Translated by: @garmadoncar
Proofread by: Cirdan Lunae
Links:
1
???: [――Halibel, allow me to take over the lookout duty. You should rest a bit.]
In the dead of night, opposite across the crackling bonfire, Julius called out to the tall wolfman standing amidst the gloomy space.
With black kinagashi overtop his black fur, his attire easily blended in with cover of darkness. That said, a presence taller than two meters would typically not be easily missed. But, as if to make one forget that normalcy, his presence was so thin that it would cause one to doubt if he was really there, evidencing his high level of skill as a shinobi. [1]
If not for the golden kiseru in his mouth reflecting the flame of the bonfire, it would be impossible to tell whether he was there or not, even within an audible range.
But then again, the person in question possessed no intention of hiding himself from Julius. In reality, he responded to Julius’s voice with a “Hmm~?”,
Wolfman: [Tho’ I don’t particularly mind whether we alternate or not? Ya see, I’m perfectly fine goin’ without sleepin’ for ‘bout a week.]
Being given a superhuman reply in such a calm manner, caused Julius to smile.
Wolfman: [Why ya smilin’? Ah, did ya maybe think I was jokin’?]
Julius: [No, while there are many aspects to your statements that cause me to doubt my ears, I do not believe they are jokes. If you say that you can go a week without sleeping, then it must be true. However…]
Wolfman: [However?]
Julius: [We still have a long way ahead. For the time being, we shall be traveling together in an equal relationship. And, frankly speaking, I feel guilty foisting the duty of guarding the camp onto you alone in the midst of such a relationship.]
Wolfman: [Hmfufufu, guess that’s somethin’ ya gotta be frank ‘bout.]
Giving a low chuckle to Julius’s words, the wolfman―― Halibel narrowed his already-thread-like eyes even further, and puffed the smoke from his kiseru out into the night sky.
Currently, Julius and company were heading south through the Kararagi City-States, and were en route to cross over the border with the Vollachian Empire. The Empire had not only locked down traffic on the border with the City-States, but also with that of the Kingdom of Lugunica, so while all interference from outside nations had been closed off, they were planning to ignore that.
Behind that course of action, lay circumstances on a national level, and circumstances on a personal level to Julius and Anastasia.
And, since their plans aligned, Julius and Anastasia were being accompanied by Halibel―― known as the Admirer, he was the strongest shinobi of the Kararagi City-States.
Julius: [――――]
In all honesty, Julius initially harbored intense precaution and nervousness in regards to Halibel.
The name “Admirer” was known well throughout the world, and alongside the Sword Saint, Reinhard, he was one of the four people in this world considered to be of the strongest caliber. The objective for which Julius and Anastasia had passed through the City-States, was also not something that would have been looked at favorably by the mayors who organized Kararagi.
Worst case scenario, they had entered the country with the resolve to face even Halibel.
Halibel: [But, ya got up ‘n surprised when ya met me fer real ‘n saw that I was actually a good-natured uncle, ain’t that right?]
Julius: [It is true that I was quite surprised. However, it was not your temperament that had surprised me. Reinhard, with whom you are considered to be of equal rank, is a friend of mine whom I can respect. I am also acquainted with Vollachia’s Blue Lightning, Cecilus Segmunt-dono, but he, too… is not somebody who cannot be conversed with.]
Halibel: [Ya seem ta be pretty darn well connected, eh? Well, if ya know Cecilus, then I guess ya wouldn’t be too surprised that I’m like this. Yeah?]
Stifling a laugh, Halibel sought agreement for his impression towards the strongest of the Empire, but by closing his eyes and maintaining silence, Julius decided to protect the honor of his acquaintance.
In any case, what had surprised Julius about Halibel was not his personality, but rather,
Halibel: [――It’s ‘bout my relationship with lil’ Ana, ain’t it?]
Julius: [Yes, indeed. Originally, Anastasia-sama was the representative for a large company in Kararagi. Based on that position, it would not have been strange for her to be acquainted with those in important positions within Kararagi, but that is an association that has gone on for a decade now; I suspect it is a relationship unrelated to those positions.]
Halibel: [That so? Lil’ Ana ain’t changed a bit, she’s just as much of a rascal now as she was back then, ya know?]
Julius: [I do not doubt that she was also brilliant in those days.]
As Halibel bobbed the kiseru in his mouth up and down, Julius touched the scar under his left eye and nodded.
The sound of the bonfire crackling between the two of them grew stronger, and as if taking that as a signal, Halibel threw the ashes from his kiseru onto the fire.
