Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 167: Appropriate Support

Chapter 167: Appropriate Support

Boom!

Boom!

“...Ptui.”

Shiron spat with disgust over the corpse of the monster he had just slain.

How many monsters had he slain? Although he hadn’t bothered to count, the number of monsters he had slain since Igor left seemed to easily exceed three digits.

It was boring, and frankly, disgusting.

Fortunately, the creature he had just brought down was unlike the previous ones in size, strength, and speed, making it a somewhat worthy opponent.

[Hero, I no longer sense the presence of any monsters nearby. Perhaps it’s time for a rest?]

‘Is that so? I was just thinking the same.’

Replying to Latera, Shiron began gathering the corpses of the monsters he had slain. The pile of monster corpses had grown so large that it now towered over the highest nearby tree.

Having built a quite imposing tower of corpses, Shiron climbed to the top and plopped down.

‘It should be around here, if I remember correctly.’

Shiron took out a map and a telescope from his pocket and compared them with the surroundings. The nest of the [Fervent Dragon Demodras] was located near the steep black cliffs at the end of the Makal mountain range, but the surrounding landscape was hard to see due to the sleet falling.

Swallowing his disappointment, Shiron took out a tin box. The box had safely delivered cookies and letters from his family from Rien to the expedition camp here.

Shiron took out a cookie with chocolate chips and lifted it into the air. With a crunching sound, the cookie gradually disappeared into thin air.

He could have materialized Latera to feed her the snack, but there were many clerics and some bad elements around. Not wanting to attract undue attention to Latera, who possessed strong divine power and looked like a young child, Shiron chose a somewhat special method to feed Latera.

[...Is it a miss today as well?]

Enjoying the sweetness that filled her mouth, Latera cautiously asked Shiron, who wore a sullen expression.

“It’s not exactly a miss... Let’s just say things were going well until the very end when luck didn’t quite follow.”

[Indeed, it has been snowing a lot lately, even though it’s not technically winter.]

“Anyway, it’s really inconvenient to move around on foot.”

Shiron dusted off the cookie crumbs and descended from the pile of corpses. If everything had gone as shown on the screen, following the indicated arrow would have led him there quickly... He hadn’t expected the weather to cause such a struggle.

‘That’s strange. It was supposed to be around here.’

Shiron buttoned up his fluffy fur coat and returned to the construction site. The crew members pretended not to see Shiron and continued laying the railway without distraction.

Any other overseer might have taken their ignoring him as an insult and yelled at them, but Shiron had always emphasized that they should never slack off.

Creak-

Thus, the current halt in the crew’s work was an unexpected situation.

Clank- Clank-

The sound of metal coming through the connected rails soon became a sound that shook the earth, drawing closer to where the crew was. From afar, the shadow of an iron horse spewing black smoke approached.

As always, His Highness, the Crown Prince, had arrived.

Seeing the fluttering blonde hair at the forefront, the crew members put down their tools and prostrated themselves on the ground.

No longer did Shiron kill his crew members. Instead, they felt fear towards Victor, who carried out executions directly.

Shiron watched this scene with a pleased expression.

“How come you are here, Your Highness, the Crown Prince? It hasn’t even been two days since you left for the headquarters.”

“...Ahem. A new official document just arrived from Rien.”

Victor was momentarily puzzled by Shiron’s unusually respectful demeanor, but quickly composed himself upon seeing the crew members prostrated on the cold ground.

“It’s the Emperor’s command. The expansion of the front lines is to cease as of today.”

“...Cease?”

Shiron cocked his head and stared at Victor. Did they intend to halt construction and leave the unexplored territories untouched?

As he pondered this, Victor knocked on the train’s metal door. Soon after, armed knights emerged, carrying a large chest.

“So, what did you want to talk about that you asked for such a grand request as a meeting?”

“Ah... Well, you see.”

Natalia looked at Shiron with slightly unfocused eyes, her black hair and eyes mirroring the silhouette of the Silleya people. Despite her inebriation, she remembered what she wanted to tell Shiron.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’ve realized that the Fairy Lord is a better person than I initially thought.”

Initially, Natalia harbored hostility towards Shiron. Recalling Latera’s words, Shiron appeared puzzled.

“What, did you plan to call me out to kill me?”

“...Even if I said no, would you believe me?”

“I won’t kill you. I’ve also come to realize that you people are better than I initially thought.”

“...”

Natalia’s expression softened, signaling a change in her feelings. Was she really planning an assassination? Even if she had, it would have been futile against Shiron, who is protected by divine favor, but the thought was still unsettling.

“You... are a Prient, right?”

Meanwhile, Natalia fiddled with her now-empty glass, surrounded by several bottles of alcohol that had somehow accumulated by her side.

“Yes, but I haven’t formally introduced myself to you all, have I?”

“How could I not know? Who else but a hero would single-handedly dismantle a giant armored monster? In the empire, a Prient is unparalleled.”

[The hostility has almost vanished. Yet, intriguingly, the curiosity remains.]

Shiron, disregarding Latera’s words, skillfully steered the conversation forward.

“The empire, you say? Isn’t it unique on the continent? I was under the impression that no one could match the renown of my uncle, Sir Hugo.”

“I have seen it.”

“...”

“With my own eyes. Someone sweeping away monsters alone, just like the Fairy Lord. Only, that person was not a citizen of the empire.”

Their conversation continued for a while. Though not explicitly stated, Natalia ended up revealing quite a bit of information about herself to Shiron.

However, she wasn’t fully aware or conscious of it. Partly because she was intoxicated, and partly because she felt a sense of relief due to Shiron saving her life on several occasions, viewing him almost as an ally.

Feeling slightly dizzy, Natalia searched for a place to sleep.

Normally, she wouldn’t even consider sleeping comfortably due to the night watch, but tonight, she embraced her blanket with ease, assuming the knights would take over the night watch duties.

Finally, Natalia found a suitable spot.

A place with dry grass and shade, where the light from the bonfires didn’t reach, and no presence of monsters could be felt.

She could sleep here without worry. The alcohol made her want to collapse right away.

“Ooh... Is this the train?”

A familiar voice was heard beyond her eyelids.

It was a voice that shouldn’t be here.

Thus, she couldn’t sleep.

Natalia’s mind snapped to attention, and her vision sharpened.

The attire was unsuitable for the harsh weather. A red dress that made one worry if it was warm enough. A black leather coat. Carrying several swords. Black hair. Black eyes.

Recognizing him, Natalia murmured with a cold sweat running down her spine.

“...Princess?”

“Yes.”

Yoru, the princess of Silleya, did not miss the softly murmured words and lifted the corners of her mouth towards Natalia.

“Natalia, I’ve come to save you.”