chsdbacks Chapter 28 – Ruijerd Superdia
Chapter 28 – Ruijerd Superdia
Chapter 28 – Ruijerd Superdia
— Leon Greyrat —
‘Hey, Big Brother... could you... walk me to school?’
Huh?
Who... what was that voice? Where was I?
It’s dark... I couldn’t see anything... not even my hands right in front of me.
No... I couldn’t feel my hands either.
To be exact, I couldn’t feel anything.
Of course! Why wouldn’t I? I need to protect my cute little sister, after all!
What... was that... my voice?
But... it didn’t feel the same.
It didn’t sound the same, either.
‘Thanks! You’re the best!’
That weird voice again... it was a girl’s.
What was happening?
Actually, no, that didn’t matter.
That man, Ruijerd... we fought, and I lost.
But his words at the end... they almost seemed... kind.
As if he wasn’t going to finish me off.
Was he truly going to protect Eris, Aisha, and Norn, just like he said?
But I couldn’t be too sure...
Anyway, if I wasn’t dead, I was definitely asleep, most likely due to running out of mana.
But I couldn’t just stay here.
I needed to get up and see what was happening.
I needed to wake up!
“Hah!”
Shooting up, I felt my heartbeat pound against my chest as I looked around me, my shaky breath slowly returning to a normal pace.
I was... inside the hut.
And from the small bit of light coming from the entryway, it was morning.
But... how did I end up here? Didn’t I pass out pretty far away from the shelter?
“You’re up.”
Hearing a rough yet quiet voice, I turned to my side, only to see the same man who put me in this state, Ruijerd, sitting opposite me against the wall.
...What was he doing here?
Wait. If he got through the barrier, then...
Frantically looking to my side, I was immensely relieved to see Aisha and Norn both snuggling against my leg to my right, with Eris sprawled out to my left, her hair undone and her midriff showing.
Haa... I’d have to do up her hair again later.
“...Yes, I am. How... how did you break through the barrier?” I asked.
“Hm? Barrier?” he asked before his eyes light up with realization. “Ah, so that’s what that feeling was... no, I did not break through the barrier.”
...Okay, so he didn’t break through it, and paired with the fact my sisters, Eris, and I were safe, that meant that this guy was... not an enemy.
Although he still had that harsh look, and I still felt a little scared around him, he was friendly... I think.
“I see... why... why did you watch over us?” I asked.
He tilted his head. “Didn’t I said I would? Besides, a Superd warrior never abandons children.”
...Right.
“I see... so you’re not evil... then... why did you fight me?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows once more in confusion. “Was raising your sword not a request for a duel?”
...Huh?
“Um, no... rather, it was a sign of caution and warning...” I answered slowly.
“...Oh,” he hung his head. “I see.”
...What the hell was with this guy?
This was the terrifying race of Superd?
While he was definitely strong, in terms of personality, he just seemed... socially awkward.
Incredibly so.
“...Anyway, thank you for looking after them. I... really needed the sleep,” I said, slightly bowing my head.
Only now could I notice what a horrible state I had been in.
Everything felt so clear now, and my body was brimming with energy.
Casting a small Waterball above my palm, I marvelled at the ease and smoothness of it all as I washed my face, rubbing off the dirt and a bit of blood from last night's ‘duel’.
“...How interesting. Is casting magic without an incantation normal for humans now?” Ruijerd asked.
I shook my head. “No. As far as I know, only me and three others can do it. I’m a bit of a rarity.”
He nodded. “Hmm... I see. How interesting.”
Feeling a bit awkward at the silence, I looked around the hut, and to my surprise, I saw a small fire pit near the entrance, one that was filled with ash and burned wood.
Well... that explains why I didn’t feel cold in the night.
“I’m surprised you’ve survived without firewood to heat yourselves and your food. Human children are said to be quite delicate,” Ruijerd said.
“Yeah... I usually stayed up casting a flame spell or heated up rocks for that,” I said. “Speaking of... where did you find the wood?”
“Hm? While no trees are found here in the mountains, there are various species of Treants,” he answered. “But to stay up all night casting magic... you are definitely a rarity.”
“Ah... Hahaha... yeah.”
Treants, huh?
To think there was such a thing...
I had been avoiding monsters whenever I could for... obvious reasons, but to think that was how I could get firewood...
The Demon Continent was quite the scary place, huh?
Having to rely on monsters for all aspects of survival... it was a wonder how this place was habitable at all, especially with the barren landscape.
