It seems that a two-horned Kijin has been found in the Tittis Forest—–that rumor began to spread on the day after Luna Maria was tense and had an physical anomaly. Luna Maria’s story was interesting in many ways, but I was drawn to the rumor of the Kijin.
As I mentioned before, the horns on a Kijin’s forehead are extraordinarily rare materials. When I heard it was a two-horned Kijin, only one thing came to mind.
“They must be referring to Suzume…..”
I remembered the face of the two-horned girl captured by the Lord of the Flies. After that, I entered the forest several times but never saw Suzume again.
It’s a vast forest. Perhaps due to the lack of information about the Kijin up until now, Suzume’s home probably has a barrier to mislead others.
That day, it was a miracle that we met in the Lord of the Flies’s nest. We wouldn’t see each other again—that’s what I thought, but I didn’t expect to hear news of her in this way.
“Well, what should I do?”
The reason is the target. It was quite obvious what they would do to Suzume if they captured her.
She would surely be killed to have her horns broken, and even if she luckily survived, she would be used for others’ entertainment or perhaps put on display.
In the worst case, she could be used as a tool to have children—and the new child that would be born would have a horn on their forehead.
…..It’s an assumption that makes me sick, but I heard a similar story from Luna Maria before. And according to what she told me, it wasn’t about a Kijin, but an elf.
In the Kingdom of Canaria, or rather in the human world, there is no law to protect the Kijin, and in that sense, it’s even worse than the elves, who have protective laws.
No matter how cruel they are to Suzume, it won’t be considered a crime. If I want to protect Suzume from persecution, I have to rely on my own power.
As long as there is a super rare material called “Kijin horn,” those who seek Suzume will not give up.
She would be pursued for years, or even decades. And knowing all that, do I have any reason to protect Suzume?
Of course, I don’t. Moreover, helping a Kijin and fighting against other humans would mean losing the reputation of my clan that I have been building, and it would affect my plans. Thinking about that, helping Suzume was very detrimental.
However.
Yes, there was a “however.” Abandoning the girl I took the trouble to save, how should I put it, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
It would be something like saving a girl from a goblin’s nest, only for her to be killed by bandits afterwards—who would be satisfied with such a thing?
Because I saved her, I want her to be happy, that wouldn’t be a strange story. At least, I don’t want to hear an unfortunate outcome. In that case…
“I don’t want my few good deeds to be in vain”
Remembering the satisfaction when I saved Suzume, I decided on my path.
Regarding the reputation of the clan—yes, it wouldn’t be about helping Suzume, but rather defeating those hostile individuals who want to take the “Kijin” away from me.
It’s not rare for adventurers to fight each other over monsters that drop valuable items, and sometimes it turns into battles.
Well, the reputation might decrease anyway, but if that happens, I just have to increase it.
And upon calmly thinking about it, those targeting Suzume, whom I am protecting, are my enemies.
Devouring the souls of enemies does not conflict with my oath. If there are women among the aggressors, the demand might increase. With that in mind, there was no option but to sit idly and watch Suzume’s crisis.
While thinking about such things, knock, knock, knock, the door was knocked three times.
Speaking of the door, the innkeeper’s voice answered me, saying there was a visitor. And upon hearing the name of the visitor, I furrowed my brow. It was an unexpected name.
“Long time no see, I suppose it hasn’t been that long, Sora-dono. I apologize for this unexpected visit.”
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The one who exaggeratedly bowed before me was the sturdy slave trader, Fiodor. He is a member of the slave trade association who witnessed the duel between Lars and me.
After defeating Lars and making Luna Maria my slave, we haven’t had any particular contact… there’s no way a slave trader would come alone for nothing. There’s no doubt he has some ridiculous task.
That kind of alert can’t be shown on my face, but Fiodor narrowed his eyes even more. I think he was smiling.
“Actually, there is a request I would like Sora-dono—no, the “Bloody Sword” clan—to take care of”
“Does the association want to give a request to a newly formed clan?”
There should be other clans to ask. Saying that to him, Fiodor responded with a strange laugh, “Kokoko.”
“Certainly, it hasn’t been long since “Bloody Sword” was formed, but your name is spreading all over Ishka. The bearer of a black katana who rode a Wyvern, and has an elf and a beastman as subordinates. Defeating a Griffin for an old man seeking revenge for his son and grandson, eliminating a Banshee that screamed every night in a poor orphanage’s cemetery, revealing the identity of the Scylla who transformed into a human in Lake Toya, and rescuing a young man trapped by his innocence on the Atend Trail, cutting down the long-feared Werewolf”
“…I see you know a lot”
“Information is a weapon. I collect it daily. Furthermore, the information of a level “1” that overwhelmed a sixth-class adventurer”
Saying that, Fiodor laughed again, “Kokoko.” But when the slave trader quickly calmed down, he looked me in the eyes.
