Kays Translations

Chapter 60 – Consideration of the Barrier

“So, who are you?”

This adventurer-like man had his hands and feet bound and both legs injured. Despite this, he had the guts not to let out even a single moan.

I guess, now that it’s come to this, I wish he would just come clean.

“……”

But no matter how many times I asked him, he never opened his mouth.

I asked Urgan and the others to strip him of all his leather armor and clothes. But all he had on him was a sword, a knife, and a leather bag containing a few gold coins.

“He had nothing to prove his identity. He doesn’t even carry an adventurer’s card.”

“You see, even if he were an adventurer, he would not be able to prove it. If he were an adventurer and something happened to him, would there be any retaliation from the …… guild?”

Even if that happens, we can deal with it in the village, but it will be troublesome if it becomes difficult to trade with the city.

“The guild will not be able to take any responsibility for the death of an adventurer in the middle of a request. It is all their own responsibility, so it is not possible.”

“Well, that’s a relief for the time being. By the way, do you recognize this face?”

Urugan and Uruuk said, “I think we’ve seen him several times at bars in town.” but we don’t know who they are.

If that’s the extent of their recognition, it’s not likely that he is a pawn of some trading company.

If it was a council-led reconnaissance, they would have planned it more meticulously and arranged for highly skilled professionals. It’s not as if they would have been caught so easily.

“If you don’t tell us anything more, we’ll just get rid of you, but you don’t want to …… beg for your life, do you?”

“……?”

“Okay, I’m done–“

“Wait, I’ll talk! I’m an adventurer in town,……. I’m an adventurer in town, , and I’ve been exploring the village for a while now.”

He’s finally ready to talk.

“Where’s your adventurer’s card? And can you tell me who asked you to do this?”

“I buried and hid my adventurer’s ID card before entering the forest. The client instructed me to do so at ……. The client was a man who approached me at the bar, but I didn’t see his face clearly because he was wearing a hood. I swear!”

“You mean you got a request from a guy you don’t even know?”

Immediately after the agreement with the council was signed, there was a ban on trespassing into the Great Forest. And it comes with severe penalties. In such a situation, would you accept a request easily?

“No,……I just jumped at the chance because the reward was so unbeatable.”

According to the adventurer, he was given a considerable amount of money in advance. He was promised more, depending on the information he received. If all went well, he will be able to live and play for a year.

“Did he give you any specific instructions regarding the reconnaissance of the village?”

“Anything about the village. …… The number and characteristics of the otherworldly people, and also about the crops they are growing in the village and the size of their farmland, which they buy at a high price. That’s what I was told.”

“What else?”

“He said if there were any tools or buildings he hadn’t seen before, and their characteristics, this would be worth a lot too. That’s all …… requested.”

I don’t know if he’s telling the truth, but none of them lead to identifying the client. Whether it’s about Japanese people or tools, it’s information that anyone would be interested in.

“Hey, ……, can you help me? I’ll do anything! I don’t care if I have to be a slave, just help me!”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, no! Then–“

The silence that he had just shown was replaced by a fuss, and I shut him up by covering his mouth. I don’t think this man has any loyalty to me. He will flatter anyone depending on the money.

“I’m going to verify my skills now, so just be vigilant of your surroundings.”

I told Urgan and the others and spread out the grounds to surround him as he lay on the ground.

In the flashing stage, even if there were people inside the barrier, they would not be expelled and would remain there. This is what i found out when we caught him earlier.

Then, in this state, what would happen if the barrier was fixed? That’s what I wanted to try this time.

Goblins and other monsters disappear as soon as the site is expanded. They remained gone even after the site was fixed. However, when the site was released, they returned to their original location. As for ordinary animals, they remained in place even after the barrier was fixed. This much has already been verified.

So what happens when the target is a human being? I didn’t want to try it on villagers or slaves. I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by.

“Then I will fix the site.”

As soon as I declared that and fixed the site, he disappeared in front of my eyes in an instant.

With a thud, he fell into a hole nearby. Apparently, he had been transferred to the place of banishment that I had designated. When I looked into the hole, I saw him lying there, still tied up.

“I see, so this is what happens to people. I didn’t give them permission to enter, so it’s like they were automatically eliminated.”

With this, one more consideration of the barrier was advanced. Incidentally, the following is what we know so far.

1. Living monsters and vegetation, which includes stumps, return to their original state when the barrier is removed.

2. Trees, fallen leaves, and magic stones that have been cut down are no longer treated as life. Since they are originally formed by magical elements, they are converted into magical elements and disappear when the barrier is created.

3. The converted magical element is absorbed into the earth when the barrier is lifted. However, the living things will return to their original state. The mechanism is unknown.

4. Ordinary animals that are not monsters are not formed by magic elements, so they remain in their original state. The reason why they are not removed from the wards is unknown, but it is believed that it is because they do not mean any harm to the village. The same is true for horses and Crook birds.

5. Artifacts such as houses and tools in the former rabbit village remained intact even after the barrier was fixed. Since barriers cannot be done outside the forest, it is not known if it is also effective for buildings in towns.

6. The site cannot be expanded outside of the Great Forest. There is a possibility that the blessing of the great god has an effective range, and there is a possibility that there are magical elements unique to the Great Forest.

In addition to these, we now know that

7. When the barrier is fixed by involving people, they are banished, including the ropes that restrain them, and transferred to the designated place. In the flashing state, the person is not expelled, but remains in place. Since the person is not composed of magical elements, it is not converted into a barrier.

There are holes in some of the considerations. I don’t think all of them are correct, but I think we are on the right track.

By the way, I tried removing the barrier with the sword at the place where the goblin disappeared or where there was a tree, but it was restored with the sword piercing through it. Of course the goblin is dead, and the sword is stuck in the tree. I was horrified when I saw the test results.

If you remove the barrier while there are people in the village, it will be a terrible situation. On a day when you assimilate with a tree…it’s a disaster. It will be a special move against foreign enemies, but it can never be used casually. I told myself so.

“So–wait, Village Chief!”

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking.”

“No, I was outside the barrier. I hope you’ll be careful.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I was so careless.”

“Now, what do you want to do about this one?”

“I have no obligation to give out information about the village to any of these people. He will be rewarded for his money.”

If I let him go, it will have a negative impact on me and the village. I would not want to inadvertently add something to the situation and then regret it later on. I would not let that happen.

“Then we’ll take care of the rest.”

“No, no, I’ll do it myself. At least I’ll make sure he’ll  get out of here without suffering.”

After dealing with the intruder and conducting valuable verification, i returned to the village.

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