614 Got Ya
The Manticore got put in a magic bag the contact guy had and Berume was in charge of holding it.
Contact guy left us to check up on the other surveillance members. We found out they were all safe. Apparently they opted to get away from the magic beast just in case when it started acting abnormally.
The plan for us today is to stay at a nearby village overnight and go home tomorrow. It's a whirlwind tour.
(I did wonder if that magic beast was a Nue for a moment when it showed up in my vision. But I mean, it got a scorpion-like tail.)
While I was having that late thought on our way to the village, Berume spoke up.
The village is close by and our Grudoses are going to be used by the contact guy to run around all over the place, so we're moving on foot.
"Hey? Turned out you really are strong huh. Still kinda find it hard to believe though."
Berume is still looking at me dubiously even now.
She never saw how I 'fought' the beast after all. Only the result, so I suppose her reaction is normal.
Not everybody can accept the reality presented before their eyes. Berume couldn't shake off her suspicion because she couldn't grasp the mechanism behind my strength.
'His slash was imperceptible, perhaps he's simply superhumanly fast?'
'Maybe he used some sort of magical traps?'
'Or maybe he deployed some sort of special mechanism unrelated to all that?'
The moment I cut the beast was not visible to her, she had no idea how it was done.
She likely just can't shake off the feeling of 'Did he really do it?'
As for me, since we likely will never meet again after this, I just can't be bothered to explain.
I know she won't believe me anyway.
Then again, it'd be annoying if she kept pestering me about it on the trip back.
I get that Berume probably won't pry deeper but I can't help feeling kinda conflicted about her thinking of me that way.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
That was when those guys showed up. Just ahead of the village we were planning to stay on. Ten people, some looking familiar.
"You bastard, finally got ya. Oy, guys, stay on your toes. Surround him. He uses some sorta weird magic to suddenly appear and disappear. Get in the formation to cover your blind spots!"
They were the guys I beat up when I was entering the Coliseum City. There were only six of them back then, it's increased to ten now. Guessing they all got fired together.
"Dunno what the hell you came all the way here for, but we're gonna beat you to a pulp! I'mma turn you into beast fodder! You made a fool out of us all and even got us all fired... you won't die easily! We're gonna put you under the cruelest torture imaginable before we kill you! ...Aa? We're keeping that woman as our plaything. Gonna pawn her off to some slave trader for some pocket change once we're tired of her."
"...Well that's one big unjust grudge you're holding. Recall what you said back then. It's all your own doing, curse yourselves if you have to. You garbage human beings all share one track mind huh! And what the heck is up with this template pattern... I'm so done with this crap!"
The phrase 'reaping what you sow' doesn't exist in these kinds of folk's dictionary. Even if it were, they would never pin the blame on themselves.
It's always somebody else's fault to them.
I'd be fine with driving them away if it was just a light scuffle but these guys have stepped over the line I set in my mind.
They belonged to the committee back then so killing them would have been a problem but not only they unjustly put the blame on me, they even tailed and declared their intention to kill me.
That's not all. They're also dragging Berume who got nothing to do with all this. These guys are criminal scums.
Kidnapping, violating and even slave trading. They're no difference from bandits.
As such, there is only one option left. My maximum permissible dosage is quite low. If they're going in for the kill, I'll simply repay in kind.
"Fine, come at me head-on. I'll take you on. I'm not gonna show any mercy, get ready."
Posts
