Nana: A member of the Mercury Race working in Village Five. A spy for Village Five.
Roku: A member of the Mercury Race working in Village Five. A civil official for Village Five.
I refused to believe it.
It was absolutely a lie.
I wasn't going to be fooled.
Dammit. They were mocking me.
"We only use safe ingredients," they claimed.
There was no way in hell that was true. Something was definitely wrong with that food. I was certain they were using some kind of suspicious substance.
My evidence? I experienced it myself.
I would never forget that day—it was ten days ago. I was looking for something to fill my stomach, so I just picked a shop at random and walked in. The place was on Ramen Street. I wasn't worried, because no matter which shop you chose there, they always served reasonably delicious ramen.
What appeared before my eyes, however, was a preposterous, mountain-like heap of ramen. I wondered if it was meant for the Minotaur Race. No? Perhaps the server got the size wrong? That wasn't it either? I was sure I had ordered a regular portion.
So this was the "regular" size... I see.
Since I had already ordered it, I had no choice but to eat. The flavor wasn't bad. I didn't know the specifics, but it was almost certainly the Tonkotsu Soy Sauce variety. To be honest, it was exactly my type. It was rich, but the massive pile of vegetables helped neutralize the heavy broth. Still, that mountain of greens was a struggle.
I realized that if I dawdled, the noodles soaking in the soup would get soggy. I didn't know what to do, so I glanced at the patrons on either side of me.
The customer to my right... I see, he was moving the noodles to the top of the pile of toppings. The customer on my left had asked the server for a small side plate and was transferring the noodles there. That was an option, too. However, while the staff probably didn't mind, I preferred to dirty as few dishes as possible.
I set to work moving the noodles on top of the toppings. By the time I finished that seemingly eternal meal, my stomach was full to bursting. The price was cheap, too. I was satisfied.
At the time, I thought I wouldn't want to eat it again for a while.
And yet, the very next day, I found myself standing in front of the same shop.
Don't you see! It was unnatural! I told you they were putting something in it! There was no doubt about it! If there wasn't, there was no way I would have started going there every single day! I wouldn't have been drinking that mountain of ramen down to the last drop of broth! I wasn't that kind of man!
Hello. My name is Nana. Nana Fougma. I am a member of the Mercury Race, created for the purpose of managing the Sun Castle.
Just now, I had a suspicious individual handed over to me by Pirika-sama. Apparently, he had been trying to break into a shop after closing hours. Since it was the middle of the night, I agreed that he was undoubtedly a suspicious person.
Based on the exchange when Pirika-sama apprehended him, it seemed this individual wanted to uncover the secret of the ramen's flavor. These types of intruders had been on the rise lately.
As per our usual procedure, he would spend a few days in jail. After that, he would be released following a set period of manual labor.
"Wait," Pirika-sama said. "This one was quite strong. I'd like him transferred to the security team. He was the most capable intruder I've caught so far."
"Is that so?" I replied. "I understand. I will pass the word along to Yoko-sama. Since it's a request from you, Pirika-sama, it will likely be approved—provided he doesn't cause a scene in his cell."
Just then, something caught my eye. I looked up at the night sky. Pirika-sama had already dashed off, which meant my intuition wasn't wrong.
Another set of intruders.
This new group appeared to be a trio. They were currently making their way from the summit toward the base of Village Five, which was built into the side of a small mountain. Since the important facilities were located at the top, I predicted they were on their way back from a mission.
Could they have infiltrated the Village Head's Mansion? I immediately dismissed the thought. That was impossible. Zabuton's children guarded that place. Even I couldn't break in there. Well, perhaps I could enter, but I would never be able to leave. Trying to escape an enclosed space like a mansion while being hunted by Zabuton's children was nothing short of a miracle.
In that case, perhaps they had snuck into the Goroun Company. I followed them, speculating on their objective.
I finally caught up with the trio in the forest a short distance from the village. They were already facing off against Pirika-sama. No, two of them had already been incapacitated by her. As expected of Pirika-sama.
