Translator: Drey Editor: Ryunakama
【Aifa】
Even though I"ve only been away for a few months, the bustle of the Imperial Capital felt like a distant memory.
However, I have nothing to feel nostalgic for even if I actually return to the Imperial Capital.
After all, my hometown is beside that forest and the Spirit Tree.
I felt that keenly while slipping inside the Imperial Capital.
When a soldier is approaching from the front, I move while hiding behind the carriage, and I walk on the alley as much as possible and makes sure that I don"t stand out.
My attire is only dress up with an ordinary robe and putting on a hood, but I have almost never been exposed with only that in the Empire that has lots of traffic.
Taiki-dono was worried, but most of my family members are living in the Imperial Capital. After all, I want to confirm their safety personally and help them out.
Besides, I can grasp some of the places of my family members. If I could get in touch with my family, there"s a possibility that I will know where the other family members are.
I thought that and arrived at the opposite side of the eastern barrack.
The number of peddlers has decreased, but the number of soldiers dressed in armor has increased instead. However, since it is also a place where I usually never approach, it is very likely that I won"t be exposed if I"m wearing this plain-colored robe. It would be alright if I don"t have company and alone.
However, there is one absolutely noticeable element.
“…… This is troubling.”
I muttered that while turning around and I looked at the huge figure that"s standing still calmly in the dark alley.
It is a golem that accompanied me from Taiki-dono. Certainly, there are some magicians who brought their golems.
However, the majority are empire"s magicians, either a self-a.s.sertive magician who wants to show off their golem or an eccentric magician who pours too much of their love on the golems.
And the magician who"s wearing a cloak or robe without a crest of the Empire and bringing a golem, are mostly mercenaries or stray magicians and they stand out in the Imperial Capital.
I look up at the golem that has been remodeled to look more square and I sigh. In case of emergency, it will be more reliable than it looks, but when we move secretly, it"s standing out too much.
“…… It would be great if it can be left here.”
I muttered that and sighed again, but I gave up and appeared to the front of the barracks while thinking ‘it"s no use even if I said that".
Let"s just say something if I am suspected by the soldier. I also have a pract.i.tioner emblem of the Imperial Country which I borrowed from Yuri-dono and I can give explanation that I am a magician from the Imperial Country.
While I"m thinking such things, I appeared on the main street and checked the situation on the barracks.
There are five soldiers standing side by side at the entrance of the two-storied stone building and the other lightly equipped soldiers are roaming inside and out.
Some of them saw me, but they had no particular reaction and they were turned their gazes away from me.
Why is it? Did they not think that I am suspicious while seeing the golem?
I thought that and turned around, but there was no figure of Taiki-dono"s golem there.
When I look around, it is standing quietly behind the alley. It looks like, it is waiting without leaving from the back alley where I was earlier.
“…… No, that can"t be……”
It is strange at a level that it is still moving at this ultra long distance. Even so, to give such a sophisticated command to the extent that it can understand some of my words is a work of G.o.d.
However, the other party is the King of that flying island. Maybe it is also possible.
At the point where I thought that, I noticed one absolute fact and I got gooseb.u.mps.
The magician who controls his golems, is far above the sky and only the soldiers are on the ground. If an army, with the strongest golems, that I fought seriously but didn"t even become its opponent, attacked, any country will be trampled down in the blink of an eye.
In any case, if the option to kill the golem"s magician, which is the only way to win, is sealed. It is impossible to win.
While I"m watching the golem that hides in the back alley from the main street, I break out in a cold sweat and wrinkle my brow.
And at that time, more than ten soldiers appeared from the opposite side of the street. The moment I saw them, I notice that I have a family there.
They are surrounded by soldiers and difficult to see, but I certainly feel the presence of my family there. Perhaps, they are children in their thirties.
I quickly turned back and returned to the back alley.
“Can you take a step back?”
When I told that to Taiki-dono"s golem and hide myself in the back alley, the golem took a big step backwards and stick on the wall inconspicuously.
Clearly, the golem, that heard my few words, judged and move by itself except when I instructed.
While I"m sensitively feeling the presence of my family, I looked up at the face of the golem and knitted my brow.
