Chapter 51

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Kurahito felt the sun's rays piercing his eyelids and woke up. His clothes were already drying, but the sand that had seeped into them felt uncomfortable. As he leisurely took in these sensations, he suddenly felt an intense thirst. Kurahito slowly got up, asked the water spirit for some water, and raised his face to drink it. The sky was blue, without a single cloud. Ignoring the water streaming down his neck, Kurahito drank greedily, like a dry sponge absorbing water, gulping continuously.

Once his thirst was quenched, he finally took a deep breath and looked around. It was a sandy beach. No one was in sight. In front of him was the sea, and beyond it, several islands could be seen. Perhaps Iraid and the others had been washed up on one of those islands. Behind him, tall, twisted trees and thick, sprawling vines combined with trees growing at the edge of the land and sea to form a dense jungle. The sun was scorching, and the humidity was high, making his skin feel sticky. The temperature itself was also very high.

"Considering the number of days, it's unlikely to be Sauran, right?"

There was no one to respond to Kurahito's muttering. Kurahito began to check his belongings. The weapon he had been carrying was safe, but the trunk was missing. The food backpack was almost empty, so he could wrap it around his arm, and it seemed to have protected it from damage.

"The paintings are all gone... and the magic books too."

Kurahito sighed, thinking he would have to rewrite them. He didn't remember all the original texts. The magic textbooks in the food backpack had notes inserted into them. This was a loophole Kurahito had discovered by chance; notes could be inserted into the magic textbooks and kept in the food backpack. This meant that paper money could also be stored in the same way.

Since he had already paid half of the fare for two people, 10,000 Rods, to the captain, Kurahito had 15,000 Rods in cash, including the 5,000 Rods he had left after splitting with Iraid. Without knowing where the guild was, this would be an important source of funds. Of course, this was only if the paper money could be used.

"Still, without paper or a pen, there's nothing I can do."

Deciding that staying there any longer would turn him into a sun-dried raisin, Kurahito stood up. It would be faster to search for a town than to look for Iraid and Yuki, who were much stronger than him. Kurahito started walking along the beach, wanting to know where he was.

No matter how far he walked, it was just the beach, the sea, and the tropical rainforest. The result of his exploration, using both his feet and the wind spirit, was that it was a small island that could be circled in a day, but there was no sign of any human presence.

---

Kurahito stopped and drew his kukri and magic gun. He was already surrounded. Since his magic power was not infinite, he couldn't constantly be on guard with the wind spirit.

--- Wooooo ---

Howls came from both the sea and the jungle. In response, something flew out from the jungle and the sea. They were wolf-like magical beasts. Their faces and bodies were generally sharp and streamlined, similar to a Borzoi but more wild, with a mix of blue and green fur and a flat, platypus-like tail. Their paws were wolf-like but had webbed feet covered in short fur.

About a dozen of these magical beasts had surrounded Kurahito perfectly. The wolf magical beasts on the sea side were even walking on the water's surface with their slender limbs, gradually narrowing the circle around Kurahito. Kurahito, who was just getting used to the fantasy world, was taken aback.

Behind the small and medium-sized wolf magical beasts surrounding Kurahito, there were two large wolf magical beasts that towered over Yuki in height. Perhaps they were a family.

"Do you have any intention of letting me go?"

Kurahito tried to speak to them, but there was no response. He clicked his tongue and, deciding to strike first, kicked up a cloud of sand and charged forward. He headed for the sea side. Perhaps they hadn't expected a human to run into the sea, and the wolf magical beasts were slightly slow to react. The wolf magical beasts from the jungle side charged through the sand, but gunshots echoed in response.

--- Yaaan ---

Two small wolf magical beasts that had charged into the sand cloud were impaled by stakes hidden in the sand and hit by the three-shot magic gun that Kurahito had fired without even aiming. The magic gun, like the one Alice used, could be fired with air or the explosion of a fire spirit. The power depended on the magic power, but it could only fire three shots in a row. Once fired, it was out of ammunition, and reloading took time.

Kurahito put the magic gun back in his waist and, with maximum reinforcement, ran across the sea. With each step Kurahito took on the sea, there was a sheet of ice. The ice sheets, about the size of a tatami mat, floated on the sea and shattered one by one as Kurahito ran away. They didn't need to be that strong, but the wolf magical beasts that jumped at him didn't know that and fell into the sea with the shattered ice. The wolf magical beasts, which should have been able to swim, were drowning. The shattered ice had attached to their limbs and frozen them. It seemed that the wolf magical beasts, experiencing ice for the first time in a tropical region, were completely confused.

