Chapter 277-2 Its True Identity is
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ahahaha! We’re in trouble, big trouble! Momoka! Go faster──stop!!”
”!?”
The sudden halt throws me off balance. My legs, which were clamped tightly around Momoka’s sides, slip out, leaving me clinging to her with just my arms. My body swirls like a cape in the wind.
I really thought I was going to die──my thoughts stretch to their limit, the world around me slowing to a crawl.
Why was Estesia-san laughing? Why did she tell her to stop so suddenly? In my stretched-out perception of time, I see the edge of my vision fill with a figure in deep green robes.
The figure, with a stark white mask covering its face, fits the description of the mysterious group from Ms. Niya’s report. And now, they’re aiming a dagger right at us, about to strike.
We made such a spectacle cutting through the forest, it’s no wonder we attracted attention. Dressed in deep green robes that blend into the forest, and wearing a mask to hide their identity, they’re clearly here to take out anyone who gets in their way.
Maybe I pushed Momoka too hard, and it was a mistake. That’s what I’m thinking as the world keeps moving in slow motion. Then, the attacker’s dagger stops, dead in its tracks.
It’s not like my perception of time stretched even more──no, the dagger really did stop, as if it had frozen. Through the mask, our eyes meet, and the attacker’s gaze wavers in shock──
”Gaha!?”
The next moment, the slow motion breaks. Momoka’s sharp kick drives deep into the attacker’s side, sending them flying and crashing into a tree.
As I’m marveling at how she could pull off such a high kick in our tangled state, my arms suddenly go limp, and I collapse to the ground.
”Phew… thought I was a goner.”
”Oh, me too… It’s embarrassing, but I think I peed a little.”
”Yeah, me too. I got a bit… damp.”
There’s something off about the way Estesia-san says it──or maybe I’m not misunderstanding. Her cheeks are flushed crimson, and she’s definitely a heavy masochist.
I was frozen on the spot, legs wobbling like a newborn fawn, unable to stand properly──while Lewya struggled too, Estesia-san stepped toward the attacker collapsed on the ground.
”From where I stand, able to sense magic, this thing means nothing at all.”
I couldn’t see clearly since Estesia-san’s body blocked my view, but she reached forward and peeled off the attacker’s mask.
”At first, I didn’t care. This is a frontier settlement──lots of people can use magic here, no big deal. But the longer I stayed, the more questions I had. Why would you, despite having top-tier magic, never go hunting and just stick around here?”
”Estesia-san?”
What the hell was she talking about all of a sudden?
Without answering my question, Estesia-san kept going.
”Curious, I went to watch these magicians. What did I find? A bunch of pathetic servants bowing to arrogant shop owners. They could easily earn more as magicians, never having to grovel to those lowlifes──but somehow, this place is full of them.”
My legs finally stopped trembling, and I managed to get up and step closer to Estesia-san.
”Some apprenticed as blacksmiths, some worked as tanners, others sold themselves at brōtḥels──and then, one of them became my colleague.”
”…Stella, san?”
The attacker’s face, unmasked now, was unmistakably Stella-san──the very same from the mansion, one of the Toys of Preference (Shikou no Gigu).
”Why Stella-san? Shouldn’t everyone here be from the Spear of Shouhyou?”
”Think it through. Even if that Elf Golarf really was dangerous enough to topple a kingdom, who’d be crazy enough to spot that danger and then hand the cleanup to some firm? That’s the kind of thing the government itself would handle.”
Hearing that, a bunch of questions started bubbling up inside me.
After 3 hundred years of rumors, who knew Golarf-san even existed? And who made the Spear of Shouhyou take on a secret request? The more I thought about it, the clearer the answer became.
”Melgis-san didn’t take the request, right?”
”That’s right. That ridiculous request never existed in the first place. Someone exposed a secret nobody knew, and a bunch of people found out after they died. You know the kind of person who secretly gets rid of threats to the empire, right?”
”…Grelego.”
The second I said the name, a gust of wind whipped through, and the forest rustled. I felt eyes watching us from all around.
”We’re surrounded.”
”Neil, what do we do?”
”It’s not good, but it’s not the end of the world.”
They’re watching us from the trees, but they haven’t attacked yet. That means they’re thinking about their options.
So, I took a deep breath and shouted.
”Melgis-san! Are you there? I need to talk to you!”
The forest, which had been buzzing moments ago, went silent. Then, a person emerged from the trees, breaking the silence.
They wore a dark green robe and a white mask, but I knew those cold, sharp eyes behind the mask.
Slowly, the person touched their mask, and their face was revealed.
”Melgis-san…”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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