An intruder. The mood around us changed in an instant, and we quickly rushed out of the house.
Once outside, I saw the residents of the settlement coming outside after hearing the commotion, looking anxious.
A situation like this probably reminded everyone of what happened more than a decade ago.
“Lal, what part of the barrier is it?”
“In the deep forest at the foot of the mountain. There are about 130 of them…….”
“What, 130!?”
I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard what Larou’iph said.
It wasn’t just a few hunters coming into the forest.
“First, about 30 people entered the barrier, and after that another 100 or so.”
“Th, that many……?”Something was clearly not normal. With such an intense presence suddenly invading, it might just be……
“Hey, Chieftain…….”
“Understood…… I am bidding the birds of the forest to lend me their counsel. Pray, reveal unto me what manner of folk has trespassed within our boundary… Come now, dear birds, impart your wisdom unto me.”
At that moment, Mr. Chieftain looked up at the sky with his arms outstretched, as if trying to sense something.
And before I knew it, small birds gathered in the sky and began to chirp one after another.
Facing the birds, Mr. Chieftain slowly brought his hands to their ears……
“…They are found… running. They do not seek this place… they traverse the forest aimlessly…. and at a most astonishing speed… so the birds say.”
Oh, that’s right. Mr. Chieftain can talk to animals.
In other words, if they could detect intruders using the barrier set up by Larou’iph and gather information using the eyes of the animals, they would be able to grasp the situation immediately no matter what.
That’s convenient……
“Hmm? A group of 130 people invaded…… or rather… hmm? A group of 30 people… with 100 people chasing them?”
“””???”””
“So, the ones who first invaded this land… are fleeing from someone and passed through this land on the way…… and then there are 100 people chasing those 30 people… that’s what the birds are saying, right?”
As the birds share their information, we also learn what was happening.
It doesn’t seem like the people who set foot on this land were simply searching for an elven settlement or anything like that.
“I don’t really understand the situation either… who is running away and who is chasing them?”
“…… Uun~……”
It seems that the situation is a little different from what I expected.
In that case, we should change the way we will approach things.
“If someone was trying to find this place, we would have driven them away in battle, depending on the situation……
“That’s right. If they weren’t searching for this place and had only entered this area to escape…… we could just sit tight, couldn’t we?”
“Maybe. But it’s a little uncomfortable not knowing who they are……”
Yes, we don’t know who they are after all.
Should we ignore it because it doesn’t concern us?
That said, someone was being chased and …… possibly attacked? If, for example…… They are running away from being attacked by bandits or something…… no, but what about 30 people and 100 people……?
Then, in order to grasp the current situation, we came up with……
“Then, let us proceed thusly. I, Espie and the Young man shall venture forth to survey the matter more closely. Slayer and Larou’iph, meanwhile, shall remain here as a precaution….”
Surprisingly, the suggestion came from Mr. Chieftain.
“Father!?”
“Say, Dear…… you can’t mean to send forth just you three! That’s much too perilous. Would it not be wiser to muster a larger band…….”
“No, for too great a number would assuredly draw their notice…… Moreover, to discern the precise location of the intruders, I must commune with the creatures of the forest and serve as a guide…….”
Amicus and his wife weren’t the only ones who were surprised by Mr. Chieftain’s words.
To be honest, I was surprised too.
“Heh, Mr. Chieftain is taking action himself. When I first met him, it seemed like a huge pain to him.”
Mr. Chieftain, who has an image of being lazy and who has always tried to avoid combat and interference as much as possible, saying things like, “Just get out of here” when we set foot on land near their village more than ten years ago, was now he’s trying to take action of his own accord.
Mr. Chieftain chuckled……
“It cannot be helped, can it? For I bear not only the burdensome mantle of chieftain… but also the role of a father.”
“Ha…… Haha.”
That single remark carried a sense of various thoughts and burdens.
Mr. Chieftain didn’t seem to have changed, but there were some shifts in his state of mind.
“Well, then, I’ll ask you to lead us there. Don’t worry, Amicus. Espie and I are here.”
“That’s right! If Big brother and I team up, we’ll be the strongest in the world, so there’s absolutely no need to worry at all~!”
“Sir Earth…… Sister…… Yes. Pray, take care of yourselves, will you?”
Well, we’ll be there too, so no matter how many people there are, it should be fine unless something extraordinary happens.
Seeing us like that, Amicus seemed to feel a little relieved and blushed.
“Hmm…… I think that a team of me and Brother would be the strongest…….”
“…… You guys shouldn’t compete with each other there… anyway, I’ll leave the settlement to you guys.”
I’ll leave this place to Slayer, who is a little sulky, and Larou’iph, who was pounding her chest and telling me to leave the defense of the settlement to them……
“Well then, if that’s all… let’s go.”
“Ou.”
“Very well!”
For now, the three of us will go and see what’s going on. Nodding to each other, we jumped out of the settlement and rushed into the forest.
“W, wait a moment! I am not possessed of such extraordinary physical prowess, you know!”
“”……””
No, it wasn’t quite a sprint.
Mr. Chieftain shouted from behind us as we took a leap.
But……
“It’s okay. Fluffy Delivery♪.”
“Uwah!?”
Mr. Chieftain was suddenly pulled in by Espie’s powers, while deftly avoiding the obstacles in the forest.
