Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 8.2: Arrow Shot From Pitch-Black Darkness I - Part 2

Translator : Solo

Following the words of my senior adventurer, I went looking for the archery teacher, but I had gotten lost.

I was told that the teacher would be loitering near the waterworks on the periphery of the city in the afternoon, but that was quite a large area to search.

『Shall I guide you from above?』

「No, I’ll search on foot for a while more」

『Understood』

Since the affair with the hooligan adventurers, I had stopped relying on Makina for everything. Makina was trustworthy, but I had enough of being dependent on her and not being able to do anything myself. I would do all I could with my brains and this body. I would only rely on her when there was an emergency.

Fluttering in the wind, a large amount of white sheets were being dried beside a river near the city walls.

A memory of the rooftop of a hospital flashed across my mind.

It was from the time my grandfather died.

At that time, I had cried because I was anxious about the future. Thinking back about it now, that was laughable. If they wanted to live, humans could live anywhere. In truth, as long as you were moving your arms and legs, you would have no time to worry about such anxiety. Moreover, people paid no heed to the feelings of others. What was important, was to eat and earn. But, I didn’t think that the way I lived was dirty.

I wanted a reason to die.

Forgetting time and family, a reason to bet my life on. The instant of flashbacks, the moment of death.

I hadn\'t found anything to be desperate about in my life so far. Thus, I had merely been alive. And I probably won\'t find something like that from now on either. Even in this world, where honor and fame became someone’s strength, I believe that this won’t change. No, can’t change, huh? I wondered what it was that I wanted to do.

「Hey! The Nii-san over there!」

「Huh?」

I was surprised so I replied with a dumbfounded expression.

There were about six middle-aged women doing laundry. One of them beckoned to me. I went over.

「Huh, is that a corpse?」

「You grab the feet. It\'s impossible for us because it’s too heavy」

The back of a hairy person was floating on the surface of the water. It was probably a beast-man, but this was the first time I had seen a race with such thick fur. Well, the corpse was polluting the water, so I, in concert with the middle-aged women, dragged the beast-man onto the road. He was really heavy and big. He was about two and a half meters tall, which made him even bigger than Orphe, whom I had met earlier.

The corpse was a man with a beast’s head.

He looked like a wolf. Sharp canine teeth peeked through his mouth.

I thought that I had already seen all sorts of beast-men since coming to this alternate world, but someone with such a high proportion of beast was a first. Only memories of beast-women stayed in my head, but the parts that were from beasts were usually just the nose, ears, tail, and 10% to 20% of their skin. He had so much animal hair that it covered his limbs and head. This was the first time that I had seen someone who was practically a beast that walked on two legs.

「Barfuru-sama, Barfuru-sama! You\'re sleeping in a place like this again! Please stop it because your hair gets all over the laundry!」

The middle-aged woman said, as she shook the beast’s head.

Huh, he\'s alive?

The beast-headed man opened his eyes after about five full-forced, resounding slaps.

「Urgg, I slept well」

He raised his upper body a little bit and shook his body like a dog, spraying a huge amount of water off his fur.

「Barfuru-sama, if you’re going to sleep, please at least sleep on the ground」

「Umm, forgive me」

「Is this person a god from somewhere?」

At my question, the middle-aged women looked at me with pity in their eyes.

「Ohoho. You don\'t know the hero of the north, Barfuru Heijin, the Lycan?! Alright, let\'s have a long talk over a cheap drink. As luck would have it, there happens to be a store nearby where I left my belongings at. Come!」

「Huh?」

He grabbed and dragged me by one arm before I had the chance to escape, and took me to a nearby open cafe-like store. Well, calling it an open cafe was just me subjectively beautifying it. In actuality, it was just a roofless space with desks and tables.

A shack in the back seemed to be the cooking space. Was it okay to call this a store? I wondered if it had gotten a permit. Was there even a permit system in the first place?

「Heyー, Tyutyu! Liquor! And a side of liquor!」

What kind of order was that? It was like ordering rice with a side of rice.

Then, I was forced to take a seat.

