After a brief of the blinded lights, we finally arrived at somewhat a forest. Huge trees were surrounding us. It seems like a pretty normal forest. Almost like our world. Except I didn't feel any magical beast around us. And more to that, I didn't feel any magicules at all. This isn't good.
"Ranga, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here Master!"
"Can you come out?"
"Yes, but not for a very long time, Master. My apologize"
"As I expected. Stay inside my shadow Ranga. Conserve your energy"
"Yes! As you wish, Master!"
Hinata also put herself on high alert for seconds, until she was sure nothing dangerous was nearby.
"It seems we're in a safe place. Rimuru, where's Sensei's soul located?"
"Umm… wait for a second"
Ciel?
[Understood. I'm currently searching for it. Please wait for 2 minutes]
Okay, it doesn't sound long.
"Please wait for minutes, I'm still searching for it"
"Got it. Take your time"
After a brief of two minutes, Ciel made a report.
[Master, I have found it. It's located around 100 kilometers north of our current location]
Woah that's pretty far away. And since I haven't been there, I cannot teleport myself there. We have to go there on foot.
[We can teleport there right away. The soul we tracking is giving me an accurate coordinate to teleport. So without having to go there, I can teleport all of us there]
Ohhh! That's very good news. The sky has gotten pretty dark. Should we go there now or perhaps go to a nearby town and find an inn? Well, if it was me alone, I would definitely take my time since I took a day off right now. But how about Hinata?
By the way, Hinata was acting like nothing unusual, but actually, she's having a hard time after that inter-world teleportation. After I check her physical condition, it seems she has spent quite some energy to keep herself intact during the teleportation from our world. But she keeps her composure, and without my appraisal, I would think she was okay. Stubborn as always.
"Hinata, I've found her. But it's pretty far, what do you think? Should we go there now?"
Hinata made a distrustful look. I don't understand why though.
"How far is it actually?"
"Around 100 kilometers north out here"
"I see, that's pretty far. And right now is pretty dark. We have to postpone it for tomorrow."
"Are you planning to spend a night first?"
"Yeah, is there any nearby town?"
Ciel, is there any town nearby?
[Around 12 kilometers from here, there's a town. And about 5 kilometers, there's a village]
Ohh okay. Sounds like we have to make a decision.
"There's actually a town and a village. The village is the closest. What do you think?"
"Is it up to me?"
"Well, I just didn't want to make a decision that made you uncomfortable. So I let you decide"
"Very well, then I decided to follow your decision"
Eh? This girl. All right then.
"Then let's make a camp in here tonight. I guess we are both pretty exhausted right now, so let's make a campsite"
"All right, I'll search for firewood then. And I guess you brought a tent?"
"Don't worry, I brought something more useful"
And without warning, I absorb some trees to make a small empty land. Then, I let out a two-storey house which I always brought every day. I always dream this kind of thing would happen, and that's why I brought this one up.
Hinata made some disgustful look at me. Why? I thought this would be more comfortable than a tent.
"You did it again. What would happen if someone to happen pass by and found this giant house suddenly appeared here?"
Crap, I didn't think about it. I was naïve to think Hinata would praise me for it.
"Sorry, but just for this day. I didn't have a tent. Let's buy it tomorrow"
"Buy? Do we have money for it?"
"It should be a secret, but I tell you. I have the ability to make any kind of material. I doubt it can make some advanced object like a stellar coin, but for something as simple as clothes, I can make them easily by magic"
That is actually a lie. I can make something as good as a mythical-grade weapon with All Of Creation ability. But it sure made a ruckus. So again, let's be quiet about it.
"That's pretty convenient. So you planning on making something and selling them?"
"That's pretty much my plan. Any other idea?"
"No, let's get along with it. So what are you going to make?"
"I'm not sure. We don't know how this world is working. Without knowing what it's people need, I can't make what would be able to sell. So let's gather some information first for tomorrow"
"I agree. So let's take a rest. I honestly felt pretty bad around my body"
"Yeah, have a good rest. Take any room you want. I'll make dinner for you"
"That's very kind of you. Then, I'll take that offer"
I nodded and take a walk around our temporary house. I search around, to find out about our surroundings. But it is actually useless. Because while I strolled around, Ciel somehow manages to obtain a lot of data about this world. I wonder where her database came from.
