Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Noa Darshen
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Right after jumping off the cliff.
Ullan moved with the swiftness of a flying squirrel, gradually slowing his descent, then performed the feat of landing on the ground without a single scratch.
BOOM!
With a powerful vibration, the snow piled on the trees came cascading down. Ullan brushed off the snow clinging to him, then shook Noa's shoulder.
"We're here."
"Uh, uhhh..."
"You can get down now."
He withdrew the arm that had been holding her waist.
Noa collapsed straight onto the ground. Her legs had apparently given out.
"You okay?"
"...No. Not okay."
A feeble voice leaked out.
A moment later, Noa barely recovered and staggered to her feet, muttering as she did.
"Now I finally get why Ullan had to learn basic common sense from Master."
"Good for you."
"That's not a compliment."
Noa shot him a glare.
After that, she stood up fully and looked around. The village was now close by. At least jumping off the cliff had been worth it.
"Still, thanks to you, we saved some time. Once we grab a room in the village, I'll teach you all the common sense you're missing, one bit at a time."
"Any teachings are always welcome."
Ullan grinned. As if he were looking forward to it.
A short while later, the two arrived at the village.
It was a modest-sized settlement. The population barely exceeded forty souls.
"Have you been here before by any chance?"
"No. First time in this village. Master and I always just passed through the one to the east."
Noa scanned the village here and there.
It felt strangely familiar for some reason. She couldn't quite pin down why. But this wasn't the time for sightseeing.
"Let's find a room first."
She worried that such a tiny village might not even have an inn, but fortunately, one existed.
An inn for herb gatherers and hunters crossing the mountains to rest. But a new problem cropped up.
"Sorry, but there's only one room left."
"What? Only one?"
"The rest are all being used as storage."
"Ugh, what a pain."
Noa furrowed her brow.
But she didn't agonize long. A blizzard would be upon them soon. With a sigh, Noa nodded in resignation.
"No helping it. We'll take that one."
"Two silver coins."
"Eek! Why's it so expensive?!"
"Don't want it? Go somewhere else."
"Ah, fine! Two coins it is."
Noa fumbled hurriedly for her pouch.
Meanwhile, as she paid.
Ullan silently swept his gaze over the people inside. Nine men. They varied in age, but they shared one thing.
All of them were staring at Noa.
More precisely, at the pouch she'd pulled out.
Their eyes locked greedily on the silver coins stuffed inside. Ullan narrowed his eyes at their rapacious gazes.
'Guys after the silver, huh.'
The plains folk didn't use currency.
So their greed for money wasn't strong. The outside world was different, though. Here, money could be worth more than life, depending on the situation.
He'd even seen parents and children draw blades over a handful of silver coins.
"Ullan. Let's head up."
Noa called out then.
She'd finished paying, apparently.
In her hands sat a large tray and two rock-hard loaves of bread. That was probably tonight's dinner.
Creeeak! Creak!
Up the groaning wooden stairs.
The two reached their assigned room.
And grimaced in unison.
"Ugh, it's filthy."
"Looks like they really used it for storage."
Dust blanketed the bed and floor.
Noa frowned and pulled something out.
"Gotta clean this up first."
"What's that?"
"A talisman for redirecting the wind."
Noa fluttered the talisman.
She stuck one each at the window, the wall, and near the bed, then flung the window wide open.
"Place 'em right, then use a spell to amp up the wind's power..."
A cyan rune etched into the air.
The spell to amplify wind power, just as she'd said. Its effect was impressive.
Whoooosh! Whiiiiiir!
A fierce wind blew in at once.
Strong enough to blast away the dust.
The problem was that all the dust shot up into the air simultaneously, filling the room with a dust cloud in an instant.
"Cough! Cough! S-see! Cough! All the dust! Cough! Gone!"
Noa explained amid violent coughs.
Sharp, but with a naive streak somewhere. That's what he thought inwardly. Still, thanks to her, they wouldn't have to sleep on dust.
"Then I'll go wash up first."
"Got it."
Noa disappeared into the bathroom.
Left alone, Ullan perched on the now-clean bed and quietly gazed at the village scenery.
That's when.
Suddenly, voices murmuring from downstairs filtered through the floorboards. In that instant, Ullan instinctively sharpened his hearing.
Sinister snippets soon reached him.
'Silver. Barbarian. Slave. Food. Drug.'
Just fragmented words, really.
But that was enough to grasp the situation.
Ullan brought his tongue to the hard bread.
A faint bitter taste.