「Barfuru-sama, bringing out drinks is all very well and good, but you\'re behind on your tab-nya」

A cat beast-woman emerged from the shack. She wore an apron over clothes that looked like lingerie. She had lithe limbs like a cat, and long wavy blonde hair. And cat ears! A thick and fluffy tail! YES! I had a feeling of déjà vu though. But she was a beast-woman, and it was difficult for me to differentiate between individuals as we were from different races.

「This Nii-san will pay for it」

「That’s what I thought」

「Ah! You’re that generous greenhorn adventurer from yesterday-nya!」

「Yesterday…… Oh!」

She was the waitress at the Guild’s bar. My body heated up as I remembered being kissed on my cheek.

「What-nya? Did you come all the way to this store to look for me-nya?」

She moved her body sinuously and had an expression that was not altogether displeased. Incidentally, I was also not altogether displeased. But I didn’t let it show on my face.

「After I pulled this person out of the river over there, for some reason, I ended up having to treat him drinks」

「Tough luck-nya. Just resign yourself-nya」

「Seriouslyー?」

Tyutyu disappeared into the shack and returned holding liquor bottles. Three bottles of liquor and two wooden cups were placed on the table.

「By the way, you have to pay up front-nya. Nine copper coins-nya. Barfuru-sama is the only one who gets to put it on the tab-nya」

I didn’t want to cause trouble for the tired-looking pretty beast-woman, so I paid the bill. Thinking about today’s expenditures, my head was starting to hurt. I wondered how much I would get charged for the archery lessons.

「Err, Tyutyu. Despite you saying that I can put it on the tab, didn’t you seize my weapons and armor?」

「Such unwieldy, antiquated weapons and armor! I had a merchant appraise them but he didn’t offer me a price for them-nya! It was a waste of the appraisal fee-nya!」

There was a loud crash as Tyutyu kicked a large sack near her feet.

「Gahahaha! Those dishonest merchants that you can find anywhere won’t know the true value of these weapons and armor. Besides, ordinary humans won’t be able to handle them. Lycan weapons and armor are――――」

「Then, they’re just trash-nya. I’ll throw them away because they’re in the way-nya」

She gave the sack another kick. Old-looking swords, spears, axes, bows and shields spilled out.

「Can you stop? I’ll definitely pay for the liquor after the next exploration, okay? Okay? Please don’t kick the keepsakes from my friends」

His pitifulness made me think of my god.

「Or rather, your appearance looks weird, I\'ve never seen this fabric before」

The topic was shifted to me. He was touching the poncho unreservedly.

「If I’m not mistaken, this person is a foreigner-nya」

The two of them sniffed me. I was at a huge loss on how I should react.

「I see, I see. So that’s why he only gave me a blank look despite seeing my gallant figure. Then, as promised, I’ll tell you about the legend of us Lycans」

The beast-headed man took a bottle of liquor and drank it in one gulp.

Along with the cheap liquor, he began to tell the legend of the moon and the wolves.

Farther north from here, at the very edge of the right continent.

There once stood a prosperous capital called Neomia.

It had fertile land and a moderate climate. The capital, protected by mountains and cliffs, had not been attacked by foreign enemies for a long time. In addition, the wisdom of the reigning king was known far and wide, and it was a capital that had truly reached the absolute peak of prosperity.

But, in the words of Rob, the Great Flame Magician: There is no flame that doesn’t go out.

The beginning of the end for Neomia started with the spring snow.

One year, two years and still, winter did not end. Snow and ice quietly killed the people. Spring of the fifth year came, but the snow still hadn’t stopped. Starving, and resented by his people, the wisdom of the king showed signs of decline.

Taking the advice of the nobles, he called on a sealed god of an evil cult.

It was a god that had been robbed of its name after losing to the King of Beasts. It was a god worshipped by vampires.

The king received its divine blessing.

His people were freezing and starving.

In the name of salvation, the king ate one after another. Those that “remained” after being eaten, went on to eat the others too. In one night, all life disappeared from the capital.

The ravenous king of vampires. The nobles of ice who were his kin. The capital of death, Neomia.

The country’s capital had fallen.

But there were still those who had made their homes in the mountains. Bound by an ancient covenant, they were warriors who had sworn to protect Neomia to the very end, the Endguard.

