…Hmm, where am I…? For some reason, my memory is hazy…
“Look, the reason he’s still not awake is because ‘this girl’ hit him too hard.” “’This girl’ isn’t at fault. ‘This old one’ told her to get it done quickly.”
Huh? I can hear voices… That’s right, that’s right…? That’s right, I was…!
“Kuuga?! Ow…!”
The memories flood back into my mind vividly, and when I try to sit up hastily, my neck hurts. Looking around, I see it’s the covered wagon we were riding in… but where are Lill, Kuuga, and Aeclys? From the empty wagon, I look toward the driver’s seat and see someone sitting there. A mysterious figure wearing a black robe… ah!
“Could you be that person called… um… Ryufa?” “Hm?”
A light voice comes from under the robe, and I see the face beneath as he turn around. Under it is the face of what seems to be a frivolous-looking man. Something about him just seems completely shallow.
“Oh, you’re awake. You were out for a whole day after that.” “What?! A whole day?! No, more importantly…”
I hurriedly retreat to the corner of the wagon and say
“What happened to everyone?!”
At my question, the shallow man… Ryufa scratches his head with a troubled expression.
“Ah, it’s such a pain for ‘this humble one’ to explain. Wait a bit, I’m going to switch to ‘this old one’.”
Saying that, Ryufa pulls up his hood and looks forward. Huh? Switch to ‘this old one’ What does that mean? After a moment, he turns around again and removes his hood, and beneath it is the face of a seasoned elderly man!?
“It’s a pain for ‘this old one’ to explain too. Well, since ‘this man’ also told me to, I suppose it’s fine.” “Huh? The person from before… where did Ryufa go?”
When I ask in confusion, the old man gives me a blank look. Then, he breaks into hearty laughter.
“Wa ha ha! It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a human reaction! Ah, this moment is always enjoyable. ‘This old one’ quite likes it.” “Huh?” “’This old one’ is Ryufa Hien. No, perhaps it would be better to say ‘this old one’ is ‘also’ Ryufa Hien.”
??? What is this person saying? ‘This old one’ is also Ryufa Hien? What does that mean?
“’We’ are a collective of ‘six masters’ sharing one physical body. Does that help you understand?” “No, I don’t understand at all.”
How could I understand that? I have no idea what that means. Seeing my confused expression, the old man makes a troubled face.
“This is problematic. Well, it might be faster to show you than explain. ‘This lady’, would you switch with me?”
When the old man says this, an unbelievable sight unfolds. Somehow, the old man’s face distorts, crumbles, and becomes completely chaotic. I feel like I’m watching a horror scene that makes any splatter film look tame, and I nearly throw up. But I manage to hold it back at the last second. That would be rude… right? The crumbled face… when the bones, muscles, eyes, mouth, and nose reform into a human face again, there’s a completely different person there. The form is that of a beautiful woman. Maybe it’s my imagination, but even the body shape under the robe seems to have changed…!
“As you can see. ‘This lady’ is one of the Ryufa Hien. It will be a short journey, but pleased to meet you.” “This- lady?” “Yes, ‘this lady’. ‘This lady’ is ‘this lady’. When I became Ryufa Hien, I threw away my original name. So now, ‘this lady’ of Ryufa Hien goes by ‘this lady’.”
I-I see! So this person has six different people crammed into one body! And each of the six expresses themselves with their own first-person pronouns… the ones I know so far are ‘this humble one’, ‘this old one’ ‘this girl’ ‘this lady’… That’s when I finally remember what happened and how I ended up here.
“Kuuga!! Kuuga!!” “Lill, get the horses moving! Shuri, give it up! We have to run away!”
