Chapter 64: Epilogue
“Ugh, it’s packed with onlookers, isn’t it?”
I grimaced at the sight that greeted me as I peeked out from the castle gate.
“Haha, after dropping such a flashy lightning strike and wrecking the castle, it’s no surprise there’s a commotion,” Rio chuckled.
“Yeah, that’s true. Even from outside the castle walls, the tallest spire was visible.”
If that were to disappear, it would certainly raise questions.
“If we just walk out like this, it’s going to turn into a big fuss,” I said.
“Right. Let’s find a less crowded spot to climb over the walls.”
With that decided, we sprang into action. The longer we waited, the more onlookers would gather, so it was best to make our escape quickly. It was frustrating to think that after finally gaining our freedom, we still had to sneak around, but there was no one to complain to.
“Is this spot good enough?” I asked.
“Do you think we’ll be spotted from far away?” Rio replied, glancing around.
“Who knows? Maybe we should try some camouflage?”
“How would we do that?”
“Hmm, how about projecting the scenery behind us to the front?”
“Can we really do that?”
I pondered, trying to come up with a solution as Rio looked at me skeptically. Maybe something like setting up a camera behind us and creating a monitor in front?
“Oh, I might be able to connect the space behind us to the front using Spatial Magic.”
“What’s that…?”
“Just watch, I’ll give it a try.”
Imagining a video camera on my back with a monitor displaying the view in front… This should turn into a light attribute spell.
“Oh, amazing! I can’t see you, Shuu, but I can see the scenery behind us… though the transition looks really unnatural.”
“Did it work? But now I can’t see in front of me…”
“From a distance, they might not notice.”
Before trying to connect the spaces, it felt like we had made a decent setup.
“Alright, let’s go with this. We need to escape quickly.”
With a strong focus on concealing our presence, I lifted off the ground, projecting the sky’s scenery beneath us as we prepared to soar over the castle walls.
“Oh, wow! If it’s the sky, even if it’s a bit distorted, it might be hard to notice.”
As I floated in the air, Rio looked up at me and soon joined me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I gently pressed my lips against hers before we soared over the walls together.
“I’d like a map of the surrounding area. Do you have one?” I asked as we passed through the Noble District and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild to consider our next destination.
“It’s 100 Fron per map,” the receptionist at the counter replied, her tone as businesslike as ever. The map she showed me was quite rough, only indicating general directions and terrain.
“Can I ask about the situation in the neighboring countries?”
“Of course, that’s fine,” she said.
As I handed over the money, the receptionist willingly shared various details.
“To the north, as we know, lies the Demon Tribe’s country, Bergstein. The Forest of Enchantment stretches from the northeast to the east, while to the south is the Commercial Nation Aresgute, and to the southwest is the Grosenhang Empire. There’s also the Kingdom of Berkmund to the west, but it’s unstable, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Which way is the closest to the sea?” I inquired.
“The sea? I think heading straight south would be the quickest route.”
“According to the map, it would be the sea just past Aresgute and into the Grosenhang Empire’s territory.”
“Yes, there’s a port town famous for its seafood as well.”
“What!?”
The receptionist’s words echoed in my mind, coinciding with Rio’s excited shout.
“Then south it is!”
“Yeah!”
Rio immediately agreed with my decision. The receptionist looked a bit exasperated, but I didn’t mind. Regardless, our destination was set. After chatting with her for a while longer, we left the guild to head back to our inn.
“I have something I want to ask,” a gruff voice called out as we exited the guild.
“What is it?” I replied, stopping and turning around.
A man with a scarred face and a menacing demeanor stood before me, flanked by two similarly intimidating figures.
“I heard there’s an E-rank adventurer who can use the Dimensional Box magic. Could that be you?”
“That’s us,” I answered, feeling rather cheerful.
Upon hearing my response, the man’s lips curled into a sly grin.
“Seriously? That’s perfect! You see, I’ve caught a big game, but I can’t carry it. I was hoping you could help me transport it to the guild. Of course, it won’t be for free—”
“Ah, sorry, but we’re busy, so we’ll have to decline,” I interrupted.
“Huh?”
I wanted to leave this country as soon as possible, so why should I help them? Without hesitation, I cut him off.
“Hey, hey, we’re offering to help you E-ranks who can’t make any money. Just a little cooperation would be nice.”
“We’ll get a reward, and you’ll get some pocket money. It’s a win-win, right?”
The two men behind him tried to intimidate us, but it was just annoying.
“Exactly. If you don’t want to get hurt, you should use the Dimensional Box for us.”
Frustrated by our refusal, their true intentions began to slip out.
“Hurt? Like what?”
“Ha… You really don’t get it, do you? —This is what I mean!”
With a swift motion, the man swung his fist at me, but I dodged and grabbed his arm, throwing him to the ground with a judo-like maneuver.
“Guh!”
I then slammed my magically enhanced fist into the ground beside his face, creating a large crater that turned his complexion pale.
“Eek!”
Dragging the fallen man along, the other two screamed and fled.
“What the hell…?”
My good mood was completely ruined.
“Do you think the coast is clear now?”
“I hope so.”
“Haha, anyway, let’s head back to the inn and rest for today.”
“Yeah. I’d rather leave tonight than wait until tomorrow.”
“Let’s do that, so we don’t get stopped at the city gates.”
And so, we departed from the Arclight Kingdom, a place filled with our past entanglements.
End of Part One
This concludes Part One. Thank you for reading. If you found it interesting or are curious about what happens next, I would be delighted. Following the work and giving it a star would be a great encouragement.