
“Even if it did include them, you can’t really use Shelly to bet.” The elf sighed a second time.
“Have a little faith in your knight,” the knight grinned, reaching his hand out to the elf, “let’s go, if Shelly learns fast enough, maybe we can have a race on flat grounds before sunset.”
“A race? You? And him?”
“I will lose to him without any evidence.”(4) The knight lifted an eyebrow, “nothing can encourage a new rider like victory.”
“Even though not leaving any evidence is a little suspicious in itself, but that seems to be an accurate theory.”
“As for the likes of Neely, he needs to be thoroughly shocked, let him see the difference in skill clearly, before he could improve.” The knight revealed a devilish smile.
“How much do you actually hate those in the royal knights…”
“I’m helping Hazlett Duncan ‘teach’ his subordinates, he should thank me.”
Shelly’s riding skills seemed to improve in leaps and bounds, very soon he was dissatisfied with the slow pace, and started directing his horse to run around the field. The knight tried to stop him several times, but realized that he wasn’t about to fall off, and decided not to interfere anymore.
“Don’t run too fast, if you stay on top for too long, you’ll feel it tomorrow.”
“No way,” the siren smirked, “climbing the mast every day, I’ve gotten used to it early on. Anyways Afternoon Tea’s run is very smooth.”
“Afternoon Tea?”
“ ‘Dawn Mist’, ‘Nightmare’, ‘Afternoon Tea’.” The siren nodded, “It sounds very fitting, right Afternoon Tea?”
The small hazel horse tossed its head and neighed happily.
Translator’s Notes
Again with the mud!😄 This time I would actually sit on the sidelines and point at him while laughing if he actually landed in a pile of ****.
Poor Ellen, Cain finally told him lol. It’s ok, sooner or later your kiss of oath will have the same meaning as it does in this current age. *smirks lecherously* Ahem… my inner fujoushi is showing…. Excuse me😛
殺人滅囗 – silence someone by killing them. For some strange reason, my mind translated this phrase in every language that I knew (Japanese, a little Greek, a little Latin and one or two phrases in Korean…in which this one happens to be one of them…) ….except for English…. (It took me a full 5 min to decide on ‘murder’).
He meant without any evidence of him losing on purpose I think? The author just wrote without any evidence, which isn’t very clear lol but I guess we all just assume? Maybe it’s cause I’m translating that I’m thinking twice about it😄. Ignore my rambling.
I’m not sure if I should facepalm or just shake my head at the typical Shelly naming style (food seems to be first, second and last thing on his mind).
Cain, I don’t think mass murder is the solution to your problem.😄
<< Chapter Seventeen Chapter Nineteen >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/nzpdftpg.e0m.txt
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The Silent Sailor
The Silent Sailor
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Yep, still waiting.
Chapter 11: The Silent Sailor
“First, I want you to take a look at this.”
The knight flipped through the pages for a moment, then passed over Duke Elmond’s journal, but the siren didn’t reach other to take it.
“I can’t read*… What does that have to do with anything?”
The elf received the journal, looked at where the knight had pointed to. It was about a year ago, on the first page of the journal.
“December 23rd, received ‘real mermaid’, supplier: Shark, 30.”
Written in a different colour below was a line, the elf also read that out.
“The sailor’s case caused a large commotion, resulting in unexpected trouble, must be more careful next time.”
“I don’t understand.” The young siren said dully.
“Assuming ‘mermaid’ refers to you. I believe ‘he’ was not ‘Shark’, so that person did not betray you.”
“What difference does that make? If it was not him, how did they find me? How would they know that I would not be able to resist, if they waited a few days?” The youth’s voice rose, his face showing a sharp pain, “Just because he didn’t have the courage to do it himself!”
“It was when I was still a paladin, the winter more than a year ago.” The knight just started to narrate, as if he had not heard the question.
“A corpse was found in an abandoned well in the lower city. This sort of thing was normally dealt with by the local magistrate and his soldiers. But the abandoned well was near the church’s area, the cause of death was also a little unusual, like some sort of strange religious ceremony. The magistrate thought it might be some evil cult’s protest. Therefore, the Paladin Order in the lower city, being us, took over the following investigation.”
“Of course, It wasn’t any sort of religious ritual. Just that the magistrate was from a noble family, having never seen something like that.”
“It was torture, very cruel torture. The victim had whip lashes and knife wounds all over his body, all non life threatening, but would cause the most pain. His nails ripped out, the bones in the fingers and feet were broken one by one, eyes removed, even the ears were cut out.”
“The result of the investigation was, that the victim suffocated in his own blood, he had bit his tongue. that was a very painful way to die, but at that time, he had already lost all ability to move, so that was the only thing he could do.”
“Everyone who participated in the investigation was shocked, and curious at the same time. — What did the torturers wanted to find out from him? He suffered the torture for a long time, when he finally felt he could not withstand anymore, he chose suicide. What was the secret, that was worth it for him to do that?”
“No identification could be found on his body, we could only determine that he had been out at sea for a long period. So, among the paladins, we called him ‘the silent sailor’.
“The case became a tale, spreading far and wide in the marketplace. From then on, having been inspired by that, many fictions and legends appeared. Finally, this even reached the Queen who was still a princess then. Perhaps it was out of recognition for such acts, she ordered the search for the culprit to continue, and especially allocated funds to bury the dead.”
“But, with almost no clues the investigation reached a dead end, with no one recognizing the person, the investigation ended with nothing. He was cremated, his ashes buried in the graveyard behind the church.”
“Only one piece that could be considered as evidence remained. The paladins found, in the stomach of the victim a small accessory, a shell on a chain.”
The siren’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.
“It was very strange, a shell would normally be melted in the stomach acid. But that seemed to be special, when it was taken out, it was still perfectly whole. Upon pressing on the switch it would open. Inside on the wall of the shell, a word was carved.”
“You never told us your name,” the knight said, “but now I know, that was one of the ‘silent sailor”s secrets.”
“– Shelly. Maybe it is as you say, that every human has a price. As long as the price was high enough, anything can be a chip.”
“But, ‘price’, isn’t gold as you had thought. Labor, body, soul, emotions, promise — humans can also use these in exchange for something other than gold.”
“To ‘that person’, your safety was worth him giving up his life in exchange. Even if he couldn’t protect you in the end, but at least, he had already done all that he could.”
The siren stared at the knight not saying a single thing, then large translucent beads of water started to fall from his eyes. Upon being exposed to the air, it glowed a ghostly blue, and quickly evaporated, creating a thin white mist in the room.
“Don’t be like that.” The knight came near a little embarrassed, “I didn’t say that for… oh a hundred gold, it’s not good to waste it.”
Ignoring the knight’s stiff joke, the boy slammed forward, burying his face in his chest, and started to cry loudly with abandonment.
