Part 1
――The story goes back a few days ago.
Southern Rail region.
To the south of the remote the remote village Raneza, deep in the forest where ferocious beasts roamed.
There was a place that the locals called the Abyss: a dangerous place that should never be approached.
After all, that was where It was.
. . . . . .
A river lazily meandered through the trees
Atop its surface, a small boat swayed along with its current.
Only the light rippling of water could be heard reverberating in the otherwise tranquil silence.
There were five people on the boat. All of them were male, dressed in black cloaks.
One person relaxed near the stern.
Another person, crossbow in hand, seemed wary of the surroundings.
A third person kept watch on the incense burner hanging from the bow of their craft.
The remaining two sat in the center of the vessel, facing each other.
There was no conversation between the men. Ought they have conversed? The two in the middle fidgeted restlessly, while the others concentrated on their respective roles. Given their location, one couldn’t be too way of one’s surroundings. Even with the incense to ward of the beasts, there was no way to guarantee absolute safety.
How much time had pa.s.sed?
The monotone banks on either side of the river made it appear almost as though the boat had not moved at all. However, the illusion-like scenery gradually transformed.
The trees became more spa.r.s.e, and were replaced by rocky soil. A mossy stone pillar lay half-buried on the ground. A ma.s.sive wall of the same composition was cracked and collapsed from the wrath of nature. Ruins. They were a wistful reminder of the past, of something that flourished and fell.
The men suddenly heard a rustling sound above them.
At the same time, huge shadows enveloped the boat. When all of the men looked up reflexively, the sight of three black birds circling around the boat greeted their eyes. After circling a few times, one of the birds, seeming tired of watching, suddenly broke its formation and approached the boat.
Violent gusts of wind blasted the small vessel, destroying the calm river surface with the wind pressure. If one looked closer, the birds were truly gigantic. The claws on both of their legs were as sharp as daggers, with matching, jagged teeth to boot. Their length easily exceeded ten meters as well. Perhaps a better name for such a creature is a monster, a monster bird.
【――Ni honoras la nigra dentego!】
『――We honor the black tooth!』
The man who watched the incense burner shouted clutching a metal medal.
With a roar, the bird monster landed on a nearby stone wall, folding its wings as tilted its neck slightly and gazed at the motley group on the boat. The large, red eyes, which were as big as a first, appeared to be entranced by the medal.
ごくり……と、真ん中に座り込んでいた男の一人が、生唾を飲み込む音が響く。
One of the men sitting in the middle of the boat swallowed his dry saliva. (ED Note: Solo Leveling anybody? :^) )
「……ガァ」
“… Gaah!”
The bird monster soon removed its gaze from the medal, as if it had lost interest, and called out, spreading its wings once again. The birds left as they had come, the sound of the flapping of their wings resonating through the air.
「……おっかねぇ」
“Oh no… ”
The man who had swallowed the saliva let out a sigh while he was looking at the retreating backs of the monster birds. The hooded cloak he was wearing caught a draft of wind, revealing his face. Short, brown hair and unshaven stubble framed his gritty face. He was still young, perhaps the first half of his twenties?
The name of this young man is Pavel.
He was one of the few survivors of the late Morissette’s group. The wound on his right shoulder had not healed yet, and his body, weakened by copious blood loss, was not in a usable condition. As a testament to his debilitating health, Pavel’s complexion looked as if he had been dragged out of bed for his liver to be fed to the monster-like birds.
「……あぅぇえぉぁ」
“… Ahhhhh… ”
Next to Pavel, Rat, whose mouth was concealed with a tied cloth, made a vague, indiscernible cry. Was it a meaningful word, or just a meaningless interjection an infant would make? Now that the person had little sanity left in him, there was no way to confirm.
The boat, impervious to its grievously injured pa.s.sengers, began to advance again. The man at the front of the group settled down with the medal. The incense burner had just been extinguished by a gust of wind; there were no longer any deterrents against the beasts.
However, from here onwards was their territory.
The forest which had obstructed their field of view gave way. Upstream of the river, the shadow of a building could be seen, nestled discreetly in a small hill. There was a stone wall connected to the building, which in turn was surrounded by a water-filled moat. A spire of modest height rose amidst the buildings.The once robust fortification was mossy and old, but the work could easily be discerned to be of humans hands.
―― It has no name.
But, those who know It simply call it “The Stronghold.”
An ancient stronghold silently overlooks the ancient city that was protected by a monster with black wings along with its army of beasts.
The Ignat Bandits.
It was their secret base.
†††
After entering the stronghold through the drawgate, Pavel went up one of the steeples, followed by other men dressed in black.
While gingerly stretching his shoulder, Pavel wondered when he last ate. However, his thoughts were cut short when he and the other men reached a heavy wooden door adorned with intricate decorations. Flanking the already imposing door were two guards wearing rather stiff-looking full body armor.
―― If this was a castle, would this not be the king’s room?
