21. Strategy Meetings
I and Shura were walking through the forest to the southern seaside.
If we walked along the sandy shore, we couldn’t move while hiding. And since in this situation Shura was more suitable than Ash, I decided to head from the forest where there were a lot of shadows…
After I told Shura what happened so far, Shura said, “I-it’s the worst!” with a trembling voice.
“Seriously, you really did something unnecessary!… Only two people with you, and you want to go against that horde… it’s really the worst!”
“Well, it was certainly the worst until a while ago. It’s better now thanks to you being here.”
“――Hmmph! where are my cane and clothes? “
“It’s at the meeting place.”
While watching out for monsters with Shura’s sense, we finally reached the south shore of the island.
It took us an hour.
“Yo, it’s been a long time. Are you guys, okay?”
As I approached the shade of the rock, Carrs and Ignacio came closer with a smile on their faces.
“As expected of General! You can survive that situation! You see, I was wondering if I should go to help just now. “
“Seal, I’m… really glad that you’re safe.”
Ignacio approached me.
Her legs were shaking, gently burying her face in my chest and putting her hands on my back.
As she kept tightening her hands, the softness of her feminine――
My reaction to it was delayed. It was so sudden, couldn’t be helped…
But, what Ignacio was doing right now was an action that came out of the excitement of a friend returning from the brink of death, which was usually called, ‘fellowship’.
I knew that, but I couldn’t help but get excited because a man of my age was being hugged by a beautiful girl around the same age, I couldn’t help but grin.
“Oi”
From behind, a voice mixed with light murderous intent.
“Move.”
For sure, in terms of meaning, it would be closer to ‘Get out of my away’.
Shura lightly stared at me and passed me from the side.
” ―― Oi, Ignacio. Are you not done yet?”
“Ah! ―― S-Sorry, I’m sorry… it was unintentional.”
Ignacio withdrew.
Well, it’s regrettable, but it can’t be helped.
“Tch!!!”
A bad… loud clicking tongue.
It came from a brown-haired girl who was in a bad mood.
When Carrs saw Shura passing in front of him, he made a surprised voice.
“Hmm? Hey, aren’t you that brown-haired lady?!”
“Haaah? Who were you?”
“This guy here, he seems to have seen the battle we had in the back alley from a distance.”
“Ah, I see. There’s something I need from the bag behind you, can you move?”
Carrs moved away.
“Oops, I’m sorry.”
“When did you guys arrive here?”
“Just a while ago”
I felt another presence from the shade of the rock next to us.
There was a girl who was leaving her back on the rock. It was the girl who was about to be eaten by a monster earlier.
“That girl… is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s finally calming down.”
“I just asked what happened so far ―― Seal. This island, if we leave it alone, it might be hard to get it back.”
Ignacio told me the story about what the girl ―― Frederica had experienced.
—————————————-
Frederica seemed to have been a member of a certain guild.
The name of the guild, <Seaside Rulers>.
Basically, the members of the guild were engaged in activities such as hunting seaside monsters and managing uninhabited islands.
One day, a request came to the guild.
That was the request to subdue the monsters on this island, <Seadust Island>.
The client was anonymous and suspicious.
However, the promised reward was abundant.
The guild decided to receive the request. At first, Frederica hadn’t participated yet. Frederica… with the other second unit went to <Seadust Wasland> three days after the first unit disappeared.
When Frederica arrived on the island, the ship was burned like us, and everyone fell into the hands of monsters.
Where Frederica was taken by the monsters ―― was a food warehouse.
It was the building on the three-row in the village. It seemed to be a place where humans were being kept.
Some were alive, while others were processed after they died. Frederica’s guild members, were not there. Perhaps, they had already been eaten.
Hunting and eating humans to create an army of <JINMA>. In addition, returning the power of the {Corpse Emperor} to his heyday. That must be their purpose.
It seemed since she was still young and had a higher amount of Mana than others, she was tied up in a central house as ‘first-class food’.
Three days after Frederica was captured, we arrived at this island.
And the situation came to now.
“Hey, Frederica-chan. Who is the client of the request? I’m sure the client knew about this island.”
Frederica shook her head to Carrs’s question.
“I don’t know. But….. There’s no proof, but I think that person is part of the Knights.”
“――What! Tha-that’s impossible! “
Ignacio denied.
“The Knights are proud messengers of justice! Something like teaming up with a demon… they won’t do such an outrageous thing!”
“Wait, Igna-chan. First, let’s ask her basis.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that the guild is an organization formed in opposition to the Knights… So, originally, the guild and the knights couldn’t join hands, but the guild master of my guild has an acquaintance with the knights, and so we occasionally asked by the knights… The requests from the Knights were mostly high rewarding, and they would like to remain anonymous… Everyone in the guild knows that as a tacit understanding. This request is also highly rewarding and that person wanted to remain anonymous…”
“B, But then… it’s not 100% sure that the request came from the Knights, right? Maybe the request has nothing do to with the Knights, and just a high reward with the client who wanted to remain anonymous?”
