LV999 Villager - Volume 3 - Chapter 12.01

Chapter 12, Part 1

So we Have to Keep Moving Forward

「That…… was definitely Kagami-san!」

The party took half a day to return to the Underground Facilities, Noah, after the failed operation in the Tama River. Fortunately, despite the fact that most of them had lost the arriving magic weapons, the only enemies they encountered were weak and low risk Monsters, so everyone was able to return to Noah without suffering any other casualties.

However, the faces of Resistance’s members, who lost their expected opportunity to take revenge on the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•, were profoundly obscured by the fact that their chances of retrieving the world seemed to decrease more and more, at the same time, their hatred towards the unpredictable Ace increased.

Not only had they lost the important resources allocated to this operation, but the sacrifice of their comrades killed by the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•* ended up being in vain. Balmung was probably the most affected by the fact that they had obtained absolutely no results from this operation, and instead there would simply have been useless sacrifices. After returning to Noah, Balmung, furious at the interference of the Ace yell, 「…… Next time…… We will definitely make it next time!」, as he punches the wall. After that, he asked Mary and Yuki to guide Takako and the others to their tents while he got into his own.

Then Mary and Yuki led the group to a place where some tents had been set up, two for the girls and one for the boys, which were given to Takako and the others. 「We are leaving, we’ll come back for you later」, Mary and Yuki said as they quietly returned to their own tent with exhausted looks.

After they both left, everyone ducked into the boys’ tent, the entrances of which they carefully closed to make sure no one heard what they were about to discuss. Then, as if she could no longer bear her desire to speak, Tina, who had been struggling to keep quiet until that moment, raised her voice, claiming that the Hooded Man was definitely Kagami.

「Kagami-san is the only one who could imagine that he would be able to fool someone with such a mediocre disguise」

「That’s right… The only one capable of coming out with such a simple performance is Kagami-chan」

「You’re going too far with that! I’m sure Kagami-san did it on purpose…… probably, uhh, I think」

Takako nodded at Tina’s words, meanwhile Alice, with her puffy cheeks, tried to defend Kagami, while trying to find something to justify Kagami’s bland performance.

Indeed, Kagami had completely failed in his attempt to trick them. Surely, he had told them, 「I will slaughter, you all」, but he had not attempted to seriously injure anyone, his「 Ny-Nyo 」sounded more like something he had just invented, and his「 E-Errm 」had made it clear that he had panicked and didn’t know what to answer back then.

「But, What is Kagami-san…… doing there? I want to believe it was Kagami-san, but what was he doing with the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•? 」

「It’s my Master. It is probably that he is trying to find a way to form an alliance with them in the same way that he did with the Demons」

Contrary to Krull, who found it odd the way Kagami was acting, Rex, arms folded, simply said, 「If it’s him, then there’s nothing we need to worry about 」, while smiling.

He had no idea what Kagami was trying to accomplish, but he was definitely up to something. At least, the fact that he was trying to trick them indicated that he didn’t want to reveal his identity. That’s why, although everyone was sure that the Hooded Man was Kagami, none said anything about it.

「But, ​​he didn’t seem to get along with the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•…… they didn’t seem to have much appreciation for him. I wonder if he really is trying to come to terms with them as Rex-dono said…」

Menou said rubbing his chin while trying to think about something to explain that. However, the little information available to him prevented him from reaching a conclusion.

「Anyway, if Kagami-chan is alive, then I would like to speak to him directly and exchange some information. But, we have no idea where he is or what he’s doing now

「But, ​​he didn’t seem to have any intention of joining us, did he? If that had been the case, then he probably would have tried to tell us in some way. Also, I don’t think he’s going to be able to come here either…… It seems that Noah’s elevator can only be activated by authorized people 」

Palna said, with a sigh, in response to Takako’s words. As Palna said, only a few members of Resistance could activate the elevator. It had been done in such a way that no unauthorized person could use it, even if it meant that some were going to end up being completely wiped out by being unable to return to the Underground Facilities on their own. It just made going out even more dangerous. However, they could not afford to tolerate any risk with the existence of monsters like the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•.

「Could it be that…… Kagami-san doesn’t want to see us? He didn’t even try to tell us anything as soon as he saw us……」

The moment Alice heard that Kagami seemed to have no intention of joining them, she murmured that with a clearly depressed look. Then, Palna, understanding what she had caused, approached Alice while shaking her hands in an attempt to reassure her.

「Errm-, come on, we’re talking about him, I’m sure he will appear when we least expect it. Come on, calm down, you don’t want him to see you in this state, do you?」

Krull and Tina smiled involuntarily the moment they heard her say those words. On the other hand, Rex, who had simply watched this unfold, clapped Palna on the back and, with a malicious look, said.

「I had been wanting to ask since she came back, but…… Palna, aren’t you spoiling her too much? No, first of all, are you really Palna? That excessive way of caring about Alice even makes me believe that you are her mother」, Rex said with a puzzled look.

「You, on the other hand, seem to have lost all the delicacy that you had」, replied Palna, giving Rex a cold look.

「Hey, I have a little task for you…… What are you all doing gathered in the boys’ tent?」

At that moment, approximately 10 minutes after the group was left in that place, Yuki entered the tent with a surprised look.

「It didn’t take long for you to return. I wonder if everyone in Resistance are so busy that they don’t even have time to rest……」

「Don’t worry, it’s not that I don’t have time to rest, it’s just that…… there’s something I have to take care of…… it’s supposed to be our turn today, you see」

Then, Yuki, rubbing her head in embarrassment as she tried to explain what she had to do, said, 「This!」, as she moved to the side, leaving Mary, who was behind her, in plain view of the others. .

Mary, who was standing at the entrance to the tent, was wearing an adorable apron embroidered with four-leaf clovers and a triangular scarf covering her hair, while holding a large pot full of ingredients.

「…… Help us prepare the food」

Mary said, strangely motivated, as she snorted with her nose.