The LN images for volume 2 can be found 🙂 Courtesy to Fui for linking them
Chapter 69: Lit hesitates and decides
Translator: Tseirp
The Spirit Drake in the sky was exceedingly quick.
“That’s not an ordinary Spirit Drake. A spell or something has been done to enhance its movement speed.”
In terms of pure speed, I believed that I was moving at the same pace but the difference was that I was on land.
I had no choice but to slow down when turning around corners and my speed would drop in an instant if I ran off the road.
“I want to believe that Ruti is fine.”
Ruti was immensely stronger than me. I felt that I did not have any need to worry about her.
However, as expected, I just couldn’t calm down when, right in front of me, a suspicious opponent was heading toward the mountain that Ruti was on.
After running for a while, I spot two running drakes in front of me.
“Hn, so I’ve caught up.”
There was no way I would mistake Lit’s figure from behind even when she was a distance away.
“Lit! Tise!”
“Red!”
The running drake looked at me with interest as I ran beside it and it cried out curiously.
Water and Wind Spirits were drifting around the running drake.
As I didn’t know any magic and didn’t have any skill that analyzed magic, I could only infer that the Water Spirit treated fatigue while the Wind Spirit raised movement speed.
As suspected, they had raised their speed using magic.
“Lit, did you see the Spirit Drake in the sky?”
“Yeap, I saw it. But there isn’t anybody in Zoltan capable of summoning that. Even Mistome-shi from the previous generation B-rank party can’t do it.”
As Zoltan’s strongest adventurer, Lit had accurately grasped the ability of the strong individuals living in Zoltan so that was probably the truth coming from Lit.
“Someone from the outside huh?”
Not only did Danan appear, but another individual holding a magic-field Divine Protection with Divine Protection level comparable to the Hero party also came to Zoltan?
Was it a coincidence?
“Oh right, Danan is here too he’ll be catching up soon.”
“Danan!?”
Lit raised her voice in surprise and Tise’s eyes were also wide open.
“Red, you met Danan?”
“Yeah, at the harbor. Apparently, he came to look for me.”
After Lit heard that, she hesitated a little before,
“I see ... sorry, but actually I have met him too.”
She said with slightly downcast eyes.
“Lit met Danan?”
“Yup. He came to drag Red back. But he found that Red was living a peaceful life and decided to treat it as if he didn’t see anything so I didn’t tell Red.”
Danan did? That guy wasn’t the kind to say such things.
That guy was a muscle brain that wouldn’t be able to comprehend the concept of happiness that came from living peacefully. He would probably say without any hesitation that if we enjoyed living together, we could just subjugate the Demon Lord while being together.
He would easily drop the element of peace that was crucial to our happiness. He was that kind of a person.
Furthermore ...
“When did that happen?”
“Erm, I first met him when I was searching for the production base of the Devil’s Divine Protection ...”
That’s strange.
Danan mentioned that he arrived in Zoltan today. There was no reason for Danan to lie in that situation.
However, Lit did not have a reason to lie as well.
“Lit, did that Danan have any strange features?”
“Strange features? Nope, I don’t recall anything in particular ... well, I did not speak to Danan that much so I won’t be able to tell that well.”
When Lit entered as a member during the time we were breaking through the Forest of Deceit, Theodora and Danan had remained in Logavia to defend. In exchange, we called in reinforcements which were Yarandorara and Lit.
That was why Lit did not talk to Danan much.
... Even though she did not, it was unthinkable that she would not see the huge difference in Danan.
“Did Danan have both his arms?”
“Eh? I don’t understand your question ...”
“It’s exactly as I worded it. Right and left arm, did he have them both?”
“Ye-yeah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Tise had also tilted her head sideways due to the incomprehensible question.
“The Danan I met had lost his right arm from the elbow down.”
“Danan-san has only one arm!? What in the heavens happened!?”
“Bu-but I am certain Danan had his right arm when I met him ...”
” ... Lit, I understand if you will be surprised and I still do not know the exact details either but,”
“I’m already surprised!”
“There’s something even more serious. Danan ... apparently, it was Shisandan that ate Danan’s right arm.”
Lit’s body stiffened.
The running drake felt the hesitation in its rider and was about to stop in confusion but I pulled the reins and urged it to continue running. The running drake turned its black pupils to look at me uneasily but it obediently continued running.
“It’s impossible. I was convinced that we killed Shisandan that time!”
“Certainly. I believe Lit brought Shisandan’s head back and buried it in Logavia.”
To Lit, he was a hated opponent that killed her teacher. She probably could not accept that the opponent who she thought she had exacted vengeance upon was actually still alive.
Burning hatred flickered across Lit’s expression for an instant.
“Shisandan ... was the Asura Demon that Ruti-sama fought in Logavia?”
I nodded to Tise’s words.
“I have not actually seen him so I don’t know for sure. I have merely heard about it.”
“Maybe it was some kind of a mistake?”
“I don’t know. But Danan will not forget about an opponent he fought against before. I believe that it has high credibility if Danan claimed it to be so.”
We ran in silence for a while.
“The Danan I met ...”
“Was probably Shisandan. He ate his right arm and copied his appearance.”
There were many mysteries revolving around the ability of the Asura Demon race which was the only race that did not possess Divine Protection in this world.
I did not know that they could transform without killing their opponent.
“If only I told you sooner ... if it was you, you would have noticed that he was a fake. If that happened, I ... could have swiftly.”
“Kill him?”
” ... Yes, I might no longer wish to continue as an adventurer but that guy is an exception.”
Lit was feeling conflicted but I could understand.
She wishes to treasure the daily life we have and to continue running the shop together.
That feeling was definitely genuine.
However, obtaining revenge was an entirely different matter.
It was Shisandan who deceived and killed her teacher and many of the royal guards and Logavia Adventurers that trusted Lit.
” ... Although we do not know if Shisandan had anything to do with that.”
Captured in my line of sight was the Spirit Drake flying in the sky.
The distance between us was gradually getting wider.
“I’ll fight alongside you if that is Shisandan. Even if that is somebody else altogether and Shisandan is still at Zoltan, I will still fight him with you. This time around, we will get revenge for Gaius.”
“But Red ...”
“True, I have already decided to no longer fight for the sake of the world.”
That was the reason for the bitter expression on Lit’s face.
I chose to live with Lit over traveling to save the world.
Lit felt that if I had resolved to do that, she should also put aside her grudge with Shisandan and her fighting to live with me. Those were Lit’s thoughts and she was suffering because she could not make that choice.
“If Lit has a reason to fight, I will fight alongside you. Our lifestyle is not exactly a binding curse. No, we will not let it bind us. There is no reason to avoid fighting and leave behind bitter regrets.”
” ... Sorry.”
Tears surfaced in Lit’s eyes for a little before she tightened her facial expression.
“If we meet Shisandan, I will return to being Hero Lit for a little while.”
She turned her determined gaze toward the Spirit Drake in the sky.
“Thank you, I am all right now so Red, you should go on ahead.”
“Okay.”
Once again, I channeled strength into my legs.
From here onward, the roads leading to the mountain would gradually become worse so I would probably have to reduce my speed. I will not be able to catch up to that Spirit Drake.
But I should be able to arrive within a ten-minute difference.
“Be careful as well, Lit and Tise.”
The running drake was surprised when I raised my speed even further and tried to not be outdone but I quickly pulled ahead.
“Gya!”
While hearing the cry of frustration from the running drake behind me, I rushed on ahead to reach Ruti’s side.