Chapter 57: Ugeuge-san swings both arms
Translator: Tseirp
I am Tise‧Garland .
Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, Hero-sama’s companion .
It was currently night time .
After I had given food to the Alchemist Codwin which we had confined in the warehouse .
Our original plan was to leave Zoltan during the night but we found Hero-sama’s Onii-chan which she has been searching for in this town so the plans had changed .
Hero-sama’s wish seemed to be pointing toward staying in this town .
However, we also needed Codwin to make the medicine .
(Too many people know Codwin’s face in this town …)
We would have to prepare a workshop for the Alchemist at a distance where Hero-sama could reach from Zoltan and be able to monitor him such that he would not escape .
(Difficult . )
Those were my thoughts .
If there were more of us here, we might have been able to come up with a couple other plans but only Hero-sama and I were there .
This was the first time we have been to Zoltan so there was not anybody we could trust . There wasn’t a branch of the Assassin’s Guild either .
If I had to choose, I would say that Hero-sama’s brother, Gideon-san, should be trustworthy …
“Hero-sama, it’s still difficult . ”
“Yes . ”
Hero-sama silently nodded .
“Shouldn’t we move to another town and stay there until we prepare enough of the medicine? We can return to Zoltan after that . ”
“I know . ”
“Heeee!?”
I involuntarily flinched when I sensed the bad mood coming from Hero-sama .
Even though she has only been pondering while seated in a chair, her intent was terrifying .
I thought her mood would soften a little after meeting Gideon-san but that was not the case .
“Tomorrow, I have something I wish to investigate . Until then, I want you to find a hideout, it’s all right as long as it can stay hidden for a week . ”
“I-if it’s something like that, I think I can manage but … what is it that you wish to investigate?”
“There is apparently an Ancient-Elf ruin in the mountain next to where we stopped the flying ship . If the facilities are functional, I was thinking of using that as a hideout . ”
When did she acquire such information?
“Wood-Elves apparently live somewhere near that mountain too so I heard that useful plants grow gregariously there . ”
“Ancient-Elf ruins and Wood-Elf existing in the same place?”
Unusual . That was the first time I heard of an Ancient-Elf ruin and Wood-Elf territory in the same region .
Although it might just be because we currently have no knowledge of it .
After all, Wood-Elves seem to believe in recycling nature .
The instructor in the Assassin’s Guild mentioned when he was teaching me history that Wood-Elf buildings are one with nature so once the Wood-Elves disappear, the trees would grow and the Wood-Elf ruins would disappear without a trace .
It was possible … that Wood-Elf ruins were atop other Ancient-Elf ruins but just that the traces had disappeared .
“If the Ancient-Elf ruin was functional, it would certainly function as a hideout … but, why?”
Why must we go to such lengths to stay in Zoltan?
However, after seeing Hero-sama’s serious expression, I could no longer articulate the remainder of the question .
Terrifying …
*Tap tap* Small feet tapped my shoulder .
Ugeuge-san tilted its head .
Ugeuge-san was asking what was the matter .
Don’t think too deeply? No, maybe it meant don’t think too hard? And to look properly?
Ugeuge-san was unusually talkative as it communicated with me .
Even now it was continuously moving its two front legs to convey its thoughts to me .
“What’s wrong?”
I was a little uneasy .
Ugeuge-san was trying to tell me something but I could not understand .
I replied with a question to somehow understand but Ugeuge-san repeated the same image .
What does it mean? It has been a long time since I had this feeling .
… That was why my attention was drawn to Ugeuge-san and not Hero-sama .
“Tise . ”
“Eh?”
Before I knew it, Hero-sama was in front of me .
However, Hero-sama’s gaze was not directed at the shocked and frozen me .
She was staring at my shoulder .
At Ugeuge-san who tilted its head with a blank look .
Hero-sama stretched her hand toward my shoulder .
My thoughts froze . Fear and confusion pierced my head .
Perhaps I did something to anger Hero-sama .
Even so!
Without realizing, I leaped back and drew my sword in a stance .
