112. Rustwood (3)
When was it?
What the guy was watching.
Occasionally, there were prisoners sleeping with their eyes open, so I quietly watched the reaction.
But soon a voice came to tell him that he was awake.
“I would have told you not to let anyone in when I was sleeping. Say your name.”
The circuit’s mana was raised to the shoulder, chest, and neck area.
Artificial pressure was applied to the air coming out through the airway, and the voice of a prisoner at the guard post came out from my throat.
“This is Ethuka. sorry. I think someone broke in behind the building, so I patrolled… .”
“Come closer.”
It’s dark and you can’t see this side from the other side.
I changed my face once again with transformation magic, and appeared in front of the moonlit window.
“… That’s right.”
The silhouette of the guy in the dark moved with a rustling sound.
He got up and brought his body to eye level with the window, and the moonlight half revealed his face.
“I just woke up. Had there been an intruder, I would have felt the presence and woke up earlier than that. Go back after patrolling.”
“Yes. All right.”
I turned and walked away from the window.
Then his voice stopped me again.
“for a moment. Your clothes are crooked.”
His long arms opened the window and came towards me.
The room was quiet, only the sound of insects outside the building could be heard.
A moment that feels long and past.
Finally, his hand reached in front of me and stopped.
“I will fix it.”
It felt as if time had returned.
Whoo-!
His palm, which was slowly spreading out, suddenly changed its momentum and grabbed me like lightning.
obvious flesh.
I strengthened my legs with the mana I had reserved, and at the same time created a wind under my feet, kicking the hallway and jumping high.
“It smells different. Who is it?”
A voice came from below.
Two types of auxiliary elements, cutting and oil, were combined with the wind element and gold element pulled up in the palm of the hand.
Jiying!
A blade of wind with a physical shape was formed around the grip.
Reversing the grip, he slammed Tyrhorn’s hand down at the same time as it fell.
Snuggle up!
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the room.
Using the recoil of the impact, he turned his body once in the air and landed on the floor.
widely.
‘Do you have magic resistance?’
Although it is not common, there were some guys who had magic resistance to certain attributes.
It was a characteristic of the race itself called the Beastman, which maximized physical ability instead of being difficult to handle mana.
The level of refinement of the magic used a while ago was not high, but even considering that, the fact that it was a troublesome trait to deal with did not change.
“Did you send a silver top? How did you change your face? It’s not just on the same level as Etuka, is it magic?”
He didn’t seem to feel particularly threatened.
Rather, he expressed curiosity.
“… … .”
Without answering, I raised my mana again.
The escape itself wasn’t much of a problem.
However, when backing down, even if I backed away, I had to grasp as much information about him as possible.
“If you don’t like the answer, you can grab him and force him to open his mouth.”
Nettle!
His gigantic grips flew towards me.
At the same time avoiding the floor again, a wind blade with increased output was inserted into a point between the fingers.
visor!
The body was pushed back with a strong reaction.
‘Certainly, wind-type magic doesn’t work. Rather than increasing the refinement level, the magic of other properties.’
The guy had part of his upper body pressed against the window.
The other hand flew in without a moment to catch a breath.
bang!
As he escaped, his hand swept through the air and crashed into the wall.
The building shook, and stone shards poured down.
Lightning magic was used on the stopped arm, but this time it didn’t seem to have much effect.
“It’s said that Suin uses magic. Yes, not at all.”
He continued to move his body.
The guy’s attack was agile, but it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t avoid it if he concentrated his mind.
Along the way, various magics were tested by varying the element combinations and formulations, and the purification steps and outputs.
“How long do you plan on playing with your leftovers?”
When I was not caught, it seemed that the bua was gradually sagging.
The building could collapse and he would not be able to swing his arms freely.
Then I heard footsteps from downstairs.
‘… I took too much time. There’s no way I couldn’t have noticed such a commotion at the post.’
If you were surrounded, it could be difficult to escape.
Finally, when I used high-powered fire magic on Tyrhorn’s arm, I could hear a small moan coming out of his mouth.
It was a different reaction than when other attribute magics with the same output and the same auxiliary element combination were used.
‘This combination is responsive.’
Recalling the type of element used and the mixing ratio in my head, I used flashing.
The interior of the first-floor room appeared, and he used the flash in front of the wall one after another to get out of the building.
oh-
Tyrhorn’s annoyed cries could be heard behind him.
* * *
Many of the wiretapping devices installed in Tirhorn’s residence did not receive a signal.
Recognizing the presence of the intruder, it was natural to search the residence once.
One didn’t matter much.
At first, most of the wiretapping devices were nothing but baits to hide some hidden in important locations.
─You seem to have injured your arm.
-It’s nothing. Last night, a bug came into my bedroom. I think it was sent by someone who hated me.
Thanks to you, I was now overhearing the conversation between Blue Serpent and Tirhorn.
—Yes. Anyway, that’s all we’ve just said. The boss said that he would entrust the management of part of the 30th division to Tirhorn, and consider giving additional rewards when retaking the 47th division.
