「Iyaa, there's still way to go, isn't it」
Though the number of blood trees that I found was none but one.
After I stowed the red drop into a small bottle and brought it back along with the black ebony, I saw that Drai and Ruu were still in the middle of clearing the forest.
「GUH, So hard」
That's Drai's voice.
The axe swung by Drai is making a dry sound, it was repelled by the trunk of the tree. The whitish-grey colored tree and shrub wasn't even nicked.
Despite the fact that the surrounding trees have been chopped down, there's still one of them who continues to stand firmly in the midst of the stumps. What a manly tree.
「Your power isn't enough. Lend it to me」
Thus, Ruu comes forward and then receives the axe from Drai.
In that moment, something similar to aura starts rising from Ruu's body, she then brandishes her huge axe. The strengthened attack, which might be due to the result of the skill, silently bared its fangs on the trunk of the tree.
「OOH! That's amazing, Ruu-san! 」
「Fufu, this is my true power. Urya~」
Moreover, Ruu continously hacked on the tree, and finally chopped it down… at the same time, cracks began to appear on the surface of the axe that she got from Drai, and then it was smashed.
「My axe…」
「Somehow, it seems this axe can't endure my power」
What's with that 'protagonist of a battle manga who suddenly just got a power-up'-like line.
「What a great physical power. Ruu is scary」
I replied with those words as a greeting to them.
「Ah, Eiji. Iya~, it seems I became even stronger. I'm sorry, Drai. By the way, you may use this instead」
So, Ruu gave the spare axe which she had brought along to Drai. It seems she bought two of them.
「T-Thank you very much. Uhm, please don't mind about that axe. I also have a spare axe, moreover, it's the tree which I couldn't chop down no matter what and it was supposed to be cut down anyway. Well then, Eiji-san also has come back, we should rest for a while and then building the cabin after that」
And then, we take a slow rest in the forest devoid of people, after that, we show the result of our work.
After doing that for a few days, the gathered raw materials are still low in number, I even looked for it in the vicinity of the cabin which we built. As expected, though we haven't finished building the cabin, we've chopped down the trees, thus our work could advance to some extent.
Moreover, since I found the raw material, it would be more effective to convince the cooperative workers to get cooperation by showing this raw material souvenir.
They'll start returning to Eigen with this kind of expectation.
Bu~t――
「As I thought, there's no way it'll be that simple, right」
Drai's shoulders slumped.
Though Drai advertized the raw material I found in the plaza and bar in one hand and by greeting his acquaintances on the other, it was still useless.
The chance it could be found is just unexpectedly low, honestly it doesn't meet the condition of providing good prospects.
「Well, there won't be an immediate change. I feel that we're advancing even if it is just a little」
「Yeah, that's so right」
I'm encouraging Drai.
Maybe because Drai is also somewhat used to it, it's a blessing that he isn't feeling down.
And, just at this point. A boy comes toward us.
「Oh, Ston-kun. Could it be, you're interested」
Drai presented the lacquer ebony[black ebony] to him.
The boy called Ston immediately flicked that and then stamped it.
「Ah, what're you doing!」
When Ruu threw a fit while hurriedly picking it up, Ston showed his age with an odious "I~" and then ran away.
「Please stop doing foolish things and work properly! This FOOO~~~~~~OL! 」
「AH, wait right there BRAT!」
「Calm down Ruu」
「MUGYAAAA!」
I seized Ruu's collar when she tried to chase after him and stopped her.
Though Ruu is showing an objection for being stopped, I calmly admonished her.
「That was a flag for your "one punch"」
「I won't give him one punch, you know. I'll give him two punches」
「Ha~. Goddess is throwing a tantrum at children」
「Why must I pretend to be an adult, it's boring. He won't become any good for the society if I don't educate him properly」
「Ooh, that's why no violence, let's teach that child properly by indirectly telling him the price of the material which he said useless and trampled on by using his parent」
Ruu looks at me with a gaping mouth as if she was amazed.
「Eiji, you really have a nice personality, don't you」
「My nice personality has been my only redeeming quality since a long time ago after all」
To me who's laughing with "fufufu", Drai stopped us with a gesture.
「Uhm, there's no need to go that far. Since I'll be the one who will say it. He's the nephew of my acquaintance. Beside, I'm okay with it, well, I've no other way even if he says that I'm doing a foolish thing. It's the truth since I am yet to show any result」
Drai dropped his shoulders as if he was crestfallen with that fact.
Well, though it certainly is difficult to trust him as he still has no achievement, they don't even have compassion for him, don't they.
「Well, isn't it okay if we just find more of the materials」
「Yeah, that's right, isn't it!」
His recovery is too fast!
「Well then, let's go to the mine!」
「Mine, there's one in this village?」
「Yeah. Though it's an abandoned mine where you can't find anything. Even so, it definitely must have something. Let's go, Eiji-san, Ruu-san! 」
Drai walked in high spirits toward the northern part of the village.
…Isn't he showing too much spirit?
