Volume 2 - CH 21
Act 2-21 : Sign of Twilight
After returning from the Stirges’ tower, Kuroki, Gallios, and their companions decided to unwind by hanging out in the White Scale Pavillion.
The evening was around the corner, the surroundings embracing the coming darkness. Many people who worked outside the rampart returned inside, waiting for morning to come.
The people who had gathered in the bar like Kuroki and co. were the ones who had too much time to spare until the morning.
Gallios and the Freedom Fighters had decided to celebrate their safe return as they had managed to finish their investigation without anyone dying. This was an extremely rare case in this world where humans were flirting with death on a daily basis, especially when you worked outside. It was strange that no one had died in this investigation.
Seeing them all merry, Kuroki couldn’t help but smile lightly. He recalled his time back at Akamine’s dojo in his world; the older students acted the same as his current companions after coming back victorious from their martial arts competitions.
Currently, only Shirone and Rember were absent from this gathering.
Shirone had returned to her comrades, and Rember had gone to report the result of the investigation to the king.
Gallios raised his cup filled with ale, toasting his comrades.
Since Kuroki was still a minor, he decided not to drink with them.
「This is delicious Gallios.」
Kuroki praised the dumplings he had bought from one of the street carts at Gallios’ recommendation as he stuffed his mouth with one. The filling was a mix of pork and vegetables.
Rox Kingdom was located near the forest, that’s why they mostly used pork rather than sheep. The forest was infested with pigs as they lived there to feed on the special fruit and nuts of that particular forest. The humans would go hunt them and then process their meat by either smoking them or pickling them with salt; they would stock up on their meat before the coming winter.
The meat used in the dumplings Kuroki was eating was made with some of the leftovers of those smoked and pickled pigs.
Though he had no idea which part of the meat was used for the filling, seeing that he bought it in the outer town, which had loose laws, the only reason why Kuroki could eat the dumplings with ease was thanks to Gallios’ guarantee of the stall.
「Right, I knew you’d like it, Kuro.」
Gallios was already on his second barrel, drinking with gusto. Although this celebration was on him, he wasn’t worried as they had all just gotten paid. He had already arranged the payment to be made with salt.
Salt was extremely valuable in Rox Kingdom since it was located in the inlands and had scarce resources to acquire it regularly. That’s why salt was often used as a substitute for money.
「Uhm?」
While Kuroki was enjoying his dumplings, he suddenly felt strange, making him abruptly stand up.
「Is something the matter, Kuro? Why did you suddenly stand up like that?」
「Gallios… something just now sent a chill down my spine. I think we should take our weapons and head to the gate as soon as possible.」
Kuroki’s eyes looked straight into Gallios’ eyes as he said so.
But, Gallios tilted his head, puzzled upon hearing Kuroki’s strange statement just now.
（As expected, there’s no way he’s going to believe such a strange statement which came so suddenly and without anything backing it…）
The reason Kuroki made such a statement was because he felt something extremely ominous coming their way. When he spread his aura around to find its source, he found that the gate had already been breached. However, he knew that that was nothing more than a decoy sent by the mastermind.
Because what felt even more ominous was coming from right beneath Rox Kingdom.
He sensed that something really bad was going to happen if he didn’t deal with that problem as soon as possible.
「Though I can’t tell you the details, something happened at the gate… Please believe me.」
Kuroki told Gallios with a slightly impatient voice.
「Aah, I understand. I believe you. Though I’ve only known you for few days, I know that you’re not the type of person who would tell such a joke.」
The fact that Gallios readily trusted him erased the last worries Kuroki had.
（Eh? Why did he readily accept?）
Though Kuroki was wondering why Gallios fully trusted him like that, inside, he felt relieved that the latter chose to trust him.
「Thanks, Gallios.」
「Don’t mind it!!」
Thus, Gallios gathered the Freedom Fighters.
◆
Gallios saw off Kuroki who left the bar in a hurry.
「What’s going on? Why did you gather us, Gallios?」
Nimri, who also participated in the celebration, asked Galios.
The other Freedom Fighters were also gathering together as they wondered what happened.
「My bad for disturbing your party, everyone. Quickly grab your weapons and go with me to the gate. It seems something bad happened over there.」
Everyone gaped with confused faces upon hearing Gallios’ statement.
（That’s natural. Even I wouldn’’t believe it if I hadn’t known Kuro’s character.）
Gallios recalled the first time he met Kuro.
It was when he was on his way back from another country. Unfortunately, he ran into a group of goblins along the way. As he tried to escape them, he found himself lost inside the forest. And then, while searching for a way out, he ended up tripping on a tree root and injured his feet in the process.
He couldn’t walk, but he still tried to return to his country, so he could arrive on time for his wife, even if it meant that he must crawl on the ground.
""
「Are you okay?」
Someone suddenly addressed Gallios.
When he turned around, he saw a youth standing behind him. That was the first meeting between him and Kuro.