[This world is named Ares. 60% water, 30% land, and 10% ice. It has a population of around 1 billion people. Those people are scattered around the world. This world consists of 4 continents and hundreds of kingdoms. Civilization was behind our world, and magic didn't exist. Technology was as same as in the medieval era on Earth. The inhabitants of this world consist of humans, animals, and plants. Based on the level of civilization in this world, it would be best to create basic human needs such as food and clothing. The concept of money exists but didn't very popular with lower-class people.]
Hmm… What a grim world we have here. I doubt a tent will be available at the market. But anyway, is there any market nearby?
[Yes, around 20 kilometers from our position, there's a town named Cardinalis. It has a huge market. Master might find it interesting]
Hoho… Ciel is unusually perspective about my interest. I wonder what's the reason for her to say that. So for tomorrow, it is probably better to make some clothes to sell right?
[Food would actually be more in demand, especially the cheap ones. But clothing would be fine as well]
All right, just in case, I'll make those two in a small amount. But cheap food isn't it? What kind of food these people usually had?
[Mostly bread]
Okay, let's make cheap bread. It a cheap, but can last for a long time. Are these plants somehow edible anyways?
[Some of them are edible for humans. But there's a particular plant that seems to be able to boost the longevity of foods]
Oh! That plant would be useful. That's great. Rather than making delicious food, let's make durable food. After making it, let's change them with some basic supply so we can blend in with the people in this world.
Because being this convenient might arose suspicion, and worst, a ruckus. Neither I and Hinata wanted it. We only wanted to see the person who has Shizu-san's soul and check if that person requires help or not.
And even though I like to help people, I have to admit this time, I couldn't do as much as I want. This is not my world. And I'm just a stranger. I only came here temporarily. I believe Hinata would think the same, even though she loves Shizu-san very much.
But that's all for today.
For now, let's make dinner.
With my ability, I made the cooking ware and ingredients that I need. I made a simple miso soup. It's a nostalgic meal because I heard from Cabal, Shizu-san liked to cook this soup during their last journey. I'm pretty sure she also like to cook this meal when Hinata and Yuuki were still living together with her.
After I finished, I brought the soup to the dining table. I called out to Hinata. And she's coming down from the second floor with sleepy eyes. Is she sleeping before? Well, it's time for dinner already though. So let's eat.
But after she's taking a seat, she suddenly speaks.
"Rimuru, have you forgotten?"
"Forgot about what?"
"I don't need to eat"
"Eh? Ah! I completely forgot! You're a Saint after all. Sorry, do you want to skip the dinner and continue your rest?"
"No, don't sweat it. I'll take the dinner. I just said before that I would take your offer for making dinner. Besides, you've made this nostalgic meal after all. "
"Really? So Shizu-san likes to cook miso soup."
"Yes, she was. And it's the most delicious miso soup I have ever eaten"
"I can imagine that. Mine had a bit salty this time"
"That's okay, I never thought you could cook these dishes though"
"I once lived alone. So I have to be able to cook some simple dishes you know"
"Oh? How exactly your life on earth is?"
"Nothing special. I'm just working in a construction company. I'm single. Lived for 37 years before getting stabbed and died"
"Stabbed?"
"Yeah, some criminal suddenly appeared with a knife in his hand. He clearly tried to stab my junior's girlfriend. So I stand between them, and got stabbed"
"That's honestly pretty rough"
"Yeah, but not as rough as Shizu-san"
Suddenly silence filled the air. Oops, I guess I ruined the mood.
Argh! Just as when I manage to casually have a talk with Hinata. Why do I have to always be blunt when I talk? It's really a bad habit.
"Rimuru, you know, I can't say I really love Sensei. I'm actually scared of her"
"Huh? Scared?"
"Yeah, because she's resembling my mother before she went insane"
Ohhh! This is it! Time for digging into her past!
"What happened?"
"I killed my father without my mother knowing anything about it. I thought it would make our life better. But it turns out, it only becomes worse"
"…"
"My father was abusive to my mother. I can't stand it. So I kill him. I thought my mother would feel relieved after my father is gone. But reality said a different way. My mother becomes insane, blaming herself for my father's disappearance. I tried to comfort her, but she won't listen. She tried to find a sense of peace in religion. But it only made our distance grow larger"
"…"
"I thought I have no heart every time I saw my mother. Because as time flies by, I lost every feeling I had toward my mother. And on that day, when I entered High School, somehow, I got transferred to this world, and saved by Sensei"
"So she's not also saved your life, but also save your heart isn't it?"
"Yeah. She made me realize, I can still love someone wholeheartedly"
"So why are you scared of her?"
