Part 40: Rebellion

322 10 0
                                    

It's been a day and a half since they set foot once again into the world of brown.

Hajime aimed straight for the Ankaji dukedom with the help of the magically powered four-wheeler while great heaps of dust rose from behind. Their original destination was the Sea of Trees, but they changed directions because they thought they might be able to repair the oasis if Koari used her regeneration magic.

The regeneration magic has the effect of literally returning anything back to its original form. So Hajime judged that they should be able to restore the polluted oasis, succeeding with Regeneration where recovery magic's purification failed.

Hajime had no reason to particularly object. They hadn't had a chance to try the local specialty fruits last time, so he easily took Kaori's suggestion to return.

Unlike last time, the entrance to Ankaji was full of people waiting in line. A lot of big wagons lined up, and judging from the atmosphere, it felt like a line of merchants.

"Fucking hell...it wasn't this bad last time." Keiji complained.

"That's a very large caravan." Hajime stated flatly.

".... Nn... will take time." Yue added.

"They're probably bringing in new supplies?" Kaori suggested.

Kaori's guess seemed to be right. The reason behind the long line was from relief request from the Heilig Kingdom. Merchants were taking advantage of the troop's movement and traveled with the relief corps. The Heilig relief corps seemed to accept the Ankaji merchants as long as they didn't cause problems.

Anyway, because the oasis had been ruined, other than the stockpiled crops, it was necessary to destroy the tainted crops for safety reasons. This caused a large need for food as well as water. Ankaji couldn't afford to be choosy who they got help from.

Hajime disregarded the caravan. Not wanting to wait under the desert heat, he drove the four-wheeler up to the gate without waiting in line.

People of the caravan began to notice the black object and started to run, their hearts likely screaming out "Is that a demon they're sitting in?" Towards the dangerous stares mixed with fear and wariness, Hajime brandished his weapon as the vehicle approached the gatekeeper in a cloud of dust.

Keiji sighed knowing why he couldn't fly them into Ankaji the reaction from the public would've been way worse if they saw a silver dragon block out the sun as it descended on the town.

As they drew near, the soldiers saw the 4-wheeler and suddenly became noisy. They moved to challenge Hajime, but colleagues who recognized the 4-wheeler convinced them to approach without their weapons. As they approach Hajime, they dispatch a messenger to run back to the city.

Hajime and his company left the 4-wheeler while ignoring the chaos their presence caused. As always, several people are enchanted by their good looks. As Hajime placed the 4-wheeler back into his treasure warehouse, their eyes turned to wonder.

"It's like that. Has the God of the Apostles returned?" the gatekeeper asks as he watches the figure of Kaori.

The soldiers were relieved to see Kaori. Perhaps they recognized her from the time they had brought Randzi back or when they went to recover the serene stones from the Guryuu-en Great Volcano but the fear returned when they saw the look on Keiji's face "Don't even try it".

Keiji didn't want to deal with another Kouki or Daisuke. 

It appears like the 4-wheeler had become known as Kaori's transport, and they named her the "God of the Apostles". they didn't feel the need to correct them as they were not exactly wrong. Since they recognized Kaori the best, they put her out in front.

Arifureta: From Whelp to Dragonlord (ON Hiatus)Where stories live. Discover now