【Mea】
I run on the hard cobblestone and run from shade to shade of the buildings. When I checked behind, I saw the figure of a golem that"s following me with long strides quietly despite its towering huge build.
“As one would expect of Taiki-sama"s golem.”
When I muttered that, my mother comes out from behind the golem.
“Mea, we are told to act a bit more slowly……”
My mother muttered that with a worried face and turned her head to look around the surroundings. She seems unusually anxious for a mother who is always composed.
Turning around to my mother, I put my hands on my waist and pouted.
“Didn"t Taiki-sama tell us? That this place is distant from the Imperial Capital, so it will take a week or two for the story to be transmitted and it"s fine even if we are exposed.”
“He didn"t say that it"s fine even if we are exposed you know, Mea? But he told us that in the worst case, we should not worry even if we are exposed……”
I throw out my chest and nod to my anxious mother.
“It"s alright. We saw elf-like people earlier, right? They should be here. If we help them quickly, then it"s a huge success. That"s why, mother should smile and look like usual.”
When I said that, my mother smiled helplessly.
“Normally it is fine, but if you fail, you might bring disgrace on Taiki-sama, you know? That alone is absolutely not good, right?”
“Geez, I understand that already.”
As I said that while getting a little angry at my mother who has said the same thing over and over again, the golem started to move even though we said nothing.
Me and my mother both blink our eyes at the golem that moves by placing its hands on me and my mother"s shoulder in order to press us close to the wall.
“Wha, what? Acting as you please……”
While I was surprised and looking up at the golem, we heard a voice from behind the building a little later.
It"s a voice of a man. It seems that some people are talking and sometimes we can hear the sound of metal b.u.mping against metal.
When I looked at my mother, I was told by gestures that I should keep quiet.
Laughter echoed for a while, but when it becomes quite, we understood that those people finally left.
Perhaps, those two people, who left inside the building, are both soldiers wearing armor.
“…… What should we do? Rush inside?”
When I asked that in whisper, my mother furrowed her brow.
“It"s no good if you"re going to act rashly, Mea. First of all, confirm all the elves securely, and then……”
“Geez, I understand that already.”
Interrupting my mother"s words that seems to be long, I look up at Taiki-sama"s golem.
“I will temporarily come out to the surface, so watch me with my mother by then. Help me if it"s dangerous.”
Saying that, I quietly left to the street. My clothes is a common clothing bought within the city, and I"m wearing a turban on my head and a thick mantle on my back, so my ears and tail are concealed.
“Ho, hold on, Mea……!”
I could hear my mother"s panicked voice, but I went through the middle of the street without minding it and moved to the opposite side of the road. There is a clothes shop that displays its products just outside on that place and I stop to look at the products.
“Oh, pretty young lady. What do you need?”
A middle-aged man approached me with a friendly voice, but I tilted my head as looked at the products without looking at him.
“…… I want a piece of red-colored clothing.”
When I said a clothes with a color that"s not in front of me, the man nods in good mood.
“Oh, how lucky. It"s a little expensive, but there are some rare items. Wait for a moment.”
He said that and when I confirmed that the presence of the man has disappeared to the back of the store I secretly turned around to look back.
The soldiers, who should have been there before, are no longer visible and there are two soldiers inside the building like a barrack without door.
And inside there, I saw an elf in white mantle and a child elf sitting in a chair while looking downwards with dark expression.
“…… I think this is enough.”
I said that and turned around. I moved in the flow of people. I nimbly weave my way in the gaps of people in order to not stand out and return to the back alley.
“There are two soldiers. The elves are one adult and one child.”
When I moved to the side of my mother and told her that, my mother looked at me with troubled eyes.
“That information is a good thing, but isn"t it useless by your rashness?”
“But it was alright, right?”
I want you to praise me because I succeeded. I appealed with such eyes, but my mother looked at me with strict eyes.
“What would you do if you fail? We need to save the elves and not stand out as much as possible so that we won"t be noticed even by the soldiers.”
Being told that by mother, I puff out my cheeks to protest. Although it"s fine because Taiki-sama"s golem is there, my mother is too cautious.
I thought of saying that, but I felt like she would only get angry either way and stopped.
If that"s the case, I must show my correctness with results.
I made up my mind quietly and looked up at the golem"s face.