Kays Translations

Chapter 401: Late-Night Battle

　The wedding reception ended without any problems, and two days later the village chief’s family decided to part ways with their married daughter and return home.

　Tauro and the others were, of course, their escort.

　The newlyweds see off the village chief and his family, and the two carriages of the villagers who are escorting them, to which Tauro and the others are the last to board and depart.

　In the middle of all this,  Mage Baron Wasan approached Tauro and his friends.

“You guys, when you finish this escort mission, why don’t you become officers for us? I’m only a Mage Baron, so I’m not a big deal, but I’m confident that my lord, Count Graunewald, trusts me. Thanks to him, he’s entrusted me with this city. So, I think I’ll have enough income to pay your salary. I also want you to continue training my son.”

　Mage Baron Wasan is very happy that his spoiled son had grown, and he seems to think highly of Tauro and the others who helped him achieve this.

　I’m already the son of your boss, Count Graunewald.

　Tauro replied inwardly, but refrained from saying so directly.

“Mage Baron. I appreciate your invitation, but we live proudly as adventurers. Besides, I didn’t say anything because I thought you might notice, but this is who I am.”

　Tauro whispered and took out the certificate of his territory inspectorship from his magic storage and showed it to him.

“! T-This is…!? A proof of authority to act on behalf of the lord ……! M-my apologies…! So you were the inspector who recently subjugated the bandits…!…… I didn’t think you really existed!”

　The magician, Baron Wasan, looked as if he was going to prostrate himself, so Tauro hurriedly stopped him.

 “So, your son’s attempts to handle things by dueling are not very well-liked here in Count Graunewald’s Earldom, so please refrain from doing so from now on.”

　Tauro thought that Baron Wasan might have been condoning the actions of his spoiled son, so he put the nail on him.

 “I am sorry, too, ……. I am ashamed. My son seems to be feeling remorseful. I’ll keep an eye out in the future to make sure this doesn’t happen again…!”

　Mage Baron Wasan bowed his head repeatedly in a humble voice to Tauro.

　The people who were watching from a distance looked confused.

“Well then, coachman-san, please get us out of here.”

　Tauro asked the coach to start.

　And so we left  the city of Wasan.

　The return journey home was slow and leisurely, as we rocked in the horse-drawn carriage.

　The village chief, perhaps relieved to see his daughter so happy, was smiling the whole way.

　Some of the villagers were quietly depressed, perhaps still lingering over seeing their beloved young miss as a bride, but unlike the trip there, on the way back everyone felt at peace, feeling that they had accomplished their mission.

　That night, we decided to spend the night in a nearby village.

　Tauro and his team were properly alert to their surroundings in place of the relaxed villagers.

　Since they were still in the village, however, there was not much they could be on guard against, but they still had to be careful of attacks by the remnants of the assassination guild.

　And then, late at night.

“Wake up, Tauro. Something is surrounding us outside.”

　Ragune, who was on guard duty at this time, came into Tauro’s room to wake him up.

“……something?”

　Tauro’s “presence detection” hadn’t picked up anything, so he immediately went to check outside the window.

　The moonlight reflected the shadows of several people.

　However, there was still no sign of anyone in the “presence detection”.

“it looks like the puppeteer from the remnants. But still, I can see quite a few figures just by looking. …… Ragune, go wake up Zion too.”

　Tauro asks Ragune.

　Then, Ankh woke up when he noticed that Tauro had woken up.

“…Leader, what’s wrong?”

“I think the enemy is here. Stay alert.”

“They have the audacity to attack us in our own village.”

　Ankh quickly got up and picked up his greatsword.

　A sleepy Zion came out of the room, but when she noticed Tauro, she stood up straight, became tense, and a black mist appeared from her leather armor, taking the shape of a hooded figure.

“Okay then, let’s go.”

　Tauro and the others jumped out of the upstairs window to avoid involving the villagers.

　Once on the street, the figures surrounding the inn began to gather around Tauro and his friends, who were the very targets of the crowd.

　At a rough count, there were more than twenty of them.

　If he had made contracts with so many people through hypnosis and was controlling them as puppets, was the last time just a probing attempt?

　As Tauro was on guard, the clouds covering the moon cleared, illuminating the figures.

“A walking corpse?!”

　Tauro and the others were surprised at the identity of the people surrounding them.

　They were obviously decomposing bodies or skeletons in tattered clothes, although they had probably been human before their deaths.

“I see, so they decided that it would be faster to scavenge and manipulate the bodies in the village cemetery than to make and prepare puppets in a short period of time.”

　Ragune was impressed.

“So you’re telling me these guys aren’t walking corpses?”*

　Ankh wrinkled his nose and in disgust at the strong smell of rotting corpses, let alone skeletons.

“So, does that mean ‘Sanctuary’ magic wouldn’t work on them?”

　Zion had begun to chant a spell to combat the walking corpses, but stopped.

“I’m sure the puppeteer’s lurking nearby, so I’ll go find them. Everyone, I’m leaving these to you.”

　Tauro left the swarm of walking corpses to Ragune and the others, and concentrated on his “presence detection” skill.

　There are inns and private houses clustered around the area, so there are many signs of people who appear to be sleeping.

　Among them, Tauro began searching for any sign of the two men in question.

　Meanwhile, the swarm of walking corpses attacks Tauro, trying not to let that happen.

　However, Ragune, showing her shield ability, stands in the way and blows away the walking corpses.

　Ankh, too, disgustedly slices the rotting corpse in half.

　He could have cut them off with a flying slash, but since they were inside the village, he wanted to avoid any other damage.

　Zion crushed the skeletons with her fist, leaving the rotting corpses to Ankh.

　While each was doing his part, Tauro sensed the presence of the puppeteer in the upstairs window of a house.

　There is another presence nearby, but it is not that of the hypnotist.

　The hypnotist seems to be on the ground floor beside another presence.

　It Looks like he is either taking them hostage or hypnotizing them over to their side…

　But Tauro’s “true eyes” see its silhouette.

　Tauro aimed his bow and arrow at the silhouette of the puppeteer on the second floor of the house.

　The arrow emits a sharp white light.

　The puppeteer on the second floor must have noticed it.

　He rushed away from the window.

“…… can’t get away with it, then, can you?”

　Tauro muttered and shot an arrow of light toward the second floor wall.

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