"Because having a possibility of me losing her, scared the hell out of me. It would be better to untie every relation I have with her"
"I'm sorry. If only you were present when her last day come"
"No, it's not your fault. The day when I received the news that Sensei died, I was very angry. It was uncontrollable. So I went on my way to kill you. But as the days went on, I realize, I was actually angry with myself"
"You blame yourself for leaving Shizu-san?"
"Yes, it's only worsened my state. If only I didn't leave her that soon and accompanied her on her last journey, perhaps I can still see her on her last day"
"But it is as you said to the kids before, we have to learn something from it and keep moving on"
"Right, but I want to redeem myself for it. Anyone who has Sensei's soul, I'll treat them as same as Sensei"
I honestly wanted to keep pondering about it, but it starting to look like Hinata is uncomfortable speaking any more than this. So I decided to stop this conversation and switch to discussing our plan.
"All right Hinata, let's help each other. I too have a desire to make Shizu-san happy, no matter how it is, or who she is now. So for now, let's discuss our plan"
"Right, let's get it on with that. 100 kilometers is pretty far to travel by foot. We need horses"
"Don't worry about that, I can teleport both of us to get there"
"Really? That's very convenient"
"But wouldn't it be strange if we went there without knowing anything about this world? As you know, some basic needs in this world. For example, our clothes might be a strange one around here"
"I guess you're right. So what are you suggest?"
"Let's go to a nearby town. I want to get a better idea about this world a bit. And by the way, should we change our name as well?"
"Yes definitely, although the person we're going to see has only 50% of Sensei's soul, it might have a chance to have some part of the memory, right?"
"All right. I can't be sure about memories, but it would be best to have a precaution. I'll go with Johan for my name. What about you?"
"Iza, I'll use that. How about we introduce ourselves as siblings?"
"Hmm… Okay, I'll go with that. Then I'll be in your care, Iza-nee chan"
"So you let me be the older one? I see, be prepared then"
Urk, I think I just made some mistakes here. But anyway, it would only last for this time.
"By the way Hinata, it's proven that Shizu-san isn't reincarnated. Although this one had a large piece of Shizu-san's soul, it's not a complete reincarnation. I guess, at best, we only see half of Shizu-san's personality in this person. Do you still wanna see this person?"
"I tell you already right, I want to redeem myself. And I want to meet Sensei, just once is okay."
"But you have already met her in my imaginary space right?"
"That wasn't enough. It's only an illusion"
"All right. I won't say anything more about your resolve. Then let's prepare ourselves. I'll make some casual clothes tonight. And I wanted to make some food to be sold. Hopefully, it would help our journey"
"Need a hand for anything?"
"No, just get some rest. We'll depart tomorrow"
"Fu, it seems the little brother tried to act cool huh?"
"Huh!? No! It's because I have the ability to make things"
"I'm just kidding. Tell me if you need me"
Then she's heading upstairs.
Geez, even though she said it was a joke, her expression is serious. By the way, when she told me about her past in our original world, her expression was also stiff. I don't know whether it's because she didn't mind about it, or if she was born with such a face which is very difficult to express anything.
Anyway, let's make some food and clothes for me and Hinata.
Ciel, please lend me a hand.
[My pleasure, Master!]
Then first, let's make the clothes. Ciel said the civilization in this world was the same as the medieval era in my original world. So, let's make clothes based on that.
But in that sense, I'm not very fond of clothing and you know, not a very stylish person. I always let Shuna and Shion choose my apparel for every occasion, except for an ordinary day. I hope Hinata won't mind at all.
So I just made a simple tunic for both of us. A tunic, leather pants, and leather shoes. Of course, I made them with a pretty high standard of quality. Not for the looks, but for durability. We'll be going through many unexpected things anyway, so let's be prepared.
[Master already has perfect physical durability, so using this equipment won't be helpful]
I know I know. But how the hell I would explain it to the people when their swords get deflected by my body? Or how our body didn't have any single scratch when we do labor? Or even how the hell we can still get clean?
This kinda thing won't be easy to explain you know!
[…]
Somehow, my common sense got better than Ciel's. But we're in a different world right now. It would be safe to assume we might be seen as enemies if we do something impossible by their standards. Why? I just got suddenly remember a witch who got burned alive in medieval times. It's just a legend, but it is still scary to think about it.
Even though I wouldn't get harmed by fire, let's try not to provoke any problems.
After finishing the clothes, I tried to make sellable food. Ciel said the highest demand in this world is cheap food. I wonder if the people in this world were dominated by lower-class people.
