NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: The Thief
Chapter 26: The Thief
I woke up late this morning. I forgot to ask Kuro to wake me up. When I opened my eyes, there was no one in the room anymore. I went out to the inn’s courtyard and saw Kuro and Shiro preparing breakfast together. They seem to get along well. I wonder if there’s something that demons understand about each other.
“Good morning, Kuro, Shiro.”
“Guugya guugya!”
“Bonus…”
Shiro murmurs something again, almost like a greeting. Suddenly, Pink, who had been lazing around lately, emerged from my pocket. At that moment, Shiro swiftly stood up with terrifying speed, grabbed something from his waist at an incredible speed, and raised it. I was taken aback by the suddenness of it all and couldn’t react. Kuro hurriedly intervened between Pink and Shiro, clinging to Shiro’s body to stop him. What Shiro was holding was a 1.2-meter iron rod with a bulbous end, commonly known as a mace. I regained my composure and shouted, “Shiro! It’s okay! This lizard is our friend! It’s Pink!” I quickly grabbed Pink with my hand to reassure them that it was harmless. Shiro, with his eyes glaring blue, remained in the position to strike, not taking his eyes off Pink. Seeing Pink wave its hand with annoyance, Shiro finally lowered the mace and tucked it back into his robe.
“Has Shiro seen Pink or his kind before?”
“……(Shakes head)”
It seems that Shiro has never seen Pink or its kind before. Then why did Shiro react so violently? Pink looks like an ordinary lizard. Did Shiro simply have a heightened sixth sense and sense some danger from Pink’s abilities? Or perhaps there’s something specific to creatures from the Hell’s Cauldron that he sensed? Either way, it doesn’t seem like Shiro was trying to attack Pink out of personal animosity. He probably just instinctively armed himself to defend against a perceived threat. Since Shiro stopped attacking as soon as he realized Pink wasn’t hostile, there’s no doubt about that. The issue now is whether Shiro has any resistance to going to the Hell’s Cauldron.
“Shiro, I actually met Pink in the Hell’s Cauldron. ――And my house is in that Hell’s Cauldron.”
“!!”
For a moment, Shiro widened his eyes and looked at me, Kuro, and Pink. Judging by his reaction, Shiro seems to have some knowledge about the Hell’s Cauldron after all.
“Because of the location, it’s reasonably dangerous, but there’s a way to ensure safety. I’ve been coming and going many times using that method.”
“……(Nods)”
It seems there’s no hesitation at all. Rather, Shiro may have acted to protect us. But I carelessly forgot to introduce Pink.
“Well then, despite the overcooking, let’s have breakfast and depart.”
“Guugya guugya!”
“……(Nods)”
During the meal, Shiro has been cutting up food for Pink and feeding it. It seems like they’re having fun. Pink doesn’t seem too displeased either. It’s good that they’ve made up.
After eating, we focused on organizing our belongings. Kuro and Shiro agreed to carry the backpack. With this, we can bring a lot more luggage next time. Next time, we can bring in more merchandise. The expenses for entering Savoia and food costs will likely increase, so we need to earn money properly. And thus, we left Savoia behind.
Exiting the city and walking for about 15 minutes, we encountered a group of four men blocking our path. Not again. I wonder about Savoia’s security… Learning from last time, Kuro and I had already decided how to behave in such situations. As soon as we saw figures, we lowered the backpacks and observed the approaching men. Originally, we planned to flee, but now Shiro is with us.
What to do…
One of them was a suspicious mercenary hired on the second day. This is what happens when you pay for mercenaries. The security is just too bad, even for the borderlands. Or is it just my luck being too rotten? It’s really frustrating.
They all have drawn swords. Their physique is decent, too. They’re more sinister than the punks from last time. This time, the four of them are closer. They must prioritize caution towards Shiro over the fact that we can’t escape. There might be others hiding besides these four. With just these four, it might be okay to rely on Pink, but there’s a high possibility of others lurking around. With only four of them, they must consider it risky to confront Shiro.
“Shiro, they’re probably robbers. Someone hiding must be around here. Kuro, I’m counting on you.”
“Gyaa!”
“…”
Shiro slowly takes the mace out of his robe and shoulders it, looking down at the four in front of him with emotionless eyes. As he readies the mace, his bare arms protrude from his robe. With a light swing and a firm grip, tremendous muscles bulge out. What impressive muscles, especially at a time like this. Furthermore, the reach is insane. Not only is he tall, but his arms are long as well. How much violence can these arms unleash? Who in their right mind would stand in front of someone like him? Are they really that foolish?
“Hey! Our business is with that merchant over there! You, demon, have nothing to do with this! Stay out of it! …No, wait, I want to talk a bit!”
“Gyagyagyagya!”
As the men start babbling something, Kuro swiftly turns around and runs. Did she find the one hiding? Shiro then calmly steps forward in front of me. Unlike when facing Pink, his movements now feel much more relaxed.
“Hey! Don’t move! Where did the girl just now go!?”
“Sto-stop! You’re surrounded!”
I also raise my cudgel just in case. Well, I’ll try not to get in Shiro’s way.