「Its feels like a hole which has been drilled out of hell, right」
The mine, located in the western part of the jungle, has it's entrance gaping open in silence. Despite saying it's into the mountain, the mountain has low altitude, it feel like a cave which was drilled into the basement.
Though we continue to advance, it's just as Ruu said, there's nothing special in this place.
「I can't find anything in this place too, Drai-san」
「Yes, that is more or less the truth, we only found a small amount of black silver that was a rare metal, the percentage found wasn't that high either. Moreover, it's been determined that there might be nothing else left by now」
「There might be nothing left huh」
His voice is reverbrating inside the cave.
I could hear the sound of dripping water coming from far away. It's a place that caused my senses to be sharpened.
Within that is the reverberation of Drai's vexed voice.
「So that's the case. There might be nothing. There might be nothing in this place, the village might not be able to regain its past liveliness, that's the only thing I heard from them. It's been like that since long time ago. Even so, there might be something if everyone thinks that there's something. I'll keep trying to prove it till they agree with me. Even so, they just gave up without even trying. That's why, the truth is, I might be doing this for them to agree with myself rather than for the prosperity of the village」
「That's why you can't saying it too loudly」
「It's as you say. It's embarrassing」
「Well, isn't that a righteous reason? It's not like that doing this will turn into trouble after all. Your results are more important than your motives, it's the result that matters in the end」
Ruu said so while we keep advancing deep into the mine.
I tapped on Drai's shoulder.
「Well, that's the thing. Let's do it with patience. It won't become a minus if it's originally a deserted mine… or so I say, it might be that there was not enough effort put on too」
「Haha, yup, it's feel good when you put it like that. Yeah, let's do this」
Thus, we keep advancing into the mine. Though I'm not very sure of it… there might be something that we have found right in front of us. In this place.
「Thank you very much!」
The coachman rushed over to Risa Haruna and Phillipe.
He seemed relieved while petting the horse.
「Please get on board, we'll leave immediately」
「No, it's too early to leave」
Risa Haruna shakes her head again.
And then, she faces toward the bandits who were captured by Phillipe and calmly undoes her rope.
Thought the bandit was showing a puzzled expression, when Risa Haruna said 「Now then, you should quickly go and take these guys to call for a reinforcement」, that guy ran away without even saying his gratitude.
The coach showed an astonished face.
「Why did you let him go!? We've to hurry before he calls for reinforcement」
「There's a possibility that we'll be raided again if this region is their turf. The coach isn't fast enough and the terrain makes it easy for them to hid themselves and easy for us to be discovered. At that time, it won't be limited to just stopping the coach like before. In that case, don't you think that things will be slightly troublesome?」
「That is true. It certainly is true. But, since we've no other way, we've no choice but to escape as far as possible」
「There's one more way. It should be okay if we crush their entire group. That sounds like a plan right, Phillipe-kun?」
Risa Haruna turns to face Phillipe.
Phillipe nodded as if agreeing while saying [I see].
「Yeah, that seems so. Thus, we might be able to travel more pleasantly. Moreover, they came at the right moment since I've been bored lately」
「Nice answer. Well then, let's go」
Risa Haruna nodded with a really satisfied face and then followed after the escaped bandit after taking a box which was hidden slightly separate from the coach.
What she used was the unique skill of the vampire, blood tracker.
It's a skill which enables her to know the location of the other party whom she marked with blood.
"I see, it's closer than I thought".
"In this case, it doesn't seems like there'll be anything significant to delay them in the way".
While pondering about that, Risa Haruna continues chasing after the bandit while leading Phillipe along with her. Though she felt that Phillipe isn't even needed if it goes by her power alone, nonetheless, coming to their den was also without any difficulties. Moreover, it's only natural for someone powerful to come along with her.
After entering the forest and walking for a little while and at the same time sniffing the smell of green, they found the cave.
The reaction of the bandits which she marked stopped inside this place.
Maybe it's his destination and so, Risa Haruna's walks inside the cave without even feeling especially reserved. To Risa Haruna who's a vampire, the likes of bandits weren't worth for her to fear.
「Is it okay, Phillipe-kun. It seems that somehow there's a laughing sound from the bandit from there」
「Shall we listen to that now? We won't have followed him up to this place if it was hard from the very beginning」
「That's also a reasonable answer. Well then, let's go」
Risaharuna and Phillipe enter the cave, the hideout of the bandits.
They install lamp inside, the guarantee for field of vision not even necessarily prepared by them.
Suddenly, they stopped.
「What the hell is this」
「Blood huh」
Blood was sticking on the walls of the cave.
And then, a bandit is gasping while leaning against the wall――一 It's not just one, there's few of them.
They're not in the situation where they can fight, they had also lost their fighting spirit and were running away when they noticed Risa Haruna and Phillipe.
「What just happened?」
Phillipe asks but, Risa Haruna shakes her head in confusion.
She never expected for this kind of situation to happened. She could not even understand the current situation.