“That’s why, I said there’s no proof…”
The Knights are pulling out behind the scenes… to kidnap humans in partnership with <JINMA>?
If that’s true, it would be dangerous if this information became public. Moreover, it’s the members of the guild who are suffering. It won’t be strange if The Knights and the Guilds, the two major organizations, may go into war.
Oi, oi, somehow, the scale of this event is getting bigger.
“Anyway, that story, isn’t it irrelevant now?”
Shura who was wearing a shirt and short pants, cut the conversation in a boring manner.
“An assumption or something like that, do it after it’s over. Now, it’s more important to think about how to subdue those monsters and release the captured ones, isn’t it?”
“Is it not good if we just escape from the island and get the help of the Knights and Guilds?”
“Do you think they will let us escape quietly?! If you use your Mana well, you can cross the sea with anything even if it’s just a small ship, but… that’s if we can sneak out without attracting their attention and go out to the sea.”
“So, that one has the bigger risk huh… “
For the time being, let’s put that talk aside and discuss how to hunt down the monsters.
“First, let’s review the three major forces of the enemy. Bone man monster, the horse {Orobas}, and the giant {Troll}… If we manage to get rid of these three, the rest will be small fries.”
The most dangerous should be that bone guy… the {Corpse Emperor}.
Obviously, the quality of the Mana he has can’t be compared to others.
” ‘Reyes Rou Ampleur’ huh…”
“I never thought, such a monster is on an island like this――”
Frederica responded when I spoke the name of the {Corpse Emperor}.
“Do you know it?”
“The {Corpse Emperor} ‘Reyes Rou Ampleur’… It was a legendary monster that manipulated corpses with the Mana of Domination. It destroyed a country a long time ago, used all the humans of that country, and became the king of a country… albeit temporarily. “
“――Seriously?”
So, he was such a big deal, that King of Bones.
” ‘Reyes’, it’s the name written on that talisman, right? Does it have anything to do with that coffin?”
I talked about the sealing technique. But, only the main points.
“Sealing technique …”
Ignacio crossed her arms.
“Once upon a time, my uncle showed me a similar technique. His name, ‘Saurus Rosso’… “
That’s one of the names that the {Corpse Emperor} said in that village.
Based on what he said, did Saurus Rosso and the old man seal him…?
“Is that so? My Master said he was the only sealer in the world. “
“My uncle died five years ago in a disaster. So, Seal, if you met your master within five years, I think there was no contradiction in his remarks. “
Ah, right, the only one in the world doesn’t mean the only one in history.
It’s certain that the old man has a master and junior disciple. Perhaps the junior disciple――
“If that story is true, it could be an immortal or a monster that could reborn again, right?”
“I heard that the {Corpse Emperor} is a monster that could reborn, again and again… a monster that regenerates no matter how many times it’s killed.”
“That means, it’s higher than immortals. Unlike immortals who just don’t die but can’t regenerate their bodies, this one can’t die and can regenerate by themselves――We can’t really do anything to it then. Only you can defeat it, Seal.”
Well, I guess so?
Originally, the sealing technique was made to handle such a creature.
“That’s right. I’ll seal that bastard. He probably lost his Mana after many years of being sealed. If it’s now, I may be able to do something.”
I acted tough.
To be honest… I don’t feel like I can beat it.
No, wait… if I could hit it once, it’s possible. The old man said that Sealing Technique, is ‘a magic that can beat anyone if the conditions were met’.
I’m curious about the two talismans on that coffin. One, is to seal the corpse. And the other is probably――
“Then, we’ll do something about the horse and, the giant. Let’s attract them so that Seal could fight the {Corpse Emperor}! “
“You and Red hair stay here――both of you will only get in my way.”
Shura simply said something I couldn’t say.
“You, tell them clearly!”
Shura pointed to me.
I’m sorry, there’s no excuse for this.
“Anyway, it’s not like a person who can’t use Mana can compete with something like that! You can’t even land a scratch! “
“B, But――!”
“I’ll try to keep up with you. I don’t mind if I die. It’s impossible not to participate in such a fun battle.”
Shura had accumulated Red Mana in her fist.
――Oh no, she’s going to stun them.
I stretched my right arm in front of Shura.
“Wait, Shura. Leave it to me. I’ll turn these guys into a useful force.”
“…How?”
“Well, just look forward to it.”
I looked at Frederica.
“Frederica. Since you’re in a guild, are you a Magician? Can you fight?”
“Y-yes! I-I can fight! “
“Alright――Give me 30 minutes. I’ll learn a new Sealing Technique in that time.”
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
thanks
i need to get used to it but i feel like this version is more refined
“Alright――Give me 30 minutes. I’ll learn new Sealing Technique in that time.”
Sealing technique[s]. If he meant he was going to invent one more, then add an “a”. I’m not positive if he found inspiration for more than one.
Personally, I feel that present-tense definitely flows better, and I do think that this chapter was easier to read.
Anyways, it’s getting interesting. Let’s see what Seal comes up with!
Thanks for the chapter!
Shura, you’ve been annoying for a while now. If you can’t act calm, shut up and stay in the corner.