Trouble in Olav

The next day, Ariane and I used Transport Gate to teleport from Lalatoya back to

Houvan. We used Dimensional Step to make quick jumps along the road leading to

Olav, the capital of the Rhoden Kingdom.

We'd left the elf we rescued with Dillan, stayed the night, and then promptly left

Lalatoya the next morning.

While we were there, I once again took the opportunity to use the bath and enjoy a

delicious meal, but I knew I couldn't keep doing that forever. I was itching to get a place

of my own. Constantly carrying more than a thousand gold coins on me only added to

that desire.

Glenys had told me I could come by their place any time, but obviously she didn't mean

literally any time. She'd also added a condition: If I came by, I needed to bring Ponta

with me. The little furball was incredibly popular with women and children.

Currently, Ponta sat in its rightful spot atop my helmet, letting out little yawns as the

scenery changed from one teleport to the next.

The trip from Houvan to the capital normally took around two days by cart, but we

could do it in just half a day using Dimensional Step. Since the land was practically flat

the entire way—mostly fields, with the occasional farm or village—I had a great line

of sight, allowing me to teleport long distances.

However, since this route ran straight to the capital, there was also a lot of traffic. I had

to choose teleportation spots that were a little off the road and not easy to spot.

We soon came to a large river running north to south—the Lydel. The way the light

reflected off the surface of the water reminded me of a silver serpent slithering

through the fields.

A massive bridge spanned the river. On the far side, I could see the rounded walls—

four layers deep—of an enormous city. Even from here, I could tell that the place was

immense.

It was the first time I'd seen anything even approaching the scale of this city. Given

how few artificial structures there were in this world, it was hard for me to describe

this… monument to human achievement.

The words just slipped out of my mouth. "It's… stunning."

Ariane looked quizzically over at me. I just shook my head in response.

With the capital in sight, we made our way back to the road and blended into the

crowd of travelers.

We'd come to Olav to gather information for our future missions. After all, it was the

largest concentration of people in the whole kingdom. There were two more names

on the elf purchase contracts: Lundes du Lamburt and Drassos du Barysimon,

probably both men.

Even from a distance, we could easily see all of the people and carts crossing the

bridge. Like the bridge in Diento, this one led straight into the capital itself. Unlike

Diento, Olav contained a whole city between its third and fourth walls alone.

We crossed the bridge and found ourselves at the east gate. The walls stood at least

thirty meters tall, though they looked even more massive against the surrounding

plains, differing from Lalatoya, which was ringed with trees. The gate itself was about

ten meters wide, allowing for crushing numbers of people and carts to come and go

unimpeded. The whole scene screamed of prosperity.

There was one line for carts and another for people. Wave after wave of each were

swallowed by the city as they made their way inside. Ariane joined the line for people.

When we reached the front, a guard stopped us. He looked us both over quickly, but

didn't show any sort of reaction. He sounded annoyed, speaking in a flat, business-like

tone as he repeated the same phrase he'd been saying all day:

"I need your papers, or it'll be one sek per person to enter."

I handed over two silver coins. The guard gestured toward the entrance with his chin

and moved on to the next person in line. As we passed through the east gate, I had to

crane my neck just to see the top of it.

We were now in Olav, the capital of the Rhoden Kingdom.

The gate opened out into a huge market, shops lining both sides of a stone road as

wide as the gate that stretched all the way to the next wall. The market was filled with

bustling crowds milling about the shops. The people were dressed in all manner of

clothes, further adding to the excitement of the capital—the flower of the kingdom.

Ponta's neck turned this way and that as it tried to take in all the new sights.

But I knew, as beautiful as Olav might be, any city with a population of this size was

bound to have problems. It was just like they used to say: "Fights and fires are the

flowers of Edo." Up the road, I could already see a quarrel breaking out.

Two rough-looking, muscular men faced off against a single man. As far as I could tell,

the two men were the instigators. The man wore wrapped cloth around his head and

face, leaving only his eyes uncovered. Standing at over two meters tall—a whole head

taller than even me—he easily stuck out from the crowd. The upper half of his body

was bare, revealing a bronze, well-toned chest. He wore a cloak that hung from his

shoulders like a cape.

Even from a distance, I could tell that there was something strange about this large

man. He looked like some sort of conqueror from another century… and he gave the

impression that he believed he was one, too.

"Whaddya doin' showin' your giant face around here, ya pufferfish?!"

The smaller man's attempt to show how tough he was in front of the turbaned time

traveler came off as pathetic more than anything else. It was probably an unspoken

rule among thugs that you had to be taken seriously in an argument.

The man in the turban looked back at him as if he were a non-threatening animal,

trying to continue on his way.

"Don't ignore me, ya moron!"

Some of the other men standing around drew daggers, howling as they closed in on

the man.

I heard a cry from within the crowd of watching rubberneckers at the sight of bladed

weapons. The circle of people backed away to give the combatants more space.

The next sound I heard was a cry of pain from two of the thugs rushing toward the

turbaned man. Right as they'd closed in, the man had their heads, one in each hand,

and lifted them into the air.

"Gyaaaaagh! My head! My head!"

"Cut it out! Stoppit!"

The men cried like babies, thrashing about, but the turbaned man only tightened his

grip.

The roaring crowd went silent at the terrifying show of strength. I could almost hear

the men's skulls starting to crack through the unnatural silence.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing over there?!"

Several guards, having heard the commotion, broke through the onlookers. As soon as

they appeared, the crowd dispersed like newly hatched spiders. When I turned my

attention back to the fight, to my surprise, the time-traveling man had vanished. The

two thugs lay on the ground, unconscious and with an awful mess between their legs.

Ariane let out a sigh as the stench washed over us, scowling under her cloak. "What a

barbarous place…"

"All the easier for us to fade into the crowd."

Ariane and I sped away from the scene of the incident as we spoke, weaving our way

down the street and avoiding guards.

"First, we need to find a place to stay. Then we can split up to start gathering information."

Ariane nodded in agreement, though she seemed displeased with all the people.

"You're probably right."

After we'd walked a ways down the main thoroughfare, I stopped a young man to ask

for directions.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where I can find an inn?"

The man's eyes went wide when he saw me, and he stumbled over his words. "Huh? I,

umm, well… an inn, yes. For a knight like yourself, I think you'll want to go to the

second district."

According to the young man, we were in the fourth district, where the commoners

lived. The closer we got to the palace, the higher the class and wealth of the people

who lived there. The first district was reserved for nobles, and it was apparently quite

rare for a normal person to pass beyond the wall closest to the palace.

I offered the young man my thanks and a silver coin before Ariane and I resumed

walking. The road from the east gate led all the way to the second district. We

continued until we arrived at the third wall's gate.

The third wall was only around twenty meters tall, though it was still quite impressive.

Various stalls ran along it, giving the whole place a kind of old-town feeling. Two

guards stood on either side of the third wall's gate, though we didn't need to pass any

type of inspection. The mood was considerably calmer on the far side of the wall, but

there was still a certain liveliness due to the sheer volume of people. The wooden

houses of the fourth district gave way to slightly more stylish stone houses.

Despite what the young man had said, I worried we'd stand out if we went into any

higher-class areas, so we decided to find an inn here in the third district.

Breaking off from the main thoroughfare, we took a side road away from all of the

shops that followed a large waterway running behind them. Gondola-like boats, filled

with people and packages, meandered back and forth under stone bridges that led to

the vast residential district beyond. The whole scene looked a bit like Venice.

We saw inns, bars, and restaurants as we made our way along the busy street. It was

nowhere near as packed as the main thoroughfare, but it was still full of people.

"That inn looks like it could be nice." Ariane pointed to a quaint three-story building

up ahead.

We entered and reserved two rooms, though we opted to continue our walk through

the city rather than turning in just yet. Now that our accommodations were figured

out, it was time to gather information. Ariane and I split off in front of the inn.

Since this city was far larger than any I'd been to thus far, I decided to stick to the roads

that ran parallel to the main thoroughfare to keep from getting lost. I didn't anticipate

finding anything of note if I went down the alleys anyway. At least, that's what I told

myself.

I hope it wouldn't be too hard to locate the information we were looking for. After all,

Fulish du Houvan had lived in a town bearing his own name. Maybe all I needed to do

was look for towns named Lamburt and Barysimon.

I decided to ask the person who would know best—a merchant. I thought back to the

route we'd taken to the inn, and returned to the stalls lining the third wall of the city.

Merchants peddling everything from produce to perfume cried out toward the

townspeople as they hurried past.

Many of the stalls here were selling fruits and vegetables, which Ponta eyed intently

from its perch atop my head. I could feel its tail wagging through the helmet.

One stall in particular caught the fox's attention.

"Kyiii!"

An old man was selling dried berries in bulk from a large barrel. Ponta's nose caught

a whiff of their sweet scent and fell into an excited frenzy.

"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to purchase two cups of your berries. You can pour them right

in here."

I pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to the old man.

"Ah, absolutely, Sir Knight."

The old man moved slowly as he scooped some dried berries and deposited them in

my pouch.

"By the way, you don't happen to know of anywhere nearby—a property, or possibly a

town—by the name of Lamburt or Barysimon, do you?"

The man, measuring cup still in hand, cocked his head in thought. After a moment, he

nodded emphatically, as if he had just remembered something.

"Yes, I know of Lamburt. There's a port city to the west of the capital by that name."

"Oh? And how far west is it?"

He set the cup down on the barrel and crossed his arms. "Hmm… I'd say it's about a

six-day trip by carriage, perhaps?"

Six days by carriage… That was quite a distance.

"And how about Barysimon?"

The man shook his head. "Nope. Never heard of it."

"Ah, well, thank you for your time, kind sir. Here, for your trouble."

I took the two scoops of dried berries and handed the old man five silver coins.

The man's eyes went wide for a moment, then he composed himself, flashing me a

toothy smile… Well, he flashed me the few teeth he had left.

I went from stall to stall, asking the owners if they recognized the name Barysimon,

feeding the dried berries to Ponta as I inquired. But no one had heard of the name. I

was starting to wonder if I was going about this all wrong—despite having gotten a

good lead on Lamburt—when a monotone voice called out to me from behind.

It was a girl's voice. One I'd heard before.

"Well, it's been awhile."

I turned around, looking down. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I'd met this

person before.

