Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 156: “The Demon Lord’s Territory & ‘Town of Nosa’ Joint Investigation Team, Moves in the Shadows (4)”
──A few minutes after Thor and his group discovered the cabin, inside──
『Vuooooooo!?』
『Guaaaaaaooo!?』
『Kyain-kya──in!』
The door to the cabin burst open, and the “Dark Wolves” leapt into the room.
“What the hell!?”
“Why are the Dark Wolves inside the cabin!?”
The men inside grabbed their weapons.
The Dark Wolves were supposed to be tied up outside as guard dogs.
It should have been impossible for them to get inside the cabin.
“Get outside! The employer leader will be back any minute!”
“You’re supposed to be on perimeter guard duty!”
The men tried to intimidate the Dark Wolves.
But the magic beasts didn’t even look at the swords and spears thrust toward them.
Instead, the beasts turned their faces toward the doorway, trembling in fear.
Then──
『『『Vuoooo──! Kyain, kyain!!』』』
The five Dark Wolves began to panic.
They approached the wall opposite the door, then suddenly stopped as if sensing something. Trembling, they darted off in a different direction.
Some of them lost their bearings and rammed into furniture.
Others, not knowing what to do, curled up in the middle of the room and kept howling.
The men couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Dark Wolves are called assassins of the forest.
They’re violent magical beasts that even attack creatures larger than themselves.
That’s why the employer leader used the “Beast Tamer” skill to command them.
As the ultimate guard dogs.
Yet those same Dark Wolves were now trembling in fear.
“H-Hey! Calm down!!”
“The employer leader should have set us as their superiors, right!? Why won’t they listen!?”
“Stop running around! There are valuable things in here──”
Besides, the Dark Wolves were supposed to be tied up outside.
They had collars on, and their ropes were tied to trees. But the ropes had been cut.
That’s why they were able to burst into the cabin.
Which meant someone outside had cut those ropes.
But then, why didn’t the Dark Wolves attack whoever did it──
『『『Bau-bau! Gyau-gyau! Kyain-kyain!』』』
“Gah!”
One of the men was knocked to the floor by a charging Dark Wolf, crying out in pain.
Another man, seeing this, grabbed a net hanging on the wall.
It was designed to restrain the Dark Wolves. Made of thin metal, it had weights on all sides.
Their employer leader had prepared it just in case.
The employer leader had left to prepare for negotiations.
They had to stop the rampaging Dark Wolves themselves.
Thinking that, the men spread the net. As they timed their movement to throw it over the wolves──
“‘By the name of wind and darkness, rage forth!’──‘Dark Wind!’”
Whoosh.
A violent gust of wind blasted through the doorway, blowing the men away.
“Guh!?”
“A-A magic attack… from an intruder!?”
“It’s a non-lethal spell. No problem. We’ll counterattack at once──”
The men tried to get back on their feet.
But another gust of wind struck and sent them flying again.
“S-So fast!?”
“How can they cast spells this quickly!?”
“Could it be… the legendary Instant Caster!?”
“Dark Wind” is a spell that subdues enemies with a violent gust.
It’s usually used for surprise attacks──there’s no way it could be used in such quick succession.
“‘By the name of wind──rage forth!’ ‘By the name of wind──rage forth!’ ‘By the name of wind──rage forth!’!!”
Yet the chanting and gusts didn’t stop.
Cold wind howled through the cabin, pinning the men in place.
Fwoooooooooooosh!
“““Uwaaaaaaaaaah!?”””
『『『──Voaah!? Kyain, kyain…』』』
The cold wind sapped the magical beasts’ body heat, dulling their movements.
The room was filled with swirling gales, making it impossible to stand.
And then, a different spell was cast.
“‘Bless this place where no light reaches’──‘Lighting!’”
What flew in through the window was a glowing sphere──just a light.
The men, being experienced fighters, weren’t surprised by a simple light spell.
If it had only been one or two.
“‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’ ‘Light──bless.’!!”
“““Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”””
A swarm of over twenty lights bleached the men’s vision.
The Dark Wolves, too, were panicking from the storming winds and mass of glowing orbs.
Some were completely disoriented, repeatedly ramming into the walls.
A few were frozen stiff, foaming at the mouth.
The men turned their gazes toward the cabin’s entrance──and beyond the open door──they saw something red and triangular.
It hadn’t been there before.
“The enemy is attacking from beyond the door!”
“Don’t rush out! It’s an ambush!!”
The men shouted.
The enemy was probably after “that box.”
They weren’t coming inside because they were afraid of a counterattack.
The men thought.
