In the middle of the mountain, Akari and company carefully set up camp and stayed there for one night.
Although they could have rushed to the village and made it there by midnight, there was no need for them to hurry.
And thus, early morning.
From the forest, there were no sounds of birds chirping to be heard.
The forest had disappeared and was replaced by a wasteland. In the clearing, Sarewado village is in sight.
ăââsomething is coming!ă (Makushiimu)
Makushiimu brushed away the arrow that had come flying and then with his right fist he knocked down an incoming fireball. He was wearing a giantkind glove.
Upon hearing Makushiimuâs voice, the women of ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuă immediately reacted.
They moved to protect Akari, surrounding her with a defensive formation.
ăăWWall vindur vindurăă
ăăAir Wallăă
ăăăăWWall vindur vindurăăăă
ăăăăAir Wallăăăă
Following in suit with Diantia, the women completed their formation.
Without exception, when the barrage of arrows and earth balls connected with the wall of wind, it was all deflected.
Whether it was an arrow or magic, Makushiimu & Diantia would intercept it.
From all four directions, the sound of horse hoofs could be heard.
ăTsk, what now mounted bandits?!ă (Makushiimu)
From his back, Makushiimu fetched his large shield and hammer-ax.
ăI will charge on ahead. Donât get too close to me, alright.ă (Makushiimu)
Diantia acknowledged it by nodding before once more she began to recite magic.
ăăRRut ĂĄhaug af jarðvegiăă
ăăEarth Stumpăă
ăăăăRRut ĂĄhaug af jarðvegiăăăă
ăăăăEarth Stumpăăăă
Makushiimu avoided the magic that the women simultaneously casted. Protruding from the ground, knee-high earth stumps made of hardened dirt spreads around them and encompassed the air wall.
These earth stumps were their countermeasure to impede the horses.
And thus, Makushiimu jumps in the direction opposite of the air wall.
In his hand, he carried a giantkind hammer-ax. It has a large guillotine-like blade and on the opposite side is a sturdy mass of iron.
It is a crudely made unbalance weapon that only those with the brute physical strength of the giantkind would be able to wield it. By no means was it a balanced weapon that a normal person would be able to swing straight.
Makushiimu springs forward leaving Akari and company at his rear.
Mounted on warhorses, people clothed in black appeared. Two of them dashed towards Makushiimu while the others headed for Akari.
ăIs their target Akari? What an obvious turn of events.ă (Makushiimu)
From Makushiimuâs right, a strange looking pole weapon is positioned horizontally to mow him down.
A blunt yet thunderous sound rang out.
Makushiimu had ran toward the mounted bandit and in an instant he swept the horse horizontally from the side, mowing them down instead.
ăKnow that I am, Makushiimuă»Daaru!ă (Makushiimu)
His loud voice roars out across the wasteland.
The men dressed in black stayed silent. One by one, they tried to slip pass Makushiimu from the side.
However, Makushiimu didnât permit them; he brandished his hammer-ax.
With a single swing, the assailants would fall from their horse.
And just like that, Makushiimu swings his hammer-ax, while Akari and company within the defensive formation deals with the remaining assailants.
The earth stumps forced the assailants dressed in black to dismount. Rather than being blown off their horse, it was better to dismount.
Like a summer fever, heat can be seen emitting from Makushiimu as he swings his weapon from side to side.
On the opposite side of Makushiimu, Diantia and the others are fighting bravely.
Against the air wall and earth stump barrier, a few did breakthrough.
However, those people were brought down by arrows and throwing weapons.
Once more, Diantia released the string of her bow.
The assailants who had passed through the air wall were downed as an arrow pierced their head.
Whenever an assailant made it pass the arrows, they were stopped by either Maanyaâs flames or the other womenâs ax or spear.
In front of their eyes, the assailants fell.
Akari watched as this tragedy unfolded before her.
Those who are targeting her life, they are dying.
The assailants are merely facing the consequences of their actions; however, Akariâs perspective, as she views this, is that of a person from modern-day Japan.
While Akari was with the united kingdomâs hunter detachment force, ăWhite Speară, she had never been attacked by thieves. For Akari, this was the first time she was directly attacked by people. (T/N: are you saying Kurandoâs an animal)
But still, Akari wanted to live, thus, dying was not an option.
