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Return of the Fallen Volume 2 Chapter 16

Author: Blue_Rat

ch16

Kazuki, Asuna, and Shin had no clue what the old man was talking about. The feeling they got from all of the villagers around them though, it didn’t seem as though they were lying.

“Wait just a minute, you can’t say something weird like that and just go silent. What are you talking about? How is that little girl a monster?”

Shin wanted to laugh at these people and their strange ideas but they came off as serious and so he himself needed an answer as to why. The chief though could no longer deal with the situation and sighed.

*Haaa*

Ignoring Shin, he addressed all of the villagers at once.

“Everyone, we can no longer stay here. Since these men and women are taking Mei away, this will probably be our only opportunity to flee from here. Gather only the essentials, I have memorized the contents of the map long ago so we leave as soon as they do.”

Shin grabbed the old man by his collar and lifted him in the air.

“Hold up old man. What the hell is going on? Why did you say Mei is a monster and you’re planning to leave, I don’t get it.”

The chief said nothing and only stared grudgingly at Shin. Kazuki placed a hand on Shin’s arm.

“Let me.”

Shin huffed before he lowered the old man back to the ground and let him go. Kazuki stared at the old man’s face and observed it for a moment.

“You truly are afraid of that little girl but you won’t tell us why. A secret you are protecting. Looking at the other villagers they know the reason as well…”

Kazuki’s ring flashed and the map disappeared into his ring, in its place, several gold Zeni rested atop his palm. Seeing this sight the surrounding villager’s eyes went wide in astonishment and low murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

“Mage, the young man’s actually a Mage.”

“Forget about that, look at all that gold in his hand, the lad’s rich.”

“What’s a rich man doing in the middle of nowhere?”

Everyone observed the gold resting in Kazuki’s hands and a few visibly gulped. Everyone was clearly enticed, everyone except the chief that is.

Kazuki pushed his hand forward slightly so the old man could get a perfect look but the old chief’s face was unmoving.

“Hmm, so even gold Zeni won’t move your heart. It seems this secret of yours is worth more than gold to you.”

The old man looked away and whispered.

“Please, you have the map, won’t you just leave already?”

Kazuki shrugged his shoulders before throwing the gold Zeni into the air and catching it. Turning around he headed for the exit. This caused the village chief and several of the villagers to sigh in relief. However, after only a few steps Kazuki abruptly turned around and said.

“There is something else though. As we made our way through the forest, me and my friends were suddenly attacked by a large blackbird.”

When everyone heard that, the air stilled and the unmoving face the chief wore cracked. Cold sweat began to pour from his face.

“How…How odd.”

Kazuki tilted his head slightly.

“Odd, what is?”

“Eh, er, nothing, excuse this old man, I’m still feeling unwell from being knocked around. My mind is still a bit muddled.”

“You’re fine, no worries. So you know nothing about that bird? It nearly killed one of my friends.”

The old man merely shook his head.

“Hmm, OK. Man though, that bird was a bit tough, it took me a few minutes to kill it. Oh well if you know nothing then I suppose our business has concluded. Asuna, Shin, it’s time we leave.”

Kazuki’s words hit them like a sledgehammer. Immediately a tremor spread through the crowd and a renewed hope took root within them. A few of them could not hold back and called out to their chief in a panic.

“Chief, they actually killed it and the boy said he did it in only a few minutes. Chief, they can help us!”

“Yes, chief, he’s right, we need these people.”

“They’re leaving, someone stop them!”

Something seemed to have snapped in the villagers and dozens of people ran after Kazuki and jumped in front of them, blocking their way. With arms spread one of them almost screamed at Kazuki and the others.

“Wait! Please don’t leave.”

A small girl stood in front of the crowd, she too had her arms spread open as wide as she could and she started to beg as well.

“Please help us! Please kill the monster.”

Kazuki and the others turned back. The chief looked at the worried expression on his people’s faces and released an even heavier sigh.

“Is this what you all truly want? Do you really want our secret to be revealed?”

The crowd erupted with fervent pleading cries. An older woman broke out from the crowd and spoke.

“We have lived in these lands for so long, this is the only home we know. These people are obviously strong if it only took one of them to take out a Mangshi, and in only a few minutes. And although they have made threats, they did not kill any of us and they have kept their word in leaving with the map. I think we can trust them, at least it’s a better option than just abandoning our entire village and way of life.”

Most of the villagers all agreed with this woman but a few could not agree.

“No, Abah, these people are strangers to us, they do not know us and who we are. You say they didn’t kill any of us but did you ever consider what would have happened had the chief not agreed to give them the map. That one over there, just looking at the way he treated Chief Atoh, are you telling me he wouldn’t have killed to get what he wants?”

The villager pointed Shin out accusingly. Kazuki almost wanted to laugh seeing this.

(Shin was too aggressive but this villager isn’t wrong. Had they not handed over the map, something would have been done. If threats didn’t work, then violence would have been the next step. At that point though, these people would have no one to blame except themselves.)

Although this villager had a point, the vast majority turned on him in a heartbeat and drowned him out with shouts.

“Then what would you have us do, simply roll over and be slaves.”

“Yeah! should we just abandon our homes for good and wander the lands like drifters. Do you believe that’s what our ancestors would have wanted?”

The chief raised his hands and the crowd’s noise started to die down.

“If there is even a sliver of hope, I as chief, cannot turn my back on it no matter how small the chance of success is.”

Asuna and Shin didn’t know why Kazuki was so interested in these villagers but he did indeed have his reasons. If he knew more about the monsters that attacked them then maybe he could find a better way to kill them, and if he did that then their Magical Beast cores were as good as his. The sooner he could get his hands on Beast cores the sooner his Mage core could be reforged.

“Young man, please, I know everything about the beast that attacked you. Those beasts, those things are called Mangshi, they are the reason we cannot leave this place safely.”

“Oh, didn’t you just say a second ago that after we leave you would lead your people out of here? How can you do that if those creatures are near.”

The chief resigned himself to talk. There was no other way around the truth at this point. The chief truly believed Kazuki and his friends were good of heart and decided to risk it.

“The reason I can take my people out of here safely after you leave has to do with Mei. These lands have known peace for so long but because of that me and my people have grown weak and ignorant. This allowed deception to be pulled over on us and our treasure was damaged. Without our treasure, we can only rely on our limiter tattoos to keep us in check.”

The old chief flashed his wrist and a small limiter inscription tattoo was placed there. The other villagers one by one turned over their wrist and showed the same limiter tattoo. The only ones who didn’t seem to have one were young children.

“This monster, the Mangshi, they are the kings of the night sky. The strength they possess allows them to topple houses and uproot trees. With speed faster then an arrow and armored feathers as hard as metal, the Mangshi are the most dominant predator in all of this great forest.”

“My village has been here for generations and the Mangshi have been here for just as long. We do not fear the Mangshi and the reason for that is simple.”

The chief knelt down and pressed his head to the ground bowing completely. As he did this, so too did the other villagers.

Kazuki found this odd.

“Why are you bowing to us?”

The old man heard these words but chose to ignore them and continued.

“Without our treasure and without our limiter tattoo’s, the power within our bloodline will run rampant. I don’t hate little Mei, nor do I despise her mother. The two are merely victims of their own circumstance but because of this, all of our lives are in danger. I do not fear death but I fear my people becoming pawns.”

The old man went quiet and struggled internally before he finally exposed his people’s greatest secret.

“My people, from the youngest to the oldest, every single last one of us is a Mangshi and little Mei, she is a King Mangshi.”