That’s right, it was when the heavy rain started. We were on our way to Garakia village. That’s when the robed figure who called themselves Ryufa appeared. Their target seemed to be me, and Kuuga fought to prevent that. To be honest, I was relieved at that point. There’s no way Kuuga could lose. Kuuga always wins, absolutely. But Kuuga lost. Right in front of my eyes. I couldn’t really tell what happened to him. But I saw their weapon flash into what looked like a sword-like shape, and in an instant, they had defeated Kuuga. I couldn’t see it clearly so I can’t say for certain, but Kuuga lying motionless on the ground had undoubtedly lost to Ryufa. Everything happened quickly after that. Aeclys restraining me as I struggled. And Lill at the driver’s seat, handling the reins, making the wagon move at an incredible speed. As I tried to run over, Aeclys desperately held me back and said
“I don’t really understand, but their target is you! If they take you, it’s our complete defeat! Kuuga fought to prevent that!” “But! We have to help! Kuuga is…!” “It’s impossible! We can’t help Kuuga in this situation!” “Lill! Go back, please go back! Kuuga…!” “Impossible! We can’t help in this situation!”
As we argued, there was a thud on our wagon. Looking at the back of the wagon, there was Ryufa, standing with their foot on the wagon. No way, they caught up to the wagon at this speed!?
“Lill! It’s Ryufa!”
When Aeclys shouted that, Lill let go of the reins and came to the back. Then Lill and Ryufa glare at each other. A tension so thick it could distort the air dominates the scene.
“What are you planning, targeting Shuri?! Lill won’t let you get away with this!” “Stop. You can’t win against me.” “Keep talking!”
Lill runs toward Ryufa, taking out three bottles from under her white coat. She tries to throw them at Ryufa—but.
“I told you it was pointless.” “Gah!”
Ryufa’s long staff was piercing Lill’s throat. When did they move? I couldn’t see it! No, more importantly!
“Lill!” “Cough! Cough!!”
Lill falls, clutching her throat. Her face is red, and she’s struggling to breathe.
“Don’t worry. It’s not enough to kill. Though you’ll experience the suffering of not being able to breathe for a while.”
Saying that, Ryufa finally looks at me.
“Now then, what will you do? I can kill these other two, but depending on your answer, I might let them live.” “What?” “If you quietly come with me, I’ll spare their lives. If you refuse, I’ll kill them and take you anyway.”
There’s no doubt, they’ll do it. Even I can feel the murderous intent that speaks so eloquently! But someone stands in front of me with arms spread wide.
“Aeclys?!” “Shuri, quickly jump off the wagon and escape into the forest, then head for the village! Ask for help! Quickly!” “I won’t let you.”
Ryufa’s staff moves in an instant, striking through Aeclys’s left temple.
“Ugh!!” “Aeclys!!”
The moment I try to run to the falling Aeclys, pain shoots through the back of my head, And my consciousness fades.
That’s everything I remember.
“So what did you do with Lill, Aeclys, and Kuuga?!” “Oh, looks like you finally remembered. Your turn, ‘this old one’.” “What a pain…”
Saying that, Ryufa’s face changes into that of the old man.
“Let me tell you that we haven’t killed anyone.” “That’s a lie!! Kuuga, Kuuga was…!”
I try to continue speaking while choking on my words, but they won’t come out of my throat. Kuuga was killed. If I say it out loud, it might become real, but it is real. But I want to believe until the very end, so I couldn’t put it into words. Seeing me like this, Ryufa looks forward and scratches their head.
“’This old one’ failed to kill him.”
…Huh?
“Failed… to kill?” “He barely dodged ‘this man’s’ attack, avoiding a fatal wound. It’s the first time, you know, that ‘this man’ has failed to kill an enemy.” “Then, everyone else too?” “We didn’t kill them. We didn’t have time to waste killing and disposing of bodies while chasing you. Kuuga should still be there, and we knocked those girls unconscious and dumped them along with the luggage. We didn’t kill anyone.” “Everyone… is alive… Thank goodness…”
I start crying from relief. Thank goodness, everyone’s alive…! If I had heard they died because I was targeted, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to recover. However, now there’s another problem.
“…So, where are you planning to take me… um, Mister Ryufa?” “To call someone who attacked you and defeated your companions with ‘Mister’, you’re quite a broad-minded young man. Well, it’s interesting.”
No, I’m only calling them “Mister” because I’m scared, since I’m being kidnapped. I don’t know what might set them off, after all.
“We’re taking you to our master.” “Master? You mean the king you serve?” “That’s enough of that.”
The old man’s voice changes to that of a young man, and he turns around. Under the hood is now the face of a very dignified-looking man. This person is…
“’This man’ is just carrying out his mission. If you don’t want to die, don’t ask for details. Information is worth more than life.”