Those warriors fought for the sake of Neomia.

The capital had fallen. The former king was no more. The proud nobles were no more. The people were no more. But the warriors fought. For the sake of Neomia, for the sake of Neomia\'s honor. To keep the wretched blood-sucking beasts inside their prison, the capital of death.

They fought bravely, but over and over again, they lost.

Those who were sullied by that foul blood tarnished their very honor. Those warriors even laid their hands on their friends and family.

Winter of the eighth year. A night where two of the moons were full.

The time for the warriors’ death had come.

A horde of vampires had surged all the way to their last fort. Only nine warriors were left. Merely nine people. But they were battle-hardened veterans. Facing their certain death, they laughed. It was the pride of a warrior to laugh in the face of death.

In front of them, a person who called herself the goddess of the moon appeared.

Her appearance was beautiful, but was also said to be dark, like the shadow of the moon.

The goddess praised the warriors.

「I dare say that all of you are braver than any hero in the world right now. But tonight, you will all die. Not a one of you will see the sun again. Now that the moment of your deaths is close at hand, is there anything all of you wish for?」

At that out-of-place question, the warriors laughed, forgetting that she was a god.

A grizzled warrior said,

「We will fight to the very end, and then die. That’s the gratification promised to us by god. What more could we wish for?」

The goddess asked again.

「Is there really nothing? Don’t you wish for anything other than fighting?」

Reticently,

A young warrior said,

「I want to eradicate all of them」

It was a foolish wish that went against Endguard\'s pride. Endguard only fought to protect. If the enemy fled, they would not pursue. They would drink and laugh at the cowards who were afraid for their lives. Generations had fought like that.

If they were the true Endguard, that was a wish that they would probably have laughed at. It was drivel that would get the person beaten up by their elders.

But no one laughed.

The way their ancestors had stuck to only protecting, and had died for their own honor, had earned them nothing. It was honorable, but it was meaningless. If they let the vampires escape the capital, the damage would sweep across the whole continent. They would be like rats that carried the plague. If the vampires spread, the name of the prosperous capital of Neomia would fall into infamy. No one would see the splendor it once had. It would be engraved in history as the capital of ice and death.

Many warriors had died to prevent that.

They had all died while laughing.

But, was all of that also going to end without any meaning tonight?

「That’s what all of you wish for, correct?」

All of them answered the goddess’ question with silence.

「Dying warriors. Guardians of the end. With that wish, honor will fall from your swords, the blood of humans will end, and you will probably be possessed by a nightmare from which you will never awaken. And yet, if you still wish for it, answer me with silence」

The warriors answered with silence.

「I am the wicked goddess of the moon. The one who grants you taboo blood. With this blessing of the invoked evil, defeat the blessing of the coming evil, and eradicate it」

Something extraordinary happened to the warriors.

Their limbs were covered with even thicker animal hair, their mouths tore open, their teeth sharpened, and their pupils widened greatly in the moonlight. Claws as sharp as weapons, flesh harder than steel, voicesー

「Come on, you beasts. Let’s start the hunt」

The long-lasting aftereffects resounded in Neomia, the capital of death.

The night of the blood-smeared Lycans began.

※

※

「Well, after that, we completely eradicated the vampires and protected the peace of the right continent. How was it? Amazing, isn’t it? It’s worth one cup of liquor, isn’t it?」

No, let alone one cup, you’ve already finished off five bottles of liquor.

「Well～, just take that story with a grain of salt-nya」

Tyutyu was relaxing with her chin resting on the head of the werewolf, who was in high spirits.

「No, it\'s all facts though. I didn’t lie, you know?」

「I’ll admit that Barfuru-sama is a good adventurer-nya. Apart from the fact that he’s bad at earning money」

「Ohh, you’re an adventurer?」

So he was my senior. I should show him respect, after a fashion.

「That’s right, but I\'m suspended at the moment!」

There were things like suspensions for the dungeon?

「An ignorant adventurer mistook me for a monster and attacked me. He was too persistent so I beat him up lightly, and well, he suffered light injuries that left him unconscious for 10 days. Then I got a good scolding from the Guild President. I also got yelled at by Lemuria. I almost cried because it was the first time in 50 years that someone had gotten so angry at me」

The werewolf was being patted on the head in a consoling manner by Tyutyu.