[The civilization of this world is falling behind so the living standard for each people is very low compared to the modern civilization in Master's original world. Even the high-class society didn't have a better standard than the middle-class society on the current modern earth. So in conclusion, by the standard of current modern earth, around 90% of people were living in poverty]
What?! That's an insane percentage!
Hmm…
I see. So it is probably the lower-class settlement that might be on par with the goblin village in the early of my reincarnation?
[Correct]
That's pretty sad actually. I might want to help improve things here but now is not the time. I still have many things to do even in my current world right now. After settling this Tenma Great War, I'll busy myself with improving any other fallen-behind civilization.
I just can't sit idly while knowing I have the strength to do more than I have now.
Just like Shizu-san, right? We become strong so we can help people.
Well, for now, let's make some easy and cheap food. Let's make some bread.
[Understood]
A piece of bread suddenly appears in my hand. It's a usual bread, nothing special. But as far as I remember, Ciel had mentioned some plants that help to slow the rot, right?
[Correct. There's a plant nearby called 'Madat Hafiza'. It can be used as a preservative ingredient. It might affect the taste, but it will last longer than ordinary bread.]
Hooo… how long actually it will last after I combined it with the madat hafiza plant?
[Around three weeks at the lowest possible]
Woah… that's actually pretty long.
In my previous life, a piece of bread could get expired just 3 days after I bought it. If I were to get lucky, the bread would last for a week.
So with this plant, we can preserve the bread longer than usual.
All right, let's get it on. Ciel, can you make the bread after it's been mixed with madat hafiza?
[Of course. How much do you want to make?]
I see… Well, let's just make it in a large amount. I'll keep it inside my imaginary space for most of it. While for the small amount, I'll take it by hand.
Ohh… maybe I should make some bags as well. Ciel!
[Understood. I made a bag using leather. I'll make 2 bags, one each for Master and Hinata]
Thank you!
The bag appeared in front of me.
Damn, if this is some RPG game, it's definitely a cheat. But it's my own skill and ability, so I won't be blamed if I use it right? In fact, I was holding back a lot you know.
I think I have finished doing what I need for preparation. It's time to get some rest.
My current state doesn't need any sleep, it's common sense. But what's wrong with a little lie down on a bed?
And so, I took one of the rooms inside the house. And lie down on the bed. It's pretty comfy. I'll relax a bit for a while.
And to my surprise, it's already early in the morning!
Huh? Did I just unintentionally asleep?
[Yes, I have made Master fall asleep]
What!? Why?
[Master has to disguised as same as human]
Uh… I know. But, putting me asleep without warning, it's scary you know. Next time, tell me if you want to do something to me.
[Understood]
Gosh, Ciel just intentionally has complete control over me. I was lucky that she was doing it for my well-being.
Well, it doesn't mean that having sleep is a bad thing anyway. It saves my time as well. Rather than waking up for the entire night without doing anything, having a sleep is better.
Now, it's already morning. The sun hasn't risen yet. But let's get prepared.
I came out of my room and went to the living room. I found Hinata already there and checked out the tunic I made last night.
"Good morning, it seems you looking better"
"Morning, are these the clothes we'll be wearing?"
"Yeah, unstylish as it is, but it's probably the most common clothes in here. But I've made it very durable for this world's standard"
"All right, it's not that I wanted to wear cute clothes as well"
I turn myself into slime and absorb the clothes I made. Then, I'm changing my form into a humanoid once again, but this time, I already wear my tunic.
Hinata glared at me. Um, what's wrong?
"You didn't expect me to change my clothes in front of you, right?"
"Ah! Um… No! Then, I'll be waiting outside!"
Crap, I completely forgot. But at least she can move to another room and change it there right? Why do I have to get out?
Silly me.
Only a couple of minutes later, she came outside of the house. She bring two bags of bread that I made last night. Crap, I also forgot to bring them before.
"Don't worry, I'll carry it until we reach the market. At least I can do this for you"
"Well, I take your offer then. But it's quite far you know. I actually intend to go to a bigger market. And it's 20 kilometers away from here. If we walk, we'll arrive in the afternoon"
"No problem. You lead the way"
"Okay then. Follow me"
Then we walk through the forest until we found a small road heading to the nearby town after I absorbed the house again. There's almost nobody using this road because we haven't seen anyone around. We found some carriage tracks though. And after we walked for several kilometers, we found a broken carriage. One of the wheels has come off, and there are some burn marks on one side of the carriage. We found some human skeletons there. After seeing that carriage, Ciel reported something.
[Master, 10 people are hiding with malicious intent several meters away from our position]
Oh, bother. I think I know who are they.
