2
Luke doesn’t like waiting. Even so, he had waited quite a long time by his standards. With magic-sealing handcuffs on, he boarded the carriage without resisting the rude men. And then—after about thirty minutes, his patience inevitably reached its limit.
“Hey… How long are you going to make me wait—”
“Shut up! Just sit there quietly!”
“…Huh?”
This was truly a case of poking the sleeping dragon. The man who was addressed by Luke committed a terribly reckless act. Although it was his own choice, Luke had spent far too much meaningless time being jostled in this uncomfortable cargo wagon. There was no way he could be in a good mood.
(Oh man… you’re definitely done for…)
Zack, somewhat accustomed to this chilling aura of anger, realized the fate of the man who had spoken rudely to Luke.
“I’m being generous. I’ll ask once more. Think carefully and choose your words wisely.”
“…………”
Dread. A sensation as if his heart was being gripped. Without realizing it, the man’s legs began to tremble slightly. It was an uncontrollable human instinct. Was it just his imagination that this boy, who hadn’t even lived half as long as him, seemed like a massive monster? No—
(Calm down… Don’t be scared. The people of this country can’t use [Skills]. They don’t even know they exist… If we just seal his magic, he can’t do anything. There are rumors that he defeated an elemental dragon alone, but that must be just a hoax…!)
The man had his pride. The pride of someone who had survived hell, far from the glittering world of nobility.
“S-Shut up!! Just sit there quietly!”
And so, he made a mistake. He raised his voice and drew his sword, pointing it at Luke.
He chose to protect his pride rather than follow his instincts.
“…So that’s your answer.”
What happened next was instantaneous.
Suddenly, Luke was holding a dagger. He had it hidden in his sleeve all along, but to the man’s eyes, it seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“Huh? How did you…”
Luke tossed it into the air, caught it with his mouth like he was biting it, and—《Slash》.
Using the dagger in his mouth, he cut the chain of his handcuffs. Although the cuffs themselves were still on, preventing him from using magic, just having his hands free was more than enough for Luke. Despite the cargo wagon being relatively spacious, there wasn’t much room. He was about to close the distance with overwhelming acceleration when—
“Excuse me.”
Someone approached the man faster than Luke. It was Alfred. This was completely unexpected.
Even as Alfred closed in before his eyes, the man still couldn’t comprehend what was happening. However, his reflexive action of drawing and swinging his sword was perhaps praiseworthy.
“…! 《Sla—》”
“Hmm. As expected, someone like you isn’t even worth troubling Lord Luke.”
Of course, whether that action had any meaning is another matter entirely.
Alfred’s hand, which was suddenly holding a dagger, struck twice. The first thrust to the shoulder completely nullified the man’s technique before it could begin. Then, immediately following, a sharp slash severed the man’s right wrist.
“Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”
It would have been easy to kill him, but Alfred chose not to, considering the aftermath. The man collapsed, clutching his right arm that was now less than half its original length, writhing in pain.
“Kuku… An unnecessary interference.”
“My apologies. To think that I, of all people, would deprive Lord Luke of his enjoyment.”
“O-Ouch… that looks painful… Wait, am I the only one with handcuffs on…? Um, I hate to ask, but is there any chance I could get these removed…? Ahaha…”
Alfred bowed his head, but Luke’s face looked somewhat satisfied. In contrast to the two of them, Zack, the only one still unable to remove his handcuffs, laughed apologetically.
“My arm! It hurts… it hurts so much!”
“What’s going on?! What happened?!”
The two men driving the horses raised their voices, sensing the abnormal situation.
At that moment, something leaped out from behind the piled-up luggage. Luke was slightly surprised to notice it. This was because even he hadn’t been able to detect it until this very instant.
(—They’re terrifyingly skilled at concealing their presence. …Who are they?)
It was two people wearing cloaks. They immediately took combat stances and remained vigilant. However, these two ran past Luke and headed towards the two men driving the carriage.
