Episode 200

The first plan went wrong.

The town’s location clearly matched the records. However, no human shadow can be found in the ruined village.

The premise of finding someone who knows the way is broken.

‘It hasn’t been that long.’

I calmly looked around.

Magic is volatile, but the higher the density of magic or the higher the level of magic, the longer the traces remain.

‘The soil is relatively intact, and there is no trace of being burned.’

The magic used seems to be wind magic of 6 stars or higher, and at this level, it has been about a week since this happened.

And another important point.

‘There is no body.’

There is not a single bloodstain to be seen as a raid on a normal village inhabited by people. Magic of this magnitude would be torn to shreds without a chance to deal with it. In other words, when the magic was cast, there were already no people in the village.

That was when I was looking around.

“Who is your uncle?”

An unexpectedly clear voice was heard.

When I turned my head, there was a girl with her face sticking out from behind a beautiful tree.

“What are you?”

“Did I ask you first?”

“… … .”

Look at this crazy guy.

But I was lucky to meet a person under these circumstances. It’s likely someone who lives nearby, so you can ask anything.

I took off my hoodie and smiled, wondering if I could use this proud face for the first time in a while.

“I am a traveling wizard… … .”

“Hee!”

“Oh, where are you going!”

As soon as she heard the word ‘wizard’, the girl turned around and ran away. I hurriedly ran after him.

“Aww! save me… … . sorry… … .”

“You can’t run very well.”

Caught up in 1 minute.

I tried to run away with my short legs in the forest, but I got caught on a tree root and lifted it upside down.

Of course, even if I hadn’t fallen, I would have been able to catch up quickly. If the road is like this, you can’t go by horse-drawn carriage.

“Listen to what people say. I had someone to meet in the village over there, but I was panicking because the village was gone.”

“That’s my village.”

“Your village?”

The guy who was grabbed by the back of the back was shedding tears like chicken droppings.

“I’ll tell you everything I know, so don’t take me… … . I have my dad and mom, a dog at home, and the man next door… … . I have a useless older brother… … .”

“okay?”

There seems to be some misunderstanding.

First of all, if it wasn’t Rongurt or Riden, mages were quite precious. In the countryside of Credia, most of them would have never seen a wizard since they were born.

“If you answer the questions obediently, I will save you.”

“I will try my best to answer… … .”

So rather than explaining that I’m not such a bad person, it seemed much simpler to exploit that misunderstanding now.

“You said that village was your village, right? Where have all the people who lived there gone?”

“We all moved a month ago.”

“Where?”

“If you keep going this way, you will come out. Originally, it was a different village, but it was merged by building a new house.”

“New build? A house big enough to move an entire village isn’t built that fast. Are you saying you were ready?”

“yes. About a month ago, the village chief told me that we had to move. They said the house was already ready in that village.”

“Did the villagers accept that?”

“They said monsters would attack from the sea. There’s a big fence in that village!”

“fence… … ?”

I thought dumbfounded.

If the monster was strong enough to block it with just a fence, why am I going through such a hard time?

Stranger than that, Credia is a country that is not threatened by sea monsters.

Monsters also have their own habitat.

The whirlwind archipelago at the southern end of Credia is home to a large number of flying monsters, and as the word whirlwind suggests, it is an area where ocean currents roar wildly all year round, so it is not an environment in which even the most powerful monsters can survive.

“Then why did the original village become that way?”

“I don’t know that either. Adults said it was because of a monster attack.”

“Assuming that the monster made it like that, shouldn’t a kid like you come here?”

“So that’s a lie! It’s strange when you think about it, isn’t it? If the monsters made the village like that, they would have to invade the nearby village too, but I’ve never seen a monster!”

And the girl concluded with a strong nod of her head.

“An evil wizard must have made the town that way!”

“Five.”

Surprisingly, the answer is correct.

So, the ‘village adults’ told a sloppy lie that could easily be concluded with such a blunt insight.

They probably know the real cause.

“But anyway, isn’t it dangerous to come this way? Did you meet an evil wizard like me?”

“I’m just curious… … . I-I can’t go home… … .”

“You know where the village is, right? take the lead.”

“Me, me, you want to destroy our village too? Then I can’t guide you, maybe… … ?”

“Anyway, even if I find it without you, it’s pretty soon. How can I punish you with very evil magic?”

“Huh… … .”

The girl eventually took the lead with tears in her eyes. It’s a lie to say you’ll find it soon. There are no roads in this forest.

Even if you follow the traces of people, it is difficult to distinguish the traces of this little guy from the traces of beasts.

If the villagers didn’t die and moved safely, the person who said he knew the sea route well in the record would also be in the new village.

“Here.”

As a result of diligently chasing the short bridge, a fairly large village appeared after about 30 minutes.

