Chapter 02

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

“Ossan, encounters a trope”

It had been a week since I’d been brought to this world.

After so many days of my survivalist lifestyle, I finally came across an artificially created road.

The Fafuran forest was a harsh environment to live in.

I didn’t have a single moment of relaxation because of the goblins, orcs, trolls, man-eaters, wyverns and chimeras.

When I tried to sleep in a cave, it turned out to be a killer ant nest, I was attacked by lizardmen when I took a break by a riverside and when I went to sleep in a rocky area a crazy ape took a swipe at my backside.

My heart had been strained over the last week.

“A-At last… I’ll be able to find a human city…… ha…hugh hugh……”

I’d became awfully emaciated over the last few days.

However, my vigor and physical strength remained and I had used only a little mana.

I was relieved at finally escaping that hell, and just remembering how harsh my life so far had been made me feel depressed.

“Well, which way is the town……? With two directions, I have a fifty percent chance…… I’m still lost.”

I picked up a fallen branch, raised it into the air and tried to decide my path based on which way it fell when I dropped it.

Since it landed to the left twenty-three times, I decided to go right.

Apparently, I have quite a contrary nature.

The road was a simple one, constructed by cutting down the trees and leveling the ground.

There wasn’t any cobblestone and the weeds were starting to retake the road in a few areas.

Although it seemed like this place would resemble a river when it rained, I kept a leisurely stride.

In any case, there might be people in the direction I was heading in.

If there are, then this would be a chance to interact with someone, or maybe even to make some friends.

After living in the wild for the last week, I was missing human interactions.

“I’d be happy even if a bandit appeared.”

Anyone would be fine as long as I could talk to someone.

However, if I came across a bandit with the intention to kill, it would dissolve into a one-sided slaughter.

I’ve been fighting for survival for a week after all.

At some point, I’d developed a knee-jerk reaction to mercilessly kill anything that posed a danger to my well-being.

Speaking of things I noticed……

“That said… it’s been a while since my last bath〜…… I don’t stink, do I?”

Since there hadn’t been a moment to bathe, I was worried about my body odor.

It was a strange worry to have for someone who normally didn’t care about his appearance.

Simply noticing that was a large achievement for me.

“I should clean myself first…… a river should be good enough.”

I walked down the road as I said that

Whether it was because I was lucky, or because it was a commandment of God, I came across a river.

However, it was the artificial bridge that caught my eyes.

It was a small river about 7 meters across, but I was thankful for the water nonetheless.

I picked a place that would be invisible from the bridge and made my way towards it.

After removing my equipment, I jumped into the river.

After not having bathed for such a long time…… even this kind of bath became unexpectedly comforting. Under these circumstances, I thoroughly washed the dirt off my body.

Furthermore, I washed my clothes and began preparing a meal while they dried on a nearby boulder.

However…… it was only meat, just as always……

I dully watched the river while I waited for my clothes to dry.

Since it’d been days since my last calm moment, I spent it leisurely.

Occasionally, I heard a creepy laughter.

“They should be dry soon……?”

When the sun reached the apex of the sky, I donned my clothes and equipment again.

I’d grown accustomed to wearing my equipment over the week, and it just felt natural to wear it.

Though the equipment would be considered useless in modern society, my familiarization with it was a case example of human adaptability.

Occasionally, I caught sight of a merchant carriage crossing the bridge, which proved that there must have been human settlements nearby.

When I crossed the bridge myself, I began heading in the direction the carriage had been going to.

A luxurious, all-white carriage passed me by, but since I had no interest in the rich I paid it no mind.

I venture forward with light steps.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

On the road through Fafuran, a lone carriage was running along.

The luxurious, pure white carriage had gold wiring along its frame.

Two knights were sitting on the driver’s seat, while two well-dressed people sat inside the carriage.

One of the passengers was an elderly, but muscular man.

This person was the former Archduke of this region, and related by blood to the royal family of the 【Magical Kingdom Solisthea].

However, he was currently enjoying his retirement and simply doting on his cute granddaughter.

His name was 【Creston van Solisthea].

Shortly after he had handed the family estates over to his son, the dispute between his two grandsons had started to intensify, with his granddaughter 【Selestina] becoming the only thing to ease his worries.

Selestina was sitting opposite of her grandfather with a slightly depressed look on her face and a book in hand.

In a country where magicians ruled the land, she was neglected by her father, the duke.

That was because she had no talent for magic whatsoever.

