Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Outside the Barrier (Otou-sama’s POV)
Even though people say that boys are energetic, the 11-year-old Luke and 14-year-old Gill seemed tired . They quickly went to their rooms and fell asleep .
Even if the person himself wanted this, I wondered if it was alright to let them do something so harsh . But, both Luke and I wanted a motive to change .
We left early in the morning and arrived 2 days after in the afternoon . It was nearly time for the sun to set .
Earl Neville came along even though he was old, “Don’t look down on someone who lives in Frontier!” He said . So, we were late and the merchant, who looked bitter, changed his attitude . The Four Marquises’ title didn’t mean anything near Frontier, and it was amusing .
“I chose this place because this is the north of Wellington Mountains and Hollows come out a lot here . The Hollows will appear just before the barrier . Therefore, there aren’t any towns with people around here . Even Hunters would lose their lives here if they’re not careful . ”
The merchant confirmed with Earl Neville if this was really alright . Merchants in the Royal Capital would think about the dangers to the Four Marquises’ and probably wouldn’t accept the request normally .
“Hey, you . ” This rude man was looking after Luke and Gill today . He’s probably over 30 . He was a little younger than me and had messy black hair and brown eyes . There were about ten hunters . The hunters usually group themselves in groups of 5 or 6, and there were two groups . He seemed to be the leader of the older party .
“What?”
“Do you really have the barrier box?”
I nodded at the person who was carrying my luggage, and they gently took a small box out . It was the size of two adult palms and made a barrier about three metres in radius . When I opened the box and showed him the magic stone, he gulped .
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“What proof do you have to show that it works?”
“I don’t need to fool you when my son’s life is at stake,” I said quietly . The man looked at Luke and Gill for the first time and raised his eyebrow .
“You’re actually one of the Four Marquises . ”
Even though you were probably assessing me before . I got irritated, but I held it in . The man that I was entrusting them to was this stupid, but if he is said to be excellent, then no other hunters can compare .
Luke and the others were waiting outside the barrier for the Hollows in a place where I could see them . 200 metres away, the Wellington Mountains rose high in the sky shaded by the sun . There was a small table and two chairs prepared for Luke and Gill . The barrier box was then placed on the table and used as a base to hunt the Hollows .
Before leaving Kingdom’s barrier, the man gave Luke and Gill a brief lecture .
“Look, this is a Rhodolite sword . I prepared some for you boys just in case . It may look blunt, but you can’t cut through Hollows without this . ”
“Okay . ”
“If the barrier’s real, then we’ll use that as a base . Listen to what I say and don’t move out of the barrier . Alright?”
“Okay . ”
“Then, let’s go . ”
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I also went with them up until the barrier . But, someone grabbed my shoulders .
“Graces . ”
“If you go any further, you’ll leave the barrier . ”
This guy . Luke and Gill nodded at me and walked away . Then, they stopped after 10 steps .
“As expected of magic users . This is the border of the barrier . ”
“The air’s changed . ”
“It’s rare for someone to feel that . People usually just feel something tingling . You would have become a great hunter if you lived in Frontier . ”
The man lightly chattered and guided Luke and Gill to the place where the table was while remaining vigilant . The barrier box had been given to Luke, and he placed it on the table before turning the key .
“Woah,” we heard the men’s voices from here too . Luke and Gill shook their heads . Apparently, the barrier was working correctly . The men walked about and checked the confines of the three-metre barrier . There were 12 people inside the barrier, but the three-metre radius was unexpectedly wide . The relief within them spread .
“Milord, here . ”
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Graces must have gotten tired of holding me back because a chair was brought to me . I sat down and watched what was happening .
Then, Luke glanced backwards at the men who were making a fuss then he and Gill looked towards the mountain . I also looked where Luke was . It was like looking off into the distance on a hot day .
Then, the men finally noticed it . The Hollows were already close to the barrier by now .
*WHIRR* I could feel their presence strongly even from within the barrier . It was an unpleasant presence . They trembled but held onto their form . Are they people? Or forest beasts?
The leader of the Hunters calmed the others down when they began to panic . *WHIRR* The Hollows bounced back from the barrier . I could tell the men were relieved . At first, there were only 5, but more gradually appeared from the forest . *WHIRR* A noticeably big one appeared, and Graces stepped out in front of me .
“It’s fine . So the Kingdom’s barrier is for that?”
“But- . ”
“We came here to see that . What did we come here for?”
Graces stepped back . A shaky figure of a person was 10 steps away from me, and it was bounced back when it extended its hands towards the barrier . It gradually increased in numbers .
“That’s a Hollow . ”
“They don’t have any emotions or culture . They’re just a natural phenomenon that absorbs human life . ” I accepted Graces’s words because the Hollows looked so much like a human’s .
“Oh, the hunters have begun their hunt,” I looked at Luke when I heard this . The hunters confirmed the barrier’s scope and then swung their swords in turn . It was quite different from a human fight . They were swinging their swords diagonally . Then, the Hollows quivered and disappeared .
“Then, the magic stones drop where they were . ”
They were hunting in good rhythm, then the younger group gradually headed out to hunt as well . The leader said something, but I couldn’t hear him . Luke and Gill stared at the scene .
The younger party gradually lured the Hollows, and the other party also proceeded forward .
“Not good . At this rate, everyone will leave the barrier,” Graces whispered, and I agreed with him .
Then, the young man furthest away, who was battling a Hollow, tripped over something and tumbled . Graces stepped forward and stopped . The Hollows gathered at the man who had fallen, and his comrades started striking at the Hollows, which rendered the barrier useless .
“Things aren’t looking good for that fallen man if things continue like this . ” Surprisingly, when Graces became talkative, the comrades of the men stopped slashing at the Hollows and returned to the barrier . Are they abandoning him? No .
One of the men grabbed the barrier box in front of Luke and began running towards the man who had fallen . Luke and Gill were dumbfounded . The leader was screaming . Time seemed to flow slowly, the Hollows moved towards Luke and Gill, who was now outside the barrier .
Translator: Blushy
Editor: HSM