Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Olla Desert (3)
As I remembered, there was no event related to the train. In the game, it simply took your money and transported you to another region.
“I’m sure it’ll take care of everything on its own~”
When the train slowly reduced its speed and came to a complete stop, Canis spoke. No one paid her any attention, including Winter, who was asleep.
Inside the train, things became a little restless. A crew member appeared and tried to calm the flustered passengers.
“According to our observations, this has been confirmed as a large-scale migration of a desert tribe. We ask that all passengers remain seated and refrain from any provocative actions toward the outside.”
After listening to the crew member to the end, I looked out the window. Across the silent desert, without even a hint of wind, a group was racing forward.
They were riding bizarre birds that resembled ostriches, their bodies wrapped head to toe in pure white cloth.
“What is that?”
“Oh my~ It’s a baby Earth Dragon~”
Canis, who tended to know quite a bit, chimed in knowingly. Behind roughly thirty members of the desert tribe, a massive snake-like creature was chasing them.
A gigantic serpent with sand-colored scales rushed forward fiercely. If it was an Earth Dragon, then it must be the one positioned as a field boss.
“They’re not being chased, are they?”
“A member of the Duhein Family of hunters~ not knowing that~?”
“Be quiet.”
“Excuse me~ crew member~”
In the blink of an eye, the cheeky Canis giggled and called for the crew member. Wearing a puzzled expression, the crew member approached.
“Yes, sir.”
“Would it be possible to order some soda~?”
At the sudden request for a drink, the people in the cabin were aghast. Those who had been tense without realizing it seemed to deflate all at once.
“…That would be difficult at the moment.”
“Oh dear~ what a shame~”
The flustered crew member quickly regained composure. At the polite refusal, Canis simply nodded without protest.
“What an insensitive brat.”
“Is Davide really in a position to say that~ or not~?”
Canis idly spun a ring woven from crystals around her finger, making it obvious she was bored. I immediately snatched it away.
“Cult Leader? Something feels strange.”
“What is it.”
Worden, who had been staring out the window the entire time, called out a warning. I had been bickering with Canis, but at his words, I turned my gaze outside.
One by one, the people of the desert tribe leapt over the train. Several heavy thudding sounds rang out, and the Earth Dragon that had been at the very rear burrowed into the ground.
“……”
“……”
I thought it would simply pass over the train as well, but instead, the Earth Dragon suddenly appeared right in front of us. Its vertically slit golden pupil was about the size of a human head.
“…Why is that thing staring at me?”
“Wow~ Davide is so popular with animals~”
My reflection completely filled the golden pupil. The Earth Dragon slowly approached the window.
Seeing the Earth Dragon up close was rather fascinating. There was a clear difference from how it appeared in the game.
“……”
“……”
A person appeared beside the Earth Dragon. It was a member of the desert tribe who had come to retrieve the Earth Dragon that had stopped following.
The desert tribesperson, draped in a white robe, approached the Earth Dragon. The lines revealed beneath the robe were delicate.
“This is my first time seeing a desert tribe~”
The desert tribesperson lightly tapped the Earth Dragon’s head and said something. The Earth Dragon, listening, shook its head.
@The Earth Dragon looked back at me wistfully, and the desert tribesperson let out a sigh as she tried to persuade it. Only after quite some time did the Earth Dragon nod and disappear backward.
When the desert tribesperson turned her head, our eyes met. She was a woman with a particularly prominent nose bridge. As if fascinated, Canis waved at her.
“Davide~ she waved back at me~”
“Stay still, you brat.”
She let out a small laugh and waved back in response to Canis’ greeting. I immediately cautioned the bragging Canis.
After briefly examining our group, the desert tribesperson pressed her palms together and bowed her head. I assumed she meant to apologize and nodded in return.
Suddenly stepping closer, she placed her hand against the glass. The glass vibrated faintly, then gradually began to melt.
“…Is this really okay?”
“…I have no idea either.”
Startled by her abrupt action, I glanced back. The crew member was clutching the back of his neck, his face drained of color.
Canis and I watched the desert tribesperson while keeping an eye on the crew member. Through the melted window, she suddenly extended her hand inside.
“What? You want it?”
Her finger was pointing at the crystal ring Canis had made. When I held up the crystal ring and gave it a little shake, she nodded.
“Hmm~ What if that Earth Dragon was a female?”
Ignoring Canis’ nonsense, I handed over the crystal ring. With a troubled expression, the desert tribesperson took something out from her robe and offered it to me.