"Rimuru, it seems we've been watched"
"I know, they're hiding several meters ahead"
"What do you want to do?"
"Eh? Shouldn't we engage them?"
Hinata smiled after hearing my reaction. Seems like she just wanted to check if we are on the same page.
"Right, I was worried you might want to take another route to avoid them"
"Well, that's one of the options but…"
"Yeah, I get it. Let's get it done"
"All right"
We didn't sheathe our swords just yet. Pretending to be off guard. And after walking several more meters, 6 people were coming out from their hiding.
Hmm… it seems the other 4 would stay hiding to lay an ambush.
[The remaining of them are carrying a crossbow. It seems they planned to shoot us if everything doesn't go as planned]
Right, and we have to pretend to not notice them for now.
The six people in front of me were wearing armor made from metal. The four of them wield a halberd, while the rest of them wield a sword and an axe. Their armor looks the same, and they even wear an emblem with a dragon figure in it. They also wear a white tattered cape.
Hm? Hold on. They more look like a soldier rather than a bandit.
Something's not right here. So I decided to speak first.
"Oy! Who are you guys? What are you doing for blocking our way?"
Then, one of them replied.
"Hand us your supplies! We're going to let you go unharmed if you did!"
Both of me and Hinata were staring at each other.
"What are you guys saying?"
"Huh? What do you mean? They just ask us to hand over our supplies"
"Is that so? All I hear were unfamiliar words"
Huh? Hinata didn't understand our talks? But I just understand them perfectly though.
[I have changed their soundwave into familiar words with Master's hearing sense. The same goes with Master's voice. I have tuned it so it produces a familiar language for them]
Really, this Ciel. It's really helpful. My deepest gratitude to you, Ciel.
[Just leave it to me, Master!]
"W-Well, I happened to have an ability to automatically translate their words. And that's what they said. It seems they asking to hand over our supplies"
"You really have a lot of convenient ability. Well, to be honest, the situation doesn't seem right. Just asking for supplies is too generous for a mere bandit"
So she's also noticed they're probably not just a simple bandit.
"You're right. Their equipment is pretty much like a soldier though. What do you think we should do?"
"Tell them we can't give them any supply. I want to see what their reaction"
"All right"
So I speak again to them.
"Sorry, but we can't! We need to sell the food we brought to earn money!"
"If that's the case, we have to take it by force!"
Then, the six of them changed their stance into a battle position. The swordsmen and the axeman move behind, while the four halberd wielders form a line in front of them. The crossbowmen who's been hiding also starting to aim at us.
Oh dear, it seems it's going to be a battle.
"Last chance! Give us your food and no one will be harmed!"
Hm? This is getting more confusing. Do they seem to be… desperate? Also, I didn't catch any of his words are going to kill us. Usually, the bandit didn't mind killing anyone they rob. And worst, you know, "having fun" with a female victim.
I have Hinata who looks hot just by looking at her face, yet they never mention handing her over to them.
Not that I wanted them to do it though.
And that battle stance, with that formation, it's not an effective way to ambush us. It only looks like they threaten us. But if the fight really goes on, they're going in the defensive position. They don't seem to have any intention of charging at us
"I don't know what they're saying, but it seems they don't want to fight us for real"
Hinata made a comment. And I agree with her.
"Yeah, it made the situation more confusing"
[Correction. The malicious intent that I've reported before turned out to be desperation driven by starvation. From a quick analysis, it seems they haven't eaten anything for three days]
Three days?! Damn man, that's very rough for sure!
I become seriously praised them to stay alive and still manage to not resort to killing us already.
"Hinata, they seem to be in pretty bad starvation. I think we should give them the food we have in our bags for now"
"Then what if they asked for more than just our food?"
"Then we'll deal with them with force"
"Sounds good to me"
And then Hinata let go of the bag she's been carrying. She gave it to me, and let me go to them for handing it over.
"All right! Lower your weapon! We're going to give you our food!"
After I said it, they immediately lower their weapon and broke off their formation. I walked up to them and handed over the two bags full of bread. And once they receive the bag, they immediately open it up.
"' Ohhh! '"
They became overjoyed. All of them gather around and eat the bread with high intensity. Heck, even the crossbowmen just got out of their hiding and join them without being wary of me and Hinata.
Hinata walked over to me and looked at the scene with a sympathetic face. She seems to pity them.
The sight really made me feel sorry for them. Until at some point, I was thinking of secretly bringing more bread from my imaginary space. But I manage to hold it since it probably can be seen by them.
