Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 207 – I witnessed the girl’s trap

“…There he is.”  [Youki]

I had been searching the village, following the lingering scent left at the scene… and finally tracked him down. It was a young man from the village, about Tiel-chan’s age, maybe a bit older. Judging by his outfit and demeanour, he looked like a member of the village patrol. That only made things more confusing. He seemed serious, like someone who trained regularly. At a glance, he didn’t look like the type who’d do something like this.

Well, whatever. If I question him and get some solid evidence, that’ll be the end of it. Since we rebuilt the shrine and the statue yesterday and left after that, he shouldn’t have an alibi for this morning.

I asked around to see if anyone had seen him heading towards the shrine. Thanks to Gai keeping Tiel-chan occupied, I was able to focus entirely on the investigation.

Eventually, I got a witness report; someone had seen him walking down the path to the shrine. That was enough to confirm my suspicion, but before handing him over to the village patrol team, I decided to hear his side of the story at least, to understand why he did it.

“…So, why did you destroy the shrine and the statue?”  [Youki]

“What the hell, man. Dragging me out here all of a sudden? You’re not even from this village. Just some outsider acting all high and mighty.”

Earlier, I explained the situation to someone who seemed to be the leader of the village patrol and had him call this guy over. We managed to get him away from the training grounds to a more isolated spot. So far, so good.

Man, he’s pretty prickly. Well, I guess that’s normal at his age. I should act like the adult here, keep calm, and continue my questioning.

“We’ve already confirmed that you’re the one who destroyed the shrine and the statue. I’d like you to cooperate and come clean about it.”  [Youki]

“Hmph, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you done now? I’ve got training to get back to.”

“Hold up. If you’re not careful, this could end badly for you.”  [Youki]

Unfortunately, he ignored my warning and started heading back toward the patrol group. While I hesitated, wondering whether I should physically stop him, I ended up letting him get a head start.

“Quit following me!”

“Like I said, this conversation isn’t over yet.”  [Youki]

“I’ve got nothing to say to you!”

Looks like he’s not going to listen no matter what I say. What should I do now?

In the end, he headed straight back to where the rest of the patrol group was taking a break.

“Hey, Satoya. Someone dropped off a little something for you.”

“A little something? For me?”

So his name was Satoya, huh?

One of the patrol members handed him a basket.

“Who’s it from, I wonder? Maybe my mum?”  [Satoya]

Satoya didn’t seem to have a clue who the sender was. Still, the moment I saw that basket, I got a bad feeling. The second he lifted the lid, I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him backwards.

“Whoa!? Damn it, what the hell—?!”  [Satoya]

Just as Satoya started to protest, a flurry of needles shot out from the basket. It had been rigged to fire the moment the lid was opened. If I hadn’t pulled him back in time, he would’ve taken them straight to the hand, or worse, right in the forehead.

Both Satoya and I, and the three patrol members who handed him the basket, were struck speechless.

“…Th-this is…”  [Satoya]

“…Hey, mind if I borrow Satoya-kun for a bit? Could you let the patrol leader know?”  [Youki]

Leaving him alone now would be too dangerous. It was obvious he was being targeted, and just as obvious that he was completely rattled. For some reason, Tiel-chan had already decided Satoya was the culprit. Good grief. What the hell is Gai doing anyway?

Leaving the stunned patrol members behind, I dragged Satoya along as we made our way back to Tiel-chan and Gai.

“You shouldn’t be doing that.”

Thanks to my enhanced sense of smell, I was able to track them down quickly. They hadn’t gone far since delivering the basket.

When we arrived, we walked right into what already looked like the middle of a very stern lecture.

“That’s not true. I didn’t use that drug. Guardia… Gai-san stopped me, so I only coated the needles with a light paralytic poison.” [Tiel]

“P-P-P-Paralytic poison…!?”  [Satoya]

Just hearing the words “paralytic poison” was enough to make Satoya visibly flinch. Poor guy.

“D-Did Tiel seriously set something like that up!?”  [Satoya]

So he knows her name, huh? Well, it’s a small village. Everyone probably knows each other around here. Still… even though she used to call a statue her ‘Guardian Deity’ and all that, Satoya probably still thought of Tiel-chan as the quiet, frail, book-loving girl from back then. Unfortunately, reality is harsh. The Tiel-chan who returned to the village had evolved into a full-blown yandere who now skillfully wields traps and poisons.

“That’s right. If I remember correctly, you’re Satoya, the hunter’s son, right?”  [Tiel]

“What do you mean ‘if you remember correctly’? We used to talk all the time, didn’t we?” [Satoya]

So they were childhood friends, huh? Not surprising. In a village this small, all the kids of similar ages were probably friends by default.

Setting that aside, Tiel-chan’s tone was so cold and sharp that even I started to feel sorry for Satoya. Sure, the shrine incident played a role in her anger, but more importantly…

“Gai! Why the hell didn’t you stop Tiel-chan? If I hadn’t noticed, that trap in the basket would’ve hit him dead-on!”  [Youki]

“…Sorry. I did try to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. I even tried to put her to sleep, but it turns out she’s learned all of my techniques. She said if I tried anything, she’d inject herself with a super-potent stimulant on the spot…”  [Gai]

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”  [Youki]

There was probably nothing but dangerous substances in that box of hers, wasn’t there? I get that half-baked effects wouldn’t cut it as weapons, but still…

“Well then… enough chatting. Time for you to atone for destroying Guardian Deity-sama’s shrine and statue… not just once, but twice.”  [Tiel]

“H-Hold on… hey, what are you planning to do?” [Youki]

Honestly, even I had no idea what she was about to do, and that made it all the more terrifying. Still, knowing Tiel-chan, she probably wasn’t going just to stab him with a needle or throw some chemicals in his face. She did say the knife was for crafting purposes. And even if she went a little wild with the knife, Satoya had been training. He should be able to handle that much.

