Chapter 584
Eshu was a troublemaker.
While shopping for ingredients at the night market, she couldn’t just buy a single piece of fruit and move on.
“Three hundred silvers for an apple? That’s way too expensive!”
“ⴇⴃⴝⳖ!”
“They’re small and not even in good condition. Can’t you lower the price a little?”
“Ⲝⴇⴝⴇ?”
“What? You’re just ripping us off because we’re outsiders!”
“Eshu.”
Simon stopped her.
“Just buy it. This region is winter all year round, so fruits and vegetables are expensive.”
Eshu quickly turned her head.
“Oh, really? Hey, President, do you actually understand their language?”
“……No, but it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Simon guided the unpredictable Eshu as they wandered through the night market.
The market itself was rather primitive. Of course, there were no mana lamps to be found—only candles or oil lanterns lit the surroundings. The people’s clothing was mostly rough fur hides thrown over their bodies.
‘Hmm.’
There was a strangely grim atmosphere in the air.
The men here were fully armed even in the marketplace, as though battle was constant, and not one of them seemed unscarred.
The women moved about with groups of children, and without hesitation, even in public, breastfed their babies openly.
“Ugh! Don’t look!”
Eshu, flustered for the sake of the natives’ privacy, hurriedly covered Simon’s eyes.
In any case, after coming from the highly developed Ivory Tower city, the mood here in the Frigod Autonomous District felt starkly different.
Still, even such a place had its own charms to observe.
“Oh. Outsiders. You.”
Sometimes, there were people who could speak the continental tongue. A native, speaking awkwardly, approached Simon.
“You come. Where.”
“We’re from the Dresden region.”
“Du– du– Durezzde.”
“Dresden.”
It was like listening to Hongpeng, the professor of Magical Combat from the grasslands.
“Warning. You die.”
He slashed his spear across his throat in a gesture.
“Many. Monsters. Smash, invade. Village.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Again. Maybe. Soon. Village destroyed.”
The expressions of the villagers were heavy with worry.
Piiiiiii!
“Ðⴆŀº!”
At the sound of a whistle, the men in the market instantly hardened their expressions. Grabbing their weapons, they all rushed off in the same direction.
“Careful! Outsiders. Careful!”
The man who had been speaking with Simon also grabbed a weapon and ran. Watching him go, Eshu crossed her arms.
“Guess it’s tough living anywhere in the world.”
“Yeah.”
From the entrance of the village, they could see the monster struggling wildly. But unable to overcome the difference in numbers, it was soon stabbed down by the natives’ spears.
At once, the villagers cut off its head and bathed in its blood, while the others cheered and shouted around them.
On every continent, war with monsters seemed to be daily life.
‘But that looks like a type of monster I’ve never seen before…’
“President, over here! Look at those big cabbages!”
After touring the market, they had gathered almost all the ingredients they needed.
Only one thing remained.
“Meat! Meat is absolutely essential!”
They still hadn’t gotten the most important item.
Perhaps because meat was rare, not a single stall seemed to carry it properly.
Just as the two were scouring the market…
Thunk!
Thunk!
The sound of a cleaver chopping meat rang out.
“Over there, Simon!”
Eshu’s ears perked, and she darted off ahead.
“W–wait! Let’s go together, Eshu!”
At the edge of the market was a small slaughterhouse. On the workbench lay a butchered reindeer, its meat being neatly sliced by the butcher.
Unlike the other locals, this man was dressed differently—wearing a work apron and boots.
“Hello there!”
Eshu ran in. The butcher looked up and smiled kindly.
“ⴋÐⴝⴇ!”
“Ah, the language barrier again…!”
“Did you come from outside Frigod?”
Eshu’s eyes went wide.
“Wow! You can speak the continental tongue!”
“Hahaha! That’s right! I grew up in the Frigod Autonomous District, but in my youth I worked in Shahed.”
“Whoa, whoa, that’s amazing!”
Simon, standing a little behind, watched the butcher carefully.
‘This man…’
He smelled of blood.
Not just literally. His face looked gentle, but his muscular forearms, the veins, and the battle-hardened frame beneath his clothes told a different story. The aura he gave off was unusual.
He was not the sort of man who should be running a small-town butcher shop.
‘Who is he?’
Simon remained cautious behind, but meanwhile Eshu was happily chatting with the butcher.
“Today’s reindeer meat is excellent! I hunted it myself just hours ago!”
“You hunted it yourself?”
“I have a motto—only to butcher prey I’ve hunted myself.”
At that, Simon tilted his head slightly.
‘…So he’s a hunter as well as a butcher. Is he just a specialist in monster hunting?’
Though doubtful, he followed after Eshu. The man greeted him warmly too.
“Welcome! You’re the young lady’s friend, right?”
“Yes.”
The butcher smiled kindly and raised his fist.
A Shahed-style greeting. Simon responded by bumping his fist back.
“It’s rare to see people come all the way out to a place like this. How did you end up here?”
“Ah! Well—”
Eshu started to explain, but Simon quickly cut her off.
“Tourists.”
“Ah, I see! Getting permission to visit Frigod is tough, but if you can make it, you’ll find it’s full of grand nature and dense mana! Not to mention many ancient ruins!”
Eshu quickly chimed in, playing along.
