Episode 74 — Four Adventurers
～ Part 2 ～
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“Then, what do you think?”
After parting with the 3 monsters, Rezbon asked Filhana again.
“How much can you believe their story, is it?”
Filhana was an adventurer, but she originally came from the Holy City Fianderg and was reasonably knowledgeable about the internal condition of the empire. That’s probably the reason she reacted before anyone else when the name Red Moon came up.
“What they said at the end seems to mean that Red Moon is having imps and ghouls under its control. Ghouls are a new kind of undead that started being seen in the last 10 years.”
“Are you saying those guys created them using the king fragments?”
“There’s already the Death King replica, you know. That’s why, the situation is considerably grave.”
This meant that the species hostile to human — Red Moon — somehow owned a relic of the mythical war era and was utilizing it. Many king fragments were being kept at the imperial capital, but just as many fragments of which whereabouts were still unclear.
“What’s the king fragments the empire requested the guild to search for again?”
“The Death King fragment and the Demon King fragment. The Death King fragment is undoubtedly in Red Moon’s hands…”
“Demon King fragment…. Certainly, imps are kinfolk of the Demon King, aren’t they?”
“They’re not direct descendants like the demons, but that’s right.”
It might be possible to say that the information exchange this time was an unexpected big harvest. Anyhow, he was able to obtain an important piece of information that the empire might not even know about.
If it was true that Red Moon possessed 2 king fragments, the situation would be more grave than they thought. If this information was to be passed to the empire, the Central Empire and Red Moon would start a scramble for the king fragments, that skeleton named Utsurogi and his party would be rolled up in that whether they wanted to or not.
“Are we going to sell this information to the empire?” (Filhana)
“The thing about Utsurogi aside, I think we better shed the information that Red Moon is holding king fragments. The fact that a spatial hazard occurred means there’s probably an enemy on the level of the Dial Knights and the Divine Five Stars.”
“Well, you’re right about that.”
Besides, there were the gossip articles Filhana gathered up with fax magic.
He had made fun of it as worthless 3rd rate articles, but perhaps, some of the information mentioned in those was connected to Utsurogi’s comrades.
Of course, he should be careful of how to deal with this. In case this was made public to the empire, even those guys themselves would be added to the things the empire and Red Moon scrambled for.
King fragments and monster trippers.
That blank-faced skeleton still hadn’t noticed yet, but they now were about to become the center of the typhoon that broke out between the empire and Red Moon.
“By the way, Filhana, about what that unicorn said.”
“…Does that have any relation to Rezbon?”
“…You’re right, it doesn’t.”
“YES! Gather–, everyone–! Gather over here–!”
Himemizu Rin shouted while bouncing before the stump she herself broke. ∗Rustle rustle∗ pushing aside the bushes, Kabeno, Karasuma and the others came back. Ozashiki wasn’t here, or so she thought, turned out he was quietly followed under Kabeno’s feet.
“Hi, Himemizu-san…? What happened?”
Azuki who had crammed lots of acorn into a big wooden bucket, timidly asked.
“Nothing happened–! Look look–, everyone’s back–! All’s well–!”
No way nothing happened. The cause of Rin’s tension getting strange was the consultation with Kabeno and Ozashiki sometime ago. Kabeno said that she wanted Ozashiki to say things more clearly, Ozashiki said that he wanted Kabeno to be more honest. Rather than resolving troubles in your heart, it seemed like a love consultation.
(Although a slime now) Himemizu was also a full-fledged high school girl, and a meddlesome person on top of that. In principle, she didn’t hate prying into people’s love affair, she would even happily help out.
But look at this situation we’re in! It’s bothersome!
“Then, it’s about time we return–!”
While raising her tension, Rin addressed everyone. «AYE!» responded everyone, they started moving to the shanty on the hill in droves. Maintaining a smiling face (Though she had no face), Rin attached to the end of the line, next moment, she stretched her body with incredible momentum and kidnapped one person in the middle of the line.
A slime body stretches well. Steady tempering had allowed her to move like a panic horror movie.
“Uwaaaaaaa!”
“Hush! Karasuma-kun, hush!”
The one who got dragged in the bush, was Karasuma Yoshitsune the crow tengu.
“Wa, what, it’s Himemizu. I thought it was a slime…”
“I am a slime! Karasuma-kun, listen to me for a bit!”
“What, what is it? I thought the human you is a bit nice, but still…”
“Yup, thank you! But that’s not it okay!”
Rin was self-conscious that she was relatively popular in the human days, so she wouldn’t be intimidated at this degree. If said it was the arrogance of the upper caste, then indeed it was, but she had already taken that account as well. The strength of heart to endure woman jealousy and groundless rumors was necessary.
No, that doesn’t matter right now.
“Karasuma-kun, you’re on good terms with Ozashiki-kun, right?”
“Nn, so so.”
“Does Ozashiki-kun like Chi-chan?”
“Ah–…. Well, you’re right. It’s been 3 months since we talked about that.”
“Ahh…. That was during the field trip, huh.”
As she was told, on the day before the bus had the accident, Karasuma and Ozashiki talked together about the girls they liked in the same room.
Then who is the girl Karasuma-kun like? Boorishly butting in like that would make it complicated, so Rin decided to stay silent.
“Iyaa, both Ozashiki-kun and Chi-chan independently came to consult with me about various things, you know…”
The one that looked like she could rely on here was only Karasuma. For now, Rin told him about what she had heard from both sides.
“Really…. Himemizu got it tough…”
Muttered her black feathered classmate as he loaded lots of sympathy to a similarly pitch black gaze.
