Seirei no Moribito

Malice lurking in the village ③

"You got it surprisingly easy"

Building on the origins of the Northern “Spirit Faith," the village chief was steadily preparing himself for the ritual, laughing in a good mood at the reports Laura and the others had brought.

Even when it came to rituals, it was simply an easy thing for the village chief himself to endure the life of a "tribute".

"I thought I'd have a little more difficulty... Kuck, so much so that I'm starting to worry the other way around"

While polishing the ritual sword used to kill the "tribute” carefully with a cloth, the village chief spins the words without making anyone listen.

Leo, the contractor of "The Great Spirit Ifried” who betrayed "…" The Spirit Tree ”.... If I sacrifice him, will the" Spirit Tree "admit I have qualities too... no, I will definitely make him admit it. This me-"

Reflecting his own creepy smile on a surface that glows like a mirror, strictly says the village chief.

"-" But you really deserve it. "

With a grin that I really think I am, the village chief stood up.

Hiding a short knife for self-defense, with a ritual sword of extraction in her right hand, she begins to descend the stairs of the hidden passage.

The sound of the shoe hitting the stairs and the old wooden door opened was the altar of the "Witch of the Spirit Tree", where the candle lights swayed unreliably.

There were several villagers inside, and naturally Laura appeared there.

"Dear Village Chief,"

"Thank you for your hard work, Laura. You've bought me time so I can carry on the ritual without him noticing."

"Words without a body, mayor."

a glance at Laura, bowing her head respectfully,

"You advised him to make a misleading statement, so I'll write it off."

"!... noticed, were you there...?

"Naturally. Laura, you've been shaking lately. No, should I say I'm grinding? I don't know what you have left, but I'm here to protect this village..."

Hide your true thoughts, the village chief assures you.

"Laura, I'm gonna cut you loose."

"... Yes, I'm sorry, Master Murakami"

"No, you just have to know"

Uncomfortably, Laura lowered her head and went straight back to the left hand of the altar, which was a fixed position, erecting a cane made of trees supposedly producing water and swinging it down quietly.

Sharangh, the bell attached to both the wand and sleeve sounds a pleasant tone,

"From now on, the witch begins the ritual of offering the best tribute to the Protector and the Spirit Tree."

"I, the village chief, will approve. Come on... it's actually the first" tribute "I've had in two years. Now we'll live in peace for the next three years."

The village chief advances his feet to the front of the altar.

In the same way, the temples made of trees and the soft and large stones made of special materials are placed there. And lying powerless on it is this “tribute," Leo.

In order not to let the magic captured in the body escape outside, conversely, to prevent the use of the technique, the whole body is bathed in the holy water of the "Magic Seal", where the power of the slight Spirit resides, so water droplets drip from clothes and hair to produce dark stains. And there are traces of blood claiming themselves on the stones around the chest, and Leo's sword is placed a little further away, a thorough gesture that prevents him from immediately fighting back even if he wakes up.

But there's nothing too cautious about it. Especially if it's Leo.

Where Laura says, "Spirit lover." For the village chief to know, “Great Spirit Ifried” protected incarnation of flames. And he has the strength to use two swords magnificently and just overwhelm Laura.

The defeat of the advanced magic, Ground Crusher, with a single blow of the fire attribute, which would be an intermediate move, is a clear indication that the dimensions are already different. Just in case.

(... there's nothing you can't do to make it this far)

Pushing and killing the anxiety that gushed in his heart, the village chief erected a ritual sword.

Only candle lights are in the light source, carefully polished swords reflect light,

"... Now we're settled"

The village chief waved down Leo's sword in his heart.

At the edge of his sight, Laura missed her face sadly - kiiyingly, the ritual sword broke from its roots and fragments flew.

"Hey, what... ugh!?"

At the moment when the sword stabbed, Leo opened his eyes and avoided the sword, and the ritual sword, which was consequently brittle metal, broke unbearably to the strength of the stone.

Yeah, I know that far.

"Why... I can move in this situation!

Just in case. He planted three consecutive high alcohol, poison dishes and sleeping pills, and applied the technique to make the technique unusable. It must be quite a burden on you, and normally you can even wake up before you move. But in fact, Leo stood up and sent a special show.

Where he reached for his gain and tried to grab it, the village chief retrieved me and threw a ceremonial sword broken in reflexes with his right hand.

To avoid it, Leo had to move his right hand, and in that gap the village chief pulls out the short knife he had hidden in his hip and hits Leo.

