Chapter 44

"Are you hurt?"

As I approached Sermia and the woman, I asked Sermia.

"Yeah, neither of us has any serious injuries."

"Good."

I sighed in relief and glanced at the woman. I had instinctively helped her, but there was a possibility that she had been doing something wrong and the men I had cut down were actually law enforcement or something similar.

I had cut them down, hadn't I? It was the first time I had used something I created for its intended purpose. Of course, I had never killed anyone in my previous world. I had been worried that I might feel some internal conflict before the act, but with the help of the abilities I received from the cheat, I was able to cut them down without hesitation. There was a dull, heavy feeling somewhere in my heart, but it wasn't regret or fear. That made me feel even more uneasy. I had felt so much guilt about my creation hurting someone in an unknown place.

"What's wrong, Eizou? Are you hurt?"

Sermia looked at my face with concern. I replied with an awkward smile,

"No, I'm not hurt. Thank you."

"Alright, miss,"

I asked the woman who had been attacked. Her golden hair was unadorned, and at first glance, she seemed to be dressed in ordinary traveler's clothes. But upon closer inspection, she was wearing a breastplate, chainmail, and greaves under her cloak. She had probably dressed in the minimum necessary gear to look like a regular traveler. If she closed the front of her cloak, the armored parts would be almost invisible.

"Could you tell us who you are and why you were attacked?"

"..."

"I understand you might have your reasons and might not want to talk about it, but since we've killed so many people, we'll be in trouble if we're questioned by the guards without a reason. So, could you help us by telling us?"

The woman stared at me intently. She had beautiful amber eyes, and her features were sharp, making her likely a beauty in this world as well. But her face seemed familiar. Maybe she was an actress from a Western movie in my previous world.

"First of all, thank you for saving me."

After a moment, she seemed to have made up her mind and began to speak.

"My name is Diana Aimur. I lived in the capital, but due to certain circumstances, I had to seek refuge with someone. However, I was attacked by pursuers just as I was about to reach my destination. If you hadn't come to my rescue, I don't know what would have happened."

A noble, then. If that's the case, the "certain circumstances" might be the political turmoil among the upper nobility that Camillo mentioned. To check if she was lying, I glanced at Sermia, who shook her head sideways. She wasn't lying.

"I see. I understand the situation. Now, what should we do with this?"

I looked at the bodies lying a short distance away. If we were going to hide them, we couldn't dawdle, or the patrol would come. On the other hand, we could wait for the patrol to arrive and report it. It was a bit scary to think so calmly, but we didn't have much choice.

"Let's hide them."

As I was hesitating, the woman—Diana—spoke.

"Is that okay? I mean, they're not ordinary bandits, right?"

"Yes, they are pursuers, so it will buy us some time until it's discovered that they were repelled."

"You mean we can reach the person you're seeking in that time..."

"Yes."

Pursuers aren't always bad, but at this point, we were in too deep.

"Alright, then let's hide them in the forest. Rike, can you bring the cart over?"

"Understood."

I didn't actually want to put the bodies in the cart. I planned to drag them into the forest while Rike was fetching it.

"Sermia, can you help me?"

"Sure thing."

"Sorry."

"What are you talking about? It's too late for that now."

We dragged the bodies by their arms into the forest. This way, it would be harder to tell if they were wolves, and we wouldn't get blood on us. I never thought we'd end up doing what we had just been discussing.

If we pulled with all our might, it wouldn't take long. In about half an hour, we had reached a state similar to what I had witnessed two weeks ago. It was a remote part of the forest, and the patrol guards wouldn't come here. By then, Rike had returned with the cart.

"Alright, we're going home, but before that, Diana, could you tell us about the person you're seeking? We might be able to help."

When I said this, Diana looked hesitant. Of course, she wouldn't easily share her story with a stranger who had just saved her life. But eventually, she spoke.

"The person was introduced to me by my brother. He lives in a remote place."

Hmm, there are people like me in this world, too.

"He recently started coming to this area."

Hmm, maybe he's in a similar situation to me. I'm a bit interested in this person.

"He's a very skilled blacksmith..."

Huh?

"The knives and swords my brother uses are all made by him, and he said he would have them adjusted after this matter is resolved."

"Excuse me, Diana. Could your brother be Marius, who used to be a guard in the town ahead?"

When I asked this in a polite tone, Diana replied with a puzzled look,

"Yes, Marius Albert Aimur is my brother, but how do you know him?"