Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 235

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Chapter 235 – Observer

It’s the morning of my sixth day of visiting the Old Auber Ruins.

“Oh, what a shame. The emergency request is over, huh?”

“Y-yes, thanks to you, the market inventory seems to have recovered considerably…”

I had been stopping by in the morning just in case since the third day, but finally, the red-framed wooden board was removed from the request board, and my bonus time was over.

My total earnings here amount to approximately 31 million Beeke.

This is an outstanding result for four and a half days of work.

From today onward, I’ll aim to clear the Non-Attribute Magic quota and spend another day or two at this hunting ground.

With that in mind, I headed to the hunting ground as usual and continued hunting silently. But…

(Again? And there are more?)

As I was about to head to town to exchange my morning spoils for money, I sensed someone’s presence within my Investigation range.

I had noticed it for the first time yesterday by chance.

When I suddenly used Flight, I faintly sensed movement within my field of vision. Or rather, I felt slight movement, as if someone were hiding among the scattered ruins.

I don’t know if it was a ghost or a living person, but I think there was only one target.

That’s where it started.

I used Investigation moderately and tried several words to see if there were any suspicious beings around.

Even “respawn,” which I consider a confirmed rule of this world, feels slower here than in other hunting grounds, probably due to the area’s vastness.

Therefore, hunting inevitably involves running around a wide area, suddenly changing direction, or hiding behind scattered stone walls.

While doing so, I detected a reaction at the very edge of the Investigation range while the “Observer” detection condition was active.

In other words, someone was definitely watching me.

The reaction disappeared quickly, so I assume they were following me at a distance, matching my movements.

I confirmed this reaction several times this morning as well.

They weren’t getting any closer or trying to harm me, so I had no choice but to ignore it, feeling uneasy.

The reaction I felt when I flew just now was definitely in the opposite direction of the one I confirmed a little while ago.

That speed is impossible for a human, even for me. I can only assume there are at least two of them.

At this distance, there’s no way they could detect a tiny amount of level 1 dark magic.

(Still, I’m worried about the money I buried. If this continues in the afternoon, I’ll have to do something.)

If it continues, I’ll try to spot the target. If it seems safe, I’ll ask what they want.

With that decision made, I returned to town.

Then, in the afternoon…

I was stressed from the surveillance reactions I was picking up about once an hour, so I let out a big sigh.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

―Body Strengthening―Charge―Charge―Flight―Burst―

This time, instead of charging straight at the monster, I jumped over it. I quickly regained the scent and continued the pursuit.

The observer must have realized for the first time that I was chasing them.

They began to flee in earnest.

But I wouldn’t let them escape.

If I touched the ground, Ghost Menace’s Earth Bind might catch me, so I flew low and repeatedly fired small Wind Magic bursts from my feet.

The distance was slowly closing, but even so, I immediately realized that the target I was chasing was “not weak at all” at this point.

This enemy moves incredibly fast.

Its silhouette has a tail, so it’s definitely a beastman.

To prevent me from touching the ground, they kicked up scattered stone walls and moved in three dimensions, making it difficult to anticipate their movements.

Then…

If they’re facing away, there’s no problem. I imagine blocking their path without killing them and casting an impromptu spell.

“Block the front and hold them back, Thunder Wall!”

—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of thunderbolts then fell irregularly from the sky, forming a wall that stopped the beastman in his tracks, just as I had imagined.

I circled around amidst the mist and landed in front of the beastman, who immediately raised both hands.

“I won’t let you escape. Who are you, and what is your purpose?”

“Phew… I give up. Since I can’t escape, you must be the real deal. Right, Otherworlder.”

Despite surrendering, the beastman wore a defiant smile. He resembled a feline with vertically elongated pupils.

I could guess the answer from that response, but I repeated my question anyway.

“That’s not an answer. Who are you, and what do you want?”

“I’m Giorgia. You’ve heard of me, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t…”

Hm? Have we met before?”

I thought about it seriously, but I’ve never seen a cat-like beastman with gray and white stripes like this. I’ve also never heard this name before.

“Tch… Mercenary Rank 35! I’m Giorgia, the Blazing Speed. Remember that!”

“Huh, 35th rank, Blazing Speed… Is that why you attacked me? It’s still daytime.”

Am I the only one who thinks “35th” and “Blazing Speed” are lame nicknames?

As I stared at him with a complicated expression, the beastman in front of me shook his head and looked sullen.

“I didn’t receive instructions that specific. My mission is to monitor your movements and analyze your skills. The client is this country.”

“…You answered that pretty casually.”

“Of course. It’s common for a country to conduct investigations to recruit talented individuals, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Ah, well, I guess so.”

“I was monitoring you from a distance as instructed, but I never intended to act directly. I didn’t want to get too close because your skills are beyond my understanding.”

The first thing observed and deemed incomprehensible is Ignition…

The Kingdom of Waltz has decided that I am from another world and has begun investigating me.

However, I couldn’t help but think he was a straightforward beastman.

It wasn’t defiance, but rather a sense of pride in his belief that I am not evil.

But that raises some questions.

“There are three things I need to confirm. First, why did you run away?”

If he didn’t think I was evil, then there would be no reason to run away. The fact that he ran means he’s hiding something.

I think that’s a reasonable assumption.

“If someone who looks more dangerous than you approaches you with a fierce expression, aren’t you going to run away? There are people in this world who will kill without mercy.”

T-that’s true.

I would run away too if I were in that situation.

“…Why do you seem so relaxed now?”

“There’s nothing to be gained by showing weakness. Besides, I’m part of the Geol faction. If anything happens, they’ll avenge me.”

“Huh? The Geol faction?”

“You really don’t know anything, do you? They’re the strongest mercenaries in the Kingdom of Waltz, ranked number one. Rumor has it that our leader is on the All Rankers list.”

“…”

I recall seeing the ranking board displayed prominently in the mercenary guild.

Now that he mentions it, I remember seeing a name like Geol something in the first place.

I see. So his confidence comes from having the country’s top-ranked mercenary as his backer.

The cat-like guy standing in front of me seems to be about as strong as Fidel or the pet beastmen.

If that’s the case, then his boss must be… Hmm.

I have no intention of fighting, but going up against Geol’s faction would be too much for me.

And what does “All-Ranker” mean?

After confirming a few more things and getting answers to all my questions,

Since I had been discovered, I decided to retreat and release the Beastman without a fight.

Being watched is annoying, but if there’s a purpose behind it, then it’s normal.

Even in Japan, surveillance and investigation within reasonable limits are commonplace. I’m doing things I can’t help doing, like flying around town openly.

I understand why the country wants people from another world.

Therefore, if I am going to act openly for the sake of efficiency, I have to accept a certain degree of “non-hostile surveillance.”

Still, I wish they would try not to get caught.

“One last question.”

“What is it?”

“How many people were in your group, after all?”

“Huh? I was the only one who received the request.”

“What? There must be at least one other person, right?”

“I really don’t know.”

“…”

Given how casually he answered earlier, I can’t help but think he’s lying.

If that’s the case, then the other watcher—

Who could it be?

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