That voice is very low and cold. A chill runs down my spine involuntarily. Just then, the wagon suddenly stops. Why?
“Well, it’s about lunchtime.” “Huh? Lunch?”
So it was that time of day… I hadn’t noticed at all. Ryufa gets down from the driver’s seat, staff in hand.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t think you can escape from ‘this man’. If you don’t want your arms broken, stay here.” “Oh, okay.”
It’s no good, I was thinking about trying to escape if I could… but I can’t escape from this person. I just have that feeling. If I really tried to run, they would chase me to the ends of the earth and do something terrible to me. What is Ryufa… when you think about it? Well, I know they’re an enemy, but why are they basically a super-being with six people in one? Is that normal in this world? There’s no way that’s normal. Even in a world with magic and magic engineering, I’ve never heard of or seen six people being combined into one. And apparently each one is a master. What are they, some kind of secret project bio-weapon from an enemy country? Well, that’s a rude way to put it.
“I’m back!” “That was fast!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim when Ryufa returned to the wagon. Because it hasn’t even been five minutes!? I don’t know what they went out for, but isn’t that return too quick? Maybe they just went to the bathroom? By the way, the current face is that of the shallow-looking man from the beginning. It’s confusing how they keep changing.
“Here, I butchered this.”
What they throw is… a freshly butchered rabbit. It’s already skinned and in meat form. No, really, isn’t that too fast?
“Also, food supplies and cooking utensils stolen from nearby bandits, and edible mushrooms.”
They also throw two leather bags and a bundle of mushrooms, and when I peek inside, there are all sorts of ingredients. No, isn’t that too fast? Isn’t it way too fast? You hunted a rabbit and stole food supplies from bandits in about five minutes? Huh? Is my sense of time messed up?
“’This humble one’ is hungry, so please hurry.” “…Ah, you want me to cook?” “Who else would cook? Isn’t that your specialty?”
When I respond with a blank face, Ryufa also gives me a blank look. Ah, this is definitely a flow where I have to cook. …Even if they’re the one who kidnapped me, it wouldn’t be right to refuse to work. Plus, I’m hungry too. However… rabbit meat, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with it. Rabbit meat is difficult. If you mess up the cooking time, it gets tough. So it’s better to make it into a stew. Checking the ingredients in the leather bags… this could work. So, I’m going to make a rabbit stew. The ingredients are rabbit meat, rosemary, olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, onions, flour, white wine, water, salt, and pepper. The food supplies in the leather bags are surprisingly well-stocked… This definitely isn’t from bandits… Don’t tell me they attacked merchants… Wait, I didn’t know this world had olives… No, I better not think about it. I can’t say I won’t use these things out of a sense of justice… I might get killed if I say that. Plus, I’m hungry too, so for survival… I have to come to terms with it… Getting back to focus on the cooking. First, wash the large-cut rabbit meat with water and pat it dry. Next, rub in the rosemary and oil, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. During that time, tear or cut the mushrooms into roughly 2cm pieces, and mince the garlic and onions. Add oil to the pot, put in the garlic and onions, and sauté them over low heat until the onions become translucent. After time has passed, coat the rabbit meat with flour and add it to the pot, cooking over medium heat. Once it’s browned, add the mushrooms, white wine, water, and salt, mix it all together, cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for about an hour.
“Isn’t it done yet?” “Please wait a little longer.”
I stir the whole thing occasionally to prevent burning, but Ryufa’s rushing is really annoying! Please wait. Finally, sprinkle with pepper, turn off the heat, and it’s done.
“Sorry for the wait. Here you go.” “Oh.”
Ryufa takes the plated dish and starts eating. …Silence.
“How is it?” “It’s edible.”
Eh, that’s all? That’s strange, was it not good? I try eating some myself but… yeah, it’s delicious. The characteristic aroma and texture of rabbit meat, and the rich umami that comes from stewing it properly. The fragrance of rosemary masks the unpleasant gamey smell of the rabbit meat, making it easier to eat. The vegetables have also absorbed the umami from the rabbit meat, and they’re very delicious. Yeah, it’s delicious. It’s not a failure.
