Back to the Start – Part 03
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Translator: Kell
A while later…
Following Lily’s lead, we eventually reached a road before nightfall—the mountain tunnel that led to the kingdom.
Although they called it a tunnel, the road was actually wide enough for five or six carriages, with a high ceiling. Given the stalls and inns that lined the road, you could even call it a town. These establishments poured all the way outside, and even now various stalls were actively calling customers.
There were guards, but no gates, and even though it was already dark, people and carriages were still coming and going incessantly.
“It seems we have arrived,” Zero said.
“Sure does.” I nodded.
“What a big road,” Lily said in awe, mouth agape.
She always says the same thing about everything.
The priest expressed his defeat by clicking his tongue. “Something’s wrong,” he said, frowning.
“What?”
“If my ears are serving me right, there’s a spot over there where people are gathering.” He pointed to the tunnel.
Beside the entrance was a long, horizontal hut where travelers were lining up. Upon closer observation, I saw a long horizontal window on its wall. People with matching hats who looked to be officials were sitting in line.
“As far as I can tell from the conversation, that’s an immigration window,” the priest said. “And travelers who have passed through the screening process enter the tunnels. That means that we are outside the mountain range that surrounds the kingdom of Wenias.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m pretty sure you can’t find an Ebl Boar outside.”
“That might not necessarily be true, Mercenary,” Zero said. “Look at that sign.”
A signboard propped up by the road bore a warning in conspicuous red letters.
Caution!
If you leave the main road, you might get attacked by security Ebl Boars.
Please ask State Mages to escort you when entering or leaving the country. It’s free.
“What the hell is that? Was it there before?”
“No, at least not when we left.”
The State Mages it mentioned probably referred to the Mages in matching robes waiting near the sign. Apparently one Mage escorted around ten travelers at once.
“Security Ebl Boar? What does that mean? Are they capturing Ebl Boars and releasing them into the forests outside of the kingdom to prevent invasion from other countries?”
“I suppose,” the priest answered. “Wenias officially recognized witches. That means devout followers of the Church from neighboring countries won’t just sit around and do nothing. From what I’ve heard at the Lutra Cathedral, there was an explosion in the tunnel some time ago.”
“That sounds horrifying.”
Lutra Cathedral was a huge church in Telzem, a maritime nation where the Sea of Paradise was located.
It was one of the seven cathedrals built in the major cities of the continent. These cathedrals constantly received the latest information through reports from devotees and clergymen scattered around the world.
However, no matter how fast you traveled, it would take at least two months to get from Wenias to Lutra. The shortest route was to go from Wenias to the Republic of Cleon, and then enter Telzem by sea from the port city of Ideaverna. Still, most people didn’t actually go to the cathedral to provide information specifically; they did it mostly as an afterthought, which meant news from afar would take even longer to arrive.
If that was the case, the explosion in the tunnel must have happened right after we boarded the ship at Ideaverna. If such an incident had occurred while we were wandering around Cleon, we would have heard about it immediately.
“So Wenias is beefing up security by releasing Ebl Boars in the forests outside the kingdom. I guess covert operations are not really possible with those things prowling about. The average army probably can’t even make camp. Still, it’s quite disturbing.”
“Which is why they are offering escorts,” Zero said. “A giant boar is simply a lump of delicious meat in the face of a Mage. In any case, one thing is clear. We are outside Wenias.”
“I knew all along,” Lily said. “I knew we had to go beyond the mountain. But you didn’t believe me.”
“Yeah, yeah, my bad,” I said.
Lily let out an annoyed groan. She picked up stones and twigs nearby and threw them at me.
Zero patted Lily on the head. “Nice work, Rat. Thanks to you, I will be able to eat a lot of good food tonight, cleanse myself in warm water, and sleep in a soft bed.”
“Ehehe…” Lily stopped throwing stones at me and smiled brightly.
It was a charming sight. Eventually Lily began squirming uncomfortably under Zero’s touch. But the witch didn’t let her go.
