Vol 5: Chapter 78 (2)
We started moving again the next morning. There was a road on the sandy beach that led to the next island; the island where the “Sage of Medicine” should be.
「Wow… A road appeared where the sea was. It’s a sight that one can never see if you are always in the house.」
Asha sounded impressed.
「This sort of scenery is sort of an adventurer’s privilege. There are people who live in rural mountains who have never seen the sea, and vice versa. Some have never seen snow either.」
Non-san said in a bright tone, not a hint of the tears from last night.
We hurried to the next island before the road disappeared. A mountain towered in the back. If you didn’t know that this is an island, you might mistake it for a part of the continent.
Beyond the sandy beach was an untouched primeval forest.
It seemed quite difficult to navigate through……
「…Are you allies of Silver Balance?」
A voice was heard from the depths of the forest. We immediately went on guard.
A man appeared before us, wearing clothes which very closely resembled Japanese clothes. He seemed to be in his late 20s. His hair was dark brown, long and intricately tied behind.
His golden, emotionless eyes stared at us.
He didn’t seem to be carrying anything that looked like a weapon, but my【World Ruler】saw through that he was quite particularly muscular.
「Are you an associate of the Sage of Medicine?」
It was said that the sage and his companions migrated here.
「–Follow me. The Sage will meet you.」
Without answering my question, the man walked through the primeval forest.
**
Although it felt very suspicious, we had no choice but to follow the man. We need to explore this island anyway. We proceeded forward with vigilance.
「Are we going to be okay? …It felt almost like an ambush, though.」Asha said.
「I know you’re worried, Asha, but on the contrary, I think he was waiting for us.」I said.
「Waiting for us?」
「Since he mentioned Silver Balance, Dante-san and the others seem to have been here before. Thus they expected that more people would show up and were waiting for us. You need either an excellent sailor or wait for the road which appears during low tide to reach this island. So you don’t need to wait too long every single day.」
「Ah, you’re right!」
Asha seemed convinced by my answer, but it still didn’t make sense to me.
First question is, what were they waiting for? It is probably either Non-san or me. Is it Non-san’s Healing Magic or my fighting ability? But since the sage is already a specialist in medicine, I feel that I am the one who is being expected.
Well, either way there is no doubt that there is going to be trouble.
And one more thing–
(That person is… not a normal human.)
Although there was no clear physical distinction like that of elves or dwarfs, my【World Ruler】knew that he was not a human.
The man walked with light, smooth movements. And when he came into contact with the beast trail, he decided to follow it.
「—Is that a… town? It looks to be so.」
Non-san, who was moving in front of Asha and I with a quick pace, said.
The trees abruptly stopped and extended into a spacious farm. Beyond that, there was a wall of rocks. Rows of houses could be seen within.
It was far bigger than I had imagined. There were far more than 100 houses.
The base was made of stone, but the building itself was probably made of wood. The walls were coated with plaster-like and clay-like substance. And the roofs were of various different hues.
The hues were similar to the color of a flower I saw before we arrived here. Bright scarlet to the eyes, yellow that reminds you of spring, pink like tropical countries, fruit-like orange. They were all warm colors, no cool colors were used.
Furthermore, animal shapes carved at the tip of the protruding roofs were also unique. There were various animals such as lively monkeys, wild boars, birds, and mice, but it seems that there are only mammals and birds.
In the primeval forest, I didn’t see any animals in particular, and I could only hear the chirping of birds. But perhaps if I were to explore the depths of this island, these animals may be found there.
「——Hmm, visitors?」
「——How unusual. Again?」
「——Are they friends of those guys from the other day?」
People dressed in the same clothing as the man who welcomed us exchanged such words in reaction to us.
There were people who carried baskets full of fruits, people who carried a hoe in one hand as if they were heading for farm work—and for some reason, there were many people who were carrying books.
Although races such as dwarves, halflings, and beastmen can be seen here and there, the majority were the same race as the man who welcomed us.
「Over there.」the man said.
There weren’t many straight roads. We continue down the gently curving roads. I noticed that there were no animals such as horses or cows here. People moved and transported things all on foot.
We were heading towards a three-story mansion – the largest in the town – with its back towards the tallest mountain in the archipelago.
The site was surrounded by stone walls, but nothing like a gate could be found. There was a simple “hole in the wall” kind of opening.
We found a familiar figure in the courtyard in front of the mansion.
「Dante-san——」
Non-san started running before the words even left my mouth. When Non-san jumped into the arms of her father, Dante-san was surprised but firmly hugged her back.
I would like to say that it was a touching reunion, but after hugging him for a while, Non-san had the face of a demon.
「Dad!! Why didn’t you contact us at all!!」
And Non-san started scolding him. For a few minutes until that was done, Asha and I had no choice but to silently look at the father-daughter interaction. The man who welcomed us didn’t particularly show any emotions, either.
Although I call it an interaction, it was mostly just Dante-san kneeling on the ground and apologizing repeatedly.
「So… what has been going on?」
After her emotions had subsided, Non-san asked Dante-san as he stood up with a bitter smile and dusted his knees.
「Well, I am not sure how to explain it actually… Oh, right, Mimino and Zerry are both okay. They have gone out to help the townspeople, so rest assured. As are the people who ferried us here…」
Dante-san said after noticing that I was a little fidgety.
「As for what happened… the Sage has been waiting.」
「Waiting? For what?」I asked.
I knew what Dante-san was going to say even without hearing it.
「You… it seems.」
Dante-san said, looking at me.
「We were told sooner or later, you will be coming here. So we were asked to wait. We didn’t want to offend the Sage, so we decided to wait.」
「…………」
The Sage was waiting for me.
「Come.」
The man who welcomed us finally said.
It was me that this person was waiting for, after all.
「……Alright.」I said.
「Wait a minute. You should go after Mimino and Zerry return…」
「No, it’s okay, Dante-san. Please wait here Non-san, Asha.」
I said in a light tone so that everyone could feel at ease.
「Looking at the surroundings, the town seems to be peaceful and it doesn’t feel like there is any imminent danger. So I think it’s just a discussion.」I said.
「But…」
「If it’s a difficult topic, I’ll come back to consult with you.」
「Hmm, okay then…」
Dante-san reached out his hand and patted my head.
「Don’t shoulder everything on your own, okay?」
「……Okay.」
…Ah, this person– these people are so warm and kind to me.
「I will be leaving now.」
The man was quickly moving forward, so I chased after him with a jog.
The Sage knew that I was coming — I should naturally be wary, but somehow I was able to guess what we were going to talk about.
「I thought you would be going in with your friends.」
The man said while opening the door of the building.
「No. I’m the one who the Sage has a business with, right?」
「Do you already know what the Sage is going to say?」
I took a step into the building and noticed something.
It was much more than a simple front door; it was already part of a facility.
It had a stairwell reaching to the 3rd floor, extending to the left and right.
The wall was not a “wall” but rather numerous “shelves” which were closely packed with books.
「I don’t know exactly, but you are… a race who records. One of the clans included by the Covenant.」I said.
「So you already knew?」
「I didn’t have any confirmation, but if you were waiting for me then it is probably related to the Covenant.」
I was guided to the back of the building which permeated with the scent of old books.
