16 – Episode 16. Call the Runaway Ninja (1)
“Then let’s meet in front of the reserved carriage in a little while.”
With a wave of his hand, he left, and Saetton nodded and put the pen and paper in his backpack.
After spending a week in Puskin Village without any thoughts, the team, who had enough rest, decided to return to Martolan this morning after taking a break until today.
Well, it was too easy.
Since the fight with Delamion, it took a long time to calm down the mana that occasionally surged.
I tried to adjust it like reducing the fire when the water overflows while boiling ramen, and it did calm down somehow.
Today, when I checked again in the morning, the amount of mana seemed to have increased about five times compared to before the autumn leaf village.
The rest of the time, I only did things like giving Diana a “human lesson” and buying new equipment at the closest blacksmith.
“Hmm.”
I wanted to test my strength right away, but Fuskinn was a place where incidents or accidents didn’t happen.
The village guards played some kind of card game whenever they had time, and the neighborhood kids swarmed out to have fights, so it was a peaceful and quiet village.
I decided to endure it because causing an incident to test my new power is something only samurai kids do.
Enjoying occasional breaks is also a virtue of a runaway ninja.
“I’ll take a short break too.”
Orphe, who was combing Diana’s hair, nodded.
Since there was still about three hours left, I left to take a stroll around the village, as a warm-up exercise.
Of course, it was not just a simple sightseeing, but a patrol.
Even in such a ordinary village, there are “Yasayo (abbreviation of Yakuzas, Samurai, and Yokais)” lurking around.
Especially these ten bastards of yokais have an inconsistent form, so they might be hiding under a child’s bed or in their father’s secret safe, waiting for an opportunity to spy.
Damn it, it’s clear that the emergency fund of Mountain Gorilla (dad) was taken by a yokai.
At that time, I was the only one who got beaten up without lifting a finger.
Thinking about it again, anger wells up within me.
“Nin-nin.”
The square of the new world I visited for the first time was bustling with people.
In the village of Martolan, there was no time to come to a place like this, as people were preoccupied with Orphe training, practicing new techniques, and quests.
In the square, there were restaurants and shops, but there were also people offering sights with strange tools or creatures.
Is this the street performance of this new world?
It’s different from Martolan, where strict control is enforced unless it’s a festival.
“Look! It’s a fox with a short tail that I personally tamed!”
A strange creature danced on top of a woman’s hat, shaking its body.
Is it a monster?
I used to think that monsters should be killed without hesitation, but my mind changed because of what happened in the Maple Leaf Village.
Now, if they have completed the “Human Class” or become “enslaved,” I don’t think there’s a need to kill them.
So, if Satan’s desire for strangeness is directed towards a tamed monster, I’m willing to tolerate it to some extent.
Of course, if he does something too outrageous, I might accidentally kill Satan.
That can’t be helped.
Well, when you think about it, Diana is also a pocket monster owned by me.
Touching someone else’s pocket monster is not allowed as long as it doesn’t cause harm.
Just like you shouldn’t kill the pet monster of the Three-Card Mage, Jecheon Daeseong, thinking it’s a monster.
“This is the story of a legendary hero~ Oh oh oh~ The story of an admiral in the Erugal Kingdom~ Oh oh oh~”
“Huh?”
A beautiful melody echoed through the square.
I followed the direction of the sound as if I were possessed by something.
Are they doing a street musical? I’ve always wanted to see a musical.
“Ryland! Ryland! The guardian of the fallen kingdom~ Ryland~ Ryland! The one who defied the royal decree to resist the flames! Ryland! Ryland! Who is he? Ryland! Ryland! The one who took up arms for the people~!”
It wasn’t a musical, but a woman was sitting in front of the audience, performing a bizarre choreography and singing.
A man stood behind the audience, holding a large scroll. Perhaps the woman was reading the writing on that scroll and singing.
“Brave Ryland! Leading loyal followers~ with 30 battleships~ vowing to protect the kingdom~ oh oh oh~ but the battleships of Koremgarde are 250~! An unstoppable force! A hopeless force!”
It wouldn’t be too bad to watch instead of a musical, so I sat among the audience.
Just watching the woman sing was entertaining, especially because she was pretty.
There were quite a few spectators, and most of them seemed to have come here with the same thought as me, judging by the majority being men.