Both I and Hinata didn't know what to do. At first, we're going to sneakingly leave them and search for some quiet place to bring up more bread from my imaginary space, along with making more bags and then continuing our journey. But just when we try to walk past them, the guy who talk to me before is stopping me by blocking my way.
In reflex, Hinata put her hand on her sword. While I was immediately taken a few steps backward.
I don't know what he's going to do, but just in case I put my guard up.
But then, he bows himself so low. And continue to perform a dogeza toward me. The rest of them are following what he did.
"We're very sorry for robbing you! Raising our weapon against a civilian is the most dishonorable thing to do by a knight, but we have no choice. Please, if you want to punish us, just take my head for replacing my friend's life! I'm begging you!"
"Captain! No please don't do that! O' honorable one, please take my head instead! Captain Alan is a very important person, we cannot lose him in our current state!"
"No! O' my good sir, please spare Captain and Leroy! You can release your anger to me instead! I'll take any punishment you'll give! But please, spare my Captain and my comrade's life!"
Oy oy! What the hell are these guys saying? Taking their head?
I won't do that!
Well, robbing people is a serious crime. But I understand it's because of their desperation. In the modern world, I think there are several cases where criminals are doing a bad thing because they were desperate.
I glanced at Hinata. She seems to not understand the situation clearly. So I explain it to her.
Then after my explanation, Hinata made a suggestion.
"Then tell them to explain what's the story behind their action. It seems like they're a pretty decent knight"
"Yeah, they're willing to protect their comrade even if it will take their life"
So I turned back again at them. They're still quarreling about who's going to take the punishment. Luckily for you guys, none of them would be killed. Well, at least for now.
"Lift your heads up. We won't punish you after we saw how starving you are"
They lift their head a bit, but they are still in the dogeza position. Then, the Captain speak again.
"O' my good sir, you're too generous. We have tarnished our honor by robbing the people we ought to protect. We cannot continue our life as a proud knight without getting a proper punishment"
Then they put down their head once again.
Guh! This is really troublesome!
This is why I don't like stiff etiquette.
"What are they saying? Why they're still performing dogeza?" Hinata asked.
"Well, it seems they really wanted to be punished. They talk about honor and pride as a knight"
"Hmm… I get it. Then, tell them I'll smack them with my unsheath sword. I want to test how powerful the humans are in this world."
"Woah! Are you sure? You will holding back right?"
"Of course. And don't forget to make them tell the cause of their action"
"All right. And be sure to hold back okay."
Hinata nodded. And then I tell them about our decision about their punishment.
"Then, my older sister here will hit you with her sword's scabbard. And you guys have to tell us why you're doing this"
"T-To be only punished by a hit of a sword, it still cannot restore our honor, O' good sir"
"Then, take it as your real punishment. You'll live with your honor being tarnished. You can restore it when I gave you a more proper punishment. Consider you guys owe me one"
"Y-Yes, certainly, O'good sir"
They seem to be underestimating Hinata's strength. Well, I'll make you regret that. Now they gonna provide us with some data about this world's human power and have them owing me.
Hehe, I wonder who's the villain here.
I nodded to Hinata. She nodded back and immediately took her sword into her grip. Of course, without sheathing it out from its scabbard. Her face was dead plain. Looks like it wasn't her first time doing this.
Scary.
Even though it's not a brutal sight, I chose to turn away and didn't see any of them being punished.
Those knights are still in dogeza before I turned my eyes away, and seconds later…
*smack
"Ack! What the…"
*smack
"Ow!"
*clang
"Argh!"
And it goes on until the last person.
After I turned again, I see none of them get on their feet. All of them were lying down on the ground. Even some of them get faint.
"I thought you would holding back?!"
"It's not my fault. They're surprisingly weaker than I thought. Even their armor was not very good"
After she said that, I saw some dents in their armor. Really, she has done it!
I sighed. But Hinata is not bothered at all.
Hahh… At least it would give Ciel some accurate analysis.
[Yes, and now I'm very certain of the average strength of the people in this world. Those knights are equivalent to the D rank class according to Tempest level strength. The fact they're already through training to become a knight, the average human's strength in this world is E rank]
Hmm… So the average people in this world might only be as strong as Goblin huh?
It seems the cause of it was the lifestyle they have at this level of civilization.
Those knights must be in utter pain after being hit by Hinata who's over S rank. She said she's holding back though.
I check on their injuries and was relieved when I saw no serious injuries in them. Seriously, if they got a serious injury such as broken bones or fractured one, I have to use a potion.
