Foreigner's Mistake

Book 6: Chapter 70: Shock ~ 10

On that day, at the second koku of the day, Derek read the message that appeared on the message tablet and sighed as he was the vice leader of the Academy of the Wise patrol team.

It's a magic tool that allows you to exchange messages with the tablet's counterpart. The current holder of the tablet's counterpart is an adventurer by title, Raymond, Baron Dantes' heir.

There are nine of them in the countermeasure team, all of them magicians. They were so short-handed that they had to outsource to Raymond, the leader's helper, he's a good worker, but he's still not highly regarded by the Team leader and the High Mentor. As for Derek, he had to worry about the message that resulted from his arbitrary decision. It would be another source of stomachache for the Team Leader. Derek had already assessed that the young Team Leader, who had just been appointed to the post, was capable, but she had a tendency to push herself too hard. But that didn't mean he couldn't report back.

Derek copied the words on the tablet onto a piece of parchment and placed it in front of Sheryl.

Message from Sir Dantez. The target is headed to the Lost Forest with the half-elf.

As Derek had predicted, Sheryl's beautiful face twisted blatantly.

That guy.........I told you to stay away from the target

However, Detection doesn't work in the Lost Forest. Wouldn't it be effective to have them watch the target comings and goings?

As long as the target, Satoru, is in the Lost Forest, their Detection won't work. Since it would be difficult to understand the target's movements, she wanted to end this before he entered the Lost Forest if possible. However, that was impossible in the current situation. In addition, Satoru had accurately found the half-elf that Raymond had failed to find and entered the forest, which was a problem. This is because their strategy is not working at all. More precisely, Raymond didn't fail to look for it, but as expected, that much is none of Sheryl's business.

The report itself is also very useful, because it shows that they failed to stop the target. She can't blame Raymond unilaterally.

However, it will take at least an koku (4 hour) for Sir Dantes to get through to us. It will take another hour (4 hour) for him to receive our instructions. As long as we can't respond immediately, if the target finds Raymond and his men and they get into trouble, we won't be able to see a thing.

There's always that possibility, but......

Sheryl is the only person who has interacted with the target. She always advocates caution. It was probably because she had experienced the horror of the target up close, but if she was only cautious, she would not be able to gather the necessary information. Sheryl swallowed her opinion and glanced at Derek, who muddled his words.

What do you think?

This is the part where Derek feels that Sheryl, despite her young age, has first-rate abilities. She listens to the opinions of her subordinates, and when she feels it's necessary, she has the courage to incorporate them. Derek was very clear about this.

I think we should respect the judgment of the field.

The fact that Raymond was able to send reports like this is the best proof that he was able to monitor the target without being detected. It's possible that the target is keeping Raymond in the dark, but it's hard to imagine that, considering Satoru's bold statement that he doesn't hold back.

There was no way Sheryl could have known that Minerva's sense of smell was slightly weakened by the smell of Rico's menstrual blood.

Sheryl put her hand on her chin and thought. It would be a big deal if Raymond accidentally contacted Satoru and got into trouble, and that was why she had always tried to tell him to proceed with caution, but Derek had a point. Derek is a man of the field. The opinions of those who can actually see and hear what is going on are strong.

I see what you mean. ...... Vice Team Leader Derek has a point. There's a limit to how much time we can buy ourselves. The only thing we can do now is hope that the World Tree Labyrinth will give us the leverage we need.

However, considering how easily he cleared the Labyrinth of No Return, She doesn't think there's much hope. In any case, Satoru's power, his way of doing things, everything is in a different dimension. As the High Mentor predicted, Satoru is moving forward at a much faster rate. Sheryl will not be surprised if Satoru comes out tomorrow.

Accepting Derek's opinion, Sheryl thought about the text of the reply.

"Please continue to work hard on your duties". Just write that on the message tablet.

It would be best to write that - she thought rather casually. Later, Sheryl would regret her lack of thoroughness.

His vision opened up rapidly and the lights became stronger. It was as if he was swimming, and suddenly, without a sense of resistance, it opened up in front of him. He slipped through and found himself on a path that was clearly inhabited. On both sides of the half-major width of the path, there was a neat line of trees about one major in height, and ahead of him, he could see the trunk of a tremendously large tree.

Ohhhh!

The sudden brightening made it difficult for his eyesight to adjust quickly. As soon as he got used to it, and Satoru immediately pulled Liz's hand forcefully.

Kyaaa!

Satoru stood up as if to protect Liz. Four arrows were shot at Satoru with great force. However, the arrows did not reach Satoru.

