Chapter 75

It has been three days since the sword obtained from the ruins was wrapped in Nere's hair, forming a cocoon-like state. Aldis still remained in the land of Raitin.

During this time, the sword only emitted a faint red glow, showing no signs of change.

Based on Marida's story and the events so far, it was expected that some kind of change would occur.

However, it was unclear when the change would come.

In Marida's dream, the details around this were not clear.

Since she did not see specific scenes in her dreams, the only way to infer what was not shown was through fragmented information.

From other dreams, it was known that "Nere's hair can calm the sword" and "the attempt to calm the sword will succeed."

Of course, Aldis had no obligation to see the results. However, having become involved, it would be a lie to say he was not concerned.

Although unlikely, there was still a possibility that something harmful could emerge.

In the end, with no urgent matters, Aldis decided to stay in Raitin for a while.

He visited the Litté Trading Company daily to check on the sword and was invited to the Rovelle Trading Company, where he was treated hospitably by Kirill, Ely, and Ely's father, who was also the president of the company.

In his free time, he took on beast extermination requests.

On this day, Aldis was hunting beasts in a grassland a few hours' walk from Raitin.

Unusually for Aldis, who usually acted alone, he was accompanied by three companions.

"Aldis, the sun is starting to set. Shouldn't we head back to the city?"

Ted, wiping the blood off his bastard sword, called out to Aldis.

"Yeah, sure. Let's head back after I skin these."

Aldis pointed to the carcasses of the Ractors he had just felled with his broadsword.

Ted and the others from the "Morning Star of the White Night" were also still staying in Raitin.

They apparently decided to decline the request from the Jinbarril Trading Company but, upon learning that Aldis would remain in Raitin for a while, decided to stay as well.

After quickly skinning the Ractors in about twenty minutes, Aldis and the others set off for Raitin.

As they walked along the road that cut through the plain, the topic turned to why Ted and the others had declined the request from the Jinbarril Trading Company.

"Hey, Ted. You came all the way from the Urban Federation, why did you decline the request? The conditions were good, right?"

"The client seemed a bit shady. To put it bluntly, I didn't like him."

Ted explained with a dissatisfied expression.

"You turned it down for that reason?"

Even without the need to return the travel expenses, it was a wasted trip to have come from Tria for ten days and then turn down a lucrative job.

To put it mildly, it was a waste of time.

Declining a job because the client was not to one's liking seemed like a significant loss.

Aldis implicitly conveyed this, but received a look that mixed reproach and exasperation.

"Are you one to talk?"

"Hahaha. Aldis, have you heard of a tool called a 'boomerang'?"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from."

Aldis had turned down requests in the past because he did not like the clients.

It was only natural for Ted and the others to counter him.

"Well, it's not bad to hunt with you again after so long. Fortunately, there are plenty of extermination requests in Raitin."

"But Orphelia, saying it's fortunate implies a lack of respect for the people suffering from the beasts and monsters, doesn't it?"

"But, Orphelia, if we say that, wouldn't we, who make a living from extermination, be disrespectful by our very existence?"

"Ugh, no one is saying that! First of all, that logic is flawed. It's a leap in reasoning."

"Hahaha, caught me?"

As they walked along the road to Raitin, light-hearted banter flew back and forth in a friendly manner.

"Huh? What is it?"

Suddenly, Norris stopped.

"Is something wrong? Did you spot a monster?"

"No, in the direction of Raitin... Is there any dust rising?"

"Huh?"

Ted shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted, following Norris's lead.

"Can't tell. Aldis, can you see anything?"

"Don't be ridiculous. At this distance, I can't tell."

Aldis's magic detection had an effective range of about 500 meters.

It was useful in areas with poor visibility like buildings or forests, but it was not suitable for detecting things at a great distance.

"If we go a bit further, I think everyone will be able to see it."

Following Norris's words, the group quickened their pace toward Raitin.

As they continued walking, the situation in Raitin gradually became visible to Aldis and the others.

"Indeed... there is dust rising. Is it a freak tornado?"

The anomaly was now visible to Ted and the others.

Norris, who had the best eyesight among the group, provided more information to Aldis and the others.

"There are many shadows gathered around Raitin... Are they people?"

As they closed the distance, the situation became clearer to Aldis and the others.

Numerous shadows surrounded the city gates, and the movement of these shadows caused dust to rise, giving the city of Raitin a hazy appearance.

"Hey, is there a war going on or something?"

"Surely not..."

Ted frowned, and Orphelia's voice faltered.

"No, those don't seem to be humans. They are a herd of beasts. There seem to be a few monsters mixed in as well."

"A herd of beasts? Those?"

Orphelia's surprise was understandable.

Normally, a herd of beasts would consist of at most a few dozen. A herd of over a hundred was almost never seen.

On the other hand, the shadows surrounding Raitin numbered over a thousand at a glance.

Moreover, they were mixed with monsters, creating an undeniably abnormal scene.

"Hey! Look at that!"

At Ted's voice, Aldis turned his gaze to the bushes by the road.

There, several "Grass Wolves" were dashing through the grass.

The distance between the Grass Wolves and Aldis was about fifty meters. Normally, they would attack humans, who were their prey, at such close range.

However, the Grass Wolves ignored Aldis and the others and ran straight toward Raitin.

"What's going on?"

Ted muttered, clearly baffled.

The Grass Wolves were ignoring humans, neither attacking nor fleeing, as if they were not even in their line of sight.

"What's happening in Raitin...?"

"I don't know... But we need to hurry."

At Ted's command, the group quickened their pace.

As they approached, the situation became clearer.

"The East Gate is no good! Let's go around to the West Gate!"

The city of Raitin was surrounded by a wall with two gates: the East Gate and the West Gate.

From a distance, it appeared that the herd of beasts was converging on the East Gate.

The West Gate showed no signs of beasts, and instead, there were lines of people seeking refuge inside the city, flanked by soldiers on either side.

"Alright! The West Gate is still open!"

Avoiding the East Gate where the beasts were gathered, Aldis and the others hurried to the West Gate.

2019/08/11 Typo correction: "捕らえられた" → "捉えられた"

*Thank you for the typo report.

2019/08/28 Misuse correction: "アルディスだけには" → "アルディスにだけは"

*Thank you for the misuse report.

2022/02/24 Typo correction: "マリー" → "エリー"

*Thank you for the typo report.