Halibel: [Ain’t that the truth. While there ain’t no need ta change shifts fer lookout duty, I’d give a big ol’ warm welcome ta anybody ta talk to. ‘N since it seems like ya also got interest, how ‘bout I tell ya a bit of an old story?]
Julius: […Will you really tell me, I wonder?]
Halibel: [Golly, quite the unexpected reaction ya got there. Ain’t that the direction that this here conversation was headin’?]
Julius: [Excuse me. I did not mean to pester you. However, if you would allow me to hear it, I do have interest. Though, of course, if it is not something Anastasia-sama would want me to hear, I will plug my ears.]
Halibel: [Quite faithful of ya. But ya know, I ain’t been forbidden from speakin’ on any of this, so…]
Julius felt somewhat reluctant towards that logic; but, on the other hand, it was difficult to imagine that Anastasia would not have been aware that such an exchange might have taken place. If it was truly something which she did not wish for him to hear, she would have either forbade Halibel from speaking about it in advance, or she would have given Julius a warning about it.
In other words――,
Julius: [If she is going to scold us, then let us be rebuked together. By all means, I would love to hear it.]
Halibel: [Fantastic, how gosh darn fantastic, I’ve got a fondness for children who’re frank like ya. Alrighty then… ya know Ricardo, don’t’cha? He’s the one who’s together with lil’ Ana ‘n acts like her guardian or father.]
Julius: [A matter of course. He is a reliable ally of our Camp, and a friend whom I respect.]
Halibel: [Ya seem ta got lots of people that ya respect, eh? Ta lay everythin’ out in the open, the first time I met lil’ Ana was linked ta Ricardo… the time when I went ta carry out Ricardo’s assassination.]
Julius: [――Assassination…]
As an unthinkable, unsettling word was raised, Julius furrowed his brow. Halibel gave a well-meaning smile to Julius’s reaction; however, he continued without declaring it a joke.
Halibel: [On that day, too, the atmosphere was as dry as it is today, ‘n it was a night upon which ya could see the stars well.]
2
――There was fear that the Hound, Ricardo Welkin, had disobeyed his oath.
That was the reason for the mission that had been told to Halibel by the Chief of the hidden village.
In the north-western region of the Kararagi City-States, there was a precipitous cliff through which a large chasm tore between the vast land, and at the bottom of that ravine was the hidden village of Halibel’s origin―― in all likelihood, it was this world’s only settlement of wolfpeople.
As a result of what their ancestors had done in the Vollachian Empire, the wolfpeople had lost their place in the world. They were hunted to extinction in the Empire, and in other nations, they were hunted for the purpose of being sent off to the Empire; and, because of that, wolfpeople could no longer live normally, and had to live in hiding within this sole settlement.
A village that amounted to not even one hundred people, that was the birthplace of Halibel, and of Ricardo.
Halibel and Ricardo were from the same hometown, and on top of that, they were childhood friends of the same age. The easygoing Halibel and the lively Ricardo were of contrasting personalities, but they had gotten along well since they were infants.
However, unlike Halibel, who merely wished to live out his days peacefully, life in a narrow ravine was unsuited to Ricardo. Thus, on his fifteenth birthday, Ricardo left the village.
Village Chief: [So that the whereabouts of this village, and your own lineage, remain unknown, you must renounce your identity as a wolfman.]
That was the oath Ricardo had made to the village chief. It was a reinforced version of the law they originally had for occasions such as leaving the village to go shopping, but its effectiveness was absolute.
After all――,
Village Chief: [If you ever disobey this oath, Halibel will come to slay you.]
Even in those days, Halibel had possessed peerless strength within the wolfpeople settlement, and there was an arrangement such that he would personally take down those who disobeyed their oaths.
Anyhow, Ricardo expressed no sorrow whatsoever at the fact that he would never be able to return to his hometown, and boldly departed from the hidden village. Back then, he did not invite Halibel to go together with him, either, but that was probably because he understood Halibel’s nature, and thus it evoked no particularly lonely emotions within him.
Cheerfully differing in their paths, Halibel and Ricardo went on to lead distinct lives as wolfmen―― after fifteen or so years had elapsed, he was passed down this mission.
Halibel: [Ricardo, now ya’ve really gone ‘n done it.]
The first impression he harbored, was that of shock towards the name of his childhood friend he was hearing for the first time in a long while.