“Don’t kill them!”
“—Understood.”
Judging that they held no hostility towards him, Luke shouted briefly to ensure his own objectives wouldn’t be interfered with. There was a short reply. The two cloaked figures reached the remaining two men with incredible speed and pressed daggers against their necks.
“Whoa there, don’t move. Slowly stop the carriage.”
“…Tch. Who the hell are you guys?”
The man, unable to resist, asked with frustration seeping through his voice. However, the answer came from elsewhere.
“Hey hey! Aren’t those Canis and Felis?! What are you doing in a place like this?!”
“Ahaha… It’s been a while, Mr. Zack. —And Lord Luke and Lord Alfred.”
“…Long time no see.”
“Hmm, the beastkin from that time.”
Luke recalled the incident at Dalkin’s smithy. But that didn’t matter much now.
What interested him was their ability. The stealth skills that had even prevented Luke from sensing their presence.
“Ugh… It hurts, it hurts so much…”
“Arbent!! Damn it, you bastards!”
“—You should be quiet. If you don’t want to die.”
“Guh… Damn it!! Please, listen to me! We were just hired by some woman we don’t know—”
“Be quiet.”
“…Tch.”
As Felis growled, the man yielded. When their hood naturally fell off, it revealed a turban wrapped around their head. Luke glanced at this while freeing Zack and Alfred from their restraints.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it… What the hell… This isn’t what we were told… Weren’t the people of this country supposed to be magic-obsessed backward folks who can’t use Skills… Ahhh, my arm is gone…”
The man cried pitifully, his face contorted as he complained. He definitely had no fighting spirit left. At this point, Luke had lost interest, but there were words that caught his attention.
“I see. —Kuku, I understand everything now.”
As if a fog had lifted from his mind, Luke suddenly comprehended. He realized the true nature of the power dwelling within his body, different from magical energy, which had been unclear until now.
“That’s right, this is [Fighting Spirit]… the power that resides in the strong and resilient mind and body of a warrior. And [Skills] are the special techniques that sublimate this power. Kukuku, I see. It’s very similar to the relationship between magical energy and magic. Perhaps Abel—”
“—Um… Lord Luke? What have you been talking about?”
“Nothing, just thinking aloud. So, why are you two—hm, this is… Hah, damn it. Earlier than expected…”
Just as Luke was about to ask about the circumstances of the beastkin, Canis and Felis, who were inexplicably present, he sensed an intense magical presence. It was a very familiar magical signature, and Luke could clearly foresee what was about to happen.
A magic circle suddenly appeared right beside him. From it emerged three people—Alice, Mia, and Eleonora.
“Oh, Luke. I’m glad to see you’re well.”
“Luke’s enemy……”
“What, is it already over? I was expecting a tough fight……”
“…………”
As the situation became chaotic once again, Luke couldn’t help but sigh. However, he consciously tried to think positively, realizing that with Eleonora here, at least the return trip would be easier.
“Hey, you. Where was this carriage headed?”
“……Our hideout.”
“I see. Then lead us there.”
“Huh? O-Okay… but please, spare my life—”
“Get on with it.”
At first, it was meant to be just a way to kill time. But as he listened, it seemed these men had been hired by someone. This meant it was a planned operation. From Alice’s account, Luke knew that the story about keeping his mother Julia was a lie.
So why did they do this? To find out the mastermind’s purpose.
(Heh… [Skills], huh. Quite a harvest. Now, I wonder who was foolish enough to try this on me—)
Luke gazed into empty space, a twisted smile appearing on his face.
§
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
In a room with modest furniture.
“……!”
Surprised, a woman in a nun’s habit fell from her chair.
“Eh, what… did you see…?”
Nervously, she looked again at the crystal ball on the desk. The blonde boy reflected in it was no longer looking this way.
“It must have been… my imagination, right? Haah… that scared me. It’s okay, calm down, Nicole… it’s okay……”
Settling her agitated heart, she began to calmly organize the information.