The girl's azure-colored eyes regarded me from under her oversized hat. Her black

hair was cut short, and she was dressed in all black, the clothes fitted to her form for

easy movement. I figured she couldn't be more than 150 centimeters tall.

She wore a gauntlet and shin guards, and carried a short sword on her lower back. She

didn't look like she was from around here.

The girl's gaze slowly drifted up to the top of my head, where Ponta was sitting, then

she pulled her eyes down to look directly at me.

I frantically searched my memory for any recollection of those deep, azure eyes. "So, I

know we've met before, but…"

"I'm glad you were able to pull things off so well in Diento." The girl spoke in a flat

voice, her eyes never wavering. Suddenly it hit me—an image of a cat ninja in the

marquis' castle.

"Oh! You're that ninja girl from before!"

Her narrow eyebrows twitched in response. "Ninja…? So I did hear right last time." The

girl stood at stiff attention. "I'd like to speak with you about something. Do you have

time?"

I nodded—what else could I do in the face of that intense gaze?—and she motioned

for me to follow her down an empty side street.

Once we were away from the bustle and she'd assured herself there was no one

nearby, she seemed to relax slightly.

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Chiyome, and I'm one of the six

members of the Sword and Spirit Jinshin clan."

Her name had a Japanese ring to it, but the I wasn't familiar with the other word she'd

used.

"Jinshin clan?"

"'Jin' for 'sword' and 'shin' as in 'heart.' It means a person who can endure challenges."

No matter how you put it, the name had a very ninja-esque feel to it.

While I was busy thinking all this over, the young girl in front of me looked back at me

with her deep azure eyes and gestured for me to introduce myself. "And you are…?"

"Sorry! My name is Arc. I am a traveler. Circumstances have brought me to wander the

lands."

"I see. So, Mister Arc, why do you call me a ninja?"

She looked back at me attentively, intent on not missing a single word in my response.

The way she spoke implied that she knew what a ninja was, though it seemed highly

unlikely that she'd been drawn in from another world like I had.

I watched her face closely as I responded, looking for some sort of clue.

"Well, in my country, there are spies who dress similarly to you. We refer to them as

ninja."

She closed her eyes briefly, seemingly satisfied with my response. "Hmm, I see. 'Ninja'

is a secret name known only to our clan, so I suppose you must be from the same

country as our great founder."

That meant that the great founder was probably Japanese like me, or at least a person

from Earth who was familiar with the ninja.

"How many generations has it been since the founder came along?"

"Hmm… the current head of the clan is the twenty-second in line since the great

founder gave their teachings."

I'd expected something like this, but twenty-two generations meant that there was

definitely no way the founder was still alive. Still… what was the harm in asking?

"And has this great founder already passed on?"

"Yes. Six hundred years ago, the great founder saved some of the cat people and

brought them together to form a new clan, the Jinshin clan."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Ariane's father, Dillan, had told me that the beastmen had all been oppressed, and even

enslaved. And yet here was this girl in a human city—the capital, no less—wearing a

disguise and talking about her clan. I had to imagine it was dangerous for her here.

As if that behavior wasn't daring enough, her reply took it a step further. "I'd like to

ask for your help."

Given what she'd been up to in Diento, I had a pretty good guess as to what that job

might be—freeing the mountain people held captive in the capital. Yet it seemed

strange for her to ask me, a human, to help save her comrades from their human

oppressors.

"Miss Chiyome, would your clan be okay with you asking me for help?"

She nodded.

She must have had some sort of plan, but I was already helping Ariane, so I couldn't

agree without giving it some thought.

"I'm currently assisting an elf with another matter. I'm afraid I'm in no position to help

you out at this time."

Chiyome stood there, deep in thought, before responding. "Then allow me to meet this

elf. If they will agree to you helping me, then I will provide you with information in

return." There was an adversarial note to her normal monotone.

"And what would that information be?"

Her dark azure eyes stared straight into me. "You're looking for the people named on

those purchase contracts, aren't you?"

"That's true… However, we've already identified two of the three people."

"I see… So that just leaves Drassos du Barysimon." The young girl responded matterof-factly.

"If you know that much, then I assume you know the whereabouts of this person?"

"Of course."

She was living up to her identity as a ninja.

Obviously, I wanted the information, but I could only get it by helping her free the

slaves.

I had no qualms about helping her, but I was hesitant to do anything in the capital that

might draw a lot of attention. If I became wanted, that would make it much harder to

travel.

Still, as soon as I'd told her that we'd already uncovered two of the three people listed

on the purchase contracts, she was able to name Barysimon. Did that mean that he

would be the hardest to find? If so, then it seemed unlikely that simply asking around

town would get us anywhere. On the contrary, word might spread that some

suspicious people were looking for a person by that name.

Dillan had mentioned that Chiyome's people were descended from spies. It was only

natural that they'd be good at getting their hands on information.

"I'd like to talk this over with my partner."

"Then take me with you. I can speak with your partner directly."

She might have looked like a child, but her intense, unwavering eyes suggested

otherwise. Still, it seemed unlikely that she might actually want to harm Ariane if I

brought her along.

"Understood. Please follow me, Miss Chiyome."

I made my way back to the main thoroughfare, passing through the gate at the third

wall with Chiyome in tow. She might have been small, but she had no problem keeping

up.

Ponta, apparently bored from the long conversation, had fallen asleep atop my helmet.

As we walked, I occasionally had to reach up to keep the fox from falling off.

We entered the inn and made our way to the third floor, where I motioned for Chiyome

to enter one of our rooms. I bid her sit in one of the chairs while I sat on the bed. Ponta

woke and began testing the firmness of the mattress with its front paws.

The room grew silent, an odd tension filling the void between me and Chiyome. The

ninja girl fidgeted slightly in the chair as she watched Ponta and me.

"Miss Chiyome, the toilet is down on the first floor."

"I don't need it!"

I'd only said this to ease the tension, but her face had flushed at my suggestion. She

was quite the proper young lady.

I reached into my bag and handed her my leather pouch.

Chiyome looked at me quizzically. She poured the contents of the pouch into her palm,

and Ponta immediately lifted its head.

"Apologies for not making the introductions sooner. This is Ponta, a cottontail fox. Nuts

and fruits are some of its favorite foods."

Chiyome looked down at the dried berries in her hand and then back at the slowly

approaching spirit creature. The corners of her mouth relaxed into a grin.

Ponta had reached her feet and was now moving back and forth eagerly, staring up at

the dried berries. It wasn't yet comfortable enough to jump onto Chiyome's lap, but

that was likely only a matter of time.

Chiyome stretched out her hand and Ponta cautiously approached, its excitement

evident in the way its tail twitched from side to side. The ninja girl's eyes lit up and

she let out a laugh as Ponta started munching on the fruits.

"I was surprised to see a spirit creature bonded to a human like you, Mister Arc."

Chiyome petted Ponta with one hand while continuing to feed it berries with the other.

I let out a wry laugh. "Everyone says that."

Chiyome shook her head. "No, I mean that spirit animals can sense humans' ill

intentions. You must be quite trustworthy for it to feel this comfortable with you."

I looked back down at Ponta, only to find that the fox had jumped onto Chiyome's lap,

begging for more berries.

If what she said was true, then that would make me something like Ponta's safety

blanket. I decided to not think too much about it.

"I've been wondering… how did you know I was there to save the elves when we first

met?" Most people would assume a knight showing up in such a place was a slave

trader rather than a rescuer.

Chiyome looked up at me.

"Elves, humans, beastmen… we all have our own unique scents. Not only were you

accompanied by a spirit animal, but I picked up the scent of elves on you. However…"

She trailed off for a moment. "There was something else about your smell… your aura

that was different, Mister Arc. I've never felt anything like it."

Being made entirely of bones, I couldn't imagine what might actually give off such a

smell.

Her blue irises narrowed in on me, as if she were looking straight into my helmet. Did

she know my secret? Could she tell? Or was I just being paranoid?

The room had fallen back into silence by the time there came a knock at the door.

There weren't many people who would be stopping by this room, so I invited the

person on the other side to come in. A moment later, a person in a familiar charcoal

gray cloak stepped inside. Their eyes immediately locked on to Chiyome, still seated

in her chair, feeding Ponta dried berries.

They regarded each other for a moment before Ariane slowly removed her cloak,

exposing her amethyst-colored skin and pointed ears. Chiyome took off her oversized

hat, her own twitching cat ears poking up out of her black hair.

"Introductions are in order. Miss Chiyome, this is Miss Ariane, my elf partner."

Ariane bowed slightly, narrowing her golden eyes as she shot me a questioning look.

"Miss Ariane, this is Miss Chiyome of the Jinshin clan. She was the one in Diento who

gave me the seventh contract."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Ariane. I am Chiyome."

Chiyome set Ponta on the floor, stood up, and offered her right hand to Ariane. Her

black ears twitched, as if they were searching for something.

Ariane took her hand and shook it. "I am Ariane Glenys Maple. Thank you for providing

us with the information."

"A knight of Maple… The most elite warriors in the entire Great Forest of Canada, I

hear." Chiyome returned the handshake, her azure eyes filled with wonder.

So, the ninja clan was at least somewhat familiar with the elves. Ariane looked slightly

surprised.

"Well, would someone like to tell me why little Chiyome is here in your room?" Ariane

placed her hands on her waist, alternating her gaze between Chiyome and me.

Chiyome might have been a child, but her behavior was anything but. It seemed more

than a little strange to refer to her as "little Chiyome." Still, the ninja girl didn't seem

bothered by it.

Actually, when I looked closer, I could see her tail swishing and ears twitching. She

might have even liked it.

"Before we get into that, I'd like to hear what information you found, Miss Ariane."

If she'd discovered the whereabouts of Barysimon, that would change everything.

She looked back at me quizzically, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I didn't find out anything. Even in this cloak, I still seemed to attract the weirdest men

as I walked around town." She punctuated this complaint with a heavy sigh, the

exhaustion apparent on her face. I could easily imagine her magnificent chest serving

as an alluring flame to the "moths" known as men. I didn't recall her having any such

problems when we were out together. I supposed my presence served as a type of

insect repellant.

"That's unfortunate. I was able to learn about one of the two names, Lamburt. The

other, however…"

Chiyome stepped forward. "Allow me to continue."