The knight could only place his hand on his head, whispering meaningless comforts.
In the space next to him, a translucent image started to appear.
A young man dressed as a sailor, with a gentle smile he reached his hand out, his hand overlapping with the knight’s.
“Can I go see his grave?”
After a long while, the boy lifted his head, asking with a hoarse voice.
The graveyard behind the lower city’s church, it was not large, liked with graves. The people buried here were not nobles, but in common terms, they were ‘well off’, or, civilians who were somewhat wealthy.
‘The silent sailor”s grave was situated further in, surrounded by dried flower wreaths.
Between the wooden crosses, this humble stone monument was somewhat unexpected.
When they reached it, a pair of lovers were carefully placing a flower wreath on top.
The siren’s eyes brightened, running towards the two people.
“Excuse me, did you know him?”
It seemed that being called out by strangers, caused the two to become flustered, then the woman spoke first.
“No, that’s not it. We just heard that if you prayed here, then you would receive a blessing.”
“It seemed that there are more and more versions of the legend.” Cain shook his head.
“Blessing?”
“We’re about to get married,” this time it was the man dressed as a sailor that replied, “Originally we wanted to ask the bishop to officiate. But… I could not afford the fees. — I, I have no parents, her father thought that I was not suitable for her, so he would not give us his blessing. So I thought, at least…”
“If he knew, he definitely would.” The siren closed his eyes, saying softly, “Wish you happiness.”
“Thank… Thank you.” The man lowered his head to the boy gratefully.
“If you don’t mind, there are other clergy members who could do this.” The elf said suddenly, “Right, mister Holy Knight?”
“Eh?” Cain shook his head on shock, the elf only winked at him smiling.
“Ellen, you want me to officiate their wedding?” The knight was gently pushed forward by the elf, shaking his head desperately while whispering his protest, “First lets not even talk about how I’m no longer a paladin, even if I was I don’t have the –”
But he didn’t finish speaking, because the lovers had already rushed forward to surround him in excitement.
“Thank you! Sir Knight!”
“The legends were true, you must be messengers from God!”
Seeing the enthusiastic gleam in their eyes, the knight couldn’t say anything to refuse anymore.
He froze for a moment, then finally decided to accept his fate.
“Shelly, background.” He coughed officiously, waving a hand at the young siren.
In a moment the small graveyard path became a carpeted marble floor.
The sky above disappeared, looking up it was possible to see a giant white dome.
In the gravestone’s position was now a giant floor to ceiling window, multi-coloured glass joined together to form a cross shining in the sunlight.
The lover’s simple clothing disappeared, replaced by a black tuxedo and pure white wedding gown. The two looked at each other in shock, as if their gazes could no longer leave each other.
The knight thought for a moment, taking something from his pocket to place in the woman’s hands, under the siren’s illusion, it looked like a bouquet of flowers.
“What else? Ah right… ring. — Ellen you still have hat bronze ring, the type for hand protection**.”
The knight asked for their names.
“Paul Garcia, do you accept, Molly Clark, as your wife? Do you swear to hold true to her for poorer or richer, in sickness or health, to love and honor her for all the days of your life?”
“I do.” The man who had been a bit shy up to this point, now looked at the woman with clear eyes. Raising her hands.
“Molly Clark, do you accept this man, Paul Garcia, as your husband? Do you swear to hold true to him for poorer or richer, in sickness or health, to love and honor him for all the days of your life?”
“I do.” The woman smiled gently, eyes welling with tears, watching as the man placed the ring on her finger.
“Then, in the name of God. I pronounce you husband and wife. Groom, you may now kiss the bride.”
Translator’s Notes
*If he can’t read, how was he able to read that person’s name on the contract, or that it was a contract that the duke showed him? Then again, I guess it’s just something the duke made up in order to make him lose faith.
**I think he meant a type of thick ring for archers, to protect the fingers that draw the bowstring.
Damn it! Finally I got this one done! I cried three times! Once when reading it through in the original, once when translating and once when typing it out. My god the feels TT^TT
Edit: Some minor spelling mistakes (missing letters) fixed, Sorry, was typing this out directly onto the blog page, I normally do this on word first. But as my home computer doesn’t have word installed…. Sorry about the mistakes. THIS IS WHY I NEED AN EDITOR!! SOMEONE HELP ME! (Hint, hint: you get to read this first :3).
<< Chapter Ten Chapter Twelve >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/olnwtjmv.xlm.txt
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Two Coffins
Two Coffins
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Still looking for one, contact me if interested!
Chapter 3: To Coffins
Carrying a large bag over his shoulder, the mercenary knocked on the back door of the “Mermaid Brothel”, someone looked out.
“I’m here to see ‘that’ person.”
“I’ll go look.”
Golden Tooth Shark leaned against the wall, his mind filled with images of gold, several long minutes was spent like that.
After a while, someone finally came to lead him in, they finally arrived at a door at the end after walking through a long winding corridor.
“You’re finally here” In the room, the man wearing a mask placed down his cup of tea, he said lightly, “only you?”
Golden Tooth Shark cursed in his mind, but he remained respectful on the surface, even revealing a speck of sorrow, “Very sorry. The elf was more difficult to deal with that imagined. His resistance was fierce, my companions…were not so fortunate.”
The man made a non-committal humming sound, pointing at the floor, “Put it down.”
Golden Tooth Shark carefully lifted the bag down from his shoulder, as if placing down some priceless antique. At the same time his gaze had shifted to the wooden box at the corner by the wall several times.
“It’s in the box”
“Hem, other than the agreed upon amount, I need to give pensions for their families…”
“A total of four hundred gold. Take it and leave.”
Not waiting for the man to finish, the mercenary was already by the box, displaying his agility as a bandit fully. Opening the box, he knelt in an almost pious position, plunging both hands into the golden coins. Then taking a handful out, kissed at it repeatedly.
Then he fell over in that blissful position, started to twitch, his eyes rolled back, lips turning an unnatural shade of black.
The man watched this scene silently, after a while, he pulled on the summoning bell.
An hour later, the back door of the Mermaid Brothel opened again, two coffins were pushed out one after the other. Four of the brothel’s employees walked sleepily alongside, because this type of job paid well, so no one complained about their sleep being disrupted.
The destination was two streets away, one of the places where bodies were gathered for incineration in the city. As to who died, they didn’t know, nor did they care to know.
The morgue was not large, there was no one inside, just a few oil lamps releasing a dim light. The employees put down the coffins, their minds already on the warmth of the bed, they left at the same speed they came.
Soon after, a shadowed figure silently drifted in.
It was a young man around twenty, carrying a sword. After he investigated the area, he came up to one of the coffins, lifting the lid.
A stench blew into his face.
In the coffin, Golden Tooth Shark’s body was already changing colour.
