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Youth, Arriving at his hometown
Dale made Braoh run at full speed through the mountain trail in the forest.
Although it seems the assailants were unaware that they had a child, and they had not thought that their small horse would be able to sprint at full speed with the two of them riding it.
He had succeeded in surprising their target.
After breaking through the entrapment, he spins his body and fires an 『arrow』 behind him as a warning.
“!! Dale!”
“It’s dangerous so get down! Latina, just focus on not losing the 《Gravity Reduction》 magic!”
The reason he turned around to take a look with his eyes was due to their assailants being skilled at hiding their presences within the forest.
Even with Dale’s sense of perceptiveness, he couldn’t say that he had read every single presence there.
“Damn!”
He curses, and cuts down the coming arrow with the sword in his right hand. Without even looking at it as it fell down onto the ground, scattered everywhere, he speeds on forth.
The reason he is able to divert his concentration to deal with their assailants is due to Latina being in charge of the magic.
Thanks to Latina lightening the load on Braoh, as well as even mixing in a few recovery magic every now and then, Braoh is able to use all its might, dashing with all its might carrying to the two of them.
“I had thought that they’ll be coming soon but….! I really didn’t want to run into them!”
“Dale…..”
“I know!”
At Latina’s warning, he grabs hold of the reins with one hand and made Braoh jump. He didn’t question it or hesitate at all.
Their assailants chasing from behind them felt troubled.
It seems there was a trap hole there. He probably wouldn’t have noticed it himself if Latina wasn’t there.
This wasn’t because of her 『Unique Ability』 or anything, it was just because her observational powers are high. She gave out detailed instructions, calling out to him whenever she felt some uncomfortable feeling from her surroundings. It seems she was correct.
A man-made tunnel carved out of a rock could be seen right in front of them.
Going up until their is their goal here.
“…..Like I’m gonna fall for that!”
Dale fires up as he speaks to himself, making Braoh come to a sudden stop. Resulting in Latina popping up. He restrains her with his own body, stopping her from falling.
Just as he expected, right after that, a boulder rolled down, blocking the entrance of the only road into the tunnel.
“Are they stupid?! Seriously!”
Once again he made the horse run forth and chanted a spell towards the blocked entrance.
“<Oh that which belongs to the Earth, Hear my name, Change unto what I wish 《Earthly Transformation》>”
It wasn’t an attack magic. It merely made a transformation.
But, that was enough.
The obstacle in front of them breaks into pieces.
He protects Latina from the small rocks and pieces of boulder which were fit for the words of, breaking into pieces, and the cloud of dust which emerged by hugging her, wrapping her in the insides of his coat
With this she probably couldn’t be seen at all from behind them.
Passing through the tunnel, their field of vision widened.
At that moment Dale shouted out.
“God…..damn! That old bitch!!! Didn’t I tell her that I wouldn’t be coming here alooonee!!”
“My my….you don’t call your granny 『Old Bitch』you know”
Opposite the tunnel an ageing lady greeted Dale with a troubled expression.
“I’m talking to you as well mum! Did you really want to kill your son who you haven’t met in so long?!”
“Dear me…. Isn’t it just blocking the entrance a little bit?”
“If the timing was off then it wouldn’t be just a little bit!”
“Dear me…. Such an exageration….”
“…..She’s right. Something like this is normal right……”
“You too Dad! Don’t shoot at me!”
“You say that but, didn’t you also shoot towards me as well…..”
Dale turned around towards the man’s voice who he had heard from behind him, fueling his anger. However, the voice that came back was as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.
“We’d removed the arrowhead from them properly right, unlike you…..”
“I took them off before I shot them right?! Even without the arrowhead, it would hurt if i was hit by it! Besides you guys were shooting at me for real right!”
“Well…”
Neither that voice nor expression felt apologetic.
While they were having that exchange, it seems that the remaining figures behind them had caught up.
“You’re so mean Dale, I’m covered in dust”
“Seriously, the first time you’re back in forever….. Don’t be like this”
“I’m the one who’s mean!? I’m the one!?”
