19 – Episode 19. Deserters vs Yakuzas (1)
“What the hell is this?”
Bonita said it wasn’t exactly the frontier, but Goldon was as far away as the frontier.
It was rumored to be a dangerous area, and even the carriage drivers refused to go, but Orpheus convinced them to come closer.
The problem was that the nearby area was still a few hours’ walk up the mountain before they could reach the territory.
“You’re trying to screw me over, aren’t you? This is a shortcut?”
Orpheus did his best to guide them while looking at the map, but it was madness to rely on a hand-drawn map to find their way through a forest filled with trees and grass.
That’s why I physically invited the four perverts who had been following us and enjoying peeping to take charge of guiding us.
But it’s not very satisfying.
“Um, this is still the fastest way.”
The man with large bumps on both sides of his head, the leader of the peeping family, said.
“Oh, are you not familiar with the meaning of ‘fast’?”
After lightly pinching a few times and having a truth game, they confessed that they were scoundrels who tried to rip off innocent travelers under the pretext of guiding them.
Compared to Yasayo, scoundrels are cute, but they shouldn’t be taken lightly because there is a possibility of becoming a former yakuza.
We have to firmly grasp the situation and choose the right path so that the people can rest assured and sleep well.
“Unicorn, come forward.”
“Yes…”
The woman with a large horn on her forehead stood in front of me.
I gently massaged her shoulders to commend her for coming quickly.
“Woo… sob…”
The unicorn, who received a refreshing massage, shed tears of joy.
Unicorn tears, could this be valuable?
“From now on, every time the leader of the peeping family tells a lie, the unicorn’s horn will grow one by one. Got it?”
“Oh, yes!”
Kojubu and Agwi, the friends of the two scoundrels, moved slowly while only looking at the tip of Orpheus’ spear.
Their noses and mouths looked too small compared to their face size, so I pulled them once in a while to help balance them, and now they look normal.
The Witch and the Shark are just nicknames.
“Just a little, no! Very dangerous! This road is really fast!”
“A road that can be traveled in an hour?”
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“Well, if you give me a little more time…”
“Don’t you know that excuses are sinful?”
I raised my hand to the unicorn’s head.
Even I, a sweet ninja, can’t stand it when hoodlums like this keep making excuses and dragging on.
“One hour! Got it! One hour!”
The shark swung his stick, knocking away branches as he ran.
Still, he’s a hoodlum with a sense of camaraderie.
While wearing masks, I often checked if Diana was okay, but as expected, she had better stamina than an ordinary human girl, perhaps because she’s a monster.
She even seemed a bit comfortable.
Come to think of it, I haven’t given the hoodlums any human lessons.
“Diana.”
“Yes?!”
“Are you ready for the lesson?”
“…”
“Are you ready?”
“…Of course I am.”
Diana’s expression quickly darkened.
Is it still difficult for a young child to go hiking?
It doesn’t matter because I’ll improve through the lessons.
“What are the things that should be excluded for the sake of the people?”
“Yakuza, samurai, and monsters.”
“What is yakuza?”
“They are a wicked group that hits or threatens the people to extort money or make them slaves. And when they become useless, they kill them.”
“What about samurai?”
“They use their swords to test them by cutting or hitting people?”
Hitting is what yakuza does, didn’t I say that? Didn’t I?
“hehehe! I got it! I made a mistake!”
“Tell me again.”
“They hide under the mask of honor and use the people as test subjects for their swords, treating them like insects.”
“That’s right.”
To get a perfect answer, it should include the keywords “militarism” and “superiority complex,” but those are difficult words for a young child.
Being considerate, I let it pass generously.
“Monsters.”
“They are mainly called monsters, and they can transform into various forms. They have violent and cruel instincts and live to prey on the people.”
“That’s right.”
“But, um…”
“Yes?”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a human lesson? It doesn’t seem to have much to do with how to live as a human when we have to exclude things for the sake of the people.”
“Diana, you’re seriously mistaken about something.”
“What?!”
I tried not to tell her the cruel truth, too harsh for a child.
“Monsters cannot become ordinary people. They must become mutant ninja dinosaurs to be recognized as honorable humans.”
“That can’t be…!”
“It can. Take this.”
I forcibly placed the hood of Delamion, which I had collected a long time ago, into Diana’s hands.
“The one who had this hood was a fake, but I could acknowledge their skill. Now, I’ll entrust this hood to you, who will become the ‘real’ one.”
“Huh…”
“Don’t even shed a tear! I told you not to whine, didn’t I?!”
After that, I gave a messy sermon.
“hehehehe, we finally arrived! This is Goldon!”
I gave a cool smile to the sweaty shark with its tongue sticking out like Poppy.
“You did well.”
A raggedy castle, as if just taken out of a trash can, greeted us.
A large wallpaper covered a big hole in the center of the castle gate, and I read what was written in big letters.
– Goldon is operating normally.
It doesn’t seem like an ordinary situation.
“Um, sir.”
“Who is your brother?”
“Well, then.”