To be accurate, she, like all creatures in this world possessed magical power, but her ability to use it was remarkably low.

In addition to that, she wasn’t even the child of the duchesses, so her family’s persecution of her had been severe.

Selestina was born from an affair between the current duke and one of the mansion’s servants.

Coupled with her inability to use magic, her torment only continued.

Creston, who was protective of his only granddaughter, had her move into his retirement villa in an attempt to make her talents flourish under his watch.

He’d hired famous magicians from across the country to be her tutor, but all it resulted in her being branded as a failure.

Creston just wanted to see his granddaughter’s smiling face again, but all he had done was hurt her.

Glimpses of pity could be seen in Creston’s gentle expression before it vanished.

For her part, Selestina continued with this because of her grandfather’s kindness.

Even she was the daughter of a mistress, he loved loved her unconditionally and she respected and cherished him as well.

However, no matter how much affection they had, it meant nothing if her efforts didn’t bear fruit.

As a result of her failures, her smile had become a sorrowful one.

It was painful for Creston to see it.

When the carriage approached the bridge, Selestina let out a 『Ah……』.

“What is it, Tina? Did you see something?”

“Yes, grandfather. There was a magician…… who was carrying twin swords.”

“Twin swords? Are you sure it was a magician? Was there really a person like that?”

“Yes, he wore a grey robe…… really……”

“Did he have a shabby appearance? If that person was wearing a grey robe, they must’ve been a low-ranking magician. Or maybe they’re a traveler from a foreign country.”

It was a custom for magicians of this country to express their rank through the color of their robe.

Gray was the lowest, black was intermediate, crimson was advanced and white belonged to the elites in direct service to the country.

If you were walking around in a gray robe, it meant that you were either a minor magician, or a magician from a foreign country.

Research regarding magic was on the cutting edge in this magic kingdom, but there were many factions within the state.

It was a system set up to prevent internal struggles.

“However, to carry a sword…… They are probably making up for their shortcomings as a magician, that’s a rather difficult choice to make.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, while magicians master magic, swordsmen master the blade. Generally, trying to do both only results in a half-baked magic swordsman.”

Both magic and swordsmanship had their advantages and disadvantages.

Magic was superior at long-distance combat and support, but was weak in close combat.

While swordsmen where deadly at close range, they lacked long-distance attacks and were immediately defeated by long-distance magic.

Depending on the strategy, neither could be considered outright better than the other.

Furthermore, the harsh training required to master both was something that could not be completed in one lifetime.

Either way, in order to become the most powerful, one needed to have talent and to spend a lot of effort.

“However, its possible they’re carrying the swords for self-defense. Magicians are weak when caught off guard after all.”

“Despite my best efforts…… I haven’t advanced a single step yet……”

Despite her depression, Selestina returned her eyes to the magic textbook she’d been reading.

She had memorized the magic formations, but had difficulties to activate them.

She had already studied them multiple times, but still haven’t found the answers she needed.

While their attention had been elsewhere until now, Creston noticed that the carriage was moving slower than before, so he called out to the two knights in the driver seat.

“Is something wrong?”

“My lord. Some merchants seem to be stuck and can not go on.”

“They’re stuck? Was there an accident?”

“It seems a fallen tree is blocking the road and the merchants and guards are trying to move it.”

“Hmm…… a fallen tree… Watch our surroundings. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I understan…… huh?!”

When the knight raised a shout, Creston realized that his concerns had been justified.

The thieves that had been lurking in the nearby forest attacked all at once.

“B-Bandits!!”

“Guards protect me!! Aagh!”

“Damn, it’s an ambush!!”

“Form a perimeter around the carriage! Archers, intercept them!!”

While the merchants were panicking, the battle between the guards and bandits began.

One of the merchants awkwardly screamed as he fell after being hit by an arrow.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a life-threatening injury, but his guards began to scream and scatter.

“G-Grandpa!”

“Hush dear. I will take part as well!!”

Creston exited the carriage and drew his silver swords from its sheath.

It was a magical sword that created a defensive barrier around its user.

The two knights brandished their shields to defend against the arrows.

“Well…… this won’t do. Their numbers are too great.”

Although it was a magic sword, there was a limit to how long he could channel magic through it, and without magic, the barrier would dissipate.

In battle, there were a number of variables that determined victory, the weak could overcome the strong with sheer numbers for example.

The bandits had most likely blocked the road and intended to steal the money and goods after killing the merchants and their guards.

However, because his granddaughter’s life was at risk, Creston had no choice but to intervene.

