Kosuzu The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World: Volume 5

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-7183-1858-8
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band 5, 250 Seiten

Reihe: The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World

Time has passed since the unprecedented stampede that attacked Rakana was quelled, and Seika and the others have been given adventurer ranks for their achievements. The party gets bored of hanging around Rakana now that its dungeons are gone and decides to take on a guild request from a nearby city.

They set out into a forest to fulfill the request, where they find a pair of adventurers beset by monsters. After Seika and his party rescue them, the pair asks them to rescue their kidnapped comrades. However, Seika soon realizes that there's more to both them and their request than meets the eye.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kosuzu, Kiichi

Weitere Mitwirkende

Yuunagi

Blackburn, Jarod

Leseproben

Chapter 1

Act 1

I silently closed the letter as I sat in my inn room in Rakana. As Fiona mentioned in her opening, the cold had eased considerably. The long winter was over and the country was welcoming spring. In just another month, it would be a full year since we arrived in Rakana. Looking back, it had been quite hectic.

“Oh, did you get a letter, Master Seika?” Yuki asked, rousing herself from bathing in the sun by the window.

“Yeah. It’s from Fiona.”

“Ah, from the princess. Feels a little late now. What did she say?”

“She thanked me for dealing with the stampede.”

“Hmph.”

“She didn’t realize it was going to happen until after I left and couldn’t contact me for various reasons.”

“Sounds like she’s just trying to smooth things over,” Yuki said, clearly skeptical of Fiona. “I think it’s suspicious. She expects us to believe she couldn’t see that future and just happened to send you to this city? Don’t you think she’s tricking you?”

“Hmm... Maybe. Then what do you think her true intentions are?” I asked, folding the letter.

“I think she knew everything and sent you here to deal with the disaster. The city’s leader seems to be cooperating with her. Or maybe she views your strength as a threat and was planning on using the disaster to destroy you along with the city!” Yuki shouted indignantly.

“That doesn’t seem likely to me,” I replied with an awkward smile. “I’m still alive, so if nothing else, I don’t think she was trying to get me killed. If that was her goal, she would’ve chosen a method where I was actually dead in the future she saw.”

“Oh, good point.”

“I’m not convinced she wanted me to put down the stampede either. Keeping quiet about it then sending a letter filled with excuses later just doesn’t seem like a good strategy to me.” The Holy Princess could see the future, excelled at politics, and possessed incredible strength in the form of her holy knights. It was difficult for me to believe this was the best she could come up with.

From Fiona’s perspective, there was no merit in making me distrust her. She wouldn’t want to deal with the fallout of me causing another major incident. Yet someone who could see the future leading me to a city where a disaster was about to occur was incredibly suspicious—so much so that it raised a red flag even for Yuki of all people. There was no reason for Fiona to deliberately choose such a crude method.

“So, contrary to how it might seem, I think she’s actually telling the truth in this letter. At the very least, I don’t think she had any ill intent. She was probably just as shocked as we were when she saw the stampede in her visions.”

Fiona had wanted to warn us of the danger, but she didn’t have anywhere else for us to go. And she couldn’t simply tell us to both bunker down in Rakana and somehow save the city. She had probably been frantically searching for some way to change the future and hadn’t managed to find anything. Then, after worrying herself sick for a while, she had finally just decided to write a letter apologizing. That was how it seemed to me, anyway.

“Hrm, now that you mention it, you might be right,” Yuki groaned. “But don’t you think it’s possible she even foresaw how you’d respond?”

“I doubt she’s counting on someone who suddenly ransacked the imperial palace to be that rational.”

“I’m not really sure what to say to that...” After a brief pause, Yuki asked another question. “Do you trust that princess?”

“Hmm...” I hesitated for a moment. “I’m not sure I’d say I trust her, but I don’t think she’s our enemy. I’m being naive, aren’t I?” I asked abruptly. I had gotten involved in political conflict in my past life and been assassinated as a result. No matter how much I owed her, or how well she got along with Amyu and the others, it probably wasn’t wise to let my guard down around a princess.

Yet, contrary to my expectations, Yuki shook her head. “No. I think that’s fine.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes.” Yuki nodded.

I was surprised.

“You had friends in our previous world’s imperial family, didn’t you? I think it’s okay for you to live the same way you did in your past life.”

“The same way, huh?”

Yuki had said that before. After dying the way I had, I found it hard to be so optimistic. It would be pathetic if living the same way here resulted in me meeting the same fate. Even if I wasn’t fully committed to living more cunningly, I needed to at least be cautious enough to avoid drawing the attention of those in power. Granted, I couldn’t deny that I had been willingly breaking that rule lately. Either way, it wasn’t realistic to distance myself from Fiona at this point. I didn’t want to be scolded, so I would just follow Yuki’s advice for now.

“In that case, I guess I should try to get along amicably with Fiona.” I smiled, then looked down at the other piece of paper she had included with her letter. “Besides, she even gave us this.”

“What’s that paper?”

“A promissory note.” The small, rectangular note was the finest quality piece of paper I had ever seen. It had an intricate design along its border, as well as the bank’s name, Fiona’s signature, and an official seal. However, the amount remained blank. “She said to write any sum I want.”

“Um, what’s a promissory note?”

“In essence, it’s a piece of paper you can exchange for money. If I bring it to the bank written here, or a branch of one of the companies Fiona has invested in, I can convert it into money. And I’m apparently free to choose how much.”

“Wow! Isn’t that amazing?! All the wealth in the world can belong to you!”

“No, I can’t write a ridiculous sum like that. At the end of the day, Fiona is paying for it. I’ll need to decide on something appropriate.” Still, it seemed like I could ask for a considerable amount. “Fortunately, we aren’t too pressed for money anymore, but it’s never bad to have this in our pocket. It could save us on a rainy day.”

“That’s wonderful, Master Seika,” Yuki said. “Not only does it give you funds, but her letting you choose the amount means she really trusts you. The princess could face ruin depending on how much you ask for. Being trusted by the imperial family isn’t a bad thing.”

I blinked for a moment at Yuki’s words, then chuckled. “No, the bank can only pay as much as they have in their possession, so I don’t think she’d be ruined.”

“O-Oh, is that right?”

“But I suppose I’ll think of it that way.” With a small smile, I stood up and grabbed my coat.

“Are you heading out?”

“Yeah, I need to buy some stationery. I’m a little worried about how Fiona feels about me right now. I should reply as soon as possible. That said...” I furrowed my brow. “I’m not sure what to write.”

“What are you worried about? Don’t you like writing letters?”

“I do, but her letter kinda felt like something you would write to a sweetheart. She said, ‘Sincerely, your Fiona,’ and stuff.”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe that’s how a princess gets ahead. I’m just not sure how to respond. Truth be told, I don’t know much about the etiquette of this world’s upper class.”

...