Volume 5 - CH 13

Act 5-13: I Want To Take Back Shar

Few weeks had passed. I am still living in this underground prison but I didn’t feel bored or lonely since she would always, without fail, bring me my meal and tell me the folklore around this area.

Just as I had expected, this was Sheep Cat village. And that girl, Shar, had a duty to put the barrier around the village to protect the village as the shrine maiden. According to Shar, the core of the barrier was the pendant that she wore around her neck, and no one but her could put the barrier.

That pendant must be a treasure exvacated from dungeon or labyrinth. The woman who gave that pendant to Shar seems to be a curious hunter who happened to be wandering around this place. It was a treasure of ancient ruin class. And if we limit it to female hunters who could give that kind of treasure. That would be――

「Ah!?」

Suddenly, a piercing pain ran in my head. I crouched down, holding my head for a while after that but, I shook my head and stood up again.

（This phenomenon again… How did I come to know such details?）

I don’t think such detailed information about hunters could be known by just anyone. Especially that pendant, how did I came to a conclusion that it was a treasure of ancient ruis class? Not to mention that I can use magic and am pretty knowledgeable in something that no ordinary person should know. Could it be that I was actually a former hunter who lost his memories due to a blunder during my mission and ended up wandering around this region without my memories? If I am a hunter, I guess it’s natural for me to know about Sheep Cat being a monster. Or not, no hunter would come to this place by themselves. If that’s the case――

「Well, that’s all I can think for now…」

It’s not like my current situation would change for better even if I remember who I am before. I mean, they could literally execute me anytime they wanted to. I shook my head for a change of pace.

「Nevertheless, she was really late huh…」

Normally, Shar would come to deliver my dinner but, even when the time for dinner has come, I’ve yet to see her figure. This was the first time she was this late in the last few weeks.

Suddenly, I heard the footsteps of someone descending the stairs. And those footsteps were heading in my direction.

「Do I feel… relieved?」

An enigmatic feeling that I couldn’t explain suddenly sprung up in my chest. I might understand if I felt flustered when I saw her. But, to think that my chest would feel this warm just knowing that I could see her face again. But, it might be just my imagination. Knowing my situation, I might actually feels the exact opposite of that.

「How ridiculous…」

I shook my head again, shoving the difficult problem that appeared in my head aside.

「What’s for dinner tonight I wonder?」

I decided to think about the menu for the dinner that would be brought by Shar anytime now to distract myself from that question.

The dinner brought by Shar was far from perfect, even with compliments, it was sloppy and only lightly seasoned but, for some reason, it felt like the most delicious meal I’ve ever had. For some reason, I got addicted to the dishes made by Shar.

(Eh?)

The number of the incoming footsteps wasn’t just one. And no matter how I think about it, it wasn’t the sound of Shar’s footsteps. Dammit, this is it, I guess.

After the door got unlocked, it opened with a bang, a cat faced man with red hair and scar on his left cheek and a cat faced youth with blonde hair stormed into the room. And then, the cat faced youth looked aroundm grabbed me by my collar and,

「WHERE IS SHARM!?」

He bared his canines as he roared at me.

Eh? they’re not coming to execute me huh. Moreover, his remarks was filled with impatience.

「What’s happened to Shar?」

「DON’T PLAY DUMB!」

The enraged youth became even more enraged upon hearing my question.

It seems he wasn’t joking. Anyhow, they got nothing from lying to me anyway. In short, Shar really had gone. I naturally understand that. Since that was the case, I’ve to confirm something.

「What about the barrier?」

「Hah?」

「I said, what happened to the barrier!? Shar should be working to put up the barrier!」

I asked back to the blonde youth who seized my collar.

That kind of barrier type magic tool should always be placed around the vicinity of its user. The reason why the barrier is still fine until now was because it’s always around Shar. On the contrary, if the barrier was to disappear――

「The barrier has… vanished.」

The blonde haired youth told me so, hesitating for a while.

「Dammit!」

I guess that confirms the fact that Shar wasn’t in this village. Or at least, far enough for the barrier to disappear. Secondly, Shar wasn’t leaving on her own will. Since that was the case, external factor had caused her to do that. And that external factor was――

――THROB!

Suddenly, my line of sight warped and my head felt like it was about to explode. The figure of a young girl fell on thicket flashed in my brain. There was puddle of fresh blood around the girl.

――THROB! THROB! THROB! THROB!

My headache become more and more unbearable by seconds.

「GUH…」

Unable to endure the pain, I crouched on the spot, moaning in pain. And then, in my dimmed consciousness, I bit my lips.

I frowned upon tasting the bitter, iron-like taste spreading in my mouth.

「My daughter, no, do you know what happen to Shar?」

A cat-faced man with red hair and wound on his left cheek pushed the blonde cat-faced youth aside and asked that question. I see, this man was Shar’s father huh. Since that was the case――

「Shar… Isn’t in the village.」

「Look, it must be his comrade’s deed!」

The blonde haired youth shouted so but, he shut his mouth again as soon as the red haired cat-faced man with scar on his left cheek glared at the former.