“I also got Happiness-san to teach me a bit of magic. Though… I only managed to learn one spell.”  [Tiel]

A small water bubble formed at Tiel-chan’s fingertip. It was ‘Aqua Bullet’, a basic water-element spell often taught to beginners. Easy to learn, low-power. So far, so harmless… or so I thought.

“Now, if I mix this liquid into the water bubble… and there we go.”  [Tiel]

The water bubble turned a vivid, ominous purple.

No, no, no! That is definitely not okay!

“All that’s left is to fire it at the target.”  [Tiel]

“RUN FOR IT—!!”  [Youki]

Even without my warning, Satoya had already taken off running. He must’ve sensed just how bad this was, and honestly, it was the smartest move he could’ve made.

“A futile attempt.”  [Tiel]

Tiel-chan fired her Aqua Bullet straight at Satoya’s fleeing back without a shred of mercy. It hit him squarely. Fortunately, it hadn’t gone into his mouth, so whatever effect it had shouldn’t have activated. However…

Suddenly, Satoya started coughing, came to a halt, and collapsed onto the ground.

Huh?”  [Youki]

“Even if it doesn’t enter through the mouth, that water bullet affects the surrounding area on impact. The area of effect is small, and the duration of the drug isn’t very long, but it’s perfect for immobilizing someone.”  [Tiel]

As she said, “Now, let’s restrain him,” she pulled out a rope from who-knows-where, walked over, and expertly tied Satoya up without hesitation.

“…Gai, you seriously need to give her a stern lecture.”  [Youki]

“What exactly do you expect me to do?”  [Gai]

“Something! Anything!”  [Youki]

“Isn’t it already too late?”  [Gai]

Gai’s response left me completely speechless.

After that, thoroughly terrified of Tiel-chan, Satoya quickly confessed to everything he had done.

“So basically, you got mad at the ‘Guardian Deity’ for doing nothing when the village was attacked by bandits.”  [Youki]

“…Yeah, that’s right. I figured a creepy demonic statue that doesn’t even bring us any blessings was useless to the village.”  [Satoya]

“I see… Tiel-chan, listen, we’re still in the middle of an interrogation, okay? Sorry, but could you put away that needle and the box for now? Actually, I’ll just handle the questioning alone. Yeah, that’s definitely better. Gai, can you take Tiel-chan and explain things to the patrol group?”  [Youki]

“Understood. I’m counting on you.”  [Gai]

“Please let me go, Guardian Deity-sama! That fool still needs to be properly punished. Even if we hand him over to the patrol group, they’ll probably just give him a slap on the wrist! If that’s the case, it’s better if I personally deliver the maximum amount of pain possible without causing permanent damage— Let me go! Let me go, Guardian Deity-sama!”  [Tiel]

“Enough! Come on, we’re going.”  [Gai]

Gai easily picked up the uncooperative Tiel-chan and started carrying her off.

Man, Tiel-chan was so worked up, she even called Gai, ‘Guardian Deity-sama’, in public… Is she going to be okay? 

“Tiel’s eyes… she was dead serious. What the hell would’ve happened to me if she had gone through with it…? Crap, this is bad, real bad…”  [Satoya]

Satoya clearly had more pressing concerns. Still tied up in rope, he turned pale and trembled violently. The incident earlier probably left him a little traumatized.

“Well, uh… you’d better start preparing an apology. I can’t really help you out here, sorry.”  [Youki]

“…You know, I really love this village. It’s just mountains, rivers, and fields everywhere… but I still love it. I want to protect it. That’s why I joined the patrol group… Now that I think about it, you’re the guy who was with Holy Mother, right?”  [Satoya]

“You didn’t remember me…?”  [Youki]

Honestly, I didn’t really remember meeting Satoya either. Most of the young guys back then were too busy flocking around Cecilia, so maybe it couldn’t be helped… Still, I did work hard taking down those bandits.

“Ah, s-sorry. I was actually seriously injured during the bandit attack before you and Holy Mother arrived. I was unconscious the whole time. When I finally woke up, you guys were already leaving in a carriage.”  [Satoya]

So he only saw me for a second, huh? 

“Well, guess I can’t really blame you, then.”  [Youki]

“…Hey, is Tiel still possessed by that Guardian Deity? I thought if I destroyed the shrine and the statue, I might finally free her. But when I came back, she was still going on about ‘Guardian Deity this’ and ‘Guardian Deity that’… so…”  [Satoya]

“‘Possessed,’ huh…”  [Youki]

It was the opposite. Tiel-chan was just incredibly attached to Gai. She wasn’t possessed or anything like that. But that wasn’t something I could exactly say out loud, so I decided to summarize it in my own way.

“Anyway, the fact remains that you destroyed a place full of Tiel-chan’s precious memories. You really need to reflect on that.”  [Youki]

…Who do I think I am? 

Not long after, the patrol group arrived and took Satoya into custody. According to their leader, Satoya would definitely face some form of punishment.

Upon hearing that, Tiel-chan’s eyes began to sparkle as she eagerly asked if she could be in charge of his punishment. Thankfully, Gai shut that idea down immediately.

That really was a blessing. You never know what she might’ve done.

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