Kurahito returned to the shore in a semicircle. A medium-sized wolf magical beast jumped at him from the jungle side, but Kurahito hit it forcefully with his shield. --- Yaaan --- The nose of the wolf magical beast froze on impact, and it experienced the freezing phenomenon of feeling both cold and hot, rolling on the ground. Kurahito then slashed it forcefully with his kukri.

He must have killed about three of them. Kurahito thought about this as he ran. But that was a mistake. A medium-sized wolf magical beast bit his arm holding the kukri. It didn't penetrate the giant's glove, but it restricted his movement, slowing Kurahito's pace. At that moment, the wolf magical beasts attacked. This time, his right leg was bitten. The fangs pierced through his leather pants and into his calf, a sensation that was far from pleasant, causing intense pain. Then, the left arm and left leg were also bitten by the wolf magical beasts. Thanks to the reinforcement, he didn't fall, but his movements were completely restricted.

A particularly large wolf magical beast approached, swinging its tail slowly as if to praise its children. But Kurahito smiled slyly. It was a bad move against someone who could handle ice.

In an instant, Kurahito froze himself and the wolf magical beasts.

A large ice sculpture was formed on the shore. The title of the sculpture might be "Hunter and Wolf." The medium-sized wolf magical beasts bravely jumped at the ice sculpture, but their fangs only scratched the ice, leaving no damage. The remaining wolf magical beasts and the large ones were at a loss and couldn't move.

Kurahito, however, started moving inside the ice. He peeled off the parts where the four wolf magical beasts had bitten him, still alive and firmly biting. Stabbing their noses with a knife gradually weakened them. After peeling off the wolf magical beasts, Kurahito escaped from the ice. The remaining magical beasts would eventually suffocate or freeze to death.

The eyes of the two large wolf magical beasts seemed to change, not just Kurahito's imagination. The remaining wolf magical beasts retreated, and the two large ones positioned themselves to flank Kurahito. They had a presence that could rival a Great Thorned Spider. They might not be that strong, but to Kurahito, it was the same.

"Damn..."

Kurahito muttered without realizing it.

At that moment, spears, arrows, and magic flew at the two large wolf magical beasts. The two large wolf magical beasts quickly retreated, glanced at the new enemies, and howled.

--- Wooooo ---

The four remaining wolf magical beasts disappeared into the jungle, and the two large ones, after confirming this, also turned and disappeared into the forest.

The wolf magical beasts were driven away by a small boat floating on the sea. The three people on the boat waved at him. Kurahito finally relaxed and sheathed his kukri.

"Thank you for helping me."

Kurahito thanked the man who had come ashore from the boat. The man appeared to be of a dark-skinned race.

"I just came to check out the explosion. What about you?"

It seemed they had come to his aid after hearing the gunshots.

"Hunter, 'Eight-Star.'"

The man looked slightly surprised.

"I see, a fellow hunter. Pure-blooded human hunters are rare around here. Can you show me your tag for confirmation? Oh, sorry, I'm Chai. The other two are Pan and Kun."

The man introduced himself and showed his tag. The tag had the guild emblem, seven stars, and the name Chai Kaosai as he had introduced himself. Kurahito, as instructed, pulled out the tag he was wearing around his neck and showed it.

"I'm Kurahito. You can call me by my first name."

"Really an 'Eight-Star.' I thought you might be even higher. What are you doing here? This area is the territory of the sea wolves. Even fishermen and hunters don't come here unless it's for a hunt."

"Yeah, the ship from Osron to Sauran sank due to a spirit's mischief."

Chai looked sympathetic.

"I see. Do you have any companions... and we shouldn't stay here too long."

"The magical beasts just now?"

Chai nodded seriously.

"I don't think they'll attack again, but it's better to be safe."

"Got it. Can I come with you? If possible, I'd like to be taken to the nearest guild."

"Sure, no problem. By the way, what will you do with the sea wolves you killed?"

The two dark-skinned, turtle-like beastmen were collecting the dead sea wolves.

"If they have any value, you can take them."

Kurahito had dropped the formal language, considering the possibility of being recognized. While in the snow, such concerns didn't matter, but since he would be interacting with people, it was better to avoid anything too Japanese.

Chai looked surprised at Kurahito's words.

"A pack of sea wolves is usually hunted by 'Seven-Star' or higher. Even though they are just first and second-year pups, they still have some value. Is that okay?"