Reminds me of a morale-boosting performance.
Looks like appearance matters in everything.
“Ryland who couldn’t give up! Ryland who couldn’t retreat! Through the Watcher’s ancient canyon~ crossing the sea of terror~ seeking help from the Sea Dragon Behenna~ melting her frozen heart~ with Ryland’s strong desire and will~!”
Sea Dragon? Is that a yokai too?
If not, is it a divine beast?
There are too many unfamiliar beings, I don’t know which ones are yokai.
“At last, the day of the decisive battle approaches~ the war that unfolds in the ‘Twisting Waves’~ oh oh oh~ Ryland riding Behenna charges forward~ scattering the fearsome battleships of Koremgarde~”
“Oh my.”
I shook my head vigorously at the sight of the Buddha’s face.
This story is getting too long, it’s making me sleepy.
From what I heard, it seems like they won against 250 enemy battleships with 30 allied battleships and a giant monster, but they need to lie more convincingly.
People are more rational than you think, and once they judge that it lacks realism, they lose interest.
“Alright, that concludes Part 1 of ‘The Serenade of the Sword.’ We will now take a break and collect donations for future creations.”
A man behind the audience approached, holding a basket, and began collecting money from the spectators.
Well, nothing in this world is free.
As he rummaged through his pocket, one person suddenly stood up and asked the man collecting money.
“I have one thing I’m curious about. It’s a really important matter. Was Heyong Behena, the pure maiden?”
Damn, what a surprise.
Upon closer inspection, it was Sae-tteun.
I didn’t even know he was here among the audience.
“Well, as you know, this work is based on a real incident. So, yes.”
“Was she pure?”
“She was said to be a living being that actually existed, so we-“
“Was she pure?”
“…Yes. The Behena in my work is indeed a pure maiden.”
“Alright then.”
Sae-tteun, satisfied, put money into the man’s basket.
Come to think of it, Sae-tteun seemed to look at Diana in a mysterious way while pretending to ask about her well-being.
Damn it, I need to receive the adventurer’s guild card and break up the party soon.
“Is this your first time seeing a storytelling performance? Judging by your expression, it seems like you’re having trouble adapting.”
“What?”
Suddenly, the man next to me smiled so brightly that I wanted to punch him and started talking.
Wearing rags and laughing like that, it feels somewhat unsettling.
There was a strange energy swirling around the man’s body, as if he had some kind of magical tool.
Well, it’s not strange to have a secret weapon in this harsh world.
“It seems like a reaction I’ve never heard before. Since you seem to enjoy my explanations, I’ll explain it specially.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“There’s no need to refuse. Storytelling is like a small performance that combines the stories of a writer and the voice of a poet.”
Ah, I’m already getting sleepy.
But it’s a bit strange to just beat up a guy who’s not even a villain in a place with so many people.
“Young artists with low recognition and nowhere to perform use their brains to make money. They are given time to communicate with the audience like now, and they can receive evaluations of how great their stories and songs are. I heard that some storytellers receive immediate evaluations and modify their stories to suit the taste of the audience.”
“Yes. That’s interesting. I was really curious. I’ll leave now.”
At this rate, I feel like I’ll end up sleeping until noon, so I got up right away.
“Wait.”
Suddenly, the man grabbed my arm.
Could this guy be like Delamion, who can’t resist giving a lecture?
“You can see storytelling performances in all regions of the kingdom. It’s strange that you don’t know that.”
“What?”
“Are you not from the kingdom of Irgal?”
“Well, I’m from a border area, so that’s why.”
“Storytelling performances are held even in the border areas. Artists exist in every region.”
Damn it, I should have asked Orphe properly.
567 This orphaned chick really doesn’t know much.
“Well, there aren’t any in the outskirts. The artists all starved to death because they were too busy trying to make a living.”
“I’ve never heard of such outskirts.”
“If you don’t know, then study.”
The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
I don’t know why he’s so obsessed like this.
Without backing down, I opened my eyes wide and accepted his stare-down.
This kind of thing requires nerve.
“Robin? What are you talking about? It’s late. We need to go quickly.”
Orphe’s voice came from behind.
When I turned around, Orphe was holding Diana’s hand.
There’s still some time before noon, but it seems like he roughly caught on to the situation from the way he’s talking.
