Star-Slaying Swordsman
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It was a quiet night filled with countless stars shining in the sky.
A deserted night in the capital, so quiet that even the creaking of ones bones could be heard.
The night sky, devoid of a single cloud, clearly illuminated the shadow of a single person.
Kuhihi
In the midst of the deserted city, the shadow laughed viciously, and his eyes narrowed with a smile that split his cheeks.
Dripping from his hand was a sticky, viscous liquid.
The mans eyes were filled with joy as he gazed down at his work, savoring the peculiar sll of rusted iron, befitting sothing as unique as blood.
It was indeed a madness-filled city at night, unbeknownst to everyone.
The next day, a certain magician was found dead in a cesspool within the capital.
And from that very day, incidents of magicians being found dead in the capital continued to occur every five days, and various rumors began to circulate.
People gradually started to believe that all of it was the work of a Magician Hunter.
* * * * *
Magician Hunter, you say?
It was noonti, and with the sun shining down on from above, I asked Lilea, a female swordsman, as we dined in a restaurant in the capital.
Yes, a Magician Hunter. You were traveling to Minaura alone at that ti so you may not know this, but there have been so disturbing rumors spreading all over the capital recently.
Deliberate murders targeting only magicians.
Lilea filled in on the details in a sarcastic tone.
It had been two weeks since I left Minaura.
And just when I thought that it was about ti things cooled down, I found that the two of them were still holding their grudge against .
Especially Sofia who was sitting next to , only stabbing her lunch with a fork and throwing it into her mouth without saying even a single word.
In the end, I only got a big no when I tried to get her forgiveness about the recklessness I did regarding the Minaura incident, with Lilea only disappointingly saying that I couldve at least let her know, but I didnt.
The only ones getting killed are magicians, and to be precise, one of those very magicians is killed every five days.
So in terms of the cycle, the next magician will get killed the day after tomorrow, Lilea spat out in disgust.
Five people have already been killed, but theres no sign of the knights making a move at all I wonder what the hell they are up to
Now that I rember it, I havent seen Lowe nor Joshua for a couple of days now.
If youre curious about what those two were up to, they went away for a request about escorting certain people. I got left out because, in this day and age, magicians are more of a nuisance than they are an asset.
Thats why Im having a leisurely al with you guys, she complained.
The unidentified Magician Hunter probably kills magicians for a specific reason.
Although the cycle was now being carried out once every five days, there was no telling when this cycle will be broken.
Therefore, if the request was to escort magicians, which was the cause for concern in the first place, we would have to do our best to keep them safe.
And from what Id heard, it seed to be a perfectly reasonable idea.
It would be less concerning had that hunter chose to hunt us two, given that we are well-versed at close combat, but theres also a good chance that he might choose to target a non-combat-oriented magician like Sofia. So for the ti being, Id like the three of us to stay together.
Lilea said that as long as the three of us stick together, we will be less likely to be targeted by this unidentified person, or a group, had they been working with others.
***
***
And finally, I realized.
The reason why Lilea invited and Sofia to have a al together was to talk about this.
If thats the case, Ill go along with your proposal.
There was no reason for to refuse.
Besides, I still owe Sofia an apology, who was still not in a good mood.
And as long as it was for Sofias benefit, I have no reason to refuse.
Its decided, then. I already talked with Sofia about this while you were gone, so I was just waiting for your response.
Was it when I was fighting the Jabberwock with Siva in Minaura, or was it while I was still on my way there?
I wasnt quite sure what was going on, but I knew that if I said anything, I would just end up in a heap of trouble, so I just kept my mouth shut and let it slide.
Well, then, I know this is sudden, but I wonder if I could ask you to help out with this request.
Saying so, Lilea took out a piece of paper from her chest pocket.
And that paper was a written subjugation request.
Were already working together now, so Id be a fool not to put my swordsmanship to use with you, wouldnt I?
Although we were good friends with Lilea and her companions, Sofia and I werent adventurers like them.
And so I attempted to tell her that it might be a bad idea to accept a request given that the two of us arent adventurers just yet, but:
I forgot to ntion, but dont bother with the small details.
I havent said anything yet, though.
Youre very disciplined in a weird way, so its easy to read you like an open book.
It was a perfectly valid thought, but for so reason, she saw right through , hence why I was taken aback.
Its still a lot of ti before we accept this request, but do you have any plans later?
Why?
There's one person I'd like you to et.
But that person could only co at night, she said with a laugh.
And given that its still a lot of ti before we could officially do the request, she told that itd be a good way to kill ti.
Are you interested in defeating a certain monster, Julius?
A certain monster?
The image that imdiately popped into my mind was that lump of insanity, the Jabberwock.
However, I thought it was too unlikely, so I eliminated it from the list of possibilities.
Since the hunt for magicians started, more and more magicians like are being shunned by party mbers. The rumored Magician Hunter has already killed two-well known military figures, after all.
Therefore, the perception that he was an opponent ordinary people couldnt compete with had already spread.
Unless they were on good terms with each other, she said, no one welcod magicians with open arms.
She also said that because of this, many magicians, who would normally be valuable, have been left out of their respective parties.
As a result, the prevailing sentint was for everyone to keep quiet for the ti being, but then one person spoke up.
Being alone carries the risk of being targeted.
If that is the case, why not put together a group of magicians?
And if were already grouping up in the first place, why dont we defeat a monster?
Not just a small, regular one, but the biggest monster of them all.
His na is Amseth. It's up to you to decide whether or not you want to take up on the offer, but would you be interested in hearing what I have to say?
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