“Um, it tickles… N-No…”
Zero laughed, her hands creeping about as she embraced Lily. “This delicate and smooth feel. So soft and fluffy. Do you know what I have in mind? If you wash your body with a fragrant soap and dry it well, you will be the best body pillow. Mercenary will be my bed, and you will be my pillow. My perfect bed is then comple—”
“Drop it, you pervert!” I smacked Zero’s head with my fist and pulled Lily to me.
Zero bent down, holding her head.
I lifted Lily to my shoulder to protect her from the deplorable witch. “I’m confiscating her. I’ll be carrying her for a while.”
“M-My pillow is taking my special seat!”
“She’s not your pillow, and my shoulder’s not your special seat!”
“You are horrible! Do you prefer younger girls over me? Are you tired of my smooth skin and want the fluffy fur of a rat?!”
“How’d it get to that?! Stop making it sound like I’m a freak!”
“I-Is that true?” Lily said, a look of betrayal on her face.
“Hell no! Why are you looking at me like that?! I’m protecting you!”
The priest cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to bother your foolish exchange.”
We all froze. I turned around to see the priest standing there idly, flabbergasted. Behind him was a brawny man. A worker, it seemed.
“I found us a place to stay,” the priest said. “Two Beastfallen, a witch, and a priest. They say there’s no problem. Although they’re beginning to show some reluctance at the sight of you.”
“We’ve had a lot of Beastfallen guests lately,” the man said. “You know how Wenias welcomes witches, right? And powerful witches can turn Beastfallen back into humans, so they’re flocking in from various countries.”
The inn that the priest found—more like a barker approached him—was located a short distance from the entrance to the tunnel.
The man seemed accustomed to Beastfallen. He talked to us in a casual tone as he led the way, even admiring Lily, saying, “I didn’t know there were such cute Beastfallen too.”
Almost a year had passed since we left Wenias. Beastfallen were welcomed as a force to kill witches before, but the atmosphere felt even friendlier now.
“Are you here to become human too?” he asked. “Or you wanna serve a witch?”
“Serve a witch?” Frowning, I glanced at Zero.
The witch was too busy eating grilled venison—she was carrying a lot—to hear what the servant said.
“Witches find Beastfallen useful. They used to collect their heads, but blood and claws can be used as substitutes, so now they want live Beastfallen.”
“I see.”
“If you want to become human, though, there’s a long waiting list. Many probably don’t know how to live once they turn human. Others just want to be hired as Beastfallen. Not many can find a job like me.”
I stared at the man in disbelief. He gave a toothy grin and looked straight at me. “Well? I look completely human, don’t I? You might not believe it, but I used to be half-bear until recently. I was much bigger and stronger too.”
“I can’t believe it. How does it feel to become human again?”
“It’s more like I became human than returning to a human form. I’m still getting used to my human body, and when I look in the mirror, I get scared. I’d be like ‘Whoa, who’s that?’ When I try to lift something heavy like I used to, I get depressed when it doesn’t move at all. Everyone looks at me funny when I say this, but now I miss the days when I was a bear.”
“Do you want to become a Beastfallen again?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. When I was a bear, I thought it would be great to be a normal human being, but I guess that’s not the case. But then when I was still Beastfallen, I had a strong urge for cannibalism. You’ve heard of it, right? The more a Beastfallen yearns to become human, the faster they turn into a real beast.”
“I’ve heard about it. But isn’t that just a myth?”
Shrugging, the man gave a vague smile. “Who knows? Anyway, if I’d stayed a Beastfallen, I’d have completely lost my mind. From what I’ve heard, you can’t turn a crazed Beastfallen back into a human. Even if the body turned human, the beast soul still remains, and they can’t live long. Now there are good things about becoming human, though.”
The man smiled and jerked his chin to the direction we were headed. Colorful lanterns from the stalls lining up the street illuminated the tunnel. Apparently, there was a regulation that stated each store must have one lantern.
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