“Anyway... thank you once again for watching over us,” I said, breaking the silence. “My name is Leon Greyrat, a Sword and Water Saint, and student of the Sword King Ghislaine.”
“...And I am Ruijerd Superdia.”
Yes. I already knew that.
“But... are you not scared of me? I am a Superd, you know,” he said.
“I was scared at first, but, well... it’s kind of calmed down now,” I shrugged. “But... you’re much different than what the stories said, Ruijerd.”
Even though I thought that the legends of the Superd race were greatly exaggerated, I still expected them to be violent people, but contrary to that, Ruijerd seemed extremely gentle... aside from that ‘duel’ mishap.
However, as my aching side told me quite clearly, I knew that he could be violent if he wanted.
I guess you can’t blindly trust stories, huh?
His grip on his spear tightened. “...The Superd are a proud race of warriors. We are not a horde of monstrous beasts. We were tricked by that damned Laplace!”
Hm?
“But... from the stories I heard of, the Superd fought on Laplace’s side in the war... did something happen?” I asked.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com
“We were betrayed!” he shouted, his face the incarnation of violent anger.
Ah... the fear was back.
But at least I didn’t tremble this time.
“That despicable man gave us the cursed spears, and then...” his face then turned sad as he looked down at his hand. “We lost everything. Our home... our people... and our honour. I will never forgive him.”
...I guess there was quite a story there.
But that wasn’t important right now.
“I see... Umm, do you happen to know where we are, Ruijerd?” I asked.
“The edge of the Biegoya Region, in the northeast of the Demon Continent,” he answered.
Well, shit.
That was the worst luck imaginable.
We were... a long way from home.
Years, even.
“Where do you and your group happen to hail from, boy,” Ruijerd then asked.
“The Asura Kingdom. Ironically, the northeast region of it,” I said with a frown.
Running my fingers through Aisha’s maroon hair, I thought about the current situation.
I’d have to cross the entire Demon Continent to get back home, all while keeping these three safe and happy.
If it was six months or so, I would be fine with sacrificing some happiness for speed as we would be able to quickly get back to a sense of normalcy and stability and forget about the difficult times, but since we would be travelling for so long...
Right now, Aisha and Norn were three and half years old and in the midst of their precious childhood.
I couldn’t let them have a miserable time in such an important period in their lives.
Right now, they should be growing, discovering themselves, smiling and laughing without a care in the world...
They needed to be happy.
“Asura? That’s... quite a faraway land,” Ruijerd said.
Yeah. No kidding.
“But I am curious... Just how did you end up here in the first place?” he asked.
...How did we, indeed.
“...There was a great light, and as soon as it reached us, we were teleported here. I don’t know why... or how... but I know that Perugius was concerned as Arumanfi the Bright appeared,” I explained.
“Teleportation? If such forbidden magic was used, and on such a scale, it’s no wonder Perugius got involved,” Ruijerd said to himself. “And these three... are they your sisters?”
“These two are,” I said, rubbing Aisha and Norn’s heads. “But this one, Eris, is just... a friend.”
Why was that so difficult to say?
I suppose after spending so much time together, and relying on her for the past week, it was hard to just call her a ‘friend’.
“...I see. You are a good brother, Leon Greyrat. You have my respect,” Ruijerd said with a smile.
“Thanks...” I said.
Now that I could see the man clearly, I noticed a few things about him aside from his spear, hair, and red gem that popped out at first glance.
He was muscled, which made complete sense considering the speed and strength he showed earlier.
He also had porcelain white skin, completely devoid of blemishes aside from the long scar running across his face, and wore a set of tribal garb that left much to be desired in terms of protection.
Just as I was about to strike up a conversation with him again, I felt movement from my left.
“Nghh~ Hm~? Leon?” Eris slowly blinked open her eyes before turning to the sunlit entrance. “It’s morning? We were supposed to split guard duty!”
Oh. She was angry now.
A complete reversal from the gentle and cute sleeping expression she was wearing a moment before.
“Don’t worry, I got some rest,” I said with a smile. “We had some... unexpected aid, you could say.”
Finally noticing the foreign presence, Eris then turned to look at Ruijerd, and upon seeing him...
“Aaaah!!!”
She screamed.
“N-Nooo!”
She tried to scamper away, but quickly found herself cornered by the wall.
...What?
I knew that Hilda had told Eris about the Superd, but I didn’t think she would be this terrified of him.
It was... unnatural, especially for such a prideful and fearless girl like her.