Holy Shield

Leia, who had been hiding in the shadows, used defensive magic. Just before hitting Satoru, the arrow's power was diminished as if it had hit a barrier, and it fell to the ground.

Liz! You are an outcast, and bringing an outsider to this holy land!

A young male elf shouted loudly. In Satoru's field of vision, he sees four elves holding arrows at what is probably the entrance to the village. Satoru's brain snapped at the rudeness of the person who shot arrows at him without question, without even listening to what he had to say.

Bastaaard!

At the moment of Satoru's agitation, a strong surge of magic power surged around him. He tore off the string that tied him and Liz together without difficulty, and pushed Rico and Minerva behind him to take care of Liz, while he himself pulled out his Giant Killer. The young elf, sensing the change in atmosphere, drew his bow again, and a dignified voice sounded.

Stop it!

Elder!

The owner of the voice suddenly appeared without a sound. He wondered if it was some kind of Transfer art. He was an old man who looked like a dead tree and was missing one arm. However, there was definitely a sense of intimidation in his slender physique. At the sound of the old man's voice, the elf who had been drawing his bow loosened his grip, but Satoru was still holding the Giant Killer in his right hand.

Satoru doesn't know if he's an elder or what, but he doesn't find it necessary to refrain from a leader who shoots arrows at him like this without question. The distance is about five majors (45 meters), but it's only a breath away for Satoru.

Uninvited, human. What brings you to this place?

A voice sounded cheerful and resonant at a distance. The voice seemed to be strong for someone of his age, which was to be expected from his appearance. It's not the best way to start off a conversation, but Satoru guessing the old man wants to have a discussion.

We're going to conquere the Labyrinth of the World Tree

There is a hint of Liz getting shaken up in the background. It's natural. She didn't expect to suddenly point an arrow at her. Perhaps it was meant as a warning, but even so, the unacceptable rudeness of the other party seemed to make Rico, as well as Minerva, unusually angry. Satoru glanced at her, and Rico noticed his gaze and nodded. Rico moved quickly to Minerva and whispered - as expected, Rico is quick to judge. She seems to have understood Satoru's intention to discuss it at least once.

Are you calling this a conquer instead of a search?

A voice with a hint of dismay rang out. To say that Satoru and others are going to conquer the labyrinth that hasn't been conquered for hundreds of years is nothing short of a grandiose statement.

I've already conquered the Labyrinth of No Return. Is that not enough?

At the sound of Satoru's voice, the four young elves with their arrows still in their hands showed clear signs of agitation.

Nonsense, that's impossible!

That humans are probably lying.

But there was no sign of a lie in Satoru's eyes. Of course. Even though he cheated quite a bit, the fact is that he conquer the Labyrinth of No Return and scattered its magic power. At any rate, the proof is in his own shadow.

The Elder kept his sincere attitude while the young people were upset and fussing about the lie.

...... My goodness. I'm surprised if it's true. What is your purpose for exploring the labyrinth?

Satoru relaxed a little. He was ready to kill them all here, but at least he could see that the old man had not ordered the young men to attack. Of course, you can never be too careful. In the shadows, Leia and Solor were probably thinking of their own countermeasures.

The purpose of exploring the labyrinth is not to hide. Satori said with dignity

Yeah, I'm looking for the Immortal King Yarth. I'm searching for a labyrinth where he might be the Lord.

I see. But if that's the case, then there's no point in trying to conquer the Labyrinth of the World Tree

Huh?

Satoru was caught off guard by the assertion that there was no point in having come all this way.

The Lord of the Labyrinth of the World Tree is not the Immortal King, Yarth. It's the Demon Ingolshenes.

The existence of the demon and its name were simply told to him. But Satoru was not interested in it at all.

...... Drats. So it's a waste of time.

Perhaps the information about the Lord of the labyrinth is a closely guarded secret. The young elf looked surprised at the Elder for mentioning the name so lightly, but it did not matter to Satoru.

I have not heard much about the Immortal King Yarth around here. I think he's in another region.

Judging from the way the Elder said it, it was probably true. If that's the case, there are no Yarth in this region. It was a good thing he had come to this region, but he came up empty-handed. Honestly, Satoru was disappointed.

For the time being, he stabs the tip of his Giant Killer into the ground and scratches his head.

I see. That young man said that you were Elder, right? Thanks for the advice. It saved me from wasting any more time.

Rude ......

