Foreigner Volume 6, Chapter 87

Volume 6 Chapter 87, Shock ~ 27

　Two days have passed since Satoru woke up in a state of self-destruction.

　Both Leia and Rico were very dismayed by Satoru's unimaginably bad symptoms, but they managed to calm down and are continuing to do their best to take care of him.

　Rico was about to say something, and in the end, she couldn't say it until the end, but Liz had also safely regained consciousness. However, it seems that she had been reawakened from a situation where her life force was almost depleted, and she was so exhausted that she could not move her body as much as she would have liked. Other than that, no particular problems could be seen, so time would simply solve the problem. Of course, Leia did not appear directly to Liz. If Liz were to meet with the 【Immortal King】, there is no doubt that she would panic. The 【Diagnosis】 will be done while Liz is asleep.

　Since Satoru was unable to move actively, Leia was in charge of everything, and Rico was in charge of following up.

　It had been raining all the time, and the area around the tree had become a muddy field. The fact that it is a crater makes wonder if rainwater will eventually accumulate here and turn it into a lake.

「What about my Lord ......?」

「...... Still the same. As usual, not a word.」

　Rico shook her head from side to side in dismay at Leia's question.

　Satoru is completely out of it. He eats when fed, but is unable to take any other active action. He even leaks his feces as it is.

　The death of Reine, the forced taking of Liz first, albeit in order to save her from the brink of death, and the near loss of the life of another companion with whom he had shared the journey, were three shocks that probably broke Satoru's heart. Leia was looking at him like that.

　There has never been a case in which a person whose mind was broken by a 【Mental Breakdown】 was able to recover. She turned over the book of magic and somehow thought of a way to deal with the situation, but even with Leia, she was unable to find an effective way to deal with it.

　Now Minerva had recovered from her illness and was able to move. If Satoru were in good health, he would have been able to regain his strength quickly through sexual intercourse, but this was not possible. In fact, Rico had once tried to make Satoru's penis erect with her tongue, but Satoru's lower body did not even twitch.

「Leia, our food is almost empty. No, I can say it will last, but ......」

　Rico muttered, as if reluctant to say it. This tree, a child of the World Tree, bears five fruits once a day. It is a nourishing fruit, and while it will certainly last for the foreseeable future, it will only make Satoru, who is already depressed, weaker.

「Minerva will go hunting.」

「...... Yeah, It's about time for you to get used to your body.」

　Leia looked at Minerva with a deep sense of frustration. Minerva is not as depressed as Leia and Rico, who are on the verge of losing themselves. Of course, she has suffered a reasonable amount of shock, but she probably believes in Satoru's interdimensional power and in Leia and Rico's devoted care. Last night, she hugged Liz all the way through when she almost panicked, and she recovered more quickly than Leia and Rico. It's been three days since she lost her right arm ― her right-wing ― and it's time to rehabilitate the arm that was healed by 【Regenerative Healing】

　Leia sighed and immediately reminded herself that she had sighed. As she had told Satoru before, there is an anecdote that if you sigh, happiness will flee. The three people in the baggage area now are Rico, Leia, and Minerva. Satoru is in the other hut, and Solor, wrapped in a cloth, and Liz, who is still recovering, are in the other hut.

「At least if Solor can move. She could have gone shopping with Rico.」

　However, there is no point in saying what can't be done. But Satoru's mind was not moving, but his soul was still present, and Leia was prepared to twist Satoru's unconscious hand into Solor's womb if the need arose. In any case, there was no other quick way to do it. The restriction that only the master could activate the device as long as it was depleted was now resented. If not for that, even Leia could have revived Solor.

「Minerva wishes she could have moved a little more.」

「No, not so fast. I, too, cannot leave under the circumstances.」

　Minerva has just recovered. This crater is 30 miles in diameter. Just going hunting for prey is a challenge, and it is 80 miles to the nearest town. It would be too much to ask Minerva to make a 160-mile round trip to the nearest town, even if she had just healed from her injuries.

　The reason why Leia cannot leave this place is simple: to monitor Satoru's progress and to keep people away from this place. She has set up a large 【Sensing】 type of ward so that she can react as soon as someone approaches the area. This is necessary in order to prevent people from making unsolicited attempts to mess with Satoru since this art is designed to inform the practitioner if someone approaches.

　And then, there was a sign of someone at the entrance of the hut. Both Rico and Leia were surprised when they looked in that direction. Both Rico and Leia were surprised to see Liz standing there, shaking her small, frail body and straining to keep up.

「May I come in now?」

「Liz ......!」

　Rico hurriedly approached and helped Liz with her hand. Liz gave Rico her thanks with a small smile and turned her gaze to the pale-skinned figure she did not know and who was not supposed to be here. There is no fear there.