Pavel became rather nervous. This was the first time he has visited their headquarters; he didn’t even know where it was until yesterday. Needless to say, he had never met the leader of the bandits before.
Cold sweat started beading on the head of Pavel, whose mouth was uncomfortably dry. Compared to the men accompanying him, Pavel looked like an idiot.
「……お頭、連れてきました」
“I’ve brought him over, sir.”
One of the men carefully rapped his knuckles on the door. A m.u.f.fled voice answers from the inside. At this point, Pavel’s nerves were completely shot.
The door opens with a creaking sound. There was no way to escape or otherwise; he could only enter. Pavel meekly entered the room, doing his best to make himself look small in his black clothes.
―― The room was not very large.
The sound of their footsteps were absorbed by the soft red carpet underfoot. On a second thought, the room’s size was considerable when considering the fact it was on the top of the tower. Pavel thought to himself that the fleeting feeling of freedom he got looking out of the window was wonderful. Then, something else on the wooden window frame caught his eye. A potion so translucent and fine that Pavel had never seen it even in a n.o.ble house.
“I have come, sir.”
The man who was seated at the desk in front of the window stopping writing and raised his head from the piles of doc.u.ments. Pavel stiffened like a wooden doll after meeting the eye of that man.
Imposing.
Was there a more appropriate way to describe him?
Muscles could be seen bulging through the man’s close, giving him a mountain-like presence. The image of the quill clashed with the sheer size of the man’s hand and made it look like he was holding a toy replica. The man’s deep, distinct features were reminiscent of the dignified bears that made one want to refer to the man as the “King of the Forest.”
The first thing that came to Pavel’s mind was that this man had no need for the guards outside. By just sitting in his chair, his power could be felt swirling in the air. The overwhelming presence of the strong that the man gave off, not that different from the kid who destroyed Morrissette, brought with it a crushing sense of despair.
“――Caaaw!”
In the corner of the room, a crow cried out, startling Pavel.
“Ha ha ha.”
The large man smiled lightly at Pavel, who immediately reigned in his wandering attention and straightened his back.
“You guys would be Pavel and Ratrand from Morissette’s group, right? I’d like to hear the full story from you, but do allow to finish these doc.u.ments.”
“O-of course.”
Pavel stuttered and forced a laugh, to which the large man flashed a wild smile before returning to the papers on the desk.
For a while, only the sound of the quill pen scribbling over the paper could be heard. Pavel once again took to observing the room. The high-quality carpet, a round table with some kind of board game, an elegantly finished wooden chair, bookshelves packed with books and scrolls.
A huge suit of armor stood propped up in another corner of the room. It was definitely thicker and tougher than the ordinary sheet metal used by the grunt soldiers, and the numerous repair marks and scratches denoted the many battles it had been through. Next to it, a battle hammer stood against the wall. Though it was likely just as used as the armor, it was being properly cared for, and the whole weapon was emitting a dull black light.
「……クゥ」
“… ku… ”
Suddenly, the crow called out again. Its red pupil bored into Pavel as if it could see through him. There, Pavel thought he could see the light of a devious kind of intellect shining in those eyes, and gently looked away.
“―― Ok, all done.”
Finally, the man made a gesture and put the quill pen back into the ink box, then handed the whole lot to one of the men in black.
“File it like usual. Dismissed.”
“Understood”
As the man hinted, the attendant regretfully left the room. The door closed with a reverberating bang.”
「はぁ～、まったく、肩がこる……」
“Huu, my shoulders are stiff… ”
The large man rotated his shoulders while stretching his neck.
“Now, I know I’ve made you wait. Take your time now.”
The man gently rested his hands on the desk and turned to Pavel again. It was a move so disproportionate to his wild physique that made it impossible to know the depths of this man’s nature.
「……むっ」
“Hm… ”
The large man appeared to notice Pavel’s condition, who was obviously nervous and rather discolored.
“Speaking of which, are you all injured?”
「…………」
“… ”
「え、ええ……」
“Y-yes, that would be correct.”
The large man made a harsh expression at Rat, who did not say anything. Pavel wondered if had angered the man.
In response to Pavel’s confirmation,
“Maa, that isn’t good. It’s difficult to stay standing right? Wait a minute.”
Standing up, the man brought over two chairs that were placed in the corner of the room, beside the round table.
“Here, just sit here for now.”
“I- I think I’m fine standing.
“Well, suit yourself.”
The man responded with a blank face. Pavel was stunned by the situation at hand; surely the man had no need to go out of his way to prepare the chairs for them, and it was for that reason that he refused out of politeness. However, on the other hand, Rat quickly sat down while making some unintelligible noise. Seeing this, Pavel gave in and sat down as well.
“There, that’s better.”
The large man threw himself into his chair and tilts his neck.
“Now that we’re all here, let me introduce myself. I’m the head of the Ignat Thieves, Danah.