If the employer leader returned, victory would be theirs.
They just had to buy some time. No problem.
The enemy wouldn’t use destructive magic because they didn’t want to damage “the box”──
Thinking that, they kept their eyes fixed on the cabin entrance.
And that’s why…
They didn’t notice the intruder coming in through the window.
“Excuse me.”
“I ask that you prepare yourself.”
A figure crept up from behind and twisted the man’s arm.
Just like that, the men were brought down to the floor, their arms bound and eyes blindfolded.
It all happened in a matter of seconds.
—
“W-What the hell!?”
“Please be quiet. I will ease your pain now.”
One of the intruders draped a pitch-black coat over one of the men.
Then, immediately after making a motion as if pouring magical power—
—
“The sound… disappeared!?”
The man strained his ears desperately, but heard nothing.
All he could hear was his own voice, his breathing, and the beating of his heart.
Even the footsteps or scent of the “Dark Wolves” had vanished.
—
“…Am I… dead?”
His vision was blocked by the blindfold. His hands and feet were tied—he couldn’t move.
He could see nothing. Hear nothing. Do nothing.
Even if a sword was about to be plunged into him right now, he wouldn’t know.
He could do nothing but die.
What rose up within him was fear.
Their warrior bodies, supposed to be used to battle, trembled in this abnormal situation.
Eventually, a scream welled up from deep in his throat—
—
“I-I don’t want this. Stop… please help meeeee!!”
—
The men could only writhe on the floor.
—Thor’s Point of View—
“Thank you for your hard work, Erte-san, Dorothy-san, Misana-san.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m glad it ended without incident.”
“””………………”””
Huh? Why do Erte-san, Dorothy-san, and Misana-san all look like they’re not satisfied?
We’re inside a cabin located southeast of the town of Zaigan.
In the corner of the room, the men Dorothy-san and Misana-san tied up are lying on the floor.
They’re blindfolded and have been covered with the reversed side of the “Noise Cancelling Coat.” In this state, they can’t hear any surrounding sounds at all.
No matter what we say, there’s no risk of them overhearing.
So we can talk calmly.
By the way, the “Dark Wolves” are restrained with nets.
The frightened beasts had stopped moving, so it was easy to throw the net over them. On top of that, we applied a “Chain Lock” and fixed them in “Earth Lock” mode.
Of course, we also lined up “traffic cones” next to them.
Apparently, the threat display effect of tightly packed traffic cones is quite powerful—the “Dark Wolves” fainted with foam at their mouths.
The neutralization was a success.
“Thor-sama’s containment strategy was a great success!”
“This is… the power of Canaan-sama.”
Mabel and Sophia seemed deeply moved.
They both did their best, after all.
Especially Sophia, who, despite using the “Noise Cancelling Coat” to erase her presence, properly set up the traffic cones around the cabin.
This kind of thing isn’t something a princess should be doing, though.
“…Mabel-sama-sama and the imperial princess seem quite moved.”
“…Is this normal in the Demon Lord’s Domain?”
“…Being able to subdue the enemy safely was a good thing.”
But Erte-san, Dorothy-san, and Misana-san were tilting their heads.
I explained the plan properly before the operation, though.
That we would subdue the beasts using the “Traffic Cones” and the “Noise Cancelling Coat.”
First, we used the “Noise Cancelling Coat” to hide our presence, then set up traffic cones in positions surrounding the cabin.
After that, we cut the ropes that were tying the wolves.
The “Traffic Cones” had Dark Wolf fur inserted into them, activating the intimidation effect.
Surrounded like that, the frightened Dark Wolves ran into the cabin.
If the beasts rushed inside, the cabin would be thrown into chaos.
Then we blasted a bunch of magic via the “IC Recorder” to distract the enemy, and while their attention was diverted, Erte, Dorothy, and Misana restrained the humans inside.
That was the plan this time. I’m glad it worked.
“And this is what they were storing?”
I looked around the cabin.
In the center of the room was a black, shiny box.
Its height was just under a meter. It was a rectangular prism with a large door attached. The door had a handle to open it, and something like a dial.
The door was sealed tightly, with almost no gaps.
It was of a design I’d never seen in this world. No doubt it was from another world.
“This is… the ‘box,’ right?”
“Yes. Most likely, without a doubt.”
“So this is a magic item from another world…”
Sophia, Mabel, and I gazed at the box, murmuring.
It was something summoned from another world along with the magical beasts.
Taken away during the confusion of the chaos, and something the Empire has been searching for ever since.
We had finally found the mysterious, unknown item known only as—“the box.”