CHAPTER 293: LOST

 

Some time had passed since we’d safely entered Bukyo and set foot in the port town that served as its gateway.

Stalls lined the street on both sides—shops displaying seafood that looked freshly landed from nearby waters, eateries, souvenir stores, all kinds of businesses shoulder to shoulder.

There were even places selling something called ‘tsukemono’, an ingredient that gave off a sharp, distinctive smell that hit you right in the nose, and shops that had rows upon rows of oddly shaped weapons I’d never seen before. Bukyo’s unique culture came rushing at me the moment we entered the port town.

Men and women, old and young alike, dressed in wafuku, raised their voices at their storefronts to draw in customers.

That lively scene forced the reality into me: I really was in a foreign land.

After pushing through the hubbub and walking to a spot where the foot traffic thinned out a little—

…I’d already started to tilt my head in confusion.

Our first destination was decided.

The Suigetsu Dojo. Where Zen should be.

But only after walking this far did it finally hit me.

「…Come to think of it, where is the Suigetsu Dojo?」

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

「They didn’t tell us the location at the station, so I figured it’d be somewhere in this port town… And from the vibe of the officials we talked to, it’s supposed to be pretty famous, right? If that’s the case, you’d think there’d at least be a sign or something.」

No matter how I looked at it, I had zero sense that we were actually heading toward our destination.

It wasn’t that I’d taken a wrong turn—

It was more accurate to say I’d been walking on pure guesswork from the very start.

…Yeah. I’m completely lost.

The port town was big, and it was packed with people.

There were folks in wafuku, folks with weapons at their waist, and even people wearing gear that screamed ‘adventurer from another country.’ The crowd was a mix of all sorts—yet no matter how much we looked, the name ‘Suigetsu Dojo’ never showed itself.

A little ways off, Kinu scanned the area and sank into quiet thought.

「Hmm… Maybe in Bukyo, the more famous a dojo is, the less it tries to stand out? Like… ‘strength isn’t something you flaunt.’」

「That… does sound pretty Bukyo, yeah.」

Even so, not knowing was not knowing.

Asking someone would’ve been fastest, but we’d missed our chance in the harbor noise. If Drake were here, he’d probably just stroll up and ask like it was nothing. But me and Kinu… we were terrible at talking to people we’d never met.

While we hesitated, the crowds gradually thinned, and before I knew it we’d apparently wandered out of town. There didn’t even seem to be an outer wall or fence to protect the place from monsters. Maybe monsters and humans lived in clearly separate areas—or maybe the monsters that came near were mild enough that the town could handle them without fortifications.

As we talked, the stone paving had quietly turned into a dirt road. The smell of tide and fish faded, replaced by thick scents of grass and earth.

「…We’re already outside town, aren’t we?」

「Should we go back?」

「Yeah, that’s probably—」

I was just about to say it when—

A sharp slicing sound cut the air, and my detection skill snagged on the presence of a monster.

At the same time, I spotted a child in wafuku standing still up ahead.

The kid was gripping a wooden sword with both hands, back turned toward us.

「…!」

I broke into a run on reflex, eyes sweeping the surroundings.

That’s when I noticed it—countless small tears in the ground at the roadside, like something had gouged the earth with a blade.

「This is…」

「Mhm. Looks like wind magic’s been carving up the dirt.」

The air had a strange flow to it.

Grass lay flattened, and the farther forward we went, the more shallow cuts appeared all over the ground.

「…Hey!」

The moment I shouted, something sprang in front of the child.

What revealed itself was a small monster with forelegs shaped like razor-sharp sickles.

I immediately activated 【Appraisal Eye】.

 

＜Status＞

【Species】Kamaitachi
【Condition】—
【Attribute】Wind

Kamaitachi: A small monster that wears the surrounding wind like a cloak, racing around freely. Its two forelegs are scythe-shaped, making it adept not only with wind magic but also physical attacks. Highly wary, it has a habit of targeting those weaker than itself—children and the elderly in particular.

 

「What is this thing? I’ve never seen a monster like this before.」

「Mhm, Bukyo’s an island nation. Maybe the monsters here evolved in their own way.」

I couldn’t tell its rank, but it didn’t look all that strong.

Still, even if it was only around D-rank, a child alone wouldn’t stand a chance.

「Damn it…! If you’re coming, then come!!」

The kid clenched their teeth and raised the wooden sword.

But their legs were clearly trembling—and as I got closer, I could see multiple cuts on their arms and body.

「It’s dangerous! Run!!」

「Shut up!」

To my surprise, the kid barked back without even turning around.

「I can’t back down here!!」

The next instant, a blade of wind streaked through.

「—【Thunderclap】!!」

I threw up a magical barrier and surged forward in one step, cutting between the child and the Kamaitachi, taking the wind magic head-on.

「Do you want to die!?」

「But—if I run, they’ll just make fun of me again…! They’ll say, ‘You’re all talk anyway’!」

I could respect the guts—trembling and still trying to face it, still trying to do something.

…But the ability just wasn’t there.

They’d probably confused ‘courage’ for ‘recklessness,’ but telling them that right now wouldn’t make it sink in.

「Kinu.」

「It’s okay. I’ll heal them.」

I felt Kinu rush up behind me toward the child.

「Hold still.」

Soft light spilled out, and the wounds began to close.

「I-it’s warm…」

I could hear the tension draining out of the kid’s voice.

So they had understood it was stronger than them. Their knees finally gave, and they slumped down onto the road. The wooden sword they’d been gripping so tightly slipped from their hands.

「Alright, then. Now all that’s left is to take down the Kamait—」

I started to say, and then—

「Kyaun♪」

With a bursting little cry, Yuraii shot forward.

「H-hey, Yuraii!?」

But there was no time to stop her.

Yuraii batted the wind blade aside with her claws and pounced straight at the Kamaitachi. An end that didn’t even have time to become a scream echoed out—then Yuraii came trotting back, the dead Kamaitachi clamped in her jaws.

「One hit, huh. Well… she can take down wyverns, so I guess that tracks…」

「Kyan, kyaan♪」

For Yurai, a monster like this might as well have been a toy. She was practically radiating a ‘Praise me!’ aura—but the child, who’d seen the whole thing, just stared with their mouth hanging open.

「…What… was that…?」

「Our daughter. Her name’s Yurai.」

At that, the kid stood up with a wry smile.

「…Damn. You saw me freaking out, didn’t you.」

「From the start.」

「…Shut up.」

After a short pause, the kid took a step back and lifted their face.

The cocky attitude from earlier had softened—just a little.

「…Thanks. For helping me. I wanna join the Suigetsu Dojo. I was gonna go take the entrance exam right now…」

「…Huh. So it really is famous.」

「You guys outsiders or what? Around here, there’s no one who doesn’t know the Suigetsu Dojo.」

Me and Kinu glanced at each other.

「…Hey.」

「Hm?」

「Can you take us there?」

The kid blinked, then broke into a big grin.

「Sure! It’s payback for saving me! I’ll guide you—perfectly!!」

This kid had a mix of ambition and honesty tucked inside that feisty personality. They looked maybe ten years old, but they’d still had the drive to try to take on a stronger monster.

Of course, courage alone wouldn’t make someone strong.

But without courage—

You couldn’t even stand on the starting line.

If they get taught by a proper instructor, this kid is—

As I thought that, Kinu beside me smiled and nodded silently.