「Can I ask you a question?」

「......is this about me?」

　Liz tilted her head slightly as she tried to respond. With Rico's help, she managed to get inside and sit down on the floor. The sight of the 【Immortal King】, the second king of this world after the Five Dragons, shows no sign of intimidation on Liz's part. She is a bold girl― Leia thinks.

「Uh, I haven't heard your name.」

　Leia raised her voice in response to Liz's question. The fact that she had been watching from the shadow of Satoru all along, she naturally thought that the other party knew her as well.

「The 【Immortal King】 Leia Löwenstadt. ...... does this name sound familiar to you?」

　Liz looks up after a bit, chin pulled back and down.

「...... from the story of the fallen sacrificial princess of Rothfort?」

「Right, Leia in the story is me. And now, I am is a magical slave of Kasahara Satoru, a visitor from another world.」

「.........」

　Liz quietly looked over at Leia. Leia was about the same height as Liz, or maybe just a little smaller. Her eerily pale skin contrasted with her flaming crimson hair and eyes of the same color. Her eyes clearly had the coloring of a wise person.

　The legendary existence that Liz had heard about in fairy tales was right in front of her. She was strangely not afraid, perhaps because she had heard from Leia's word that she was Satoru's magical slave. I don't think that Onii-san's magical slave would harm me. If Leia had intended to do so, she had had plenty of opportunities to do so, and so Liz bowed her head politely.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

「What the hell is this......」

　The moment they passed through the 【Lost Forest】 and saw the scene spread out before them, the elves of the World Tree Village, who had been out investigating, were honestly in raptures.

　It was not a scene they were familiar with. Not only the three cedars that had been the goal of the exit but beyond the 【Lost Forest】, there was a desolate, heavily gouged-out land where not a single tree familiar to the elves had grown.

　There were heaps of debris from the trees spread out around the area, indicating the severity of the impact of the explosion. The shockwave should have penetrated the 【Lost Forest】 and surged into the village.

　While checking the surrounding situation, Helmera, the daughter of the Elder of the Ruijs Village, and the leader of the survey team stepped toward the center of the explosion. The three elves who had accompanied her hurriedly stop her.

「Helmera-san, it's dangerous!」

「Dangerous or not, you'll never know if you don't go.」

　She easily dismissed the advice of her fellow elves and began taking detailed notes of the damage, dexterously avoiding the rain with her cloak.

　In this condition, it would be impossible to rebuild the villages in this area. Of course, the ground has been gouged out and the ground is exposed, so it would be easy to cultivate fields, but considering the difference in elevation from the surrounding area, this huge crater will probably eventually become a lake. In that case, cultivating the land would be a complete waste. It would be possible to develop the area around the crater that will become a lake, but if the immediate area is a forest influenced by the 【Lost Forest】, it will be difficult to obtain blessings from the forest. And it would take a tremendous amount of time to remove the debris from the trees and the sediment that would have been blown away.

　The rain is not heavy, but it keeps falling. With the hood of her cloak pulled over her head, Helmera stepped cautiously toward the center of the crater.

　She just thinks. So many explosions. If Satoru, Liz, or Reine had been caught in it, they probably would not have survived. Hopelessness nearly overtakes Helmera's heart, but even so, it is her role to investigate now that she has come out like this. She rebuked herself and continued to walk through the crater, which had become soft and crumbly.

　She must have walked for about an hour. It was raining, so even though the view was good, the visibility was never good. The muddiness underfoot is also at a considerable level, and it can be dangerous if you are not careful. However, Helmera's keen senses noticed that a soft smell, different from the smell of rain and dirt, had snuck into her nostrils.

「The smell of wood: ...... This smell, the smell of World Tree」

　The next moment she lifts her head, a slight, tingling sensation touches her skin. Warding?! Startled, she quickly jumps back and draws her weapon, but there is no sign of anything attacking her. But then a woman's voice rang out.

『Who are you?』

「!?」

　The voice echoed around her, and her fellow elves were also confused. The voice must have been delivered by some kind of art, but the practitioner was not within visual range. Helmera, her tension deepening, holds her rapier in her hand and looks around her.

『No, I don't care who you are. But if you are going to turn against us, leave here immediately before you regret it. We will make minced meat out of you.』

　Helmera sniffed at the overly coercive tone but raised her voice at her invisible opponent.

