Volume 3 Chapter 34 Remembering Azrael In Ghost II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The fishing village where the advanced-rank adventurer party had been slaughtered was located about an hour’s ride west of Châtillon fortress by carriage.
The village was densely packed on either side of the east-west town road, with a sheer cliff face to the north and a glittering coastline of sandy shores to the south.
A wide river flowed into the village from the west, merging with the sea.
A village where mountain stream water and seawater meet ──a land named after its very own village.
Upon entering the village, Kian and his companions dismounted their carriage and immediately made their way to the shallows where the incident had occurred.
It was located a short distance east from the village’s southern sandy beach, accessible by boat.
The water level reached their knees.
Leaving the village head and the fisherwoman, Priscilla, aboard the boat, Kian and Natra waded into the sea.
The rocky area was located to the east of the village grounds, with a sheer cliff face to their left as they progressed.
Coral was found only near the base of the eroded cliff, and the seabed was composed solely of fine sand.
Every so often, a large fish shadow would appear, only to swiftly vanish into the depths.
A type of shark, perhaps?
”There are no signs of merfolk or sirens. It feels like a peaceful shallows,”
Natra, whose thighs were submerged in seawater, called out in a loud voice, unlike the more reserved Kian.
There were only a few large rocks scattered nearby.
Nothing remotely resembling a monster’s lair was visible.
”Village head, did the battle take place right here?”
Kian asked, directing his voice towards the boat. The bald old man nodded in response.
”We, the villagers, escorted the adventurers as far as here that night. ‘Night Crier’ might have attacked, so we were worried, but the adventurers insisted on coming ashore before it got wet, so reluctantly, we gathered the young men of the village,”
”I rode with the ‘Sand Shark’s Pack’ on my boat.”
The young man who was steering the boat beside the village head spoke up.
”It was night, and the moon hung high. I could only see it from afar, but that ghost was sitting on the rocks, alright. The adventurers disembarked one after another, telling us to stay at the docks until the battle was over. We turned back as we were told, but then, mixed with the sea breeze, came the adventurers’ shouts and the metallic stench of blood. The screams lasted for only a few dozen seconds before fading into… silence. They never made it back to the docks. When we turned around, the adventurers were scattered, broken, sinking into the water.”
”We contacted the Adventurer’s Guild right away, but the parts of their bodies not covered by iron armor had been swept out to sea. Or maybe they were eaten by the sharks that came because of the smell of blood.”
”Perhaps the wraith ate them,”
Priscilla said nonchalantly from the deck of the ship.
The village head and the young man both widened their eyes in shock.
”Ate…? Do wraiths even eat flesh?”
”The ‘Night Crier’ in the report has a physical form, absorbing the life force of defenseless humans and using the adventurers’ own weapons to kill them. From the way it kills, it’s clear it uses highly skilled techniques. A wraith with no brain couldn’t possibly do such complex things. So, this wraith has definitely consumed a human. When it starts using a human body like that, it becomes a powerful monster, far beyond what a wraith should be. It can think complex thoughts and use skills just like a human. But, at the same time, it needs to consume flesh to feed the body it’s taken over. Separate from life force, you see.”
”So… consumed? Ah, then maybe, the wraith looking like an Azraelian woman…”
”It probably consumed an Azraelian woman. The fact that it could kill an advanced-rank adventurer in a single Leap is only because the woman it consumed was incredibly strong.”
Priscilla said, then turned her gaze towards Natra, who stood beside Kian.
Her expression seemed to say, “You know something, don’t you?”
But Kian could only keep a straight face.
”With the entire scene submerged, I doubt there are any remnants that could shed light on the ‘Night Crier’.”
Natra says this, deliberately ignoring Priscilla’s gaze.
”Indeed. Let’s at least check the rock where Wraith supposedly sat.”
”Understood.”
But there were no clues to be found on the large rock; only a shallow pool of seawater where a person could have sat.
”Natra”
”Yes?”
”How do you maintain your physical form? Can you simply consume monster flesh and let your body absorb the nutrients?”
Kian asks in a hushed tone, making sure the village heads don’t hear.
Natra furrows their brow.
”In my case, I also eat vegetables and bread alongside meat. So, if you’re asking if monster flesh is enough, I wouldn’t be able to say for sure.”
”Then what about water? Do you simply absorb it from the air or the ground?”
”Master, I am not a plant…”
Natra lowers her brow and scoops up some seawater.
”But, I suppose I could extract moisture from seawater, though doing so would be incredibly unpleasant. I’d be forced to expel the salt, so I try to avoid it. Similarly, drinking the blood of prey to quench my thirst is an awful experience. Unless I’m in an environment where clean freshwater is scarce, I’d much prefer to absorb it that way.”
”The wraith care manual stated that simply providing meat would suffice. However, perhaps possessing intelligence meant that preferences, comfort, and other mental factors also influenced one’s diet.”
Kian mutters this to himself, and Natra, seeming to understand his intention, nods.
”You’re saying that Wraiths wouldn’t be able to simply live by weeping on the rocks, right?”
”Exactly. If it seeks to live each day—eating quality meat and drinking fresh water—can it really sustain itself just by catching fish in the shallows?”