By this point in time, Halibel too had departed from the hidden village, but given that he was the sole person permitted to pronounce himself a wolfman by merit of his strength, he had the chance to return home from time to time. Of course, he always took care of his surroundings to ensure the hidden village would not be found, but that was the mission he had been ordered to complete upon returning home this time.
In all honesty, Halibel also had the choice to not carry out that mission.
Trying to coerce Halibel through threats, was likely something that nobody would be able to do to him. Nobody would think to do something so reckless, and be the cause of bringing the wolfpeople closer to extinction.
But, on the other hand, if Ricardo had disobeyed his oath, then Halibel thought that the appropriate recompense would be necessary.
Halibel: [It’s somethin’ ya decided on yer own. It just don’t make no sense for ya ta not properly protect that.]
If he was going to twist logic and try to have it his own way, then he would have no choice but to pay the appropriate reparations. For this case, the reparations would be the long hand of death that Ricardo himself ought to have accepted when he left the village.
Thus, in order to meet Ricardo for the first time in fifteen years, Halibel headed to his location.
And then――,
???: [Thread-eye’d unc, d’ya know my Ricardo?]
With intelligent eyes, and a lovely expression filled with charm, a girl called out to Halibel while her body overflowed with an immense desire to monopolize.
At an eatery in the Second City of Kararagi, Banan, the girl who appeared before Halibel as he gnawed on a grilled skewer was greeted by an unusual sense of surprise from him.
Over these past few days, Halibel had been monitoring Ricardo’s movements, and he knew that the girl before him―― Anastasia, her name, worked at the Chuden Trading Company. She was quite close with Ricardo, and he had often witnessed the two of them together.
Nonetheless, it was unexpected for her to call out to him here――,
Halibel: [Righty yep, sure do know each other. Even so, how could ya tell I was here?]
Given that Anastasia had directly challenged him to a confrontation like this, he did not want to trick or deceive her. And, in truth, Halibel was interested in the reason why she had made contact.
Halibel was a shinobi, too. He knew how to not be seen through tailing or monitoring, and he had taken care so that Ricardo, who possessed an excellent sense of smell, would not be able to detect his scent.
Just how had Anastasia managed to overcome Halibel’s vigilance? As Halibel voiced those doubts, Anastasia plopped herself down in the seat opposite him, and,
Anastasia: [Ya see, havin’ my own things gettin’ stolen by other people is what I hate the darn most. That’s why I’m extra vigilant ‘bout people who try to get close to Ricardo ‘n Mimi ‘n the others.]
Halibel: [That so? But, y’all… ya don’t look like a child with such amazin’ eyes ‘n ears.]
Anastasia: [――――]
For a moment, Halibel’s gaze turned to the fox scarf wrapped around Anastasia’s neck.
It seemed like something far beyond the position of a youthful girl working as a subordinate for a trading company to be carrying around, but Anastasia’s exceedingly confident demeanor made it seem less so. ――But then again, what had alerted Halibel to the scarf’s presence was not an imbalance between it and Anastasia, but the fact that it was alive.
In all likelihood, it was a Spirit. However, the reason for Anastasia’s confident attitude did not appear to be purely out of reliance on that Spirit.
Anastasia: [Ain’t that only natural? My feeble self ain’t capable of doin’ the same things as people like ya, thread-eye’d unc. ‘Cause of that, I simply rely on the people of the town.]
Halibel: [The people of the town?]
Anastasia: [People who approach my Ricardo ‘n the rest, dubious behaviors, strange invitations… in order to make sure there ain’t none of that, I’m on good terms with everyone in the town.]
And thus, Anastasia’s reply affirmed Halibel’s conjecture, and on top of that, greatly surpassed what he could have imagined.
Halibel: [Hahhaa, I see. Ain’t that truly somethin’, you’re quite the incredible kid, now ain’t’cha?]
Even Halibel could not conceal his surprise at Anastasia’s response.
Certainly, Halibel had strived to not be found by Ricardo, but he had not gone as far as to avoid the eyes and ears of unrelated parties, such as the townspeople or dining hall employees. Indulging in alcohol and meals like this, he had been slowly investigating the people around Ricardo.
Halibel: [I ain’t never thought that the whole town would be spyin’ on those who’re tryin’ ta spy on Ricardo ‘n the people ‘round him.]
Anastasia: [Thank ya for yer praise. So then, why’re ya keepin’ an eye on Ricardo?]
Halibel: [Did’ya think I’d tell ya just ‘cause ya asked?]
Anastasia: [It’s fine even if ya don’t talk. Instead, just listen to what I gotta say. ――Is it somethin’ that can’t be resolved with money?]
