Volume 4 - CH 10

Chapter 4: Yuuji Changing Jobs from “Rich Person” to “Magician of the Forest”.

「Alright Alice, today let’s have lunch together with the oji-chan peddler outside.」(Yuuji)

「Ojichan! Did the difficult talk finish?」(Alice)

「Good morning, Alice-chan. Yes, the difficult talk with Yuuji-san is finished. Just like back in Anfore village, oji-san will visit occasionally.」(Kevin)

When Yuuji’s negotiation with the peddler Kevin from this morning was finished, he accepted Kevin’s invitation to have lunch together, with the gate still interposed between them.

By the way, the adventurer trio also ate their meal at a place quite separated from the gate. They had completely become objects to be vigilant of.

「Then, Yuuji-san. This is the other world’s portable ration. It’s the first time you’ve eaten something like this right?」(Kevin)

Yuuji who received it, felt that it was extremely hard in his hands and showed a troubled expression.

「Is this…… bread? Is this hard bread that was preserved by bakng it dry that I had heard of before?...... Alice also had to eat this?」(Yuuji)

「Yes! Since you eat it little by little, the stomach can become full! It isn’t sweetly delicious like the Ca*rimate[1] that Yuuji-nii had, but Alice also like this type of bread!」(Alice)

“O-Oh, is that so?” Alice stoutly declared that she liked the hard bread and made Yuuji wanted to follow her example. He sunk his teeth into the bread, but it was hard, dry and made a sound similar to biting into plastic.

「Oh, so Yuuji-san also know about the hard bread! Then next is the jerky. Since this time’s visit was short, I brought one that wasn’t too hard. Kotarou-san here is the meat I had prepared with less salt content.」(Kevin)

While giving his thanks, Yuuji received it and immediately put it in Kotarou’s bowl.

“Ara, how thoughtful of you.” (Kotarou)

Kotarou swung her tail, she seemed to be happy. First she sniffed the smell, then she turned her gaze to Kevin as if to say,

“It’s passable.”(Kotarou)

Although their meal was meager, Kevin and Alice, with Yuuji’s occasional participation, conversed with a jovial air despite his hard battle against the hardness of the bread. By the way, Yuuji provided the drinking water.

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「By the way, Yuuji-san. This mansion, has an invisible wall right? Can I touch it?」(Kevin)

「That’s right, Kevin-san was always waiting in front of the gate since the beginning. It’s okay, you can check it out .」(Yuuji)

Receiving permission from Yuuji, Kevin timidly reached his hand out towards the house.

His hand stopped. He was in contact with the invisible wall.

「I see…… Yuuji-san, although it might be unreliable information, however I have heard about a phenomenon similar to this. Of course it might be wrong….. As a side show after a meal, do you want to heat about it?」(Kevin)

「Oh!? Yeah! If you know anything about it, certainly please tell me!」(Yuuji)

The mysterious barrier that protected Yuuji, Alice and the house from the danger.[2] If he could obtain even a little bit of information about it, then Yuuji would strongly request it.

「Then…… This came from the company president of the large shop where I apprenticed at. It was his personal experience when he was still young and peddling around in various countries.」(Kevin)

Kevin started his stories with this prologue. Even when he was peddling from village to village, sometimes he told his stories in the villages. That’s why his way of talking was really fluent.

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It said that if you go south from the capital, past two countries, you will meet with large mountains. Before the president visited that land, among the extremely rugged large mountains, a building suddenly appeared one day.

Since climbing the mountains means risking one’s life, who was the one that built it? Even though that place could be seen by the village at the mountain’s foot, when did it suddenly appeared? The whole region was confused.

However, neither the local inhabitants nor the feudal lord’s army could reach it, since the there was an invisible wall blocking the way preventing them from entering the mountains.

「When the president visited it, it was said it had been 10 springs since its sudden appearance.」(Kevin)

Let’s check out the mysterious phenomenon directly! The president had thought. Luckily by chance, it was the time when the village at the mountain’s foot conducted a barter once a year with the building inhabitants, so he persuaded them to let him accompany them when they do the barter.

Then everything he saw next, was mysterious for him.

He had a permission to check it, and confirmed that there was an invisible wall that prevented you from proceeding further. That was fine. It was mysterious, but he had already heard about it.

However, the mysterious entity wasn’t only the invisible wall. There were about 10 people who came down from the building in the mountains, but they wore the same black clothing and shaved their head. They also didn’t wear any ornaments.

Their face had little expression and not to mention talking to the villager, they didn’t even talk to each other. They used slow gestures to communicate with each other.

「President said that it was the strangest experience he had ever experienced. Even when he was peddling around that area, there was no one who knew about them. Because every one of them had the same appearance, he thought that they were a minority tribe or some sort of religious group and investigated them, but he found no organization that was similar to them. That’s why…」(Kevin)

Nowadays, the president thought that they were Visitors. The building and the group that suddenly appeared. People who didn’t interact with others, they were the Visitors.