She recapped the conversation she and I had earlier, a cool look on her face the whole

time. Ariane closed her eyes as she listened to the story.

As soon as Chiyome finished, Ariane responded.

"I don't mind. I know what it's like to have your comrades hunted as slaves." She kept

her voice low, the anger in it apparent.

Chiyome looked surprised.

I was surprised as well. Though it was admirable for Ariane to put her own needs

aside, I couldn't help but wonder why she would so easily agree to something like this.

Chiyome and the other mountain people—beastmen, as the humans called them—

didn't have a treaty to protect them like the elves did. There was no law that prevented

humans from keeping them as slaves. They had no rights, just like animals. Worse, in

this world, there weren't even any animal cruelty laws.

"You don't need to get involved in this, Arc," Ariane said. "You only agreed to help me,

after all." She brushed back her snow-white hair, blinked her long-lashed eyelids, and

turned her golden gaze on me. There was a deep sorrow in her expression.

Chiyome's cat ears moved almost imperceptibly.

"Of course I'll help, but I think it would be best to keep a low profile."

I said this primarily for my own benefit, of course, but if it came out that elves were

involved in this rescue, it would become even harder for Ariane to travel around. After

all, the increase in security throughout Houvan had resulted in a revolution.

This seemed to strike a chord with Ariane, who furrowed her brow. "What kind of help

did you have in mind, exactly?"

Chiyome cleared her throat. "We plan to attack the largest slave trading house in Olav."

So, they were going the route that would draw the most attention. And as if that wasn't

enough, Chiyome said that the attack on the slave house was merely a diversion.

I was having a hard time believing that they'd recruit outside help for such a

dangerous mission. I struggled to keep my tone steady. "Miss Chiyome, what do you

mean by 'diversion'?"

Ariane leaned in close, listening intently as well.

"Exactly what it sounds like. The Etzat Market has strong ties to the government. The

moment it's under attack, guards will descend upon it. The Royal Army might even

respond."

"Doesn't that mean that all of your newly freed allies will be swarmed by soldiers?"

Ariane frowned, seeming to share my concern.

"We'll free our allies being held in the Etzat Market, but they won't be able to run for

long. However, in the ensuing chaos, we're going to attack four other locations where

our comrades are being held. They should be able to escape in all the confusion."

"So, you'd use your own comrades as a decoy so that others can go free?" I was

surprised at the harshness in my tone.

Chiyome's azure eyes wavered. "We can't save everyone. If ten have to die for a hundred

to live, then so be it."

Chiyome couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen. She had to be struggling

with the idea of sacrificing her own comrades. However, she held her head up high,

choosing to stay strong in the face of everything.

Without thinking, I placed my hand on her small head, gently brushing back her soft,

black hair. Down at her feet, Ponta weaved between her legs, using the soft fur along

its neck to try to comfort her.

Chiyome looked up at me with her clear, azure eyes. I couldn't really say why, but I just

wanted to see her smile. If there was anything I could do to help this girl who'd come

all the way to the land of humans, then I'd do it gladly.

I imagined myself spending more time in the elven villages and even living among the

mountain people. There were whole fandoms in Japan who'd love to be in such a

position.

Ariane turned her gaze toward me. I could tell what she wanted without her even

needing to say anything.

I nodded and looked around my room, burning the image into my mind.

"Transport Gate!"

A bluish-white pillar of light rose around us, Ariane, Chiyome, and I standing still while

Ponta rolled around excitedly.

Chiyome looked up to me, her surprise evident on her face. The next moment, we were

in the middle of a grassy clearing, a large boulder with a tree wrapped around it sitting

in front of us. A bed and chair sat in the middle of the clearing as well, looking

incredibly out of place. Apparently, Transport Gate's area of effect had grabbed the

furniture in the room along with us.

Chiyome's head jerked back and forth, the ears atop her head twitching frantically as

she tried to grasp what had just happened.

Ariane made a face and let out a low groan, evidently not having expected to teleport

all of a sudden like that.

Maybe I'd misunderstood the look she gave me?

I'd wanted to show off Transport Gate to Chiyome, since it could be useful to our

upcoming operation.

Chiyome finally came back to herself, though she was still at a loss for words. "Whwhere are we?"

"We're in the forest at the base of the Anetto Mountains."

Chiyome continued to pivot her head back and forth, muttering to herself. "The Anetto

Mountains… huh. So, you can also use space-time ninjutsu abilities?"

"Space-time… ninjutsu?"

"According to the legends, the great founder, Master Hanzo, mastered the technique

known as space-time ninjutsu, allowing him to travel great distances instantaneously.

You can use it too, Mister Arc?"

It wasn't ninjutsu, really. Just simple teleportation magic. Nor was space-time ninjutsu

one of the skills I'd learned from the top-tier Ninja class. But as usual, there was no

guarantee that the world here was a one-to-one match with the game. It was possible

that teleportation magic was simply known as space-time ninjutsu to the beastmen.

And with a name like Hanzo, the great founder must have been quite the ninja maniac.

I finally asked what was on my mind. "Miss Chiyome… is that your real name?"

Chiyome puffed out her chest and beamed with pride. "No. My name is one of six

passed down to the most powerful ninja in the clan."

That meant that her name came from Mochizuki Chiyome, a famous female ninja from

my world. If there were six in total, then I had to imagine the others had names like

Kirikagure Saizo and Sarutobi Sasuke.

Ariane's voice brought me back to reality. "Why don't we at least go back to the inn to

discuss the next steps?"

She was right. The forest was full of monsters and other dangers. Not that such things

would be a problem for a group as well trained as ours, but it wasn't exactly an

environment suited for strategizing.

I summoned up the spell again and brought to mind the image of our room at the inn.

The spreading magic pillar glowed even brighter than before, and, in a flash, we were

back in the room… along with the bed and chair.

Ponta patted the floor with its front paws, as if to confirm that the grassy meadow had

been replaced with hardwood.

"Kyii?"

Chiyome also looked impressed as she glanced around the room.

"Since Arc will also be helping you out, that means we'll have access to teleportation

magic…" Ariane's voice trailed off, an inquisitive look on her face as she shot me a

glance. She then turned her gaze toward Chiyome. After all, the young ninja girl was

the only one who actually knew when this operation would be carried out.

"That was magic? Well, if we can use that…" Chiyome crossed her arms and muttered

to herself, as if examining how this changed her plans. "Mister Arc, how far can your

magic take you?"

"I can teleport to any unique location that I've been to in the past."

Transport Gate wasn't restricted by distance. Even if I were surrounded inside a

building, I could use the spell to teleport somewhere safe and far away… meaning, for

example, that I could draw out enemies and then make an easy escape.

Chiyome asked several follow-up questions about how many people I could take, how

frequently I could use the spell, and so on. However, I could only give my best guess

on many of these, since there was still a lot that I didn't know myself.

Based on the game, I could probably use Transport Gate a hundred times or more

without issue. Besides, I'd had no problem using Rejuvenation over and over, and that

consumed far more magic than Transport Gate.

After hearing my explanation of how teleportation magic worked, Chiyome grew

excited.

She and Ariane started putting together a plan of attack for the slave market, though

it was still very similar to the original plan—they would lay siege to the market along

with their freed comrades.

"Mister Arc, Miss Ariane, I should probably go tell my allies of the change in plans.

Please continue the preparations while I'm away." Chiyome hopped out the window,

running off along the rooftops.

"Miss Ariane, did you get the impression that we're carrying out the operation tonight?"

"That's how it sounded to me."

I looked out the window, but Chiyome had disappeared.

"Well, I guess we'd best prepare as much as we can."

Ariane shot me a quizzical look. "But what should we prepare, exactly?"

I stuck my index finger in the air and struck a confident pose. "We'll need to disguise

ourselves, of course."

I was actually being quite serious, but Ariane just stared at me blankly.

"But… you're already wearing a helmet. That should be enough, no?"

If looks could kill, this one would have at least maimed me. I'd given this plan a lot of

thought. I felt as though my eyes were welling up with tears. But of course, skeletons

can't cry.

I typically covered my flashy armor with my Twilight Cloak, but that still left my head

exposed. I'd definitely stand out among the members of the raiding party. Even if the

plan went off without a hitch, I'd have a pretty hard time moving around human towns

if there was a follow-up investigation involving my helmet.

Of course, the same was true for the other times we'd snuck into various estates, but

this time we were dealing with nobles and slave traders who weren't violating any

treaties. They weren't criminals, at least in the eyes of the law. Though they might be

capturing mountain people, we would still just be attacking a slave house operating

on the up and up under human law. Being nothing more than an insurgent, it seemed

like a wise idea to exercise some caution and disguise myself in the event that

someone came looking for us afterward.

"Well, at least I don't need anything. See? I'm fine like this." Ariane tugged her charcoal

cloak low over her face again.

It seemed like I'd managed to sell her on the idea that I needed a disguise, but she had

no intention of getting one for herself.

That was the end of that, so I left Ariane behind and headed out alone to find my new

look. Once again, I made my way toward the stalls lining the third wall.

A stall selling some strange items caught my eye.

Numerous traditionally handcrafted goods were spread out across a cloth-covered

table, ranging from disturbing statuettes of animals, to tools with undiscernible uses,

to some bizarre-looking masks that I could only assume were for festivals.

A man with a wide grin—the stall owner, I assumed—approached me as soon as I

stopped to look.

"Hello there, good sir! Do you see anything that interests you?"

The man's round chin was covered in a thin beard, and he was wearing a gaudy, multicolored coat. There was something slimy about the way he called out to me, rubbing

his hands together the whole while.

I picked up one of the masks. It was made of wood, painted black, and carved into the

shape of a human face. The eyes gave off a vacant stare, and the mouth sported a

creepy grin, almost as if it had been torn into that shape. The back of the mask was

decorated with feathers, providing coverage for your whole head.

The stall owner wasted no time swooping in to close the sale.

"Ah, I can see that you have good taste, sir. This comes from the nomads living in the

untamed wastes far beyond the border of the East Revlon Empire. Magicians with

special abilities known as 'Soodu' wear the masks during their rituals. It's incredibly

rare."

I continued to look the mask over as he spoke, the devious look never quite leaving his

face. I was actually was fond of the design, and I'd be able to wear it over my helmet.

"How much?"