“I’m sure Sora-dono is already aware of this. A Kijin has been discovered in the Tittis Forest”
“That’s right. According to what I heard, it “seems” they discovered a Kijin, but…”
“It’s true. The association has already seen it three times”
“They’ve already seen it? That means—”
“Exactly, we started moving before the rumors spread. It was right on the day of the duel between Sora-dono and Lars-dono. That day, an adventurer lost in the forest accidentally found a Kijin girl and came to us to sell the information”
Upon hearing that, I began to remember. When Fiodor came to the guild to witness, he was out of breath saying, “There was a problem on the way out.” Is it because he obtained information about the Kijin?
If he has been following the Kijin since then, he probably has a lot of information. He may also have a rough idea of where she lives.
Then, Fiodor continued speaking as if he had read my mind.
“Of the three sightings, we discovered the escape route at that time, as well as the approximate location of the Kijin’s home. However, it is in the deep area. As you know, the depths of Tittis are the breeding grounds of monsters. More than once, hunters sent to capture a Kijin have become prey for the monsters. That’s why I’m asking for the help of Sora-dono, who can ride a dragon.”
“I see. By soaring through the sky, we can avoid troublesome monsters and go straight to the depths. In other words, is this request to capture the Kijin?”
“No, no, that’s not it. The location was only an approximation, and the area where the Kijin is supposed to live could still be very vast. I don’t expect Sora-dono to search all of that. What I would like to request is assistance in transporting our personnel and supplies. You will receive a generous reward for going back and forth between Ishka and Tittis many times. Or if you prefer, I can introduce you to a new slave. In fact, I recently obtained a very interesting slave.”
“I’d like to talk about that—”
I leaned forward, showing interest, and immersed myself in my thoughts.
According to the current story, the capture of Suzume is Fiodor’s intention, and consequently, the intention of the slave trading association.
That means if I try to protect Suzume, the biggest enemy would be the slaver in front of me.
I would like to reject the request if possible, but if I do that, Fiodor might think I have an interest in the Kijin.
In that case, he might do anything to harm me personally, but it would be problematic if Luna María and Seal become the targets.
The slave collars Luna María and Seal have are patented technology of the association, so they could deprive me of my rights as their master and take them away. And if I take countermeasures, it will eventually escalate into a major conflict.
If that happens, I won’t be able to afford to help Suzume, and it won’t prevent another force from capturing her while the association and I are fighting.
In short, I believe the slave trading association is at least more reliable than the adventurer’s guild. Even though I didn’t request it, I was genuinely grateful that Fiodor witnessed my duel with Lars
If possible, I don’t want to confront the association head-on. As Fiodor looked at me in that way, his already narrowed eyes narrowed even further.
“Hm? Is there any inconvenience?”
“Well… actually, I have accepted another request. If I don’t complete it, I won’t be able to accept the association’s request.”
I wasn’t lying. I am currently working on a request to collect Aldo herbs for the orphanage. Regarding this request, I received exactly the same request through the guild before.
I finished it on the same day, but apparently, a fever was spreading among the children, so the director of the orphanage sent the same request to “Bloody Sword”.
As usual, the reward is low, but I took it as something natural, with the motto “An adventurer who can support the client’s feelings without being affected by gains or losses.” The orphanage is the temple of Mother Earth.
I can’t deny a request from them, both to deepen our connection and to increase the reputation of the clan. This was just yesterday.
“Another request? If you don’t mind, could you tell me the details?”
I calmly replied to Fiodor’s curious gaze.
“The strict confidentiality of the client is the iron rule of an adventurer. You wouldn’t want them to speak so openly about your request, would you?”
“Ohh, my sincere apologies for that.”
Fiodor apologized profusely. In fact, he didn’t show any discomfort on his face—I would like to say that, but he probably already knows the status of this request. He himself said he collected information daily, after all.
Perhaps that question was to gauge me as an adventurer. From Fiodor’s expression, it seems that I barely passed the test.
However, the fact that I rejected the association’s request hasn’t changed, so I’ll have to follow up on that point.
“I will contact Fiodor-dono as soon as I complete my request. At that time, I will be happy to cooperate if my skills are still needed.”
“Ohh, I would appreciate that. Please inform the association when you finish your request and are available.”
“Understood.”
After finishing my conversation with the slaver, I lowered my head with a serious expression, foreseeing the turbulence that lay ahead.
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