episode_0120

“Hmm… … . Nothing special appears.”

“… That’s right.”

In response to what the woman said, I nodded hesitantly.

To be honest, the reason I reacted that way was because I felt uncomfortable with the situation itself.

At the crossroads I came across a while ago, I ended up meeting this woman.

Panawa, the younger brother of White Tiger Kahim.

Because her brother was so famous, I immediately recognized her identity by looking at her external features, but I couldn’t say we were acquaintances, it was just a one-sided relationship with her… I thought so.

But for some reason, she reacted as if she knew me.

No, it didn’t stop there, and he even greeted me with a happy expression.

I was taken aback by that reaction, but I understood right away through her explanation.

That she was the hooded woman I met back then.

After a somewhat strange reunion, she and I temporarily joined forces and began to take the path other than the one we had already taken, and that is the situation we are in now.

“… … .”

To be honest, I was very uncomfortable with this situation.

From my perspective, it is easier in many ways to not have a companion.

However, for some reason, she, Fana, didn’t seem to bother me too much.

That fact was quite surprising to me.

I don’t know much about her, but I’ve heard rumors about her a few times.

There are many rumors that she has a more normal personality than her older brother Kahim, but the rumors about her are by no means gentle.

I’m sure he can communicate well, but I’ve heard that he basically doesn’t enjoy talking to others, and often doesn’t even talk to others unless there’s something to do.

However, the Pana in front of me right now was not like that.

Instead of avoiding the conversation, he even started talking to me from the other side.

“Why did you come here?”

Like now.

“Aiming for the hero’s sword? Or, because you admire the legend of the hero?”

I didn’t really want to continue the conversation with her, but since I wasn’t the type of person to completely ignore what she said or ask her to stop talking in this situation, I had no choice but to open my mouth.

“Just what… It’s like curiosity.”

It’s different in reality, but of course I can’t reveal my true purpose.

I looked around roughly.

“Hmm. Really?”

Her eyes turned to me.

What was in that gaze was a slight suspicion.

She clearly didn’t believe my answer.

I wondered on what basis he could doubt my words, but I didn’t say it out loud. Well, it was actually a lie.

In a normal conversation, it would have been normal to ask, ‘What about that?’, but I didn’t really want to continue the conversation with her, so I decided not to.

“I came here with my brother.”

But even though I didn’t ask, she told me about her situation.

“My brother said he wanted to see the warrior’s sword with his own eyes. I didn’t know what he would do if I let him go, so I followed him.”

“… I see.”

Apparently, she herself had no interest in the warrior’s tomb.

Still, should I pity her for coming to this place because of her brother, or should I find it amazing?

I knew about her brother, Kahim, even before I came to Darbil.

This is because he appeared so suddenly that it caused a huge stir in the world of warriors.

Thanks to this, various rumors about him spread around the world, and naturally I also became aware of his existence.

He is a warrior with exceptional skills, and at the same time, he is not a person with very long thoughts.

Most of the rumors about Kahim were related to incidents and accidents he committed, so it was not difficult to arrive at such a guess.

And those rumors were always put to rest by her, Fana.

When I heard the rumor, I thought it was just that, but if I think about it again now that I’m facing her like this, it probably wasn’t that simple.

In its own way… No, you’re probably going through a lot of trouble.

I felt a little pity for that fact, but I didn’t show it outwardly.

Our conversation followed a similar pattern thereafter.

She spoke first, and I responded hesitantly.

The content of the conversation itself was nothing special, just miscellaneous.

Anyway, I hope the uneventful conversation continues for a while.

Finally, there was a change in the passage.

A room appeared again.

And, there was a friend there that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

A golem that boasts an inorganic appearance.

Actually, not enough time had passed to say that it had been a long time, but perhaps because I had been walking only looking at the stone wall for a while, the golem’s face felt particularly welcoming.

However, there was something different about the welcome golem from the last time I saw it.

The appearance itself remained unchanged.

However, the numbers were different.

There were as many as three golems that greeted us this time.

“This time, three came out.”

The sight of three golems standing side by side was quite a stressful sight, but Fana’s complexion did not change at all.

“What should I do? Do you want to handle it?”

With a slight smile, she asked me.

“… no. One dog might be okay, but three dogs are too much to handle alone.”

I shook my head lightly.

I had no intention of revealing my skills in a situation like this, lest I know it without the eyes of others.

“Hmm… Really?”

At my answer, Fana’s head tilted slightly.

And then.

“I can’t see it like that.”

He spat out sharp words.

“… … .”

I closed my eyes tightly.

That reaction now, and the attitude she has shown so far.

I realized one thing.

That she was doubting my skills.

And I could roughly guess the reason.

Maybe it’s because of what happened that day, the day I first met her.

I was not affected by the force emitted by the two ten swords, and I was caught by her.

I tried to cover it up by acting, but it didn’t seem to mean much.

“Well, I understand. Then I will handle it here.”

Pana, who was staring at my face, soon looked away and took a step forward.

Even though there were as many as three golems that even a skilled warrior could not let down their guard, there was no hesitation in her steps.

And seeing that, I didn’t stop her either.

She knew that there was no need to worry about this situation, or that even showing concern over just three golems was an insult to her.

Wow─

As she got closer, the three golems began to move in unison, making noises.

They are just a little bigger than a human and don’t seem to be anything special, but they have the power to easily break a rock.

Even well-trained soldiers inevitably struggle.

Soon, three golems moved at the same time.

With a body that looks extremely dull, it has speed reminiscent of a wild beast.

Although it was obvious that she was overwhelmed by the force, Fana’s face was still calm.

And then she stretched out her fist.

OK.

bang!

A loud noise rang out, and the three golems that were approaching her were shattered in an instant.

“Now, let’s go.”

Pana, who had reduced three golems to rubble in one day, looked at me again with a faint smile.

Fana, Kahim’s younger sister, is a warrior who is said to be the next Ten Swords.

She was also a martial artist like her brother.

***

The flow after that was not much different.

A similar path was repeated over and over again, and occasionally a guardian would appear, but even then, the fight would end in a few seconds at Pana’s hand without me having to step forward.

I was starting to get tired of that series of trends.

Finally, a noticeable change occurred in the space.

It wasn’t like the road got wider and a room appeared, or something like that.

The stone road ended and a forest appeared in front of me.

“This is… … .”

Fana looked around and narrowed her eyes.

There was a clear suspicion in that gaze.

“This is… It’s bizarre.”

This was her impression after looking at her surroundings for quite some time.

“Sure.”

I also did not deny that sentiment.

The sky exists, and even the sun is floating.

Looking at it, you might think it was just an ordinary outdoor space, but in reality, it wasn’t like that.

“Creating a space this size with magic… Should we really call it Berhaville?”

As Fana continued, this was no ordinary forest.

This space itself was a space created by magic.

Creating a space of this size through magic was something that only a wizard worthy of being called an archmage could ever dream of.

“First, we should go through this forest, right?”

Pana secretly asked me a question.

“… I guess so.”

I nodded silently.

The problem was deciding on a direction, but solving that part wasn’t that difficult.

Because there was a path.

It was difficult to call it a proper road, so to speak, more like a path, but it was definitely a road.

So we started moving through the forest along the trail.

However, we didn’t go far before we had to stop.

Because we felt something approaching us.

For a while, I quietly looked in the direction of the approaching figure, wondering who it might be this time.

Rustling─

The bushes shook, and a figure appeared.

“Huh? Andel?”

A familiar face to me, Johanna.