After-Story Chapter 45: Epilogue (Part 5) - Interruption, The Mysterious Girl

Dongala Gashaaan!!

The fierce gust of wind unleashed from Luka’s hands blew the men right out of the Guild, smashing the entrance doors on the way.

“Phew…” Luka muttered, giving off a distinct “I did that” vibe, but Juno, watching him from the reception counter, quietly chimed in.

“I’m deducting the door repair costs from your request fee.”

“Huh!? Why!? Shouldn’t those guys who caused the ruckus pay for it!” Luka protested, pointing outside, but Juno shrugged.

“I checked, and those guys haven’t registered with the Guild yet. They probably ran out of money in the South and just arrived here. In other words, they’re penniless. I assume the guards will take them in now, but they won’t have any repair fees to take from. Even if we demand payment later, you have to cover the damages for now.”

“That’s unreasonable!”

“Come on, hurry up and finish them off,” Juno said, waving her hand dismissively.

Luka looked disgruntled but headed out of the Guild. Outside, the men who had been blown away were groaning, having slammed into a stack of wooden crates used for transporting supplies.

(…Am I going to have to pay for those broken crates too? This is beyond unreasonable!)

Any remaining thought in Luka’s mind about “dealing with this peacefully because it’s too much trouble” instantly evaporated.

Luka snapped his fingers, and a cup’s worth of water appeared above the men’s heads. It immediately splashed down onto the men’s faces with a wet splat.

“Ugh!” “Gah!” “Bleh!”

Suddenly splashed in the face, the men scrambled to their feet. When they came to their senses, they saw Luka wearing a strangely imposing smile. The opponent they had thought was just a weak boy now appeared terribly frightening, especially after he used inexplicable powers.

“W-Who the hell are you!” the big man yelled in confusion.

Luka replied, still wearing that fixed smile. “What are you talking about? I’m just a typical Ocean Adventurer. I just happen to have a few more family members than most, that’s all.”

He drew the dagger tucked into his belt and pointed the tip at the men.

“The motto of my large family is, ‘Protect your family no matter what.’ I had no intention of forgiving you for openly threatening my mother and little sister, but I guess I’ll take out the amount that was deducted from my fee on you as payback.”

“Munch, munch… I don’t approve of vigilantism, Big Brother, is that.”

Misha, who had somehow appeared and perched herself on the railing of the Guild’s terrace section, spoke while chewing on a taco (a stable food in the North because it can be eaten quickly with one hand). Apparently, she had received it as a gift from an Ocean Adventurer drinking on the terrace. Despite her appearance as a cute young girl, Misha’s mother-inherited appetite ensured a constant supply of offerings (food) from the Ocean Adventurers who doted on her.

Misha quickly polished off the taco and said to Luka, “But laying a hand on Mother Juno is unforgivable, is that. Go get them, Big Brother!”

“As you command, my sister.”

As the two talked amicably, the men, utterly enraged, rushed toward Luka. They already had their respective weapons gripped in their hands. The big man wielded a long sword, and the other two used short swords.

“That’s it! We won’t forgive you! We’re gonna kill you!”

In contrast to the men, who were hot with rage and murderous intent, Luka looked utterly cold.

“Trying to solve everything with brute force without thinking ahead. This is why ‘Fallen Tigers’ are…”

“Do you want me to help, Big Brother, is that?”

“It’s fine. I’m thoroughly annoyed with them.”

Luka stood before the three, thrusting out his chest and looking down at them.

“This Northern world is filled with dreams and romance. And it’s a world where people can purely pursue only those dreams and romance. How much effort do you think my father and mothers put in to open up this world? How much blood and how many tears did they shed?”

Luka glared at the men. Despite being only fifteen, the power in his eyes and the gravity of his words made the men gasp. They momentarily felt a fragment of the dignity possessed by knights, nobles, or even those of higher status.

