————その日は、天に数多の星が浮かぶ閑かな夜だった。
骨が軋む音すら聞こえる閑散とした王都の夜。
雲一つ存在しない夜天は、ひとりの人間の影を鮮明に照らし出していた。
「————くひひ」
その影の正体は笑う。
手からぽたりぽたりと垂れ落ちるは、どろりと粘つきを見せる液体。
独特な鉄錆の臭いを充満させるソレを流し目で見詰める男の瞳には、喜悦の感情が湛えられていた。
......人知れず、狂気混ざる夜の街。
翌日。王都に位置する掃き溜めにて、とある〝魔法使い〟が死体で見つかった。
そしてその日を皮切りに、五日に一度のサイクルで〝魔法使い〟が王都で死体となって見つかる事件が続き、様々な噂が飛び交った。
やがて人は、それが〝魔法使い狩り〟の仕業であると次第に囃し立てるようになっていく————。
「————魔法使い狩り?」
時刻は日差しが真上からこれでもかと降り注ぐお昼時。王都に位置する食事処にて、俺は女剣士——リレアへそう尋ね返していた。
「そ。〝ミナウラ〟に一人で向かってたキミは知らないだろうけど、最近、王都じゃそんな物騒な噂があちこちで広がってるの」
〝魔法使い〟のみを標的とした意図的な殺人。
嫌味ったらしい物言いながらもリレアが詳しく語ってくれる。
〝ミナウラ〟を後にして早二週間。
そろそろほとぼりが冷めても良い頃だと思うのに、目の前のリレアと、隣に座りながら無言で昼食をフォークで突き刺しては口に放る行為を繰り返すソフィアからは未だに根に持たれていた。
結局、〝ミナウラ〟の一件についてはソフィアからは「有り得ない」という言葉と共にグーパンチを一発。
「殺されるのは決まって〝魔法使い〟のみ。それもご丁寧に、五日に一回〝魔法使い〟が殺される事件が起ってるのよ」
サイクル的には、次は明後日ね、とリレアは呆れ混じりに言葉を吐き捨てた。
「かれこれ五人も殺されてるっていうのに、騎士団が動く気配はなし。......一体、騎士団は何をしてるのかしらね」
「そういえば、ここ二日くらいロウとヨシュアの姿が見えないけどあの二人は?」
「あの二人なら、護衛の依頼をこなしてるわ。このご時世だから、〝魔法使い〟は寧ろ邪魔になるって事で私だけ仲間外れ」
だからキミ達と一緒にこうしてのんびりご飯食べてるのよと、不満をこぼす。
正体不明の〝魔法使い狩り〟はまず間違いなく、何らかの目的の為に〝魔法使い〟を殺さんと試みている。
今でこそ、五日に一回というサイクルに則って行為が行われているが、現状、それがいつ破られるか分からない状態である。
だから、そもそもの懸念材料である〝魔法使い〟を護衛依頼であるならば極力関わらせないようにする。先の話を聞くからに、その考えは至極真っ当なものに思えた。
「私とキミみたいな近接戦闘に向いた〝魔法使い〟ならまだ良いんだけど、ソフィアちゃんみたいな非戦闘系の〝魔法使い〟が狙われる可能性だって十二分にあり得る。だから、当分はこの三人で行動したいんだけど、大丈夫かしら?」
三人で固まってさえいれば、その正体不明の輩からも狙われにくいだろうとリレアは言う。
そして、ようやく理解する。
三人でご飯でもどうかと、リレアが俺とソフィアを誘った理由はその話をする為であったのか、と。
「そういう事情なら、俺はその提案に従うよ」
別に断る理由もなし。
それに、未だ機嫌を直してくれないソフィアに対して俺の場合は負い目がある。
どんな形であれ、ソフィアの為になるのであれば俺が断る理由はどこにもない。
「なら決まりね。ソフィアちゃんにはキミがいない間に話は通してあるから、後はキミの返事待ちだったのよ」
それは俺が〝ミナウラ〟でシヴァと共に剣を振っていた時に、なのか。はたまた、〝ミナウラ〟に向かってる最中に、なのか。
そこのところはよく分からなかったけれど、下手に何かを言うと藪蛇になる気しかしなかったので黙ってその場をやり過ごす。
「それじゃ、早速で悪いんだけど、この依頼に付き合って貰っても良いかしら」
そう言って、リレアが懐から取り出したのは一枚の紙。それは、討伐だなんだかんだと書き記されていた依頼書であった。
「折角、キミと一緒に行動するのに、その剣の腕を活かさないだなんて阿呆過ぎるでしょう?」
リレア達とは友人の関係であるが、俺とソフィアは冒険者ではない。
だから、冒険者に向けられた依頼をこなすのは拙いのではと言おうとして、
「言い忘れてたけど、小さい事をいちいち気にしてたらキリがないわよ」
「......まだ何も言ってないんだけど」
「キミってば、変なところで律儀な性格をしてるから、人よりもずっと分かりやすいのよ」
至極正しい考えである筈なのに、何故か内心を見透かされた挙句、呆れられた。
「で、なんだけれど、この依頼をこなした後——だから、数時間は後になると思うんだけれど、何か予定とかあったりする?」
「どうして」
「一人、キミに会って貰いたい人がいるのよ」
ただ、その人は夜しか都合がつかなかったのよねと苦笑い。
そしてこれからこなす依頼は会うまでの時間潰しも兼ねているのだと理解する。
「時にユリウスくんは————怪獣討伐に興味はお有りかしら?」
「......怪獣?」
そう言われて即座に脳裏に浮かんだイメージはあの規格外の魔物〝ジャバウォック〟。
