Stealth Kid Meets a Transcendent Being – Part 04

Hikaru had no idea who Talis really was. He had absolutely nothing on her.

But if she was heading toward Brigid’s location—meaning Ironforge—she must have a plan to meet Brigid, who was worshipped as a god there.

“The Four Eastern Stars, too?”

The next morning, after a short nap, Hikaru made his way to the Adventurers Guild to inquire about the whereabouts of the Four Eastern Stars.

“Yes. At the guild’s request, the four members of the rank B party Four Eastern Stars have been dispatched to Ironforge.”

“I heard there’s a civil war brewing there. Why would they go to such a place? For public safety?”

“It’s too early to call it a civil war. The guild wants to gather reliable information, which is why we’ve sent a high-ranking party like the Four Eastern Stars to investigate. There’s no Adventurers Guild in Ironforge, after all.”

Hikaru had a feeling there was more to the story. The Agiapole Adventurers Guild and the Ponsonia capital’s Adventurers Guild had been at odds over the Four Eastern Stars. It seemed likely they were hoping to tie the Four Eastern Stars to Agiapole with some sort of commission.

“It’s a Dwarven nation, but its population is only about 10,000, and the twelve clans have their own autonomy, so establishing a guild there is difficult.”

Those words seemed like excuses, but it seemed true that the Four Eastern Stars had gone to Ironforge.

After leaving the guild, Hikaru found Lavia and Paula waiting outside.

“How did it go?”

“Well…”

As they walked, Hikaru filled them in on what he’d learned.

The streets of Agiapole were neat and tidy, with the roads swept clean. There had been confusion in the past, due to the invasion by Einbiest and the appearance of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas, but now, with those events behind them, the city had returned to peace.

The Church’s leadership had undergone nearly a complete change, and the wealthy who once owned Beastman slaves had been weakened, largely thanks to Pope Luvain’s efforts. But for the common people, it probably didn’t feel too different. For the devout followers, it was probably a better environment.

“It feels like a lot of things are converging in Ironforge,” Lavia said.

“Yes. It’s like we’re being drawn there,” Paula agreed.

They were already informed about Talis, so the conversation flowed easily.

“It feels like fate is pushing us together. Even though I don’t want it to.”

Hikaru wasn’t keen on going—something about it reeked of trouble—but Dodorono was, and the Four Eastern Stars had already left.

“We’ll escort Dodorono and then meet up with the Four Eastern Stars to head back right away.”

“Is it really that dangerous?”

“You should understand that Talis is like the Fire Drakon. And then there’s Brigid, a god who’s lived for thousands of years. We’d be nothing but dust in their path.”

“Let’s get back quickly. Sara will probably agree with us.”

Lavia and Sara from the Four Eastern Stars had somehow become good friends. While in Japan, Sara had watched countless movies and TV shows, and Lavia, a book lover, found they shared a lot in common. It was an unexpected connection. Moreover, Sara had a scout-like personality, always wanting to avoid trouble and danger. Hikaru agreed that she would be the first to properly assess the risks.

“Oh, Hikaru!”

Outside the smithy stood a Dwarf dressed in traveling gear. Despite his rugged appearance, his clothes were pristine, not a speck of dirt in sight. His black hair was slicked back with oil, and a rose-shaped hairpin added a touch of flair. It was Dodorono, as stylish as ever.

On his back was a bag, likely containing the Progenitor’s Shield.

“Hm? Oh, Hikaru.”

Hikaru couldn’t help but laugh when another Dwarf, dressed exactly like Dodorono, emerged from the shop. The resemblance was uncanny. If they stood side by side, Hikaru wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell them apart.

“L-Long time no see, Dodonno. These are my companions, Lavia and Paula,” Hikaru introduced.

Both Lavia and Paula were staring wide-eyed.

“What’s the matter? We were just about to head to Ironforge.”

“That’s right. Dodorono just had to bring something unbelievable with him. Oh, wait. We can’t be too loud.” Dodonno quickly covered his mouth.

“Actually, it seems our friends headed to Ironforge, so we were wondering if we could join you.”

“Sounds great. But are you sure?”

“We’d love to go with you. We’re unfamiliar with the road to Ironforge and don’t know much about the country itself.”

“I see. If the adventurer Dodorono trusts is coming with us, then we’d be happy to have you.”