Though Gallios didn’t notice the youth’s presence until the latter spoke, Gallios couldn’t turn his sight away from the youth for some reason. He knew very well that the youth was abnormal since he was strolling inside the dangerous forest by himself for no reason.
And his hunch proved to be right a while later. Despite having a smaller frame than himself, the youth, Kuro, could easily carry him all the way to Rox kingdom without breaking a sweat.
Gallios felt that Kuro might not be human.
But, no matter how much he thought about it, he simply couldn’t see Kuro as a bad person.
In fact, the more he interacted with Kuro, the more he realized that Kuro was a really kind person. It was for that reason that he invited Kuro to his house.
Thus, Gallios persuaded the Freedom Fighters.
「Guess, we ‘have no choice but to go there if master Gallios said so.」
「 Yeah.」
Stor and the other people agreed with Gallios.
「Gallios. Kuro, must be the one who told you that… right? If that’s the case, then something must’ve really happen over there.」
Nimri also agreed with Gallios.
Gallios wondered whether Nimri’s trust towards Kuro was the fact that he was also a magician. He felt that Nimri had the same opinion as him about Kuro not being a human.
「Yeah, that’s right. Sorry, but I need your help in this matter everyone!」
All the Freedom Fighters raised their swords upon hearing Gallios’ yell.
◆
「Is something the matter, Nao-san?」
Chiyuki was called by Nao just as she was about to leave the mansion to go to the royal palace. She was curious since Nao, who would normally sleep right after exerting some effort, was now awake even after today’s arduous investigation. Moreover, usually she would not wake up for hours once she slept, yet here she was in front of her.
Chiyuki was rather curious, but for some reason, had a really bad premonition.
「Uhm, Chiyuki-san… it looks like… something ominous is approaching.」
Nao spoke with a troubled look on her face.
（I don’t know what’s coming, but it must be true since Nao-san is the one who said so.）
Thinking that it was an emergency situation, Chiyuki decided to make her move.
「Let’s analyze the situation first, Nao-san, please call everyone.」
Chiyuki left the mansion and used flying magic to fly in the sky. The surrounding was already in darkness since the sun had set. However, she could still see the situation in the Kingdom with her farsight and night vision.
Thus, she confirmed that there was indeed some sort of commotion around the gate.
「EH, THE GATE HAS BEEN BREACHED!!」
And realized the severity of the situation.
She saw so many zombies invading the south gate.
「THIS IS BAD NEWS!! I HAVE TO GATHER EVERYONE ASAP!!!」
Chiyuki returned to the mansion in a hurry.
After returning from the Stirges’ tower, Kuroki, Gallios, and their companions decided to unwind by hanging out in the White Scale Pavillion.
The evening was around the corner, the surroundings embracing the coming darkness. Many people who worked outside the rampart returned inside, waiting for morning to come.
The people who had gathered in the bar like Kuroki and co. were the ones who had too much time to spare until the morning.
Gallios and the Freedom Fighters had decided to celebrate their safe return as they had managed to finish their investigation without anyone dying. This was an extremely rare case in this world where humans were flirting with death on a daily basis, especially when you worked outside. It was strange that no one had died in this investigation.
Seeing them all merry, Kuroki couldn’t help but smile lightly. He recalled his time back at Akamine’s dojo in his world; the older students acted the same as his current companions after coming back victorious from their martial arts competitions.
Currently, only Shirone and Rember were absent from this gathering.
Shirone had returned to her comrades, and Rember had gone to report the result of the investigation to the king.
Gallios raised his cup filled with ale, toasting his comrades.
Since Kuroki was still a minor, he decided not to drink with them.
「This is delicious Gallios.」
Kuroki praised the dumplings he had bought from one of the street carts at Gallios’ recommendation as he stuffed his mouth with one. The filling was a mix of pork and vegetables.
Rox Kingdom was located near the forest, that’s why they mostly used pork rather than sheep. The forest was infested with pigs as they lived there to feed on the special fruit and nuts of that particular forest. The humans would go hunt them and then process their meat by either smoking them or pickling them with salt; they would stock up on their meat before the coming winter.
The meat used in the dumplings Kuroki was eating was made with some of the leftovers of those smoked and pickled pigs.
Though he had no idea which part of the meat was used for the filling, seeing that he bought it in the outer town, which had loose laws, the only reason why Kuroki could eat the dumplings with ease was thanks to Gallios’ guarantee of the stall.
「Right, I knew you’d like it, Kuro.」
Gallios was already on his second barrel, drinking with gusto. Although this celebration was on him, he wasn’t worried as they had all just gotten paid. He had already arranged the payment to be made with salt.
Salt was extremely valuable in Rox Kingdom since it was located in the inlands and had scarce resources to acquire it regularly. That’s why salt was often used as a substitute for money.
「Uhm?」
While Kuroki was enjoying his dumplings, he suddenly felt strange, making him abruptly stand up.