“Well, if it’s edible, that’s fine.”
Ryufa silently holds out their plate for more, so if it’s edible, that means it’s not bad, right? They’re even having seconds. Well, I should eat while I can too. I don’t know what kind of journey lies ahead.
This is the beginning of my strange journey with Ryufa. Through Ryufa, who I met as an enemy, I learned about the circumstances of the other side. I think it was because of this strange journey that I was able to handle the various events that followed.
Meanwhile, in Apurada…
“What were you all doing?!!!”
It is the next day after Aeclys and the others returned, and angry shouts echo through the office. I, Gungrave, am yelling at Lill, Kuuga, and Aeclys.
“Why do you think I assigned you to him?! To protect Shuri, right?! And yet you come back empty-handed, aren’t you ashamed?!” “You can say that, but we didn’t expect Ryufa to show up!” “What did you train your sword for?!! To protect your comrades, isn’t it?! Don’t make excuses after losing!”
I cut down Kuuga’s excuse mercilessly. Ah, but that’s right. This isn’t the time to be venting my anger. I know that. But I can’t help but say it…!!
Shuri has been kidnapped. The culprit is one of Grand-Ende’s Three Treasured Generals, the Sword Treasure Ryufa Hien. Apparently, Kuuga and the others lost to Ryufa and were knocked unconscious. All their supplies were abandoned there, and their wagon was stolen. Lill woke up and immediately sent me a message, and I, shocked, immediately made arrangements to recover Kuuga and the others and deploy troops to reclaim Shuri. And when Kuuga and the others returned, they were in terrible shape. Apparently, Kuuga lost in single combat, and Lill and Aeclys were knocked unconscious before they could even resist. At the same time, we received information that merchants in the area were being attacked and killed. Nine times out of ten, it’s Ryufa’s doing. I wondered why they abandoned their supplies, but it was to prevent Shuri from resisting. And yet they’re gathering supplies locally, causing chaos in enemy territory, those bastards. And so, Kuuga and the others, who returned completely battered, went straight to bed, but in the morning I called them to my office, and here I am yelling at them. Even though such time is wasteful…
“So?! Do you understand why Shuri was kidnapped?!” “Even we don’t know that. They just said they were taking him to their master.” “Damn it!”
I punch my desk and grit my teeth. So their side, the king of Grand-Ende, has also noticed Shuri’s value or something? Or is there another purpose? I don’t know, there’s too little information.
“…Tegue’s unit and Arius’s unit have also started investigating and tracking. We can’t send Arius since she’s pregnant… but Tegue volunteered to lead his unit himself.” “I can fight now too. I won’t lose this time! I’m going!” “Yeah, form a unit and head out immediately.” “What about Lill?” “Lill, increase those communication methods… we need speed and accuracy of information right now.” “Understood!”
Lill and Kuuga leave the room energetically. I’m counting on you this time. Then, to Aeclys who remained, I say
“Aeclys.” “What?” “I have a request.” “I’ll do anything to help Shuri.”
Aeclys turns strong eyes toward me.
“Then, send letters to the villages we’ve recently improved relations with. Tell them if they spot a suspicious wagon, don’t approach it.” “Don’t approach?” “Ryufa is attacking merchants and travelers to replenish supplies. They’ll be killed if they carelessly approach.”
They’re an opponent who could defeat Kuuga. I can’t possibly order them to send information for Shuri’s sake. Merchants are actually being killed. We can’t let any more villagers or merchants be killed.
“I understand. …But I’ll act on my own for Shuri’s sake too.” “Specifically?” “There are several territories between here and Grand-Ende. On the shortest route, I’ve been on good terms with the lords there, so I’ll have them send information.” “I want that… but please tell them not to fight if possible. If residents of other territories get killed here, it’ll become a diplomatic issue.” “I know…”
Aeclys clicks her tongue in frustration as she leaves. Left alone, I lean back in my chair and look up at the ceiling.
“Where are you, are you safe… Shuri?”
My worry echoes emptily through the room.
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Chapter 69
…Hmm, where am I…? For some reason, my memory is hazy…
“Look, the reason he’s still not awake is because ‘this girl’ hit him too hard.”
