Giants Already Among Us
Yohan poked his head out of the carriage. In the distance, the silhouette of Edelbein came into view.
⋯⋯Five months from now.
In five months, this place would be reduced to ruins.
‘⋯⋯Hoo.’
Yohan drew a slow, steady breath.
It was a short time if you called it short, and a long one if you called it long.
A period in which he would watch Edelbein’s destruction, observe the Giants’ movements once more, and steadily gather information for the next loop.
It might very well become a crucial turning point.
[By the way, where do you plan to stay? Are you returning to that cabin?]
‘Yes. That seems the most suitable, doesn’t it? I have more than enough money.’
This wasn’t his first time coming to Edelbein.
⋯⋯Of course, in previous loops he had come to respond to the Giants’ appearance.
This time was different.
This time, unless something unexpected happened, he would simply watch.
Therefore, the only place located outside Edelbein, relatively safe, and convenient for future movement was that one.
Yohan stepped down from the carriage and began walking.
It was time to spend some money.
‘If not now, when will I ever get to spend this much?’
[You seem quite excited.]
Yohan broke into a wide, cheerful grin.
“How about this place? It’s a bit far from Edelbein, but it’s quite beautiful.”
— The sea is visible, the forest is lush, and it blends perfectly with nature. It’s exactly what I was looking for.
“Then, shall we proceed with the purchase? The owner put it on the market quite a while ago, but because it’s so secluded, you’ll be able to live as quietly as you wish.”
— I like it. Let’s do that.
“An excellent choice! I’ll prepare the documents right away!”
The woman who had shown him the cabin smiled brightly as she began pulling out the paperwork.
[This woman is excited too.]
The amount listed on the documents.
After listening to the woman’s explanation, Zeno spoke.
‘Well, it can’t be helped. She must have thought of it as a troublesome property.’
It was quite far from Edelbein, and although the sea could be seen, it lay at the bottom of a cliff.
In reality, one could only enjoy the view from afar.
A small cabin situated deep in a dense forest, with poor accessibility.
In many ways, it was a house that wouldn’t sell easily. This woman probably thought Yohan — who had specifically chosen such a place — was a newly rich upstart throwing money around on a whim.
⋯⋯From Yohan’s perspective, it was the best location possible.
But to others, it would appear that way.
“Just sign here and we’re done~”
The woman held out the paper, and Yohan signed it without hesitation. After that, he handed over the pouch of money, and the entire contract for the cabin was complete.
“From now on, this is your home, sir.”
— Yes, thank you. You’ll register the transaction under a proxy’s name as I requested, correct?
“Of course. As you said, it will be reported under someone else’s name. I won’t mention anything. People like you come by from time to time, so there’s no need to worry.”
Yohan nodded. With this much money changing hands, it was bound to catch other people’s attention.
Therefore, conducting the transaction under another person’s name was the wiser choice.
⋯⋯There was no particular downside.
Everyone did it that way anyway.
Not doing so would be foolish.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Have a wonderful day!”
The woman vanished like the wind, and Yohan looked around the interior of the house.
‘There are quite a few spots that need fixing.’
[You’re going to repair it yourself?]
‘Yes. It’s nothing difficult. I can finish this much in no time.’
Yohan rolled up his sleeves.
The cabin’s repairs went smoothly.
Yohan had stopped by Edelbein to buy a small cart, household goods, and repair tools. Now he picked up a hammer.
As soon as Yohan’s hand, gripping the hammer, touched the cabin, the old traces began to disappear and it gradually transformed into something new.
[You’re quite skilled. By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before?]
A side of Yohan he had never shown before.
Until now, Zeno had never witnessed this aspect of him.
‘There was time before I entered the academy, you know.’
Yohan let out a small chuckle.
Before he had met Zeno.
There had been times when he lived like this.
Days spent repairing a crumbling house and somehow getting by.
⋯⋯It was all in the distant past now — something he had never done even once across countless loops.
But such times had existed.
‘I never really settled down anywhere before, did I?’
Instead of settling, he had chosen to live as a vagrant.
If he had possessed proper mana, even sleeping rough wouldn’t have been a problem.
⋯⋯Even though he suffered from Mana Void Syndrome.
He had figured out a way to hold onto what little mana he had.
It hadn’t been much of an issue.
Of course, he couldn’t achieve the same effect now.
His mana was already as good as depleted.
After returning, he had somehow managed to cling to that tiny amount of mana, but…
⋯⋯In truth, it was an utterly insignificant quantity.
[Now that I think about it, how is your mana condition right now? You won’t be fighting, but will you at least have enough to run away?]
‘Yes. Assuming I use it sparingly, I should be able to cast a spell or two.’
Of course, that was under the most optimistic estimate.
If he accidentally came face-to-face with a Giant, he couldn’t guarantee anything.
⋯⋯He would most likely end up in a mangled state.
Therefore, he had to move with extreme caution.
[Then I’ll have to observe from as far away as possible. And make sure I’m not noticed.]
‘This distance should be fine.’
After all, the Giants would first target the humans right in front of them.
At this range, even if spotted, he could escape if he ran immediately.
[That’s a relief. Are you finished now?]
‘Yes, I’m done. It’s finally livable.’
Yohan wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
The house had finally become somewhere he could actually live.
‘I’m tired.’
He had moved around a lot. Now that the repairs were finished, he could rest properly.
Yohan opened the door with a creak and headed inside the cabin.
He spread out the bedding he had bought in Edelbein.
‘I’ll wash up and go to bed early again today.’
[You seem to get tired often these days.]
‘It’s probably because I suddenly returned to a body like this.’
He had never returned to a body in this state before.
