Chapter 65: Tale of the Chuunibyou hero ( 4 )

Rudeus’s POV

…

Hello there. My name’s Rudeus, and I used to be a shut-in.  Currently I am checking out my new, rent-free apartment. A one-room space with a bed made from bug-infested straw, but the price is cheap. After all, it’s rent-free!

The toilet is a large jar set in the corner of the room.  It’s a little unhygienic since there’s no running water, but if you are a magician like me, your problems are completely solved!

There are only two incredible meals, a lush land’s regional specialties of fruits and vegetables. Meat as well. The seasoning is light, bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

Now for the apartment’s primary feature—security. Please, have a look at these durable iron bars. You can bang on them as much as you like and pull at them as much as you like, but they won’t budge an inch.

Surely there isn’t a thief alive who would look at these bars and think they want to go in there! Yet inside they shall, for this free apartment is a jail cell.

… Well, I expected as much, since I already heard their conversation. While the plan went awry, sooner or later the old man would meet Ruijerd, probably along with the children. Surely the children wouldn’t forsake him, surely.

…

Two days passed, and I got anxious. Very anxious. What if something had gone wrong? So I mixed fire and wind magic to make the area nice and toasty. The amply endowed guard grew sleepy and began to drift off. How easy.

I unlocked the cell door and checked to see that no one else was around as I slipped out of the building. Everything is on the trees inside a giant forest. I could use earth magic to build a tower, giving me a high vantage point to look out from.

Of course, if I did something that attention-catching, Gyes would be on my tail immediately.  If I couldn’t counter the magic he used, I might lose. Plus, next time he might cut my legs off so I wouldn’t be able to run.

Perhaps it was better that I wait a little longer for my circumstances to change. The old man hadn’t returned yet, and Ruijerd probably was still searching for the parents. There was no need to be impatient, so I headed back into my cell.

…

Around the fifth day when I was dying from boredom, I got a roommate. I greeted him in a reclining Buddha pose, stretched out on my side with my head propped up against my hand.  Of course, I was completely naked.

“Welcome to life’s final destination.”

The man stared at me, gobsmacked. He looked like an adventurer. His clothes were all black, with leather protectors fastened at the joints. He was unarmed, of course. He had long sideburns and a monkey face like Lupin the Third.

He introduced himself as Geese. I felt like I’d heard that name before. But where? I couldn’t remember.  I took his shirt, and he called me "big boss." At first I thought it was boring because there was nothing to do; now I had a conversation partner.

…

On the seventh day, the forest was up in flames.

Girls were being dragged off by men. A child was screaming, calling out for their mother, who tried to give chase only to be cut down. The beastfolk warriors tried to prevent the kidnappings, but their movements were dulled.

Smoke had hampered their vision and sense of smell. The humans overwhelmed them in numbers, and the beastfolk found themselves surrounded, forced into a bitter fight.

“So… big boss.  Which side are you gonna help?”

I glanced at the scene again. Another beastfolk warrior fell. Human men forced their way into the buildings and emerged dragging a child by their hair.  It was obvious which side was the side of justice. But which one was evil to me?

I had no idea who those people were, probably slave traders or smugglers, to whom I did owe a debt, though I’d say I considered us even after helping them.

In comparison, the beastfolk had imprisoned me on a false charge. I had a poor impression of them. People did say curses were like chickens: they came home to roost.  Still, this is…a bit much, so I told Geese we’re helping the beastfolk.

I cast cumulonimbus, quagmire, and stone cannon, a multitude of spells, to knock out the bandits. With the help of the other beastfolk, we managed to pursue and drive out the bandits.

One of the warriors let me ride on their back because I was too slow. From that position, I became a stone-cannon-launching machine.  Granted, I only put in enough power to knock those men unconscious, but the beastfolk could deliver the necessary finishing blow for me.

Shoulder Equipment: Rudeus.  A piece of equipment that, upon encountering an enemy, will deflect any attack through use of the Eye of Foresight and also automatically knock down enemies.

“That’s the last one!”

The last human halted the moment we caught up, dropping the child so he could draw his sword. The man put a sword to the child’s neck as a hostage. It was Gallus. Seeing me, he tried to recruit me, but negotiations failed.

Two slipped behind Gallus, sneaky as cats, creeping up on him.  Three beastfolk jumped at him instantaneously.

From behind and to the right came Warrior A, slashing; and to the left, Warrior B swept in, attempting to rescue the child. The beastfolk leader, Gimbal, used that beat to attack Gallus from the front.

Against these agile beasts, Gallus moved almost sluggishly. First he launched the child at Gimbal.  Warrior B, who had now lost his target, fumbled for a split second. Using the momentum he’d gained from discarding the child, Gallus pivoted around in an attempt to butcher Warrior A.

But the strike didn’t come. Gallus was suddenly pulled backwards and into the darkness. An eerie laughter came along with the voice of a young man who appeared out of the blue. Gallus was chained as the man held Cleaner by the head.

“I warned you, didn’t I? That I’d take that cloak along with your head, Cleaner.”

The man gripped harder, and Gallus’s head popped like a balloon. The stranger then looted Gallus’s cloak from his dead body and tossed the corpse to the side. Just like that, North Saint Gallus had died a dog’s death without the least resistance.

"What up, dawg?"

The man said, facing us. Staring at the man, Geese broke out into a wide grin. I think I also know the person as well. Although I couldn’t see clearly in the dark, I was dead sure of what I saw.

“Boss! Glad to have y—”

“Gees—"

“... Paul?”

The man looked like the evil version of Paul. Both Geese and Evil Paul’s happy reunion paused mid-sentence as they both stared back at me in utter confusion.

“... Wut?”