Chapter 7
Lurking in the Foggy Town
(Part 2)
“Ugh, even I think that’s lame… I messed up.”
The moment I set foot inside ‘Miscar Town’, I was caught in a magic circle and before I knew it, I was inside the town. I was in what seemed like a small square with a perfectly ordinary fountain. At least I wasn’t inside some suspicious facility.
Demon magic doesn’t work on me unless it’s as powerful as Dia’s. So, the one who set up that magic circle was probably human. I had only been anticipating a surprise attack from demons, so this was unexpected. Moreover, a teleportation spell that brings you into the town you intended to enter anyway is just beyond unexpected.
“No, perhaps it’s the opposite.”
That’s right. Why would someone set up such magic? Isn’t it probably to prevent the people inside the town from leaving?
No, I still don’t really get it.
If it were demons, they might set up magic to keep humans from escaping, but would humans do such a thing?
Of course, if humans can’t leave, then demons can’t escape either, but I’d rather not think that someone would employ a method that sacrifices all the humans in this town for that purpose.
As I was pondering this, I heard a loud thud nearby, followed by a small, pained cry of “Eep…”.
Wondering what it was this time, I looked towards the sound and saw a woman who had fallen hard on her rear. She was rubbing her sore bottom worriedly, then began gently stroking her swollen belly. She was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties, wearing a large dress made of thick fabric. A warm-looking stole was draped over her shoulders. Her long black hair was loosely braided and hung down over her shoulder. On her back, she carried a large backpack, from which what looked like camping gear was visible. And her belly was noticeably swollen, even through her clothes. From the way she anxiously rubbed it, she was probably pregnant. She tried to get up, but her large belly seemed to make it difficult for her to rise properly.
“Um, are you okay?”
Somehow, I couldn’t just stand by and watch in silence, so I reached out my hand to her.
The woman seemed to notice my presence for the first time then. She looked surprised for a moment, but said, “Thank you,” and took my hand.
I gave a firm pull, and she staggered to her feet, then brushed the dust off her backside with a couple of pats.
Then, just to be safe, I activated a spell, wrapping magical chains around the wrist of the hand she had used to grasp mine.
“Huh? Uh, wh-what is this…?”
With a clatch… sound, the chains dangled from her wrist.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
The woman looked confused. Well, I can’t blame her, but I wish she wouldn’t look at me with such aversion.
“Ah, sorry. I was just checking to see if you were a demon in disguise.”
“Oh, I see.”
When I dispelled the magic, the chains vanished as if they had never been there to begin with.
The woman also looked surprised, staring at where the chains had disappeared.
“Um, you’re not from the town, are you? Are you a traveler?”
“Ah—, yeah, that’s right. I came to this town for some business… Hmm?”
It was then that I heard it—the sound of footsteps slowly approaching us.
I looked towards the woman and then in the direction of the footsteps, waiting. From beyond the fog, a gaunt man appeared, walking with an unsteady gait. His shirt and trousers were frayed and torn in places, looking ragged, and his leather shoes were dirty. A weary-looking stubble grew on his emaciated jaw, giving the impression it hadn’t been tended to for a long time.
“Hey, you guys… don’t you have any food? I’m so hungry I’m gonna die.”
“Hungry? You mean you have no food at home?”
“Yeah… Because there are several demons pretending to be human in this town, the townspeople don’t come out much either. There’s hardly any work that pays money, almost no food supplies or support… I’m begging you, just a little, please share something.”
The man spoke while rubbing his stomach. His words, squeezed out as if with great effort, sounded genuinely painful, and I believed he was truly starving. I watched the man for a moment, then took a breath and replied.
“Sorry, I only have enough for myself. Besides, I can’t become your meal either.”
As I said that, the man’s shoulders twitched violently.
I hadn’t been sure from a distance, but facing him like this, I could tell. He was a demon wearing human skin, disguising itself as that human nonchalantly.
It seems they move their own souls into the bodies of humans they’ve killed.
Their physical strength and such become as weak as a human’s, but since the outer body is human, even humans specializing in demon subjugation apparently find it hard to detect their true nature. My ability to sense demonic magic is strong, so I noticed, but to think I couldn’t say for sure until he got this close… Disguises are terrifying.
“Your current body is human, right? From a humanitarian standpoint, I think you should avoid cannibalism.”
“Sh-shut up!! With enough meat for two people like you, I can live a while longer. If you come quietly, the pain will only last a moment!!”
As he said this, the man pulled a knife from his pocket, casually tossing aside the cover that was on the blade.
The pregnant woman let out a small scream, holding her belly protectively as she backed away. If she ran, I might be fine, but she would probably be caught. The man was emaciated, but she was at a disadvantage carrying a life in her womb.
I don’t dislike demons that much, and I don’t like fighting, but if I leave him be, I might end up getting hurt too. I took a step forward and glared sharply at him. The man looked surprised for a moment but readied his knife again.
“Rraaaghh!!”
The man raised his knife and charged straight at us with a shout.
I instantly activated a binding spell, hurling chains towards his legs.
“Guh!?”
“Sorry about this!”