The young man grimaced, closed the lid, and turned to the other one.
The moment the lid opened, a hand reached out, grasped the young man’s wrist, and twisted it to one side extremely fast. In order to prevent from having his wrist dislocated, the youth could only follow along by falling down. Incidentally the coffin’s owner didn’t plan to let him go, immediately leaping out to straddle him, the other hand trapping the young man’s throat.
“Really Ellen, this sort of greeting, isn’t it a little too exciting.” Looking at the elf’s angry expression, the young man said helplessly.
The elf was black for a moment, “Who are you?”
He had never see this person before, but the voice was indeed strangely familiar. Unless…
“…Cain?!”
“At your service, Sir” Cain replied happily, “now can you get off of me, sir?”
“How were you able to find this place?” Ellen hesitated for a moment, pulling Cain up.
“That,” Cain nursed his wrist, “Because when I returned to the Mercenary’s Home, I saw Golden Tooth Shark asking around for your location.”
“This man?” Ellen pointed to the coffin.
Cain nodded, “Anyways, I didn’t think you would lose to those small fry so I didn’t interfere. Finally when I didn’t see either of you by late night, I figured it strange so went to take a look – that group mostly deals in the flesh trade, even an idiot would know where they would conduct the trade-off – sorry if I offend you – how much did you drink?”
“Quite a bit” the elf admitted, “But it’s not because of alcohol.”
”A woman?… No? … A man?”
“… Siren’s Tears. They used it.”
Cain’s brows rose, “When did Golden Tooth Shark become so generous? For him to be willing to spend a hundred gold, the reward would at least be two hundred. – Congratulations, even the most wanted criminal in the country is only worth fifty gold at most.”
It was difficult to reconcile the Cain without his armor with the armored warrior.
Like removing the skin from a mysterious and solitary wolf, for a large dog to emerge in its wake.*
Now that dog stood to one side, looking around with a casual expression. Completely changing the dark and frightening atmosphere of the morgue into something picnic like.
The elf opened Golden Tooth Shark’s coffin to search for a moment, retrieving his dagger and documents. Then used two fingers to pull at his cloak from under the body. – A dead person will lose control of their facilities, so the cloak was already smeared with unmentionable things, even if the person wasn’t a neat freak, seeing this, no one would want to wear it again.
The elf sighed, dropped the cloak, and closed the lid.
–Turning around, he found Cain staring at the wall in a daze.
“What…”
“Shh.” The knight turned his head, there was no smile on his face, “hear that?”
The elf immediately realized what he was saying.
A set of heavy footsteps could be heard drawing near, from the other side of the wall.
The two immediately hid to either side of the room.
On the wall, an area of bricks suddenly sunk in, revealing a dark hold.
Then, the owner of the footsteps came into the room.
It was a man about 30 years of age, wearing a servant’s long jacket, with the insignia of a certain noble.
The first to make a move was Cain, sword already resting against the man’s neck.
The man let out an involuntary shout of fright, but his mouth was immediately covered, only a muffled sound emerged.
“Name?” Cain asked the man with threatening eyes, signifying he was not to shout for help, then removed his hand slightly.
“Ed…Edward…Locke.”
“Were you sent by Duke Elmond?”
“Nev, never saw the duke. It was the but, butler.”**
“To do what?”
“Said, said a group of mercenaries stole, stole the duke’s money, was, was punished. Asked, asked me to come check, if one was still a, alive, to bring, bring them back for questioning.”
The man felt the sharp edge of the blade moving against his neck, and almost passed out in fear.
Cain asked a few more questions, confirming that the man knew nothing at all, and swiftly knocked him out, then removed his uniform jacked, and stuffed him in the elf’s coffin.
Seeing Cain change into the servant’s jacket, while returning the sword to its sheath without any expression, Ellen felt the knight behind the iron bucket was back.
But then the knight lifted his head, asked using a tone that suggested “let’s go shopping”, “This path should lead to the duke’s residence. Want to take a look?”
The elf nodded, unbalanced.
Then the knight did something unpredictable – he came over, bent, picked the elf up over his shoulder, and walked towards the secret passage.
“What are you doing, I’ll fall!” The flustered elf struggled on his shoulder.
“If you don’t mind, we can change positions to a princess carry as well.” Cain continued forward without much care.
“I can walk by myself!”
“Please pretend to be an honest unconscious elf, who knows how long the path is, what would happen if someone finds out?”
“No one will find out when it’s this dark! At least wait till we’re there!”
The secret passage was indeed longer than imagined. Dark and small, the stone walls were moist with condensation, the floor beneath the feet was uneven.
Cain continued forward carry the servant’s lamp, his footsteps echoing in the passage. Though the path was long, there were no divisions, soon they reached the end.
“Good, starting now, you can play dead.”
In the darkness, the knight declared somberly.
Translator’s Notes
*So, a pic of doggy Cain😉 from the author’s facebook page, go and check out the art by Tina!
**It’s always the butler!
On a side note, we finally meet Cain (under the iron bucket of an armor), and he’s nothing like Ellen thought😄. Poor Ellen.
<< Chapter Two Chapter Four >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/ouavenoz.ucp.txt
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Fishing
Fishing
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – you deserve a cookie for your hard work!
Chapter 29: Fishing
“That… is not possible,” the dwarf couldn’t help interrupting, “gnomes are a kind, gentle race. There must be some sort of mistake.”
“There were five, six witnesses,” the chief shook his head, “so to prevent further loss, we expelled them from the village.”
“By sealing the entrance to the gnome burrow?” the elf asked lightly.
“Hem… the youngsters in the village did that, I wasn’t too sure myself.”
“Then what happened to the gnome that caused it.”
“It was executed.”
“Then, could we examine the body?”
The chief looked at the elf, after a while, he replied slowly, “the body of the gnome was hung out by the poisoned field, as a warning.”
“Please take us to see it.” the elf nodded slightly, replying.
“As you wish,” the chief shook his head again, “I just don’t see how that would help.”
At the north side of the village, there really was a barren field, next to a sign hung a small, dried body, the sign said ‘field destroyer’.
The elf silently examined the body. After the first shock, the dwarf bravely came forward to observe as well.
“If there’s no problems, my lords,” the chief said coughing, “I must take my leave. It gets cool at night, and these old bones isn’t what it used to be. If you plan to continue on to the Mage’s Ring – Academy, you should rest soon as well.”
The elf didn’t reply, but the dwarf cried out in distress.
“This… isn’t a gnome, it’s a goblin!”
“How do you explain this?” the elf looked at the chief, his face calm as usual.
After a moment of shock, the chief finally said.
“Ahem, that… very sorry, I don’t really know the difference between a gnome and a goblin as the sir here calls it. Perhaps it is as he says, there is some misunderstanding.”