A fearless-looking elf, who was probably the leader of the four young elves, glared at Satoru as he spoke. But of course, Satoru doesn't think that's a problem. The first encounter had been a disaster, but he had just thanked the old man for his advice.

Then, there was no need to stay here for long. He didn't want to be in a dangerous place where they could just point and shoot arrows at Liz.

When Satoru was about to turn back on his heel, the Elder suddenly called out to him.

Say, human.

What is it?

Satoru tied the Giant Killer back into a knot on his back.

The four of them breathed in unison and released their water blades in unison. The magic is powerful enough to slice even a giant bear or boar in halfbut it doesn't reach Satoru. Satoru's clothes got a little wet, and he frowned a little. It didn't work at all. The water blade, which was supposed to have tremendous power, was merely a harassing spray of water.

No way!

The elf beside Dietta shouted in impatience. If it is only the power of the Water Chakram, his technique is stronger than Dietta's. But despite this, Satoru's competely untouched.

Se-ven~

Oh, shit! Then how about this! Stormblade!

Dietta imagined quickly, and a blade of wind struck Satoru. A roar erupts, and a technique with a power that ranks high among wind attack magic is deployed around Satoru.

Pff, Minerva snorted. That level of wind magic is probably nothing more than a passing fancy to Satoru. The wind magic that Leia used on the Minerva's Nest guys in Galmul was much more powerful - although that wasn't an attack magic.

Eight~

Satoru stood majestically in the fierce wind with no signs of agitation, not even a scratch. Kamaitachi was indeed attacking Satoru, but it was not working at all.

Oh, no, that's ridiculous.

Dietta's impatient voice filled with despair echoed. The most powerful of their attack methods, the bow and arrow, the water magic, the wind magic - It's ridiculous to think that none of them will work.

Nine~

With one more count, Satoru would launch a counterattack. The young people braced themselves for his attack. His defensive capabilities were impressive, but don't think Satoru can catch an elf with superior speed so easily.

Ten~

As soon as he finished counting, Satoru disappeared from the scene. There was no time to think.

Gyaaa!Guaghh!Hidebu!

Three screams echoed around Dietta, and he turned to look. Three of his own people had been beaten up in a matter of seconds. Satoru's movement was invisible to his eyes, and in a matter of seconds, his opponent had closed the distance to five majors (45 meters) and struck with unseen force. One person's arm was bent in the wrong direction, another person's leg was bent in an impossible direction, and another was blown 10 majors (90 meter) high into the air. The Elder offered his help, saying that it was dangerous to fall from that height.

Dietta checked Satoru's position Satoru pointed his fingertip at Dietta with an empty gun and smiled. Instantly, a tremendous amount of water gushed out from Satoru's fingertips.

Water Shot!?

Dietta twisted to dodge, but the sheer volume of water was too much for him to do so. He was unable to avoid it, and the tremendous water pressure hit his left arm, broke it.

What the hell is this!?

Dietta was impatient. It's a water magic that elves are supposed to be good at, but even so, no one can use a magic this thick and with this much power. Satoru - he was showing a smile that was totally relaxed. In the face of this attitude, Dietta was horrified to realize that he had just been shown the difference in power by waving an empty gun sideways and saying, "I missed you on purpose."

You still want to do this? Next time I'm gonna kill you all.

Kuhh!

Dietta shielded his broken left arm, but still braced himself. He can't use his bow if his arm is like this. The same goes for the other three - or rather, the other three are in no condition to fight. If they fought any longer, Dietta would undoubtedly die as well.

Die? To be tortured to death by a human being?

Realizing this fact, Dietta was terrified. No, I can't go any further

Cease this, you fool!

A furious shout echoed around the area. It was the voice of an Elder. Satoru was momentarily confused. He hadn't expected this old man, who looked like a dead tree, to be able to shout so loudly.

Dietta fell to his knees. His face was tight with fear, and he was shaking uncontrollably. He had been the strongest person in his village, but now he was completely beaten down, and he was even ready to die. It would have been a good lesson for Dietta, who had recently become arrogantthe Elder thought, then suddenly noticed something and looked at Satoru. I wondered if this man had anticipated this and showed the absolute difference in power.

The Elder stepped forward in front of Satoru and bend his own knees. Liz gasped at the unbelievable sight.

It was unthinkable for a proud elf to bend the knee to a lowly human. In addition, the other party is not a king or anything. It was the first time in the thousands of years of this village's history that an Elder had bent the knee to such a mere human man.

But there is no one left to oppose it.

