Chapter 355: Heating Later

———Rizi———

<3: 57 pm>

“So, have you discovered the source of the attack yet?” Viln asked in an authoritative tone.

“Nothing conclusive so far, the intelligence from the allied forces doesn’t yield much insight either.” He answered. “We can at least discount any territories that the four great ones have surrounded. They all seem to be peaceful and have not caused any disturbance.”

“Didn’t we already know this? Bring me some new information” Viln asked with her eyes narrowed.

“Ahem! We got a more concrete list of which territory is certainly free of these unruly invaders. The intel from other places have also allowed us to narrow the search area as well.” He clarified what he was insinuating. “I have it mapped out and have shared it to the others as well.”

“We are awaiting your orders to see what should be done next.” Someone else spoke up.

“Hmm…” Viln pondered as she checked her laptop for the detailed map. “It seems that the search area has barely narrowed at all.”

“We can only exclude areas we can definitely say that are not housing the miscreants.” The first guy explained. “It doesn’t help that the people we captured still haven't chosen to speak.”

“Can we really not torture them for info? We shouldn’t stand idle and wait for them to break.” Someone else chimed in, clearly wanting to complain about that policy for a while.

“Quiet.” Viln said while glaring at the man. “We are still holding up our defense well, and I do not trust anyone here to not accidentally kill the prisoners. The struggle between two magic users, no matter how weakened, will leave someone dead by the end, or does anyone here have more authority on this topic than I am”

The guy who voiced his complaint had a complicated look as he shrank into the background.

The atmosphere of the meeting has gotten more tense as the others take a glance at him with a subtle showing of disdain.

“So, today we have been met with minimal harassment, and we barely narrowed down the perpetrators. Am I getting that right?” Viln asked with the commanding voice. “In that case, nothing else should be discussed. Meeting adjourned, go back to your post.”

Everyone quickly excused themselves before leaving the room with only the two of us left.

“Haaa…” Viln let out a sigh of relief as she locked and leaned on the doors.

“It’s not like stop using that tone is going to kill you.” I pointed out. “There was barely any progress today anyway. It’s nothing worth acting high and mighty over.”

“If only I could think like that.” She said before walking over and sitting on the chair next to me, her right arm reaching out and rubbing my arm. “They won’t act like this is deadly serious if I don’t try to sound like it. I don’t like it either, you know?”

“Hopefully the attack will stop soon, since the meetings have been feeling more tense as of late.” Even I have a hard time keeping my cool with how tense the atmosphere can get even when we’re simply discussing the status of this town and not planning any major moves.

“If only we finally find those bastards who keep throwing random goons at us. They either stopped or we eventually found them, but this has been so annoying.” She said, showing clear signs of stress. “…If only he was here, maybe that would’ve lessened the headache.”

“Have your brother still not considered coming here?” I asked, as she was clearly going to yap about him anyway.

“I wish, but no. Who would’ve thought not being together would be so bad in this new age.” She said, expressing helplessness.

“…Is he that big of an asset?” I asked, since I have never heard much about him even now.

“Yeah. He certainly has the charisma to be a leader, and probably the skill for it too. Better than me at least.” She answered with no sense of envy in her tone. “…I really didn’t think a show of force would also shove me to this kind of position. It has its benefits, but the stress is palpable.”

“…Well, at least we’re the ones to set the rules.” I said to offer some consolation. The sudden influx of troublemakers has caused her grief. I can’t be sure if she is overreacting or not since it has been less than a week since these kinds of skirmishes took place. “Besides, they should be running out of fighters eventually. Trying to fight in someone’s home court with such a paltry number each time is already a suicidal move.”

“It’s still ridiculous that human lives can be thrown around without a plan like that, and these guys aren’t even the button of the barrel. Many of them do have some skill to them.” She pointed out. “Certainly felt like there is a group of people who just have nothing better to do than to throw their lives away. It’s hard to tell why that is.”

“Hmm…” Just what could cause people to be more bold like that… “Do we just assume they are stupid? Sometimes people are that stupid, as much as we wouldn’t want to believe that.”

“I really don’t know. Perhaps we might never know.” She replied without much conviction. “Either way, we need to deal with it one way or the other. At least they have only been a nuisance so far and everyone is still fine.”

“...Speaking of your brother, have you been filling him in on what you’re doing here?” I asked, just to shift the topic to something less heavy.

“Nah. That would just make him worried for me. I only said what needed to be said.” She answered. She has been complaining while touching me on the arms and head, I hope that actually does help her relax. “...I guess I have to introduce you to him eventually, but we can wait until… Huh, when can we do that?”

“Why ask me?” I said while she was scratching my chin, making it hard to speak.

“I don’t know. Who knows when this is all over with. Why am I even the leader just because I’m the strongest person around anyway?” She said, airing more complaints.

I really don’t think I can respond to every complaint she has…

———Wiina———

<5: 08 pm>

*Sizzle* *Crackle*

“Even with the existence of magic, there is still something comforting about a campfire.” I remarked as I stared at it. “What about you? You could be set ablaze with the body covered in fur, do you fear it?”