“Perhaps one or two infected gnomes became goblins?” the elf said, “I hear that magical creatures have a high mutation rate.”
The dwarf seemed to want to argue, but the expression in the elf’s eyes stopped him.
The chief released a breath, “Y…yes, that might be it.”
“But this might still be a misunderstanding,” the elf nodded, “how about this, the loss done to this village, allow us to make up for it, of course we will also help prevent further damage to the fields. Let’s end this today, tomorrow we will help arrange for the gnomes to leave this village, would that be a good solution?”
“That… that would be best,” the chief hesitated for a moment, before replying.
“Good, thank you for your hard work,” the elf smiled slightly, making a ‘please’(1) gesture to the chief, “let’s head back.”
When the returned to the inn, and the doors were closed, the dwarf could wait to speak.
“Mr.Ellen! Gnomes can’t mutate into Goblins! Those are two different species altogether!”
“I know,” the elf smiled, “Julian, can you lend me a piece of paper and pen?”(2)
“Yes, Mr.Ellen,” the dwarf handed his notebook over, “but what is it for?”
“When he heard about the compensation, he didn’t seem happy at all.” The elf took the notebook from the dwarf, tearing out two pages, and started to write, speaking all the while, “additionally, I have known only one other person who called the Mage Academy the Mage’s Ring, and that was the Mage Anna.”
“I know that too,” the dwarf nodded “but it’s just an older way of calling it, is that a problem?”
“It’s not that big of a problem, but I still want to try.” The elf smiled, “To see if I can hook a fish.”
He took the notebook and walked out.
The chief heard the knock on his door.
“Please come in, the door is not locked.” He said
“Excuse me,” the elf walked in smiling kindly, handing him a note, “I have estimated the loss and written it down, if you could sign this, we will take responsibility for sending the reimbursement request.”
“Thank you for your concern.” The chief nodded, looking at the note, he immediately frowned.
“Fireball Spell… that’s wrong? This is – ahem.”
“Ah, sorry, that’s the wrong page,” the elf looked at the note, looking as if he suddenly realized something, and took another page out of the notebook, handing it over along with the pen, “this should be the correct one – please sign down on the left.”
“Al, alright. – Will this do?” the chief signed the page quickly, then returned the note to the elf.
“That should do it, then I’ll see myself out.” Without looking at the note, the elf turned and left.
“How’s the fishing?” seeing the elf return, the knight grinned, asking.
“I think he took the bait,” the elf returned the notebook to the dwarf, “thank you for the bait, Julian.”
The dwarf received the book in confusion, taking out the note, he looked at it, frowning.
“Mr.Ellen, that’s wrong. Below the title Fireball Spell, it’s clearly the incantation for a Wind Spell.”
“The chief also said something similar – more precisely, he was planning to say it, but stopped just in time.”
“Interesting,” the knight nodded, “why would he know that?”
“Exactly,” the elf smiled, “as a ‘normal person’ who can’t tell the difference between a gnome and a goblin, he knows a little too much.”
“So the chief is a mage,” the dwarf said in a small voice, “but why would he want to kill the gnomes… unless…”
“Probably it is as you think, for ‘that’,” the elf said, “but, I told him that the gnomes would move out tomorrow. If he wants to act without anyone noticing, tonight is his last chance. – As for now… hmm, we should take a rest and sleep.”
“I’m not tired at all.” The siren complained, “Ellen, can I use illusions tonight? – I can’t forgive a bad guy who makes people starve!”
“Depending on the situation,” the elf patted his head, “at the moment I still wish for you to be able to protect yourself.”
“Since there’s still time,” the dwarf said, “I can modify Mr.Frank’s shield. What design would you want on it?”
“A Unicorn.” The knight replied.
“Eh? Wh… Why a unicorn?”
“Because we are the ‘Unicorn Legion’,” the siren interrupted, “the organization that specializes in protecting magical creatures!”
The dwarf looked at the knight and the elf, the knight nodded, and the elf just smiled. – But neither disagreed with the siren.
“The Unicorn Legion…” the dwarf raised a hand, and pinched himself hard, “I’m not dreaming, right?”
Nighttime at the Gnome Village was silent, the last lights in the ‘Gnome Inn’ were turned off.
The man crept down the hall, lightly approaching the room’s door, and listened for movement inside.
–Good, those annoying people were sleeping soundly.
So he straightened, holding the unlit lamp, and ‘cane’, he silently left through the front door of the inn.
Translator’s Notes
Something like a ‘after you’ gesture? It actually reminds me of Chinese films set in ancient times and people speak in formal dialects and know martial arts lol
I never understand that, ‘may I borrow a piece of paper’… it’s not like you’re going to return it? Since you’ll be writing/using it😄
I originally wanted to post the last two chapters along with these two, but being the impatient person that I am, I’ve decided to throw these two out first to appease the hungry wolves…*cough* I mean readers…. :3
<< Chapter Twenty Eight Chapter Thirty >>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/phx5ntc5.s1z.txt
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Prologue
Prologue
The Unicorn Legion
Golden Capital
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Prologue: Queen Amelia’s Troubles
Queen Amelia Grecia sat in the large throne, with an armrest that was fully half as tall as she was, with a troubled mind. Her father – the late King Allen Grecia’s crown was too large on her small stature, if she moved even the slightest, it would slide down. It had been a month since the coronation, but they still could not free anyone to adjust the size. As all the blacksmiths in the city were busy forging new weapons.
The patrols around the city had been doubled in size, but that still was not enough to give the nobles in the city any sense of safety. If it was not for some sort of godly protection – or some miraculous luck –a month ago, the Golden Capital would have been captured by the rebel army ten times the size.
Now she was paying for that luck.
The most important issue was the reshuffling of political power. After that battle, a full third of the offices and land were left empty.
The land owned by the rebel faction’s leader, Archduke Crane* was distributed among the nobles with some sort of achievement during the war or those that at least joined the right camp. It was a good thing that the bastard climbed high enough, was just greedy enough when he was alive, that there was just enough to satisfy everyone.
As for government offices, that was a little tighter, the misters were all hinting that they or their sons would not mind helping with the burden of the state, but who knows if another Archduke Crane would emerge among them?
Following that were the knighthoods, normally just a titles that comes along with one or two remote villages, given to the common born commanders and to those who have some accomplishment. From now on they would be elevated from their original class, becoming respected gentleman – most of these gentleman probably couldn’t read a single word.
Finally, the treasury gold, given to the others, ones that didn’t stand out nor achieved anything of great mention, but still lived to tell the tale. But even if this was the Golden Capital, there wasn’t much leftover after such a great civil war.
— Duke Lesting**, the financial minister in charge of rebuilding costs after the war, was about to go insane. These last few days, during meetings, Grecia felt that he was staring at her crown and necklace with wolf like eyes.