It was a sand-colored ring. Only after giving the ring, engraved with a peculiar pattern, did she turn away. The melted glass fused back together and returned to its original window form.
“That desert tribe… It’s my first time seeing one.”
With Worden’s remark, she too departed. I stared at the sand-colored ring for a moment before handing it to Canis.
After all, it had been received in exchange for Canis’ crystal. Canis tilted her head once, then calmly accepted the ring.
About ten minutes after the desert tribe disappeared, the train finally began moving again.
***
“I don’t remember anything.”
“Of course not. You sprawled out and slept.”
“Aaagh! I was looking forward to it!”
After arriving at the train station, our group headed straight to a nearby inn. On the way, Winter muttered hollowly.
In the end, Winter had slept properly for four full hours. She had secretly been looking forward to the desert scenery, so she threw a fit.
“Uwaaa.”
Winter immediately grabbed Worden by the collar and began shaking him, and Worden offered no resistance as he was shaken back and forth.
“There will be plenty more chances. It’s hot, so let’s head to the inn first.”
“Huu…”
Only after Davide pulled her away did Winter let go. Seeing Winter so dejected, Canis handed her a piece of candy.
“Here.”
“Hm? Aren’t you coming with us?”
About a ten-minute walk later, when we arrived at the inn, I handed Winter a pouch of money.
Winter accepted the pouch obediently, then tilted her head.
“Why do you think we came here?”
“The desert? We came to hunt a giant.”
“That’s right.”
At my question, Worden answered immediately. The others, who had been informed beforehand, waited silently for me to continue.
“Originally, in hunting, you spend more time searching than actually killing. We’re going to find someone who can help with that.”
“An assistant~ who is it?”
Everyone nodded at my words. Among them, Canis asked on behalf of what they were all curious about.
“The person I stabbed with a knife.”
“Huh?”
At my abrupt statement, Winter’s mouth fell open.
The third city of the desert. Slightly more underdeveloped than the two cities to the north, it had progressed slowly due to the absence of an oasis.
There was someone here I needed to meet.
“So… you’re saying we’re going to find the victim of the incident where you stabbed someone. The one that got you suspended?”
“You caught on right away.”
“……”
At my confirmation, they all fell silent. It seemed they were reconsidering whether they had heard correctly.
“Um… is that even possible?”
“Would it be~? If it were me~ the moment I saw your face~ I’d throw a crystal at your eye~”
“Was it… dangerous? I want to come with you.”
Instead of answering Winter’s incredulous question, Canis responded in her own way. The idea of asking for help from someone I had stabbed.
Just hearing it made one rediscover their conscience, and everyone reacted skeptically.
“Um, Senior.”
“What.”
“As you know, you are the Cult Leader of the Anaye Order. So if you get hurt or disappear, we fall apart as it is. You know that, right?”
“Of course I know.”
“……”
At my firm reply, Winter let out a hollow laugh. Quietly, she asked herself:
If I tell him not to go, will he stay? No.
Can I stop him by force? No.
There was nothing Winter could do.
“Still~ dangerous is dangerous~ and I can’t be without Davide either, so I’ll come along?”
“Hmm.”
I reluctantly nodded. Winter and Worden also said they would follow, but I shook my head.
“Secure the lodging and buy the necessary supplies in advance. I don’t know about Worden, but Winter, you at least have a sense for money, so you’ll manage.”
“That’s true.”
Winter nodded without realizing it. It was obvious Canis would only pick things she liked. As for Worden, he would quickly lose money from being overcharged.
“Th-This isn’t dangerous, right?”
“Yeah. It’s absolutely not dangerous.”
Unable to help herself from worrying, Winter repeatedly asked if it was safe. Knowing she was concerned for my sake, I continued to answer with firm assurance.
“I’ll be back within two hours.”
“…Yes. Please come back safely.”
After patting Winter’s drooping shoulders a few times, I turned around.
“Our Winter~ don’t worry too much~ I’m here too~”
“…That’s exactly why I’m more worried.”
At Canis’ playful remark, Winter pouted her lips. As if finding her cute, Canis stroked Winter’s head before following after me.
“Davide~ where are we going?”
“Just follow quietly.”
“I happened to hear~ it’s not the Kargula Family, is it?”
“It is.”
My suspension incident was famous. The first case in Academy history of a student stabbing a classmate. Like a well-informed noble, Canis mentioned the victim’s family.
“At this rate~ you’re going to get stabbed~ shouldn’t we at least bring a gift~?”