しかし、流石にいくら何でもそれはあり得ないだろうと可能性の候補から外した。
「魔法使い狩りが始まってから、私のようにパーティーのメンバーからも距離を置かれる魔法使いが増えてるの。なにせ、噂の〝魔法使い殺し〟は既に名の通った武人も二人ほど殺してるから」
故に並の人間では太刀打ち出来ない相手であるという認識は既に広がってしまっている。
余程仲が良い相手で無い限り、今、魔法使いを快く迎え入れる人間はいないと彼女は言う。
そのせいで魔法使いという本来であれば貴重な存在が数多くあぶれてしまっているとも。
「だから、みんな当分は大人しくするみたいなムードが出来上がってたんだけどそんな中でひとり、声を上げた人がいたのよ」
--It was a quiet night filled with countless stars shining in the sky.
A deserted night in the capital, so quiet that even the creaking of one's bones could be heard.
The night sky, devoid of a single cloud, clearly illuminated the shadow of a single person.
"--Kuhihi..."
In the midst of the deserted city, the shadow laughed viciously, and his eyes narrowed with a smile that split his cheeks.
Dripping from his hand was a sticky, viscous liquid.
The man's eyes were filled with joy as he gazed down at his work, savoring the peculiar smell of rusted iron, befitting something as unique as blood.
...It was indeed a madness-filled city at night, unbeknownst to everyone.
The next day, a certain magician was found dead in a cesspool within the capital.
And from that very day, incidents of magicians being found dead in the capital continued to occur every five days, and various rumors began to circulate.
People gradually started to believe that all of it was the work of a "Magician Hunter."
"--Magician Hunter, you say?"
It was noontime, and with the sun shining down on me from above, I asked Lilea, a female swordsman, as we dined in a restaurant in the capital.
"Yes, a 'Magician Hunter.' You were traveling to Minaura alone at that time so you may not know this, but there have been some disturbing rumors spreading all over the capital recently."
Deliberate murders targeting only magicians.
Lilea filled me in on the details in a sarcastic tone.
It had been two weeks since I left Minaura.
Especially Sofia who was sitting next to me, only stabbing her lunch with a fork and throwing it into her mouth without saying even a single word.
In the end, I only got a big "no" when I tried to get her forgiveness about the recklessness I did regarding the Minaura incident, with Lilea only disappointingly saying that I could've at least let her know, but I didn't.