“Hiiiiiaaaah!”
Intermittent screams from the men behind us are heard. Did Kuro…? Seems like she’s grown from her previous self. At least, I hope she doesn’t get hurt trying too hard.
“Hey! What are you guys doing!”
“Darn it! We told you not to move on your own!!”
Shiro slowly advances, and one of the men from the side brandishes his sword and swings it with a loud cry. Shiro’s hand holding the mace trembles for a moment, and with a loud bang, the man flies about five meters, scattering parts of his torso.
“Huh!”
“Huh?”
“Aaaahhhh!”
The two are stunned by the unexpected turn of events and seem to not fully grasp the situation. Even I, in my state, can’t understand what Shiro is doing. One tries to flee in fear. As Shiro steps forward, he grabs the man’s belt with his left hand, effortlessly lifts him overhead, and then, in the next moment, slams him onto the ground with unbelievable speed. With a unique grinding noise, the body bends in a strange shape and becomes motionless. At the very least, his spine seems broken.
“Dammit!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The remaining two manage to readjust their swords, but they’re clearly intimidated.
Shiro takes a big step forward. With just that, he easily enters the distance between the two. Both his arms and legs are long. His big step is unusually large and powerful. And with that momentum, the mace is swung lightly.
――――Bang, bang, bang, explosions sound. His swings are so swift that the tip is invisible. And with each sound, the two lose parts of their bodies. Without time to resist, they eventually collapse like rag dolls.
At that moment, an arrow suddenly appears in Shiro’s leg.
“Shiro!”
Shiro shows no change in expression and searches for the shooter. Is he okay? I also hurriedly look for the shooter, but before that, Shiro throws the mace. With a dull impact sound, a red stain appears on the nearby ground. Apparently, there was someone lying on the ground, waiting for an opportunity to snipe Shiro. Looks like he got his head smashed in.
“Is your leg okay?”
“……(Nods)”
As if nothing happened, he pull out the arrow. Then, in the blink of an eye, the skin regenerates, and the wound closes up. What is this…?
Kuro’s injuries heal quickly too, but it’s nothing compared to the speed at which Shiro’s wounds heal. Combined with his combat prowess, Shiro feels more like a monster than Kuro.
“Gyagyagya!”
“Welcome back. Are you hurt?”
“Gyagyagyagyagya!”
Bloody Kuro returns, looking quite pleased. Truly, these guys are like demons.
This time, I was more relaxed, but the gruesome events around me still shock me. Mostly because of them, but it’s too hard for me. I won’t be able to eat today, that’s for sure.
Shiro also walks over slowly.
“Good job, Shiro. Truly monstrous, as they say. Incredibly strong.”
“……(Smiles)”
“…I’ll go scavenge for items. You two rest.”
At least let me handle the aftermath. I have to get used to this kind of thing too. In the end, there were a total of eight thieves. Three were behind us, all of whom Kuro dispatched with critical strikes, basically killing them in one blow. Who is this assassin who can kill three people instantly? If I look at dead bodies for too long, I’ll vomit, so I search for valuables with narrowed eyes. The ones Shiro took down were too much even for me to handle with narrowed eyes. By the time I finish picking everyone’s pockets, I’ve vomited up all of my breakfast.
Shiro, with a worried expression, gently pats my back with the hand that created those gruesome corpses. It’s hard to describe, but he’s a kind and reliable guy.
“Shiro, thank you.”
“…………(Smiles)”
In terms of money, it’s about 100,000 reis in revenue. It’s much larger than the profit from the business. However, I don’t know if this is a lot or a little. No matter how profitable it is, I want to avoid this kind of thing for a while. For now, I need a little break.
After resting for about an hour, I finally start to recover. Since my legs have finally regained strength, I start walking towards Triangle Rock again.
We safely arrived at Triangle Rock before sunset. In the end, we couldn’t meet Menas and the others this time. Well, emotionally, that’s not really a concern, so maybe it’s a good thing we couldn’t meet them this time. As expected, I had no appetite for dinner that day. Kuro and Shiro are still eating a lot. However, since I’m not eating, both of them seem worried. Kuro tries to feed me with a spoon in her hand.
“Gyaaa~”
“Okay, okay, I’ll have just a little.”
A mixture of cuteness and comedy in Kuro’s expression and actions lightens my heart a bit. After all, when I reluctantly take a bite from the spoon offered to me, surprisingly, my appetite returns, and I can eat normally afterward.
“Kuro, thanks.”
“Gyagyau~!”
As night falls, we lay out a rug on the ground and rest our bodies. The three of us lie down and, after a long time, gaze up at the starry sky in the wilderness. And as we simply listen to the sound of the wind, my mood significantly improves. Maybe I’m the type who feels happier surrounded by such scenery rather than in the city. Camping in this world is thoroughly inconvenient and terribly dangerous. However, it offers a sense of true freedom from the bottom of my heart. Compared to this feeling, even the camping and mountain climbing I did in the past seem like artificial and suffocating leisure activities.
Well, tomorrow is finally the long-awaited return to our home, the hideout.