The 171st day of summoning other worlds [Assassins] Part 3:

The moon peeks out from between the clouds and illuminates the area.

''First, let's have you take off your mask.''

The shadow obeys Ryoma's words honestly and moves to the knot in the mask that covers his face.

Harari.

The face of the dark-haired mercenary, the woman known as Sakuya, appeared.

''So now we're in a situation where we can see each other's faces and discuss things.

''Discussion? Isn't that an interrogation mistake?

Hearing Ryoma's words, Sakuya looks around like a fool.
Inside this tent, besides Ryoma and Sakuya. There are more than 10 mercenaries outside of the tent to set up a security net.
It is true that the atmosphere is too stuffy to call it a discussion.

''That's a difference in perception, isn't it? At least I'm going to have a talk with you.

Sakuya patted his chest at Ryoma's words.

(For now the chances of torture are less.......I thought they would cut me down without question, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Sakuya understood that there was no danger to herself for now.
However, she wasn't completely caught off guard.
It's just a matter of loosening the strings of tension a bit.
Vigilance against physical attacks.

'So? What are you going to discuss with the assassin who came to kill you?

Shouldn't you be so alarmed?

Ryoma replied with a wry smile.
The tension in Sakuya's body had relaxed, and he thought he would be a little friendlier, but he wasn't so naive.
I'll trust Sakuya's face when it comes to personal safety, but I won't say anything extra! It clearly states.

(Well I don't know what to do about it...)

As for Ryoma, he has no intention of extracting any information from Sakuya.
There's no way to verify the authenticity of the information she brings to you.
In a sense, it's safer to ignore her completely than to be tricked by her inadvertent lies.
However, if that is the case, the value of the person called Sakuya will be lost.

'It's not that I want to ask you anything, right? I'm not going to talk about it anyway, and I can't judge whether it's true or not.

Sakuya's face changed color at Ryoma's words.
If he took Ryouma's words to heart, there would be no need to keep Sakuya alive.

(What the hell does this guy want?)

The small doubts that arise in Sakuya gradually fill her mind with anxiety.
There's nothing more unsettling than not knowing what they're after.

'Then why do you let me live? It's not worth it, is it?

Even as she said this, Sakuya was drawing out a reason in her mind.
Yes, a certain reason that as a woman, I don't want to have it targeted too much.

(Could it be that she wants my body...?)

It's no wonder she thinks so.
Her appearance is very good.
Long, shiny black hair.
Her healthy, tanned, wheat-colored skin is fine and taut.
Her body is toned from her training as an assassin, but her breasts assert their presence in moderation.
In other words, she is a beautiful woman who sufficiently arouses a man's desire.
Sakuya is also a woman who has seen the dirty parts of the human world as an assassin.
She has a latent fear of being forcibly raped by a man by force.
As an assassin, she is prepared to lose her life if she fails in her mission.
But as a woman, the fear of being defamed by a man cannot be erased.
And even more so if you don't know any men.

(No ... that's not true ... if it were, there's no way I'd have a woman in the room with me.)

Sakuya quickly turned her gaze to Rionne and the other women and denied her own thoughts.
But that makes it even more difficult to understand the aim of the man Mikoshiba Ryoma.

I'm not sure if personal interest is the main reason.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in your life," he replied, sensitively sensing Sakuya's heartbeat.

'Personal reasons?'

A question appears on Sakuya's face.

''This.''

Ryoma thrust the sword Sakuya was holding in front of her.

'What's the matter with this?'

It was hard for Sakuya to understand what Ryoma cared about.
It was two feet and three inches long.
It was a sword about seventy centimeters long.
It was indeed a rare weapon that was rarely seen in the western continent.
That was understandable.
But it's too weak a reason to keep the people who came to assassinate you alive.

"Why do you use this?

Sakuya couldn't understand the intent of Ryouma's question.
To an assassin, a sword is just a weapon.
A tool for killing people.
There was no other reason for Sakuya, the assassin, to do so.
Ryoma saw the confusion on Sakuya's face and changed his question.

'Are you Japanese?'

But Sakuya's face didn't undergo the change that Ryoma had expected.
It's as if he looks like a human being who has heard some unintelligible word.

'What's that? What does that mean?

Sakuya's answer missed Ryoma's expectations.

(What do you mean?) An assassin with a sword, black hair and dark eyes, even his skin is tanned but yellow... and he's Japanese? He doesn't make any response to the question "What's going on?".......just a coincidence?

Many questions came up in Ryoma's mind.
Ryoma didn't know what Sakuya looked like because he had left Sakuya's surveillance to Saara until then.
It was only two days ago that he learned from a distance that she was a dark-haired woman.
He actually learned that her name was Sakuya in a report from Saara's meeting the other day.
Ryoma wasn't aware of it, but what he felt when he heard her name from Saara was nostalgia.
Sakuya.
If you change it into Kanji, it's Sakuya or Sakuya.
I could think of others if I wanted to guess, but honestly speaking, Sakuya is a Japanese name.
At the very least, it's not a name I'd give to a purely Western person.

(Could be the same Japanese!)

It was no wonder that Ryoma felt that way.
No, it's already been less than six months since he was summoned to this earth.
It's natural to feel nostalgic when you have a compatriot in a foreign land.
By the way, when it comes to the Saito of the Oltmere Empire, Ryoma doesn't feel any familiarity with him.
It's a good thing that I'm not a fan of this kind of thing.
It's not surprising that he made a bad impression on Ryojin, especially since he was a part of an empire that resented him and wanted to take Ryojin's life.
In that regard, although the assassin, like Saito, had been trying to kill Ryojin, his motive was also unknown if his background was unknown.
It's difficult for humanity to simply dismiss him as an enemy.
There is also the possibility that he was forcibly summoned and turned into an assassin.
Moreover, Sakuya is a woman and a beautiful woman.
If she is in trouble, it's not surprising that she wants to help.

