Kays Translations

Chapter 162: The Man, Samurai Mask

A dilapidated mountain cabin.

From the gaps in its decaying wooden walls, screams and laughter of men echoed.

"Hahaha! What's wrong? I'd like to see some guts from you scoundrels!"

The man swinging a blood-stained sword and shouting had half his face covered with a Hannya mask. Two men lay bloodied at his feet. One had already breathed his last, and the other, barely clinging to life, seemed unlikely to survive.

A few meters away, three men were brandishing their swords, but they all seemed hesitant. Their spirit had already been broken more by their opponent's presence than his skill.

The two henchmen exchanged uneasy glances as they sent their gazes toward their leader, a burly man clad in tattered leather armor. He was a head taller than the rest. "This is not the time to rely on me," he thought to himself. The leader clicked his tongue inwardly.

How did it come to this? They had been celebrating a successful ambush of a carriage just moments ago, drinking and reveling with their henchmen. Then, out of nowhere, they were attacked by a lunatic in a mask and a cloak, turning their celebration into a nightmare.

Overwhelmed by the stench of blood that now overpowered the cabin's musty odor, the leader wiped his sweat and grease-stained mustache with his hand.

"Do you scum know who we are, the Mad Dog Brothers!?"

He put on a show of bravado, but the masked man, Samurai Mask, showed no fear, only a mocking smile.

"Haha! What a ridiculously cheesy epitaph!"

"Says the perverted mask-wearer!"

The leader, his beard trembling, raised his axe and charged recklessly. It was not so much an act of courage as an act of desperation born out of fear.

Samurai Mask calmly observed his opponent's movements.

...How slow compared to a charging boar. They should be sharper, quicker, more powerful, and more graceful.

A simple step to the right to evade. The leader's axe cut through the air, but Samurai Mask's sword sliced deep into the leader's side.

"G-gah..."

The leader, trying to hold his eviscerated organs in place with his hand, stumbled a few steps forward before collapsing. Samurai Mask lost interest in the fallen leader, who let out pitiful cries, and turned his attention to the remaining two henchmen.

However, they were nowhere to be seen.

"They fled...?"

Samurai Mask muttered with irritation. The dilapidated cabin had more escape routes than just doors and windows.

The choice to pursue or not crossed his mind but was immediately dismissed. Chasing recklessly in the mountains might lead to an unexpected counterattack. There were plenty of places for ambush in the shadows of trees and on the branches.

Besides, there was something he needed to do now. Samurai Mask cast his eyes to a corner of the room. There, the cargo that had been stolen from the merchant was piled up.

In a certain merchant's residence, an elderly man stared in disbelief at the precious metals laid out on the table before him.

"Oh, you've really recovered it..."

"I brought what I could carry alone. The larger cargo is still in the cabin; you can send people to retrieve it later."

The reception room was surrounded by valuable furnishings, and in the midst of it all, Samurai Mask stood out with his peculiar atmosphere. It wasn't his appearance that was unusual, but rather his behavior that left the elderly head of this merchant family puzzled.

"Forgive me for being impertinent, but isn't it common for adventurers to be less than honest in times like these? For example, this ring could easily fit in your pocket."

"Do you want to know why I'm returning it?"

"Please, do tell."

"Because I am Samurai Mask."

"I see, is that so?"

The head of the household didn't know whether the answer was satisfying or not, so he ambiguously nodded.

“That was the contract, as long as you paid me the regular fee. I keep my promises, and you merchants do the same, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Is this really okay? The clan leader tilted his head in doubt as he picked up a single gold coin from the pile of precious metals and placed it in front of the samurai mask with a distinct sound.

"Certainly."

Nodding in agreement, the samurai mask pocketed the gold coin. The clan leader, who was on guard, feared that there might be some catch or accusation, but the samurai mask simply stood up and turned away.

"Are you really, truly fine with just this...?"

The clan leader, deeply ingrained with distrust of adventurers, couldn't help but ask. Not being told anything made him even more anxious.

"If you're worried that we adventurers might pilfer your treasures when returning them, you can use the money to cover the medical expenses of your injured servants," 

Samurai Mask suggested.

"...They abandoned the carriage and fled."

The head of the household said with a resentful expression. Although they had recovered the cargo, he couldn't forgive his servants' incompetence.

"They are not warriors; they would have been killed if they had tried to resist. Instead of that, shouldn't we praise them for reporting back without running away?"

The head of the household thought that they had nowhere to go even if they had fled, but he didn't voice this. Samurai Mask's words made some sense, after all.

The head of the household had accumulated irritation toward his servants. Samurai Mask seemed to have sensed this and, in a gentle tone, continued.

"If they remain alive, there will be opportunities for them to redeem themselves."

It seemed like Samurai Mask was addressing the head of the household while also speaking to himself, as if reminding himself.

"If you welcome them warmly and treat them kindly, they will surely feel gratitude towards their lord and become loyal. True loyal subjects are not born loyal but are nurtured through bonds."

Having said that, Samurai Mask realized he had spoken too much and shook his head in embarrassment.

"...I apologize; it was my unsolicited opinion."

"No, no, it was a valuable conversation. I have various thoughts about how to treat my servants, but perhaps this time, I should follow the advice of an adventurer."

"Not an adventurer, but Samurai Mask!"

Samurai Mask twirled his cloak, making a swishing sound, and pointed his finger straight ahead with a flourish.

"Farewell then! Whenever you're in trouble, don't hesitate to call upon the great Samurai Mask! Hahaha!"

Leaving behind hearty laughter, Samurai Mask hurriedly departed down the corridor.

"What in the world was that...?"

Left behind, the head of the household could only stand there in bewilderment.

This was just one example of Samurai Mask's activities, and the sight of people muttering, "What's that?" and standing frozen in amazement could be seen all over the town.

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