“I’ve prepared one.”
Chatting lightly, we soon arrived at our destination. A city built on relatively firm ground.
On the outskirts of that city stood a spacious mansion. It was painted entirely white to block out as much heat as possible.
“Kargula~ it’s been a while~”
“Have you met them before?”
“Well, I’m a noble. I’ve seen the head of the Kargula Family before~ He looked scary~”
The building was slightly smaller than the Academy dormitory. Too modest to be called the main estate of a family, this place was a villa of the Kargula Family.
Answering Canis’ question, I headed straight for the front gate. The two gatekeepers spotted us and frowned.
“For what purpose have you come?”
“I’ve come to see the second young master of the Kargula Family.”
The gatekeeper, who had asked politely, began to grow wary. He leveled a spear with a heavily curved tip at us.
“The young master is recuperating. We are not receiving outsiders, so please return.”
“Why don’t you lower the spear~ your legs are trembling~”
Before I could respond to the clear warning, Canis reacted first. Still smiling brightly, she stepped forward and continued.
“Then please return.”
“Davide~ that’s what he says?”
But the gatekeeper thrust the spear even closer. Canis’ eyes gleamed, and I took a step back.
Canis glanced back at me in question. I merely shrugged.
“Davide? Don’t tell me.”
Suddenly, the gatekeeper’s expression turned vicious. His wariness shifted into outright hostility.
“Blue hair and tanned skin. Don’t tell me you’re the eldest of the Duhein Family.”
“Wow~ Davide~ you’re really famous~”
The gatekeeper growled as he spoke. The polite tone had vanished, replaced entirely with animosity. At his swift change in attitude, Canis gave a sly smile.
“That’s enough. Call your superior.”
“How dare a Duhein who injured our young master give orders!”
At my indifferent remark, the gatekeeper shouted loudly. The shift in his killing intent made my skin prickle.
He was too capable to be wasted as a mere gatekeeper. Tilting her head from side to side, Canis slowly began to draw up her magic power.
“Tsk tsk. A low-rank is still a low-rank. Your young master is about to die. I can fix him, so bring him out. No—call your superior. That one will understand.”
“You insolent—!”
Unable to endure any longer, the gatekeeper charged with fierce momentum. His thrusting stance with the spear was sharp.
The slightly curved spear could inflict great damage both when stabbing and when pulling back.
However, the gatekeeper’s spear never reached me.
“My~ if Davide didn’t have me~”
“That’s enough.”
“…Even though I just saved you~”
Cutting off Canis’ sly remark, I looked at the gatekeeper. He was trapped inside a crystal prison created by Canis.
The gatekeeper pounded roughly against the crystal. Figuring that such a commotion would draw attention from inside, I simply watched.
“…How rude.”
“Yeah. You finally came. It’s been a while.”
A woman wearing a black hood appeared. Sitting atop the wall, she clicked her tongue as she confirmed it was me.
Only then did I recognize her face and smile savagely.
“Davide, and a child of the Ulbushis Family. What a strange combination. For what reason have you come?”
“A deal.”
Making no effort to hide her displeasure, the woman slid down from the wall. Her movements were those of a seasoned assassin.
She was someone I had seen in the game as well. A vassal of the Kargula Family, and a named character who fought alongside the boss in Episode 3.
“…If I recall, we were supposed to make contact first.”
“You were dragging your feet, so I came myself. Guide me. Take me to him. I’ll make him jump right up.”
“You’re insane. What are you relying on to be so confident? That child of the Ulbushis Family?”
The woman frowned deeply. She drew a strangely curved dagger from her waist. I let out a small laugh and stepped toward her.
“Do you know about the Slime of the Acid Gecko?”
“You’ve brought something absurd.”
At the quietly spoken term, the woman sheathed her dagger. A medicinal ingredient that could never be obtained in the desert.
Having only just emerged from hibernation, it was something difficult to acquire even with money, yet I had brought it without hesitation.
“I’ll guide you. Don’t try anything foolish. We have a guest.”
“A guest? Well. It can’t be helped.”
Only after I took out the Slime of the Acid Gecko from my robe did the woman lead us toward the mansion. Tilting my head slightly at the mention of a guest, I followed her without complaint.
“Release our gatekeeper.”
When Canis snapped her fingers, the crystal prison sank into the ground and vanished.
The gatekeeper merely glared, taking no further action. Our figures gradually disappeared into the estate of the Kargula Family, one of the most renowned families in the desert.