Halibel: [Bubu.]
Choking up, he made a mess inside the sake bottle titled into his mouth. Wiping off the sake that had spilled onto the corner of his mouth with his finger, Halibel stared at Anastasia.
She had an adorable face, but her expression was serious. To be precise, it was the gaze of a merchant of Kararagi.
Halibel: [――――]
Keeping his silence for a while, Halibel received Anastasia’s power of insight through the golden irises that lay within his thread-like eyes.
She might not have known Halibel’s identity, but she showed tremendous courage to act that way while understanding that he was no half-hearted opponent. ――He could tell that Ricardo had been looking after her.
As ordered by the village, he had located Ricardo in Banan, and had been spying on his movements for a few days―― he could fathom a guess that the fact that he was working as a guard for the Chuden Trading Company, was not because the company had gotten a collar on him, but for the purpose of watching over this here Anastasia.
A capable mercenary by the name of the “Hound” had gained fame through various incidents that had occurred throughout the cities of Kararagi. The attitude of spreading his name was considered by the village to be a reason to fear that Ricardo had disobeyed his vow, but Halibel thought the true motive for that lay elsewhere.
――The reason that Ricardo was putting strength into the name of the “Hound” was in order to serve as the watchdog of this girl, who looked forward to the future, and to ensure she was an existence that nobody could lay their hands upon.
Having come to this understanding, Halibel drew his kiseru from his pocket, and,
Halibel: [How ‘bout ya tell me all about it as I puff on this?]
Anastasia: [If you’re willin’ to study for it, then sure.]
As Anastasia responded with nary a pause, Halibel gave a huge smile, and lit the tobacco packed into his kiseru.
3
Halibel: [‘N so, it was quite a darn masterpiece after she wrapped up tellin’ it ta me, but then since me ‘n lil’ Ana shook hands, Ricardo caught onto my scent ‘n he marched all the way back ta the village.]
Julius: [――. I wonder if it was truly alright to tell me about the village.]
Halibel: [Well, aside from its location, its existence in itself is kinda an open secret. Ever since I made a name for myself, there ain’t nobody still tryna search for it.]
As Halibel spoke in an indifferent tone, Julius accepted it with a “So it is that sort of thing”.
According to his story, Ricardo’s act of spreading his name as a mercenary was in order to protect his employer, Anastasia, and a similar thing could be said about Halibel.
By making a name for himself, Halibel warded off trouble from befalling his village or other wolfpeople. ――Without a doubt, Halibel and Ricardo were childhood friends.
Julius: [Nevertheless, I am surprised regarding the young Anastasia-sama’s capacity of intelligence.]
Halibel: [Tho’ from my point of view, it was a matter of how incredible I found her attachment ta those who she’d gotten in her pockets. That’s why, ya really oughta prepare yerself, Julius.]
Julius: [I am prepared. Ever since the day I called Anastasia-sama to the Kingdom, and looked to her as my lord, that I have been.]
Halibel spoke with a teasing tone; however, Julius responded honestly.
There was neither lie nor falsehood present. From the outset, that which they ought to strive for was the apex of the Kingdom. No matter the trial and tribulation they faced along the way, he had no intention of halting his steps.
Julius: [But then again, far more than I can imagine, the road will be steep, filled with undulations.]
Halibel: [Hahaha, ain’t that just the truth. Through Lugunica ‘n Kararagi ‘n Vollachia, it must be tough ta tag along with lil’ Ana’s desires. Really now, Ricardo was quite the find… nah, he couldn’t have asked ta be found by anyone better.]
As Halibel calmly spoke those words, Julius quietly nodded in agreement.
Then, after Julius gazed up at the night sky, while he resupplied firewood to the bonfire,
Julius: [The night is still young. How about it? I am also interested in that story about Ricardo going back to the village. Would you not tell it to me?]
Halibel: [Oh, why not? In that case, I want ya ta tell me stories ‘bout lil’ Ana in the Kingdom, too.]
Julius: [Most certainly. My acquaintance with Anastasia-sama might be short compared to yours, but I have many a tale to tell.]
As Halibel plopped himself down into a sitting position, Julius rectified the bottom of his kimono, and with the bonfire between them, he began speaking of his reminiscences of a lone girl.
The flame of the bonfire that burned throughout the night, was constantly replenished in turns until the early hours of the morning.
《End》
Translation Note:
[1] – Kinagashi refers to a casual style of wearing kimono without any haori or hakama.