—The Blue Serpent’s executive.
—Yes. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all.
-I’m going to ask you one thing. I heard rumors about Leica when I went out on a quest before. He’s the Blue Serpent’s executive.
—Yes. you’re right. The person we serve is Leica-sama.
Tyrhorn let out a shrill laugh and said.
-It’s really fun to be around the world. How can a relationship that was only known as the past continue in the present like this? Besides, since it was the time when I was about to start a full-fledged business, the timing couldn’t be better than this.
—Are you talking about business?
—Yes. This place, a business that sucks money from the beasts of Rustwood.
Tirhorn briefly explained his plans.
─Good. If you listen to the story, the boss will surely promise an additional investment.
─One more thing. Before starting a business, you need to sift out the stones embedded in the ground.
-It’s a stone.
It was clear who the stone meant.
Tirhorn briefly described Silverfang guarding the basin.
—You could say that place is the yolk land. It is located in the heart of Rustwood. In fact, victory is already certain. Just waiting for the investment to become clear.
It was just as the guy said.
From an objective point of view, it is unlikely that Silverfang’s group will defeat Tyrhorn’s group.
‘The combat power of each member may be higher on the Silver Fang side, but the number is more than doubled.’
Besides, Silver Fang had something to protect.
Seedlings in the middle of the basin.
Saying that you have something to worry about is the same as saying that you have no choice but to go at a great disadvantage in battle.
─We will help too. Since you accepted the executive position, you are already a member of the Blue Serpent.
—Yes. Let’s discuss the business case in detail after the war is over.
I ended the eavesdropping.
Tirhorn accepted the position of executive.
Things were going as expected, and what I was going to do next was decided.
* * *
dawn.
under the faint moonlight.
bruise. bruise.
I walked along the steep descent to the basin.
The more I walked, the closer I got to the scenery in the middle of the basin.
Torches flickered atop the several poorly stacked watchtowers.
Below, there were rows of tents that appeared to be sleeping off-duty personnel.
‘If one tent accommodates twenty, the total number of people is about 200.’
In front of a fence made of scrap metal, two wolves standing on the border blocked my way.
“Who are you at this hour? Make your business clear.”
“I came to meet Silver Fang.”
“What? This bastard is using Silverfang’s name right now… .”
The guy on the left got excited and tried to step forward, but the guy on the right stopped him.
“for a moment. It’s strange to come here at this time, but it can be really important. Why did you come to see Silverfang-sama?”
“Tell me. The time has come to reclaim the lost water of life.”
Both men’s faces twitched at the same time.
The story of the water of life was a very sensitive issue for the prisoners.
Especially for the gray wolves led by Silverfang, who have been working hard to cultivate the forest for a long time.
“From where to where, what do you know? Where do you belong?”
“That’s something I’m going to tell Silverfang myself.”
The two looked at each other and then looked at me again.
“Let me meet Silverfang-sama. With your hands tied and your knees on your knees!”
The two men ran at the same time, showing their fangs.
The wind blew up the steps, twisting the steps, and putting fists into the stomachs of the two with ease.
“Uh-huh!”
The other four, who jumped from the watchtower, also moved quickly to subdue them.
Within seconds, the surroundings were filled with wolf beasts lying on their stomachs grabbing their boats.
“It’s an intruder!”
When the other guys rushed out from inside the fence and took an attacking stance, a thick voice came from between them.
“stop. You are not the one to deal with.”
A wolf beast, larger than the others, with a silvery rather than grayish fur, swept through the pack.
One eye was wearing a leather eye patch.
“It smells like blood. Some are human and some are beasts. I can’t even count how many people I’ve killed so far.”
“Your subordinates don’t have anything, so don’t worry.”
Silverfang came forward and looked down at me.
Under the light, his shadow obscured me.
“It’s a face I haven’t seen. I heard the conversation inside. The time has come to bring back the water of life. Can you take responsibility for that?”
“At least I wouldn’t think it was a waste of time.”
The guy looked at me slowly and turned his back to the tent inside.
The men split sideways, and I followed him into the tent.
It was a small tent for one person.
The guy said while sitting at the table next to the extra bed.
“Listen to the story. I hope it is nutritious. It’s a sensitive time for everyone, and my claws might tear you apart if it’s useless talk.”
Contrary to the radical content, the tone and expression were only static.
His eyes were still, but I could tell there was a small storm in them.
He closed the door of the tent and turned towards him and said.
“I was planting seedlings outside. It will dry out before it becomes a mature tree. There will be no nutrients left in the land for vegetation to absorb.”
“… Someone has to do it. The moment you stop, the fact that there was a forest there will be forever forgotten.”
“no. What you’ve been doing for years is in vain. If Leica had not stolen the water of life, things might have been a little different.”
Leica.
At that name, he licked his lips and exposed his fangs.
“Are you affiliated with Leica? Who are you?”
I put my palms to my face.
He removed the transformation magic and returned to his original face.
He looked at the man with his mouth open and didn’t say anything, and said softly.
“Cain. Someone who wants to kill Laika like you.”