“I don’t fear something that simple.” He replied. He had approached me just as I was setting up a nice scenery for myself, though I suppose I had expected him to be drawn in by the flames. “Who are you anyway?”

“Me? Just a simple wanderer.” I answered, even if the first part of the description is woefully inaccurate. There is no need for me to boast, however. “Naturally I have to stop and rest for a while, waiting for my strength to build up again.”

“I see.” He replied with a clear sense of distrust. A natural response to an unknown like myself. I am not using any magic to conceal myself, only a hood over my head.

“You can sit down if you want.” I said as he observed me standing up, staring at me for a while. “As you can see, there are plenty of fallen trees to sit down on, no need to worry about the coarse dirt.”

“In that case…” He said before sitting down on one nearby. The fire burns bright but even then he clearly can’t make out my face completely. I haven’t changed it at all, so he should recognize me, but if he believes his own eyes is another matter. “...Who the hell even travels like this nowadays. It just sounds like you are suicidal.”

“It would be for most folks. Even now brigands roam the land and act like they owe the place. The societal structure hasn’t even collapsed yet and they dare to act like they can see into the future.” They are clearly banking on the recent conflicts to lead to a situation where nothing matters but your own strength. Even at this point we haven’t even come close to the breaking point. There are causes for concern to be certain, but nothing to remotely justify this. “Tell me, have you encountered them?”

“A few outside the town, but they were just annoying thugs at most.” He answered.

“I hope it’s not because of your appearance.” He would look quite fierce if he isn’t essentially a bipedal rabbit. He is still quite muscular, but that face does hinder the intimidation factor.

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in response, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “What about you then?”

“On the regular. They can't hold a candle to me, so my travels weren’t really hindered.” I answered honestly. They are a fun distraction if I have nothing better to do, but clearing them out could take less than a second if I’m not in the mood. “I have been wandering for a long time, and still nothing that makes me reconsider going back home.”

“Is it even still there?” He asked, no doubt thinking that I have no place to return to if I worded my statement like that.

“Who’s to say?” I said before grabbing a box with some skewers of raw meat ready to be cooked on an open fire. It has been a while since I have prepared this, now is the time to use it to make a better atmosphere. “Here, take one and grill it yourself.”

“Hmm…” He scrutinized what I am holding for a moment before taking a skewer and holding it over the open flame like I am.

“I already seasoned it, just to be clear.” I said as he doesn’t make any comment. “Don’t throw the skewer away either. That one is reusable.”

“Alright…” He said in a low voice. I don’t actually need to care about whether or not he is going to discard it. I can easily make millions of those in an instant if need be. Since I am keeping up this narrative I should make myself sound resourceful, otherwise I would sound incompetent or perhaps revealing too much.

“You seem like a pretty tough guy. Far from the first that I have seen, but it’s interesting to see what the ceiling of each area is like.” I remarked as we both waited for the meat to cook.

“Can you really discern it from just looking at me?” He asked, clearly skeptical of my analytical skill.

“Of course. With time in this new world you can learn all kinds of esoteric skills.” I answered. “You can meet all kinds of people with a bunch of strong or strange abilities. The type of stuff you have never seen before or could ever imagine to be more than a piece of fiction.”

“Hmm…” He grumbled to himself. He doesn’t doubt my words so much as my presentation as a seasoned traveler, there is certainly going to be some skepticism over that claim when people are starting to cause trouble outside their hometown. “...So where would you put me?”

“Nothing that impressive, I can tell you that.” I tell it like how I see it. “Now what would be a good reference point… Have you heard of the four warlords against a sea of monsters?”

“I have.” He answered simply.

“You can’t hold a candle to even the weakest of them with where you are standing, and as you know, the battle was interrupted by someone who commands a monster stronger than all of them combined.” I explained it with a hint of bemusement at how large the gap already exists between those who should have a similar starting position. Obviously the Devil’s Bride shouldn’t be counted as one, but not many truly know that for certain. “And even then, those four and the one who controlled the monsters are… not exactly on the level of the others I have seen. A vain woman wielding a large blade, a confident man wielding an esoteric eastern blade, a huge bundle of bravado stuffed in a black suit of armor. Many interesting individuals with greater power than yours, and no doubt with the ability to change the current trajectory.”

He doesn’t say anything as he eats the fully cooked skewer while still trying to scrutinize my appearance. Certainly not a talker.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter if I said you were strong or weak. There is no doubt that you see my words as empty without proof.” I said before eating my own portion.

“What else am I supposed to think?” He argued.

“Fair enough.” I said before standing up and walking to where he is sitting and taking the empty skewer off his hand. “Hmm… I was going to say I want to try fighting a monster to prove my point, but it’s not dark enough for them to spawn just yet. Perhaps a party trick for another time.”

He looked at me with confusion, probably not believing that I would go that far to prove a point.

“No matter. This is merely a chance meeting. Like a random doll of the dice, it will become nothing more than a brief snapshot in your memory.” I said before stomping on the campfire and dosing the flames. “Safe travels to you, a man from this area. We might or might not meet again.”