| Author: Tsunose Bun | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 3024 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1600 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
A man strolled aimlessly down the riverside road heading to Logholt City. His towering physique was clad with humongous muscles, suggesting that he was unquestionably powerful. He was clad in worn-out leather armor and had an ordinary sword on his belt.
Despite the fact that he seemed to be in his early twenties, the man had a calm, unwavering aura, as if he had been through a lot and seen a lot of battles. With only a glance, it was clear that he was no average man.
“Hm?”
The man squinted his eyes, came to a halt and peered up at the sky diagonally. A towering cliff loomed before him, with a river flowing just below it. The man felt an unknown power rise from the top of the cliff.
“What is going on?”
The man’s gaze was drawn to the cliff’s top, where the Mana had erupted. He could see something, or rather someone, plunging down there. Next to the man, the person fell into the river, making a splash and then vanishing inside it.
Even though the person fell into the water, they did so from a great height. The man didn’t know whether the individual was okay or not, so he didn’t waste any time. He dove into the river right away to help.
Despite his massive size, his swimming form appeared to be flawless, and he was able to reach the sinking person in no time.
“What? Blood?”
The man noticed that the individual who had fallen was, in fact, a young woman with a bleeding cut that ran from her left shoulder to her right side. He rushed the unconscious woman to the riverside, where he placed her down.
The bag’s strap, which was slung over her left shoulder, was damaged, but the woman’s body would have been sliced far more if it hadn’t been for it. It was most likely because of the bag that she was still breathing.
“She’s breathing… But she doesn’t have much.”
The girl would die if he couldn’t stop bleeding. However, only Healers who could cast Lesser Heal were able to suppress such bleeding. Sadly, the man wasn’t one.
“Tsk. This is bad.”
In his desperation, the man reached into the woman’s bag, hoping to find a cloth or something to put over the wound. To his surprise, there were several drug containers inside. Even more startling was the fact that each of the containers was labeled with the medications inside.
“Now this is useful. But I can’t imagine a normal person carrying this about.”
The man assumed that the girl was already well aware that she was being targeted.
The man could easily believe that the girl had been targeted by someone formidable based on the Mana he’d felt coming from the top of the cliff and the wound on her body.
The man thought it was reasonable for the girl to be so prepared if she had known from the beginning that she was being pursued by a powerful individual.
“In any case, treatment comes first.”
The girl had fallen from the cliff with such serious injuries that it was difficult for the man to believe that those who had harmed her would come looking for her. Nonetheless, if her assailants had resolved to investigate just in case, they would certainly come.
However, the man couldn’t afford to leave at this time. As a result, he decided to treat the girl right away.
“Oh! An Analgesic Blood-Stopping Medicine. There’s also a Stamina Recovery Drug. She might make it with these…”
The girl had suffered a serious injury. There was no assurance that she would live no matter how many drugs the man used. If the girl’s Life Force or the drugs weren’t up to the mark, the situation would turn sour.
“… Excuse me.”
While tearing off the girl’s clothes to make it simpler for him to treat her1, the man said this, possibly not feeling especially comfortable with it because the girl looked young. After tearing her clothes, the man applied the Blood-Stopping Medicine over her wound.
He was scared that germs or bacteria might get into her body, but he didn’t have time to disinfect. He’d opted to trust the clean water and the Blood-Stopping Medicine’s label, which said that it included a sterilizing element.
The man then crushed and dissolved the Stamina Recovery Drug in some water. Afterwards, he gently raised the girl’s body and slowly poured the solution into her mouth. He continued pouring the solution when he noticed she was swallowing.
“Now then, I did what I could.”
The man exhaled deeply and lowered the girl, wiping away the sweat that had formed as a result of his tension. He sat cross-legged next to her after that.
“If you take another step, I’ll view you as this girl’s enemy and strike.”
Without even turning to glance back, the man said in a laid-back manner.
“Oh my. It appears that I’ve been exposed. Please pardon my rude behavior.”
Hearing that, the man calmly turned his head and glanced behind himself. He noticed a man clad in a soldier’s uniform, both hands in the air, and a warm smile on his face. When the man noticed the mark on the soldier’s armor, he rummaged through his memories and recalled that it was the mark worn by Duke Lezau’s men.
“I serve as a soldier for Duke Lezau. I see you saved that girl’s life, but I’m afraid I have to inform you that she murdered one of the Duke’s close associates. I must ask that you hand her over. She needs to stand trial.”
“Is that so? Then you may also take me to the Duke. After all, I was the one who attended to her injuries. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“Excuse me?”
The soldier was taken aback by the man’s unexpected reply. The man, on the other hand, merely stared at him and spoke again, as if what he’d said was reasonable.
“Isn’t that how it’s done? I was the one who captured her and even saved her life. Shouldn’t the Duke thank me in some way?”
“……”
“Or are you saying I got soaked for nothing?”
The soldier kept his gaze on the complaining man, attempting to figure out what was going on inside his head. After a brief pause, the soldier shifted his focus and smiled as he spoke.
“You do have a point. Fear not, I will take you to meet the Duke.”
“Thanks!”
The man answered, turning around to face the girl. At that moment…
“DIE!”
The soldier swiftly withdrew his sword and charged toward the man. He moved so quickly that the man, who was still seated cross-legged with his back against the soldier, had no time to stand up.
“… Good grief.”
Whether it was due to time or something else, the man ultimately chose not to stand. The man drew his sword and swung it at the approaching soldier without even turning around.
“What happened?”
The soldier could see the man evading his sword by a hair’s breadth as he stabbed it towards the back of his skull. He could believe that. The man’s ability to dodge the unexpected thrust with minimum movement was startling but was within the realm of possibility.
What the soldier couldn’t believe was that the man had swung his sword with lightning speed, cutting through the soldier’s torso alongside his armor, all with his back to him and his body slightly twisted. The soldier’s mind went blank in the face of this astounding strike, and he remained gazing lifelessly.
The man shook his head listlessly after offering a compassionate gaze to the soldier whose body had been sliced in half.
“Didn’t I tell you that I’d strike if you got closer? Well then… What will you do?”
With a languid movement, the man gently rose up and wiped off his bloodied sword, then turned around to face the young girl looking up at him with piercing eyes.
“From your presence alone, I can tell that you’re no ordinary lady. That’s why I’m not opposed to fighting you. I’m not against it, but could you please leave, missy? I’d rather not run around with an injured person around.”
“… You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲. Who are you?”
“Right back at you. Isn’t that Duke soldier-wannabe your companion? Why are you after this girl?”
Hearing the man’s threatening remark, the girl’s eyes narrowed for a moment, as if she was considering something. Then she began to slowly retreat, maintaining her body facing the man.
“I don’t need to get any more involved with this country or with this girl. It is also pointless for me to fight you. Therefore, I’ll be retreating as planned.”
“Phew. I’m glad you’re one to listen. Well then… Hurry up and get lost.”
“Hmph.”
The girl released Mana from her feet and propelled herself with the recoil.
She moved away from the man with incredible speed while keeping her body facing him. She skillfully avoided any obstacles, as if she had eyes on her back, and disappeared from the man’s sight in a heartbeat.
“Now that was interesting. I’ve never seen such a powerful missy. Lucky, I didn’t have to fight her.”
The man murmured in a tired tone, wiping the sweat from his brow caused by the stress. After that, he turned around, his gaze falling on the sleeping girl.
“I’d like to learn more about you, so I suppose I can’t simply leave you here. For the time being, let’s go somewhere else.”