"Laura, a chant!

"Oh, yes!

Speaking to Laura, who was equally grumpy, the village chief harnessed his anterior motor nerves to sharply protrude his short knife.

To Leo, who avoids that attack at his leisure, the village chief nevertheless keeps attacking. To the right, to the left, he acted as he narrowed down the place where he could escape in a narrow basement, hunting Leo down to the wall with an unshort intercourse. The village chief stepped back after putting in a blow of restraint,

"Ringing and roaring, zero falling special sword." Silfie Laure "!

Moments, at an exquisite time, Laura's chanted magic is activated and the blade of the wind strikes Leo from the right, left and front three directions.

"The sun radiation of a pouring sensation of universe." Flare Line "!

determined inevitable, Leo chanted at an incomparable rate with Laura,

"Oh, it won't activate!?"

"... it's my checkmate"

The blade pierced Leo from wall to wall with a tremendous roar.

Without placing himself in a storm of sand and dust, the village chief observes carefully whether there are any moving figures.

The silence that came abruptly subsided with the dust that was slowly dancing, there,

"... in that state, you ran away?

It was just a pile of collapsed unbroken debris and the existence of a hidden passage that seemed to exist beyond it.

"Is that why you were more troublesome than I thought... Laura!

"Yes."

"You go after Leo from the ground. I'm going after him from this hidden passage. His weapon... how long?"

His two swords, which should have been placed on the stone, had disappeared without form, and he struck his tongue like that.

"You guys, keep an eye on the village exit. If anything happens, let me know."

"Yes, mayor."

Leaving the scene to the villagers who nodded to Eagle Yang, the village chief walked out of a hidden passage he didn't even know about, with feelings resembling frustration.

"Keho, keho... oh, you hit me worse than I thought..."

Leo was running desperately with his legs moving as he struggled with the tiredness that struck his entire body.

An intense sleeper who suddenly attacked me while I was talking to Laura. In contrast, Leo activated "Spirituality” aggressively.

The art of getting the spirits to help you get started and activate it. Such a technique as a return to consciousness when negative emotions such as malice, hostility, or intent to kill are imminent. Most importantly, it's a rather special technique that only Leo the Spirit's Beloved can do.

And that was one or eight bets, but apparently Laura didn't notice. Otherwise, Leo would be dead by now.

Even more fortunate is the existence of a hidden passage with no idea how it got there. Without this, Leo would have challenged a frontal breakthrough and, honestly, a second bet he didn't know if he could win.

(Just a sleeping pill, just a "magic seal"... I will pay much attention to what a mercenary looks like... Did you think I was an exception, or did you know I existed in advance...)

With a hand that doesn't move well, he holds his own love knife in his hips, which he successfully hides and takes away the signs, and Leo still thinks with a head that doesn't turn well.

(... Ifried said, “malice” and “hostility" in this village... and “killing." After all, is it best to think of the village chief as a mastermind... nevertheless)

holding on to the flank wounds suffered by attacks that could not be offset by the “spiritual art” activated in the aggressive

(Poor thing, I was... I meant to be vigilant, but I was proud of myself... I wasn't vigilant. At least, I don't care what you think of approaching Laura)

I can only say from others that it was just pride, such as showing one's strength in a phrase that weirdly upside-down.

And compared to the information obtained from it,

"Wow... all I know is that Laura's mother is a Western rebel nation"

What a fruitless achievement.

Leo, who was only embarrassed through his anger, held his head in oblivion of the critical situation,

"The" witch ”comes from the people of the West... from which it is conceivable that the village chief is behind the scenes after all..."

Where we reached the same conclusion again, fumbled, Leo froze his spine on one thought.

(… the people of the West are peoples that have grown up with the close encounter of peoples destroyed by the "Spirit Tree”, with colorful characteristics such as red eyes and blue hair. So I asked Laura that, and she said, "If I say so, I don't."... If that's true, this village is -)

A badly distorted and vicious nest, beyond Leo's control.

"That's not good... that's why Yfried said, 'Be careful'... it sounds like I was mistaken in a big way"

To his own great mistake, which he gradually realized, Leo hurriedly jumped out to the place where the light plunged in to escape.

A strong and dazzling light irritated Leo's eyes,

"- I've been waiting for you, Leo"

Behind a voice full of charity, like an angel, Laura stood faceless, holding Leo back from going.