The award ceremonies have been going on for a month, and anything with even a speck of value had already been given out.
Other than the traditional reward, those with exemplary performances could also ask one extra favor from the crown. Naturally, she could veto them, but refusing too many would affect her image and make the Queen seem too stingy.
Within this month, she had refused fifteen marriage proposals, five of which were from titleless peasants. – Does the word “overstepping” not exist in their dictionary?
Another eight wanted to send their heirs into the palace as Prince Consort candidates (being lovers was fine too), four that wanted the rights to adjust taxation in their own lands, three that wants the position of the Captain of the Royal Guards… etcetera etcetera. After negotiating with them they accepted alternative proposals, and happily went back to their drinking and merry making, leaving the Queen alone with a headache.
Now, there was only one person left. Thinking about that made Grecia very happy, but also a little uneasy.
There really was nothing more left to give. If they wanted a thousand gold coins, she could only write an IOU.
This man – the records say his name was Ellen, no last name. The name left Grecia with a strong impression.
One month ago, this was the man that led a small group of mercenaries and after spending half the night leading them around on the leash like dogs on a walk, eliminated the group of elite scouts sent by the rebel faction; they also gained a lot of information from the ones that lived. This made the Archduke Crane hesitate, the attack was delayed for a full two days, giving the Capital some breathing room, enough to hold on until reinforcements came. If he were a noble, this would guarantee a promotion of at least two ranks, even if not, it was worth the title of Viscount.
This man whose face was covered by a hood, the newly appointed Viscount of Soloris Valley (it was a remote ravine, the name means “Carefree Valley”, but it was probably more appropriate to call it Nothing Valley, there was even some rebel stragglers camping around there), knelt before her, head down. The hood hid part of his face in shadows, only his straight nose and thin mouth could be seen clearly. His chin was smooth, with no beard, perhaps he was young.
Upon hearing that he could make a request, the Viscount spoke, pure Sistare*** Common tongue without a hint of accent.
“Your Majesty, I do have a request. It might be a little abrupt, but I hope you can grant it. After all, historically –“
The Queen’s eyebrows twitched, her mouth pulled downward almost unnoticeably.
–Here it is, the sixteenth marriage proposal. The marriage of the first Queen of Sistare to a commoner was an undying legend that had been passed down in history, but the idiots who happily continue to recount that story will never know, that the commoner was actually a bastard prince, and the first Queen was the child from an adulterous affair between the Queen and a guard, not the King’s own daughter. It was an under the tables agreement in order to maintain the bloodline and power, that’s all.
Her mind wandered for a while, so by the time she returned to her senses, she had already missed the first part of his narration. So the Queen nodded her head as if she had been listening and cut off his speech.
“Then, what is your request?”
“Please reinstate the establishment of the [Unicorn Legion].”
Grecia thought for a moment, before the phrase [Unicorn Legion] came to her from a deep corner of her memory. It was an independent unit chartered by the Founding King, its’ purpose was… to travel the country and protect the livelihood of the citizens from interference from magical creatures.
In most cases, these magical creatures refer to Dragons, Medusas and Vampires, those with such strong supernatural powers that normal armies have no chance of facing.
The problem was, within the magical creatures, even the smallest, most harmless Gnomes, have disappeared from this country for over two hundred years.
If the one that made such a request has not gone insane from reading too many stories of the Legendary Age… then…
The Queen looked at the new Viscount, who raised their head just in time, to look back at her calmly. He didn’t seem insane, no matter how you look at it.
If there was any sort of trickery involved, then it would have to do with the special rights permitted to the legion. Even though the Unicorn Legion was not financially supported by the Kingdom, it was one of the organizations in a small number with [First Class Recruitment Rights].
Top Class Recruitment Rights, means that they have the power to recruit anyone into their troops regardless of their wishes, and only in times of war, could this be specially permitted by the King.
First Class Recruitment Rights, means that as long as the recruit was willing, they can be recruited, and no one can interfere other than the King. This means, the organization can recruit anyone. For example, a bandit on death row, or a heretic about to be burned at the stake by the Pope, or a wanted criminal on the run, all of these could coin the legion to escape from a death sentence. Therefore, only groups that are constantly at the edge of life and death, could have this power.
Undoubtedly, when the magical creatures still roamed, the Unicorn Legion fit all these requirements. But now…
The Queen’s eyes became sharp, but the young man named Ellen still made no move, on the contrary, he addressed her concerns.
“Regarding the limit of the recruitment rights; cannot include the remaining rebels and traitors, you can add that to the documents. Everything else can also be determined by you. – What I want… is a memento of the past.”
The youth stood up, and gently pushed his hood down.
The Queen heard the exclamations from the guards around her, she herself also held her breath in shock.
All eyes in the audience hall were riveted on the new noble, he had pale golden hair, green eyes and a pair of long slim ears, not belonging to any human. – A symbol of the elves that had long disappeared from this continent.
The elf regarded these stares with poise, as if he was no different from anyone else.
“Viscount,” the Queen said, after a while, her voice calm as always, “I will have the registry prepare all the necessary documents. – May victory always be with you.”
The elf elegantly came forward to kiss her hand.
The Queen gazed at the lord that was half knelt before her, unavoidably, a thread of regret entered her heart.
— Such a beautiful man.
— But he didn’t propose marriage.
——–
Translator’s Notes
*克蘭大公 – Names are basically phonetic translations of English names into Mandarin, if anyone has a better translation, please do tell me!
**公爵萊斯汀
***西斯塔爾語 – “西斯塔爾” is the name the country that they are in, no mentions of any other countries besides this one has been mentioned yet. But I believe the continent is called something different. So I believe there should be some other countries scattered around.
Chapter One >>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/pkrycyfb.njx.txt
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Gnomes? Gnomes!
Gnomes? Gnomes!
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: MeeBoo – have I mentioned how awesome they are yet?
Chapter 27: Gnome? Gnome!
Luckily, the knight didn’t have a chance to exercise his skills.
The dwarf rushed into the crowd with his shield raised, directly knocking down one of the farmers. Then someone finally reacted, when they attacked him with the hoe, the dwarf swung the elf’s dagger.
Even though he was simply swinging the dagger, but the glint of light attracted everyone’s attention. The farmers fearfully dodged to one side to escape the dagger, trying to find another opening to attack from. But attacking someone half your size, is not an easy task. As a result, the dwarf defeated them all without needing to draw any blood.
–Most of them were knocked down by the shield, some tripped on their own or their friend’s feet when they tried to swing the hoe down.
The farmers sat on the ground, none of them seemed to be heavily injured, and had enough energy to shout insults, saying how insulting it was for them to be the Gnome King’s subordinates as humans, of course a few people saw the elf’s pointy ears, and grouped him together with gnomes.
