“Hey, Lilac’s gone! Where did that guy go!”
The one who raised his voice in the dimly lit warehouse was an elderly man with a white mustache.
He wore denim overalls and a hunting cap, climbing down a long ladder.
The old man, once his feet touched the ground, was short but sturdily built, and the glint in his eyes behind antique round glasses was very sharp.
“That’s what we don’t know. He seemed to have left early in the morning… maybe he went to get food supplies.”
The one who answered was a tall, timid-looking young man.
He wore dirty work clothes and wiped his hands with a blackened towel.
“Seriously! I’ve told him so many times to go out at night… the fish-men get more active when the sun’s out!”
The old man spoke with irritation. At that moment, a faint sound came from outside the warehouse.
“What is it, Lilac?”
“I, I don’t know. I’ll go check.”
The tall young man approached a small window next to the entrance, opened it slightly, and peeked outside.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong!?”
The young man turned around with a surprised expression.
“There are people! Four of them!!”
“What did you say!?”
The old man hurriedly rushed to the window and looked outside through the gap. About ten meters away, a group of four was walking along the road. All of them appeared to be men.
“Those guys! They’re wandering around outside without any caution, we have to go help them!”
“Eh!? But, old man. It’s dangerous to leave here.”
“Just get out of the way!”
The old man pushed the young man aside, unlocked the door, and rushed outside. The young man also went out, saying, “W, wait for me!”
The two of them chased after the four men.
They seemed to have already entered the shadow of the building, and the men were out of sight. The old man ran heavily, circling around the building.
Then, at the end of the road, he saw the backs of the four men.
“Hey! You guys, it’s dangerous, evacuate immediately!!”
At the old man’s voice, the four men turned around at once. The next moment, a Fish-man appeared from the shadow of the warehouse. Fish-men jumped down from the roof of the building as well, and before they knew it, five Fish-men were surrounding the four men.
–Too late!
Several months had passed since the people of Hamburg disappeared. He had finally encountered humans and wanted to help them somehow.
The old man gritted his teeth.
The four men would be killed. That’s what the old man thought, but a completely different scene unfolded before his eyes.
One of the men drew a Longsword from his waist, and with a light swing, the heads of two Fish-men flew off, and flames danced.
Furthermore, another man made a gesture as if brushing something away with his hand. The Fish-men that were about to attack were torn apart, spraying blue blood.
They rolled on the ground as they were, turning into sand and disappearing.
The old man was dumbfounded. To defeat Monsters so easily, there was no doubt.
“You guys… are you Seekers!!”
One of the men ran towards them. It was the man who had torn the Monsters apart earlier, smiling and saying something, but he couldn’t understand what he was saying at all.
The man with the Longsword at his waist also ran over.
The two of them were talking about something, but he still couldn’t understand what they were saying.
The remaining two men also came over. Scratching his head, a blond man who looked to be in his thirties opened his mouth.
“Hey, there’s no point in talking to them in Japanese. Use the Earbud Translator.”
“Oh! You’re German after all, I’m relieved to see someone I can talk to.”
As the old man breathed a sigh of relief, the blond man smiled and said, “Ah, sorry.”
“We came from Berlin. We were having trouble because there were no people, but I’m glad we finally met you.”
“So, you’re from Berlin… are you guys Seekers from Schutzengel? You looked pretty skilled.”
When the old man asked with anticipation, the blond man made a puzzled face.
“Schutzengel? That’s long gone, they were all wiped out.”
“What!? All wiped out?”
The old man was speechless. The meaning of his staying in this city was collapsing with such shocking information.
“Hey, why don’t we go inside the building for now? We might get attacked by Monsters again here.”
“Ah, yes… that’s right. This way, then.”
The old man led the four men towards his warehouse. Then, a little ahead, the young man was standing there, looking dazed. He must have been frightened by the Fish-men.
‘He’s still useless,’ the old man glared and headed towards the warehouse.
◇◇◇
Inside the dimly lit warehouse, Yuma looked around.
In the center of the warehouse was a large cart, and something was placed on it. However, it was covered with cloth, so he couldn’t tell what it was.
Various tools were placed around it. At first glance, it looked like a factory.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Felix, and this is Werner. We’re both German. And these two are Japanese. Amasawa and Mitaka.”
Introduced by Felix, Yuma and Rui, Werner greeted the old man and the young man behind him.
The two were a little bewildered, but they complied with the request and began to speak after putting on the Earbud Translators.
“I’m Jacob, and this is Finn. I used to work as a fisherman… well, that doesn’t matter! You guys said earlier that Schutzengel was wiped out! Is that true!?”
Jacob pressed Felix with a stern face.
“A, ah, it’s true. Or rather, most of the German Seekers have been annihilated, haven’t they? Well, I can’t say for sure.”
“Then, what are those guys!? The ones who defeated the Fish-men earlier used magical power! Aren’t they Seekers?”
Felix flinched as his face was pulled closer.
“T, that’s why I’m telling you. These guys are Japanese… Seekers who came from Japan!”
“From Japan? What did they come to do from Japan!?”
“They said they want to go to England. To fight Monsters!”
“England…”
Jacob turned around abruptly and looked at Yuma and Rui.
“You guys, are you really going to England… to fight the Blue King!?”
Asked, Yuma nodded.
“Yes, and I was looking for a ship to get to England, but there wasn’t one at the port. Jacob-san, do you know where there is a ship?”
Hearing Yuma’s words, Jacob crossed his arms and pondered something. After a while, he raised his face and looked straight into Yuma’s eyes.
“If that story is true, I’ll provide you with a ship.”
“Eh!? Really?”
Ignoring the surprised Yuma, Jacob walked to the cart placed in the center of the warehouse.
“This is something I was going to use if the Schutzengel Seekers came. But if they’re gone, there’s no helping it.”
Jacob put his hand on the cloth and pulled it down with all his might. White dust scattered, and when the cloth fell to the ground with a rustle, what appeared was a small fishing boat.