...... My apologies for the young man's rudeness. If you are able to do so safely conquer the labyrinth, I will bet on the name of Bauers to take care of Liz and Reine.

Satoru could see that he was trying to be polite in his own way. Satoru pulled out the Giant Killer that was standing on the ground, and stood in front of the Elder, carrying it on his shoulder. If Satoru were to swing down the Giant Killer, he would probably be able to chop off the head of this Elven Elder. Even so, the Elder bent his knees, hung his head, and did not move.

There's no point in just letting the mother and child come back here. And get rid of the strange discrimination.

The reason why Liz was kicked out of from this village in the first place was because of the deep-rooted discrimination against half-elves. As long as that is not eradicated, Liz will be in a dilemma even if she returns. The Elder hung his head and declared that he would take on the responsibility in his own name. It would have been nice to have that kind of reminder.

Neither elves, nor half-elves, nor humans. It doesn't matter whether it's a king, a commoner, a slave, or an elder. No matter who you are, you only have one soul. There's no difference in that.

.........

The elder - Bauers - nodded deeply. Satoru said the same words that Bauers had been told by the Elder when he was a child. But of course, Satoru himself was not aware of this.

(I never thought I would hear such words from a human being's mouth.)

Bauers himself was young when he heard the story, and like Dietta, he could not accept it. But now that he's older, he can see that there shouldn't have any discrimination towards half-elves.

However, he never thought he would hear such a word from someone who is filled with discrimination (?). It seems that visitors from other worlds are indeed different from other humans.

It's a difficult subject, but I accept.

If it was just me, I would have no problem with it, but it affects the whole village. But now that I've said I'll bet my name on it, I'll have to do it, even if it takes the rest of my life, which won't be long. After receiving Bauers' reply, Satoru nodded his head and put the Giant Killer back in his back again. This is the end of the contract for now.

Satoru turned to the three people behind him. Minerva smiled, Rico only shrugged a littleand Liz walked up to Satoru with a look of great emotion.

Onii-san ......

Did I do something unnecessary?

He shook his head to the left and right, worried that he had proceeded without asking Liz's opinion.

No, Mom really wanted to go home. I think she'll be happy.

I see.......Liz, come back here, too. If you get bullied again, let me know. I'll beat the crap out of them.

It was crude, but Liz could tell that Satoru was worried about her. Softly, Satoru's kindness sank into Liz's heart. It was a very comfortable feeling.

Liz smiled bitterly at Satoru.

I don't have any way to contact you.

Oh, I forgot.

But Dietta, who had denounced Liz as unworthy of this noble village, was in no condition to do so. And then there was the fact that the Elder had promised in his name to end discrimination. The story that there was someone behind Liz who had treated Dietta like a child would eventually spread. I don't have much of a problem with it myself. But.

But first of all, you have to get rid of the demon. ...... Onii-san, are you sure you'll be okay?

The Demon Ingolshenes is vicious and troublesome, and Liz knows about it, even if only at the level of stories, because she has lived in this village. Satoru indeed didn't even give a second thought to Dietta, the strongest in the village, but Ingolshenes is a Demon that boasts a different level of strength. Liz felt bad that Satoru had agreed to kill such a troublesome opponent for the sake of herself and her mother.

But Satoru stroked her head as if to say, There's no problem at all.

You saw my fight, right? Are you still worried even though you already watch my abilities?

I know that you are very strong, but ......

Putting a hand on her cheek, Satoru sat down and locked eyes with her. He patted her arm with his left hand to encourage her.

Don't worry. I'll definitely come back.

Satoru's eyes were sincere, and Liz finally gave a small smile. This brother will never do anything to make me sad for some reason, I am sure of that.

Will you promise me?

Yes, I promise.

Satoru then held out his pinky finger in front of Liz. Liz is confused.

What's this?

Oh, come to think of it, finger cutting with the pinky finger is a custom from the original world, and a Japanese one at that. There's no way Liz would know about it. Satoru smiled bitterly

Oh, let's see, it's a kind of spell we do when we make a promise in the region where I'm from. We intertwine our pinkies together.

Although she was curious, Liz honestly intertwined her own pinky finger with Satoru's. Her hand is so small compared to Satoru's.

Yu-biki-rige-nman, u-sotsui-tara-ha-risenbonno-masu-yubi kitta [TLN: Literal meaning: Pinky promise, if I lie, I will drink 1000 needles, and cut my pinky.]

He waved his hand up and down, intertwining his fingers in a unique knot. When he finished, Satoru smiled at Liz, and she smiles back.

It's a promise.