But the bruise is very bad. Their skin started to turn purple colored. It will stay like that for days I guess. And the marks might last forever. That's what you get for underestimating Hinata.
All of them can't move for a while after being hit by Hinata. And once they could move, they carry their comrade who fainted to the side of the road.
Their Captain is the one who talked again to me after a brief silence.
"We really owe you one, good sir. And we'll wait for any opportunities given to restore our honor from you"
This Captain, I guess his name is Alan right?
[Correct]
All right, I remember this guy's name.
Captain Alan once again bow at me, along with around 3 of his men who already recovering.
"All right. Captain Alan isn't it? For now, let's introduce ourselves first. My name is Johan, and this is my older sister, Izu"
Hinata nodded when she heard her name being mentioned. I guess even though she didn't understand what we said, she could guess what we were talking about right now.
"My deepest gratitude to you, Johan-dono, Izu-dono. It's a miracle we could be saved from this dire situation without having to lose any single life. As you already know, my name is Alan. Alan Cormack. I'm a Captain of the 10th Royal Knight Brigade under Prince Constance. And all of the men behind me are my subordinates and my proud knights. Everyone! Introduce yourself!"
"Yes! My name is Leroy Earheart. I'm a vice-captain of the 10th Royal Knight Brigade. My deepest apologies for our action!"
I just nodded, and the introduction still continue.
"My name is Gildo! A member of the 10th Royal Knight Brigade-"
"My name is Jared! A member of-"
"My name is Hilton! A member of-"
I really wanted to cut off and say, "Just say your goddamn name!" but I hold it back since it might be rude for them.
Hinata glances at me, probably wondering what exactly are they saying. But I just shook my head, saying it was not something important. I mean, their names are important. But as far to say their affiliation while their Captain already did, it's a bit too much for me.
Well long story short, I manage to know these guys' names.
The Captain, a pretty muscular man 185cm in height is Alan Cormack.
The Vice-captain, a slender figure but 196cm in height is Leroy Earheart.
And the members are; Gildo Fantain, Jared Talkin, Hilton Ereina, Pomus Namer, Garda Lilquist, Luis Ooter, Fanyr Bolga, and Koral Venema.
The rest of the member pretty much has a similar figure. Some of them are slender and some of them are muscular. They basically have white skin, but it seems tanned by sunburning. Their height is around 180-190cm. It's actually a pretty decent figure as a knight.
But what are they doing here? Shouldn't a knight is staying at a castle? And who are their mentioning? A prince?
I ask them to tell me everything they had to me. And it became a long talk. It seems not just Captain Alan who is eager to speak, but the whole squad is eager to do it too.
Honestly, it's a pretty long story with various points of view, and I can see some exaggeration at some point. But to summarize, they're a victim of power struggles in this kingdom.
Their Lord, Prince Constance is in a quarrel with the Crown Prince. They suspect the Crown Prince is a puppet of corrupt noble houses. The people love Prince Constance more, so when the King passed away, these two princes start a war on each other.
Oh boy, it looks like we have to avoid this conflict as much as we could. Although they seem to be a decent knight, fighting for someone who claims to be a better person than the other is a bit unacceptable to me.
"His Highness Prince Constance is a noble and kind-hearted person. He would always help anyone who was in need. Even though His Highness is a true male, his gentle personality can rival a full-flexed mother! Unlike Prince Terrace who only like luxury. We won't give this kingdom to a such person!" Captain Alan ends his explanation with a fiery expression.
This guy. Isn't it embarrassing to compare a full-grown man with a mother figure? I'm starting to suspect this Captain had some mother issue. But hey, they haven't told us the reason why they ended up in this state though.
"That's a pretty long story, but how can a knight like you be ended in this such a state?"
"Well, that's um…"
"It's all right Captain. Let me be the one who explains it."
Leroy suddenly interrupted.
"Johan-dono, it's really embarrassing for us so we would really be thankful for you to keep it secret. I know I'm asking a lot after your generous act, but once again please spare our dignity a bit more for this by never mentioning it in front of His Highness Constance."
I really don't care man! Just tell me already for goodness sake! Like I will meet with this prince anyway!
"Yes, don't worry about it. So, what happened to you guys?" I manage to pretend to be calm.