But when the elf hopped off the horse, glaring at them, everyone shut up.
“I am an inspector sent by the Queen. Who can tell me, what has happened here?”
The elf’s voice was not loud, but he could still be heard clearly, the tone was not angry or threatening, but carried an indescribable calmness(1). That coolness immediately calmed the farmers, a few of the more cowardly ones, even shuddered.
The farmers looked at each other for a while, finally one of the braver ones spoke.
“I think it best you go ask the village chief, sir.”
“Then please lead the way.”
The farmers stood up, eyeing the dwarf wearily.
“He is not a gnome, but a dwarf.” The elf said.
“If you want, you can step closer, my ears are not pointed.” Julian said shyly, “Thank you for your assistance.”
He shook his wallet, taking out a silver coin to give to the farmer.
“Yes, master dwarf!” The farmer accepted his explanation without suspicion(2), “It be an honor to lead you!”
“I can guide you there as well!”
“No let me!”
“I can do it!”
The people sitting on the ground started arguing. So Julian smiled, handing a coin to everyone.
“Don’t argue anymore. Thank you for your hard work, if you’re injured please use that as fees for the healer.”
The farmers left their hoe, getting up to receive the money, pushing each other to help the dwarf onto the horse, then moved forward.
Those with injured legs, limped to one side of the road, to wave at his departing back, completely forgetting the elf standing at one side.
“He completely took the spotlight, lord inspector.” The knight said grinning.
“What do you say at times like this…” the elf said helplessly.
“… ‘damn rich people’?”
“Julian, is paying for lunch?” The siren thought for a moment, saying.
“Agreed.”
“Unanimous agreement.”
Under the protection of the farmers, they entered Gnome Village.
The street was wide, but there were not a lot of people, with more stone buildings than wooden ones, the shadow of the Legendary Era could be seen in their design. Occasionally a villager would pass by, looking at the travelers with curiosity or hatred, the farmers would then shout loudly.
“What are you looking at?! That’s a dwarf, not the Gnome King!”
“Dwarf, you understand, dwarf!”
The tallest building in the village was the two storey ‘Gnome Inn’, the owner of the inn was also the village chief. But unfortunately when the group arrived, the chief was out.
Due to the determined begging from the siren, lunch was the first topic on the schedule.
There was only one restaurant in Gnome village, their specialty was very simply, it was basically three ingredients mixed together: fresh potatoes, old potatoes, and potatoes that can’t be eaten since it had started to sprout. The condiments were salt and a cream of mushroom soup that had a strange colour, and tasted like mold and dirt.(3)
“No meat…” the siren looked like he was about to cry.
The elf patted his head comfortingly saying, “Hang on for a bit, the chief won’t be back until night time. Before that, we can go scout the area, and do a little hunting in the meantime.”
“Hunting, can we hunt fish?”
“Umm… that…”
“I can make fishing rods,” the dwarf interrupted, “as long as there’s appropriate materials.”
“That’s good then, for bait, digging up some earthworms would do.” The knight added.
“What are earthworms?” the youth asked.
“It’s a worm you can find in the ground, small and long, if you cut it in half it would become two worms.”
“We can fish with these worms? Take me too!”
“What, you’ve never fished before… as a marine creature and an apprentice sailor?”
“Sirens use their teeth to catch fish. Knock them out with our tail first, then just dive down to grab them. Then when we went out to sea, we obviously used the net.”
“But, there’s probably only clear water fish here,” the knight thought.
“It’ll taste good as long as it’s cooked,” the siren nodded, pointed to the potato salad, “at least better than this!”
“Makes sense,” the knight sighed, turning his head to shout, “Julian, the bill.”
“Yes, Mr.Frank!”
“Cain, it’s not good to take advantage of such an honest person.” The elf said quietly to the knight.
“You also voted agreement,” the knight’s had an expression of bitter hatred, “A silver coin, that’s two days meal allowance for a Paladin.”
“In that case…” the elf thought for a moment, taking out a silver coin and placing it in the knight’s hand.
“What is this?”
“Two cups of Dawn Manor Wine,” the elf smiled, replying, “I owed you last time.”
The knight turned the coin in his hands, the corner of his lips lifted, “not enough.”
“Oh?”
“It’s been five days, of course there’s still the interest.”(4)
“And so the lion opens its mouth(5)… how much?”
“Four hundred gold.”
They bought the necessary materials at a small store. They had planned to ask around for some information, but the moment they mention the word ‘gnome’, the villagers became like the farmers, only revealing angry expressions, and replying “those dishonorable bastards who waste food”.
The group started to follow the village’s river upstream. The riverbed on either side started to incline, the grass had already became long and dense.
“Here should be good,” the knight said, “Shelly, fight for the sake of food.”
The dwarf sighed in satisfaction, putting down a small stool, and started to concentrate on carving the bamboo carefully.
“Ellen? Where are you going?” The elf continued to follow the river upstream into the forest, hearing the knight’s call, he turned around smiling, “taking a walk.”
As a representative of the earth element, gnomes were creatures that loved nature. They almost never go near human settlements, but there were the occasional exceptions. The Gnome Village in the Legendary Era for example, the rich vegetation, mineral veins, attracted the gnome race to live nearby. These palm sized small beings would often go into the village, trading crafts and ores for human food, and the people of Gnome Village were very friendly with them.
But now, mentioning ‘gnomes’, would receive the villagers anger and hatred.
Could it be that these magical creatures that had disappeared for two hundred years, have appeared in this world again?
And, what had happened, to make the relationship between humans and gnomes become this hostile?
–If he wanted to know the answer, just listening to the human side of things is not enough.
What the elf is looking for, is the habitat of the gnomes.
As they fear light, gnomes are mostly active at night, they hide in hollows to sleep in the day. Gnome burrows are very well hidden, but as a race that’s also close to nature, as well as having excellent vision, the elf was fairly confident that he would be able to find it.
It took less time than he thought to find what he was looking for, the elf quickly noticed a few small clues. Sometimes it was on a bolder, very small muddy footprints, sometimes it would be tiny remains of minerals. Following these, he continued onwards, very quickly he noticed something strange between the grass.
It was a pointy red hat, one of the more common symbols of gnomes.
The elf moved forward, intending to pick up the hat, but when he came closer, he realized with a shock that the hat was not abandoned.
Beside the hat, was a small being, half a hand in height, wearing a green shirt.
It was lying face down in the dirt not moving, the small long ears were already red from the sun.
The elf carefully picked up the unconscious gnome, covering it with his cloak, then hurried back towards the direction he came from.
Translator’s Notes
冷静 – more like “cool calmness” rather than just calm.