“Is that the fence you mentioned?”

“yes. They say it’s strong enough to stop monsters.”

“… … okay.”

It certainly looks strong, but of course it can’t stop monsters.

It is a monster that breaks down and pierces even the northern barrier of Aindarok, which is 50 meters long and is covered with several layers of steel.

It wasn’t very high, it wasn’t thick, it was just an ordinary wooden fence.

‘It’s not to prevent monsters.’

Monsters also appear inland, so there may be barriers to block them, but it should be at least twice as tall as this. To prevent gremlins, common low-level monsters, from climbing up.

And looking at the condition, it was built not long ago.

Considering that this place is a mountain valley in Credia, the main reason is probably the defectors to Areas who turned into bandits.

In other words, it is a barrier to prevent bandits.

“Karin! You don’t know this guy again… … .”

There was a guard holding a wooden spear in front of the wooden fence. As soon as he saw the girl, he raised his voice.

“Sah, save me, mister! The evil wizard is after you!”

“What?”

The girl named Karin also screamed and ran as well.

As an evil wizard, I slowly approached the wooden fence.

“hello?”

“Who are you… … .”

“It’s not evil, but a wizard is right. I was traveling around here and was looking for a place to stay. Do you have any inns?”

“Oh, of course there is. Come in.”

“Aww!”

Karin, hiding behind the guard, screamed. As I entered the village, I asked the man.

“Does this place teach wizards to be like that?”

“Ahaha. I guess someone taught me wrong. It looks like you’ve read a fairy tale about a bad wizard. Never mind. Because wizards are so rare. The inn is on the other side of the road. Karin, let me guide you.”

“thank you.”

“Me, me?”

“Because I’ll keep it a secret for you to sneak out.”

“yes… … .”

I smiled and made eye contact with the guard. He smiled shyly.

What do you mean by keeping it a secret? It must be kept a secret.

In short, Karin was able to sneak away because she wasn’t properly guarded. So it was a fact that I couldn’t say anywhere.

I pinched it sharply.

“It must be a bit dangerous out there.”

“… … I’ll be careful. I must have missed it while helping out for a while.”

But looking back, I’m not a bad person.

I was guided to the inn along with Karin, who had died with a dark complexion. The road was so narrow that a horse-drawn carriage could not get around. Good thing I didn’t bring it.

We arrived at a small inn. It was only on the second floor, so it was a place where there were five rooms.

“Karin, where have you been?”

“Uh, Mom.”

Are you mom?

These were the words Karin gave to the woman she met as soon as she opened the inn door. Karin exclaimed confidently.

“My, I’ve been looking for a guest!”

“yes? Guest? Oh.”

“hello.”

I arrived late and said hello.

He said he had moved, so he probably isn’t the owner. Perhaps Karin’s mother works here.

“M-M-M, sorceress!”

After Karin shouted, she rushed inside and disappeared.

“There are few tourists these days. You are suffering a lot.”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“A person?”

“yes.”

There was nothing to waste time on. I got it straight out of the box.

“I heard the circumstances from Karin. They say they migrated as a group from a village on the other shore.”

“Right. It’s been about a month.”

“Is there anyone who knows the way well?”

“Rather than there is, most of the villagers in the past know the sea route, right? I had to go out to sea to make a living.”

“We need someone who knows very well, not just moderately.”

“Where are you going?”

“An archipelago of whirlwinds.”

“An archipelago of whirlwinds… … ?”

The woman asked as if asking something strange. Then answer right away.

“No one knows that far.”

“yes?”

“There’s no way there’s a better way than that. A road is a place where people come and go, but there must be a road in the ban.”

“uh… … .”

I had nothing to refute. When I heard it, I was right.

However, the records clearly said to find someone who knows the sea route. It feels strangely twisted.

I should have written the name in the first place, but why did you write ‘a person who knows the sea route well’?

“So, can we meet other people who have migrated from the coast? Because it is important to me.”

“That, um… … .”

The woman seemed troubled. I said again.

“I heard that the house to move into has been prepared for a long time.”

“yes. Everyone lives together.”

“Where are you?”

“If you go out here and come out on a wide road along the west wall, you can go all the way down.”

“All right.”

“… … Hey, wait a minute.”

I want to hang my head and turn around. The woman held on to her steps.

“If you go there, people will try not to talk.”

“okay?”

“Because the people of our village are not treated well by the people here. You will think that all the faces you haven’t seen are people from this village.”

“Even though the villages were so close to each other? There must be something wrong.”

“Oh, well, that… … .”

“At times like this, it would be better to join forces. There are many defectors who have turned into bandits. I have to help and live.”

The woman hesitated as if embarrassed.

“We are the defectors.”