He would have liked to attack with magic, but by the time he would’ve finished casting it, they’d be surrounded.

In addition, he would’ve had to drop the barrier to attack, providing an opening for him to be killed.

Because of him losing the initiative, his hands had been tied.

“The area around the carriage has been secured! How long will the old man with the magic sword hold out?”

“Well, his magic is flowing into the sword after all…… I’d say until the effect shuts off.”

“They’re not gonna ignore us.”

“Tch…… they intend to kill us since we saw their faces.”

“Without a doubt……”

Since the magic of the sword was limited, a long fight was disadvantageous.

However, if he shut down the barrier he’d be killed by the arrows before he had a chance to counterattack.

It was a well thought out plan.

“Huhahahaha! You prepared to die bastards? Start collecting the valuables, women, and children. We can sell the children to the slavers and the woman too, once we’ve had our fun with them.”

“Take care… we have to get in the swing of things.”

“It won’t be that easy to kill me!!”

“Quite dandy, aren’t cha? But〜, what can you do in that state? You’re gonna die anyway, might as well go peacefully.”

The man who seemed to be the bandit’s boss had arrived.

He was aware that magic swords had a time limit, and he was minimizing his losses by coping with it.

He must have been an experienced criminal who had encountered something similar before.

“How vexing…… my magic is running out.”

“Sink or swim, attack or surrender?”

“There’s no other choose. It would be easy to deal with them with magic……”

“Ooh, the sword is already waning? Please go to hell〜, and leave the rest to us. Hahahahaha!”

The boss and the bandits were in a good mood.

They had no doubt that their strategy would not fail.

However, there was an unexpected intrusion.

Without warning, a beast suddenly bared its fangs.

“An obstruction? 『Ice Flower』”

The forest around the merchants was suddenly dyed white, with every bandit still within it being frozen before they shattered.

The volley of arrows came to an end, as only the bandits blocking the road remained.

“If there are bandits…… it means I should be getting close to a town, right…? That’s so boring and cliché.”

“Who’s there!? Show yourself!!”

When the boss shouted that, a person casually descended onto the white carriage as if he were answering the call.

He wore a gray robe and his disheveled hair covered his eyes.

He was of medium stature and had a stubble.

Satoshi had been traversing the road when he noticed some suspicious looking people hiding in the forest, so he’d decided to observe the situation from the treetops.

To be frank, when he realized that they had been bandits he initially didn’t want to intervene, but he’d done so anyway.

“Bastard… you killed our companions.”

“Companions? Weren’t they disposable tools? They should have only amounted to that much for you……”

“Even if they were disposable, you had no right to kill them!! They were my tools.”

“Such a terrible manner of speaking. Its a trifling matter to me, but… 『Black Thunderbolt』”

The bandits who saw the countless small, black, grains gather around Satoshi burst into laughter.

However, their laughter immediately turned into screams of terror.

Jet-black bullets penetrated their bodies and struck them with the force of a thunderbolt from within.

The bandits panicked as they watched their comrades die and disintegrate around them.

It was magic they’d never seen before and had no means to cope with.

“Sorry. Since I am a capable Annihilator, you guys are nothing but sitting ducks.”

“M-Monster…… what kind of magic was that…… I’ve never heard of it……”

“I just killed a person for the first time…… but no feelings are springing up. Am I finally broken?”

“Shut up!! Enough of this cowardly crap, fight fairly!!”

“What did you just say? Oh, that’s rich!!”

When he heard the bandit’s incoherent rambling, Satoshi closed the distance between them and cut his arm off.

It happened in an instant, the boss couldn’t understand what was going on as he stared at his own, severed arm.

“There, I fought fairly as you wished… is that enough?”

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! My arm, My aarrrrmmmmmm!!”

“Looks like that’s it. I’ll just have to find another opponent.”

Nobody saw Satoshi’s movements.

By the time they registered him, the boss’s arm was already falling to the ground.

Despair had dyed the bandits’ minds as a powerful person outside the realm of humanity had appeared.

Satoshi disposed of those bandits immediately.

He, who had been starved for food and had to survive against monsters, had already abandoned any attachment to his enemies.

The law of the jungle had turned a man to brutality.

“Fa……Fast. What’s with that speed……”

“Furthermore, he used magic as well. That dexterity is impressive too……”

“A magic sword…… there are no gaps.”

The guards were both amazed and frightened by their reinforcement’s strength.