That’s called bribing Julian… and you do it so casually lol
They actually tried eating it? ‘Strange colored mushroom soup’ sounds suspicious even without adding the mold… I worry for the stomachs
Seriously feels more than 5 days…maybe a month or so😄
狮子大开口 – literally translates to the lion’s mouth opens wide, meaning something along the lines of “you’re making an exaggerated demand” mostly related to money. Dictionary says: “to demand an exorbitant price”
Can people get translator’s block? Apparently yes T^T this chapter refused to get translated properly *cries*. But I finally did it!!! HAH TAKE THAT! … the next ones might be a little late, I have an order of 60 cookies to bake and decorate for a baby shower and I’ll be up to my elbows in flour and royal icing. Sorry >.< I’ll try to make it up to you guys…
<< Chapter Twenty Six Chapter Twenty Eight >>
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LNWNCentral
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/rhhi1yib.4bp.txt
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Duke Elmond
Duke Elmond
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Still looking for one, contact me if interested!
Chapter 4: Duke Elmond
At the end of the secret passage was an ascending stone staircase.
Near the top of the stone stairs, a thread of light appeared overhead.
–Someone knew they were coming, and opened the door.
–After adjusting to the blinding light, Cain observed his surroundings.
The place looked to be a storage room, the trap door underfoot was carefully concealed in a shadowed corner.
“I don’t remember calling you.” The one who opened the door was a person dressed in trim butler outfit, he asked in a tone full of arrogance and distain, “Where’s Locke?”
“Edward? Toilet. Seems e’ ate s’thing bad.” Facing the questioning, the ‘servant’ replied with rough words.
“…Follow me.” Norman · George · Walt, the man referred to as ‘Master Butler’ in the Duke’s Manor, snorted coldly, turning around to leave with long strides.
The butler was in a very bad mood. Even though he hated Golden Tooth Shark, now he would be forced to personally go and make nice with more new mercenaries, this really was unpleasant.
And the situation in the duke’s manor wasn’t any less worrying. Before the war a third of the servants resigned and left the capital to escape, and the new replacements from the countryside, were brainless, and have never been through any etiquette training to ‘make them seem smarter’.
Like this new guy here, looking around all the while.
If this was before the war, even some of the picker merchants won’t want someone so coarse, for him to wear a uniform with the insignia so blatantly, walking on the carpet of the duke’s manor with dirty shoes. –It was an insult to the noble house.
“We’re here” the butler stopped, knocking on the door.
The door was made of thick wood with metal strips framing the four sides, once closed, no matter how loud the screams or cries, it probably wouldn’t reach the outside.
Even though it’s the middle of the night, the door still opened quickly.
The room was wide and elegant, filled with the scent of incense. The tapestries on the four walls were complicated and delicate, if she sees it perhaps even Queen Gracia would jealously scold “luxurious”.
There was only one window, very small, with bars along it, like a cage.
In the center was a marble altar, its design no different from those seen in the Holy Temples. But underneath the atmosphere of the environment, it gave off an ominous feeling.
The one to open the door was probably Duke Elmond. Very young, in comparison to his name and status, too young.
Long black hair, framing a thin face, carrying an uncaring expression common to the noble fops.
Pale face and dark bangs under the eyes fully indicated that this was an over-indulgent individual.
When he saw the servant behind the butler, and the elf in the servant’s arms, the duke revealed a smile like that of a child looking at his new toy, and even deigned to interact with the servant himself, ordering him to place the elf on the altar.
“My Lord,” the butler sighed softly, “though I have no rights to dictate your hobby, I still wish that during these unusual times you can…”
“Norman, my dear old Norman,” the duke laughed lightly, “you never could understand how to enjoy the finer things. – 400 gold was trivial, not even a month of the ‘Mermaid’s’ income, compared to this priceless treasure, what significance was that?”
“Money isn’t the problem, my Lord” the butler shook his head “Compared to the old King, the new Queen is…”
At this time the duke’s expression turned impatient, the butler could only hold his tongue helplessly.
“You can leave. – As for you, stay.” The duke pointed to the servant.
The butler bowed silently, left the room, closing the door behind him.
As the duke and the butler talked, ignoring his existence, Cain naturally sensed the reason. – They never planned for this ‘servant’ to continue living. Purposefully leaving him here was surprising, could it be that the duke had the habit of getting his own hands dirty, regarding silencing someone?
But afterwards, all of the duke’s attention was focused on his new toy.
He stretched his hand out, gently caressing the elf’s hair, saying in a tone reserved for lovers, “They call you Ellen. In the elven tongue it means ‘star’, right? – Such a good name.”
Cain cursed in his mind, reaching a hand for the sword hidden in his jacket. Even if the duke had some sort of strange tastes, like having an audience during the deed or threesome, he was looking at the wrong person.
“Then, let me teach you, a pleasure your celibate race doesn’t know.”
Cain’s heart froze, the sword that was drawn stopped.
The duke’s voice had a mesmerizing power*, of course it wasn’t the so-called ‘charisma’, but magic, very strong magic.
At that moment, the duke shuddered, stumbling backwards.
Cain immediately felt the power freezing him in place disappear.
“If the one making the ‘Siren’s Tears’ was truly a master illusionist, you might have gotten your wish.” The elf released the dagger, jumping down from the altar, “but, you were over confident about your magical abilities.”
The duke looked down at his own chest, the blade was already all the way into his heart, leaving only the hilt visible. Fresh blood rushed out continuously from the wound, staining the delicate silk shirt red.
Then, the duke laughed lightly.
“As expected, prey that struggles, is better.” He reached out his hand to pull out the dagger, dropping it uncaringly at his feet. “It’s been a long… long time since I’ve been this excited.”
The elf paled.
On the duke’s chest, the wound visibly started to heal, blood no longer came out.
“But, however disobedient the kitten, once it’s claws were removed, it’s no longer a threat.”
The duke moved towards the elf who no longer had his weapon, hand raised, nails long and sharp.
He smiled at his prey, revealing sharp fangs.
Suddenly a shadow entered his vision.
Almost at the same time, the duke once again felt a chill on his chest.
“A cat has nine lives,” the knight said, standing in front of the elf** “how many does a vampire have?”
He gripped the sword firmly, pulled out, and trust into the duke’s body once again.
Even without armor, a faint white light surrounded the knight’s body. It was a holy shield that blocked all magic.
The duke wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, revealing a slightly annoyed expression, but only slightly.
“That’s why, I hate knights, especially paladins. Even their blood stinks of holy water.”
The knight didn’t reply, only pulled the sword out once again, and thrust forward again.
But this time, his sword hit empty air.
The duke’s body had disappeared.
In its place, a bat flew up, through the bars and disappeared into the night.
Afterwards, a shocked cry came from outside the window, which quickly turned into a blood curling scream.
The elf rushed towards the window to look down.
