CH 129

Chapter 129

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : A Name That Calls Death, Part 1 — Luck-Pusher

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

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The boy who had been watching all those series of events appeared. Below him is the woman who’s being attacked by Velvet Ape. As the female monk said, the woman was too broken to let go of her sanity.

「What a terrible thing to do. I can’t believe such a man is touted as a hero.」

The boy mutters. Unlike Doom and others, he has no cruel thoughts. But his eyes never leave the woman, either. Then his eyes momentarily crossed with the woman being attacked by the monkey. The woman notices and thrusts her hand into the sky as if to ask for help, but the boy does nothing to change his attitude.

「…I’m sorry, but I have no control over the situation. I would normally make it easier for you, but forgive me.」

To whom were these words directed? Or were they words from the boy’s conscience? After muttering that much, the boy left the place. All that was left was a group of monkeys and a woman whose name he didn’t know.

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The boy left the place he had just left and sensor the whole area while floating in the sky with his magic. The sisters from earlier, the group of heroes, and several other people were actually there.

「Apparently, various groups are sending their own people. The humans are more sensitive than I thought, I can’t believe they can already sniff this place out. I wouldn’t normally like to do this, but… I have no choice.」

The boy faces the burnt earth and performs a long incantation chant. The language was usually unfamiliar to the people of this continent, but gradually the seeds that had just been coiled sprouted from the ground. And as the plants began to grow at an impossible rate, it quickly became a small forest.

Even after the boy stopped chanting, the plants continued to grow, growing deeper and wider, like a great forest. But for some reason, the boy who was watching the scene showed a hint of disappointment.

「I’d prefer not to use magic if I can help it, but the result would be suspicious. But this will keep humans from entering this area. If I could, the forest would intercept and the effect would last as long as my life lasts… But still, I’m not going to let this happen.」

The boy looks to the east. This is the direction in which Alfiris and the others are probably located.

「As it is now, he and Alfiris are going to run into each other… Will she really be able to survive? But if she survives, then and only then will she come into her own. This is fate, Alfiris. You will get through this.」

And this time the boy disappeared from the scene, leaving only a growing forest in his wake.

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At that time, Alfiris and her group were heading for Seeker’s village. Not even Aerial had any idea that such a thing would be happening in the place where Phalanx died, and all their energies were focused on reaching the Seeker’s village as quickly as possible while avoiding the tornado.

A place to rest tonight has been decided, and Aerial, Nia, Kazas, and Miranda are ready to eat. Alfiris, Lisa, Fenna, and Euthy are in charge of gathering firewood and other materials that might burn in the vicinity, as well as simple food procurement. On the way there, Alfiris and Fenna are talking.

「Hey, has the Seeker’s Village we’re heading to been around for a long time?」

「No, relatively recently, but more than 300 years ago.」

「So it’s like that guy said, immigrants, right?」

「Yes, because Seekers used to live in the warmer south. I am ashamed to say that there are many different kinds of Seekers, and to the south is one of the most conservative families of Seekers. It’s the relatively innovative clans that immigrated.」

「I see.」

「Why did you get into trouble?」

Lisa joins the conversation. Apparently, due to the nature of her profession as a Sensor, Lisa wants to gather information.

「This is about relations with other races. Conservative clans argued that it was better to sever all relations with other races, while immigrant clans insisted that they wanted to associate with other races. I hear that the disagreement led to an ethnic migration to the north.」

「I haven’t heard any rumors about it. Even with Lisa’s network of information, I had not even heard that Seekers were on the prairie. I asked people about it when I went around the guilds in the area before entering the prairie, and they gave me the same answer.」

「…I am ashamed to say that Lisa is right. It’s good that they have successfully completed their immigration with some hardships, but it seems that a conflict arose when they tried to make contact with another tribe. Humans in general used to despise Seekers, calling them dark elves, and the times were in their infancy, and the lives of humans were in some ways rougher than during the Great War.

It may have been right to try to interact with humans, but it was also shallow to try to interact with them unilaterally without trying to learn what was happening in the human world. Some Seekers insisted on it, but, to their shame, the immigrant Seekers ended up holed up on the prairie. I guess they lost confidence in themselves after their first contact was unsuccessful. Still, they seemed to be interacting with some of the tribes, but outside of the prairie, they are very…」

「It’s difficult, isn’t it?」

「Yes. Not everything that is right and rational in the world is accepted.」

The three of them ponder, but they can’t stay that way forever. As if to shake off the somewhat gloomy feeling, Alfiris changed the subject.