My teeth made sounds as I gnashed them .
The fear from drawing my sword against an opponent that I had no chance of winning against burned within my head .
Hero-sama stopped moving while expressionlessly remaining in her position with a stretched out arm .
She stared straight at me .
I believe it was only a short moment but … to me, it was an extremely long duration .
” … You’re wrong . ”
Hero-sama said as she looked at me .
“I know that child is your pet . I was not trying to pat your shoulder without noticing it . ”
What was she saying?
I listened to her as I breathed out roughly . But I could not understand the contents .
“I have seen it move its arms and feet a lot while next to Tise . I have also seen Tise feed it some insects that you caught …”
Hero-sama talked continuously .
I trembled as I held my sword at the ready .
A small shadow leaped past me .
“Ugeuge-san!?”
Ugeuge-san leaped onto the floor, raised both its arms and tried its best to make itself look large with its small body as it stood in front of me .
“Wh-what … eh? ‘Look properly’?”
What should I be looking at …
Ugeuge-san desperately moved its small body and repeatedly told me to ‘look properly’ .
That was when I … finally ‘looked properly’ .
“You’re wrong, I absolutely did not have such intentions . ”
Who was in front of me?
Hero-sama . The owner of humanity’s strongest Divine Protection, burdened with the fate to save the world, living for the sake of justice and a person all her companions feared .
However, I saw … a young girl who angered her good friend but could not understand why she angered her and was at a loss .
I was off .
Even though I drew my sword out of dear and showed a combat posture, but to Hero-sama, she couldn’t understand and it just seemed to her that she had somehow angered me .
Hero-sama was too overwhelmingly strong and at a place too distant from us … that she could no longer empathize with the common person’s killing intent and hostile intentions .
That might be similar to how adults just laugh wryly even though a young child was seriously angry .
That mistake finally made me understand, to ‘look properly’ at Hero-sama, that Hero-sama had always been alone .
That was right, I could now see my past memories properly .
When we were discussing on the flying ship, Hero-sama’s occasional change in expression when she looked at me was similar to how I smiled when I looked at Ugeuge-san and she also smiled when she looked at Ugeuge-san .
That night, when she was looking for something, she was also looking for a small bed for Ugeuge-san . That was all there was to it . (TLN: Chapter 48 last part)
In the end, Hero-sama could not think of what best to say …
“Sorry, I don’t know why I angered you . But I hope you can forgive me … sorry . ”
She just apologized .
The clang of metal resounded as I let the sword fall to the ground .
I was asking myself why I had never realized it .
And I succumbed to the feeling of guilt .
When I crouched down, Ugeuge-san jumped to the back of my hand .
(Apologize?)
Ugeuge-san told me .
Yup, that’s right .
I stepped toward Hero-sama, toward Ruti-san .
Ruti-san was surprised … and her shoulders shuddered a little .
I took a breath to say the words .
“I should be the one apologizing . I misunderstood you . I am really sorry . ”
“Really? … You’re not angry?”
“No, I am not angry . Is Ruti-san not angry?”
She seemed to be a little surprised that I called her Ruti-san but I felt that her lips loosened a little . I believe she didn’t hate it .
“I’m not angry . ”
“That’s great . But … I would prefer if you told me that you would like to touch my pet before you touch it . ”
“All right . ”
I extended the back of my hand where Ugeuge-san was standing toward Ruti-san .
Ruti-san also extended her left hand .
*Pyon*
Ugeuge-san lightly leaped from my hand onto Ruti-san’s hand .
Then, it waved to Ruti-san with its right arm .
” … Name . ”
“Ugeuge-san . ”
“Ugeuge?”
“Ugeuge-san, its name is until the ‘san’”
Ruti-san gave a blank look and then looked toward Ugeuge-san .
“Ugeuge-san, I am Ruti . Pleasure working with you . ”
Ruti-san narrowed her eyes and smiled gently .
I am Tise‧Garland .
Possessing the Divine Protection of Assassin, currently Hero Ruti-san’s friend .