"What's that!"
Shade A corner of town. A shaved man shouts annoyedly in a different building than the ones with which the organization had talked the other day.
It is three men and women who hear the voice. Ten survivors who participated in the attack of the Duke's daughter.
Only three, including the red osprey who had not participated in the battle as a watchman and the diving swallows, the assault squad, were all able to survive the raid after the raid on the Duke's mansion.
"Do not make noise"
A tall man angry with a shaven head returns words annoyingly.
"Sure, it was unexpected."
The tall man who survived the confrontation with the Senjutsu magician, as well as the shavenhead, sighed, remembering the abilities of the opponent who caused the failed raid.
"It's not an unexpected story! Ten people trained and Zorozoro set up the invasion, and at the timing when the escort was not at the side, I used up more than thirty magic stones that seemed absurd forehead And, even though your opponent hit a place where you don't have a weapon, this is Zama! What is that magician! Why can you use a training wooden sword to destroy humans! "
The word of the shaven shouting for an answer is a common question that everyone here has. But no one can give a clear answer.
All I know, though, is that the mercenary, called the "Swordsman of the Thousand Swords," is a monumental monster that cannot be measured with our common sense.
"I can't help saying that it's gone."
"Yes. Complaining doesn't make a dead person survive."
A red osprey and a tall man lick a shaven head. That would not be even more convinced by the shaved head.
"So why do you want to rush into the dead area calmly? Are you okay with that ?! Well, dive swallows.
"I am--"
"Voice out"
When the shaven head talked and the swallow began to open his mouth, another man appeared in the room with four people.
"I don't think there's a guard here, but there's a bit of care."
Entering the room was a little man dressed like a day laborer. When the little boy closes the door, he moves into an empty space while taking in the eyes of four people and tells one-sidedly.
"Well, let's hear the report."
Atmosphere "Maybe the carrier pigeon looks great"
Despite the shaven head that is cursing, she tells the little boy what information she saw and heard.
The little man shook the other three to confirm and left the room quickly rather than saying that he had heard all the reports. Before leaving the room, he said, "Wait until the next child gathers."
"That's a shit! You're going to attack that monster again!"
Not a strange story. The raid was unsuccessful, but that doesn't mean the client or the top level of the organization will be comfortable. Matters Of course, the magician turns out to be much stronger than anticipated, and the foolishness of the opponent in the next raid will not be organized.
"It's not stupid. I'll avoid that next."
"Hmm, don't we have any choices!
A thousand swordsman is a dictator of the Duke's daughter, not an escort. Then just aim for when the magician is not with the Duke's daughter.
Of course, the protection of the Duke's daughter would have been stricter than before the raid. And at that time, you have to be a member with less ability than this time. It was no surprise that the cursing words that spit out from the bald head's mouth pop out.
The tall man left the room as soon as he was done, and then the shaved head went out of the room, spreading anger throughout his body.
A hand is placed on the shoulder to hold down the red osprey that tried to follow.
"what?"
At the point where the red osprey turned around was a dive swallow. In this situation where six out of ten could not survive due to the failure of their mission, the number of words in the swallows is truly low. She didn't show the cheerful expression she normally showed, but was calm as if she had been sucked into the enraged shaven.
"Red osprey ... what he said, what do you think?"
Such a dive swallow quietly asks the red osprey. Even if you do not say it, you may feel the same indignation as the shaved head and feel the swallow.
"As I said, it's no use saying that it's gone."
The whereabouts of the easy-going atmosphere went, and the expression of the swallow was serious.
"If you survive lucky enough to use it like this tool, it's the next task again. Is this the way I am until I die?"
"Yes, that's the role."
"I'm sorry. I'm sick of this time. How to live like a disposable piece."
"……so"
The red ospres replied plainly to the question of the dive swallow.
"Well, red osprey. Don't you think this is a chance?"
"What?"
"It's a chance to escape through the organization."
Red osprey heard it and thought it was a simple idea.
Repair: "I'm sure I'm in a hurry right now because of the unexpected pain. Six people in the royal capital have died, and I still haven't fulfilled my request. Organizations will do their best for the next raid, and at this point we'll be out and we won't have so many pursuers. ''
"If you want to get out, do you want to get out?"
