Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Suspicious Passerby
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Miss Kayla, what do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. I’ve lived here for over twenty years, and I’ve never seen that guy. Not even once.”
“Ha… What the hell.”
Thompson, who had been listening quietly, cut in with a look of disbelief.
“Miss, even if you’re from around here, you can’t know everyone who lives in this place, right?”
“District 7 doesn’t have a big population, and there aren’t many safe zones, so pretty much everyone knows each other. Rumors spread fast, too.”
“…Is that so?”
Everyone froze at Kayla’s words.
I was just as flustered.
“You’re sure about this?”
“Yeah, I double- and triple-checked. No doubt about it. He’s not from here.”
Kayla stated it with firm conviction.
It left me feeling uneasy, too.
“…This situation’s getting weird.”
If Kayla was right, then the passerby had lied to us.
But I couldn’t figure out why.
What was his angle?
“Maybe he’s planning to steal our gear while we’re asleep?”
“If it was just theft, there’d be no reason to bring us all the way here. What’s anyone around here even got worth taking?”
“Hmm. Then why the hell…?”
We huddled together and puzzled over it for several minutes, but no answers came.
All I had was a gut feeling that it was connected to this invasion somehow.
Everything was still too murky to voice that thought out loud.
In the end, we reached this conclusion.
“Let’s just watch him for now. See what his game is.”
We’d keep an eye on him.
It was a solid plan.
Now that we knew he was lying, there shouldn’t be any real danger to us.
“I’m in. Sticking close, we’re bound to learn something eventually.”
“I agree.”
“Why not just take him down and make him talk?”
“Mister, you are a mage, right? Why jump straight to brute force? That should be a last resort.”
“Ugh…”
With Thompson’s agreement, we had consensus.
We made it to the second floor, and just as the passerby had said, it opened into a wide, empty space.
“Not bad.”
The floor was bare concrete, as expected from an abandoned building, but there were blankets, pillows, and other usable stuff around. It’d do for a few days, no problem.
“I’ll take this spot.”
“Then I’ll use this one.”
Rustle, clatter, jingle, jingle.
Everyone settled in, unpacking their gear.
I laid out my blanket closest to the stairs, just in case.
To detect any trouble as fast as possible.
Once we’d settled, we each did our own thing.
“Huuu…”
Hummm!
Kayla closed her eyes right away and dove into her solo magic training.
Her skills hadn’t grown out of nowhere, that much was clear.
I couldn’t slack off either, so I headed over to Barundel, who was meticulously maintaining his gear.
“Barundel, let’s do it now.”
“Ah, the tempering?”
“Yeah.”
We hadn’t had proper time for the scheduled sessions amid all the chaos.
Since we were here together anyway, it made sense to squeeze them in whenever we could.
“This round’s going to be rough on the fatigue. Might mess with tomorrow… You sure?”
“Yeah, whatever. The sooner I complete my physical conditioning, the better. I’ll stop if it feels like too much.”
“Got it.”
He agreed readily once I promised not to push too hard.
“Dwarf sir, count me in too. I’ve been itching for a workout.”
“Hm. Come over here, then.”
Thompson naturally joined in.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The building soon filled with the smell of sweat and heat, and the session dragged on until dawn.
Past 2 a.m., I wrapped up with meditation.
I emptied my mind and let the sensations from my body flow through me.
Throb!
No major injuries, but the pain was no joke.
He’d warned me this stage would be intense, and he wasn’t kidding.
Holding a still pose for an hour, navigating blind to precise spots.
The moves were simple, but they demanded insane focus, turning straight into physical exhaustion.
Still.
‘The tremors are already lessening.’
The payoff was huge.
I could feel it after just the first day.
Keep this up, and the results would be solid.
With that thought, I ended the meditation.
How much time passed?
When I opened my eyes, Barundel and Thompson were already asleep. Only Kayla sat there, wide awake.
“Sip… Haa.”
She was catching her breath—her session must’ve just wrapped.
“Any progress?”
“…Not really.”
Her expression said it hadn’t gone well.
From my experience, there was one clear cause in cases like this.
‘When your mind’s cluttered.’
Magic was the power most sensitive to mental state.
A messy head meant poor training.