"Thank you very much Johan-dono! Now, let me tell you the story behind our state. We were on a mission to scout an area to build a base for our resistance against Crown Prince's army. But on our way, we were, you know… lost. We didn't have many supplies with us, so we quickly ran out of food. We never came to this area and we didn't know any edible plants. We tried to hunt some animals but this thick woods always made us fail. We walked further in every direction, but we never encounter any people, village, or town. So we always come back into this exact same spot. And when we saw you carrying something, we were out of mind and intentionally planned to rob you"
"Why though? You could just be asking nicely. If you ask, I would still give it to you"
"That's… We're very sorry. I was the one who make a false accusation"
"False accusation?"
"Yes, because I saw both of you bring a sword. I convinced my comrades that you're an enemy who's on the same mission as us. Besides…"
"Besides?"
"It's embarrassing for us to beg for food"
Leroy had a really red-skinned face right now. I saw everyone else was also the same.
Wouldn't it be more embarrassing to hurt people?
[Probably the starvation has messed up their way of thinking as well]
Oh yeah right. I completely forgot that they already hadn't eaten anything for three days. I have never been under starvation, so I can't judge them simply by their action. The last time I'm facing starvation was when The Orc Lord incident.
I sighed deeply. Hinata who saw my troubled face is giving me a puzzled look. I pity her. She seems at a great disadvantage for not being able to understand this world's language. I'll have to think about the solution for her.
"All right I have heard your story. Now, I need to talk with my sister"
So I leave them for a while and walked straight to Hinata. I explain everything I just heard before starting from Captain Alan and his vice-captain Leroy.
"Hmm… They have a bit honorable attitude, but surprisingly dumb intelligence"
Ouch! Even I didn't think that harshly. Well, they won't understand what she says even if they heard her voice though.
"O-oy… even though they won't understand what you said, you can't be that rude you know!"
"Sorry, I just say what's on my mind. But honestly, now I'm afraid of something"
"Huh? Afraid of what?"
"Based on these knight stories, this prince had some similar personality as Sensei"
!
Wait, wait, wait!
On second thought, Ciel never told me who is the person who has half of Shizu-san's soul.
Ciel, please confirm that this prince is not the one who possessed half of Shizu-san's soul!
[I cannot 100% confirm who's being inhabited by Shizu's soul for now. I can only locate where it is]
Now I'm sweating for no reason. No, not physically sweating, but I feel some cold breeze heading down my spine.
I don't know why, but I feel like being mentally hurt if Shizu-san's soul inhabits a male. Even though it's only half of her total soul.
"What's that face? Are you disappointed if Sensei doesn't reincarnate as a female again?"
"N-No! That's not it! It's…"
Huh? What is it? In the first place, why I felt disappointed? I should have known that Shizu-san might become a completely different person.
But what is this feeling?
"I don't know"
I muttered those words. It's actually more like an answer to my question.
"It's okay. I too would be troubled if Sensei's reincarnated as a male"
Hinata responded with a little smile on her lips. She seems genuine in her voice, but I felt that's something more to it. It's like, she's confirming something.
"Ahh, we don't have to worry about that. It's not even a complete soul anyway. So even if the prince was the one who's being inhabited by half of the Shizu-san's soul, he's not a reincarnation of Shizu-san"
Surprisingly, my words are more comforting to me.
"I see. You have a point. But even so, I would still take him as Sensei"
"Okay, I won't hold you back"
Hinata nodded to me.
Well, for now, let's talk again with the knights. They seem to be lost. I assume they still didn't know where they should go.
"So what are you guys going to do? You still didn't know where to go, right?"
Captain Alan is once again who answers me.
"Yes, as embarrassing as it is, but we still didn't know where the closest town is. But I think after eating, we could continue our search"
Hmm… this isn't a good idea.
Ciel, is Cardinalis town still far away?
[It's still about 16 kilometers away]
I think they can go walk for that distance. And it's already afternoon.
Gah! It's because of these guys we're getting late.
But leaving them here might be a bad idea as well. For humanity's sake, I didn't want to abandon them. But I don't want to get dragged into their conflict. So I will affirm it with them.
"Then, how about coming with us? We're heading to Cardinalis town. You can act as our bodyguard along the way"
"Cardinalis? You know the way, Johan-dono?" the captain asked.
"Yes, we both are heading there since we heard there's a huge market over there"
"Ohhh! My pleasure, Johan-dono! And actually, we have an outpost in that town. We'll give you our provisions and money in exchange for the food we have taken before!"
"Really? Thank you very much for that. I'll take your offer then, Captain Alan"
"My pleasure Johan-dono. Now, shall we depart before it's getting dark?"
"You're right. Then, I'll lead the way"
"' Yes! '"
Then we all departed in surprisingly high spirits.
