Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 85. Retreat In The Wilderness

We ended up being sheltered by the guild, waiting for Cherina.

We actually wanted to return just Narnia to the Whale Inn, but since she clung to me and wouldn’t let go, we decided to stay together.

Pilatus soldiers came to the guild many times, searching throughout.

Whether it’s well-made or not, this hidden room has escaped detection.

I observed my two buddies again.

Hagg has a typically low dwarf stature, but his barrel-like muscles assert themselves fiercely. Despite that, he claims he’s not a warrior but a blacksmith and inventor. Seriously, inventor?

Also, Hagg masters a technique similar to magic called “Rijutsu.” He uses a Rijutsu called “Wave Theory” to enhance his abilities.

I’ve started learning this Wave Theory.

Especially, I’ve been instructed by Hagg to keep the waves activated through breathing techniques.

I’m finally getting to the point where I can maintain the waves and converse at the same time. I’ve been consciously doing this even while being captured.

Activating these waves reduces physical fatigue and allows me to move with 50% more physical ability, so it’s an amazing skill. If I taught this to Olympic athletes on Earth, they’d definitely be suspected of doping.

I don’t know if this technique can be used on Earth…

On the other hand, there’s Yaralai the elf.

He’s taller than me, wearing unique attire with a Native American flavor, and has long limbs with supple muscles, making him a slender macho guy.

However, he ruins it all by bundling his beautiful blond hair into dreadlocks.

According to Hagg, Yaralai seems to have more muscle for an elf, so he’s probably expecting other elves to be even skinnier than the typical ones I know.

Honestly, I’d be disappointed if creatures like Yaralai were the standard for elves.

Whether it’s an elf characteristic or Yaralai’s personal issue, his speech is broken. Even my mysterious translator sounds broken, so Yaralai probably doesn’t know much about these languages.

He seems to understand well enough, so it’s not a problem.

And this elf, contrary to my fantasy of elves, is very physical.

Firstly, his weapon is a black iron epee as thick as a steel pipe. Well, it’s more like a primitive weapon made by sharpening the tip of a thick steel bar used in the lower levels of skyscrapers. It has a guard, but it just looks like a giant barbecue skewer.

In reality, this elf skewered four suspicious humans in an instant.

Just thinking about that sight makes my legs shake even now.

Later, I heard from Cherina that Yaralai’s way of fighting is indeed quite different from the usual elves.

Normally, orthodox elves use spirit magic, slim swords, and bows.

However, it seems elves themselves rarely come into the human… human living areas, so they can’t be relied upon much.

Moreover, since this place is a wilderness at the westernmost edge, it’s just more pronounced. If it were a place with nature, there would probably be more normal elves around.

By the way, I’ve seen halflings in this town a few times.

At first, I thought they were children, but they were wearing travel clothes, carrying heavy loads, and seemed unnaturally nimble, so I found it suspicious.

Their ears aren’t as pointed as elves, but they’re long and thin, and their eye shapes are quite different from humans, making them easy to distinguish once you get used to it.

Well, that was an irrelevant digression.

Thanks to reliable Hagg and Yaralai, I don’t feel much fear.

I’ll have to repay them someday.

Thinking back on my life in Japan, I’ve never felt indebted to anyone like this, so it’s a bit uncomfortable.

Narnia had fallen asleep, using my knee as a pillow without me noticing. I covered her with the blanket I had stacked up so as not to wake her.

The temperature has dropped, so the sun has probably set.

Sometimes, I flinch at the rough footsteps echoing, but mostly, peaceful times pass.

Now, if Cherina returns safely, the first stage will be cleared.

But beyond that, there’s still the big issue of Cherina leading the revolution to success.

Suddenly, intense footsteps and noises of someone trying to open the hidden door resound.

Hagg, Yaralai, and I jump up, aiming our weapons at the door.

Entering the room aren’t soldiers, but Cherina’s aide Melvin, bleeding from the head.

“Akira-sama! Something… terrible has happened!”

“Terrible? Isn’t it terrible for you?”

“I don’t care! Miss Cherina… Miss Cherina has been taken away by soldiers!”

“What?!”

Melvin’s anguished cry echoes throughout the hidden room.