Of her share that Akari had received from Kurando, she tightly grips the ice warriorâs club in her hand.
A gap in their formation appeared and a lone assailant rushed towards Akari.
ăA, Akari-san!ă (Diantia)
Akari grasps the club with both and raised it high above her head.
When Akari received the club, she had asked Kurando how to use it. And, he told her,
ââI donât know.
Hearing that, she was dejected. However, afterward,
ââbut, well, there is one thing I do know. Imagine that the opponent is in front of you;Â ăposition the club above your head and then just swing downwardsă. Every day, try some practice swings; 1,000 swings should do. Anyhow, there is nothing to lose by following the basics.
Hearing this, she continued doing so.
For 100 days, she swung the club 1,000 times until she had swung it 100,000 times.
Therefore, it will be alright.
And thus, Akari did as Oofuia had taught her and coiled the ice warriorâs club with spirits by using maryoku.
Although Akariâs affinity with ice spirits is not high, in the case of the club, Oofuia told her that affinity was unrelated.
Before her, the assailant thrust a short-sword towards her.
In that moment, like how she had practiced, Akari swings down the club as she conveys her intent to the ice spirits.
ââPOW
Just before the short-sword could reach her, the assailant was hit with an unexpected counter from Akari and robbed of their consciousness.
Diantia and the other women of ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuă were surprised as they watched Akari.
The club that had coated itself in ice hits the ground, leaving Akari breathing heavily.
When Akari was swinging down the club, it grew larger as it became coated with a massive block of ice; the added weight of the ice increased the velocity of the clubâs downward swing which caused its descending speed to exceeding the assailantâs attack.
ăAkari-san has not been defeated!ă (Diantia)
Upon hearing Diantiaâs voice, the morale of the women of ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuă rose.
With Makushiimuâs strong arms and ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuâsă defensive formation, the assailants were repelled.
ăThese are all the ones that are still breathing. Well, we more or less know that that guy was the one who hired these assassins. Meh, these guys were 2nd rate at best.ă (Makushiimu)
With a thump, he finished lining up the assailants.
Of the assailants; about 10 of them escaped, 40 or so were left dead, and 5 survived.
Diantia lines up the 5 survivors on the bare ground. She blindfolds them, and then gags them so that they couldnât committing suicide.
For that reason, the assailants could not be interrogated.
The 5 survivors then had their feet bound with a magic formation.
ăNow then, Akari shall we confirm their faces one at a time? Perhaps, you might have seen their face before.ă (Diantia)
And thus, the moment the blindfold was undone,
Maryoku was transferred to the spirits and from the silent assailant, a fireball exploded.
ăăCCase Ăștăă
ăăReleaseăă
At the same time, Diantia recited her magic.
As the assailant had hope, a fire was generated. And just like that, the assailant fainted without any information being obtained.
The circumstances were the same for the over 4 survivors.
Of course, Akari wasnât the one unfastening their blindfold. Everything had been left up to Diantia.
ăâŠâŠhow did things end up this way?ă (Akari)
Akari who witnessed this begun to question what had happened.
ăThat was the autonomous magic, ăreisudamu (éćè§ŁæŸ, ăŹă€ăčăă , magic release)ă. To be accurate, it is made from the combination of spirit magic and autonomous magic. Currently, they have exhausted their maryoku and have fainted.ă (Diantia)
Akari still didnât understand.
ăIt is fortunate for us that the warhorses have remained.ă (Diantia)
After this was said, the 5 survivors that had been tied up were loaded onto the horses.
ăShould we hurry there?ă (Diantia)
And thus, while traveling in a line, they headed for the village.
ăăReisudamu (maryoku release)ă; the moment the targetâs maryoku is transferred to the spirits, the spirits will then begin to absorb up targetâs maryoku. The chief lady had developed this technique in order to incapacitate the person it is used on.ă (Diantia)
ăAbsorbtion? Is the body not able to resist it?ă (Akari)
ăNot if they were the one who activated it. I am sure everyone has experienced it at least once when they first started out using spirit magic. When trying to command the spirits, your maryoku was drained and then you fainted. It follows the same principle.ă (Diantia)
ăAh, that moment when you lose consciousness.ă (Akari)
As Akari recalled the time she first started out, she couldnât help but make a wry smile.
