Chapter 96: Destination Ahead

Chapter 96: Destination Ahead

|Your level has increased to 50|

|Your class changed from Light Magician to Composite Magician.|

|You have acquired the skill [Composite Magic Skill Transformation]|

(To reach level 50, I think I had to overcome some kind of barrier I'm pretty sure it was a barrier, but I wish it were a different kind.) Tatsuro thought

Despite having mixed feelings about unexpectedly leveling up, Tatsuro confirmed that the bandit leader had breathed his last. He used earth magic to create a container and placed the corpse inside, storing it in his [Item Box].

After that, while holding Ai's hand, Tatsuro recovered his magical energy, reorganized the area with earth magic, and made the scene as presentable as possible to a level where it might be bearable.

Shortly thereafter, the following group of bandits arrived, so Tatsuro hurriedly created an underground passage with earth magic to escape. During this escape, he discreetly retrieved the key figure he had dragged into the underground, the man referred to as Salman by the bandit leader, who was a dispelling magic user.

Seeming timid and lacking direct means of attack, as a dispelling magic user, this man should not possess offensive capabilities. Tatsuro planned to capture this man, extract information about the whereabouts of the merchant Gillian Mac Dermott, rescue him, and arrange a meeting with the lord.

With the unconscious man securely tied to an improvised cart created using magic and pulled along with wires, Tatsuro used earth magic to dig a hole, evading the encirclement of the bandits. From there, they continued their mole-like activities for a while.

After distancing themselves considerably from the location where they had fought the bandits, they emerged above ground. By that time, night had fallen, and the moonlight shone brightly.

In a normal situation, they would have been resting comfortably at an inn by now, but the circumstances were the exact opposite, making Tatsuro and Ai frustrated.

As Tatsuro and Ai asked Cardina to scout the current location of the thieves' reinforcements, it seemed they were still searching for Tatsuro and his group in a distant area.

"For now, it's a relief, but we should hurry to rescue Mr. Gillian" (Tatsuro)

"Agreed. We need to save him as soon as possible; we don't know what might happen next" (Ai)

They decided on their next course of action without dwelling on their current situation.

"In that case Hey, you're already awake, aren't you? Tell us the whereabouts of the merchant Gillian Mac Dermott!" (Tatsuro)

Silence followed.

"Is he just pretending to be asleep?" (Ai)

"Oh. He's been awake for at least the past half an hour, eavesdropping on our conversation and probably realizing he's useless now," Tatsuro explained. "Right, Salman?"

More silence.

Tatsuro had been using dispelling magic to monitor when Salman would wake up, so he knew for certain that Salman was awake. Despite this, he sighed at the sight of the man with closed eyes, sweating profusely.DiiScôver new stories on no/v/e()/lbin(.)com

"Hey, why did you get involved with bandits? It's tough with that kind of temperament, not to mention you're a capable dispelling magic user if they kept you around. There must have been other options" (Tatsuro)

Salman stammered nervously, seemingly unable to find his words. "I-I didn't have a choice. I had to join them; there was no other o-option. I-I'm not as strong as you guys."

Tatsuro's tone didn't convey hostility or aggression, which appeared to ease Salman's tension. He hesitated and began to explain why he ended up as a bandit.

According to Salman, he had been a guard in Tofas. At that time, he was known as an exceptionally skilled dispelling magic user for his age, and he had even been praised as a promising rookie in the analysis division.

However, after the mayor of Tofas was killed, normal guards were either killed or forced into submission. Not wanting to die, Salman joined the bandits. It was during that time that the man in the crimson armor, known as Iyaruki, took an interest in him. He was compelled to level up forcibly and endured terrible experiences but persevered out of a strong desire to survive.

"Uh Yeah, I understand. I was a bandit, after all, even if it was to survive. I get it; I'll do as you say," Salman replied, sounding quite disheartened.

With Salman's reluctant consent, they decided to create a comfortable underground chamber in this secluded location, far from the main road. They didn't want to reveal the construction site, so they used dark magic to conceal it from Salman's sight. With Cardina's assistance using earth magic, they built the underground chamber.

The room included chairs, a table, a space to lie down, a bed with a covered, pull-out toilet, and a storage pantry for three days' worth of food. To avoid complete sealing, they provided several air holes leading to inconspicuous places on the surface.

What they put the most effort into was the floor, ceiling, and walls. Even if that mole-like magical creature came, it wouldn't be able to dig through, as they had added iron and used dark magic to make it the hardest possible material. It was a remarkable masterpiece of craftsmanship.

With this arrangement, it would be nearly impossible for Salman to break out from the inside, and the defense against intrusion by creatures was also quite robust. To open this space smoothly, it would require a combination of earth and dark magic equal to or exceeding Tatsuro's level, so there shouldn't be any issues.

"Alright, I've stored three days' worth of food in there. It's dragon meat, so it won't spoil, and you can even eat it raw" (Tatsuro)

"Dragon meat!?" Salman exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's surprising, huh?" (Tatsuro)

"Y-y-yes, it is. I mean, try selling dragon meat in the market. No matter how high the price, there'll be buyers. To think you'd give such a precious thing to me!" Salman said while stammering

Tatsuro and Ai had a considerable amount of dragon meat in their possession, likely more than they could consume until they found a way back to their original world. In their minds, it was of lower value than beef, more like a delicious preserved food.

However, Salman was deeply moved by the fact that they were giving him something so valuable. He hadn't experienced kindness from anyone for several years as a bandit, living in constant fear of being killed. Even if it was inexpensive meat from a local store, he would have been overjoyed.

While Salman was overwhelmed with emotion, he didn't realize that Tatsuro and Ai were rather disgusted with the situation.

"Well, if you like it, that's great," (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, right. Well, we're going now. We'll do our best to return as soon as possible" (Ai)

"Uh, yeah. If you can't come back, then I'll be with you in spirit! Do your best!" Salman said.

""Okay."" Tatsuro and Ai said in response.

Once outside, Tatsuro sealed the entrance completely, making it impossible to open. Then, as they took out a flying board from the [Item Box], Tatsuro suddenly paused.

"What's wrong?" (Ai)

"Oh, I just remembered I leveled up" (Tatsuro)

"Really? Is it because of what happened back then?" (Ai)

"Yeah, it was from that." (Tatsuro)

They had tried to avoid thinking about it as much as possible on their journey, but Tatsuro realized that his stats had changed significantly, so he couldn't avoid sharing this information. As they revisited the memory, the sensations from that time returned vividly, and a formless sense of anxiety and fear pressed upon his heart, dark and heavy.

Both of them knew each other's thoughts all too well, and they held hands, looking into each other's eyes to confirm that they shared this feeling.

Tatsuro couldn't help but wonder if he would have eventually broken if he had carried this burden alone. Tears welled up as he thought about it.

Ai, realizing that she hadn't burdened Tatsuro with such feelings, shed tears of gratitude.

They held each other, kissed, and held each other again.

The tears stopped flowing at that moment.