“Just when you’re worrying whether Utsurogi is fooling around…”
“Seriously! Well, if Kyousuke-kun has enough resourcefulness to fool around, I wouldn’t be suffering like this, you know. Kyousuke-kun’s character is really thin. I mean, me going with him still isn’t an established fact though. No well, that’s doesn’t matter right now.”
If you turn Rin upside down now, her dissatisfaction with Kyousuke would drop down in large amount, still, it’s not the time to be talking about that.
“Well, I think it’ll be over if Ozashiki-kun just confess to Chi-chan … I mean, is there even anything we can meddle in…?”
“How about calling them out at night? Using each other name, kinda like a field trip event?”
“Hmm yup. Really…? Really…!”
From what Karasuma said, Ozashiki Dousuke’s family seemed to be a high class ryokan. Kabeno Chihaya was in fact the daughter of a clerk there, the two of them were childhood friends. The time Ozashiki woke up to soccer was during kindergarten. In the past, Kabeno played soccer with him and seemed to have been called the Iron Wall Goalkeeper, when they became 4th graders, Ozashiki entered the local soccer boy group and the times they played together decreased.
In middle school, Kabeno similarly entered the girl basketball club and the two of them got estranged. However, when entered high school, she suddenly entered the soccer club as the manager. That was obviously because she was conscious of Ozashiki, but Kabeno was stubborn like a wall, Ozashiki rarely asserted himself, so they never progressed after that.
“…Karasuma-kun, you’re really well-informed?”
“Well, though I look this, I used to be in the newspaper club in middle school, you know.”
She felt that being in the newspaper club and being well-informed of the class gossips weren’t exactly related, the reason he converted to the gymnastic club after entering high school was also a profound mystery. Still, Rin didn’t delve into it.
“Well, newspaper club aside, I often listened to Ozashiki and Kabeno’s story. I moved from Kyoto in 6th grade, primary school. Ozashiki’s ryokan was nearby, so our family actually get along relative well. We only started talking properly after entering high school though.”
“From Kyoto? Karasuma-kun’s home is also considerably good?”
“Grandma house is draper, well, my uncle will be inheriting that so it’s not really related to me.”
“Fu~n…. I see.”
Rin then finally solved Karasuma’s restrain. Kabeno and the others had gone quite far ahead. She had to chase after them.
“Feels like there’s a history, huh. Really–. A childhood friend of a traditional ryokan–…”
That in itself was romantic, including their relation as well: used to be soccer friends, now an ace striker and a manager. Well, I want to put them together, just a little of that feeling started to well up.
“Speaking of which, Karasuma-kun, I want you to answer this in your subjectivity.”
Rin and Karasuma left the bush, they chased after Kabeno group.
“How’s it going with those two’s filter?”
“Filter?”
“Yup. I think, both of their filter has already been cut. You know, in the battle with the adventurers the other day, Karasuma-kun and Suzuka-chan immediately came to help, but Chi-chan and Ozashiki-kun didn’t move?”
In the first place, the was still the question of what exactly the Filter was. At a glance, there seemed to be individual differences in its effect. A part of human-like emotion, especial ones that hinder their activity as a monster, is extremely dull. She understood that much.
Time-wise, it wouldn’t be strange even if anyone’s filter went off next or was already off.
“I don’t know after all, Kabeno stubbornly shuts her heart, Ozashiki rarely asserts himself, I can’t tell.”
“Ahh, so that’s your final conclusion…”
Just when they were talking.
A rustling sound came from behind. Karasuma’s shoulder twitched, Rin also trembled. The sound immediately ceased. When she timidly turned around, she could tell that two thoroughly suspicious lights was peeking at them from between the bush. Golden brightness, just like a chipped off fragment of the moon.
Rin suddenly understood.
“O, oi, Himemizu…”
“Karasuma-kun. Be quiet. Perhaps, it’s okay. Since she’s just shy and can’t come out.”
“Nn, o–ou…”
Rin didn’t know why she was there, but she didn’t forcibly drag out those who didn’t want to come out. Though there would be soon a situation where she had no choice but to come out.
First of all, let’s hurry after Kabeno group. Just when Rin started to say so.
“Kyaaaaa!!”
Deep in the forest, forward, namely, in the direction Kabeno and the others had gone to, a screamed echoed.
Who was it? Guessing was unnecessary, Rin shouted:
“Azu-nyan!”
“Did something appear? A bear!?”
It’s not any kind of animal. Rin’s intuition told. Even if her filter went off, Kabeno still boasted a giant frame exceeding 3 meters, just that gravity alone was enough to not let a single wild animal come close. Which meant someone, something other than that who approached with obvious malice, was loitering this forest.
Figures of the adventurers they fought the other day flicked on the other side of Rin’s consciousness. I was careless. I didn’t think they would come this far.
“Let’s hurry, Karasuma-kun!”
Just at the timing Rin called out to Karasuma, a girl jumped out from the bush behind them.
A stark naked, unladylike girl. She instantly set her hands and feet on the ground and changed into a silver hair wolf, then she started running straight to the direction of the scream.
“I, Inugami…?”
Muttered Karasuma. Rin’s gaze, however, was pointing at the ground where Inugami had run pass.
“…Karasuma-kun, let’s hurry.”
Rin again informed Karasuma.
“Hibiki-chan is wounded. Moreover, it’s considerably new…. She seems to have been injured just a dozens minutes ago.”
Something dropped on the ground where Inugami ran pass as if chasing after her. Something Rin was intently staring at.
That was a brand new bloodstain scattered from the running wolf, it still showed no sign of drying yet.
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