In the duke’s garden, a night guard lay on the ground.
A large hole gaped in the guard’s chest, there was an emptiness, where the heart was supposed to be.
Translator’s Notes
*勾魂攝魄 – Technically means “to grab and capture someone’s soul”. But I went with ‘mesmerizing’, google translate says ‘erotic’ though :3 I guess a vampires powers could be considered that? A little random trivia: 魂魄 means soul and in Chinese belief, a person has 3魂 7魄, which is the composition of the soul. They stand for the 3 spirits (life, memory and intelligence/reason) and 7 emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, evil and desire). In death, the 7 emotions disperse, of the 3 spirits, one goes to heaven, one to the grave and one to reincarnation.
**Cain to the rescue! Woot! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Wow, two in one day😉. Here’s proof that waking up early will result in more work done than staying up late at night. (Plus the fact that I only ever type out my translations during the day/work hours. *Whistles innocently* yay to procrastinating during office hours? — I do hope that no one at my work place ever sees this.)
<< Chapter Three Chapter Five >>
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The Unicorn Legion/The Unicorn Legion - Volume 01/The-Unicorn-Legion-Volume-01-[Unknown][Unknown]/rvah10im.kfx.txt
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A Human’s Price
A Human’s Price
Author: Demon Lord D (D魔王)
Translator: Lylis
Editor: None – Yep, still waiting.
Chapter 10: A Human’s Price
“She created man eating sharks, ships attacking us, huge storms, and tsunami. In my eyes, that person also appeared in different forms. A pirate’s hook, a broken mast, giant octopus tentacles… but in the end we stayed in the same position, something holding onto my hand tightly. Whenever I became scared, I would turn to look at him. That was the weakness in illusions, as long as you believed firmly that nothing was real, then the caster would not be able to cause real damage.”
“Finally, the chief spent too much magic, and had to stop and rest. That was the moment, I used my powers. What I showed them, was the desert. Different from the beach, it was endless desolation. No life, just a dried oasis, animal bones. Sand carried in the wind, along with the scorching sun, ruthlessly removing all the moisture.”
“That was something drawn by the sailor. Something the sirens had never seen before, but perhaps it was the fear of dehydration, that was part of our ingrained instincts. They panicked, faces and skin started to dry and chap, followed by falling scales.”
“The chief – my mother admitted defeat, they unwillingly made a male siren into the new chief. But truthfully at that time if they all came at us together, they would have easily killed us. But perhaps only humans would do something like that without concern.”
“I exiled my tribe. Had them remove the illusion, leaving the island, never to return. Having regained their consciousness the sailors quickly repaired their ship, using the food and water left by the sirens to replenish their supplies. In their eyes I was a local child, when I suggested that I wanted to board the ship to become an apprentice, the captain agreed without suspicion.”
“Even if it was just navigating on the sea, I felt like I had entered a different world. Every day I would climb up the mast, looking at far away islands, imagining the human cities within. The sailors taught me all sorts of sailing techniques, from tying knots to setting cannons. That person also taught me how to draw maps, and to use human tools and not the stars to navigate. When we arrived at the Golden Capital, I could almost be a real sailor’s apprentice.”
“When we entered the city, I knew I had overestimated myself. There were so many beautifully dazzling scenes, in comparison to reality, my illusions were colourless and dull. I complained to that person, why at that time, did he not point out my faults. But he patted my head once again, and replied, ‘Because I believed that one day you would see all this for yourself.’ ”
“We lived near the harbor, giving up sailing, just joining a small boat to the nearby seas to fish. Being familiar with the sea, the ship we boarded always had much better harvest. He said that if we worked for three or five years, we would be able to buy our own ship. Then we could explore the whole country sailing with the tide, even leave the continent to search for the legendary dwelling places of magical creatures.”
“But in truth, just living in the human society, I was satisfied. When not working, we ‘explored’ around the city, finding small excitement in every corner. I like human food, like the rough but free lifestyle of commoners, like the pretentiousness of noble etiquette. I really wished that days like that would last forever, until one day, he told me ‘don’t go out to work anymore.’ ”
“I didn’t understand what he was thinking, the second day he didn’t wake me up, locking the door when he left. On the third day, he moved out of the little house by the harbor, taking me to an inn within the city. – That night he didn’t sleep, just stared at the door, when it became light out, he told me he was going back to get something, and told me not to leave the room.”
“Though I didn’t understand. I did as he told me. I stayed in that room for two, or three days. I was unable to sleep, because of nightmares whenever I closed my eyes. In the dream someone continuously tortured me, I couldn’t see their faces, I just knew that they were sailors. He never came back, the food he left behind were all gone early on.”
“About four days later, the nightmare became reality. A group of men rushed in. I remembered their leader, he looked like someone who worked at one of the other ships. Because my strength was at its limit, I couldn’t even cast my illusions, so I was taken by them.”
“Then I met the duke. He told me, that he bought me from that person. The exchange point was that room. From that point onward, I was his slave. I didn’t believe it at first, but the duke showed me the ‘contract’. His name and fingerprint were on there.”
“ ‘To humans, anything can be sold. The difference is whether the offer was high enough.’ That was what the duke said, ‘It wasn’t that he didn’t treasure you, it was just that in comparison, his own future happiness was more important.’ ”
“I finally gave up, and wept for a long time. The duke promised that if I worked for him, and made 5000 gold, I could leave. The work load was not much, just to provide hallucinogens to nobles once every month. Whatever situation they wanted, I could satisfy their fantasies 100 percent. As long as it was body fluids from a siren it was possible, most of the time, I used my saliva.” The youth laughed lightly, “Spit on their faces, and watch them roll around on the rug intoxicated.”
“At that time I thought, perhaps it was true. In the duke’s ‘brothel’, a few coins can buy a night of wild abandon, 100 gold coins can allow you to do anyone you imagine, if you had 100 thousand, even the Queen would kneel on the ground to kiss your shoes. Humans can sell anything, labor, body, soul, emotions, promises, the only difference is if the offer was high enough.”
The knight shook his head, wanting to deny something. The youth only lifted his head, smiling slightly.
“Cain, you are a good person, that means that to buy you, requires lots, and lots of gold. – But in the end, you still have a price. When the offer is high enough, you would kill me, kill Ellen, even kill your family. So, I’m sorry, I still can’t trust you.”
“So you would rather believe in a vampire that was full of lies, than to trust that that person didn’t betray, right?” the knight finally said, his voice seeming to be suppressing his anger, “Really, such incurable prejudice. – If so, then I also have a story to tell you.”
Translator’s Notes
A short chapter, in terms of how much you have to scroll down, but damn that was a lot of words! Prepare yourselves people! (I won’t say more, but onward, to the next chapter!! Full speed ahead!)
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