「Why do you think so?」

Shar’s father looked into my eyes as he asked that question.

「Because you say that the barrier has vanished. Contract type magic tool like that barrier only working when the contractor invoked the barrier. Even more so when the barrier is related to a place. I don’t know if you’ve realized this fact or not but, that barrier will always exist as long as it’s still in this land. And yet, you say just now that the barrier has vanished right?」

「It weakened significantly before but, this is the first time the barrier has vanished like this.」

「Then, after obtaining that magic tool, has Shar ever left it away before?」

Shar’s father paused for a while upon hearing my question and,

「It should be limitless.」

Hearing that, I arrived to a conclusion. When I asked about the matter of Shar being attacked by demon beast in front of the village, he said that the barrier can be still maintained at that distance. Since the user dignated the place to instal the barrier, the barrier would vanish after its user leave the barrier to a certain distance. That was how the mechanism behind that barrier magic tool.

In short――

「Since that’s the case, there’s only one answer. Shar has been kidnapped and no longer in this village.」

I told them the harsh reality.

「DON’T SCREW WITH ME!」

The blonde youth pushed me till my back hit against the wall.

I couldn’t breath for a moment since the air was forced out of my lungs, when I coughed, the blonde youth grabbed my neck wit his right hand.

「That’s enough, Chato!」

But, the blonde youth ignored the reminder from Shar’s father,

「YOUR COMRADE HAD KIDNAPPED HER!」

And shouted at me with an enraged voice.

「I… Can’t deny that.」

Well, I’ve no memory whatsoever about the me from before I wandered in this region after all. Sheep Cat was an extremely rare tribe whose appearance infinitely close to that of a human. I somehow know that a hunter team once mistook thief-like group of them as monster and sold them. Maybe, I was part of tht hunter team. Rather, that would explain the reason why I knew all this knowledge.

「YOU’VE FINALLY SHOWN YOUR TRUE COLORS HUH! YOU FILTHY HUMAN!」

He glared at me with bloodshot eyes, raised his free left hand, and unfolded his claws.

「I SAID STOP!」

Shar’s father shouted angrily as he seized the left arm of the blonde youth called Chato that ready to tore my throat.

「BUT, CHIGI-SAN!」

「Don’t make me to repeat myself again, Chato.」

Seeing Shar’s father, Chigi told him to shut up, though Chato could only grit his teeth in fury, he threw me as hard as he could to the ground.

Thus, Shar’s father―― Chigi then squatted beside me who just fell on the ground,

「Gil, are you our enemy?」

He asked a question that the current me wouldn’t be able to answer no matter what.

「I don’t know. I lost my memories you see.」

「You basta—」

Chato was about to curse angrily at me again but,

「Chato, be quiet. I’m talking with him right now. 」

When Chigi spoke with a low voice that sent a chill running down my spine, Chato’s shoulder twitched and then turned away with a vexed look on his face.

Chigi gazed at me,

「Sorry for the wrong question. What the current you want to do for Shar?」

To be honest, I had never expected for him to ask such question.

「What the current me… want to do for Shar… is it?」

No one in the village knows who kidnapped Shar. Thus, I knew that at the very least, the kidnapper was specialist in this kind of business. They might be some sort of thief. Since that was the case, it was literally impossible for the people in this village to regain Shar from those kidnapper.

In short, Shar would end up being sold as a slave, and died after becoming plaything of some sort of a pervert. The problem is, can I really allow that to happen?

（Hahaha! What the hell I’m thinking about?）

I laughed. Right now, inside my head―― I had already drawn several plans to rescue Shar and kill her kidnapper. And I easily came up with such plan without a shred of hestitation.

（How hilarious. Even though the real me might be the one who wanted to kidnap Shar.）

Yes. That would be the most hilarious joke. But, from the fact that I could come with such plans, I realized that I’m far more attracted to Shar than I expected. Naturally, though I was okay with rescuing Shar without receiving anything in return, realistically speaking, no one would do that. No one in this village knew that my only attachment was Shar alone and no one else.

In short. As long as there was no merit in rescuing her, properly speaking, I shouldn’t rescue her. I was a trash indeed. If that was the case, Why should I wanted to save Shar when there was no merit in doing so?

――THROB!

My head was assaulted by another headache. Though it wasn’t as painful as before, the scenery of a red haired girl lying on the pool of her own blood flashed in my head for a moment before it vanished again.

I don’t know why but, it felt like rescuing Shar and kill the thief who dare to kidnap her was my current top most priority. At the very least, this was the first time an egoistical person like me who always thinking about my own safety felt like to go all out for another person.

That’s why――

「I want to rescue Shar. Tell me everything you know.」

I stated my honest desire from the bottom of my heart.