「Speaking of which, does Fenna know anyone over there?」

「Some of them. Some years ago, several Seekers came to my village from that village as an exchange. So we remember each other’s names.」

「What is the person’s name, by the way?」

「William. William Auldrate.」

「Hohoh, So that’s who Fenna’s lover is～」

Suddenly Euthy interrupts. She flits around Fenna, looking like a prankster.

「Wha! He was not my lover!」

「So a beauty like you kisses just for fun? Isn’t that the kisser you mentioned before, uri-uri.」

Even though she is a spirit, Euthy loves to talk about love, and she tries to get people’s love stories out of them at every opportunity. Miranda and Lisa were able to escape, but Fenna and Alfiris were easy prey. It made Fenna reveal almost all the crap she had been through with the young man who had previously come to her village.

「T–That’s… Sure would be nice for each other, I thought…」

「Then you definitely kissed him～」

「You’re doing it, Fenna.」

「Uuh, I feel like I’m being left behind…」

Lisa’s eyes glittered, as did Euthy’s. Meanwhile, Alfiris was alone and depressed.

「（T–They’re all adults… Miranda is used to dealing with men, as we can see, Lisa talked about it before like she had a lover, and Nia is dating Kazas. Aerial is more aggressive with men than I expected, and by the looks of her, she’ll have a boyfriend in no time… I thought at least Fenna wasn’t ready yet, but then I thought about it, she’s almost twice my age alone. I always forget about it.）」

Alfiris often looks to try to think of men her own age, but when she thinks about it, she has never had a friendly conversation with a man her own age. Albert seemed somewhat distant, and she suddenly think of Rhine, but she shake her head and dismiss him without a second thought.

「（Oh my God, I have no male friends my own age! At best, it’s just that weird, flabby guy… That’s no way to get a lover, is it? If I don’t do something about it, I’m going to be late!?）」

That could have been a serious concern for women, not just Alfiris. Noblewomen were sometimes born with a groom, and even if they were not, they were often introduced to men with whom they could have a relationship for marriage if no one had courted them when they reached adulthood. In rural areas, where entertainment is scarce, people often marry before reaching adulthood. The woman in the house two doors down from Alfiris said that she found out at 14 that she had a child, so she married the father of her stomach as it were.

She found that the definition of adulthood in some countries was 18, and in others, conversely, 15, so there were slight variations in marital status depending on the land, but women, especially those without jobs, generally got married by 20. It was rare for a woman like Alfilis to have a girlfriend even after she turned 18, and even rarer for her to be a beautiful woman. It is undeniable, though, that the fact that she was somewhat slow was more of a spur.

While Alfiris is so depressed, Euthy continues to tease Fenna.

「Fenna is an adult, Fenna is lewd, Fenna is sl… Gueeh!」

Fenna grabbed Euthy’s body. Fenna’s expression was even scarier because she was smiling. Euthy realized that she had gone too far, but it was already too late.

「Fe–Fenna…?」

「Euthy? The broth for tonight’s pot has been decided.」

「M–May I ask what’s in the pot?」

「You can. It’s fairy hot pot tonight.♪」

「H–Hiiieeeee!!!」

Euthy shriveled up. Lisa looked extremely amused at the sight of this.

「That must be very exciting, in many ways.」

「Lisa! Can you help me!?」

「Sometimes Euthy can be a pain in the ass.」

「Hyaaahh!? Alfie, Alfie—!!」

Euthy desperately asks Alfiris for help, but Alfiris, who is seriously worried about whether she will be late getting a lover, is not concerned about Euthy.

「Eh? I’m not really in the mood for that right now.」

「Gieeeehh!! No way, a death flag?」

Euthy struggled, but Fenna tightened her grip on her with such force that she didn’t realize how strong she was. And then, at the break of dawn,

「Hey, the water’s ready～!」

「Did you pick up anything?」

「Yeah, something that would make a good broth. Oh, this could be good.」

「Gyyoooeee. Someone help me!!!」

Euthy uttered a line that sounded like something they had heard somewhere, but Fenna didn’t care and walked into the lodging place with Euthy in her grasp.