“Call me Boss. Calling me ‘brother’ sounds too much like a gangster.”
“Boss, then. We will go now.”
“To where?”
“Hasn’t the guide finished?”
The child with a dark expression dislikes talking.
“What ends is your thug behavior. I will make you live like a human.”
“What?”
“You will join us in the sacred mission of protecting the turf. Any complaints?”
Silence.
He snatched the stick of the ear shark and broke it with sheer force.
The face of the thug’s leader turned pale.
“If you have any, let’s settle it with our fists. Don’t try anything foolish since there’s no escape. I’ll kill you the moment you leave. No joke.”
He could have wiped out all of them, treating them as potential yakuza.
But it was the duty of a sanchin-ninja, no, a runaway ninja, to turn even a slightly redeemable villain into a good child.
Of course, there would be no mercy for the little ones who already had blood on their hands.
“W-who are you?”
As they approached the fortress with their group of seven, a crew cut head popped out from the crumbling watchtower.
Judging by the fact that he was holding a wooden spear made entirely of wood, it was clear that his level as a turf soldier was somewhat low.
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the adventurer’s badge.
“I am an adventurer. I have come in response to a request for support. These people here are my colleagues.”
“Ah, I see! Please come in!”
Is it alright to be this lax?
The private dashed forward and before long, the castle gates opened.
“This way, please!”
After a hasty inspection by the guards, we entered the castle grounds.
“Damn, we’re screwed.”
“Mom…”
The ogre and the kobold shed tears.
Speaking of ogres, I’m craving some ogre stew.
There aren’t many foods in this world that I like.
Should I open a ramen shop when I get to paradise?
But I’ve only eaten it a lot, I’ve never made it.
“Please wait a moment. I will arrange accommodation for you right away.”
The village inside the fortress was quiet.
There were hardly any people outside, and everyone peered out of their windows, filled with fear, observing us.
The people of Goldon, showing a completely different side from Martolan.
My heart aches.
“It’s raining. It’s raining.”
“Nin?”
A kid was praying in front of a tree.
I hope it’s not worshiping a tree spirit.
Worshipping spirits is a crime.
“What are you doing?”
The boy wiped his runny nose a few times and stood up.
“I’m praying.”
“To whom?”
“To the spirit of the tree.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a guardian deity that protects our village. If I keep praying, it will come.”
Poor kid, driven to madness by the harsh reality.
This is why yakuza shouldn’t exist.
Violence turns dreamers of the future into madmen, and those madmen grow up to become yakuza.
An endless chain of violence.
I wanted to say something, but it’s impossible to escape delusion with someone else’s advice.
The only thing that can help you face reality is your own will.
Since it’s not worshipping spirits, I decided to just pass by.
“I’ll protect the village, so don’t worry.”
“…Liar. Everyone who said that ran away.”
The private quickly came and guided me to the lodging.
***
“For now, you can rest here, and tomorrow around noon, you can come to the Duke’s residence. You’ll probably be able to meet the other adventurers then.”
It was an abandoned house, but it seemed spacious enough for sleeping without any problems.
It’s a bit dirty, but I can have the ruffians clean it up.
“After cleaning, the ruffians can sleep in the living room. I have very good hearing, so it would be best if they don’t make any unnecessary noise or try to escape. Think of it as becoming useful humans once the situation is resolved. Got it?”
I threw my luggage into the largest room for now.
The bed is quite big and I like it.
“Robin.”
Orphe, who finished packing with Diana, came to my room.
I could tell that he wanted to say something since earlier.
“Are you going to keep bringing them along?”
“I guess I have to in order to earn gold, right?”
“I don’t think they’ll be much help.”
“Just their presence alone can be helpful. Think of them as four totems that buy us time while the people escape.”
“…Seems like there’s no mercy for criminals.”
What a ninja must hide is not just their strength.
At times, they must hide their mercy too.
“After killing the disciple of the Yugeom Sword, rumors about the runaway ninja will spread widely.”
“Nin-nin.”
“I’ll manage on my own, but just know that there are many people chasing after you. Always be careful.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I gave a half-hearted response and immediately lay down on the bed.
Ah, how should I leave for Galdon? Should I ask Youngju to lend me a carriage?
Maybe Diana can transform into a dragon and fly me there?
Smart.
“Um, boss. Someone seems to be looking for you.”
Damn, I’m so tired. Who is it now?
Reluctantly, I got up using ninja technique and opened the door.
There was a girl around my age standing there with a strange instrument.
“Hello~! I’m the poet Muka~! I came to protect our Galdon, so as a celebration, I want to sing you a nice song! Here I am!”
“It’s okay.”
Her voice is so loud, it’s hurting my ears.
I reached out to close the door, but Muka entered without permission and struck a pose.
“Now! Today’s song is ‘The Carriage Driver of Galdon’!”
“No, really, it’s fine.”
– I am the carriage driver of Galdon! Dung~ Dandan~ Dung~ Dan~ I’m not the carriage driver of Telas! Nor the carriage driver of Lenghel!
Ah, damn it.
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