At least during his teenage years, he had retained a decent amount of mana and had even managed to hold onto it.
It had been a long time since he had felt a body like this.
The sense of disparity was clear.
[Take good care of your body. Tomorrow, you should eat something hearty.]
‘Yes, I will.’
Yohan fell asleep as if he had fainted.
Meanwhile, a storm was raging inside the Magic Tower.
Under the Tower Master’s orders, the high-ranking mages had been given a detailed description of a certain individual.
Most of the mages were now busily moving about in search of that person.
“Hey, did you look into the person the Tower Master told us to find?”
In one corner of the dining hall where the mages took their meals, a few of them had gathered and were whispering among themselves.
“Yeah, but who is that guy anyway? The Tower Master seemed really fired up about finding him. Did he steal some research data or something?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. She specifically ordered us not to lay a single finger on him if we find him.”
“Just who the hell is he?”
The mages tilted their heads in confusion.
Even after learning the description, none of them had ever seen the person inside the Magic Tower.
A figure shrouded in mystery.
“Still haven’t found him?”
“No, I’m sorry, Tower Master.”
Her adjutant, Claire, bowed her head.
Her face showed clear signs of remorse.
“What about Yohan’s hometown?”
“It doesn’t seem like he went there.”
“I see. You may leave.”
Claire headed out of the office.
It was best not to disturb Aria’s mood right now.
In the office where only Aria remained, she roughly swept her hair back and leaned against her chair.
“Just where did he go?”
It had already been a month.
A month had passed since Yohan left the academy under the pretext of dropping out.
She had thought that by mobilizing the Magic Tower’s mages, they would find him quickly.
Yet she still hadn’t caught even a glimpse of news regarding Yohan.
“⋯⋯Haa.”
Aria let out a long sigh.
Delmar had said he gave him plenty of money.
So he probably hadn’t died somewhere obscure.
“⋯⋯Where are you?”
Aria slammed her fist against the office desk.
She had to find him.
There were so many things she needed to say and so many questions she needed to ask.
Therefore…
Knock, knock.
“Tower Master, urgent news.”
It was Claire’s voice. Aria lifted her head.
“Come in. What is it?”
“Didn’t you say that student Yohan received a large sum of money?”
“Yes, I said I gave him quite a lot. Why?”
“I looked into whether there have been any recent transactions of that magnitude. I thought he might have used the money to buy a house. So I checked the transaction records and found something strange.”
Claire handed Aria the documents.
“He used a proxy?”
“Upon investigation, the registered individual does not appear to have the means to possess such an amount. Could student Yohan have used someone else’s name?”
It wasn’t an impossible scenario.
When this much money moved, it was bound to draw the attention of nobles.
Having already been poisoned once because of noble students, he might have been on guard.
It was worth looking into.
“Look into it. It seems plausible.”
“Understood.”
Claire quickly left the office.
Aria stared at the documents and murmured.
“Edelbein, huh.”
Why would he go there?
“⋯⋯That’s a completely different country.”
It had nothing to do with his hometown.
It was a nation where even the culture and everything else was entirely different.
“Is there a reason he had to go there?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
When Yohan woke up, he took a quick look around outside the house.
Although he had finished the repairs yesterday, he checked once more to see if anything was still needed.
‘This should be enough. I just need to buy plenty of food.’
[Are you heading to Edelbein?]
‘Yes. I won’t be able to go often, so I should stock up on things that keep for a long time.’
It was fine for now, but as the time of the Giants’ appearance drew closer, he would have to reduce his visits to Edelbein.
If someone who had shown their face frequently suddenly stopped appearing, it would raise suspicion.
It was better to continue the act from now on.
Yohan pulled his hat down low to cover his face, grabbed the cart, and headed toward Edelbein.
Upon arriving in Edelbein, Yohan quickly filled the cart.
Starting with fresh fruit, followed by dried foods and fruits, and ingredients that could be stored for a long time without special tools — one by one, they piled up in the cart.
[This should be enough that you won’t need to come down for a while.]
‘Yes. Let’s stop at one more place and then head back.’
Pulling the cart, Yohan headed toward the last stall.
It was noticeably smaller than the others.
The stall owner had covered their entire body from head to toe with various cloths, as if the weather didn’t matter.
“Welcome. Everything’s cheap today.”
The owner greeted him warmly, and Yohan observed the stall carefully.
Through a slight gap in the cloth, he caught a glimpse of pure white skin.
[⋯⋯.]
Yohan showed no reaction as he took out his notebook.
— Is this freshly harvested?
“Yes, I grew them myself. Is there anything you’d like?”
The owner paused for a moment upon seeing Yohan communicating by writing, but soon smiled.
— I’ll take this, please.
“Shall I load it onto the cart for you?”
Yohan nodded.
“Here you are. Thank you.”
Yohan paid and pulled the cart away.
After walking in silence for a long while toward the cabin, Yohan suddenly turned around with sharp eyes.
He had already left Edelbein behind.
[Zeno, that person⋯⋯. Am I right in what I’m thinking?]
[Yes. That is not human. I sense the same presence as them.]
It wasn’t human.
Rather, this was a situation neither Yohan nor Zeno had ever even considered.
‘So that’s how they knew the geography so well.’
[Cunning creatures. This is surprising.]
It was something he had never learned across countless loops.
⋯⋯Just how long had they been deceiving him?
Yohan bit his lip hard.
Although they had covered themselves with cloth to pretend otherwise, Yohan had recognized them from the white skin visible through the small gap.
There was only one kind of being with a body that white.
He couldn’t have missed it.
‘To think the Giants had already descended.’
And they were even pretending to be human.