WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ The Saviour Embarks on a Nameless Journey

Chapter 36: As We Walked Through Town

“I’m a mercenary. My outlook’s different from the folks who settle in towns. The only thing I can really point out is that your way of speaking doesn’t match your age, Boss.”

Tain scratched his cheek as if troubled.

“My way of speaking…”

“Were you raised by some old grandpa or something? Doesn’t suit a man of your years.”

No, I am a proper old grandpa…

“......”

“And the way you eat, so damn fast it surprised me. But, well, they say a man’s quick meal and quick prep are part of his craft.”

That was Pya! I shouted in my heart at Tain’s shrug.

“…If the meeting goes smoothly, then let’s at least travel together as far as the next town. I’d like you to speak without reserve, point out whatever needs pointing out.”

“We’re heading the same way anyway. If I can earn from it, that’s fine by me.”

Thus the matter was settled, and we made for the magistrate’s manor. Tain, saying he disliked stiff formality, took his lodging in the rooms above the tavern.

I had planned to wander idly about town, but the meeting took priority. Still, we went by a different road than the one we came on.

In a quiet alley, in front of each house were flowers. Not flashy, but charming enough that they brightened the simple little town. Small blossoms swayed in the wind, while ivy along the walls rustled softly.

The fact that the people now had the leisure to grow and enjoy flowers was a good sign. So I thought, until suddenly my vision warped.

The stone paving was intact, and the alley ahead still stretched on, but twisted, with colors blending strangely. It was not my sight that warped, it was the space before me itself.

“Mm.”

“Heat haze… nah, that’s not it.”

Tain’s hand went to his sword hilt, his thumb flicking the fitting so he could draw at once.

“Pyaa!”

Suspicious so-called sacred beast, you were napping with a full belly this whole time, weren’t you! Too late now!

“When space distorts like this, it’s either teleportation, or the sign of a monster about to be born from the Demon King’s miasma.”

Those things called monsters are many and varied. Some native to this world, some newly born from the condensation of the Demon King’s energy, some possessions that take hold of objects.

—In short, anything steeped in the Demon King’s power ends up a monster.

“If someone were teleporting in, they wouldn’t choose the middle of town. And once a space is linked, it wouldn’t take this long to open… Sui-En.”

At my voice, a sword rose, floating up from the palm of my left hand.

“The Demon King’s gone, isn’t he?”

“His miasma still lingers faintly in the world. Likely it gathered here.”

“Could’ve picked a better time than this, though.”

Tain spoke with a grimace, eyes fixed on the distortion.

Forgive me. Whenever I wander about, such things tend to happen. Even had I stayed put, it would have been born somewhere regardless. Best to think of it as good fortune that it appeared where I can put an end to it quickly.

The single distortion gained color, writhing as it split into two, taking form.

“Heard tales of this, but what a strange sight. Two of ’em?”

“There are two of us, after all. These things mimic what is near them, and they favor living shapes over still ones. I’ll leave one to you.”

“Fine by me. All I gotta do is cut it, right?”

The flat distortion slipped free of space, becoming three-dimensional, and with a single slash, one was gone. Still unaccustomed to the world, these newborn monsters lacked substance; they scattered at once, leaving not even a shape behind.

A moment later, the gust from Tain’s strike swept through, and the other creature vanished as well.

“I was starting to think no new monsters were going to be born anymore.”

Tain muttered, sheathing his blade with a sigh.

“This town restored itself too quickly. Before the Demon King’s miasma had thinned enough, the goddess Lānu’s power filled the place. Unable to disperse or blend, the miasma must have pooled together.”

I too sheathed Sui-En.

With a clatter, a nearby house door swung open. Tain flinched and turned that way, but it was only a woman stepping out, likely the resident.

She hurried along as though flustered, and as we passed her I gave a polite nod. I urged Tain forward as well.

Perhaps the reason this alley had felt devoid of people was that, without realizing it, the townsfolk had been unconsciously avoiding the Demon King’s taint.

“Think it’ll just gather again and turn into another monster?”

“It’s not impossible. But once dispersed, it should settle down, mixed with the goddess’s power.”

No one else had witnessed the monsters’ birth, and with no bodies left behind, there would be no bounty to collect. Tain, it seemed, had worked for free.

“Boss, you know a lot.”

“It is my trade, after all.”

“I’m in the trade too, y’know. But you’re specialized in monsters, huh?”

Mercenaries do take monster-slaying contracts, but they’re just as often hired for disputes between men.

“Aye, something like that.”

I had also governed lands and done the work of nobility, but I’ve retired from that now.

After that, nothing more happened, and we soon arrived at the magistrate’s manor. With permission from a servant who also seemed to serve as steward and secretary, I brought Tain inside.

First we made our way to the library, where Marius was likely to be, and sure enough, there we found him. Though the library’s walls were lined with shelves, there were no freestanding stacks to hide behind.

“You were the one who tossed a bag of coins at the gate…”

“You remember well.”

It was but a fleeting glance, and yet he had not forgotten.

“Unlike Sui, my head is still quite clear.”

“My head is clear as well! Do not treat me like some doddering elder.”

“Hmm, true enough. You are far from the calm dignity that should come with age.

Blasted boy, always has a retort ready!

“Forgive the noise. A pleasure to meet you.”

Apparently satisfied after his jabs, Marius shifted his gaze from me to Tain.

“Ah—likewise, first time meeting. I’m Tain. I came for a preliminary meeting before taking on work with this Boss…”

“Work?”

Marius turned his eyes to me.

“Tain will be traveling with us at least until the next town. For that time, I’ve asked him to teach us a bit of common sense for living in towns like this.”

“Common sense…”

Marius’s eyes flicked aside.

Footnotes:

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