“I appreciate it.”

Dodonno extended a hand, and Hikaru took it.

He liked that these people judged him not by his youthful appearance, but by who he was inside.

“Well then. Let’s go.”

And so, Hikaru and the others set off from the Holy City of Agiapole, heading toward Ironforge.

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The leaves above stretched out like a canopy, blocking out the sky and trapping the humid air. The ground below was a web of tangled roots, with soft, decaying leaves filling the gaps, making it extremely difficult to move quickly.

“Can’t we do something about this footing?!”

Selyse Lande, the female swordsman, nimbly dodged a saber-toothed tiger that had pounced from the shadow of a massive tree. Still, she was moving much slower than usual.

The saber-toothed tiger was huge. Even on all fours, its body towered over Selyse.

What made it even more dangerous was its speed. After she dodged its attack, the saber-toothed tiger landed lightly, then spun to lunge at her again, only to freeze. A short sword had been driven deep into its neck, piercing all the way through.

“That’s just how it is when you fight in a forest,” said Sara, dropping from the treetops. She had delivered the lethal blow to the giant saber-toothed tiger with her sword.

As Sara landed on the ground, sword still in hand, the saber-toothed tiger twitched once before its movements stopped altogether.

“You can’t climb trees because you’re too heavy.”

“You mean because of the weight of my gear, right?” Selyse clarified.

“Selyse! Sara! Is it over?”

Just then, a voice called out from the distance. It was Serika and Sophie, making their way through the woods.

“Yeah, it’s done. The lighter Sara took it down,” Selyse replied.

“Oh, come on nyow. I didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve been traveling non-stop and hunting monsters. And with sweets being so limited, there’s no way we’d get fat.”

“Exactly. Why is there no wagashi^[1] in this world?”

“Right! Whoever made the whipped cream-filled dorayaki^[2] is a genius!”

“What are you saying? Dorayaki should always have red bean paste,” Selyse said.

“Whoa, there. I can’t let that one slide.”

“Hmph.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“What are you two arguing about?” Sophie asked.

“It’s probably just fatigue! When you’re tired, you crave sweets!” Serika said.

“That’s a really big monster,” Sophie remarked.

It wasn’t hard to see why she said that. The carnivorous beast could easily devour a human.

“I don’t usually flinch at monster size, but this heat is really something,” Selyse sighed, glancing up at the sky. Through the gaps in the trees, the sky appeared gray and overcast, but inside the forest, the air felt subtropical.

Birds were chirping actively, monkeys were picking fruit from the trees, and deer grazed on the moss. Carnivorous creatures lurked among them.

“I knew the geothermal heat was intense and that the canopy causes a greenhouse effect, but you can’t really grasp it until you experience it yourself. I never thought I’d have to wear so little in the middle of winter,” Sophie said, jotting down notes in her notebook. She kept track of everything about the ecology of monsters and regional characteristics. “Serika, it’d be easier to fight if the ground could solidify, don’t you think?” she asked.

“Magic won’t work! Even if we freeze the ground, it won’t stop us from tripping over the roots. It’s actually more dangerous to slip on frozen ground!”

“Then, I guess we’ll have to climb trees.”

“Yup, plenty of branches to leap between,” Sara chimed in.

Selyse looked up at the towering trees again. The gaps between the trees were wide, and even at the closest points, the branches were about two meters apart. She wasn’t sure she had the confidence—or courage—to jump that distance between unstable branches.

“I get it. I’ll just stick to being the decoy,” Selyse said.

Sara chuckled. “With your agility, you should be able to dodge anything, even in this mess.”

“I wish I’d borrowed Silver Face’s big shield.”

“Yeah,” Sophie murmured, remembering the massive shield Hikaru had carried. “Do you think Hikaru even got our message?”

The group had left a note for Hikaru at the Adventurers Guild back in the royal capital of G. Ponsonia. If Hikaru’s party was still in the Man Gnome Village, they likely hadn’t seen it. But if they were delayed, they might have stopped by their apartment in the city out of concern.

Unbeknownst to them, the message was never delivered. Lavia, who had stayed in the capital, and the guild messenger had missed each other entirely. The guild staff could have left a simple note, but since the request came from a Rank B adventurer party, they erroneously believed that it had to be delivered in person.

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1. Wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality.

2. Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection. It consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet azuki bean paste.