The lined up faces were all the familiar faces of his cousins and childhood friends.
“I mean it was the order of the head”
“Right”
They answer as such to Dale who was blaming them.
“Even though this is so simple, it got you quite well huh….”
Dale’s father starts to say, before stopping his gaze at the young girl he was protecting in his arms. He suddenly stops moving. That look of his was similar to his son but, right now he hasn’t pointed her out yet.
Latina was looking at her surrounding as her eyes became dots, and immediately looked up at Dale beside her with a surprised face.
“….Dale…..you and your family don’t like each other?”
“…..No…..Um, you see…. Latina….”
While Dale was looking for an answer, the fuss that his father started was relayed to the surrounding people.
“It was a little girl!!”
Latina, having that shout directed at her, jumped up high in shock.
“Fuahhh!?”
So much so she almost fell off the horse.
“Iyaaa…. I had heard from your granny that you would be bringing someone you know but. Everyone had thought that it would be like usual, someone from the『same occupation』 you know”
Dale’s mother smiled as if she was troubled and trying to evade the subject, says as she waved her hands, pata pata.
“Um….um….I’m Latina. Nice to meet you. I’ll be in your care”
“My my my. Such a cute thing. I’m sorry, I scared you didn’t I”
“Seriously….what would you have done if Latina got injured or something”
“…..That’s your job as well right, to protect her from that”
“Reflect on yourselves, I’m begging you!”
Right now, they have separated from his other acquaintances, Dale and his parents, plus Latina, the four of them are walking. Dale gets off from the horse, takes the reins into his hands as he walks, leaving Latina on the horse.
The others seem to be handling the trap hole which they had made in order to make Dale fall. This is a remote village but, it wasn’t like there weren’t any outside guests at all. Leaving it just like that would be, as expected, extremely dangerous.
The only entrance to this village from the highway is the tunnel they had passed just now which was gouged out of the side of a rock wall.
A tunnel made from Earth Magic is fairly big, so much so that it wouldn’t be hard for a single horse carriage to go through.
Only after passing through that, is Dale’s hometown.
In contrast with the given population, the area of the village is fairly large. You get an impression that it doesn’t come off as a village which could have existed all the way till now.
In the plaza of the village continues a maintained section of road which extended from the highway, the two sides of the road have buildings placed along every here and there.
Taking a good look, on the slopes of the surrounding area, fields were built, which had surrounded the village.
This space seems like a place which was shut off in all four directions by mountains.
“That’s my house over there”
“….It’s big”
“It is, after all, the mansion where the clan head is…. It might just be old though”
What Latina stared at, mouth wide open, was the village plaza. In the most eye-catching position, there was a certain noticeably large mansion. Although it was just as Dale said, an old building, it had a charm which made you feel as if it has had a profound history to it.
“Why are, the houses, different from everyone else’s?”
“Hmm…..”
Her question wasn’t an unreasonable one.
On the buildings in this village, there were none which had a red rooftop.
With the view that Latina had gotten used, normally ‘Roofs are red’. Even with just that, it made her feel out of place.
The buildings had a dull colour which came from the constant exposure to the elements, like that of the countryside, however if you look really, really carefully, on the entrances there would definitely be a metal Relieve installed, decorated like a flower ring.
“….It’s because our village, prays to the 『Orange God(Korumozei)』”
“….? Dale, last time you told me that since Korumozei is the god to wish for when it comes to abundant harvests, there’ll be some small shrines no matter where you go right?”
“Yea. How should I say this…. Just like how 『The Country of Raband prays to Ahmar (The God of Red) as their primary god』, this village 『prays to Korumozei』.”
“It’s also because in our village, there are many who 『have the divine protection of Korumozei』”
Dale’s mother too smiles comfortably as if it was nothing.
“Half the people here can also use magic. But, there are many who have Earth attributed magic”
And then, with a smile she says this.
“Welcome to our village, 『the household of those loved by the land』”
(Author’s note:
It won’t change into the combat scene you ask of me.
The journey will also take a break.
We’ve arrived at Dale’s hometown. It seems to become the usual laid-back slowlife days like always.)