Kamigami – 67 Part 4

‘The scale is ridiculous.’

‘Aye. and this is just a demonstration. They gather these troops here in order to show them off to people.’

‘Huh?’

Salia sounded surprised. But Sheto had the same reaction.

“The He-hero, gathered them, just to show!?”

‘Why do you think he sent messages to nearby villages and towns? And to the kings of all the lands? So that they would understand the current strength of the Hero. And he means to head to the ancient capital of Kaitar, and seek an audience with the king.’

‘It will be more like power diplomacy than an audience, surely. I doubt any of the three kings of Morania could gather an army to match his.’

People had known that the Hero would pass down this road for several days now. And monster scouts had been able to gather the information as well.

‘If possible, it would be best to crush the Hero before he enters Kaitar.’

“Why?”

‘Recently, the Hero sent troops to all the lands. They hunted monsters and bandits along the way and paved roads to show his power. On top of that, this time, he will draft others into the army, or order them to cooperate.’

If he absorbed soldiers from the other countries as well, then his power would grow even more.

‘Surely this is enough scouting for now. Sheto should withdraw.’

“Already? There is nothing, more?”

‘Thanks to seeing their equipment, we are sure now. His army composition and what is being done to maintain it.’

The dragon god said in a firm voice. His usual leisurely voice was gone, and it looked like he was taking his job as Salia’s strategist seriously.

‘Besides,  you must return quickly and tell the others about the speed of the march. Or it could negatively affect Berganda. Do not get distracted.’

“Alright.”

Without shaking any branches, or being seen by anyone, Sheto climbed down the back of the tree. He landed softly on the ground and then began to move away from the road while crouching.

While making himself small, he kept the movement of his clothes to a minimum. A hunter with good eyes would be able to see a rabbit from the shadow of a tree just from a small flicker.

‘You are quite accustomed to concealed movement in the forest.’

He crawled into a space under the roots of a tree, and pulled out his equipment.

“Long time ago, used to play hide-and-seek, a lot. When hunting, hiding is very important, they say. Only Lu could ever find me.”

Darkness was already starting to fall all around him. The night forest was dangerous, but like this, he was less likely to be caught by humans.

‘I shall keep watch on the terrain. You just focus on moving forward.’

“Aye.”

Sheto raised his posture a little and began to run.

The starlight hardly reached him under the trees, and so Sheto relied on his night eyes and nose, and moved without  hesitation. His strides were shot, and he barely lifted his feet, as if sliding quietly.

‘A large hollowed area to the right. And the roots of a tree to the left are tangled around a boulder.’

Salia gave clear instructions, which made the scene in front of him more vibrant.

The night grew darker, and it was difficult to see things that were right in front of him. But still, he continued to run.

‘You will hit the river soon. Be cautious.’

“…Understood.”

He heard the murmur off a brook and sensed the presence of water up ahead.

But that wasn’t all.

“Salia.”

He hadn’t heard anything. And he hadn’t seen anything strange.

And he had been on his guard while running.

“Someone, watching.”

He could sense that something was following him closely.

‘Impossible. There is nothing within my vision. In the first place, no one would be able to keep up with your speed without attracting attention.’

But there was no time to listen to Salia.

Just then, something burst through the bushes.

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