There was no trace of the dignity from having protected this continent.

「So, um, Barfuru-sama? There were nine of you, right? The Lycans. Are the others adventurers here too?」

「No, they’re dead. Half of them died in the battle with the king of vampires, and the remaining half were killed by my own hand」

「Huh」

The story had turned bloody all of a sudden. No, the story had felt like that from the very beginning.

「We’re cursed, after all. They went crazy and abandoned reason. It’s sad, but our warrior\'s pride died that night. They were driven crazy by seeing all the blood they spilled but couldn\'t drink. In other words, they had become the same as vampires」

The sixth bottle was emptied, and Barfuru-sama gave me some welcome advice.

「Adventurer from foreign lands, let me teach you a lesson. The works of the gods of this world are always full of irony. Don\'t rely on them too easily. That\'s if you don\'t want to end up like us」

「That\'s true. I suppose I don\'t want to become a drunkard who has to sponge off greenhorn adventurers」

「You’re pretty blunt」

I paid Tyutyu for the seventh bottle of liquor and stood up.

「Well, but it\'s okay since I got to hear a pretty interesting story」

It was doubtful whether it was worth 21 copper coins though.

「Actually, what are you doing in this area? The stores around here are lousy and there aren\'t any lodgings either. If it’s women that you’re looking for, for Hemus, it’s better if you go near the main gate」

「Did you just say this store is lousy-nya?」

「Guaa!」

Barfuru-sama was strangled from behind by Tyutyu. It was enviable that they got along so well.

That\'s right. I had forgotten about it.

「I had heard that there\'s a master of the bow around here and I was looking for that person」

「Oh, I know that person」

Barfuru-sama shook his bottle of liquor. Judging from the sound, it was only about half full.

In total, I had paid 24 copper coins. I did learn the whereabouts of the master of the bow though.

「Come again-nya!」

「Treat me again!」

I waved goodbye to them. Somehow, it felt strange.

I proceeded further, following the river, and went into a dark alley. I kept going deeper and deeper into the less popular and quiet places. It was a little bit similar to the dungeon. It was narrow, complicated, wet and dark.

Makina would probably warn me if there was any danger so I continued on while keeping a loose eye out.

A beast-man child looked at me, then disappeared into the alley. There was a woman practicing magic. In the corners of the lights she cast, I saw subtle and profound shadows. And then, I saw the small bridge that was my destination.

Was it something that had been left behind by development? It was a bridge with a strange presence. Its age was different from the other buildings. It looked small but sturdy.

I had heard that the person I was looking for would be under it.

That person’s looks stood out prominently. I was able to find who I was looking for right away. Like sisters from a fairy tale, they were sitting nestled against each other. I felt that they were a little bit dirtier than when I last saw them. But there was no way that a trifling thing like that would tarnish their beauty.

「Excuse me」

I went down on one knee a short distance from them. I put my left hand on my right shoulder and my right hand on the ground.

The older sister looked at my face with a yawn. It seems like she had been sleeping.

She was a pretty woman. She had long blonde hair, was small-sized for an elf, and had ears that felt like they were drooping just a little. Her voluptuous body didn’t fit with her loveliness. She was carrying a big staff.

「You saved me that night. It’s thanks to you that I didn’t end up losing my arm」

The younger sister woke up with a start, and drew her bow with ridiculous speed.

I didn’t see her fit the arrow to the string at all. This one was so beautiful as to be terrifying. That tall and lean figure, that blonde hair. Her appearance practically screamed that she was an elf. For some reason, she was thinly dressed in the very revealing clothing that the beast-women wore. The hand protector on her right arm caught my eye. It was made of thin metal and had an elaborate gold pattern.

「Oh! The dying Hemu from that time」

「Please cut it out, Ea」

The younger sister lowered her bow after being berated by the older sister.

Coincidentally, they were the elven sisters who had helped me in the past. While listening to their characteristics, that possibility had crossed my mind, but I was surprised that it was really them.