Only one remained. He looked like a magic warrior. He swung his sword, sending bolts of lightning flying toward her. Pirika-sama didn't panic; she cut through the lightning and then leaped away.
Wait. I thought she would have closed the distance while cutting through the spells. Was something wrong?
Seeing Pirika-sama’s movement, the magic warrior unleashed a continuous barrage of lightning. Pirika-sama cut the bolts as before and dodged widely. I realized then that she wasn't dodging the lightning itself; she was dodging the space beside the bolts. Was there something hidden there?
"There's nothing there," Pirika-sama answered, addressing my unspoken doubt.
Even though I was hidden, she had spotted me.
"Don't just stand there slacking off," she called out. "Get behind him."
"Rest assured," I replied. "Someone is already there."
One of Zabuton's children had already arrived. They had spun silk across the area, cutting off the intruder's retreat. All that was left was for Pirika-sama to finish the job.
"You say that like it's easy," Pirika-sama grunted, taking a stance.
She was getting serious now. The magic warrior seemed determined to fight her head-on. He began a long incantation. His resolve was admirable, but he stood no chance against her.
Pirika-sama waited for the spell to activate without moving. She was clearly enjoying herself. She could have easily closed the gap and cut him down before he finished his chant.
The incantation ended. Countless orbs of lightning manifested around Pirika-sama and surged toward her. Suddenly, the orbs veered away from her unnaturally. Pirika-sama followed up with a flurry of slashes.
What exactly was she cutting?
"Like I said, there's nothing there," she repeated.
Nothing? I realized what she meant. A vacuum. So she had been dodging and cutting through pockets of void. She truly was a monster.
The magic warrior seemed to realize this as well. He raised both hands in surrender. One of Zabuton's children immediately bound him in silk, along with his two fallen comrades.
"Thank you for the help," I said to the spider. "The security team should be here soon, so please keep them secured until then."
A vacuum, though... The visible lightning must have been a decoy. Or rather, the lightning was likely a byproduct of the energy used to create the voids. The positions of the lightning and the vacuums had been consistent. Without the lightning as a guide, even Pirika-sama might have struggled to deal with it.
"By the way," I asked, "the lightning orbs moved unnaturally at the end, didn't they?"
"These," Pirika-sama said, showing me a few metal nails. "I usually carry them for throwing, but I’d heard they were effective against lightning, too."
I see. I should start carrying some as well. If I had faced that mage without knowing his trick, I might have been defeated.
"Wait," I said, "are you saying that the intruder who tried to steal the ramen recipe was actually stronger than this magic warrior?"
"Indeed," she replied.
"Hah... the world is a vast place, isn't it?"
The security team arrived shortly after, and I slipped back into the shadows. I was about to ask Pirika-sama to find out the trio's objective and whether they had other accomplices when another of Zabuton's children arrived, carrying a message on its back.
The letter was addressed to me from my colleague, Roku.
"Let's see... I see."
The trio was part of a twelve-person group. Nine of them had infiltrated Yoko-sama's mansion, while these three had stayed behind as a rearguard for the retreat. The nine who entered the mansion had already been captured by Zabuton's children, and the interrogation was already complete.
"Understood."
I gave a cookie as a treat to the spider who brought the letter. I also gave one to the spider who had bound the trio earlier.
"Thank you both for your hard work. I'll be counting on you again. And don't worry—I'll be sure to tell the Village Head about your contributions."
I smiled. It was hard to believe some people were actually afraid of them when they were this adorable.
I watched Zabuton's children vanish into the darkness and psyched myself up. The night was still young. I still had plenty of work to do.
Back at the jail, the man who had tried to steal the ramen recipe was having an outburst in his cell.
"That ramen! Just give me a bowl of that ramen, I beg you!"
"We'll have it delivered," I sighed. "Just stop screaming. And rest assured, we'll be collecting the full payment from you."