"Yuu-chan - Slayers! Novel 1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chan Yu)
by Yuu-chan
Chapter 1: Beware! Harassing bandits, and a night at an inn...
I was being chased by bandits.... don't say, "Well, so what?!" Being chased isn't so uncommon in everyday life, and in my life, it's an everyday occurrence, but stories have to be told in such a way as to build up to a climax. Well, leaving that aside, my pursuers were nearby. They're bandits. I hadnТt been able to find any jobs and my purse was getting light, so I secretly took a small portion (about the same as the amount of dirt under the tip of a pixieТs nail) of treasure from a group of bandits. That was my mistake. It was a really insignificant amount, not even so much as that. They've been chasing me stubbornly, the selfish jerks. Well, I've never heard of generous bandits. it isn't as if I can't see them behind me, but being a petite girl, thereТs no way I can outrun a bunch of sweaty men. It's only a matter of time before they catch up. What will be the fate of sweet Lina Inverse! ...yeah, that's me!
I stop walking at a spot where trees are growing on both sides of the path, like a canopy. Nothing looks different from before, but the birds are no longer chirping. There are people in the woods. IТm surrounded -- the enemy seems to have circled ahead of me. I thought of saying something to tip them off that I knew they were there, but I couldn't think of anything to say, so I stood there and waited. The path through the woods is wide enough for fighting, and sure enough, after I wait a while, a man steps out of the woods.
"Finally caught up, little lady." The bald man with an eye-patch said the overused and ancient phrase. With a bare upper torso and a scimitar, it was as if he'd just come out and said "IТm the bandit leader." His most attractive feature was his oily skin (ugggh).
"Thanks a lot for making fools of us." I felt sick and tired. Generally, the vocabulary of these people is limited to only about a hundred words, but I wish heТd have been more creative.
"'YouТre gonna pay for this...'" Hey... "... is what IТd like to say, but to tell you the truth, we donТt want to fight. The way you attacked us without warning, burning everything down, killing our leader, and then stealing our bountiful treasure while we panicked -- it was the work of a professional. Even we wouldn't go that far!" Err... maybe something like that happened, I wouldn't know, but it's okay, because I live my life by the motto, "Evildoers have no rights!" so I guess they just got what was coming to them.
"What would be proper would be to say, 'For the death of our leader!' and chase you around until either you or we are all dead, but neither one of us is going to enjoy that, so why don't you join us?" Never! I don't like doing wrongs. ... it's true!
"If you return the treasure and join us, IТd be willing to forgive you for the death of our leader and comrades. It isnТt such a bad deal; all youТd have to do is listen to what I say and it'll be fun. What do you say?" He smirks. Now I get it -- until recently, he was the second in command. However, because of what I'd done the other day, the leader's position just fell into his hands. Rather than avenging the death of his leader, though, he'd just come after me for the treasure, and now he wants other things: my strength, and me. IТm not dirty enough to join bandits. In any case, I don't want to get married to a bandit like him and end up saying "How was work today, honey?" every day!
"You'd better answer fast. ThereТs no point in standing here doing nothing. WeТve also gotta go and find a new hideout." The bandit was getting talkative; he's feeling pressured. I'd remained silent the whole time. I've got a cute, girlish voice, and if I spoke, it might make the bandit feel better, but I have no reason to speak. The banditcontinues blabbing for a while, getting impatient.
"... Hey, what do you think?!"
I say bluntly, "I refuse."
"Wha..." his jaw hangs open and the color of his face changes, "You..You bitch! All right, thatТs the way you wanna play?! IТll have you cut to ribbons! Hey, guys!" About a dozen bandits walk out of the woods, surrounding me.
"This is it?" I state my honest opinion. Seeing that IТm not frightened, the
bandit panics.
"Th...This isnТt it! My men in the forest have arrows aimed at you. At my command theyТll turn you into a pincushion. If you beg, IТll let you live. So?" An obvious lie. Any warrior or sorcerer with enough skill can sense whether or not there are any more men in the forest. I guess this means IТll have to fight my way out...
But at that very moment, a voice is heard. "ThatТs enough!" Everyone turns; standing there is a single man -- a traveling mercenary. His long-sword glimmers in the sunlight; his breast-plate is made of the scales of an iron-serpent. Slim and tall... a typical light-fighter with speed and skill... long, blonde hair... rather good-looking.
"Villains! Withdraw and I shall spare your life," says the mercenary. The
bandit-leaderТs face turns crimson.
"Shut up! What are you doing here?! Who are you anyway?!"
"I have no name to tell the likes of you." I grimace. When somebodyТs in trouble, guys like this appear out of thin air. Usually, for some reason, theyТre handsome and reasonably strong.
"All right, then weТll start with you! Attack!" The expected sword-fight begins. I thought of aiding the mercenary, but I have to make sure he doesnТt lose face. Instead, I play the part of the damsel in distress, running around and screaming. I was so intent on screaming that I hadnТt realized what had happened, but the battle had already ended. Obviously, the mercenary is victorious.
"Oh... a kid," whispers the mercenary. GUSA!* ...I was a little hurt. The mercenary continues, "In a situation like this I expected an attractive woman... All that work and this is what I get... a short, big-eyed, flat-chested, kid." ZAKU! ...IТll admit IТm slightly shorter and my chest is flatter than girls my age. I do look younger than I really am... Damn him, saying all the things I'm worried about! He probably thinks he's whispering so that I can't hear, but I have exceptionally good hearing; some people've said that it's as good as an elf's. Anyway, even though I wasn't really in danger, he did save me, so I guess I should thank him.
[*Note: GUSA, ZAKU, and MUKA are Japanese sound-effect words, usually just meaning that the speaker, in this case Lina, is suddenly frustrated or upset. PIKU is the sound of an eye blinking.]
"Th...thank you very much," I force a smile.
"No need to thank me -- it was nothing," the mercenary smiles weakly. "Anyway are you all right, little girl?" Now itТs "little girl."
"ItТs dangerous for a little girl to be alone. Or is your father or somebody
else with you?" Muka...
"Oh no, IТm alone --" Piku piku piku...
"That isnТt safe..., tell you what, IТll take you back home." Hey, hold on a...
"Where do you live?" Muka muka muka...
"Uh... IТm traveling alone -- itТs not like I have a reason or anything... IТm just thinking of maybe going to Atlus City..."
"Oh I see... So... Things have been hard for you."
"Wha?..."
"No, I understand."
"Uh... IТm just..."
"ThereТs no need to explain anything. I understand." Apparently, because I lowered my eyes in an effort to hold my temper, the guy thinks itТs a reaction to being asked something I donТt want to talk about. He probably thinks IТm some girl who, for some reason, is fleeing from her hometown.
"No, I just want to see the world," I reply, honestly.
"ItТs all right, you donТt have to make a story up. I wonТt ask you anything," says the mercenary as if he were comforting a child. HeТs so hopeless...
"All right, then IТll accompany you to Atlus City." No way. ItТs ten days to Atlus. If I have to be around with this guy, all the stress will create enough acid to melt my stomach.
"N...no, that would be too much..."
"No. I know, youТre in need of friends."
"No, that's not it -- but --" We continued talking. In the end, after a while the two of us were walking down the road together. He convinced me. My head hurt.
"-- Oh yeah, I forgot. IТm Gourry. As you can see, IТm a traveling mercenary. Your name is...?"
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