Kian continues, his gaze sweeping across the coastline from the large rock.
”Unlike when it existed purely in spirit form, now that it has a physical body, it must find a place to hide during the day. It cries in the sea at night, then likely retreats toward the mountains before sunrise.”
”If her base is hidden within the mountains, and she emerges to the nearest coastline every time night falls, it makes sense that she randomly appears in ten different villages. For her, any place with a view of the horizon would suffice.”
”And if she needs fresh water… for instance, here in this village, she might return to the mountains via the stream flowing west of the settlement. Either way, it might be better to search the forest rather than the coastline. Let’s head back to the fishing village for now.”
”Right.”
Natra nodded in agreement, and they made their way back to the boat.
Afterward, they returned to the sandy shores of the fishing village, offering their thanks to the village head and the young men before parting ways.
To avoid disturbing the villagers working on the beach, they tucked themselves behind some rocks as Priscilla began to share her insights. “This is something I heard from Guy,” she prefaced before continuing.
”About a month ago, in Châtillon, Her Excellency Maribel had a meeting with the head of the Nakash family. The discussion revolved around territorial disputes between their nations.”
”――――.” “…….”
”During the meeting at the fortress, it seems that an assassin attacked the former ‘Knights of the Sun’ who were on patrol around the area. Oswald and Aisha supposedly wiped them all out, but the body of the woman Oswald reportedly slashed and sent tumbling into the stream has never been found. Normally, when someone is slashed by him, they ignite, leaving no bones behind, and even if she fell into the stream before burning away, she would likely end up as fish food in the sea. It’s hard to believe she could still be alive, so my brother apparently decided to halt the search for her body.”
Priscilla continued.
”It seems the enemy wraith has been absorbing humans. If it’s a skilled Azraelian, perhaps that assassin who was thrown into the stream has been taken in by the wraith. The timing lines up perfectly, too. For anyone familiar with Oswald’s swordsmanship, it sounds like a laughable theory, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The wraith we’re pursuing might very well be someone you all know. Especially for you, Natra.”
”What do you mean by that?”
”Nothing at all. I just thought it was quite unfortunate for the Nakash family. With their lord assassinated and all those promising heirs lost.”
Natra’s eyes narrowed slightly.
With a quick glance in Kian’s direction, as if seeking his judgment, he gripped the shoulder of his familiar tightly.
”Natra, no need for that.”
”…Huh?”
”There’s a man in this village who was also attacked by a wraith. Should we hear his tale as well?”
Priscilla suggested, skillfully deflecting Natra’s murderous intent with a cool smile.
As Kian replied with a simple, “Please,” a terrified scream echoed suddenly from his right. “Eeek!”
When he turned around, he saw the village head supporting a man in his late thirties, who looked pale and shaky, weighed down by horrid bruises on his legs that resembled flesh decaying.
Hidden beneath his shorts, the marks seemed to reach up around his thigh.
The man was trembling, pointing a shaking finger at Natra’s face.
”Th-That’s her! That’s the monster!”
”Huh? What are you saying? She’s the Adventurer who came to slay the monsters!”
”I’m sorry, Lady Priscilla. He’s been like this ever since he was attacked by the Wraith.”
”No! It’s that woman!”
The man leaned back in a panic, lost his balance, and fell flat on his rear with a thud.
Shaking with fear, he shouted at Natra, his toothless mouth rattling.
”I was attacked by the Azraelian woman over there! One moment I thought she had vanished from atop the rock, and the next, a hand reached out from the edge of the boat!”
”Hey…”
”She grabbed my leg and pulled me into the water! My body froze, and I thought I was going to die! My feet, they felt like they were drying up!”
”Calm down.”
”And then, for just a fleeting moment, I saw her face beneath the dark water. ──No doubt about it! That Azraelian woman is a monster! She’s not human! Please, everyone, you have to believe me!”
The man cried out, but no one could see Natra──who appeared entirely human──as anything but a person.
Realizing he wasn’t being believed, despair crept across his face, and a chilling silence fell over the gathering.
Natra, who had been observing the situation, let out a small sigh and stepped forward.
”I am not Wraith. As proof, see here──”
She landed right in front of the man, who had just landed on his rear in the sand.
Grabbing the man’s open-mouthed arm, she yanked him up roughly.
”Hmph! …Huh? It’s warm.”
”Of course it is; it’s got blood flowing through it. But don’t take liberties with me.”
Natra chided him, flicking his hand away as if the whole situation were absurd.
The man blinked, looking down at the girl, muttering, “Wait… you’re just a kid.”
It seemed the Wraith he had met before had a more voluptuous figure than Natra.
”Getting interesting.”
The white-haired witch made a crescent moon with her lips and murmured so.
Behind her, Kian felt his vision swim as if he were on the brink of fainting.
(The man had mistaken Natra for Wraith upon seeing her face. This meant that Wraith must be a woman who closely resembles Natra.)
There weren’t many who looked like Natra.
If any, perhaps her mother, or the vanished Almeisa, or maybe──
”Sarah.”
Kian’s lips numbly formed the name.
Natra turned her stern gaze upon him.
”Sir Kian.”
”…!”
(Could it be… what in the world does this mean!)
* * *
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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