ăWithout exception, everyone who practice spirit magic has experienced it as it is a part of the learning process. Of course, a mentor need to be presentââă (Diantia)
Their group stopped moving; Diantia stopped her explanation and looked to the front.
From the front, another group is advancing towards them.
This time, it is a group of men fitted in complete sets of metal armor.
Among them, is Zauru.
Makushiimu, who is a part of the vanguard, stood to block the groupâs path.
While he wasnât as big as Makushiimu, a single large man equipped with plated armor took off their helmet and stood face to face against Makushiimu.
With his helmet off, his appears was that of a middle age man with blond rustic hair and he looked like a gorilla.
The military policeâs duty is to act as police officers and maintain order in the cities and villages.
ăOn our way to the village, we were attacked by these fellows, thatâs all.ă (Makushiimu)
Makushiimu pointed to the assailants strapped to the warhorses.
ăIs that so, thank you for the trouble. Did you happen to capture Akariă»Fujishiro, afterward?ă (Arekusei)
Arekusei showed a smile from ear to ear.
ăAhh? It has been decided that Akari will be brought to her trial of truth. Thatâs how it is.ă (Makushiimu)
ăI donât know anything about this trial of truth, but I do know that she is on the wanted-list. Now then, hand her over.ă (Arekusei)
Makushiimu moves to block Akari out of Arekuseiâs line-of-sight.
His expression became that of a menacing guardian deva.
ăI wonât be handing her over.ă (Makushiimu)
ăEventhough you are the captain of the ăWhite Speară, are you planning on protecting this criminal? You do realize that is a problem, yes?ă (Arekusei)
When Makushiimu heard this, he laughed scornfully.
ăThen, as captain of the ăWhite SpearăâŠâŠ at this very moment, I quit!ă (Makushiimu)
Arekusei furrows his brow.
ăI donât know what happened between you and that child but,ă (Arekusei)
ăIt has been on my mind for some time now, yup, a real pain. The timing is just right, I can knock you down without having to worry about anyone complaining.ă (Makushiimu)
When Arekusei heard this, he happily smiled.
ăâŠâŠis that so? You plan to resist. All members, capture them!ă (Arekusei)
Makushiimu smacked his lips and then stood ready.
The formally dressed military police officers, who are wearing a silver chest plate and wielding a spear, surrounded Makushiimu and the others.
Arekusei shrewdly turned around and left the matter to the military police.
ăI see, do you think you can compete with me?ă (Makushiimu)
Steam burst from his body as Makushiimu grasped his battle hammer with both hands.
With only that, the military police were overpowered, causing them to gradually retreat.
ăWhat are you doing! That person is a rebel!ă (Arekusei)
ăââstop,ă (Oofuia)
Arekusei hears a womanâs voice from behind him.
Everyoneâs gaze focused in the direction behind Arekusei.
There stood Oofuia. Also, behind her, there was a middle age man.
ăOh may, Oofuia-dono. However, Iâm in the middle of my duty. I ask that you wait.ă (Arekusei)
While his words are polite, he obviously refused Oofuiaâs intervention.
ăAkari-san is under my custody. So, should I still refrain from acting?ă (Oofuia)
Oofuiaâs glare causes Arekusei to flinch.
The social standing of the chief lady of ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuă is different from that of a mere city military police chief.
ăI donât know what you are talking about. This place is Dorugan. We are abiding by Dorugan law. Besides, when did ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuăcommit acts of lawlessness? When did you gain such authority to do so?ă (Zauru)
Zauru steps forward and covers for the military police chief.
ăAkari-san is to be taken to trial. That is the truth or can you not understand?ă (Oofuia)
Oofuia tried to persuade them.
ăI donât know anything about a trial of truth. I donât accept such a shady thing in this country. Ridiculous. We donât have time for childâs play.ă (Zauru)
ăââour united kingdom of Erurodoria has officially formed an international judgment treaty.ă (???)
For the first time, the man behind Oofuia speaks out.
ăBastard, who are you to say such irresponsible thingsââă (Zauru)
ăââsorry for the delay. Iâm a domestic affair investigator from Erurodoriaâs central government, Borusă»Egooruă»Gurinka (ăăȘăčă»ăšăŽăŒă«ă»ă°ăȘăłă«).ă
Zauru shows an expression that indicated he came across a bothersome pest.