「We have no intention of hostility. We are the elves of the village of Ruijs. I am Helmera, daughter of Bauers the Elder.」

『.........』

　For a while, there was no reply. The time passed slowly and impatiently. The sound of rain beating against the hood of her cloak was deafening, and Helmera realized that the other party might be looking at her face from a distance using 【Distant View】, so she flung off her hood to reveal her face, not caring that she might get wet. Hmmm, a voice said.

『Get closer as it is. We are in the center. However, if you try to draw a bow to us, we will crush you immediately, so come prepared』

　Helmera sensed the real urgency in the threat in the voice, and she was terrified. Helmera was confident in her skills, and the three friends she had brought with her were also skilled in their own right. But she doesn't know. Helmera doesn't think she can beat the woman who called out to her. She was that intimidating.

「Helmera-san」

　The other three must have felt the same way. They were clearly cowed. However, Helmera deliberately roused herself and put her hood back on.

「We have no choice to go」

　They've already spotted us anyway. If the owner of that voice wanted to finish us off, they would have plenty of chances. If running away is the same thing, we should try to go in―Helmera boldly decided. There might be a clue there.

　With heavy, cautious steps, Helmera and the others set their feet toward the center. The soil on the ground was marked by the explosion in a certain direction, making it easy to see the direction of the center. However, the rain that had been falling since the explosion had sometimes erased the marks, and the moist soil clung to their boots as mud, making it extremely difficult for them to walk. They each put their weapons away for the time being. They didn't want to provoke the woman with the intimidating voice. Besides, getting wet in the rain would not be good for the bowstring.

　They walked for about one hour (40 minutes), dragging their heavy feet. Helmera again sensed a pellucid aroma, separate from the smell of earth and rain, at the end of the rain smoke, and looked there with her eyes.

「Oh, that's the World Tree ......」

　Helmera had never seen a tree that grew from the seed of the World Tree in person either. However, that tree standing in the center of the crater definitely emits the same smell as the World Tree.

　Helmera felt a small sense of relief. The only seed of the World Tree that is out in the outside world at the moment should be in the possession of Satoru, the hero who saved the village. The fact that there is a tree there, grown from the seed of the World Tree, is the best proof that Satoru is safe and sound. Hopefully, Satoru's friends like Rico and Minerva, as well as Liz and Reine, are also safe and sound.

　Helmera recognized a figure at the foot of a large tree with lush foliage and took a few steps forward. There were three figures. A woman, who seemed to be standing on her shoulders, waved her hand in a wide gesture.

「Helmera-san!」

　The voice sounded familiar to Helmera. She flapped her hood to see the face.　

「Liz! You're safe!」

　Leaving her three companions behind, Helmera rushed to Liz in a short run. Lending her shoulder to Liz is Satoru's magical slave, Rico. It seems that this one was also safe. The tree branches were still wet, but not a drop of water fell on the ground. It seems that the leaves on top are absorbing all the water.

「...... A little bit of everything. I can't say I'm safe in some respects.」

　Liz's complexion is not good as she greets Helmera with a bitter smile. However, she did not appear to be badly injured, and with relief, Helmera looked at Rico, who was supporting her body.

「Rico-dono. Thank goodness, you are also safe.」

　Then Helmera turns her gaze to the one remaining. It is not Minerva, and it is not Satoru. Because she is too small to be either of them. The hood of her black cloak is pulled off, and the moment she sees her face, Helmera froze.

「The 【Immortal Family] ......!」

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　How can one be so miserable―Edward Coogan, a former nobleman from Ares, mused in his mind.

　He returned to his late wife's family home, Maylander Mansion, with a bag of money given to him by his father Graham, only to find that his father was telling the truth and the gates were tightly shut. He founds his not-so-much luggage packed in front of the mansion in an old horse and wrecked carriage and was told by the mansion's servants that "Coogan-sama had been told not to enter the mansion".

　He had no choice but to drive the carriage with his own luggage and was humiliated.

　When he had nowhere to stay, he turned to an inn in town, only to have his feet taken from under them. When he complained about the lack of a bath in the inn, he was told to leave if he had a problem with it, and he could not respond in the slightest. There was no maid to replace his clothes, which were soiled from today's outing. He was served only coarse dishes such as fried meat on hard, chewy black bread, and cheap wine. The humiliation of sleeping on a thin sheet with a tattered blanket was the worst.

　Of course, all of these things are natural for the average person, but for Edward, who has always lived a privileged life, it was nothing but a disgrace.

　It was all the fault of that absurd father―black darkness crept into Edward's heart. But there is no way he can beat his father. His soul is too big. And his opponent has the prestigious position of High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise, and his guards are many and skilled. He was sure that he was no match for him, as he had never even wielded a sword or anything as barbaric as a sword in all the years since he was forced out of his position as a nobleman due to the blunder of the king's younger brother.