Mikoshiba Ryoma is a ruthless and cold-hearted person, but as a human being, he is also capable of possessing feelings of kindness and compassion.
This is a contradiction in terms, but that's what human beings are all about.
A very caring boss at work may be violent at home, and on the other hand, an overbearing, sarcastic person at work may be warm and compassionate at home.
In that respect, Ryoma is in some ways easy to understand.
His principle of action is simple.
He wants to survive.
He wants to survive.
He will kill as many people as he has to for that purpose, and he won't regret it.
But what if his own life is somewhat safe and there is someone else in need right in front of him?
It's a natural human act to try to help out as much as you can.
You can't always help them.
There are times when the problem is far beyond our ability to help.
But at least I will listen to you.
That is human nature.

This is the reason why Sakuya's capture was based on that factor as well.
To put it bluntly, if it weren't for that reason, there would be no reason for Mikoshiba Ryoma not to kill an assassin who was aiming at his own life.

So it was a miscalculation for Ryoma that Sakuya did not react to the word Japanese.

''Are you really not Japanese?''

I don't know, what country is that? You're not from the western continent, are you?

Sakuya answered Sakuya's question clearly to Ryoma's question, which he asked again.

'Then why do you use a Japanese sword?'

Ryoma asks, a little thoughtfully.
Ryoma had envisioned another possibility.
Yes, the blacksmith's father, who had been introduced to him by the proprietress of Uminari-tei, had told him that he would use a sword in a place called the Eastern Continent.
He said that in the land called the Eastern Continent, they use swords.

(Are you from the Eastern Continent?)

Ryoma naturally thought so.
But Sakuya's words once again defied Ryoma's expectations.

'A Japanese sword? It's my family's legacy sword.

In your family?

Sakuya's answer made Ryoma feel uncomfortable.

'Yes. Our clan has been using swords. It's been around for a long time.''

''Anyone from the Eastern Continent would use it, right?''

'The Eastern Continent? We've never left the Western Continent.

Let's get this information straight.
The woman named Sakuya meets the external characteristics of the Japanese.
She also uses a Japanese sword as a weapon.
But she is Japanese, or does not know the word "Japanese sword".
This would be unthinkable for a modern Japanese.
He is the only one who knows how to use a Japanese sword, and he does not know the language of the Japanese sword.
Then, is Sakuya from the Eastern Continent?
Whether or not the physical characteristics are common to the Japanese, who are earthlings, and the Eastern Continentals, who are people from another world, is unknown, but there is a possibility.
If you think so, then it might not be surprising that the name Sakuya is also given to the Eastern Continentals.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea to use a sword as a weapon.

(It's all a possibility and can't be confirmed. But ... if you think so, it explains it)

Thinking that far, Ryoma dismissed the possibility herself.
She said it was the weapon of her clan.
If she was from the Eastern Continent, she wouldn't say, "It's a weapon called a sword that is passed down in my clan. She would not say that.
At the very least, Sakuya didn't see the sword as a common weapon, and it was likely that she was aware that only her clan would use it.

(Clan........clan........)

There was no proof of Sakuya's words, but Ryoma didn't doubt Sakuya's words.
It was because there was no point in lying.

Considering his profession as an assassin, it was hard to imagine him speaking honestly about his client's true life.
If he did tell you, you could judge that he was lying more than 90% of the time.
But what Ryoma heard was information that had nothing to do with such details.
Of course, there may be times when you don't want to tell your enemies, but if you don't want to tell them, then you should just keep your silence.
There is no need to go to the trouble of lying.
When you think about it, her words are trustworthy.

''So all of Sakuya's clan use swords?''

Liangma changed his question.

''Yes.''

''You're really not from the Eastern Continent, are you?''

Sakuya silently shook her head at Ryoma's reminder.


Silence dominated the tent.
The Malfist sisters originally didn't interfere with Ryoma, and Rionne and Boltz also kept silent.
They may have something to say, but they have the attitude of watching it happen.

''Miss.......what exactly does young man want to know?''

Bolz softly gave an earful to Rionne who was standing next to him.

''Well hey I'm not just talking about needing it for the boy's schemes or anything like that...''

I knew it...

''Some personal reason.......maybe.''

Everyone in this tent understood that much from watching Ryoma's exchange.

The best way to do this is to have a look at it.

Bortz nodded silently at Lyonne's answer.


'A clan ... how many people are there?'

Ryoma asked Sakuya again, breaking the long silence.

(What do you mean?) (Why do you care about the family?)

Sakuya tried desperately to figure out what the reasoning behind Ryoma's question was.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find any reason to believe this was it.

''About two hundred people...''

Sakuya finally answered.

'Two hundred....'

Ryoma choked on his words.

Two hundred people.
Easy to say in words, but in reality, it was quite a lot.
Just think of a wedding.
Even if you include the bride and groom's relatives and friends, a hundred people would be good for a normal person at most.
But if the groom's extended family members were to number 200, you can imagine how many people are in attendance.
It's no wonder that Ryouma is surprised.

'Two hundred people.......are they all living in a village somewhere?

Two hundred people would be equivalent to even the total population of a small village.
But Sakuya shook his head at Ryoma's words.

''No.''

''So you live scattered across the town?''

Sakuya shook her head again at Ryoma's question.

'No.'

Sakuya's words puzzled Ryoma.
It's not like they live together or dispersed.
If that's the case, then the only thing I can think of is.

'Are you wandering?'

Sakuya nodded at Ryoma's question.
Then a man's wrinkled male voice echoed in the tent.

''It can't be helped. That is the fate of my clan........'