The stall owner grinned. "Well, considering its incredible rarity, I've priced it at twenty

sok."

Twenty gold coins. I set the mask down and started to walk away, but the seller hurried

over and called me back.

"A joke! It was merely a joke, good sir! Fifteen sok? How does that sound?"

"Ten sok," I countered.

Sweat ran down the man's neck as we continued to negotiate, his smile slowly fading.

Ultimately, we settled on thirteen sok.

For a normal person, thirteen gold coins might have seemed absurd for a hand-carved

wooden mask. However, there was something about the mask that changed its value

entirely for me. I liked it so much that I would have been fine paying the original

twenty sok, though I didn't like the idea of paying a man like this exactly what he was

asking.

I handed over the money and put the mask into my bag. I'd gotten what I was looking

for. All that was left was to talk with Chiyome, the only person who had the full picture

of the upcoming operation.

***

The palace sat at the very center of Olav, the capital of the Rhoden Kingdom. Off in a

secluded room, a lone magical lamp provided illumination as the sun sank outside.

The light reflected off a silver cup as a man threw it across the room, a vein bulging in

his neck.

The cup hit the ground, rolling into the corner with a clang that reverberated

throughout the room. The wine inside splashed everywhere, filling the air with a fruity

aroma. The two other men in the room watched the cup's journey before returning

their attention to the enraged man.

"Dammit! Why did they have to kill Count du Houvan now, of all times?!"

The man stood up from a leather sofa and clenched his now-empty fist. Dakares Ciciay

Karlon Rhoden Vetran, the second prince of the Rhoden Kingdom, ran his hands

through his hair and breathed rapidly, his face contorted, his blue eyes burning with

rage.

"The townsfolk rose up in revolt. We've been unable to reach the count through the

chaos." One of the men, the target of Prince Dakares' intense stare, spoke slowly as he

repeated the report from his messenger.

The man's name was Duke Maldoira du Olsterio, one of the seven dukes of Rhoden and

general of the Third Royal Army. He was an older man with graying brown hair and a

well-groomed mustache, and he was far more muscular than his years might suggest.

Prince Dakares continued his tirade, this time directed at the monsters. "If those

haunted wolves hadn't shown up, Sekt would've been finished by now!"

The man next to General Maldoira spoke up, attempting to placate the prince. "Your

Highness, if the monsters hadn't appeared along the route, we would have arrived in

Houvan as planned and been caught in middle of the revolt."

Cetrion du Olsterio, a brawny man wearing a lieutenant general's uniform, looked like

a younger copy of General Maldoira.

Unfortunately, Cetrion's words only served to further enrage the prince.

"You're trying to put a positive spin on this?! We could have taken advantage of the

chaos to murder Sekt!"

The two men could do nothing but sigh in response to the prince's foul mood.

They had plotted with Count du Houvan to murder Prince Sekt, but the sudden

appearance of monsters along the route to Houvan had prevented them from arriving

in time, and their co-conspirator had ended up dead at the hands of his own subjects.

"The timing was wrong, nothing more. We need to keep an eye out for the next

opportunity."

General Maldoira provided the rest of his report, frustration clear in his voice. A

contingent of the Royal Army stationed in the capital had been dispatched to secure

the roads and pacify the situation in Houvan. For now, it would be difficult for Dakares'

men to leave the capital, meaning that the trip to Houvan had to be called off.

The prince muttered angrily to himself. "And that hag Yuriarna managed to slip

through my fingers! I hear she's reached Limbult…"

Someone knocked loudly on the door. "Master Maldoira, I have an urgent matter that

needs your attention!"

Cetrion moved to the door, opening it a crack. The soldier offered a swift salute before

whispering his news into the lieutenant general's ear. Cetrion nodded, then sent the

messenger on his way. He repeated the report to his father in a low voice.

Prince Dakares glared at the two men, making no effort to conceal the annoyance in

his voice. "What is it?"

Maldoira cleared his throat. "Apparently, the Etzat Market's central office is under

siege. The attackers are quite skilled, and the market is asking for emergency

assistance from the army. What should we do?"

The prince rubbed at his temples. "If it's not one thing, it's another!"

The Etzat Market was used heavily by the major trading companies—not to mention

elven slavers—so Dakares was in no position to deny a request from the market's

chairman.

The prince let out a curse-laden scream. After catching his breath, he turned his steely

gaze to the general.

"I'll smooth things over with Father later. Assemble a squad and suppress the attack.

The chairman will owe us a heavy debt if the general himself is involved."

Prince Dakares's lips twisted into a smile, eliciting a grin from Cetrion as well.

"Understood."

The general bowed to the prince before striding out of the room.

After his father was gone, Cetrion spoke up. "We haven't been able to confirm it yet,

but we've received a report that elves might have been involved in the Houvan

incident."

"What?!" The prince glowered at Cetrion.

"This attack on the Etzat Market might also be their doing."

"How do you mean?" A tinge of anxiety had entered the prince's voice.

"According to the reports, Marquis du Diento had been keeping an elf who has since

disappeared. Count du Houvan had also purchased an elf. It seems likely that these

two incidents are related." Cetrion struggled to keep the tone of his voice even.

"Are you suggesting that now they're after me, the one pulling the strings? No, no…

that would be silly. Whoever's behind this, there's no way they could breach the royal

palace."

"It's possible that this is the work of someone within the nobility. Marquis du Diento's

castle was an imposing fortress, and you can see how well that worked out for him. If

the attack on the market is merely a distraction, then someone might be coming to

take your life as we speak."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I think it would be best to lay low, somewhere no one would think to look for you. I've

already prepared a place in the first district. Please, come with me, Your Highness."

Prince Dakares hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Cetrion went to

the door and spoke in a low voice to a messenger he had standing by.

"Prepare a carriage at the rear entrance for the prince. Hurry!"

The lieutenant general summoned several guards to escort the prince. This hallway

was reserved only for the royal family, their relatives, and closest associates, so the

only sound was that of their hurried footfalls echoing through the empty halls.

When they arrived at the rear entrance, a black carriage bearing the crest of the royal

family skidded to a stop in front of them, its lamps extinguished despite the darkness.

Four mounted royal guards stood watch from the front and rear of the carriage.

Cetrion opened the door and waved the prince inside before climbing in after him.

The driver cracked his whip and the carriage sped off through the rear gate of the

palace. The guards stationed there glanced at the symbol on its side as it barreled past,

but they said nothing.

The carriage's wheels rattled as it made its way down the first district's cobblestone

streets, lined with the manors of various nobles.

Suddenly, the horses let out a loud whinny, and the carriage came clattering to a stop,

throwing Prince Dakares forward.

"Who goes there?!"

A royal guard called out, but instead of a response, the next sound the prince heard

was the clash of swords.

"Cetrion, what's going on out there?"

Prince Dakares peered out his window into the darkness, but he couldn't make out

anything other than a vague movement in the inky shadows.

"Please, stay calm, Your Highness. There is nothing to fear."

Cetrion reached down, drew the intricately decorated saber from his waist, and thrust

it straight into the prince's heart.

The prince looked confused, staring down at the silver blade sticking out of his chest.

His eyes found Cetrion's.

"But… but why?"

Blood frothed at the corners of his mouth, and his head fell back.

The door to the carriage opened, and a man climbed in.

Cetrion nonchalantly pulled the saber from the prince's chest, wiped it clean, and

returned it to its sheath before dropping to one knee.

"It seems all went according to plan. Well done."

A tall, handsome man with light brown hair smiled down at Cetrion. "I am not worthy

of such praise."

Cetrion looked up at the man in front of him—Sekt Rondahl Karlon Rhoden Sahdiay,

the first prince of the Rhoden Kingdom.

"Still, I'm quite impressed that you were able to put this together so quickly."

"I already knew that multiple beastmen were lurking near the palace. I told the

officials at the Etzat Market to come to me at the first sign of trouble."

"How clever. And how fortuitous that the seeds of dissent we planted back in Houvan

would produce such fruit here." Prince Sekt's handsome face twisted into a disturbed

grin.

"Yes, that plan was used to great effect with Princess Yuriarna. I've already disposed

of the person I made arrangements with."

"I've known what Yuriarna was up to for some time now. However, between the

monsters and losing half of our forces, I assumed the Houvan revolt would be delayed."

"Considering those monsters created our current situation, I'd say we got lucky."

"True. They also rid us of that annoying priest and his followers. Anyway, I just

received Yuriarna's heirloom necklace. Once everything else is settled, we can make it

look like Dakares plotted her death."

Sekt frowned. "All that's left is Maldoira, then. I'm so sorry to have to ask this of you."

Cetrion shook his head. "No, it would be foolish to leave the country to a man like my

father. He's committed to the hegemony in the east. I will honor my forefathers by

resolving this before it gets any worse."

"And the rest will go as planned?"

"Correct."

The two exchanged a look, and with a nod from Prince Sekt, Cetrion once again drew

his saber.

"Try not to go too deep, all right?"

Cetrion readied his blade. An instant later, he thrust it into the prince's left arm.

"Nnngaaah!"

Sekt let out a howl, his face contorting in pain. Blood gushed from the wound, staining

his shirt, making the injury look far more severe than it actually was.

Cetrion returned his saber to its sheath and offered it to the prince.

"Please proceed as planned and get treated, Your Highness. After that, you can report

on what happened here."

Prince Sekt took the sword and nodded, his brow soaked with sweat.

Cetrion hopped out of the carriage and ordered the driver to hurry to the temple. He

stepped back as the crack of a whip broke the silence of the empty streets. A moment

later, the lamps on the carriage flickered on as it took off at full speed, its wheels

rattling along the cobblestones.

After seeing the carriage off, Cetrion turned to several knights standing nearby and

pointed to a location off in the distance.

"Make your way to the Etzat Market, and hurry."

The tone in the lieutenant general's quiet voice sent a chill down the knights' spines.

***

The Etzat Market—the largest slave-trading center in the entire capital—was located

in Olav's third district. It had been built near the wall leading to the second district,

and it always boasted a large number of patrons.

The market traded in numerous types of slaves, including humans. The reasons for

enslavement varied, but often included criminals, children put up as collateral for a

debt, and people taken as war prizes.

In addition to humans, there were also the so-called beastmen—non-humans who'd

been ripped from their homes and sold as if they were property. The market handled

all of these sales.