“…What about my wife and daughter?”
“Well, about that…”
“But your daughter’s hair color is different from both of yours.”
“I’m a talented windbag, you see. Well then, I’m busy so I’ll take my leave.”
Whatever it is, the timing is good.
Thump.
I pushed the man’s hand away and left.
“Excuse me, sir?”
Ah, you didn’t pay.
I approached again and put money in the writer’s basket.
The man who had been observing my every move took out an expensive-looking pipe from his embrace and began smoking.
“…I’ve become sensitive lately because of work. I just asked once. Don’t worry too much.”
Why doesn’t that bastard buy clothes and spend money on things like that?
Come to think of it, there was also a senior who spent his entire salary on cigarettes in the military and left with a deficit.
As a non-smoker, there is a world I don’t know.
“Well, there must be places where they don’t exist. Take care.”
The man who made donuts with smoke waved his hand.
That bastard acted all cool after being buried.
Without saying anything, Orpheus joined in.
“You said it well. He was really annoying.”
“I thought so. Who is that person?”
“Details are difficult.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Honestly, I’m too lazy to explain.
Orpheus stared at the man smoking.
“That pipe is a luxury item produced only in the Red Whale Matap. It’s not something commoners can buy.”
A noble hiding his identity and coming out to play? If he wanted to be perfect, he shouldn’t have used a pipe.
But honestly, even if there is a good pipe, I don’t think I would like to use miscellaneous stuff.
Now, can I finally understand the mentality of smokers?
Orpheus and Diana left the place because they didn’t want to bother with it.
“A ruthless killer like that wouldn’t spend time with family in a place like this, paying for culture and art. It seems my fortune has run out.”
Because my ears were so good, I could hear the man mumbling something, but it didn’t seem important, so I ignored it.
Someone who mutters to themselves like that is called a “soliloquy bug” in specialized terms.
“Oh, let’s buy some chicken skewers.”
As I walked, I found a shop that smelled delicious.
They didn’t have batter, but the chicken seasoned and grilled looked tasty.
After buying about six, I handed two to Orpheus.
Diana hesitated and glanced around before reaching out her hand.
Maybe she still thinks poorly of me for throwing away the doll.
Well, maybe someday I’ll buy her something appropriate.
Since it was old and dirty, it probably wasn’t anything important.
“Conviction.”
Of course, I have no intention of giving it to her.
“A rule that people decide and must follow as they live.”
“A rule?”
“Yes.”
A chicken skewer squeezed in her hand.
“Calling.”
“It’s a goal that must be achieved before a person dies.”
“You did a great job.”
He passed two skewers of chicken.
“If you study hard, you’ll be able to meet your sister too.”
That’s what I said when I hugged her in the arms of the Buddha.
I also have emotions, so it’s hard for me to tell a child that her sister is dead.
Maybe someday she’ll naturally find out.
When that happens, Diana will surely be grateful for my discretion.
I think I’m already a good teacher enough.
After enjoying the food tour like that, I got on the carriage and left.
***
“Ninja Ki Sang Beob.”
I woke up with a sigh, and it was Martolan.
The sun had set, and it was time for people to start going home, but the city was still bustling with the festival.
Since I had already spent some time in the square, I didn’t feel the urge to see anything.
“Yawn~! Then let’s go.”
The driver yawned loudly and left.
Orphe, who was expressionless as usual, Diana, who looked anxious, Saten, who looked tired, and Jina, without any problems, returned to Martolan.
“Well, let’s all go to the guild and meet Bonita around lunchtime tomorrow. That’s it.”
They all seemed to have no thoughts, so I suggested dissolving the group and left.
Seeing Orphe and Diana nervously following from behind, I realized that the sense of crisis had increased.
What should I ask Diana to do?
Even a child can do dishes and laundry, right?
“Nin?”
I was thinking hard for Diana when I heard a strange noise from afar.
“Jina! It’s Jina, right?! Oh my, what should we do? Where have you been all this time?”
“What? Because of the quest… Auntie. What’s going on?”
“Hurry home! The knights are gathering… The atmosphere is serious.”
“Home?! Oh, what happened to Father?”
“I don’t know either… A few days ago, the knights were looking for you…”
The conversation between the unfamiliar woman and Jina was suspicious.