An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 91

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 91   Orthodox country invasion.

Saran donned a scarf over their head, concealing their ears as well.

Being naturally unassuming, I, as a diminutive figure, would attract little attention, which is fine.

Blanversh, on the other hand, wore a black suit and a cloak that would generally render him inconspicuous, along with a raccoon hat.

“Alright, let’s infiltrate the city. Now, hold hands.”

The three of us formed a circle, holding hands, and when Blanversh chanted “Jump!” we teleported into the shadows behind the castle wall, near what appeared to be a storage shed.

Truly remarkable magic. As expected of a hero.

“After a few more uses, I might collapse,” Blanversh remarked.

From the Elven village to the Orthodox country in one go, and then consecutive teleportations. I wonder if it consumes a lot of magical energy.

Tonight, I certainly want to find lodging and rest properly.

“First, let’s go to a clothing store for Blan-san. His attire is just too suspicious.”

“And what about money? We need the currency of this country.”

“Sure, sure, let’s put in some gold coins.”

I pulled out the magic bag and opened it, allowing Blanversh to put about twenty gold coins from his money pouch into it.

“Exchange these, into the currency of the Raltran Orthodox country.”

…There were thirty-two of this country’s gold coins in return.

What’s with this exchange rate? In other words, the currency from the Julliard Kingdom where we were previously would be worth more. Despite being the same gold coins, this difference is disheartening. The disparity in national strength is evident.

This implies that the Julliard Kingdom surpasses the Raltran Orthodox country in terms of economy, national power, and credibility. Alternatively, it might be that their coins have a lower gold content and thus lower value, perhaps indicating that they can only issue currency of that level due to their limited power. The Raltran Orthodox country is audacious to challenge us with such limited strength…

“What a convenient bag. It’s amazing,” Blanversh exclaimed in surprise.

It’s quite astonishing to all of us.

We also prepared around fifty gold coins from the Raltran Orthodox country, splitting them into twenty-five each for Saran and me.

“Sure, sure, put all your gear in here once.”

“Well, I do have my own storage space.”

“It’s alright. Just put it in here for now.”

Blanversh’s and Saran’s polearms were stowed and then handed back to Blanversh.

Now, Blanversh’s sword was blessed by the goddess Nanotesu.

Even if we run into some strange dark power, we can overcome it. Even in dire situations, we can have some peace of mind.

Well, let’s keep this to ourselves for now.

Saran has a dagger for self-defense, hidden within their skirt.

As for me… well, never mind. I can just pull something out if needed.

The sawed-off shotgun, well, that’s a bit hard to hide.

Blanversh stowed his sword in his own storage space and concealed the dagger on him.

Exiting from behind the storage shed, we stepped into the city.

It’s a beautiful city. One could say it’s splendidly designed.

Impressive marble buildings line the streets. Even the brick houses are properly coated with plaster; there are no bare brick buildings.

But the people walking around, they all seem lacking in vigor, making the city eerily quiet.

“…The church’s power is strong. You could even call it oppressive. That’s the kind of country this is.”

“Is that so?”

“There’s no king in this country. The Grand Pontiff of the True Hero Church is at the top, and there’s a strict caste system. It’s a dreadful nation.”

I suppose so…

We entered a larger clothing store to tidy up Blanversh’s attire.

Yeah, it’s improved quite a bit. With a cotton shirt and a vest, he exudes a rather charming older-brother vibe. I’ll have him wear a slightly oversized wide-brimmed hat to keep his face inconspicuous.

In this world, without the spread of information, there’s no way the citizens would recognize the face of a hero. Even the upper echelons shouldn’t know much. We’re not wanted criminals or anything.

Well, that’s that. We strolled around the city, observing the surroundings.

We identified a few escape routes and meeting points in case of emergency, as well as the main arena.

It’s important to understand the terrain properly before executing the plan.

It’s not that large, really.

It can accommodate about three thousand people, I’d say.

Soldiers are guarding around the arena at regular intervals.

“Huh!”

Saran seems surprised when they see one of those soldiers.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh… isn’t that odd?”

It is odd.

They stand completely still, but their complexion is terribly pale. Almost like a dead person…

Their eyes are open, yet cloudy, resembling the eyes of a corpse.

“They’re zombie soldiers.”