It's not a problem for red osprey. I didn't mean to stop or tell the organization.
"..."
"Is the story over?"
The red osprey trying to leave the silent swallowing hand is still detained.
"Wait please"
"what?"
An unexpected word was thrown at the red osprey, who asked back with no expression.
"... would you come with me?"
"What?"
Unusually, distortion occurs in the face of the red osprey.
"Don't you know that you don't know how many more years you can live? Then you'll just be with me ..."
"I said I should do it, but I didn't say I would help."
"That's right. I'm not saying you'll help me."
The diving swallow denies by shaking his head, expressing more than words.
"You're better than staying in the organization as it is ... because I'm you ... no, with you-"
"No need. I'm not dissatisfied now."
The red osprey refused with a clear tone for the swallowing dive.
"It's because you don't know the outside world, because you live only in the cage of the organization. Once you see the other world," outside ", how much we are treated unreasonably You should understand. ''
Certainly, the world of red osprey is small.
Unlike dive swallows, who usually dress as merchants and come into contact with many humans and extend their activities outside the royal capital, red ospres do not leave the royal capital and they can count on humans who usually come in contact with both hands. I didn't. Any task given to the red osprey was sufficient.
Mebuki: "... I'm going to leave the royal capital this evening and head west. If you're worried about it, come to the inn called Niwasou no Kitei near the west gate at 25 o'clock. I'm waiting in the room at the back of the second floor. ''
"... I won't go"
Nevertheless, the swallow dived into the red osprey, who uttered a clear refusal, leaving the room leaving words as if pleading.
"Think, don't look away from the question. I don't have much time. If you want to get out of this cage, be sure to come to me tonight. I'll take you out of this prison."
That was the last word that swallows and red ospres exchanged.
Early morning the next day. A corpse of a man floating in a fountain is found in a park near the west gate of the Imperial City.
Kizuna "has not been done"
The little boy who suddenly came to the roost of the red osprey says the opening best.
"What is that?"
The little boy, dressed like a day laborer, smiled at the melting red osprey. The day before, he is a small man who plays the role of a pigeon who came to the four Red Ospreys who survived the attack on the Duke's daughter.
"Well, no one thought you would go down and follow the swallow."
In other words, it may be that the organization had a foresight from the beginning, such as the behavior of the swallow.
It was obvious that the little man would not bother to say that the man found early in the morning was a dive swallow.
The red osprey doesn't know where the information leaked. But again, the eyes and ears of an organization are not insultable. No matter how much the duke's assassination has failed, it's just as easy as killing one of the suspiciously assassins.
"The dive swallows are also stupid. If you leave the royal city at midnight, it would be like to ask them to get rid of them if they were wandering near the west gate before dawn."
Only the red osprey's eyes react slightly to the little boy's sneer.
"What happened? Is there anything you want to say?"
"... separately"
In response to the lonely red osprey, the little boy threw a small amulet from his bosom.
"what is this?"
Suspicion When he received it with one hand, the red osprey asked a small man while observing closely.
"It's a dive swallow. You've seen him hanging down from his waist on a chain, right?"
"See you?"
The red osprey stares at the amulet on his palm.
It has a circular shape with a diameter of about 3 cm, and is made up of a main body cut from a piece of wood and leather covering it. It doesn't shine like metal, nor does it color like jewelry. Stylish The simple form made up of only the shades of brown would be a dive like a duck that did not look like a dive.
But I've seen this amulet swaying on the swallow's waist several times, even with red osprey. Plus, if the little boy says it's a keepsake, it's definitely a diving swallow.
"Why me?"
"Are you out of focus? Or do you really know?"
The little boy turned his gaze on the red osprey, as if he couldn't guess, but immediately switched his expression and turned his back, gently raising one hand.
Gosei “Either way is fine. Don't throw it away, sell it, take care of it, or love it.”
The little man disappears from the roost of the red osprey, saying that this is the end of his business. For a while after the little man left, the red osprey stared at the little amulet in his hand with his emotionless eyes.