“’This girl’ isn’t at fault. ‘This old one’ told her to get it done quickly.”
Huh? I can hear voices… That’s right, that’s right…?
That’s right, I was…!
“Kuuga?! Ow…!”
The memories flood back into my mind vividly, and when I try to sit up hastily, my neck hurts.
Looking around, I see it’s the covered wagon we were riding in… but where are Lill, Kuuga, and Aeclys?
From the empty wagon, I look toward the driver’s seat and see someone sitting there.
A mysterious figure wearing a black robe… ah!
“Could you be that person called… um… Ryufa?”
“Hm?”
A light voice comes from under the robe, and I see the face beneath as he turn around.
Under it is the face of what seems to be a frivolous-looking man. Something about him just seems completely shallow.
“Oh, you’re awake. You were out for a whole day after that.”
“What?! A whole day?! No, more importantly…”
I hurriedly retreat to the corner of the wagon and say
“What happened to everyone?!”
At my question, the shallow man… Ryufa scratches his head with a troubled expression.
“Ah, it’s such a pain for ‘this humble one’ to explain. Wait a bit, I’m going to switch to ‘this old one’.”
Saying that, Ryufa pulls up his hood and looks forward.
Huh? Switch to ‘this old one’ What does that mean?
After a moment, he turns around again and removes his hood, and beneath it is the face of a seasoned elderly man!?
“It’s a pain for ‘this old one’ to explain too. Well, since ‘this man’ also told me to, I suppose it’s fine.”
“Huh? The person from before… where did Ryufa go?”
When I ask in confusion, the old man gives me a blank look.
Then, he breaks into hearty laughter.
“Wa ha ha! It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a human reaction! Ah, this moment is always enjoyable. ‘This old one’ quite likes it.”
“Huh?”
“’This old one’ is Ryufa Hien. No, perhaps it would be better to say ‘this old one’ is ‘also’ Ryufa Hien.”
???
What is this person saying? ‘This old one’ is also Ryufa Hien? What does that mean?
“’We’ are a collective of ‘six masters’ sharing one physical body. Does that help you understand?”
“No, I don’t understand at all.”
How could I understand that? I have no idea what that means.
Seeing my confused expression, the old man makes a troubled face.
“This is problematic. Well, it might be faster to show you than explain. ‘This lady’, would you switch with me?”
When the old man says this, an unbelievable sight unfolds.
Somehow, the old man’s face distorts, crumbles, and becomes completely chaotic.
I feel like I’m watching a horror scene that makes any splatter film look tame, and I nearly throw up.
But I manage to hold it back at the last second. That would be rude… right?
The crumbled face… when the bones, muscles, eyes, mouth, and nose reform into a human face again, there’s a completely different person there.
The form is that of a beautiful woman. Maybe it’s my imagination, but even the body shape under the robe seems to have changed…!
“As you can see. ‘This lady’ is one of the Ryufa Hien. It will be a short journey, but pleased to meet you.”
“This- lady?”
“Yes, ‘this lady’. ‘This lady’ is ‘this lady’. When I became Ryufa Hien, I threw away my original name. So now, ‘this lady’ of Ryufa Hien goes by ‘this lady’.”
I-I see! So this person has six different people crammed into one body!
And each of the six expresses themselves with their own first-person pronouns… the ones I know so far are ‘this humble one’, ‘this old one’ ‘this girl’ ‘this lady’…
That’s when I finally remember what happened and how I ended up here.
“Kuuga!! Kuuga!!”
“Lill, get the horses moving! Shuri, give it up! We have to run away!”
That’s right, it was when the heavy rain started. We were on our way to Garakia village.
That’s when the robed figure who called themselves Ryufa appeared.
Their target seemed to be me, and
Kuuga fought to prevent that.
To be honest, I was relieved at that point. There’s no way Kuuga could lose. Kuuga always wins, absolutely.
But Kuuga lost. Right in front of my eyes.
I couldn’t really tell what happened to him. But I saw their weapon flash into what looked like a sword-like shape, and in an instant, they had defeated Kuuga.
I couldn’t see it clearly so I can’t say for certain, but Kuuga lying motionless on the ground had undoubtedly lost to Ryufa.
