Vol 5 Chapter 7

Now, even things he didn't want to recall came to mind through association.

To prepare a spell to feed those guys who had made him remember things he didn't particularly want to recall, he immediately conjured the image of sharp electricity in his mind and hid his right hand behind the hem of his robe. As soon as he did, a crackling blue energy began to form at his fingertips. However, the guys were still too busy snickering among themselves to notice it. It was a ridiculous composure made possible by thinking of him as prey they had already caught.

'That's an opportunity for me.'

And just as that energy was about to expand.

- Rattle, bang!

There was a sound of something exploding from behind, and in an instant, black smoke completely covered his field of vision.

"Wh-what?"

"Who is it!"

He couldn't use Chain Lightning because he couldn't see the guys. While he was looking around trying to grasp the situation, he suddenly felt a hand grabbing the back of his robe. Startled by that sensation, he turned around and was about to throw a spell when a new voice cut through the clamorous noise and pierced his ears.

"Thank goodness. You haven't been harmed yet. Hold onto me and follow!"

It was a small voice, but a very firm child's voice. When Kapros remained still for a moment without moving, the child's voice shouted once more, sounding frustrated.

"Those people are dangerous. I'll take you to a safe place, so follow me."

"..."

The child seemed to think Kapros hadn't heard and shouted again, but the reason Kapros didn't move was to take time to assess the situation, wondering if this child might be the same kind as those who had surrounded him earlier.

'Still, this kid might be better than those guys with filthy mouths.'

It seemed like it would take a while for this smoke screen to clear, and that time was more than enough for those guys to be surprised and run far away. After a moment's hesitation, Kapros reached behind him in the darkness and grasped the small hand that had been holding onto the hem of his robe.

As if taking that as permission, the small hand grasped him and immediately started running somewhere. Without any sign of those guys chasing them due to the thick smoke, they escaped the area filled with black smoke, and Kapros could see the figure nimbly leading him through dark and dirty alleys.

From behind, with something like a beret on their head and shabby clothes, he couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, but they looked to be about twelve years old. Even though they were running together, the kid's speed was faster, so Kapros had to cast Haste on himself once more. After quickly escaping like that and reaching a house, the kid flung open the door, pushed Kapros inside first, then entered and closed the door.

"Hah... hah..."

As the child caught their breath beside him, Kapros quickly scanned the interior of the house he had entered in a flurry. The dim, rundown house seemed to be empty.

'Where is this?'

"You've come."

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice was heard from somewhere. After blinking a few times and looking ahead again, the shape of a chair appeared in what had just looked like a dark shadow, and the figure of an old woman sitting leaning on it faintly emerged.

"Grandmother."

The child who had brought Kapros here ran to the old woman as if they had been waiting. The old woman, whose proper appearance was still hard to discern due to the shadows, slowly raised her hand, which looked like tree bark, and patted the head wearing the beret.

"Were you in any danger?"

"I was fine. The Bill guys are all stupid anyway."

After chatting for a moment, the old woman turned her head as if looking towards Kapros and gestured to him, who was still standing still.

"I'm sorry, but since my body is unwell now, please come this way..."

Led by the very low voice that seemed about to go out at any moment, Kapros unconsciously approached slowly, and the parts hidden in darkness began to reveal themselves more clearly. The wrinkled-faced old woman was sitting in a motionless rocking chair with a thick shawl draped over her, with a rough table between them. The child was standing right next to the old woman, and as Kapros sat down in the seat the old woman had indicated, he properly saw the child's face for the first time, which was still as difficult to determine the gender of as their back view had been.

After seeing Kapros hesitate and sit down, the old woman spoke again.

"At a glance, you don't seem to be someone who lives in the same place as us. Who might you be?"

"I'm an adventurer."

"If you've taken a wrong turn, I can show you the way out again. This village is an extremely dangerous place, and if someone like you comes in, you'll face endless troubles like earlier. This time I sent Remil, but it's hard to find such opportunities twice."

Was Remil the name of that child who had brought him here?

The old woman's words, saying she had sent the child to save him thinking he was an adventurer who had taken a wrong turn, sounded kind at first. But for words spoken by an old woman who seemed unable to see even the small interior of this house properly, they contained a strange nuance that bothered him.

"You speak as if you've been watching me enter this village from the beginning."

"It's just an idle old woman with sharp ears meddling too much."

Though she avoided answering directly, it was as good as agreeing that it was almost so. As expected, he shouldn't let his guard down just based on appearances.

"Thank you for your kindness. But I came here with a specific purpose in Rezul, so there's no need for that."

"There shouldn't be any treasure in this dirty place to tickle the ears of a gallant adventurer like you."

Unlike her voice that seemed about to break off at any moment, coming out with difficulty, her words were incredibly smooth. Kapros shook his head at the old woman.

"It's not like that. I came here wanting to know about something called the 'Flower of Rezul' that's in this place. Do you happen to know where it is?"

"..."

The moment Kapros finished speaking, a silence as if ice had suddenly spread fell over the gloomy house. Feeling an ominous atmosphere in the suddenly subdued mood, he looked at the old woman and saw that she, who until just a moment ago had been hiding her eyes in wrinkles as if they were barely open, was now staring with wide, gleaming white eyes.