kscans

Chapter 60 - The Monster's Appearance

Knight-Captain Altorine entered the guild and began explaining the request to the staff.

Apparently, a monster in the forest had been repeatedly approaching the town and then retreating. If left alone, there was no telling what it might do.

However, the knights were currently overwhelmed with the town's reconstruction. And so, she had come to hire adventurers.

The staff member responded.

"Understood. Have you identified what kind of monster it is?"

To that question, Altorine replied.

"...It's one of those undead."

At this, the staffer's face twisted in shock.

"...In that case, we'll need highly skilled adventurers. But... the ones who fit that description are all injured and can't move."

As the staffer stammered, Altorine said.

"...What about the two over there?"

She pointed toward us. The staffer approached.

"...Excuse me, but what is your rank?"

I answered his question.

"We're C-rank. We came from the Kingdom."

I showed him my proof. Seeing it, the staffer asked.

"From the Kingdom? ...Why did you come to this country?"

To this, I replied.

"We're on a training journey. There weren't many strong monsters in the Kingdom, so we came here. ...Regarding the request you were just discussing, would it be alright if we accepted it?"

He answered.

"...To be honest, I'm uneasy. This request would give even B-rank adventurers trouble, so for C-rank..."

Just then, Altorine interjected.

"I don't mind. Those two will be fine."

The staffer made a sour face, but Altorine continued.

"There's no need to worry. This is primarily an investigation. I won't do anything that would damage your reputation."

Reputation, huh... It's the same in every world, I thought. People will do anything to protect their own standing, and they'll do just as much to tarnish someone else's. It's a cycle of human nature that will never end as long as people exist.

I leaned in close to the staffer's ear.

"...If you refuse her now, I think you'll have a lot of trouble later on."

I spoke in a whisper. At my words, the staffer reluctantly gave in.

"...Understood. Please, be careful not to do anything reckless."

He warned us.

His words held no concern for our safety. It was clear from his expression that he meant, If something happens, the guild will be held responsible, so don't do anything stupid.

Altorine spoke.

"Then let's head out at once. ...And allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Altorine, Knight-Captain of the Saint's Church. It's a pleasure to meet you."

With that, she turned and left the guild.

We followed close behind.

Watching her from the back, I felt a surge of excitement. I'd only ever seen an outfit that screamed "Princess Knight" so perfectly in manga. And what's more, the woman wearing it had a figure that did it justice. As I was lost in my fantasies, I felt a sharp jab in my side.

I looked over to see Tina glaring daggers at me.

"...What are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

"N-Nothing. Not a thing."

I answered, breaking into a cold sweat.

Tina pouted.

"...If you like it that much, you can make one for me later. I'm okay with any kind of outfit."

Her words made me think that I had truly met someone wonderful. I was glad I'd come to this other world.

After leaving the town and entering the forest, I asked about our target, the undead.

Altorine explained.

"It first appeared about three weeks ago. At the time, we dispatched B-rank adventurers, but they failed and returned with serious injuries. We considered sending the knights, but we were already at our limit dealing with the mob. ...However, since the undead wasn't moving from its spot or doing anything, we judged it to be harmless and left it alone. But yesterday, it was spotted roaming near the town. It didn't seem hostile, but we can't just ignore it when we don't know its intentions. That's why we've decided to subjugate it. ...Any other questions?"

At her words, Tina spoke up.

"What kind of undead is it?"

Altorine replied.

"It looks like a knight, but it's riding a horse. ...And it has no head."

A headless horseman, then. A common monster in manga and anime. It's famous enough to be an urban legend back on Earth, too—a being that appears before people to prophesize their death and then carries it out. An entity with the strong impression of a grim reaper. As I was thinking this, I felt a thick, palpable presence.

An oppressive aura sent a shiver down my spine.

I hadn't felt anything this strong since Sidoor.

For a moment I thought it might be one of his kind, but for some reason, I knew it wasn't. It was just a gut feeling, a whisper of intuition. I was about to draw my sword, but Altorine stopped me with a hand gesture.

"Stay calm. I understand how you feel, but if we show any hostility, it will attack immediately. First, we observe."

Her experience as a Knight-Captain was on full display. A different caliber entirely.

Just then, in a clearing in the forest, we saw it.

A headless warrior in Japanese-style armor, mounted on a horse. It held a spear in its hand and wore a katana at its waist.

A Japanese warrior? I thought. With Altorine here, I couldn't afford to say anything careless. At that moment, the headless warrior turned toward us and readied its spear.

Altorine saw this and muttered.

"It seems our intentions don't matter, hostile or not."

She drew her sword.

Tina and I did the same.

The headless warrior lowered its spear and charged. It was so fast that all we could do was dodge. The three of us evaded its attack by a hair's breadth. The warrior made a U-turn and came at us again.

Seeing this, Altorine cried out.

"Sacred Flame Slash!!"

Flames erupted from her sword, unleashing a fiery slash. The crescent of fire shot straight toward the headless warrior.