Everything happened quickly after that. Aeclys restraining me as I struggled.
And Lill at the driver’s seat, handling the reins, making the wagon move at an incredible speed.
As I tried to run over, Aeclys desperately held me back and said
“I don’t really understand, but their target is you! If they take you, it’s our complete defeat! Kuuga fought to prevent that!”
“But! We have to help! Kuuga is…!”
“It’s impossible! We can’t help Kuuga in this situation!”
“Lill! Go back, please go back! Kuuga…!”
“Impossible! We can’t help in this situation!”
As we argued, there was a thud on our wagon.
Looking at the back of the wagon, there was Ryufa, standing with their foot on the wagon.
No way, they caught up to the wagon at this speed!?
“Lill! It’s Ryufa!”
When Aeclys shouted that, Lill let go of the reins and came to the back.
Then Lill and Ryufa glare at each other. A tension so thick it could distort the air dominates the scene.
“What are you planning, targeting Shuri?! Lill won’t let you get away with this!”
“Stop. You can’t win against me.”
“Keep talking!”
Lill runs toward Ryufa, taking out three bottles from under her white coat.
She tries to throw them at Ryufa—but.
“I told you it was pointless.”
“Gah!”
Ryufa’s long staff was piercing Lill’s throat.
When did they move? I couldn’t see it! No, more importantly!
“Lill!”
“Cough! Cough!!”
Lill falls, clutching her throat. Her face is red, and she’s struggling to breathe.
“Don’t worry. It’s not enough to kill. Though you’ll experience the suffering of not being able to breathe for a while.”
Saying that, Ryufa finally looks at me.
“Now then, what will you do? I can kill these other two, but depending on your answer, I might let them live.”
“What?”
“If you quietly come with me, I’ll spare their lives. If you refuse, I’ll kill them and take you anyway.”
There’s no doubt, they’ll do it. Even I can feel the murderous intent that speaks so eloquently!
But someone stands in front of me with arms spread wide.
“Aeclys?!”
“Shuri, quickly jump off the wagon and escape into the forest, then head for the village! Ask for help! Quickly!”
“I won’t let you.”
Ryufa’s staff moves in an instant, striking through Aeclys’s left temple.
“Ugh!!”
“Aeclys!!”
The moment I try to run to the falling Aeclys, pain shoots through the back of my head,
And my consciousness fades.
That’s everything I remember.
“So what did you do with Lill, Aeclys, and Kuuga?!”
“Oh, looks like you finally remembered. Your turn, ‘this old one’.”
“What a pain…”
Saying that, Ryufa’s face changes into that of the old man.
“Let me tell you that we haven’t killed anyone.”
“That’s a lie!! Kuuga, Kuuga was…!”
I try to continue speaking while choking on my words, but they won’t come out of my throat.
Kuuga was killed.
If I say it out loud, it might become real, but it is real.
But I want to believe until the very end, so I couldn’t put it into words.
Seeing me like this, Ryufa looks forward and scratches their head.
“’This old one’ failed to kill him.”
…Huh?
“Failed… to kill?”
“He barely dodged ‘this man’s’ attack, avoiding a fatal wound. It’s the first time, you know, that ‘this man’ has failed to kill an enemy.”
“Then, everyone else too?”
“We didn’t kill them. We didn’t have time to waste killing and disposing of bodies while chasing you. Kuuga should still be there, and we knocked those girls unconscious and dumped them along with the luggage. We didn’t kill anyone.”
“Everyone… is alive… Thank goodness…”
I start crying from relief.
Thank goodness, everyone’s alive…! If I had heard they died because I was targeted, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to recover.
However, now there’s another problem.
“…So, where are you planning to take me… um, Mister Ryufa?”
“To call someone who attacked you and defeated your companions with ‘Mister’, you’re quite a broad-minded young man.
Well, it’s interesting.”
No, I’m only calling them “Mister” because I’m scared, since I’m being kidnapped.
I don’t know what might set them off, after all.
“We’re taking you to our master.”
“Master? You mean the king you serve?”
“That’s enough of that.”
The old man’s voice changes to that of a young man, and he turns around.
Under the hood is now the face of a very dignified-looking man. This person is…
“’This man’ is just carrying out his mission. If you don’t want to die, don’t ask for details.