If you encountered such a person on the battlefield, you’d be annihilated before you even had a chance to flee.

Fortunately, the magician was their salvation on this occasion.

Though if they were ambushed by this magic, at least they wouldn’t know what hit them.

“This isn’t a joke!!”

“R-Run away, or we’ll all be killed!!”

“I don’t want to be a bandit anymore, I’ll plow a field in the countrysideeee!!”

“Devil…… a devil has apeareeeeeeeeed!!”

After all, if an amateur encountered a strong opponent in battle, they would be crushed ;at once

“Calling someone a monster…… How rude are these guys?”

Satoshi muttered sullenly.

Though he was monstrous.

“None of you will escape, die!!”

“I’ll do anything so long as I can make it back home!!”

“Feel my resentment, assholes!!”

The subjugation of the bandits was completed.

Those who had fought evenly against the guards, could do nothing against this opponent.

Their ambush had been going well for them until an unexpected intruder arrived.

The bandits who managed to flee were mercilessly exterminated by the furious guards.

“Impermanence of life…… empty.”

“Nono, you have certainly helped us on this occasion. Allow me to express my gratitude.”

A voice suddenly called out to him.

I turned to around to find an old man who was probably a nobleman.

Therefore, I hid my unrest with a false calmness and casually began speaking.

“Don’t worry about it. We just happened to be heading in the same direction.”

“However, my granddaughter wasn’t placed in any danger thanks to you. ;Even if you decline, I must express my gratitude in some manner.”

“I’ll respectfully accept, but…… oh, is there a village or town ahead? To tell you the truth, I’m a bit lost.”

“There is a town ahead…… how did you lose your way?”

“Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I lost my way and my life.”

“I don’t quite understand, but it seems you’ve faced your own hardships……”

Creston was left scratching his head as the man in front of him and the magician who blew way common sense a while ago seemed like completely different people.

However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that his robe had been made out of monsters he had never seen before, and he was obviously a high ranking magician.

When a magician traveled to another country, there was a high possibility that they were collecting information on their country’s enemies.

Creston was on alert as he kept an eye on the man in front of him.

“May I ask your name?”

“My name? Sa…… no, it Zeros Marin.”

This was the day Satoshi officially became Zeros Marin.

“Hmm, I’ve never heard that name before. What brings you to this country? ;With your skills, you’d be welcomed in any country of your choosing.”

“I’m already old. I’m looking for a town to spend the remainder of my life in. Serving a country would be rather troublesome.”

“Where you an explorer……”

“I explored so much, my marriageable age passed me by.”

“You’re still young enough, aren’t you being too pessimistic?”

“I’ll be fifty in ten years…… I want to build a family and live out the remainder of my life plowing a field.”

It was such a small wish that one couldn’t consider it a real desire.

In addition, Creston could tell that the magician named Zeros wasn’t lying.

While many magician were happy brandishing their power, there were also those who grew disillusioned with their positions.

Those who researched magic were often bribed by nobles to work for them i exchange for research funds.

The insurmountable power was wrenched away and want remained could barely be considered a magician.

Zeros had no need for any additional power, what he was after were personal connections.

(Hmm…… he’s an excellent magician. Maybe I can get him to be Tina’s tutor. Since he’d been an explorer he must have researched a lot of things, and he may have a different understanding of magic than this country’s magicians.)

His head was completely occupied by thoughts of his grandchild.

(Maybe he knows a way to solve Tina’s problem. Ah…… to see Tina’s smile once more. For the sake of that, I would…… hehehe…)

“You alright, old timer? ;You’re sending out some dangerous signals……”

“Huh?! No, I’m fine! There’s no problem.”

Sa…… Zeros though『This Granpa… maybe a bit dangerous?』to himself.

The old man’s love for his grandchild was heading in a strange direction.

“In any case…… what would you like as a reward.”

“Huh?! I don’t really need anything, I just intervened on my own.”

“This is an obligation of a nobleman. If I allow my benefactor to leave without being rewarded, my name will be slandered.”

“It seems that being a noble carries its own difficulties……”

“Indeed, even though I’m retired, I’m still under certain obligations…… I must express my gratitude somehow.”

Though he’d accidentally rescued a noble, Zeros was being rewarded for his troubles.

However, since he did not wish to insult the other person, he spoke his current desire.

“The, please give me a piece of land. Some place close to town, with its own field.”

“Hmm…… I’ll personally look into it,”

“I appreciate it. ;This is going to be quite an energetic trip……”

Zeros suddenly remembered the Crazy Ape.