“Wow, Espie, your abilities are as dexterous and useful as ever.”
“Hmm, right? Now, as long as you’re within my reach, no matter what danger Big brother faces I’ll be able to help in an instant, right?”
“As your older brother, I want to help you out when you’re in a pinch.”
“It’s okay~ . Since you’re younger than me now, you should be protected by me and Slayer! At the very least, we should cooperate and fight together! We’re not the kind of people who only need to be protected and saved by you anymore, you see.”
We both chuckled and chatted comfortably while moving at a reasonable speed.
It was clear that even in these basic areas, Espie had grown far stronger than she was in the past.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but Big brother is super good at moving around in the forest. So much that I can’t keep up with you even if I try to control you.”
“Hmm?”
“Even when there were obstacles, you move so smoothly around them, and you can use tree branches to fly…… even the Japone ninja warriors would be surprised, right? Even during that game of tag the other day, we were both struggling to keep up with you.”
“Hehe, is that so?”
“Un. It was the same when you saved me in the past…… now that I’ve gotten stronger myself, I can really see how efficient your movements are, how intuitive your senses are, and how accurate your route in the forest is.”
On the other hand, because they’re now grown up, they’re now genuinely impressed with me.
Even though she’s like a younger sister to me, I don’t mind being praised so purely by Espie, who holds the title of one of the Seven Heroes.
“Well… I was blessed with a great master.”
“Eh!? Big brother’s master?”
『Hmmph♪』
Ah, Tre’ainar had a grin on his face like, “Mmhmm♪”. Were you happy?
“N-No, um, you two! Though you chatter idly as if nothing were amiss, I must confess—this pace and manner of movement does fill me with unease! A, and there! Turn right now and head straight, um, at a more measured gait please!”
But until about half a year ago, I might have felt like Mr. Chieftain.
I couldn’t even catch a rabbit in the woods.
Come to think of it, how is the Shooting Star family doing?
On the first night after I ran away from home, I learned how to move around the woods like this…… then, the next day, I fought Shinobu and the others…… and in order to save Mr. Aka, who is being attacked, I ran through the woods at full speed while being chased by Shinobu……
“That reminds me…… the ninja warriors, Shinobu is also one…….”
“Shinobu? Ah, that’s the pretty, black-haired girl, right~? She’s one of the potential brides for Big Brother!”
Suddenly, when I mentioned Shinobu, Espie, who was next to me, started grinning for some reason――――
“I’ll take that head! Ninja Arts, 【Scattered Leaf Rain Slash Tech(Konoha Samidaregiri No Jutsu)】!!”
“””Eeehhh!!!????”””
That was when it happened.
“Big brother! Chieftain!”
“Ouh.”
“Hmm, quiet now.”
We heard voices coming from the direction we were heading, and at the same time, felt a powerful whirlwind blowing through.
“Don’t let them escape, surround them!”
“The enemy is few in number, but do not underestimate them! They are a first-rate force!”
“We will certainly weaken them while reducing their strength!”
And then I feel.
“You will not get away…… no, I refuse to let you escape, you traitors!”
The sound of battle, moving violently and agilely through the forest, sometimes wildly, sometimes with metal clashing against metal.
Human voices can also be heard, and some screams, as if they had been attacked.
“Well…… it looks like they’re fighting and it doesn’t seem very calm… I wonder what’s happening?”
“Well, from now on, let’s just keep a low profile and move carefully….”
“…… Huh…… truly, how loathsome. Truly, I rue coming here at all…”
For the time being, we stopped running, holding our breath as we quietly approached the place where the loud noise was coming from.
But, there were over a hundred people in the area, so if we got too close we’d be noticed.
But that wasn’t a problem.
“It’s all right, Mr. Chieftain. At this distance, my radar can reach them. I’ll just try to find out what they are doing.”
With my radar, even from this distance……
“Fuh…… this is tricky… hm? Huh? …what is this…?! Oh… doesn’t this feel somewhat familiar?”
―――――― !!???
“Huh!?”
“Ah, B, Big brother?”
The next moment, I felt a chill and my heart leapt.
I accidentally deactivated the Magical Radar.
“Eh…… ah……”
“Big brother?”
“Wh, what is it, Young man?”
When I tried to search the space ahead of me with the Magical Radar, I realized that someone who had come into contact with my radar had noticed me.
“That’s… ridiculous… you’re kidding, right? Did they notice me probing with my Magical Radar?”
“Big brother?”
“What does…… that mean…”
This is the first time I’ve ever experienced this. What the hell kind of feeling is that?
And what kind of person is that…?
『Fufu… oh, dear me…』
“Huh!?”
At that moment, Tre’ainar, who was beside me, suddenly started laughing for some reason.
I looked at his expression, wondering what the hell was going on, and he turned to me……
『Child…… the Six Supremacy, the Seven Heroes, and the like…… your constitution for drawing in such people seems to be in top shape as ever.』
“Huh?”
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Forbidden Master – Part 5/Chapter 1865th Feb 2022In "Forbidden Master"
Forbidden Master – Part 6/Chapter 25225th Jan 2023In "Forbidden Master"
Forbidden Master – Part 7/Chapter 31930th Dec 2023In "Forbidden Master"
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