Information is worth more than life.”
That voice is very low and cold. A chill runs down my spine involuntarily.
Just then, the wagon suddenly stops. Why?
“Well, it’s about lunchtime.”
“Huh? Lunch?”
So it was that time of day… I hadn’t noticed at all.
Ryufa gets down from the driver’s seat, staff in hand.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t think you can escape from ‘this man’. If you don’t want your arms broken, stay here.”
“Oh, okay.”
It’s no good, I was thinking about trying to escape if I could… but I can’t escape from this person. I just have that feeling. If I really tried to run, they would chase me to the ends of the earth and do something terrible to me.
What is Ryufa… when you think about it?
Well, I know they’re an enemy, but why are they basically a super-being with six people in one? Is that normal in this world?
There’s no way that’s normal. Even in a world with magic and magic engineering, I’ve never heard of or seen six people being combined into one.
And apparently each one is a master. What are they, some kind of secret project bio-weapon from an enemy country? Well, that’s a rude way to put it.
“I’m back!”
“That was fast!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim when Ryufa returned to the wagon.
Because it hasn’t even been five minutes!? I don’t know what they went out for, but isn’t that return too quick? Maybe they just went to the bathroom?
By the way, the current face is that of the shallow-looking man from the beginning. It’s confusing how they keep changing.
“Here, I butchered this.”
What they throw is… a freshly butchered rabbit. It’s already skinned and in meat form. No, really, isn’t that too fast?
“Also, food supplies and cooking utensils stolen from nearby bandits, and edible mushrooms.”
They also throw two leather bags and a bundle of mushrooms, and when I peek inside, there are all sorts of ingredients.
No, isn’t that too fast? Isn’t it way too fast? You hunted a rabbit and stole food supplies from bandits in about five minutes? Huh? Is my sense of time messed up?
“’This humble one’ is hungry, so please hurry.”
“…Ah, you want me to cook?”
“Who else would cook? Isn’t that your specialty?”
When I respond with a blank face, Ryufa also gives me a blank look.
Ah, this is definitely a flow where I have to cook.
…Even if they’re the one who kidnapped me, it wouldn’t be right to refuse to work. Plus, I’m hungry too.
However… rabbit meat, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with it. Rabbit meat is difficult.
If you mess up the cooking time, it gets tough. So it’s better to make it into a stew.
Checking the ingredients in the leather bags… this could work.
So, I’m going to make a rabbit stew.
The ingredients are rabbit meat, rosemary, olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, onions, flour, white wine, water, salt, and pepper.
The food supplies in the leather bags are surprisingly well-stocked… This definitely isn’t from bandits… Don’t tell me they attacked merchants… Wait, I didn’t know this world had olives… No, I better not think about it.
I can’t say I won’t use these things out of a sense of justice… I might get killed if I say that. Plus, I’m hungry too, so for survival… I have to come to terms with it…
Getting back to focus on the cooking. First, wash the large-cut rabbit meat with water and pat it dry.
Next, rub in the rosemary and oil, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
During that time, tear or cut the mushrooms into roughly 2cm pieces, and mince the garlic and onions. Add oil to the pot, put in the garlic and onions, and sauté them over low heat until the onions become translucent.
After time has passed, coat the rabbit meat with flour and add it to the pot, cooking over medium heat.
Once it’s browned, add the mushrooms, white wine, water, and salt, mix it all together, cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for about an hour.
“Isn’t it done yet?”
“Please wait a little longer.”
I stir the whole thing occasionally to prevent burning, but Ryufa’s rushing is really annoying! Please wait.
Finally, sprinkle with pepper, turn off the heat, and it’s done.
“Sorry for the wait. Here you go.”
“Oh.”
Ryufa takes the plated dish and starts eating.
…Silence.
“How is it?”
“It’s edible.”
Eh, that’s all? That’s strange, was it not good?
I try eating some myself but… yeah, it’s delicious.
The characteristic aroma and texture of rabbit meat, and the rich umami that comes from stewing it properly.
The fragrance of rosemary masks the unpleasant gamey smell of the rabbit meat, making it easier to eat.