My chains caught his legs, wrapping around them tightly and restraining him. I gave the chains a firm pull, and the man lost his balance, tumbling to the ground right there. The impact of hitting the ground caused him to drop the knife he was holding; it fell with a clang.
In his current disguised state, the demon should have physical abilities about equal to a human’s. Without a weapon and with his emaciated body, he couldn’t win against me.
I pinned the fallen man’s back with one foot, quickly wrapped the chains around his body, and then tied him to a nearby lamppost. At first, the man resisted, but soon he seemed to give up entirely, going limp and hanging his head.
I thought, ‘What a pain,’ and took the backpack I was carrying, opening the zipper.
“…These chains will disappear in a few hours. If no one finds you until then, you might be saved. Oh, and here, I don’t like the taste of this anyway, so you can have it.”
I inserted a tube of emergency food from my backpack into the man’s mouth. It was a jelly-like nutritional food in a square packet. It should be easy to eat even if he was thirsty.
He glared at me for a second, but he must have been extremely hungry, as he quietly began swallowing the jelly.
“If you attack again, I won’t go easy on you. Understood?”
When I asked, the man gave a small nod while swallowing the jelly.
Confirming he had calmed down, I grabbed the pregnant woman’s hand and quickly left the spot.
“Um… is it okay to leave him like that?”
“Who knows? But I can only bind and seal; I can’t exterminate them. That’s my partner’s job.”
Once we were a good distance from the square, we sat down on a bench that was there to take a break. I took a sip of water from my canteen, and the tension from earlier drained away, letting out a deep sigh. No matter how resistant my body is to demons, actual combat by myself is nerve-wracking.
I felt keenly aware of how big a presence Dia, who is always by my side, really is.
“Haha… That was rough. Sorry for dragging you away so suddenly. Um, what should I call you?”
“Ah, my name is Maria. And, thank you for earlier. Also, for the water.”
“You’re welcome. My name is Akatsuki. You never know what might happen, so it would be best to catch your breath and then head back home.”
The woman, having taken a sip of water from the canteen I offered and caught her breath, bowed her head. Perhaps the weight of the child in her belly was heavy, as she seemed more tired than I was, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
Even though I thought staying in that spot was dangerous, I felt sorry for forcibly making a woman in her condition run with me.
“I have a favor to ask… would you be willing to listen?”
Just as I was thinking it was about time to go, Maria spoke up hesitantly, as if finding it hard to ask.
I figured just listening would be fine, so I urged her to continue. She seemed to ponder for a moment, then, as if steeling herself, bowed her head and said.
“Please, take me outside of this town…!!”
“Huh…?”
The unexpected request made my eyes widen involuntarily.
It was true that her luggage suggested she was prepared for a long journey, but I never expected her to ask such a thing of me, a mere traveler she happened to run into.
“…No.”
“…!!”
At my reply, Maria looked disappointed.
I felt sorry, but… even thinking about it calmly, it was an impossible request.
“I’m sorry. But even if you got outside the town, in your condition, walking to a distant town would be impossible. Rather than a passerby like me, it would be better to ask someone you trust.”
“Th-that’s true, but… There’s no one else I can rely on. Judging by the amount of luggage you have, you have a means of transport other than walking, right? I don’t mind being squeezed in somewhere, couldn’t you take me with you? I’ll do anything… Please, for this child’s sake!!”
Maria moved her hands as if cradling her belly and spoke with a strong, determined voice.
She seemed to have judged that I had means of transportation after seeing my backpack, which only held the bare minimum. We did indeed have a carriage, and we could fit one more person. But we only had luggage for two healthy men.
I couldn’t take responsibility for her life, or the life inside her womb.
“Using your child as a bargaining chip is unfair, you know… Besides, I came here for a specific purpose. So I can’t just turn back without doing anything.”
“Then, let me help you with that. I know my way around this town, so I can probably assist you with most things. This town is dangerous. Finishing your objective quickly would be a major advantage for you too, I think… What do you say?”
“Hmmm… That would actually be a big help.”
Honestly, I know nothing about this town I just arrived in.
The deep fog makes it hard to get a sense of the geography, and besides that man earlier, I haven’t seen any townspeople, so gathering information would be difficult. And, of all things, I got separated from Dia in such a dangerous town.
If I could properly dispel the magic at the entrance, I might be able to get out, but Dia wouldn’t just stay put, so meeting up might take a little time.
If Dia used a powerful spell, I might be able to locate her, but she probably wouldn’t do something like that in this town where anything could happen.
Considering I might have to stay the night alone here, having her, a townsperson, help me would be reassuring. There’s also space to spare in the carriage, and I don’t think adding just her would cause any problems for travel.
“Alright. If you help me, I’ll let you ride in our carriage. But I can only take Maria-san and the child in your womb. That means leaving behind your husband or any other family members. Is that okay?”
“Ah, thank you so much!! As for my husband… I can’t see him anymore, so it’s just me and this child. That’s fine.”
“I-I see… Well, somehow, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s alright. Because I have my savior, who saved my life…”
Maria’s cheeks reddened as she said this with a rapturous expression.
Savior? What is she talking about? For some reason, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Urging her that we should get going, Maria nodded and stood up.
Worrying about Dia in a corner of my mind, we started walking.
