Chapter 113
Translator: Kell Editor: Weasalopes
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Silver Face
Hikaru sprinted through the back alleys . He tried activating his Mana Detection once more, but the amount of information was too much, it made him dizzy . He might be able to endure it with proper training, but there was no time for that right now .
Lavia was at a place with plenty of horses, forced into a carriage . When Hikaru glanced at the ground a while ago, he saw a button from Lavia’s coat .
Rose Knight Paradise . A book that Lavia and Catherine read and recommended to him . While it was targeted mostly for women, the story had plenty of twists which made for an interesting read .
A noble’s daughter eloped with her lover and was later captured by pursuers sent by her family . A button from her clothes fell right then . Her lover, a knight, noticed the button and realized his love had been kidnapped .
If Lavia dropped the button on purpose, it most likely meant that she was “kidnapped by pursuers from home” — in other words, from Ponsonia .
I didn’t expect them to follow her all the way here .
They probably realized it was her when they saw the fire spell Lavia cast . The King of Ponsonia should be aware that she could use such powerful magic . So her pursuers used that as their lead .
The carriage station was coming to sight . And then one of the carriages left in a hurry . Is that it? Hikaru thought as he activated his Mana Detection .
Sharp pain ran through his head and he let out a low grunt . He felt light-headed . But he saw it clearly . Lavia was in that carriage . With his Stealth active, Hikaru dashed towards the accelerating vehicle . He would not be able to catch up .
Hikaru opened his Soul Board .
Sitting on the driver’s seat, the short man turned around .
「L-L-Leaving him behind w-w-was not my idea, okay?!」
The woman with him simply frowned without a word .
Lavia, lying inside the carriage, listened to their conversation, though she couldn’t see as they put a bag over her head . Her hands and legs were bound by what seemed to be magic items . The woman sat close by, watching her every move .
This is completely different from when I was transported to the capital from Pond .
Back then, bone-headed adventurers were in charge of transport, so Hikaru was able to rescue her with his Stealth . But it would be difficult to employ the same method right now . The inside of the carriage was dim; a tarp most likely covered the whole vehicle . Hikaru’s Stealth would be meaningless if he opened the tarp and the kidnappers noticed it suddenly got bright . Before that, did Hikaru even notice her message?
I’m sure he did .
Lavia had faith . She had no way of knowing when he’d be back after killing the dragon, but she believed Hikaru would come after her . He would notice the message she left .
Her only worry was Paula . Guild personnel seemed to be looking for her . It’d be great if the worst-case scenario was she would be taken into custody . But that didn’t ease Lavia’s worry .
「W-W-We’re out of town . 」the man said .
The woman ignored him .
「Are you sure about this? H-He might come for us next…」
「Shut up already! Keep your eyes on the front!」
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Her ear-piercing voice startled not just the man, but Lavia as well . Silence fell . Lavia could hear the sounds of other carriages passing by .
「…U-Uh…」
「I said shut up!」
「B-But…」
The man was hesitating to say something, fueling the woman’s irritation .
「Just spit it out!」she shouted .
「Th-Th-The carriage got heavier!」
「What?」
Lavia felt the woman move, and it got bright . She must’ve opened the curtains .
「What do you mean?」
「The horse’s steps are heavier…」
「………」
「P-Please, no yelling!」
「The road . 」
「What?」
「It’s probably just the road being bad since we got out of town . 」
「N-No! Th-Th-That’s not it!」
「Yes, it is!」
「We’re heavier by about a person’s weight!」
Then out of the blue, the horse cried and reared wildly .
「We’re under attack!」
The horse’s ears were crushed . For a split second, the woman saw something thrown from up above .
「Up there!」
The woman stood on the driver’s seat and watched the top of the carriage warily, but no one was there . Once again, the horse cried . Its front legs were broken . The animal sank to the ground and the carriage stopped .
「What happened?!」
「I-I don’t know! I-I didn’t see! 」
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Thick bushes grew on both sides of the road .
Someone’s hiding there, the woman thought . But who? No one knows we’re in Borderzard . What do they want anyway? We were careful . We didn’t do anything that would warrant an attack . Forestia’s counterintelligence? They should know that the King won’t just sit around and do nothing if they attack us .
The woman thought about it for just a short moment, but that short moment turned into a huge loss .
Why aren’t they attacking? Oh, crap!
Quickly, she lifted the tarp behind her . Their target, the Count’s daughter, was gone . On the opposite side, the cover was slightly opened .
After stopping the horse, Hikaru used his Life Detection to check if there was anyone else inside the carriage besides Lavia . Life Detection 1 and Detection Expansion 3 had a range of a hundred meters, which didn’t put much strain on his brain .
He then immediately entered the carriage through the back, carried Lavia, and escaped . With Group Obfuscation on, they moved to the bushes . He then removed the bag from Lavia’s head .
「I’m sorry I’m late . 」
「It’s okay . I knew you’d come . 」Lavia smiled, full of confidence, and Hikaru was taken aback .
