Even though the area around the road generally maintained a decent public order, it didn’t mean that the people who traversed here were all law-abiding citizens. It was still possible to run into bad luck by asking the wrong type of people for help and end up losing both the money and goods. Knowing that such incidents were reality, the old woman could not blindly ask for help and was at a loss.
Then it was simple.
“I will accompany you. May I ask you to guide me?”
“Good sir, will that really be alright?!”
“Of course. It is customary to help those in need.”
Sebas turned his back to the old woman who was thanking him repeatedly.
“Then, please get on.”
“T-that’s…”
The old woman’s embarrassed voice.
“I’ll end up dirtying your clothes!”
However—
Sebas showed a kind smile.
Just how was having one’s clothes dirtied significant? Something like that did not even merit a cause for concern when helping others.
He was suddenly reminded of his comrades in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Their strange expressions; scowling faces that showed clear contempt. And at the head would be Demiurge. But no matter what he may say, Sebas firmly believed that this was right.
Helping others was the right thing to do.
Having convinced the old woman through her repeated refusal, he carried her on his back and lifted the luggage with one hand.
The sight of him lifting such a heavy object without even a falter drew a sigh of awe from not only the old woman, but from those around them.
With her as his guide, Sebas began to walk.
Chapter 1
A Boy’s Feelings
Part 1
The man lit the lantern hanging from his waist. The special oil gave rise to a green flame that dyed the surroundings with a ghastly hue.
He stepped outside, feeling the heat seep into his body. Though the man wore a bitter expression, he had to attest at least this much to the season. Even when the sun wasn’t up, at this time of the day, everywhere in the Kingdom was humid from the heat. With that said, the worst of it was supposed to have passed and the days to get steadily cooler. Not even the smallest sign of this could be found anywhere.
“Man~ it’s hot today too.”
“No kidding. They say it’s supposed to be cooler up a bit north, near the ocean.”
The man’s partner for the night said in response to his grumbling.
“If it rained then this heat might ease up a bit.”
He looked to the sky as he spoke but saw only clear skies with no trace of even a single cloud in sight, let alone rain clouds. The stars shining brightly overhead, it was the familiar sight of the night sky.
“Seriously, I wish we’d get a good squall… Well, let’s get to work.”
The two men had an air about them that made it difficult to call them ordinary villagers. First was their equipment. A long sword at their waist and leather armor— their gear was too excessive for a village militia. Not only that, their face and body did not belong to those who worked the fields. Rather, they held the dangerous aura of people well versed in violence.
The two men walked into the village without exchanging a single word.
Silent under the darkness, the only sounds that could be heard in the village were their footsteps. A veritable ghost town. With great strides, the two men calmly walked through that creepy atmosphere. Their composure was proof that this was routine.
The village that these men were walking through was surrounded by tall walls and even with a cursory glance, one could see six watchtowers. It was difficult to find such strong fortifications even amongst the frontier villages where monsters were more likely to appear.
Rather than calling it a village, it was more accurate to describe it as a military base.
Though with that said, a third party may see it simply as just another village with tight security. However, the scene that would follow next would make them furrow their brows.
That was how much of a peculiar sight it was. Normally, a wall would encompass the residential buildings or storage warehouses while the fields were spread out outside. Plowing the fields inside the walls would require an incredible amount of work in order to surround all of the vast farmland. However, this village had surrounded the verdant grass swaying in the wind and was guarding them as if they were made of gold.
The man who was walking in that eccentric town felt someone’s eyes on him from one of the watchtowers. In reality, it should be his comrade equipped with a bow. If something were to happen, he could receive help by shaking his lantern above his head.
Considering his comrade’s skill with the bow, he would pass on his covering fire. Rather, just ringing the bell to wake the others was all he needed to feel secure.
But if he happened to accidentally use the signal, he would have to suffer through his comrades who were fast asleep. Despite this, the man was ready to shake the lantern as soon as he felt even the slightest suspicion.
After all, he didn’t want to lose his life.
With that said, it was doubtful that such a situation would arise. He had repeated this same job for the past couple of months and would continue to do so.
As he circled exactly half way through his patrol route, something like a snake struck the man’s mouth. No, it wasn’t a snake. The thing that had latched onto the man’s mouth and would not budge was a tentacle of an octopus.
His chin was forced upwards and followed by a searing pain on the exposed neck. Everything up to this point didn’t even take a second.
A sucking noise flowed from his neck.
It was the last sound the man would hear in his life.
The hand that was on the man’s mouth released its grip. His back, supported from behind so the body would not fall. After confirming that the blade had absorbed the blood, the magic weapon, ‘Vampire Blade’ was pulled out.
The one hugging the man from behind was a figure covered in pitch black attire. Aside from the eyes, the whole face was hidden and the entire body was covered in black garment. The fabric itself was made of cloth but the gauntlets and greaves on the arm and legs augmented its defense. Same for the chest, it was covered with a metal plate but the female curvature was plain to see and easily recognizable.
Similarly, behind the other man was a figure wearing the same outfit. This side also had an uplifted metal plate covering the chest. The eyes turned to the other side and nodded once.
Having confirmed that the assassination was successful, she checked her surroundings. There was no sign that they were detected, a small room for relief in the corner of her mind.
Even with the light from the lantern, they were sticking so perfectly close to the bodies that it was difficult to tell the difference from the watchtower. The only cause for concern was the instant they attacked— the short distance covered while moving between shadows, ‘Dark Crossing.’ But even that concern was over and done with.
With the dagger reddened from drinking the blood still lodged inside, she propped up the body that was about to collapse.
To the people in the watchtower, it would look as if the man patrolling had paused for a bit. Regardless, standing so stiffly like this or falling over would definitely rouse suspicion.
Then it was necessary to immediately move on to the next phase. However, that was not her role.
The woman felt a sensation in her hands; the feeling of the man’s lifeless body growing stiff, as if the inside was propped up by a pillar. As if confirming that she wasn’t mistaken, in the next moment, the man’s body jerked.