　Perhaps Sheryl, his beloved daughter, has been tricked by his cunning father, which makes Edward even angrier.

　However, he cannot do anything on his own.

　All he can do is reflect on his own helplessness, and in a depressed mood, he thinks about it.

　What is going to happen now?

　His father, Graham, had told him not to hope for a return to the nobility, but Edward had no choice but to give up on the idea of a return.

　Speaking of his acquaintances now, all those who are related to the Viscounts of Maylander are probably not good enough. Then he would have no choice but to turn to Baron Dantes, father of Raymond, Sheryl's fiancée. I have to bow down to that rude man who insulted me―!?

　Wrapped in a blanket and shivering from the cold, he feels a shiver that is not only from the cold.

　Baron Dantes has little influence over the Senate, as is evident from his status as a Baron, the lowest rank in the Senate, but his wealth as a merchant is greater than that of a Marquis.

　He heard that Baron Dantes was recruiting mercenaries on the streets. The conditions are good, and mercenaries with confidence in their skills are being recruited one after another.

　What is he doing this for? ― He can only speculate, but he suspects that the Baron was trying to get back at the person who killed Raymond. It is also not clear why the Senate has not moved while those linked to the honorable Senate of Ares have been killed, but now that Edward cannot use those linked to Viscount Maylander, it will be difficult to gather information from the Senate.

　There is no other way ― in order to regain his position as a nobleman, he has no choice but to put his trust in that fattened-up Baron who is a worshipper in name only.

　He finally came to this conclusion in the morning, when he could not sleep at all. He managed to put another miserable breakfast in his stomach, and when he looked at the carriage parked next to the inn, he was shocked to find that most of the things in it, including a small change of clothes, had been stolen. He was furious, and when he went to confront the innkeeper, he was beaten up by the innkeeper, who told him that the rule of the world is to take care of one's own belongings.

　Of course, the innkeeper is right, and it is Edward's fault for not having made any arrangements for the carriage, but he does not see it that way at all, and this, in turn, deepens his hatred for his father, who has put him in this situation.

　Rubbing his left cheek, which was sore from the beating, Edward drove the empty carriage to the Baron Dantes' mansion with a broken heart.

　The front of Baron Dantes' mansion was crowded with people. All were crude mercenaries or adventurers, and the smell of sweat filled the air.

　With a frown on his brow, he finally founds the Baron's servant, who he knew well, and asked him to be the Baron's intermediary, and waited for him for two hours (80 minutes). Finally, the meeting with the Baron was finally arranged.

　The Baron was still red with anger and glared at Edward. Edward was simply horrified ― but only in appearance. It was an act.

「You, how could you.....」

　Before Baron Dantes could say anything more, Edward bowed his head as deeply as he could.

「I am terribly sorry. I, too, do not know what my father and daughter were doing. ...... And I hope I can be of service to His Excellency the Baron myself.」

「Hmph! What can you do? You, who go to the battlefield and run away.」

　After a look of seeming anticlimax, Baron Dantes scoffed at Edward's past. Edward also trembled with shame. Edward had been a Marquis before he was thrown out. It was not in Edward's nature and pride to bow so low to a Baron, the lowest of the nobility, but some circumstances made it impossible for him to turn his back on his father.

「Th.......That was a long time ago. I may look like this, but I am a former nobleman myself, and I know the subtleties of battle.」

「Ho. Well, that's a bulletproof(?) solution.」

「Ggh ......」

　Edward withstood Baron Dantes' provocation. But he clenched his fists even tighter than before.

　He could not leave the Baron now. For Edward, this was the only narrow path to the Senate left. For that reason, he will endure somehow.

　Baron Dantes, who is sneering at Edward, actually welcomes Edward's participation. Baron Dantes has no experience in commanding an army himself. None of his subordinates had ever led an army. He was a merchant by trade, and his domain was a safe place. He had never had the opportunity to lead an army of more than 100 men.

　It is important to have the experience of commanding an army, even if he is such a hapless man that he runs away in front of an enemy army. However, he would not buy more than necessary. After all, this guy is related to the High Mentor Graham Coogan, the man who led his beloved son Raymond to his death.

「We will be sending out a sortie soon. If you want to redeem your honor, you can come too. I will have a seat reserved for you at the end of the General Staff.」

「...... Hah. I humbly thank thee for granting me this kindness」

　With his head hanging deeply, Edward breathed a sigh of relief. The position of General Staff, even at the end of the line, is a high-level military position. At least he would not have to share food and lodging with those lowly mercenaries.

　However, Edward's naive plan was about to be destroyed...

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