He’d been sleeping in a rocky area when the monster crept up on him, removed his pants, and tried to hive its way with him.

Terror overwhelmed Zeros’ expression as he was reminded of the dangers his gingin had been placed in.

A hundred…… he was a thousand paces away from there.

But, he still felt the need to prevent another ape attack.

Zeros’ expression had turned pale.

“Are you alright? your complexion doesn’t look too good……”

“I’m alright…… I just remembered something unpleasant… ;Hihihi…”

Sorrow clung to his back.

Ahead of them, the guards had gathered up the bandits’ corpses and doused them in a flammable oil before setting the pile ablaze.

Some people were getting their injuries treated while others several people worked to move the fallen tree out of the way.

The bandits’ unexpected assault had created a lot of trouble for those charged with clean up.

A short while later, the highway became passable and the merchants began moving their carriages.

“Would you like to join us? Otherwise it will take quite some time to reach the town, won’t it?”

“Huh? How long will it take?’

“Three days or so.”

“No way……”

Zeros’ couldn’t eat only meat for another three days.

The choice was made.

“I’d be delighted to join you. I don’t want to see another piece of meat for a while……”

“I don’t really understand, but we should get going. Even with your skill, this is a rather dangerous location.”

Zeros decided to ride in the former duke’s carriage.

As it was a three-day trip, they definitely had other food besides meat.

They had brought additional food, in case of an emergency, that could be used as Zeros’ share.

His decision to join them had been out of self-interest.

When he entered the carriage, a young girl calmly sitting inside caught his attention.

“Grandfather, who is this?”

“This is our benefactor who rescued us, Zeros-dono.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m the magician, Zeros Marin. For the time being, I will be accompanying you.”

“Excuse my previous impoliteness. I-I’m Selestina…… that’s all……”

She was in her early teens.

She had pure blond hair, and her innocent face was rather lovely.

The girl was wearing a uniform of some kind and a robe which reached her knees.

“Are you a magician?”

“I’m still a beginner, but I’m having a bit of a problem〜”

“A problem? What is it?”

“Uhmm…… I can’t invoke magic.”

“Trouble with the invocation? That’s strange.”

This world resembled the game world, so being incapable of using magic was odd.

Magic was an energy that flew through all living things, allowing individuals to grow and live, and without it life was impossible.

“You do have magic power, right?”

“Yes…… however, I can’t even use basic magic. I’ve tried various methods, but I still can’t find the explanation for it.”

“Then…… is the problem with the magic technique itself?”

The two passengers simultaneously glanced at Zeros.

“W-What do you mean? The formulas I’ve been using have been adjusted to prevent burdening the user.”

“I can’t say anything unless I see it for myself, but there could be a defect in the invocation cost, or maybe the magical spell itself was defective?”

“That’s something you can tell at a glance?!”

“Well…… I’ve crafted my own spells so……”

“Th-This is my book of spells, is there something wrong with it?!

Selestina forcefully approached Zeros.

Though he flinched for a moment, he seriously examined the contents of the book.

The magic formulas written in the book were rather basic, but Zeros couldn’t help feeling that ;something was off about them.

There were a lot of unnecessary characters in them, and they were wasteful more often than not.

You would have to brute force your way through it just to invoke this magic.

In a sense, it wasn’t very artistic. ;It was on the same level of vulgar graffiti.

“This…… is full of defects?”

“What!?” “Really!”

The two other passengers simultaneously shouted.

“There are a bunch of unnecessary magic characters mixed into the formation, and it would require an absurd amount of power to get it to work. It has no elegance whatsoever.”

“What, what does that that mean?”

“It would be impossible for a person without a considerable amount of magic to get this to work. The amount of magical power this book says it takes to invoke these spells would be enough to level a country.”

Creston and Selestina were both amazed by the magician’s ability.

“This…… Who was the person that wrote this? It’s obvious that this is wasteful magic……”

“Umm…… What a magic researcher! To spread such defective magic……”

“Is there a way for you to make this magic usable?!”

“It’s possible. It won’t be too difficult to remove the wasteful parts.”

“”Please do so !! (Please!!)””

“Ohh!?”

So Zeros immediately began to optimize the magic formations within the book.

Since there wasn’t enough time to rewrite the book, he focused on correcting the simple magic mistakes.

Later, the magicians responsible for making the textbook were ousted from the country.

This would be the first legend of the ossen that would be revered as a great Sage.