A village with fairly large houses all made of what looked to be the shells of giant turtles.
Come to think of it, I remember seeing a few monsters like that during the past week.
Not that I fought them, of course.
“Would you look at that?” I said as I readjusted Norn and Aisha. “Hopefully they have some spices to trade, huh? Maybe then my stew won’t taste so bad.”
Norn shook her head. “I-It wasn’t that bad, Brother.”
I couldn’t help but smile at her cuteness. “You don’t have to lie, Norn. I know it kind of sucked.”
“Hm? I didn’t mind it, though,” Eris mumbled from the side.
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I think that was just you.”
Yeah, I never wanted to have that meat stew ever again, at least not with the measly spices we had on hand.
Never had I wanted a loaf of bread more in my life.
As we got closer, I noticed that this village not only had houses, but also small fields that seemed to be growing an array of plants and herbs.
Yippee.
Approaching the gate, we were quickly stopped by a young boy with light blue hair.
Weird... he almost reminded me of Roxy.
Maybe he was her brother?
Hah. As if.
Anyway, while he might look like a young boy, knowing the variety of the Demon race, he could very well be a fully grown man.
“Who are these people, Ruijerd?” the guy asked.
“They’re lost children,” Ruijerd responded.
“‘Lost children’?” the blue-haired guy shook his head. “I can’t let such suspicious people into the village.”
“Suspicious? They’re children... Explain yourself,” Ruijerd said sternly, causing Norn and Aisha to tighten their grip on my shirt.
Well... if he wanted to improve the reputation of his race, he would have to work on his tone, especially around the children he was so obviously endeared to.
“W-What do you mean, ‘explain myself’? Just look at them!” the man said, pointing at us.
“They were teleported here from the Kingdom of Asura. What’s the matter with you? They’re just children, and the day is turning to night,” Ruijerd scowled.
Umm... to be fair, these ‘children’ you are talking about include a dual Sword and Water Saint, as well as an Advanced-rank Sword God practitioner in Eris.
Not exactly a completely defenceless bunch.
“Ruijerd,” I said, nudging his arm. “Weren’t you just going to tell them you’re leaving? We can handle another night of camping.”
He narrowed his eyes. “...I was hoping to spend the night here.”
“Then just ask him to call an elder or something,” I said.
“You have a point,” Ruijerd nodded. “Rowin, can you call for the elder?”
“I was just thinking about doing that,” Rowin said before closing his eyes.
Hm?
“Uh, Ruijerd?” I asked.
“The Migurd can converse with others of their race, even at a distance,” Ruijerd quickly answered.
The Migurd?
Wait... didn’t that mean-
“The elder’s on his way,” Rowin said, opening his eyes.
Hmm... I guess it would be better to ask the elder about that anyway.
Whether this was Roxy’s village, that is.
“Leon?” Eris said, poking my shoulder. “What’s happening?”
Right. She didn’t know the Demon God tongue.
And in fact, neither did Aisha nor Norn.
“Nothing much. We’re just waiting for someone in charge to let us in,” I answered.
“Hm?” she frowned. “But he didn’t do anything.”
“They can communicate telepathically,” I said.
“‘Telepathically’? What’s that mean?” she asked.
“Just... never mind.”
That would take way too long to explain.
“Brother?” Norn asked, pulling my scarf. “All okay?”
“We’ll be fine. We just have to...” I then spotted a bald man slowly making his way toward me, with two girls at his side. “Well, never mind then. Everything should be over soon.”
The bald man, who still, despite being the assumed ‘elder’, looked like a boy, then began talking with Rowin.
“These are the human children in question, then?”
“Yes,” Rowin nodded. “They’re very strange. One of them can even speak our language.”
“Hmm... but anyone could learn the language with enough study, no?” the elder said.
“Why would a human child study our language, though?” Rowin asked.
Well, to get closer to my crush, Roxy, of course, but it would also prove to be useful now that we were here.
“Let’s not be too hasty now. I’ll speak with them,” the elder said before walking toward us.
Hmm... should I bow to him?
The Demon Continent wasn’t known for its formalities, and I didn’t really like doing etiquette unless it was needed, but then again, he was the village elder of the place we wanted to spend the night...
Let’s go for a small bow.
Placing Norn and Aisha on the ground, I placed my hand on my chest before slightly bending my leg. “Nice to meet you. I am Leon Greyrat.”
I decided to leave out the Sword and Water Saint part, as I didn’t want to make them afraid of us.
