NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: (1)
I’m A Man Who Knows The Ins And Outs Of Both Men And Women
About half a month had passed since the encounter between Tanaka and the hero.
Further west than the transit town of Haburunayo. Hero Kamui and his companions were moving from town to town scattered around in the wastelands. Officially, their mission was to investigate the abnormalities near the border. However, they were in no hurry to move westward. As they moved from one town or village to another one, they aggressively made a move to subjugate the monsters in the area. The battle itself was very one-sided with them trampling down the monsters. However, there seemed to be some air of restlessness surrounding them. It was as if they were being cornered. They vaguely seemed as though they were desperate to fight.
There were two people who were tailing them, Hero Mikoto, and the great sage Merlin. Mikoto had already invited Kamui to join them. However, the response she received wasn’t quite a favorable one. Since then, Kamui and his companions had been continuing to follow the plan of the Purin Kingdom. She couldn’t leave Kamui, who moved according to the interests of a certain nation, alone, but nonetheless she couldn’t take any drastic measures either. In the end, Mikoto decided to tail him from a certain distance.
Even right now, she was in standby behind Kamui’s team, who were fighting against monsters, ready to give them aid should the need arise. What they were currently dealing with was a gigantic worm-shaped carnivore monster, Sandworm. It wasn’t an uncommon creature in this region. According to the guild’s standard, it was a C-ranked subjugation target.
「They still seem as tense as ever, don’t they? Hmm… in other words, it looks like ‘that matter’ wasn’t a lie, huh.」
Observing Kamui’s team from behind, Mikoto murmured. Half a month ago, the air around Kamui’s party took a sudden turn. After that, the information they received from the chit-chat as they were trying to invite him to join them was unbelievable. It was, in a way, devastating to Mikoto, who understood the strength of Kamui’s party more than anyone else.
Defeat. Moreover, they were defeated in a manner that could only be described as devastating. At first, she thought they were just accepting their defeat with humility. However, since then, Kamui had been radiating a hint of gloom around him. Kaltovich had also ceased her flirting with Kamui, something she’d never ceased to do in the past. And then there was Tetsujin, who was as expressionless as ever, but seemed to be at her wits end. These aftereffects on them made her realize something. That the story of their defeat was a real one.
「Looking at their states, it seems like the opponent wasn’t something that could be dealt with even if we were to join hands with them. Geez… just what kind of monster they’d picked a fight with, I wonder?」
Muttered Mikoto while letting out a sigh. Merlin, who was by her side, faithfully answered her question.
「I guess a spirit or perhaps an existence who is referred to as God. Whatever it was, though, it didn’t seem something that could be taken lightly.」
As expected, he also let out a sigh.
「If it’s a spirit or a God, can’t you just apologize and get over with it?」
「Well…. as there are spirits and Gods that maintain order, there’s even an existence known as Evil God that is treated as no different than a calamity, after all. It’s best not to get too hopeful with that idea of yours.」
It seemed that the situation was not so bright. Mikoto decided to look for a light of hope in Merlin’s vast sea of knowledge and asked.
「Is there a way to fight against someone who is on the same level as spirit or God?」
「The first thing that comes to my mind is divine armaments, but… he already has one on him and yet was still completely crushed nonetheless. Which means, we also have to borrow the strength of another spirit or God. But, I don’t think that’s feasible at all. I doubt they’ll be willing to take action for the sake of mere human, after all.」
「So, in other words, there’s no way out, huh? Haa…, do we have to work as hard as they do to raise our level as well?」
Mikoto immediately displayed an air of resignation. However, Merlin’s knowledge led him to another answer.
「The Witch of Abyss. If we can borrow her power, then perhaps…..」
「The Witch of Abyss? Who in the world is she? Will she be able to do something about this matter?」
「The Witch of Abyss – It’s a lineage of witches that dates back to the age of creation. It’s said that her power has been passed down only to those possessing befitting talent since then. I’m sure that even I, the one who is hailed as the great sage, stands no chance against the witch of abyss. Power accumulated over thousands of years. I believe it’s by no means inferior to those of spirits or God’s, but…」
Marlin showed no confidence in his own answer. Mikoto asked without hesitation.
「There’s some sort of problem with this option?」
「Yeah, I heard that the witch of abyss was bestowed with a certain duty by God of Creation… It’s said that said duty was the demise of the world. So given the ominousness of the duty, they tend to be avoided. Well, even if they are dangerous, we can’t really get rid of them since they are related to the creator god, after all. In the end, she concealed her existence and has been living in seclusion ever since.」
「I see… while there doesn’t seem to be any problem power-wise, if the matter about the demise of the world were true, we can’t really rely on her power, huh. Should we ask for her help, it’d be no laughing matter if she used that chance to make her move and destroy the world instead, after all.」
「Well, that’s a relief to hear. I actually caught a glimpse of her once when I was still a newbie. And you know what? She was so beautiful that I couldn’t believe she was actually a denizen of this world. I dearly wished to meet her again and get close to her while I’m at it, but I’m sure she’s turned into a properly aged lady by now. So I don’t feel like going through the trouble to look for her.」
She shot a lukewarm gaze at the great sage who had already acted in his usual manner again. Hero Mikoto’s hardships didn’t seem to be ceasing anywhere in the near future.
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