“Zombie soldiers!”

“In this country, those who die young are given funerals by the church, then their bodies are preserved and magically revived to be used as soldiers.”

“What kind of…!”

“That’s a desecration of the dead!”

Blanversh shakes his head.

“No, they become soldiers even after death, protecting this country. It’s considered an honorable duty.”

Absolutely terrible…

“…They resort to turning corpses into soldiers because they don’t want to fight themselves?”

“That’s right.”

“What a cowardly country.”

“And on top of that, they encourage summoning magic, even advancing it to the point of being able to command Dino Dragons. I mean, what are they thinking…? How can they even call themselves the Orthodox country while indulging in such wicked deeds?”

“Truly, there seems to be no decent person within the church…”

“Well, with that said, it’s possible that all these zombies might come attacking us tomorrow. Just keep that in mind.”

As much as they tell us to keep it in mind…

Well, our weapons are blessed by the goddess Nanotesu, so dealing with zombies shouldn’t be impossible, but their numbers could pose a problem.

“Big brother! Big brother, answer me!”

A young girl clings to one of the zombie soldiers, sobbing uncontrollably.

Perhaps she chanced upon what used to be her family while walking through the city.

The zombie soldier stands still, saying nothing.

The girl breaks down in tears, eventually sitting on the ground.

Such a cruel scene.

It’s truly heart-wrenching.

No one stops, no one looks at the girl.

In this silent city, only the girl’s cries echo.

“…Let’s go. There’s nothing we can do for now.”

The girl was dragged away by a strange adult wearing monk robes…

Tomorrow, there will be a match between the Orthodox country’s burdened summoner and the kingdom’s fake hero.

It’s written boldly on a signboard.

A fake hero, Balnversh.

It’s pitiable…

“Let’s make it clear who the true hero is tomorrow.”

“Yeah, leave it to me!”

There’s something written on a signboard in front of the arena.

“‘The false hero of the kingdom has yet to appear and is cowering in fear of our spells. In this match, if the false hero does not appear by noon tomorrow, we shall declare the victory of our Orthodox country and officially announce our nation as the rightful successor to the next generation hero!’ That’s what it says…”

“What is that?”

Saran’s reading and writing skills are a bit questionable, so I’ll read it out loud for them.

“…Well, let me handle this. But this is rather annoying.”

The three of us look up at the signboard and express our exasperation.

We head to the park, sit on a bench, and I open the magic bag.

” Fake Hero-san, could you write a sentence on this paper for me?”

“Who’s the fake hero?”

“Yeah, yeah, no need to be grumpy. You can write ‘A true hero accepts any challenge. I will be present at the appointed time. Blanversh.’ That’s it.”

“A declaration, huh? Well, that’s interesting!”

And so, with ink and a quill, he writes smoothly, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Well, um, I think over there should be good.”

We quietly enter from behind the inn across the street, ascend the staircase from the water source, and make our way up to the rooftop laundry area.

I take out Saran’s bow and arrows from the magic bag.

I fold the notice from earlier into a thin strip and tie it to the arrow, then hand it to Saran.

“Stick this into that signboard over there.”

“Got it!”

… twang!

Saran’s arrow elegantly arcs through the air, gently landing with a clang right in the middle of the signboard! A message delivered by arrow, quite the announcement.

“Well done!”

Blanversh applauds.

“The setup is great. Now we’ll have to wait for tomorrow’s entertainment.”

“Now, let’s make our escape before things get too noisy!”

“Wait a moment. One more shot.”

Saran says this, pulling the arrow taut with a strained expression.

This time, it’s a serious arrow. It’s packed with the power to potentially shatter the signboard.

Twang!

With tremendous force, the arrow is released and flies straight ahead!

It pierces the forehead of the zombie soldier the girl was clinging to earlier!

Crash, clatter.

The armored zombie soldier breaks apart like a shattered shell, falling to the ground in pieces. Incredible archery skills… and the blessing of Nanotesu certainly helps.

“I can’t let that slide.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

Let’s make sure those remains are properly taken care of and given a burial.

“What?! What’s going on? Why did the zombie soldier collapse in one hit!?”

“That’s a secret. Now, let’s hurry.”

And so, in a hurry, we swiftly retreat from behind the inn.