「But, this is too unusual, shall we look for whether there's anything unusual. Anyhow, someone we don't know is already stealing our prey. No need to hold back」
「Yeah, there's no need to change the plan that we discussed on the way here. Maybe there's something I want too」
With the thief hideout already having become a dangerous place, the two of them are searching while confisticating the stolen goods. Antique items for Risa Haruna and raw materials for Phillipe.
Since there was no need for them to feel reserved.
And then, after they searched for a long time, they found a conspicuous, wide room in the inner part of the cave.
Risa Haruna could feel that her marked target was somewhere in there.
The moment her foot stepped into it.
「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaAA!」
The bandit from before came swinging his sword at her while raising a loud voice.
Risa Haruna's grasped the blade of the sword which was swung at her and then confiscates it with all her power.
「GU.......KUTSU.......」
「Please calm yourself」
「Shut up! IT'S YOUR DOING RIGHT!? ALL OF IT IS YOU AND YOUR FRIEND'S DOING RIGHT!?」
「If you mean about that disastrous scene in the cave, sorry, but you're wrong. How can we do that if we came just after you」
Risa Haruna seized that bandit just like that and waited for a while for him to calm. When she was doing that, Phillipe headed further into the room.
Phillipe didn't make any careless movements and beckoned to Risa Haruna without moving his line of sight.
「Are you the boss? What the hell happened here? 」
At that place, was a female boss bleeding from her shoulder.
Lying on her side was a broken sword.
「A swordsman――」
「What? 」
「It's a swordsman. A swordsman just suddenly came to our place. He came and then asked whether there's a strong person. And then, he headed toward this room while killing my subordinates who tried to stop him, yes, his goal was me. Even someone like me was a bit confident in my skills. I tried to beat him in his own game but―― This is the result」
A swordsman―― It seems he destroyed this place on a whim. Risa Haruna asked with surprised face.
「It's nice that he didn't kill you, right」
「He say that I'm not even worthy for him to kill. It seems that he's not killing the weak, since killing without a cause isn't interesting. Thus, he would rather have me keep living while embracing such feeling of humiliation, what a terrible disappointment」
The boss laughed as if mocking herself.
And bashed on the earth while laughing.
Risa Haruna and Phillipe did nothing but exchanging glances to the unexpected situation at each other.
「Good grief, we were stopped by such an unexpected event huh」
「Yeah. It was such a strange event」
By the way, since the safety along the way had been guaranteed, the two returned to the coach with the spoils of battle in their hand, and the coach continued advancing along the highway again.
As for the bandits, they decided to make a report about it including their hideout when they arrived at the city. That's what they requested to the coachman.
Though they may have already escaped at that time, or already disbanded. And then, they must report about that mysterious swordsman too.
「Well, he has not even left any tracks, now we've returned to the starting line. Come to think of it, Prowkai you say? Risa Haruna is also heading toward the same place as me huh」
「Yeah, what a coincidence. I'm going to meet someone」
「Hee. And why do you want to meet him」
「I was always in the village but, I received a stimulus lately, you see. So, I thought that it might be interesting to travel to sightsee various place」
Since it was a rare occassion, though she thought that it might be even more interesting if she invited the origin of this stimulus, that person had already left Laurel. After collecting information in Laurel, Risa Haruna who knew about it also headed toward Prowkai.
Though a journey without any goal is okay, it was even more interesting with a goal. By the way, she's established a goal called looking for Eiji, and hence Risa Haruna was currently enjoying the journey even more. And yet, half of her enjoyment was the feeling that she didn't mind about failing to find him if he can't be found.
The coach which they were riding on continued to advance――
「Please stop」
Risa Haruna suddenly said that to the coach driver.
The coach drive's stopping the coach while surprised by her.
「There's a road over there, is there any kind of village or city at the end of it」
Risaharuna's pointing at the small road which branched from the big highway on which the coach is advancing. The coach driver nodded and then explained.
「Yeah, there's small village called Eigin over there」
「I see… Okay then, I have decided to go there. It seems to be hard for this coach to pass that road with its width. Let me to go down in this place. So that's the case, Phillipe」
Risa Haruna said that to Phillipe who was still inside the coach.
Phillipe tilted his head.
「What just happened? Didn't you say that your goal is Prowkai? 」
「Change of schedule. I was fond of a journey due to the change of mood. Well then, we'll meet again if fate lets us to do so, O eccentric magic tool maker」
「Aren't I the one who must say it to you, O eccentric one. A villager, and yet having an unidentified overwhelming power. Well, it became a nice way to kill sometime in the middle of journey. See ya」
Risa Haruna and Phillipe bid their farewell to each other after the coach stopped, and then Risaharuna descended to the ground with all of her luggage.
After raising her hand slightly toward Phillipe, she took a different road apart from the coach.
「The smell of this『Power』―― it's him huh. I almost missed him. Fufu, it seems like you were off your journey」
The vampire happily heads toward the pioneering village somewhere forward.