Chapter 19: The One Who Rules the Kin of Twilight – 06
From the Imperial Capital of Pleione to the capital of Falcrum Territory, it takes about ten days by carriage.
However, since we also engage in marathons along the way, we can reach our destination in less than half that time. Adventurers are truly beings that defy common sense.
By the way, with her long-distance running skill, Swift Runner, Mariane could potentially cover the distance in just two days by running non-stop. It seems there are adventurers who specialize in such feats, acting like couriers.
We encountered a Polar Drake at the castle gate, and since it was also heading to Falcrum Territory, we decided to travel together.
The first three days passed without incident. Jaze and the others had witnessed the Soul’s Guidance style of camping once, and as a result, their camping gear was quite impressive. I was surprised to find they even had a bath, but according to Jaze, “The pressure from the two women is just too much…”
On the fourth day, summer had already passed, and early autumn was upon us. Being in the northern part of the continent, the temperature was considerably low, making me want to huddle into my collar. Even with Cold Resistance, feeling the seasonal chill seemed to have its own merits.
The road stretched almost straight north, flanked by several cultivated fields. To the east and west, forests and mountain ranges were visible, with rivers and lakes appearing from time to time. Although I was already accustomed to the scenery, compared to Japan in my previous life, the grandeur unique to this continent and the scarcity of man-made structures were striking. I wondered if, in a thousand or two thousand years, this world would develop scientific technologies akin to Earth.
Lost in such thoughts, a scream-like sound reached my ears.
It came from further down the road. Looking ahead, I saw a group of merchant carriages that appeared to be under attack by a pack of black beasts. It seemed that about ten adventurers were fighting, but I couldn’t discern the situation’s advantage or disadvantage.
Sfenia, who had been observing intently, furrowed her brows tightly.
“Those are the Twilight Hounds. There must be Kin of Twilight nearby.”
“That’s a problem. They might need support. Let’s run!”
As I confirmed with Freinir while running, she too sensed the presence of the Kin of Twilight nearby. However, they didn’t seem to have appeared at the scene yet.
As we got closer, I realized there were more Twilight Hounds than I had anticipated. About ten had already been defeated, but roughly twenty more were surrounding the merchants and adventurers from a distance.
While I was watching, one of the Twilight Hounds unleashed a fireball, and several shots that the adventurers couldn’t handle struck a carriage, igniting it. Cries of despair rose from the merchants.
“This is bad. We need to provide support.”
I shouted to the adventurers, “We’re here to help!” and simultaneously activated my Provoke skill.
About ten of the Twilight Hounds that were closest turned their heads toward us. Of course, before they could reach us, Sfenia’s arrows and the magic from Freinir and Shizuna would wipe them out.
It seemed the merchant’s guards had also taken down the remaining Twilight Hounds. However, the adventurers remained on high alert, knowing that the Kin of Twilight were nearby.
As we approached, a middle-aged man, likely the leader of the guards, looked at us with a surprised expression.
“Could it be… Soul’s Guidance? And even the Polar Drake! No, this is a stroke of luck. The Kin of Twilight are certainly beyond our capabilities, and I was wondering what to do.”
From the looks of it, everyone seemed to be B-Rank to C-Rank. While they were more than sufficient as guards, facing the Kin of Twilight would still be a daunting task.
“Shall we handle the Kin of Twilight ourselves?”
“Of course. In fact, I would appreciate it.”
It was a relief to have a leader who was quick to agree. Well, our fame and the nature of the opponent likely played a role in that.
“Soushi-sama, they’re approaching. There are many… four… no, five of them…?”
At Freinir’s words, tension rippled through the guards and the members of the Polar Drake. Meanwhile, the members of Soul’s Guidance remained calm, perhaps because we had already faced three of them before.
The presence seemed to be coming from above. From a distance, they resembled the winged humanoid Kin of Twilight I had fought when I encountered Geshura.
The five Kin of Twilight landed about twenty meters ahead and let out a guttural sound, “Gegge.”
Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be a different species from the dragon man named Argi I had fought before. They stood over two meters tall, with a single horn protruding from their lizard-like heads, their bodies covered in slick scales like a lizard, complete with tails. Their arms were unusually long, while their legs were short. They wielded ominously shaped tridents in both hands.
Among the five lizardmen, one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.
“You cannot pass here. If you turn back, we will let you go. If you advance, you will die.”
Surprisingly, the Kin of Twilight made a rather lenient proposal. This was the first time I had seen a type other than Geshura.
“Are you saying you came here to seal this place off?”
“By the orders of Rendurm. In time, this land will belong to Rendurm. If you value your lives, you will comply.”
“You won’t attack indiscriminately?”
“We are not. We do not know about others.”
In their eyes, I sensed intelligence and reason. This was a rather troublesome opponent.
If we could communicate, it wouldn’t be right to eliminate them indiscriminately. No, if they were Kin of Twilight that could communicate, they might even be an important race for us.
As I pondered, Geshura approached and stood beside me.
“You are Migitima, aren’t you? The fact that you have allied with Rendurm means that the unification of the Garden of Twilight is nearly complete.”
The lizardman called Migitima widened his eyes upon recognizing Geshura.
“You are Geshura!? I had heard you were defeated by Argi.”
“As you can see, Argi was repelled. It was those here who did it.”
“What? A human defeated Argi?”
“He was no match for us. The ones standing before you are such humans.”
“I can’t believe it. Argi is one of Rendurm’s close aides. A human could easily defeat him…”
“My presence here is proof enough. There is no room for doubt.”
As Geshura delivered her decisive words, Migitima stammered, “Guh…”
“You said you would not ally with Rendurm until the end. Why the change of heart?”
“…We cannot win against strength. Rendurm is powerful. To ensure the survival of our tribe, we must comply.”
“Is that truly the reason? However, your arrival here and the beginning of interference with supply transport means that your landing on this continent is imminent, isn’t it?”
“We plan to land in twenty days from now.”
Migitima answered nonchalantly, but this was extremely important information.
Not only the members of Soul’s Guidance but also the Polar Drake and the adventurers guarding them swallowed hard.
But why did Migitima casually divulge such military secrets? Perhaps to them, it wasn’t a secret at all. They might think there was no need to hide anything since they could overwhelm us by force.
“Geshura, we will return to the Garden of Twilight and pledge allegiance to Rendurm from now on. If we do so, we will be forgiven. Rendurm regrets not being able to take you as his mate until now.”
“I refuse. I have no intention of bearing the child of such a barbaric being. What I desire is someone strong and intelligent. That person has already been found.”
At those words, Migitima glanced at me.
Behind us, Larni and the others seemed to be reacting as well…
“That human is stronger than Rendurm?”
“You won’t know until you fight, but at the very least, I do not believe I will lose. I make this judgment myself.”
“…”
Once Geshura finished her statement, Migitima said, “Wait a moment,” and began discussing something with his companions behind him.
After about five minutes, he turned back toward us.
“Wise one Geshura. While I want to believe your words, I still wish to confirm the strength of that human with my own eyes.”
“Shall we fight?”
“We have no other choice. Is that acceptable?”
The latter part was a confirmation directed at me.
It was an unexpected proposal, but it seemed there was no option to decline.
“I have no objections. Will you be the one to fight?”
“Yes.”
“Then let us begin at once.”
With Migitima by my side, our companions began to step back. I raised a hand in response to Freinir, who whispered, “Be careful,” and took a step forward.