These beastmen, who referred to themselves as the mountain people, were marked

by their animal-like ears and tails and were feared for their superior physical abilities,

which was why they'd been driven out from wherever humans lived. However, that

same physical prowess made them highly desirable on the slave market. They could

be put to use in coal mines and other harsh working conditions where humans didn't

want to venture.

The majority of beastmen captured in the central part of the Rhoden Kingdom

ultimately ended up as slaves in the capital, where they were used for manual labor

by nobles and the wealthy, leading to a massive concentration of slave houses in Olav.

The Etzat Market was the biggest of these, both in terms of the number of slaves sold

and the sheer size of its massive building.

The imposing, four-story monstrosity was surrounded by high walls on all sides and

sported a massive gate reinforced with iron rivets. It was nothing like the buildings

surrounding it.

Down a nearby side street, several people peered out of the shadows at the sturdylooking gate.

Ariane wore her charcoal cloak low over her head as she usually did, to cover her

amethyst skin and pointy ears. Next to her, a large man dressed all in black crouched

low, trying to conceal his massive frame.

I had seen this man before.

He was the man at the center of the scuffle Ariane and I had witnessed when we first

came to the capital. He'd traded his turban for the same black, metal-reinforced

headgear that Chiyome wore, which covered his head and mouth.

His upper body, however, was bare, revealing his bronze, muscular skin. He wore

simple metal gauntlets on each arm.

I was hardly one to comment on appearance, considering how I looked, but he

certainly struck an interesting figure.

Chiyome had brought him to assist us in attacking the Etzat Market. He was a

beastman just like Chiyome, and his name was Goemon, another of the six elite

members of the Jinshin clan.

Unlike Chiyome, however, his hair was silver and black, almost like a tabby cat's. With

his dark skin and massive frame, he reminded me more of a tiger than a house cat. I

couldn't help but wonder if there was a fandom out there that would be interested in

this brawny, cat-eared mountain of a man.

Between the darkness of the night and the lack of lamps, my vision was limited.

However, I could just make out a vague, shadowy figure moving along the tops of the

walls that surrounded the Etzat Market. The shadow effortlessly leaped to the ground

and silently approached the alley where we were hiding.

It was Chiyome. She wore a crimson scarf wrapped around her neck, which waved

about like a tail as she moved. She skidded to a stop in front of us and gave a report on

the status of the other squads preparing to attack the market.

"The others are in place, so all we need to do is draw out as many guards as we can."

She'd changed out of her earlier disguise and was now wearing ninja attire, allowing

her to melt into the darkness. Even just watching the way she ran, I was convinced she

truly was a ninja. And her night vision and nimble movements accentuated her catlike qualities.

Chiyome gave me a satisfied grin, almost as if she could read my mind. "We are the

mountain people, chosen by our great founder, Hanzo. And the cat people are the most

gifted of all."

My brain translated this as, "Furries are awesome! All praise the cat ears!"

Still, something about what she'd said caught my attention. "Was your great founder

also a cat person?"

"No, Hanzo was a human. He'd been working as a spy for the Revlon Empire and

started taking cat people under his wing to save them from their poor treatment. That

was the start of the Jinshin clan."

"Oh? So, you're no longer associated with the empire?"

"That's right. We were originally a spy organization under the control of the founder,

but the more successful we became, the more they began to fear his power. Eventually,

they began trying to assassinate him, but he dodged every attempt."

Chiyome frowned.

Nobles always feared those who took power for themselves. What's more, I imagined

it didn't help Hanzo's reputation that he'd surrounded himself with cat people rather

than humans.

"Soon after that, there was a battle over succession to the throne. The great founder

worked behind the scenes to keep both sides fighting. He led the clan away from the

empire amid the turmoil of a massive civil war."

I wondered if this Hanzo had ultimately caused the empire to be split in two.

"Hey, shouldn't we be getting started?" Ariane spoke up.

Goemon, who'd been silent this whole time, nodded.

Chiyome spoke to me. "All right, just like we planned, I'll leave the main gate up to

Goemon and Arc. Is that all right with you?"

I nodded. "Not a problem. Goemon and I will take care of anyone at the gate."

Goemon shot me a grim smile.

Chiyome turned to Ariane. "We'll head to the back of the market and enter through

there. Follow me." As soon as the words left her mouth, she was bounding down the

road, running along the wall like a shadow. Ariane easily followed the young girl's lead.

I turned toward Goemon. He seemed to read my thoughts and moved his hulking

frame out of the alley and into the street. I followed him until we were both standing

in front of the main gate.

"Let's do this!"

On my mark, we began running toward the massive double doors, Goemon easily

keeping pace with me. I could hear him chanting in a low voice as he braced himself.

"Muscle to stone, wall smasher!"

Light enveloped his body. A moment later, stone armor appeared across his massive

shoulders.

Apparently, he could also use ninjutsu. Or maybe that was just normal magic here?

"Nnnngaaaaaaaaaaaw!"

"Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Our shouts echoed through the night, reverberating down the surrounding streets as

the stone-encased Goemon and I ran headlong into the double doors. The ironreinforced wood splintered under the impact of our bodies, showering the courtyard

inside the walls.

Guards looked up in disbelief at the two intruders who'd just smashed their way in.

One of them tried to whisper to his comrade, his voice comically loud. "Is that a…

ghost?"

I had tied a rope around my waist to keep my armor fully concealed under my cloak,

making me look like a black phantom. I also wore the eerie festival mask that I'd

bought earlier today, its hollow sneer and feathered adornments giving me an

altogether unsettling appearance. "Ominous" was the word Ariane had used.

I probably did look like a ghost. I kind of liked it.

Several of the guards continued to stand there, frozen in fear. Goemon moved

quickly—more quickly than someone of his size should have been able to—and sent

them flying with a single punch.

"Invaders! We're under attack!"

"It's a beastman! Someone call for support!"

The remaining men came to their senses and started yelling. A few guards near the

entrance raised their weapons and began advancing on us.

Right about now, Chiyome and Ariane should have been entering the building through

the rear.

One of the dozen or so men surrounding us sneered at Goemon. "What's a beast doing

showing its face around a human city?! Are you trying to disrupt the operations of the

Etzat Market?!"

The men tightened their circle, blocking our exit. Another one, a particularly sinisterlooking man, edged even closer, smirking.

"You've really got it coming to ya now, you sons of—"

Without thinking, I punched him in the face, knocking him backward. The atmosphere

immediately grew much tenser, the men hungry for blood.

A rugged man, possibly their leader, shouted above the others. "We're gonna teach 'em

a lesson they'll never forget… even if it kills us!"

The men cried out in unison. One of them, dressed more like a mercenary than a guard,

swung his blade at me. Glenys would have been incredibly disappointed with his

technique. I easily dodged the blow and swung my arm into the man's face. I heard a

dull crunch as the man tumbled back into the wall, his nose and teeth shattered.

Another man lunged in. I caught his blade on my gauntlet and punched him in the ribs.

He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

Considering the caliber of men I'd be dealing with, I'd figured my sword and shield

would be overkill, so I'd left them on my bed back at the inn. Even in only my armor, I

was a weapon in my own right.

Two men in light armor thrust their spears at me in unison. I evaded their attacks and

grabbed the spears, snapping the shafts. Then I delivered a punch to each of them.

"Gwaugh!"

"Urgh!"

The two men collapsed, eyes wide, their armor bearing fist-shaped indentations.

Goemon was also facing off against several men at once. Unlike me, however, he was

much more skilled, and easily dispatched his foes. Despite his large frame, he was able

to deftly dodge attacks with very little movement, allowing him to immediately

counterattack with his massive fists. I watched with amazement as he took out

opponent after opponent.

While my attention was on Goemon, I felt something strike my shoulder armor with

an awful metal-on-metal scraping sound.

A brash voice spoke up from behind me.

"Hee hee! Forgot to watch yer back, huh?"

I turned. A man had thrust his sword right into my shoulder. However, all he'd

managed to do was slice my cloak. The armor underneath had stopped the blade from

going any farther.

I grabbed the tip of the sword between my fingers. The man tried to yank it away, but

he was no match for my strength. He retreated, drawing a short sword from a sheath

strapped to his lower back.

"You fool!"

I gripped the stolen sword with both hands—one on the hilt, the other on the tip—

and started to bend. The sword snapped in half with an ear-splitting clang. I tossed

both pieces unceremoniously at the man's feet.

"Wh-wha?!"

While he stood there, stunned, I threw a face-deforming punch, sending him into

several other men who'd been standing behind him. They all sprawled on the ground,

unmoving.

In the span of only a few minutes, we'd cleared the entire courtyard in front of the

gate. Goemon and I were the only ones left standing, surrounded by the sounds of

groaning men.

More guards appeared, gathering around the gate, probably drawn by the commotion

we'd caused.

A man who looked like he was in charge pointed his spear toward me and demanded

our surrender in a commanding tone. "Just who in the hell do you think you are?! Stop

what you're doing and get on the ground at once!"

"More playthings?" I murmured to myself as I turned to face him.

"Wh-what is that thing?"

"Is that a beastman?!"

Even the commander who'd demanded our surrender was stunned into silence. I

laughed, and the commander's face turned a bright shade of red.

"Subdue the invaders!!!"

A dozen or so men with spears at the ready moved in to surround us, just as the

mercenaries had done before. However, unlike the mercenaries, who'd attacked us one

by one, we were now dealing with well-trained soldiers. They came at us in pairs, or

in groups as large as six to eight men at once.

In an effort to keep them back, Goemon grabbed one of the fallen mercenaries and

hurled the man's body toward the soldiers.

The body crashed into the soldiers and knocked them to the ground. Now that their

line was broken, Goemon moved in to attack, though he was immediately met with

spears from the remaining guards. He easily jumped over their feeble thrusts,

launching a series of kicks that threw the men back like scarecrows caught in the wind.

The few guards still standing saw their chance and lunged with their spears the

moment he landed.

"Muscle to metal, arm bracer! Graaw!" Goemon's deep voice echoed above the din as

he assumed a pose reminiscent of a bodybuilder. His flexed muscles glimmered

slightly, taking on the metallic finish of real bronze. The spears bent as they hit his

body, unable to penetrate his skin.

"What's his body made of?!"