「You had given too big a reward for simply giving directions. I thought I would give it back, so I followed you, then was asked by the military policeman to heal you」

「You better be grateful, okay?」

「I am grateful」

「Perfect timing. When I thought it over after that, even after subtracting the amount for giving directions and the healing, that amount of money is still too much. I\'ve used some of it, but I\'ll give you back the rest」

「Ehhhhー!」

The younger sister let out an agonized scream. The older sister opened her purse and I inadvertently peeked inside.

「No, about the money, it’s fine. It’s a belief in my country that misfortune will befall those who give back what they had received」

There would probably be a belief like that if I searched the entirety of Japan.

「Is that so? ………Then it can’t be helped, I guess」

I felt relieved that she was convinced. As a man, my heart would ache if I took the meager contents of a woman\'s purse.

「I\'m Souya from Japan. An adventurer from foreign lands. I would like to thank you again, dear elf lady. Oh, it\'s fine if you stay as you are. I\'ve interrupted your rest. No need to go to any trouble for me」

I stopped the elf who was about to stand up.

It was my personal opinion, but I felt something noble from this person. Her grace was worthy of courtesy.

「Thank you for being considerate. I\'m Rauaryuna Raua Heures. I\'m an adventurer just like you. She is my sister, Ea. Now, please greet him」

「Why must I greet a Hemu?」

「I\'m going to get angry」

「Ea Raua Heures. Hmpt, if you call me familiarly, I\'ll shoot an arrow between your eyebrows」

After the brief self-introductions were done, I was ready to get down to business.

「I’m looking for an archery master to teach me the bow. I heard rumors of you from a senior adventurer. If you have some time to spare, could you please consider it? Of course, I’ll pay you for it」

「NO WAY. I\'ll never teach a Hemu the bow. On top of that, you’re carrying an elven bow. That\'s a bow that was robbed from us, am I right? Holding a bow that was stripped from a corpse, you mean to steal even our skills next?」

「Ea, cut it out」

「Onee-chan! But, this guy!」

The heated Ea stood up, then unexpectedly collapsed.

「Ea?!」

In an instant, I caught her in my arms. She was unconscious and the interval between her breaths was short. Her face was pale and sweat glistened her brow.

「Blargh」

She vomited onto my poncho. It smelt sour. Ea was coughing violently. But she had not yet regained consciousness. That was problematic.

「Oh, um, I\'m sorry」

To the flustered Rauaryuna,

「It’s alright. I have experience with this, so please leave this to me」

I laid Ea down and secured her airway with my finger. I let her vomit everything she could until she settled down. I used the hand that was clean to rub her back.

Before long, her breathing calmed down. I gently washed her mouth using the water in my water bottle. I didn’t think there were any more foreign objects.

My old superior had saved a Russian. This was the first time that the method of how to deal with a person who vomited while passed out had come in useful.

But I didn’t smell alcohol. Was it a chronic illness? No, could it be?

「Makina, what’s the risk that it’s an infectious disease?」

『I cannot completely rule that out. Please perform tests on the vomit and blood as soon as possible』

Ea’s symptoms had subsided, but she didn’t regain consciousness.

「I\'m sorry. Perhaps your sister isー」

「It’s not a disease. It’s caused by an injury. Though we were chased out because the people of the inn misunderstood」

「Is that so?」

For the time being, I was relieved. After waiting for a while, there was no sign of Ea awakening. I reached my hands under her knees and her back and lifted her up. Unconscious people should be heavy, but she was light. Had she been eating properly?

「It\'s a bit far, but let\'s go to my camp. It’s better than a place like this where you’re exposed to the elements. You probably can’t trust me, so take this」

I handed my purse to Rauaryuna. It was a heavily filled bag of gold coins.

「That’s almost everything I own. If you judge that you can’t trust me, take that and run away」

「I cannot take this. As my sisters’ ransom, it’s much too cheap」

「I see, then I’ll entrust my life to you. Please take that in exchange for your trust, Ranauri, Rauaryu, Ranaju……………… Rauar yuna. Rauaryuna-san」

Did you see that, Izora?! I didn\'t give up!

「Rana is fine. Souya」

She smiled.

It was an ephemeral smile.

Ever since I came to this world, this was the fastest my heart had beat.