The warrior batted it away with its spear. The horse, however, came to a stop. Seizing the opportunity, Tina and I attacked from either side, leaving gashes on the horse's flank. But the horse didn't cry out.

It was already dead, so it felt no pain.

The warrior, ignoring its mount, swung its spear in a wide arc.

A horizontal sweep. The reach was long, and I instinctively dropped and rolled away to create distance. If I had stayed put, I would have been skewered. Tina blocked with her sword and retreated.

Altorine readied her sword.

"Flame Rush!"

She shouted, releasing a barrage of fire. The warrior blocked every single one with its spear.

This warrior was incredible. It was clearly accustomed to mounted combat, and its skill with the spear was masterful. I was certain it had to be a famous general from Japanese history.

I sheathed my western-style sword and placed my hand on my katana. The blade, which Sidoor had broken, was now repaired. I channeled electricity through it, making sparks fly until it was wreathed in hellfire. The warrior seemed to sense the danger and urged its horse toward me. The horse and spear bore down on me. I calmly took an upper stance.

"Hellfire Demon Blade!!"

I swung the sword down with all my might.

The flames roared to life, surging forward in a straight line. It was like a pillar of fire racing toward the enemy while maintaining its height.

It scored a direct hit on the headless warrior. The flames shot high into the sky.

I thought I'd finished it, but on closer inspection, only the horse was burning. The warrior was gone.

I quickly scanned the area and found it lying on its left side. It must have dismounted in an instant. To react that quickly in that situation... this warrior was truly strong.

The warrior stood up and took a stance with its spear. I readied my katana.

The other two stood back, watching from the sidelines.

One on one.

A duel to the death.

The wind was light. The moment it stopped would be our signal.

Though no words were exchanged, we both understood.

The wind died. The warrior sprinted forward.

A spear thrust. It was incredibly fast. I dodged to the left and, on the backswing, sliced through the base of the spearhead. The blade was gone, turning the weapon into a mere staff. The warrior immediately tossed the staff aside and reached for its sword, drawing it in a flash. I quickly blocked with my own blade. The force of its draw was immense, sending me stumbling back, but I quickly regained my footing. The warrior didn't press its attack.

It wasn't out of leisure. It was being cautious.

The warrior readied its sword. I did the same, my eyes fixed on its blade. It was a Japanese sword, but something was different. Not an uchigatana, but a tachi? That would make this a warrior from a much older period. Just then, the warrior charged.

It held its tachi in a high stance. I instinctively held my own sword horizontally to meet the attack.

The battle that followed was a fierce sword clash.

Parries, thrusts, sweeps—every single blow was lethal.

But here, a fundamental difference between me and the warrior became apparent.

Stamina.

My breathing was growing ragged, but the warrior wasn't breathing at all.

Of course it wasn't. It was a corpse.

If this dragged on any longer, I would be at a disadvantage.

I swung my sword wide, creating distance between us. I sheathed my katana and assumed a quick-draw stance. The warrior mirrored my posture. In the quiet space between us, a single leaf fluttered down.

The instant the leaf touched the ground, we both dashed forward.

The distance was about five meters.

As we met in the middle, our blades flew from their sheaths. Sparks flew from mine, but I didn't use fire magic. Any clumsy attempt would slow me down, making me later than the warrior, and that would be the end.

A single flash of steel.

After the draw, we stood back to back.

Neither of us moved. But then, something changed.

A crack, pakkin, ran through my right gauntlet, and a shallow cut appeared beneath it. As I grit my teeth against the pain, a diagonal slash appeared on the warrior's body, leaving a deep gash across its torso. The warrior fell to one knee, clutching its chest as if in pain.

The match was decided.

Just as I thought that, the warrior, still on one knee, turned to face me.

"...Splendidly done... warrior of Hinomoto... I have... a request. Grant me... the final blow..."

A voice emerged from the warrior.

It then placed its tachi on the ground.

I approached and raised my katana. Without a word, I brought it down. The warrior's body was split in two. Just then, it spoke again.

"Thank... you... Lost in a foreign land... for ages... Now... I can meet... my wife... I'm coming... Tomoe..."

With those final words, its body crumbled into dust.

I remembered the wife the warrior had mentioned, Tomoe. In the Tale of the Heike, she was called the 'Asahi Shogun,' a warrior who fought in countless battles and was said to have met her end at Awazu in Omi Province.

The warrior general, Minamoto no Yoshinaka.

History has no record of him going to a foreign country, nor are there any anecdotes of him going elsewhere.

...Could it be that he was forcibly transported here at the moment of his death? If it was then reported that Yoshinaka had been killed in battle... then history is not always the whole truth. It seems there are interpretations and fabrications made to suit people's own convenience. This world is truly full of surprises.

As I was lost in thought, Altorine approached.

"Thank you for subjugating the undead. You've been a great help. ...But there's something I want to ask you."

She leveled her sword at me.

"...Who are you?"

Her voice was laced with fighting spirit.