Goemon took advantage of the soldiers' confusion and delivered a series of blows that

elicited screams of pain and terror.

He was almost finished with his group, apparently.

I turned my attention to the men advancing on me, only to find that every single one

of them wore a look of apprehension.

To avoid being struck from behind again, I kept my body constantly moving, my arms

outspread as I waited for one of them to make the first move. From their point of view,

it probably looked like this man in the ominous mask was performing some sort of

eerie dance. None of them moved.

"If you're just going to stand there, I guess I'll come to you instead!"

I rushed forward.

"Waugh! He's coming!"

The guards formed ranks and thrust out their spears. However, the thin wooden shafts

snapped easily against my Belenus Holy Armor.

"Gwaaaaugh!"

I crashed through the line of men, sending them tumbling about like bowling pins.

Those left standing threw down their spears and reached for their swords, but I

delivered a flurry of punches before any of them could draw.

"Damn! Fall back, fall back!!!"

Someone issued the order to retreat, and the soldiers scattered. I started to pursue

them until I noticed several arrows flying past me from behind.

I batted the arrows away and turned my attention to the new group of guards now

standing at the gate. This time, they'd mustered an even larger force. Their

commander issued an order, and all of the archers drew their bows in unison.

"Goemon!"

"Hmm?"

My warning reached him just as the soldiers launched their second volley.

Goemon and I retreated, evading the volley, our backs nearly up against the building.

Shield-bearers stepped in front of the archers, followed by a line of spear-wielding

soldiers like before. They advanced slowly.

It looked like they planned to use an entire regiment to crush just the two of us.

I glanced at Goemon. He shot me another smile. I gave him a thumbs-up. He might not

have understood exactly what it meant, but I think the meaning got across.

It was time to end this.

No matter how large this trading office might be, at the end of the day, they could only

pack so many soldiers into the courtyard. Being crammed into a confined space, where

their numbers counted less, was one of the greatest dangers a military force could

face.

"Muscle to stone, rock spear strike!"

Goemon crossed his arms over his chest before punching them both straight into the

ground. Spear-shaped rocks thrust up from the ground, one after another, slowly

encircling us.

"Rock Fang!!!"

This was a mid-level area-of-effect spell from the Magus class. It caused numerous

fang-shaped stones to rip up out of the earth, almost as if a giant beast was chewing

its way out of the ground to swallow the soldiers whole.

"It's a mage!"

"Fall back! We'll die if we stay here!"

The line of soldiers halted their forward march and threw down their weapons,

bolting for the gate. Goemon's ninjutsu and my magic pursued them for a ways until

the two attacks crashed into each other with a thunderclap that caused the very earth

to shake beneath us. But somehow, instead of dissipating, the attacks combined. A

large rock covered in thorns exploded from the center of the courtyard, sending stone

splinters raining down on the buildings and surrounding streets in every direction.

Goemon and I sought refuge in the entrance to the building, glancing back and forth

from the plumes of dirt and screaming men to each other.

Goemon's eyes were wide with surprise. "That was… unexpected."

I could only nod in response. Rather than cancel each other out, when the ninjutsu and

magic had collided, they'd become far more aggressive. I wondered if a similar thing

happened when mages fought each other. But judging by Goemon's reaction, he'd

never seen anything like this before.

Too focused on the strange event that had just unfolded, Goemon and I failed to

register the disconcerting creak coming from the building behind us.

"Huh?!"

By the time we looked up, a portion of the roof was falling toward us.

***

Chiyome and Ariane were atop the wall, checking out the area behind the Etzat Market

as planned, when they heard a thunderous roar erupt from the entrance.

"Sounds like it's already started."

"Seems so."

"Kyii!" Ponta seemed to be voicing its agreement from where it clung to Ariane's

shoulder.

A narrow, unlit path ran along the back perimeter of the trading office, bathed in

blackness. Even the dim light of the moon couldn't seem to reach the area. However,

Chiyome's and Ariane's species both had excellent night vision.

Chiyome looked down, eyes narrowed. "Looks like there aren't any guards back here."

"That's good for us, at least. Let's head in."

Ariane hopped from the wall and used her magic to summon a series of rocks from the

ground, forming steps. She descended to the ground, her charcoal cloak waving in the

wind, then ducked behind the building, becoming one with the shadows… except for

Ponta, who stuck out like a sore thumb.

Chiyome jumped down behind her, landing in a crouch. Her eyes scanned the perimeter.

The windows in the back of the stone building were located well above the ground,

leaving them with no obvious means of entry. She darted over to one corner, peeking

her head around for a look.

"Ariane, I found an entrance on the side of the building. We'll enter through there."

The young ninja girl dashed off toward a wooden door reinforced with a sheet of

metal. Ariane arrived a moment later, sighing as she spied a metal lock on the door.

"Want me to blow it open with magic?"

Chiyome shook her head. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a thin metal

pick, which she inserted in the keyhole. After a few seconds, Ariane heard a loud click

followed by the sound of a bolt moving. Chiyome removed the now-open lock.

"That's amazing, Chiyome!"

The ninja girl's cheeks flushed at Ariane's praise. The door creaked as she pushed it

open and slipped inside.

The interior of the building was lit by only a few dim magic lamps, making it hard to

see. This had the benefit of making some areas all the darker, allowing Chiyome to

blend into the shadows with ease.

"There are two attackers at the entrance!"

"Remember what we were told! Send a runner to the palace!"

The two women could hear men shouting, the urgency clear in their voices.

Ariane was about to slip through the door after Chiyome when an armed mercenary

came running toward her.

"Wh-who the hell are you?!"

Before the man could raise the alarm, Chiyome dove from the shadows and stabbed

him through the throat with a dagger, preventing him from making any further

noise—not even a dying scream. The man clawed at his throat as he collapsed.

Chiyome tried to drag him into the shadows where he wouldn't be seen, but after

watching her struggle to move the dead weight for a solid minute, Ariane traded places

with the cat girl. She stuffed the dead man into a dark corner.

"Thank you, Ariane."

"Leave the brute strength stuff to me. Now, let's get on with this while those two are

still providing a distraction out front."

The two of them moved deeper into the building, stepping out of the narrow corridor

and into a room with a vaulted ceiling, its walls lined with iron-barred cages. People

of all different shapes, sizes, and species were shoved inside.

Some were cat people similar to Chiyome. Others ranged from people with the ears

and tails of wolves to those with long rabbit ears. They were all keenly watching and

listening.

Unlike the elves, the mountain people had little in the way of magical affinity, so none

of them were wearing any sort of magical restraints like the mana-eater collar. What

they lacked in magical abilities, however, they made up for in physical strength. In

order to restrict their movements, they'd each had their ankles cuffed together.

Ariane took a quick look around. "It looks like every single one of these cells is for the

mountain people."

Some of the people had started to take notice of Chiyome and Ariane, their eyes going

wide.

"What are you…?" A voice called out from one of the cells, drawing the attention of a

group of watchmen, who started yelling as they charged toward Chiyome.

"Who the hell are you? Where'd you come from?!"

"I've got him, Chiyome!" Ariane drew her sword, rushing toward the watchmen.

Her opponents already had their weapons out and were prepared to fight, but there

was only enough room for two of them to stand side by side in the narrow hallway.

Ariane slashed her blade as she deftly slipped between the first two men, landing on

the other side.

The watchmen turned in surprise, only to slump to the floor, their blood pooling on

the stones. Ariane pointed her blade toward the next two, her golden eyes narrowing

within her charcoal cloak.

Faced with her impressive swordsmanship and imposing demeanor, the rest of the

watchmen chose to turn and flee rather than engage her in combat.

Ariane frowned. The watchmen weren't the only ones afraid. The mountain people in

the cells were cowering at the sight of her.

Chiyome lowered her black mask. "My name is Chiyome, of the Jinshin clan. We have

come here to save you. Please listen to what I tell you, and I will get you all out of here."

She pulled out her lockpick and inserted it into the keyhole of the nearest cell. A

moment later, the metal door opened with a screech. The people in the newly opened

cell murmured to each other.

"Did she say the Jinshin clan?!"

"I can't believe it! They came to save us?" The Jinshin clan was known by practically

all the mountain people.

The prisoners' eyes all began to light up with rekindled hope—a hope that had been

nearly extinguished in their time locked away in their cells.

Chiyome called out above the chatter. "Can anyone here smash open these locks?"

Several people raised their hands. Chiyome undid the clasps around their ankles and

handed several more picks to the newly freed slaves.

"Split up and set our comrades free! I want anyone who can fight to arm themselves

with the watchmen's weapons."

"Hoorah! Leave it to us!"

While Chiyome worked quickly to free more of her trapped comrades from their cells,

she started giving orders to the ragtag group of slaves, who were reveling in their

newfound freedom.

"Men, take the weapons. I want the women to provide support!"

The mountain people followed Chiyome's commands, freeing their fellow slaves and

arming themselves.

Just then, a contingent of soldiers wearing matching armor came rushing down the

stairwell behind Ariane. They drew their swords in unison as their commander issued

orders.

"Don't let the slaves or intruders get away! Kill anyone you can't capture!"

A shadow darted forward.

"Body to water, liquid wolf fang!"

Chiyome drew a symbol in the air as she ran toward the soldiers, looking like a

character out of a ninja comic book. The next instant, three wolves, about a meter long

each, appeared around her and rushed in to attack.

The commander watched, aghast. "Just who is this, some kind of mage?!"

The ninjutsu water wolves ducked and weaved between the men's swords, biting their

ankles and sending them screaming to the ground.

Whenever a soldier was lucky enough to strike one of the wolves, the sword swished

through the water with no obvious effect.

Ariane was frozen in place, watching Chiyome carry out her attack. She shook her

head, coming to her senses, and launched herself at the soldiers from behind. The two

women continued to move through the men, dispatching soldiers left and right. A

moment later, having made quick work of the remaining watchmen, the armed slaves

came to Chiyome and Ariane's aid.

With the full brute strength of the mountain people arrayed against them, the soldiers

could no longer hold their position. One by one, they were slaughtered and robbed of

their weapons. As the number of resistance fighters increased, the number of soldiers

dwindled.

Around seventy slaves had joined the fray when another thunderous roar echoed in

the distance. A moment later, the entire building shook as a blast of wind and dirt blew

through the hallways, extinguishing the oil lamps and blanketing the rooms in

darkness.