He grimaced and pulverized the entire loaf, then chucked the crumbs under the bed. A bit later, Noa emerged from her bath.
"Phew, at least the towels are clean."
Her black hair damp.
Her face much refreshed.
"Ah, warmed the water with a spell. Plenty left for you—go wash up."
"My thanks for the kindness."
He bowed his head.
Then Ullan showered swiftly and efficiently. When he came out, Noa was wandering the room, searching for something.
"Ullan, you seen the bread?"
"I ate it all."
"..."
"Here, take this instead."
Jerky and cheese from the plains.
Far better than hard bread—Noa finished her meal with a satisfied look.
Night had fallen before they knew it.
The roar of a fierce blizzard whipped outside the window. With nothing else to do, Ullan headed straight for bed.
"Then, time to sleep."
"Ah, I'll take the floor."
"Why?"
"Only one bed, you know."
"One bed, but it's wide."
"No, it's not about that..."
Noa trailed off in embarrassment.
Ullan waved it off.
"It's fine. I don't talk in my sleep much."
"Ugh, that's not it."
"Then what?"
Her ears flushed red at his persistent questions. A moment later, she fiddled with her bag and mumbled.
"Even if we're from the same sect, you know the saying—men and women don't share a seat after seven."
"Men and women what?"
"Gr-grown man and woman sleeping in the same bed isn't decent!"
Noa's face grew redder by the second.
Ullan nodded.
"I see. I get it now."
"Phew, glad you finally understand."
As Noa sighed in relief.
Ullan patted the bed beside him.
"Come on, lie down next to me."
"You didn't understand a thing!"
"Don't worry. Even if my blood boils with lust, I won't touch a child."
"...Huh?"
"Besides, you're sorely lacking to bear my seed. So sleep easy. I swear it on a warrior's honor."
With an oath like that, she'd relax, he figured.
But Noa, who'd been staring blankly, suddenly yelled in disbelief.
"No, wait a sec. A child? Me? Didn't you hear my age?!"
"I can tell at a glance."
After answering.
Ullan stated with utter confidence.
"You're about eleven, right?"
"No I'm not! I'm sixteen!"
"What? Sixteen?!"
"Yeah! Same age as you!"
Noa shouted, face flushed with anger.
Ullan, meanwhile, looked genuinely stunned.
Truly stunned. More than any shock since his second life began, even.
"...For real?"
"For real!"
He double-checked just in case, but it was true.
Ullan's expression hardened instantly. He spoke with grave seriousness.
"You got cursed or something?"
"No curse!"
"If not a curse, I can't explain it."
"It's not a curse!"
Noa shrieked.
After the commotion died down, Noa vehemently stressed that she was indeed sixteen and under no curse whatsoever.
A while after that.
"Phew, I feel tired all of a sudden."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Noa crawled to the corner of the bed. She pulled the fluffy blanket over herself and muttered sullenly.
"The kid's sleeping first, so do whatever—you sleep next to me or on the floor."
"Got it."
Ullan lay on the outer edge.
Then he heightened his senses to the max. His hearing, sight—even touch—sharpened keen as a whetted blade.
Keen enough to hear Noa's heartbeat.
How much time passed like that?
Ullan suddenly spoke up.
"Noa."
"...Yeah?"
A half-asleep voice replied.
She'd just been drifting off. Ullan didn't care and tossed out his question anyway.
"I promised to avoid violence as much as possible. But if the opponent attacks me first, what do you think is the right response?"
"What situation?"
"A situation where they're trying to kill me."
"Then knock 'em down first and ask why they attacked. Gotta know why they wanted me dead to put my mind at ease."
The instant Noa's answer ended.
Ullan shot up from the bed.
"Same as what I think."
"Wait, then why even ask..."
As Noa wore a baffled look.
Ullan kicked off the floor like lightning. He then smashed his fist into the door.
BOOM! Crunch!
The door shattered with a deafening crash.
Noa's eyes went wide.
She looked utterly startled. Part of it was Ullan's sudden move, but the real reason was elsewhere.
"Gack! Urk!"
Ullan had roughly seized one man's head. The guy, groaning in agony, soon foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
"Figured we'd need this soon."
Ullan finished his curt reply.
He turned toward the stairs leading downstairs. Over a dozen men. Among them, the ones who'd eyed Noa with greed earlier.
"Damn! He caught on!"
"Rush him all at once!"
Facing the onslaught of killing intent.
Ullan grinned.
The eyes of a beast before its prey.
Chapter 3. Noa Darshen