「Oh, man . I didn’t know you believed in me that much . 」
「My trust for you is infinite . 」
「I’ll do my best to not let you down, then . 」
「Anyway, how’s Paula?」
It was just like her to ask about someone’s safety rather than how he got here .
「She’s fine . 」
Lavia exhaled in relief .
「You stay here and keep your Stealth on . I’ll get the keys to your cuffs . 」
「Okay . 」
Hikaru left her behind . It seemed the culprits already realized that Lavia was gone . Both of them already escaped into the bushes . They probably thought it was better to hide in the bushes where the enemy was, rather than stay out in the open .
He couldn’t detect the woman with his Life Detection, which meant she had one or more points on Life Obfuscation . Since he knew where the man was, he started walking towards him instead . Then he winced, feeling sharp pain .
My legs… Must be the recoil .
Hikaru poured three points on Power Burst to chase the carriage . Though it seemed his body couldn’t support it just yet .
【Soul Board】Hikaru
Age: 15 Rank: 42
5
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【Vitality】
【Magical Power】
【Physical Strength】
. . 【Strength】1
. . 【Weapon Mastery】
… . 【Throwing】10 (MAX)
……【Heaven Shot】0
【Agility】
. . 【Power Burst】2→5
. . 【Stealth】
… . 【Life Obfuscation】4
… . 【Mana Obfuscation】4
… . 【Imperceptibility】5 (MAX)
……【Assassination】3 (MAX)
…… . . 【Snipe】3 (MAX)
……【Group Obfuscation】4
【Intuition】
. . 【Instinct】1
. . 【Detection】
… . 【Life Detection】1
… . 【Mana Detection】3
……【Detection Expansion】3 (MAX)
The highest Power Burst he’d seen so far was Selye’s four points . He concluded that anything higher than that should be enough for him to catch up . The reason he didn’t increase his Strength was because Power Burst—which was useful against surprise attacks—fit his fighting style more .
While Strength was important in throwing stones, he might be using the revolver more often in the future . He’d done simulations before, so it didn’t take long for him to decide . In fact, he caught up to the carriage at an incredible speed . Although it came for a price—the pain in his legs .
There you are .
The man moved carefully, each step silent . Hikaru spotted his back . I’d love to learn how to do that .
「Hey . 」
Hikaru called out to him, and the man quickly turned around in surprise, but on his face was a twisted smile .
「Hehe . Gotcha!」
The man threw a ping-pong-sized ball that ignited in the air and produced a blaze . It wasn’t magic . Judging from the smell, he used some sort of powder .
「Huh?」
But Hikaru was no longer there .
「Over here . 」
This time the voice came from the opposite direction, and the man turned around . The boy moved and he didn’t even notice .
「Wh-Wh-Who are you?! 」
A boy donning a cloak stood before him, hood covering his eyes . On his face was a silver mask .
「Who am I? Let’s see… How should I introduce myself… I know . Call me Silver Face . 」
That was the first time Hikaru named his masked persona . This name would soon cause an uproar throughout the world .
「I-I see… Then, die!」
The man once again tried to throw the same ball he did earlier .
I know that’s a feint .
The real attack would come from the woman behind Hikaru . He hurled a stone at the man’s nose, turned around, and went straight for the woman .
Her eyes widened . The ball that the man was about to throw, exploded, burning his arm . The woman, with a dagger in each hand, lunged at Hikaru, but he disappeared .
Hikaru had learned a lot from his Short Sword lessons . Movements that would’ve taken years to study, he was able to master because of his Stealth God class . Even a small feint’s effect was multiplied a couple of times .
Such was the tremendous power provided by a two-character job class . But of course, the woman had no way of knowing that .
「Over here . 」
A voice came from behind . Impossible! she thought as she quickly turned around and brandished her dagger . But no one was there . The next second, she felt a blow to the back of her head and she fainted .
「Phew . That went well, I think . 」
Hikaru was holding a wakizashi with the scabbard still on . He used it to knock the woman out cold . One wrong move, and he would’ve killed her with the Assassination buff, but it worked out fine . He got better at adjusting his strength after countless mock battles with the Jarazack students .
The man who blew himself up was gone, however .
「I see . 」
Hikaru noticed a burnt piece of cloth at the spot where the man was . He made it look like his hand was burning, but in truth it was just the cloth . Then he escaped while Hikaru engaged the woman .
「He looked slow-witted . Turned out he’s the most dangerous . Was everything just an act?」
Fortunately, Hikaru found the keys to Lavia’s cuffs in the woman’s pockets . He then tied the female assailant to a nearby tree . I’ll inform the authorities later .
Hikaru immediately removed Lavia’s cuffs . 「Are you hurt?」
「I’m fine . Thanks, Hikaru . I always knew you were my hero . 」
Lavia clung to his left arm, which made it harder to walk . But he thought she might be feeling uneasy so he let her be .
They made their way back to Borderzard .