Chapter 9: A Really Big Bat

Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/10/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

About two hours out of the forest, we reach a small village.
Myura Village, they say.
A few houses dotted about, and otherwise lots of fields in rows.
A very peaceful village.

Seeing chickens and pigs in a fenced enclosure reminds me of my town.
The same quiet life as there. Normally children would be running around everywhere.
But the air isn’t very calm right now.
Everyone in the village is on edge.

…Well. If monsters have settled near the village, in the worst case you might have to abandon it.
You can’t spend your days as usual in that state.

The two who guided me look uneasy too, and watching them I can’t settle either.

“Hnn. Anyway, for now. I came to visit your house to play, and from here we get separated. Wait at home with your mother.”
“…Haa? No, wait. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Yeah. Well. It wouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense to me while I’m saying it.
But I can’t think of a good excuse. Can’t be helped.

“It’s fine, I’ll be right back.”
“…I don’t really get it, but don’t do anything dangerous. I want to introduce you to Mama too.”
“Nn, I’ll do what I can.”

I wave and part from the two, who look even more uneasy than before.

Now then. I was on my way to visit the house of two people I’d happened to meet, and I carelessly got separated.
What now. It’s an unfamiliar place.
For now, I have to look, right?
And that completes the excuse.

“Ring, search.”
“—Acknowledged: searching… hit. A pack at the rocks on the edge of the village.”

I didn’t say of what.
I wasn’t asked of what.
But this one gave me the right answer anyway.
Yeah. I thought so. That’s you.

“…Good kid. Guidance, please!”
“—Guidance: please proceed straight down this road.”

Less than ten minutes outside the village, I reach the destination.
An old quarry, maybe. Places that are corners, places that are hollowed.
In one of those hollows, quite high up, a pack of huge bats.

Uwah. That’s a fair number. About twenty?
Tiny bats are still cute, but… that size is a bit scary.
They’re bigger than me.
Ugh. Is this actually all right.
…Anyway, I have to get ready before they notice.

I reach to my hip and take my stance with the handguns.

“Ring, I’m counting on you.”
“—Sakura-Drive Ready.”

“Ignition”

Pale crimson surges. Fear drains away.
My head. My heart. My body.
Accelerate.

“All right. Shall we dance?”

I leap. Use a rock as a step, leap again.
My mana rounds have a short range. A meter or so at best.
To shoot down enemies in the air, I have to close.
I stamp on one at a convenient height and leap further.
Rocks as footholds, I leap. Higher than the nest hole, to the highest place.

After that, I only have to fall.

Anything in reach I smash with a gun butt; anything farther I put a round into.
I hit as I fall, use the recoil to cut my drop, shoot through what’s directly below, kick a corpse for altitude.
I smash sideways, spin, shoot through the other side, accelerate further.

I spin and spin. Vertical, horizontal, the world streams.
In that dancing vision, pale-crimson rounds pierce the enemy.
They don’t miss. I don’t miss. There’s no reason they would miss.
Right now, I can see all of it.

Shoot, hit, shoot, kick down, shoot.
Turn, turn, turn, round and round.

I kick the last one down, kill the drop, and land.
I glance around; I don’t seem to have missed any.

“—Recon: no matches in detection range.”
“Copy. Combat over.”

I return the handguns to their holsters. The pale crimson comes apart, and my awareness switches slowly back.

“Hey, Ring. Can you eat these?”
“—Unknown: no match in the database.”
“Ah… yeah. What do we do with this.”

I scratch my cheek in front of a mass of bat corpses.
Have the villagers collect them, I guess?

I have Ring search and try visiting the two’s house.
From the look of it, only the two of them. Are the parents out?
But wasn’t she hurt?

“Oh, you finally came.”
“Ouka, welcome.”
“Yahoo. Uh, where’s your mother?”
“She’s at the village doctor’s now. So, what were you doing? You all right?”

Ah, I see. Then that’s a relief.
Now then, shall I use the excuse I thought of.

“Yeah, um… I got lost, and over that way there were giant bats lying all over the place.”

The two of them freeze.