“As a tourist spot, it’s amazing! But we’re so tired of monster meat!”
“Then let me slice some proper reindeer meat for you both!”
He raised his cleaver and, with skilled hands, cut a fine chunk of meat and laid it before them.
Thick crimson flesh with marbled, milky-white fat. It looked so fresh it seemed alive.
“From a whole reindeer, only one piece like this comes out—it’s the finest cut!”
Eshu leaned aside awkwardly. After already spending so much on ingredients, the best cut was a bit much.
“Uh… we don’t have that much money.”
“Just 800 silvers. I’ll give it to you cheaper than regular meat.”
The butcher smiled kindly as he spoke.
“Seeing outsiders made me feel glad, you see.”
“Really? Wow! Thank you so much!”
Eshu immediately handed over the money and bought the meat. At the unexpected fortune, Simon also bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
“Haha, think nothing of it! Oh, by the way!”
The butcher spoke as if suddenly remembering something.
“Actually, I’ve been looking for someone. By any chance, have you seen a blonde girl around your age in this village?”
Eshu tilted her head.
“Blonde? There are plenty of blondes on the continent.”
Simon’s gaze sharpened.
“Why are you asking?”
“Hahaha! An acquaintance of mine was supposed to be in this village. We came here together, but she hasn’t shown up, so I’m worried.”
The butcher left it at that, not pressing further.
So Simon didn’t pry any deeper either.
“Thank you! We’ll come again!”
“Good luck with sales!”
Eshu waved enthusiastically. Simon bumped fists with the butcher one last time in farewell.
“At a glance, I can tell—you’re quite the warrior, sir.”
The butcher said.
“You look the same to me.”
Simon replied with a smile.
“You’ve got sharp eyes! But me, I’m not exactly a ‘great’ warrior.”
The butcher’s lips curled upward.
“I’m just a butcher who cuts meat.”
With that, the two left. The butcher waved kindly until they disappeared, then returned to butchering the reindeer.
Meat was rare in this land, so as he worked, villagers of the Frigod Autonomous District peeked in to watch.
“(I don’t have continental coin. Can I pay with these shells?)”
“(Of course, certainly!)”
Even at a slight loss, the butcher agreed to barter with a smile. The villagers beamed, happily carrying away precious reindeer meat.
Before long, the once-laden workbench held nothing but bones.
Wiping the blood from his hands with a cloth, the butcher wore a satisfied expression when—
“I can’t understand why you’d even do this.”
The very man who had summoned him to the Frigod Autonomous District appeared.
A gentleman in a long hat and formal wear, with only a single pupil set in his face.
“You made such a fuss about leaving early, and now I find you here, working as a butcher?”
“I told you.”
The butcher bit a cigar and lit it.
“This is my ritual. An important routine before the job.”
“…Well, as long as you do the job properly.”
The one-eyed gentleman tapped the ground lightly with his staff.
“More importantly, Keyzen’s side has already entered the Frigod Autonomous District.”
“Oh, really?”
“Didn’t some children come by here?”
“They did.”
The butcher said it casually, but the lone pupil of the gentleman widened sharply.
“They did? Truly?”
“They came from outside Frigod, but I don’t know if they were from Keyzen. They were wearing fur robes.”
“Wait! Could it be…”
The butcher cut him off with a wave of his hand.
“I’m not stupid. The blonde target wasn’t among them. I even asked, but they said they didn’t know.”
“It must be the platinum blonde! And another one! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
“Who was it again?”
“Simon Follentia! The boy with blue hair!”
The butcher frowned as if recalling.
Indeed, he remembered seeing strands of blue hair under a robe’s hood.
“Oh, right. He did have blue hair.”
“You fool!”
“Haha, don’t get so angry.”
The butcher snickered.
“I only remember the ones I’m supposed to ‘cut down’. The blonde girl stuck because she’s the kill target. But that boy—you said to capture him alive, right? Why would I bother remembering someone I can’t even cut? That’s your mistake, not mine.”
“You imbecile! This was the perfect chance to secure Simon Follentia without clashing with Keyzen’s professors!”
The one-eyed gentleman raged and hastily raised his communication crystal.
“Where did they go?”
“They were strolling that way. About twenty minutes ago.”
“To all units! Simon Follentia is in the village. Move to the 8 o’clock direction! Find the blue-haired teenage boy at all costs!”
Shhhhhh!
At his command, assassins lurking in the shadows soared into the air.
Landing on rooftops, their sharp eyes gleamed with killing intent.
‘Too late. He’s probably already escaped.’
The gentleman didn’t look hopeful.
But soon after—
—Blue-haired teenage boy spotted in the 8 o’clock direction.
—Wearing a school uniform. Target confirmed.
A real sighting was reported.
Today seemed to be a day when everything fell into place. The gentleman raised the communication crystal again.
“I’m on my way. Before I arrive, use any means necessary—but capture him alive!”
Clash! Thwack!
Thwack!
Assassins dropped down in front of the blue-haired boy.
“Found him. The target is certain.”
“Requesting permission to engage.”
The boy turned his head.
“…?”
He tilted it once, then smirked.
“What’s this, a bunch of moths drawn to the flame?”
Behind the assassins surrounding him—
Threads of spiderweb gleaming with a sinister light crept closer.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters