Chapter 37
He pursued the mysterious man.
(What on earth is wrong with that guy...!)
"Hah... hah..."
The boy emerged from the forest, catching his breath.
Beyond the forest was a main road, from which the village was almost a straight shot.
At the same time, though, the boy thought, This is bad.
He'd fled into the forest behind the village, where he knew the terrain, because he was being pursued in the first place.
It would certainly be easier to take the road.
But that would also increase the risk of being spotted by the enemy.
"This is a bad place to be. There are pursuers! We need to get back into the forest!"
Matthew started to say, "Let's go back."
But.
"Come to think of it," the man said casually.
"These pursuers you've been talking about..."
Without stopping, he pointed at two men lying face-down on the ground.
"—You mean guys like these?"
Two men dressed in black lay on the ground.
Their black clothes were dark enough to disappear into the night.
And the short swords they carried looked terrifyingly sharp, even at a glance.
They were undoubtedly among the men who had attacked the village.
At the man's observation, the boy nodded frantically.
"That's right! There are a lot more people like them!!!"
The boy started to continue, "That's why this place is dangerous..."
But,
"...Huh?"
Something felt off.
The boy looked carefully at the scene before him once more.
Two men clad entirely in black were lying on the ground.
"W-Why?"
The question slipped from the boy's lips before he could stop it.
"They're... lying down?"
Honestly, he couldn't understand any of it.
Even Matthew, an amateur who'd only seen the men from a distance, could tell how terrifying they were.
Their movements were fearsome.
Though they said nothing, they coordinated smoothly, like a single pack.
Matthew had managed to escape his pursuers because he knew the terrain and had been the first to flee.
And yet, those men who should have been terrifying were somehow lying helplessly on the ground.
"W-Why?"
Matthew looked at the man in front of him again. He looked ordinary—or, rather, a little scruffy.
He didn't give off the air of strength that a knight would.
And yet, why—
"Oh," the man said, pointing his thumb at himself with a smug look.
"I was the one who punched them."
"...Huh?"
Matthew thought,
Maybe this man wasn't just strangely dressed—maybe he was crazy, too.
"Come on, you didn't know, kid? People pass out when you punch them."
"I-I know that much, but... I wasn't asking about the attack method itself... I mean, I was asking why these guys are lying here in the first place."
His reply was as outlandish as his appearance.
Could this man be some kind of relative of an 【Ogre】, a monster known for its overwhelming strength but also for being dimwitted?
They'd passed out because he punched them.
That was obvious.
That was only natural, as a matter of principle.
What Matthew wanted to know, though, was why the bandits who'd attacked that clearly dangerous village had been knocked unconscious so casually...
Perhaps the man sensed the awkward atmosphere.
He seemed to come to some realization, saying, "I see."
"Ah, were you saying I shouldn't have put them to sleep?"
"Huh?"
"What, you should've said so sooner."
The weirdo started slapping the cheek of one of the black-clad men over and over as he spoke.
"Hey, I went easy on you when I punched you, so wake up," he said.
Faced with that awful sight, Matthew couldn't help but
say, "Um, there's no need to wake them up..."
"Oh, really?"
"Then never mind," the man said, abruptly giving up on waking the two.
(This is absurd... He's insane.)
But the incomprehensible events unfolding before him reminded Matthew of something.
They weren't nobles who prized bloodlines, a knightly order that sought peace and security for the people, merchants who pursued profit, or mages who devoted their lives to pursuing magic.
He'd never actually seen one, but Matthew had heard of them.
Outcasts of society.
A gathering of deviants.
Professionals in exploring dungeons and fighting monsters.
Those who stake their very existence on fierce clashes.
There was no doubt.
The way this man stood out so completely.
This man was—
"An adventurer..."
"Oh, you figured it out, kid."
Hearing Matthew's words, the man grinned.
"—But I don't come cheap!"
A savage smile, visible even beneath the night sky.
That smile seemed to ask:
What can you offer me?