"The only ones getting killed are 'magicians,' and to be precise, one of those very 'magicians' is killed every five days."
So in terms of the cycle, the next magician will get killed the day after tomorrow, Lilea spat out in disgust.
"Five people have already been killed, but there's no sign of the knights making a move at all... I wonder  what the hell they are up to..."
"Now that I remember it, I haven't seen Lowe nor Joshua for a couple of days now."
"If you're curious about what those two were up to, they went away for a request about escorting certain people. I got left out because, in this day and age, magicians are more of a nuisance than they are an asset."
That's why I'm having a leisurely meal with you guys, she complained.
The unidentified 'Magician Hunter' probably kills magicians for a specific reason.
Although the cycle was now being carried out once every five days, there was no telling when this cycle will be broken.
Therefore, if the request was to escort magicians, which was the cause for concern in the first place, we would have to do our best to keep them safe.
"It would be less concerning had that hunter chose to hunt us two, given that we are well-versed at close combat, but there's also a good chance that he might choose to target a non-combat-oriented magician like Sofia. So for the time being, I'd like the three of us to stay together."
Lilea said that as long as the three of us stick together, we will be less likely to be targeted by this unidentified person, or a group, had they been working with others.
And finally, I realized.
The reason why Lilea invited me and Sofia to have a meal together was to talk about this.
"If that's the case, I'll go along with your proposal."
There was no reason for me to refuse.
Besides, I still owe Sofia an apology, who was still not in a good mood.
And as long as it was for Sofia's benefit, I have no reason to refuse.
"It's decided, then. I already talked with Sofia about this while you were gone, so I was just waiting for your response."
Was it when I was fighting the Jabberwock with Siva in Minaura, or was it while I was still on my way there?
I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but I knew that if I said anything, I would just end up in a heap of trouble, so I just kept my mouth shut and let it slide.
"Well, then, I know this is sudden, but I wonder if I could ask you to help me out with this request."
Saying so, Lilea took out a piece of paper from her chest pocket.
"We're already working together now, so I'd be a fool not to put my swordsmanship to use with you, wouldn't I?"
Although we were good friends with Lilea and her companions, Sofia and I weren't adventurers like them.
And so I attempted to tell her that it might be a bad idea to accept a request given that the two of us aren't adventurers just yet, but:
"I forgot to mention, but don't bother with the small details."
"...I haven't said anything yet, though."
"You're very disciplined in a weird way, so it's easy to read you like an open book."
It was a perfectly valid thought, but for some reason, she saw right through me, hence why I was taken aback.
"...It's still a lot of time before we accept this request, but do you have any plans later?"
"Why?"
"There's one person I'd like you to meet."
But that person could only come at night, she said with a laugh.
And given that it's still a lot of time before we could officially do the request, she told me that it'd be a good way to kill time.
"Are you interested in defeating a certain monster, Julius?"
"...A certain monster?"
The image that immediately popped into my mind was that lump of insanity, the Jabberwock.
However, I thought it was too unlikely, so I eliminated it from the list of possibilities.
"Since the hunt for magicians started, more and more magicians like me are being shunned by party members. The rumored 'Magician Hunter' has already killed two-well known military figures, after all."
Therefore, the perception that he was an opponent ordinary people couldn't compete with had already spread.
Unless they were on good terms with each other, she said, no one welcomed magicians with open arms.
She also said that because of this, many magicians, who would normally be valuable, have been left out of their respective parties.
"As a result, the prevailing sentiment was for everyone to keep quiet for the time being, but then one person spoke up."
Star-Slaying Swordsman
星斬りの剣士
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/star-slaying-swordsman/
Action Fantasy Martial Arts Mature Psychological Shounen
Adapted to Manga Dark Fantasy World Male Protagonist Mature Protagonist Medieval Philosophical Romantic Subplot Sudden Strength Gain Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Transplanted Memories
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7336gg/
アルト／遥月