CH 168

Chapter 168 – Suspicious Reception

“―So this is Japan, huh?”

Two people had just set foot in Hokkaido, Japan.

It was Vodara, who had murdered the president of the United States in the White House not long ago, and the Curseweaver, clad in a dark robe.

They were standing on a plot of farmland, where cattle and goats were grazing nearby. A man wearing work clothes noticed their presence and approached them timidly.

“Who are you? How did you appear out of the blue like that?!” (Farmer)

A hunting rifle was grasped tightly in his hands, perhaps as a precaution against monsters. He was pointing it threateningly at Vodara and the Curseweaver, suspicious of their presence.

“Ho-hoh, you’re pointing a weapon at me? Scary, scary,” Vodara said, not seeming the least bit frightened as he raised his left hand toward the man.

In the next moment, a thunderbolt shot out from the purple ring on his left hand and struck the man.

“Ugyaaaaahhh!!” (Farmer)

As the man cried out, the cows all began to flee at once. A few seconds later, the man who had been hit by the thunderbolt collapsed on the ground, a scorched mess. He was already showing no signs of breathing.

“My, my. I tried to hold back on him as much as I could, but the inhabitants of this world sure are fragile. Don’t you think so, Curseweaver?” (Vodara)

“I see. So Elrond is in that direction then. Kukuku, just wait for me. When I regain all my power, the imperial capital… no, both worlds will be at my mercy.” (Vodara)

A gust of wind swept past, and in that instant, Vodara and the Curseweaver were gone.



Two days had passed since I had entrusted Totoki and her older sister with teaching Nike and the others.

Today was a new day, and from this morning until now, I had been working hard to make money by searching for otherworlders and conducting business negotiations with them.

At the moment, I had received contact from one of them.

I was holding an elliptical mirror in my hand and reading the words engraved on it.

It was the [Writing Mirror], which I had previously given to King Dragia when I visited the imperial capital, Elrond. The words written on one mirror would be reflected on the other mirror, allowing for contact at any time.

Dragia was directly asking me if we could conduct business negotiations right away. I hadn’t heard from him for a while now, and I thought that perhaps he felt that he couldn’t trust Hakumen in the end. And then there was the matter with Nike being taken from them, so perhaps he had just been too preoccupied to do anything else.

But then, I suddenly received a message from him. The appointed time he suggested was tomorrow at noon.

“…What do you think about this?” I asked Izu, who was looking at the mirror with me.

“It’s clearly quite suspicious.” (Izu)

“I agree. Considering the timing of this, it’s very likely that they’re up to something. As I suspected… do they think Hakumen was involved with taking back Nike?” (Bouchi)

“There’s a good chance. They probably have doubts about Rajie-dono as well.” (Izu)

“He did disappear all of a sudden. That would draw suspicion, without a doubt.” (Bouchi)

And I, as Hakumen, had ridden in a carriage with old man Rajie. Perhaps someone had seen it.

I didn’t expect that Rajie would suddenly ask me to participate in the mission to rescue Nike, so I had boarded the carriage without much deliberation. But in the future, I would have to be wary of such possibilities.

“We should just ignore this and pretend it never happened.” (Izu)

In all likelihood, they probably weren’t contacting me for a business meeting. It was more likely that they thought that I had been involved in taking Nike away.

“…I am a bit curious as to what’s been going on in the imperial capital since then though.” (Bouchi)

I felt that it would be good to get some information on the matter considering there was a chance I might be involved in some way in the future. Of course, I had no intention to actively get involved there.

But they had seen Torakado, and they were located in Japan, where I conducted my business. There was always a chance of running into them at some point.

“But Master, it is dangerous. That’s still the case even if you now have Kaza-dono as a protective escort.” (Izu)

“No, I’m not going to go.” (Bouchi)

“Eh… Ah, I see. Do you mean to send a [Copy Doll] there?” (Izu)

“As perceptive as always, Izu. It would be fine even if something happened to the [Copy Doll].” (Bouchi)

With a [Camera Marker] attached to it, it would be possible for me to gather information in real-time. With that in mind, I decided to agree to Dragia’s request.

The next day, I quickly used a [Copy Doll] to mimic Hakumen, then rode to Hokkaido on the [Jet Book] with Sol, Shiki, and Kaza.

Of course, I would not be going near the imperial capital. I would only be observing the situation from afar on the monitor via the [Camera Marker]. At the same time, Sol would be sent out on a recon mission.

As Hakumen approached the main gate of the capital, the gate guards clearly looked startled to see him. One of them hurriedly ran into the city, presumably to announce Hakumen’s arrival.

Hakumen received a cordial reception and climbed into the carriage that was prepared for him, which then began to head towards the palace.

“Well then, I wonder how things will turn out. What do you think, Shiki?” (Bouchi)

“This one also thinks that business negotiations will not be the primary objective of this meeting.” (Shiki)

“What about you, Kaza?” (Bouchi)

“I echo that thought. In the first place, they never would have agreed to a relaxed business negotiation with the lingering state of chaos from being attacked by invaders.” (Kaza)

That was also why I thought the timing was rather strange.

When Hakumen entered the palace, I was surprised to find that he was personally greeted by King Dragia.

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