Though... maybe that fear would help make things go smoother?
“And I am Rokkus, the elder of this village,” he smiled. “I never imagined human children to be so polite.”
“Ah, well... we’re not exactly normal, you see,” I said before changing to the human tongue. “Eris? Want to introduce yourself?”
“Huh?” she said. “But I don’t know the language!”
“Just... you don’t need to bow or anything, just introduce yourself,” I said.
“W-Well... if you said so.”
Eris then crossed her arms before eventually moving them to rest on her hips.
“My name is Eris Boreas Greyrat!”
How eloquent.
The elder’s face broke into a smile. “I’m guessing the little lady here introduced herself?”
“Yep,” I nodded before placing my hand on the last two’s heads. “And these two are Aisha and Norn Greyrat, my sisters.”
The village elder offered the two a warm smile before looking over to Eris. “And my name is Rokkus, the elder of this village.”
Eris turned to me with a confused expression.
“He introduced himself. He’s Rokkus, the elder of the village,” I explained.
“I-I see!” she said, relieved.
Now... I would just have to ask him to let us into the village.
Even if it wasn’t that important, I would be lying if I said I missed a warm place to sleep without the need for a night watch.
Wait! The pendant!
Roxy did say that it may help in a situation like this, and considering these were the same race as her... well, it was worth a shot.
“Rokkus, sir. Would we be able to spend the night in your village? I also have this,” I then pulled out the pendant from my shirt. “My teacher said to show it in a situation like this, though I never expected to be in one like now.”
Rokkus’ eyes widened before narrowing to study the pendant.
“And just who is this master of yours?” he asked.
“...That’d be Roxy Migurdia,” I said.
As soon as the words left my mouth, Rowin rushed over to grab me by the shoulder. “D-Did you just said Roxy right now!?”
What?
Oh, don’t tell me... was this actually her village?
His tone didn’t seem angry or anything, so I don’t think Roxy was a runaway delinquent.
Maybe she was missed over here?
Roxy did say she never went back home after leaving quite some time ago.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Do you happen to know her?”
“Where is she? W-Where is Roxy!?” Rowin shouted.
...That wasn’t an answer to my question.
Slowly prying off his hands from my shoulders, I answered him, “Shirone Kingdom in the Central Continent. At least she was there the last time I checked.”
He released a deep sigh, “So she’s alive... good. My daughter’s alive.”
...Huh?
“Daughter?” I said cautiously.
“Hm? Y-Yeah, it’s been twenty years since she left home... I-Is she doing alright?” he said anxiously.
...Okay, so he was Roxy’s dad, and thus, my future father-in-law.
At least, hopefully.
It wasn’t too surprising to have someone who looked so young be her father, as Roxy had told me that the Migurd race lived for many years and kept their teenage appearance throughout it.
But twenty years, huh?
That would mean she was in her thirties when we met, right?
Roxy was always quite evasive whenever the topic of her age came up, and I guess I somewhat knew the answer as to why now.
But that just made her cuter.
Besides, it was good to know I held the taste of a refined woman.
“She’s doing very well. She’s a King rank water mage, the last time we exchanged letters,” I said.
“R-Really! That’s... good. Really good,” Rowin said, his eyes a little teary.
He then turned to me with a questioning glare. “...You said you exchanged letters, right? Is that normal for a teacher and student to do?”
“Hm? No, not really, but you see...” I scratched my cheek in embarrassment. “I kind of... like her, I guess?”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Well... you know...”
How embarrassing~! And this was her dad too!
But... this was a good way to introduce myself, right?
First impressions are important, after all.
So, bringing my fist to my chest, my eyes met his as I firmly declared, “I want to marry her!”
The surroundings immediately turn quiet, only to be broken a moment later by the sound of Eris’ fist hitting my side.
“Hmph! Dummy!” she huffed. “I don’t know what you said, but I could tell it was annoying!”
...I got hit for that reason?
And why would she find it annoying?
Rowin’s face turned slack. “...No.”
Haa... I guess I didn’t have the instant parental approval that I had with Eris.
I suppose this is another reason to make use of our night here.
“Anyway, is it alright if we come inside for the night?” I asked Rokkus.
“Of course,” he nodded. “How could we reject you after bringing us such good news? Besides, I don’t think Ruijerd here would be very impressed with us if we refused you.”
And so, that was how we gained the hospitality of a Migurd village for the night.
And the one that was Roxy’s old home at that.