The vegetables have also absorbed the umami from the rabbit meat, and they’re very delicious.
Yeah, it’s delicious. It’s not a failure.
“Well, if it’s edible, that’s fine.”
Ryufa silently holds out their plate for more, so if it’s edible, that means it’s not bad, right? They’re even having seconds.
Well, I should eat while I can too.
I don’t know what kind of journey lies ahead.
This is the beginning of my strange journey with Ryufa.
Through Ryufa, who I met as an enemy, I learned about the circumstances of the other side.
I think it was because of this strange journey that I was able to handle the various events that followed.
Meanwhile, in Apurada…
“What were you all doing?!!!”
It is the next day after Aeclys and the others returned, and angry shouts echo through the office.
I, Gungrave, am yelling at Lill, Kuuga, and Aeclys.
“Why do you think I assigned you to him?! To protect Shuri, right?! And yet you come back empty-handed, aren’t you ashamed?!”
“You can say that, but we didn’t expect Ryufa to show up!”
“What did you train your sword for?!! To protect your comrades, isn’t it?! Don’t make excuses after losing!”
I cut down Kuuga’s excuse mercilessly.
Ah, but that’s right. This isn’t the time to be venting my anger. I know that.
But I can’t help but say it…!!
Shuri has been kidnapped. The culprit is one of Grand-Ende’s Three Treasured Generals, the Sword Treasure Ryufa Hien.
Apparently, Kuuga and the others lost to Ryufa and were knocked unconscious. All their supplies were abandoned there, and their wagon was stolen.
Lill woke up and immediately sent me a message, and I, shocked, immediately made arrangements to recover Kuuga and the others and deploy troops to reclaim Shuri.
And when Kuuga and the others returned, they were in terrible shape. Apparently, Kuuga lost in single combat, and Lill and Aeclys were knocked unconscious before they could even resist.
At the same time, we received information that merchants in the area were being attacked and killed. Nine times out of ten, it’s Ryufa’s doing. I wondered why they abandoned their supplies, but it was to prevent Shuri from resisting. And yet they’re gathering supplies locally, causing chaos in enemy territory, those bastards.
And so, Kuuga and the others, who returned completely battered, went straight to bed, but in the morning I called them to my office, and here I am yelling at them. Even though such time is wasteful…
“So?! Do you understand why Shuri was kidnapped?!”
“Even we don’t know that. They just said they were taking him to their master.”
“Damn it!”
I punch my desk and grit my teeth.
So their side, the king of Grand-Ende, has also noticed Shuri’s value or something? Or is there another purpose?
I don’t know, there’s too little information.
“…Tegue’s unit and Arius’s unit have also started investigating and tracking. We can’t send Arius since she’s pregnant… but Tegue volunteered to lead his unit himself.”
“I can fight now too. I won’t lose this time! I’m going!”
“Yeah, form a unit and head out immediately.”
“What about Lill?”
“Lill, increase those communication methods… we need speed and accuracy of information right now.”
“Understood!”
Lill and Kuuga leave the room energetically. I’m counting on you this time.
Then, to Aeclys who remained, I say
“Aeclys.”
“What?”
“I have a request.”
“I’ll do anything to help Shuri.”
Aeclys turns strong eyes toward me.
“Then, send letters to the villages we’ve recently improved relations with. Tell them if they spot a suspicious wagon, don’t approach it.”
“Don’t approach?”
“Ryufa is attacking merchants and travelers to replenish supplies. They’ll be killed if they carelessly approach.”
They’re an opponent who could defeat Kuuga. I can’t possibly order them to send information for Shuri’s sake.
Merchants are actually being killed. We can’t let any more villagers or merchants be killed.
“I understand. …But I’ll act on my own for Shuri’s sake too.”
“Specifically?”
“There are several territories between here and Grand-Ende. On the shortest route, I’ve been on good terms with the lords there, so I’ll have them send information.”
“I want that… but please tell them not to fight if possible. If residents of other territories get killed here, it’ll become a diplomatic issue.”
“I know…”
Aeclys clicks her tongue in frustration as she leaves.
Left alone, I lean back in my chair and look up at the ceiling.
“Where are you, are you safe… Shuri?”
My worry echoes emptily through the room.
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