“I will never recognize ‘Fallen Tigers’ like you—who don’t know, don’t try to know, and simply cling to past phantoms to wield power.”

“W-What are you talking about… Tsk, shut your mouth!”

The big man was cowed by Luka’s strange presence, but he forced himself forward and swung his sword. However, Luka swiftly dodged, and as they passed, he thrust the reversed dagger at the big man’s leather armor. There was a dull thunk, but the armor, likely reinforced with enchantment magic, was not pierced.

“Ha! Not with a tiny little weapon like that!” the big man said triumphantly.

Luka just snorted dismissively. “That’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re wet, aren’t you?”

Luka’s green hair suddenly stood up slightly, and a faint blue spark crackled.

“Mother Naden. Lend me the power of Thunder!” (CRACKLE!)

“Gugagagagagagaga!”

The man suddenly began to shake violently, as if suffering a seizure. His two cronies were dumbfounded, not knowing what was happening, but anyone who knew would realize the man was being electrocuted. Luka had used Juna’s Water-elemental magic to thoroughly wet the opponent beforehand to improve electrical conductivity, and then used Naden’s power to temporarily become charged, shocking the man.

It wasn’t a flashy display of lightning like Naden or Fuuga could produce, but the static-like crackling light enveloping the man was definitely causing damage. When Luka released the dagger from the man’s leather armor, the big man dropped his long sword and fell heavily onto his back. Misha hopped down from the railing and poked the big man, but he showed no reaction. He was twitching and seemed to be breathing, but his consciousness was completely gone.

Luka then turned to the remaining two men.

“Alright, which one of you is next?”

“Hee-hee!?” “What the hell is this guy!?”

Faced with Luka, who could somehow manipulate multiple elements, the two remaining men had already lost their will to fight and were staring at Luka as if he were a monster.

Perhaps getting carried away or simply amused by the situation, Luka plastered a wicked smile on his face, as if he were indeed a monster.

“Hee hee hee! Which one of you wants to end up like him next?”

“Hee!” “P-Please help…”

“Don’t panic. You have to face the consequences for trying to lay hands on my family.”

Luka grinned and slowly closed the distance to the terrified men…

Just then, Misha, bored with the charade, yawned and looked up at the sky.

“Ah, Big Brother.”

“Heh heh… Hm? What is it, Misha?”

“Look out overhead, is that.”

“Eh?”

A black shadow was visible above him. The shadow rapidly descended toward Luka. When it was close enough to be identified as a “person,” Luka’s face went pale.

“Oh no…”

“SEI-YAAAAAAAHHH!!”

Luka instinctively jumped out of the way, and the descending figure slammed something they held onto the ground. The moment of impact was accompanied by a huge BOOM!! and a shockwave that spread throughout the area, leaving a large crater where Luka had been standing. The two men who were caught in the shockwave were blown away yet again.

Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, the figure stood up.

“…”

The girl who had descended from the sky, significantly cratered the ground, and now stood amidst the rising dust cloud was a single person. She carried a naginata and wore armor like that of a female warrior. Although she looked only middle school-aged, her lustrous black hair and dignified features gave her a mature appearance. It was guaranteed that she would become a breathtaking beauty in a few years. Most strikingly, she possessed the gray-tinged wings characteristic of the Winged Human race on her back.

Luka’s eyes widened upon seeing the Winged Human girl.

“Shanti!? Why are you here…”

“I finally found you, Luka!” The girl, named Shanti, pointed the tip of her naginata at Luka. Her cheeks puffed out, tears welling in her eyes, and she swung the naginata high overhead, slashing down at Luka.

“I wanted to go on this adventure with you! Why did you leave me behind!”

“No, that’s because…”

“You idiotic senior disciple!!”

Shanti swung the naginata wildly while Luka desperately dodged. Watching the two of them, Misha simply commented, “Those two are playing around again, is that,” with an exasperated look, before yawning again, her belly full and making her sleepy.