From listening to this story, it gave birth to my curiosity regarding the existence of the Visitors, so while working at the large shop or going peddling in various place, I investigated various folklore or records as a hobby.

Maybe because of this, I could make acquaintance with Yuuji like this.

Kevin was talking earnestly. Yuuji, Alice and even Kotarou were drawn into his mysterious story.

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「Then, the story that I wanted you to hear was about this. This was the story that the president had actually experienced……」(Kevin)

While smoothly narrating like a true story minstrel, Kevin continued his narration.

At the time of that bartering, there was a girl from the mountain foot’s village who also tagged along. The president said that she had a withered away appearance, was constantly fretting, and seemed as if she could throw her life away at any point of time.

After the bartering was finished, but before they returned to the building, that girl began to share her life stories little by little. Well, since Alice-chan is here, let’s abbreviate it, to put it short, she had a very painful life. “If you could live secluded[3] in that place, then I also wants to live that life, please take me along.” The woman made a plea to them.

Then, one among them, came out from the invisible wall to the outside, and took the hand of the woman.

Then……

「Mysteriously, that woman passed through the invisible wall. Afterwards the president heard that sometimes people visited that place saying “I want to live a secluded life.” “I want to retreat from my current life.” It had become a place of final moments where such people headed.」

In front of Kevin who finished his story, Yuuji let out the deep breath he forgot to exhale.[4]

“Ara, I was drawn in by the story.” (Kotarou)

She shook her body as if she had been dropped in the water.

「Sorry, I forgot to say the important thing. Yes, if the resident of that place took someone from the outside, it seemed that they could pass through invisible wall. This is what the president investigated just out of curiosity, …… but for people who bring weapons or people who didn’t hold any weapons but had harmful intentions to the inhabitants or the building, even when they were taken along, they couldn’t enter.」(Kevin)

Though the village chief and the local feudal lord had tried to send people before, but at the time the president visited they had already gave up on this endeavor, since the building and its inhabitant didn’t cause any harm, they just gave a tacit consent and left them be.

Of course whether this was true or not I don’t know.

While saying this, Kevin summed up today’s talk.

「When someday Yuuji-san is able to trust me then let’s try this out. I will not enter the mansion, just the garden is enough. If I could enter, then I have something to brag about in front of the president someday. Of course, only if Yuuji-san give permission for it. That’s right, that place took half year to reach using a horse carriage. If you are interested in visiting it, then let’s go together. I also want to see that place.」(Kevin)

Kevin showed a innocent smile, from the start this person liked mysterious stories like this[5], therefore Yuuji thought about whether it would influence him or not.

「Lastly…… At one point, that area was assaulted by an earthquake. The quake on the mountain side was huge, that even the building that can be seen from the village had a portion of its wall collapsed. However when they looked at it again the next morning, it was the same as it had always been before. The villagers on the mountain’s foot thought if they had made a mistake and were just seeing things. However the president hypothesized that the buildings were restored to the state they were before it was destroyed. Well, I also laughed at that wild idea.」(Kevin)

But if you were concerned of it, then Yuuji-san can personally try it, was what he said.

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Before he noticed, the sun had slipped away from the sky.

「Oops, it had already become dark. Yuuji-san, as we will be returning to the city in the early morning, please let me say the farewell greetings right now. Then, I’ll see you in the summer. See you later Alice-chan. You too Kotarou-san.[6]」(Kevin)

「Same for me, I also want give thanks for the engaging stories.」(Yuuji)

While putting his hand in front of his chest[7], Kevin bowed to Yuuji, and then he lightly waved to Alice and Kotarou.

Yuuji also returned his thanks, Alice said “See you later ojichan” and gave a farewell while having drowsy eyes.

Maybe because she was satisfied with the story, Kotarou also swung her tail and “Woof!” sent a farewell.

They had exchanged promise to bring goods and various information.

Although there were also uncertain things, but he had acquired many things from the peddler Kevin.

At any rate, long-long second day for Yuuji had finally finished.

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[1] Calorimate for the unenlightened.

[2] What no mention about Kotarou? Maybe because she can take care of herself?

[3] Could also mean: Ascetics, or living in peace and calm, or retiring.

[4] In case you confused. This is an expression : Someone who was deeply engrossed in listening/watching the story that they forget to exhale their breath. Just like, “When I play Total War, I was deeply engrossed that sometimes I forget to breathe”.

[5] In modern world, he can become a splendid UFO chaser.

[6] Even Kotarou is acknowledged by other people. Well she is a reliable lady after all. She’s a dog, though.

[7] Just imagine how the Recon Squad salute in Attack of Titan