And I could guess why Kayla’s head was messy.
“You okay?”
I asked carefully, looking at her.
I’d noticed her turmoil back in the underground passage.
Her face had been pale ever since seeing the bodies there.
She was probably thinking about what happened to her parents.
“…What?”
Kayla played dumb, but when I just stared, she reluctantly spoke.
“…I’m fine. Doesn’t matter what happened to those bastards. Really.”
So her revenge hadn’t panned out, just as I’d suspected from back then.
No surprise. Even with all that rage, it was a tall order.
You can’t just off your own blood with willpower alone.
“Getting eaten by demons… Fitting end for them.”
Her words said one thing, but her choked voice said another.
Her pupils trembled faintly.
She didn’t mean it.
No need to call her out directly, though.
“If that’s what you think, fine. But if you change your mind, tell me. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“…”
She clamped her mouth shut and buried her face in her knees.
Her mind was churning again.
It reminded me of when we’d first met.
“…I’m going to sleep.”
Kayla lay down abruptly.
I didn’t press, just set a detection flash spell nearby for watch duty, then hit my spot.
Hoping she’d pull through on her own.
Cricket chirps grew clearer as I drifted off.
***
Morning light filtered through the gaping window space.
We’d woken the group, eaten the rations I’d asked Thompson to prep, when the passerby climbed to the second floor.
He held the same crumbled biscuits from yesterday.
“Breakfast… Oh, you’ve already eaten.”
“Yeah, want some?”
“Haha… I’m good. This’ll do.”
He waved it off and showed the biscuits.
Not like I planned to share anyway.
I wasn’t charitable enough to hand precious supplies to someone we couldn’t trust.
After finishing up, I asked him.
“What now?”
He nodded, like he’d planned it out.
“Thought we’d clear nearby demons while searching for survivors. Sound good?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
“This way, then.”
He headed downstairs first, gesturing for us to follow.
I slipped on my robe and quietly told the group.
“Let’s keep our skills under wraps as much as possible. Never know what might happen.”
“Got it.”
“Heh… This feels kinda fun. Like we’re assassins or something.”
Fully geared up, we descended to the first floor.
The passerby approached eagerly and unfolded a worn paper.
“I drew this map of District 7 myself. Figured we’d start here…”
I skimmed it, then glanced at Kayla.
Our eyes met, and she nodded silently.
Good—it wasn’t tampered with.
“As you can see, I’m no fighter… Could you take point?”
He touched his scrawny arm and gave a wry smile.
Acting, or real?
Hard to say, but my heart wasn’t racing, so no malice yet.
“Understood. Stick to the back and follow.”
I signaled Thompson to pair with him.
Our tankiest guy could handle any sudden ambush.
“Let’s move.”
I checked the map and headed to the spot he’d indicated.
About 10 km from here.
Along the way, we’d check buildings for survivors, and small packs of two or three grunts would jump us.
The fights played out the same as before.
Slash-!
Barundel lopped off a grunt’s head and asked the passerby.
“Fewer demons than I expected.”
“Ah, yeah. No idea why, but they’re scarce around here. That’s why I holed up in this area.”
His quick answer just made him seem shadier, now that we knew he was hiding something.
Like he’d rehearsed it.
Anyway, at the fourth building.
“Huh?”
We spotted someone huddled in the corner, trembling.
First survivor.
“Hey, you okay?”
“W-Who…?”
“Long time no see, ma’am.”
Kayla forced a bitter smile upon seeing her face.
“Huh… K-Kayla? You’re alive? Wait, that outfit…”
“I’m a mage now.”
“…What? For real?”
The survivor scanned Kayla and us in disbelief.
The big guy, the dwarf in meticulous gear, me in the black robe.
Whatever she saw, her eyes welled up.
“S-So I’m saved? Hic!”
She started hiccupping.
It hit me how terrified she must’ve been here.
Kayla looked at her with pity and extended a hand.
“Come on, ma’am. You’ll be safe with us.”
“Th-Thank you. So much… Hic!”
Kayla helped her up.
That’s when.
“Um… Are you from District 7, by any chance?”
The passerby suddenly asked Kayla.
Looking baffled, like something was off.
Eyes realizing a mistake.
Kayla met his gaze and smirked.