“Mirestia is supposed to be behind in all development except magic… But [Darkness] could use Skills. Perhaps someone from another country with high combat skills taught him…? Otherwise, it doesn’t add up……”
There were still many puzzling aspects. However, this was valuable information. What was meant to be just a preliminary investigation had yielded unexpected results. With this in mind, Nicole began to gaze into the crystal ball again—.
§
“Alice, why did you come?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Because I love you.”
“I can’t have a proper conversation with you. Mia, was it someone’s orders?”
“That’s so cruel… Haa haa…”
“Um… We got a report that Luke was being taken away in a carriage, and we were worried, so we got permission from Lady Julia and came to check on you with Eleonora’s magic……”
“……Hmm, that’s easy to understand. Can’t you even give an explanation like this?”
“—!”
“I’m sorry… I-If you look at me like that, I—”
“……Sigh.”
“Hahaha, you two are truly amusing.”
Mia looked pleased at being called easy to understand. Alice was excited by the scornful gaze.
Eleonora laughed at this scene.
“—So, I have many questions for you all. But first, tell me why you’re here.”
“……!”
Luke turned a sharp gaze towards the two cloaked figures, Canis and Felis.
“Ahaha… well, you see… We saw Zack and the others being taken away. We jumped in on the spur of the moment. Looks like our help wasn’t needed at all though. —Really.”
“Oh, is that so? Thanks.”
“No, no……”
Canis grinned at Zack while glancing sideways at Luke.
There was a look of intense fear in his eyes.
(……So he really can use [Skills]. But I, who have researched thoroughly, know. This teenage boy mastered [Skills] without being taught by anyone—)
This meant that the boy before him had single-handedly leaped over the history leading up to the establishment of the concept of Skills. With a chilling thought and a shudder, Canis unconsciously held his breath.
Luke sensed this emotion slightly but didn’t understand the reason, nor was he particularly interested. However, he was greatly intrigued by the fact that even he hadn’t noticed their presence. As he was about to question this, he felt a tug on his sleeve. It was the other beastman, Felis.
“What is it?”
“……I want to talk tonight. ……Sir.”
It was an awkwardly formal speech, and for some reason in a low voice. Though Luke didn’t understand the intention, he himself had many questions for these two. It was exactly what he had been hoping for.
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“……Thank you. ……Sir.”
(That guy…! Doing things on his own again.)
Canis, who had grasped the content of the conversation with his superior hearing, thought he would have to lecture him again. —At that moment.
“Who is this child?”
Alice, who didn’t like the secretive atmosphere, cut in.
With an obviously displeased attitude.
“I don’t know who you are, but aren’t you acting a bit too familiar for a slave?”
“……N-No way!”
It was Mia who raised her voice.
“Luke’s new—”
“Woman… ha! This is NTR—”
“Cut it out, will you? You guys.”
“Eh, me too……”
Mia was about to say [pawn], but Alice misunderstood and started to get excited as usual. Luke accurately sensed this sign and put a stop to it. He was used to it by now. Sighing, Luke switched his thoughts.
“Hey.”
“Guh… W-What……”
He questioned the man who was writhing in pain, holding his arm.
“Who’s the client?”
“I-I don’t know……”
“Really?”
“I-It’s not a lie! I’ve known the boss for a long time, so I was at the deal too! They were wearing a hood, I couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman! Just that they paid well……”
“Hmm, are you mercenaries?”
“……That’s right. I’m really sorry! I’ll give you as much money as you want! So please, just spare my life—”
“Stop the useless chatter. You just need to guide us silently.”
“……!”
It had been a light-hearted feeling. Just like always, accepting a job and getting paid. That’s all it was supposed to be.
(What the hell have we gotten ourselves into……)
Even if he regretted it now, it was all too late. They lacked the sense. The sense to smell danger and flee—.
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