「Is something the matter, Kuro? Why did you suddenly stand up like that?」
「Gallios… something just now sent a chill down my spine. I think we should take our weapons and head to the gate as soon as possible.」
Kuroki’s eyes looked straight into Gallios’ eyes as he said so.
But, Gallios tilted his head, puzzled upon hearing Kuroki’s strange statement just now.
（As expected, there’s no way he’s going to believe such a strange statement which came so suddenly and without anything backing it…）
The reason Kuroki made such a statement was because he felt something extremely ominous coming their way. When he spread his aura around to find its source, he found that the gate had already been breached. However, he knew that that was nothing more than a decoy sent by the mastermind.
Because what felt even more ominous was coming from right beneath Rox Kingdom.
He sensed that something really bad was going to happen if he didn’t deal with that problem as soon as possible.
「Though I can’t tell you the details, something happened at the gate… Please believe me.」
Kuroki told Gallios with a slightly impatient voice.
「Aah, I understand. I believe you. Though I’ve only known you for few days, I know that you’re not the type of person who would tell such a joke.」
The fact that Gallios readily trusted him erased the last worries Kuroki had.
（Eh? Why did he readily accept?）
Though Kuroki was wondering why Gallios fully trusted him like that, inside, he felt relieved that the latter chose to trust him.
「Thanks, Gallios.」
「Don’t mind it!!」
Thus, Gallios gathered the Freedom Fighters.
◆
Gallios saw off Kuroki who left the bar in a hurry.
「What’s going on? Why did you gather us, Gallios?」
Nimri, who also participated in the celebration, asked Galios.
The other Freedom Fighters were also gathering together as they wondered what happened.
「My bad for disturbing your party, everyone. Quickly grab your weapons and go with me to the gate. It seems something bad happened over there.」
Everyone gaped with confused faces upon hearing Gallios’ statement.
（That’s natural. Even I wouldn’’t believe it if I hadn’t known Kuro’s character.）
Gallios recalled the first time he met Kuro.
It was when he was on his way back from another country. Unfortunately, he ran into a group of goblins along the way. As he tried to escape them, he found himself lost inside the forest. And then, while searching for a way out, he ended up tripping on a tree root and injured his feet in the process.
He couldn’t walk, but he still tried to return to his country, so he could arrive on time for his wife, even if it meant that he must crawl on the ground.
""
「Are you okay?」
Someone suddenly addressed Gallios.
When he turned around, he saw a youth standing behind him. That was the first meeting between him and Kuro.
Though Gallios didn’t notice the youth’s presence until the latter spoke, Gallios couldn’t turn his sight away from the youth for some reason. He knew very well that the youth was abnormal since he was strolling inside the dangerous forest by himself for no reason.
And his hunch proved to be right a while later. Despite having a smaller frame than himself, the youth, Kuro, could easily carry him all the way to Rox kingdom without breaking a sweat.
Gallios felt that Kuro might not be human.
But, no matter how much he thought about it, he simply couldn’t see Kuro as a bad person.
In fact, the more he interacted with Kuro, the more he realized that Kuro was a really kind person. It was for that reason that he invited Kuro to his house.
Thus, Gallios persuaded the Freedom Fighters.
「Guess, we ‘have no choice but to go there if master Gallios said so.」
「 Yeah.」
Stor and the other people agreed with Gallios.
「Gallios. Kuro, must be the one who told you that… right? If that’s the case, then something must’ve really happen over there.」
Nimri also agreed with Gallios.
Gallios wondered whether Nimri’s trust towards Kuro was the fact that he was also a magician. He felt that Nimri had the same opinion as him about Kuro not being a human.
「Yeah, that’s right. Sorry, but I need your help in this matter everyone!」
All the Freedom Fighters raised their swords upon hearing Gallios’ yell.
◆
「Is something the matter, Nao-san?」
Chiyuki was called by Nao just as she was about to leave the mansion to go to the royal palace. She was curious since Nao, who would normally sleep right after exerting some effort, was now awake even after today’s arduous investigation. Moreover, usually she would not wake up for hours once she slept, yet here she was in front of her.
Chiyuki was rather curious, but for some reason, had a really bad premonition.
「Uhm, Chiyuki-san… it looks like… something ominous is approaching.」
Nao spoke with a troubled look on her face.
（I don’t know what’s coming, but it must be true since Nao-san is the one who said so.）
Thinking that it was an emergency situation, Chiyuki decided to make her move.
「Let’s analyze the situation first, Nao-san, please call everyone.」
Chiyuki left the mansion and used flying magic to fly in the sky. The surrounding was already in darkness since the sun had set. However, she could still see the situation in the Kingdom with her farsight and night vision.
Thus, she confirmed that there was indeed some sort of commotion around the gate.
「EH, THE GATE HAS BEEN BREACHED!!」
And realized the severity of the situation.
She saw so many zombies invading the south gate.
「THIS IS BAD NEWS!! I HAVE TO GATHER EVERYONE ASAP!!!」
Chiyuki returned to the mansion in a hurry.
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