The fighting stopped as everyone froze. But as soon as the roar had passed, the clash

of swords resumed. Unlike the mountain people with their superior night vision, the

humans were essentially fighting blind, unable to clearly make out who they were

fighting and, in some cases, killing their fellow soldiers.

Once the majority of the soldiers and watchmen had been dealt with, the ex-slaves

began checking each other's injuries. Around that time, two hulking shadows

appeared from direction of the main entrance.

One of them looked to be around thirty years old. He was two meters tall and naked

from the waist up. The other was covered from neck to toe in a black cloak and wore

an eerie mask adorned with feathers, lending him an unsettling aura. Both were

completely covered with dust.

The mountain people froze, instantly gripped with fear.

The first man was one of them, but the other… they couldn't say. Uncertain what to do

about the approaching men, the mountain people looked desperately to Ariane and

Chiyome.

Ponta cried out excitedly, its cotton tail wagging excitedly at the sight of the newcomers.

"Kyii! Kyiiiii!"

Ariane let out a loud sigh and threw back her hood, revealing her amethyst skin and

pointed ears. The ex-slaves watched her in stunned silence, having assumed that both

of their rescuers were from the Jinshin clan.

Their surprise, however, quickly turned back to fear as the man in the ominous mask

approached.

***

"Hah! I thought we were dead for sure."

I crawled out from under the rubble of the collapsed ceiling and brushed myself off.

The unexpected magical explosion had caused part of the first floor to cave in, giving

me a clear view up into the second. The courtyard in front of the building was in

complete disarray, and I could see the bodies of dozens of soldiers among the

mountain of rubble.

As the wind carried the dust away and a calm silence once again descended, footsteps

echoed along cobbles of the streets outside. I could tell from the sound that a large

number of people were approaching, likely either more reinforcements or, if we were

unlucky, the Royal Army. In either case, I didn't have any time to waste. I started

digging through the rubble.

"Goemon! Goemon, are you okay?!"

As I sifted through the rubble, a musclebound arm burst out of the debris, followed by

a dust-covered Goemon.

"Goemon! You're safe!"

"I'm… fine, I think."

He shook the debris from his body. The ears on top of his head twitched in the

direction of the gate, and he turned his gaze to the darkened street. Apparently, he'd

noticed the approaching troops as well.

"It seems like reinforcements are on the way, but I can't see them ignoring their

injured allies. We might have some time before they attack. We should get the freed

slaves out of here while we have a chance."

Goemon nodded in agreement and hopped down from the mountain of rubble, making

his way toward the entrance to the building. I followed him inside.

After passing through the main entrance hall and another set of doors, we found

ourselves in a dim dungeon lined with row upon row of empty cells. We continued

deeper inside until we came to a room filled with newly freed slaves.

Many of them were cat people like Chiyome and Goemon, but there was a wide variety

of other species as well, including burly wolfmen and rabbit-eared folk. It was almost

like a furry expo. I approached, excited.

As the group of animal people took notice of me, looks of concern started appearing

on their faces. I tilted my head in confusion. From somewhere off in the distance, I

heard Ponta cry out.

I spotted Ariane, her hood lowered. She looked annoyed, which only made me more

confused.

"Arc, I think you can take that mask off now. You're scaring everyone."

I'd completely forgotten how I was dressed.

"Oh, right! You know, I've actually come to like how I look with it on."

Ponta hopped off of Ariane's shoulder and glided over toward me, burying its small

body in the decorative feathers atop my head.

"Kyii kyiiiii!"

This was the most excited I'd seen Ponta in a while. While I tried to calm my animal

friend down, Chiyome turned to Goemon.

"How are things at the front gate?"

Usually a man of few words, Goemon responded to Chiyome's question in a low voice.

"A large number of reinforcements are on their way, but Arc and I should be able to

hold them off." He pointed a thumb toward me. "You should have some time before

they're able to break through."

I nodded in response, almost knocking Ponta off my head in the process. I could hear

it scrabbling against the mask as it clung to the feathers and scrambled its way back

atop my head.

"And how are things here, Miss Ariane? Is this everyone?"

The freed slaves had relaxed slightly now that they realized I was an ally of their

rescuers.

All of the locks had been removed from the cells, but there were still a number of

people in shackles, though others were working quickly to remove these.

"We're almost done here. It sounds like slaves are also kept on the upper floors, so

we'll need to go deeper into the building."

Ariane turned her gaze toward a large set of doors on the far side of the room.

I thought they'd entered through the rear of the building, but apparently there wasn't

any entrance back there, meaning that all entry and exit points were limited to this

central room.

Chiyome and Goemon exchanged glances.

"What if we leave Goemon to take care of things here?" I asked. "That way, I can go

with you. Once we free everyone else and get all of the slaves out of the capital, then

the mission will be complete, correct?"

Goemon nodded.

"Got it," said Ariane.

Chiyome turned to Goemon. "All right, our final escape will take place as planned. Once

the reinforcements make it inside, we'll have Goemon take out the building and Arc

will teleport everyone out."

The first time I'd heard this plan, I'd balked at the idea. Even if Goemon and I were

able to draw a large number of soldiers to the market, as long as we left the building

standing, they would be able to easily regroup and reinforce the other slave houses.

However, the guards and royal soldiers were sent here to bring order back to the Etzat

Market. They were neither murderous bandits nor corrupt slave traders.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, were. They took money to fight the enemies of

whoever was paying their bills. That was no different from how things were back in

my world, really.

I'd originally become a mercenary without giving it much thought, but that was only

because I'd figured mercenaries were something like adventurers in this world, like

they were in the game. It was a decision I was starting to regret. I wanted nothing to

do with the kind of people who could so callously make the mountain people their

slaves.

I nodded to Chiyome.

"Well then, let's hurry along."

We left Goemon to take care of preparing the escape while I, along with Ponta,

accompanied Ariane and Chiyome through the doors on the far side of the room. They

opened up to a walled garden.

On the far side of the garden was another large door, guarded by several rough-looking

men.

One of the men, a particularly large fellow, had his hands around the necks of two

young girls, who were twisting and writhing in his grasp. The girls had animal-like

ears atop their heads and were dressed in tattered clothes.

Surprise washed over the man's face as he noticed us, though he quickly composed

himself and started yelling, spittle flying everywhere.

"So, you're the bastard who came here in that stupid costume! I know who you are…

you're those beast rescuers, yeah?! Well, what do ya think is about to happen to these

two, huh?"

"My name is Arc, though I am no rescuer. Now, could you please let those children go?"

I stuck out my chest as I demanded the children's release… and quickly realized my

folly. Here I was, dressed in a mask to hide my identity, and yet I'd just given him my

name. I couldn't believe my carelessness. Still, for a moment it looked as if I'd gotten

through to the large man. That is, until his face broke into a fiendish grin and he

gripped the girls' throats even tighter.

"Shaddap, or that'll be the end of 'em. Now, drop yer weapons and kick 'em over here!"

Next to the shouting, musclebound man, several of the other men turned their leering

gazes toward Ariane.

"Heh. What do have here? A dark elf?"

Ariane narrowed her thin eyebrows. "Using the weak as a shield is standard practice

for humans, I see."

Chiyome and Ariane set their weapons on the ground and kicked them over. The men

seemed oblivious to their hateful glares and laughed in response. Now that we were

unarmed, they seemed to decide that we were no longer a threat and lowered their

own weapons.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

Several of the men approached me. When they were still about a foot or so away, the

large man called out to them. "Only kill the masked man! We'll take the other two home

as prizes."

The men let out howls of laughter. Right as they were about to swing their weapons, I

used Dimensional Step to teleport behind the large man.

The men's weapons cut uselessly through the air.

The large man shouted, shock evident in his voice. "Wha?! He's gone!"

I grabbed the man's head in both hands and twisted, turning it nearly completely

around with a loud snap. For a moment, the man's eyes were wide in fear, then his

whole body went slack. The two girls fell to the floor with a thud. Something began

dripping from the man's pant leg. I tossed the body over to a nearby wall where it

collapsed in a heap.

The two girls clutched their throats, gasping for breath. As their breathing started to

normalize, they looked up at me in fear. I brushed my hands through their soft hair.

They couldn't have been more than five or six. Their expressions relaxed as they

noticed Ponta's head peeking out from among the feathers adorning my mask.

"Just close your eyes. The scary stuff will all be over in a moment."

"Kyiii…"

They both nodded and buried their faces in their hands.

"Dammit! What the hell did you do?!"

All traces of confidence had vanished from the men. They could barely conceal their

horror at seeing their companion dispatched so brutally. I took advantage of their

momentary lapse and rushed them, closing the distance between us in an instant.

Despite my best efforts to hold back, the men's faces and chests were torn open as I

pummeled them, the sounds of shattering bones and gurgling screams filling the

garden. Ariane and Chiyome retrieved their weapons and joined the fray. The whole

thing was over in a matter of seconds, the garden now filled with the men's deformed

bodies.

I returned to the little girls and spoke to them gently, trying not to alarm them. "You

can open your eyes now. The scary old men are all gone now."

Even as the words left my mouth, I knew they sounded odd. I was hardly one to talk,

considering the creepy mask I was wearing.

Ariane called out from behind me. "We're done here, Arc. Let's go farther inside." She

made for the door at the far end of the garden. "As soon as we take care of the others,

we can teleport out of here."

Just then, Chiyome's cat ears started twitching wildly.

"I can hear people beyond this door." She pushed it open.

The room on the other side looked like a well-decorated manor, sporting all manner

of knick-knacks and a large table surrounded by chairs. If I had to guess, I'd say this

was where the sales negotiations took place.

While I was looking around the room, the two girls jogged past me and darted through

one of the doors running along the wall. Chiyome took off after them, followed closely

by Ariane and me.

Beyond that door was a short hall leading to another door. As soon as we opened it, a

horrible stench washed over us, like damp, rotting grass.

The room was full of mountain people, men and women, chained together. Most of

them were nude, or close to it. Many of the women appeared to be pregnant. As soon

as they caught sight of me, they grew afraid, trembling.

The young girls from the garden ran up to two women, hugging the enlarged bellies

that protruded from their tattered clothes, sobbing quietly in their mothers' arms.