ăA person from Rorana, huh? Does the central government plan to go against the treaty with Doruganâs parliamentââă (Zauru)
ăââyes. However, the matter of the hero, Akariă»Fujishiro undergoing the trial of truth was only approved after a majority vote was reached in the central government. And thus, this treaty was ratified.ă (Borus)
ăDonât fuck with me, no such notification came to the Dorugan parliament. The domestic treaty policy shouldnât be in effect yetââă (Zauru)
ăââyes, it is as you said, this act is not being enforced and Doruganâs parliament has not been notified. While it supersedes regulations, it is restricted to and ends with the case of Akariă»Fujishiroâs trial of truth. It has already been permitted by the central government. This is not a plot to run away; to begin with, this trial of truth is a self-declared system. And as such, your assistance is not needed. Just to let you know, I will be monitoring and observing everything that is said and done.ă (Borus)
While showing an uninterested smile, the man named Borus crushed Zauruâs claims.
Zauruâs face became distorted with wrath.
ăShit. You cowardly Roorana(s)! ââwe will be taking those assailants. Surely you canât meddle in the affairs of Doruganâs military police!ă (Zauru)
ăNo they cannot as they have no such authority to do so.ă (Arekusei)
Those were the words of the military police chief.
The military police walk off with the horses.
Makushiimu looked over to Oofuia.
Oofuia shakes her head no.
ăTsk. Hey, leave the warhorses, they are ours.ă (Makushiimu)
ăIt belongs to the assailants. We will be confiscating itââă (Zauru)
ăIn the case that a thief or a bandit is defeated outside a village or town, the belongings become the possession of the one who repelled them. While the age of adventures has pasted, the rule still remains. You should know that, or are you doing it on purpose?ă (Makushiimu)
Hearing Makushiimuâs words, Zauru smacked his lips.
ăâŠâŠcarry them.ă (Zauru)
On Zauruâs order, the military police unloaded the assailants from the horses. Five people are then carried in groups of 2.
ăYou bastards, I will remember this.ă (Zauru)
Before leaving, Zauru left them with hateful parting words.
ăYouâre too slow, Oofuia.ă (Makushiimu)
ăSorry, the messengers for each country suddenly arrived one after another. Anyhow, when Arii informed us that Zauru was head this way with the military police, we rushed over here as soon as we could. It seems he was laying in wait with the military police outside the village.ă (Oofuia)
ăI apologize for the trouble, Makushiimu-san. Because we were late, you ended up coming into contact with Zauru. It must have been unpleasant for you.ă (Borus)
The domestic affair investigator, Borus, bows his head as he apologizes.
From there, Oofuia moved closer to Makushiimu.
ăA little while ago, I happened to overhear it; are you really going to quit being the captain of the ăWhite Speară?ă (Oofuia)
Makushiimu smiled from ear to ear.
ăIt is true. I was the one who had invited Akari and got her involved in all of this. And this way, I will be in a better position to protect her. For here now, it doesnât matter what type of captain they will call me. Rather than some title, I will a simple hunter. In the first place, that was my nature.ă (Makushiimu)
ăMakushiimu-sanââă (Akari)
ăââthis is something I decided on. It has nothing to do with obligation.ă (Makushiimu)
Makushiimu went over to Akari and pats her head.
ăSo, you were serious.ă (Oofuia)
ăMy, that will be quite troublesome.ă (Borus)
The investigatorâs expression turned serious.
ăWill you not reconsiderââă (Borus)
ăâânope. I will no longer continue that farce. There is nothing left to say and Iâm not going to listen.ă (Makushiimu)
In the face of Makushiimuâs wrath, the investigator faltered.
ăStop it. Borus is an investigator from domestic affairs; he is only doing his job.ă (Oofuia)
Makushiimu clicked his tongue and then drew back.
Oofuia looked towards Akari.
ăNow, preparations are in order. Tomorrow at 15 oâclock, your innocence will supposedly be proven.ă (Oofuia)
ăThank you for everything.ă (Akari)
Akari silently bows.
ăFufu, itâs alright. ăMaruunaă»Niyuumuă will always help women who have been wounded. You must be tired; go take your time and rest so you can prepare for tomorrow.ă (Oofuia)