“…Haa!? You said you wouldn’t do anything dangerous!”
“Um, um… I’ll go get a grown-up!”

Raito is furious with me, and Riito runs out of the house.
Ah, yeah. Well. That would happen.
I’m a little sorry.

“I didn’t do anything dangerous. I just happened to be passing by.”

I look off into the middle distance and flutter both palms.

“…My head hurts. What even is this person.”

I glance over; Raito has his head in his hands, as advertised.
Yeah. Sorry, sort of.

“Look, here. As a friend of Raito and Riito, one favor.”
“A friend… hey, I think the adults had put a request in at the guild.”
“I went to visit a friend’s house, got separated, got lost, and happened to see giant bat corpses. That’s all.”
“…And I have to explain that to the adults? Nobody’s going to believe it.”

Well, I don’t think they’ll believe it.
Still, you know?

“So, look. Seriously, though… a request costs money, right? A village shouldn’t have much hard coin, and you’ve already taken damage, haven’t you?”
“…That’s, well. But still!”
“If. If this sits with you at all. Then next time, you be kind to someone, someday.”

If someone is in trouble, you help within what you can do.
The person who was helped helps someone the same way.
The world is made by repeating that, my mother said.

I know well enough that that’s pretty words.
But it’s the way of life of the person I looked up to.
I want to be like that as much as I can too.

“That’s all. This incident is over!”
“…You’re a weird person.”
“Ihihi. I get that a lot.”

I happen to look outside. The fields and houses are dyed a pretty orange.
The things I can do are small, but if someone smiles because of them, I think there’s meaning in trying.
I look out at the village, a little livelier, in a peaceful mood.

…Wait. Orange?

“Crap!! The city gate’s going to close!!”

I jump up in a hurry and put a hand on Raito’s head.

“Last thing. You did well, Raito. But let’s hold back on dangerous things, okay.”
“…Ou. But I don’t want to hear that from you.”
“Heh. That’s fair… Ring, will we make it?”
“—Guidance: if you run, you’ll just make it.”
“I’ll come play again! See you!”

I wave hard, and Raito waves back.
Beyond him I can see a lot of adults coming this way, but I don’t have time, so I dash at full speed.
You two, I’m leaving the explaining to you.

 

“…I made iiiiiit!!”

I somehow reach the capital before the gate closes and head for the Adventurer’s Guild, out of breath.
Ugh… I’m dying… when did I last run this much.

“My, welcome back. It took you quite a while.”
“A bit of a detour… uh, are these all right for the gathering-request herbs?”

I line the herbs from my bag on the counter.
Each is the amount requested, gathered properly.

“Yes, that’s fine. Your reward.”

One silver coin. The fruit of my first job.
Ordinary bread is about one copper. Think a hundred times that, and it’s not bad, or even quite a lot.

“Wait, isn’t this more than the listed reward?”
“It’s your first time. And you were working late. A little extra.”

Receptionist Liza smiles and winks.

“Liza, thank you!”

With this I can send letters to the church and to Asura, and stay at an inn.
…Ah. I didn’t take an inn.

“Liza, if you know a cheap inn, I might want you to tell me.”
“Ah… at this hour, the tavern out back might be about the only place with a room. They run an inn on the second floor; I think you should still be fine.”
“Ooh, thank you. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Yes, take care.”

I put the reward in the pouch at my breast, and as I leave the Adventurer’s Guild—

“Oi! The giant bats at Myura Village got subjugated!
Some passing adventurer did it alone, apparently!”
“What! Oi, that’s a request you’d take with several people, isn’t it!? What kind of person did it!?”
“That’s the thing… some girl nobody’s seen before, apparently.”

I walk off quickly with those words at my back.
Yikes. Doesn’t information come too fast?
Hmm… I already did something against the guild’s interest on day one.
Anyway, if anyone asks, I’ll play dumb. Yeah.
I didn’t do anything bad, so it should be fine… right?

The inn I was told about turned out to be a pretty good place, by the way.
The meat dish for dinner was delicious too, so I’m fully satisfied.
I have to eat this carefully and remember how it’s made.