Kurahito nodded. Since he would be troubling them, it wasn't a problem. The other two looked happy and started skinning the bodies. There were about seven corpses, and the local hunters quickly skinned them one by one.

Seeing this, Chai smiled wryly.

"Sorry. They are 'Eight-Star' hunters I take care of. Today's hunt was a bust, and life isn't easy for them, so this will help."

"No, I'm the one who was helped. If there's anything I can do to thank you..."

"No, no, the sea wolves are enough. It's normal for hunters to help each other. Tomorrow, it could be me who needs help."

They seemed to be genuinely good people. All three of them looked satisfied, showing no signs of dissatisfaction.

"Still, you're an 'Eight-Star' too. To take on seven of them, even if it's a family pack, is impressive."

"The magical beasts around here aren't used to ice, so that's what saved me."

"Ice? There are no ice spirits around here during the day."

Chai looked puzzled.

"Yeah, I have a monster shield."

Kurahito raised his arm to show his shield. Chai nodded in understanding.

"Let's go then."

The two who had finished skinning the bodies were already waiting by the boat, which was loaded with the pelts. The boat was made of wood, hollowed out from a tree.

Seeing Kurahito's anxious face, Chai laughed.

"Don't worry. If you fall, we can all swim, so we'll help you."

"I can swim, but I'm not used to boats."

Kurahito said this as he boarded the boat, feeling it rock slightly. Suppressing his anxiety, he sat down in the boat.

"What do you mean by 'all of us can swim'?"

"I'm half turtle beastman. I don't have a shell, but look."

Chai showed the webbing between his fingers. Kurahito swallowed his questions about why turtles would have webbed feet.

"Let's go."

Saying this, the two turtle beastmen pushed the boat out to sea.

The boat glided smoothly over the water. Once it started moving, it was much more stable than Kurahito had feared.

"Where are we?"

"We're in the Rattanak Kingdom, one of the Ankwaar Archipelago. We're heading to Ya La Kanchan, the second-largest city after the capital."

Kurahito recalled the map. If his memory served, this was the southern end of the continent where Elrodiana and Albaum were located. The continent was axe-shaped, extending southward, and being at the southern tip, it was quite far from Albaum.

Chai asked hesitantly.

"Did you have any companions?"

"Probably washed up somewhere. I was brought here on an ice boat, and I could just see land when my magic power ran out."

"I see. The guild will surely pass on the message."

After about an hour on the boat, just as Kurahito was starting to feel seasick again, they arrived at Ya La Kanchan. The city seemed to have a well-developed boat transportation system, and they could even reach the guild by boat. Kurahito, noticing the bustling and vibrant city, thanked Chai and hurried to the guild.

The Ya La Kanchan guild was closer to Osron than Salehad, but it was a wooden, raised-floor building, cluttered but open. Kurahito, taking out his tag, asked the receptionist.

"I'm Kuro. Is there any message from Iraid Bargain?"

The receptionist, surprised by the sudden appearance of a different race, perked up his dog ears and said, "Please wait a moment," before going to check.

"--- I understand your concern for your companion, but don't be too anxious. If you saw land from the sea, they must be on one of the islands."

Chai, who had followed him, said this. Kurahito saw that Pan and Kun were lining up at the buyback counter with the items they had skinned from the sea wolves.

"--- Kuro, there is a message. It seems they just received a communication. Iraid Bargain is safe, and so is the hunting beast, Yuki. They said to pass on the location to the guild, and they will come here."

Kurahito felt a great sense of relief.

"That's good."

Chai's words made Kurahito nod.

"Where is Iraid?"

"It's from the capital of Kumjea Republic."

"I see, then---"

"No, wait. If they are coming from the capital of Kumjea, it's better to meet at the capital guild. It's a matter of fate, so I'll take you there."

Chai said this from the side. Kurahito looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah, my family is in the capital. I need to go back soon, so it's on the way."

"--- I see. Then I'll ask you to take me."

Kurahito decided that it was unlikely that a hunter would deceive another hunter in front of a guild official.

"So, please inform them to meet at the capital. How much will it cost?"

The receptionist shook his head.

"It's free in emergencies, according to the rules."

"I see. Thank you. By the way, what's the date today?"

"Today is the 26th of Red Moon."

Kurahito, feeling a strange unease as things proceeded smoothly, realized that his experience in Salehad had affected him more than he thought, and he chuckled.

"The capital is not far from here. We can go today... why are you suddenly laughing?"

"No, nothing. I was just in Salehad, a frontier town,