I suppressed the urge to retch. Someone was breeding mountain people like farm

animals, probably selling the children as slaves. I wasn't sure how profitable a scheme

like this could actually be, but judging by the small size of the room compared to the

rest of the building, it seemed like they were still just experimenting with the idea. At

least, I hoped they were.

In any case, it was an awful sight to behold.

"Miss Ariane, please look around for something these people can wear."

"G-got it."

My voice broke Ariane out of her temporary paralysis and she hurried out of the room

in search of clothes.

Chiyome closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. After she'd gotten her emotions in

check, she turned to me and spoke in her usual monotone voice.

"I'll take care of the locks, and then we can get everyone out of here."

"Roger."

Chiyome knelt next to one of the women and pulled a small metal pick from her pocket.

She fitted it into the keyhole and rattled it around until the clasp opened and the

woman's ankle was free.

I followed suit, kneeling down next to a dog-eared man. I grabbed the chain connected

to his ankle cuff in both hands and ripped it apart. The man's eyes went wide at my

feat of strength.

A few moments later, Ariane returned to find everyone in the room free of their

restraints.

"There wasn't much in the way of clothes, so they'll have to make do with these."

She showed us a stack of linens.

I couldn't tell if they were bedsheets or curtains, but they would at least give the

mountain people some dignity.

With Ariane's help, we passed the linens out to everyone in the room.

"Arc, we should get these people out of the city first."

"Right. Let's bring them all to the main hall."

Chiyome led the way. The people murmured among themselves, unsure what was

about to happen to them. I made my way to the center of the group and shepherded

everyone together. Then I focused my mind.

"Transport Gate!"

A large pillar of light, far larger than anything I'd created thus far, rose up from the

floor, illuminating the dim room.

The people tensed as the light began to envelop them, their animal ears at stiff

attention.

The world blinked out for an instant. A mere second later, we found ourselves standing

in a moonlit field. A gentle wind rippled through the grass in waves, carrying with it

the sounds of insects. Off to the south, the outline of Olav stood stark against the sky.

I found this spot after purchasing my mask earlier. I couldn't see the capital as clearly

now as I could under the afternoon sun, but it was still far brighter than any other

towns I'd seen.

Once they realized where they were, the people began cheering, crying, and asking

Chiyome for an explanation. Those closest to me, however, took a few steps away. Not

a single person tried to ask me anything.

After a few moments, the rabbit-eared mother of one of the girls I'd saved approached

me and bowed her head, her eyes filled with tears. In between sobs, she expressed her

gratitude.

"Th-thank you for saving my…"

As I nodded my masked head solemnly, more and more people began making their

way toward me.

Under the dim light of the moon, I could barely make out another cat person, dressed

in the same ninja attire as Chiyome.

Chiyome approached the figure and waved me over. She addressed the crowd in her

usual monotone. "These people here will lead you to a safe place. Please, do what they

say!"

After exchanging glances among each other, the crowd began to form up and follow

the cat ninja.

"We'll leave the rest to them while we head back for the others."

"All right then, let's go!"

I called up Transport Gate again and teleported us back to the main hall of the Etzat

Market.

A small pillar formed at our feet. A moment later, we were back in the center of the

hall… and right in the middle of a group of armed animal men.

"Wha… who's there?!"

The men let out howls of surprise at our sudden appearance, though the concern on

their faces faded as soon as they recognized us as the ones who'd broken them out of

their cells.

A middle-aged man with drooping dog ears stepped forward from the group.

"Apologies! We didn't realize it was you. We've been looking for our comrades who

were locked away in here. Have you seen them?"

Chiyome pulled the mask away from her mouth and filled them in on the situation.

"We've rescued them and taken them out of the capital. My fellow clan members are

bringing them somewhere safe as we speak."

The other men looked comforted to hear this, but the dog-eared man narrowed his

eyes. "Are you daft?! How could you get them out in such a short time?"

Rather than respond to the question, Chiyome glared at the man. "We don't have time

for an explanation right now. How are the escape preparations and defense efforts

going?"

The dog-eared man's eyes remained narrowed, but he provided a simple update on

the situation. "All of the people are out of their cells, and about half are unchained.

Soldiers are only coming into the building sporadically, but they've solidified their

lines outside."

Chiyome nodded, then turned her gaze back to me.

I used Transport Gate to teleport us to the field.

Chiyome and I left the confused beastmen to her allies and teleported back to the

manor, this time heading through the large door and back into the cell-lined room.

A large group of mountain people stood outside their cells, some still busy trying to

break the chains from their ankles, while others fought off an attack from incoming

soldiers.

It didn't look like we had a lot of time left before the main force entered the building,

so I started ferrying people to the grassy field. After several trips back and forth, all of

the hundred or so slaves had been transported away from the Etzat Market.

Given how much time we'd wasted trying to explain things to the confused, surprised,

and grateful people who came rushing up to us, I couldn't help but wonder if it would

have been faster to simply teleport them, cells and all, to begin with.

I'd been hesitant to do that, though, since sooner or later, someone would have

discovered the missing cells.

While I was thinking about how we might have done things differently, Ariane spoke

up.

"All that's left is the final step of the plan."

I gave a quick nod and called up an image of the building in my mind. "I'll be right

back."

In a flash, I was back in the Etzat Market, alone.

The building was now empty of all life, filled with an eerie silence.

Well, not entirely empty. One figure stood alone in the darkness, the outline of his

massive, well-toned body and cat ears dark against the darker shadows. It was

Goemon.

He stood dead still, almost like a statue, only moving his eyes to look over in my

direction as I teleported in. His cat ears remained focused on the door.

"We have company."

A moment later, heavy footfalls filled the air, sounding almost like an avalanche rolling

in. The damaged building creaked, and dust shook loose from the ceiling. Moments

later, the entire entrance was filled with soldiers carrying massive shields, and

lanterns to light the way.

They'd come to crush us alive.

They must not have realized that we were able to use magic. It'd be rather trivial to

wipe out their forces in such a confined space.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true. It would normally be a terrible idea to use such

powerful magic indoors. The caster risked destroying the building while they were

still inside.

Next to me, Goemon raised both arms straight up into the air. Then he lowered them

slowly, the veins on his pectoral muscles bulging as he did. His usual blank expression

changed ever so slightly as his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was grinning wildly

beneath his wrappings.

"How about an encore of our previous performance, Arc?"

I was pretty sure I knew what he meant by that, but I didn't have time to clarify. "If

you're sure, Goemon. Let's make this a big one, yeah?"

Goemon's grin widened, his muscles bulging. He was pretty terrifying when he smiled,

actually.

"Muscle to stone, rock spear strike!"

He clanged his gauntlets together, then smashed both of his fists into the ground. The

floor beneath him tore open, and fang-shaped stone spikes began ripping down the

hall toward the oncoming troops.

"Rock Fang!"

I summoned my area-of-effect spell right after Goemon unleashed his ninjutsu attack.

The force of the fang-shaped stones tearing out of the floor knocked even more of the

ceiling loose, the ninjutsu mingling with my magic as they both hurtled away from us.

The soldiers crouched behind their massive shields for cover.

Just then, a loud bang erupted as the magic and ninjutsu came fully together,

expanding in size. A large stone pillar ripped up out of the ground and straight through

the ceiling, countless spikes launching out of it to tear through the walls, floor, and

anything else that stood in their way.

The soldiers abandoned their defensive posture, scattering as the room began to fall

apart around them. A massive crash reverberated through the small space, and the

whole building shook violently.

The building groaned, as if it could no longer support its own weight. Slowly but surely,

the Etzat Market began to collapse in on itself. I could sense that all of the buildings

connected to it would also fall, one by one, like a line of dominos.

"Let's get out of here, Goemon!"

Goemon nodded.

I summoned up Transport Gate and teleported us out into the field overlooking the

capital.

My ears were still ringing from the horrendous din we'd just escaped, the sound all

the more obvious in the middle of a quiet field. I shook my head, brushing the debris

off of my body.

Chiyome called out to me. "I can't thank you enough for all your help, Arc."

I turned around to find the young ninja and several others dressed in similar attire.

Goemon and Ariane stood among them.

Goemon silently extended a hand. I clasped it, and we shook. Then he stepped back

and flexed one massive bicep. I wasn't really sure what that meant, so I assumed the

same pose and flexed mine back.

"Until next time."

And that was all I got from the taciturn man before he stepped back into the group.

I reached up to remove my mask. As soon as I pulled it off, I heard a sad kyiii as Ponta

dropped to the ground. I bowed my head in apology. "Sorry about that, Ponta."

"Arc, you're just awful."

Ariane swooped in to pick up my furry companion, rubbing Ponta against her cheek

and babbling to it. She probably didn't realize that anyone could hear her, but the

sound of her voice sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through my bones.

Chiyome interrupted my thoughts. "Thank you so much, Ariane and Arc, for everything.

You were an immense help."

It was the most cheerful I'd heard her sound yet.

Ariane smiled back brightly, Ponta still snuggled deep in her arms.

"Don't worry about it. We had our reasons, after all."

"That's right," I said. "We need your information. Anyway, where will you be going now?"

Chiyome looked over her shoulder and gestured toward the black outline of a mountain

range.

"We're headed for a village hidden in the Calcut Mountains."

Ariane looked confused. "Don't you have a large country all to yourselves on the southern

continent?"

Chiyome's face clouded over with sadness at the mere mention of it. "That's true, but

it'd be difficult to take such a large group of people across the ocean. Besides, a lot of

the people prefer the climate here."

The group of newly freed slaves making their way toward the Calcut Mountains had

grown to over two hundred strong. I wondered if the people rescued from the other

attacks had all gathered here as well.

There were probably also a fair amount of people already living at their destination. A

large-scale exodus of mountain people would be quite a challenge—finding safe

routes to travel all while staying out of sight and dodging mercenaries and hunters,

Chiyome looked out across the mass of people and muttered to herself, a worried look

on her face. "If only we knew where the shrine was…" She shook her head and turned

her attention back to Ariane and me. "Anyway, don't worry about it. Besides, I owe you

two information. The person you're looking for, Drassos du Barysimon, is a viscount

in the Holy East Revlon Empire."

The wind suddenly picked up, sending my cloak fluttering noisily in the wind.

It looked like our journey was going to take us beyond the borders of the Rhoden

Kingdom.