Chapter 449: Chapter 445 - Bear-san, Listens To Shinobu’s Story. [Part 1]

My bear punch struck the man’s body, causing his face to contort in pain. I swung out my arm, and the man flew into the wall of stone bear statues behind him, colliding with them before he collapsed.

The man tried to stand up.

You can still move?

I’m going to end this.

I sent the chibi bears towards the man, whose movements have slowed down. The man seemed to be on the verge of standing up, and when the chibi bears grabbed him, he couldn’t bear the weight and folded his knees, falling face first to the ground.

I slowly approached the fallen man.

“I won, didn’t I? Now, can you tell me everything?” (Yuna)

“……” (Jubei)

“If you won’t talk to me, then I’ll ask Shinobu.” (Yuna)

I changed my view from the man to Shinobu.

Shinobu was expressing concern for the man. It’s not a look of joy that she was able to capture him.

When I looked at Swaying Bear then turned my gaze at Shinobu again, the expression on the face of Shinobu, who was on top of Swaying Bear, was still concerned for the man.

“Shinobu. What kind of relationship do you have with this man? You know him, right?” (Yuna)

“I’m sorry. It was all an act to confirm Yuna.” (Shinobu)

When Shinobu came in front of me, she sat upright, put her hands on the ground, and bowed her head. [Notes: In other words, Dogeza.]

“An act? What do you mean to ‘confirm’ me?” (Yuna)

Shinobu looked up and met my eyes.

“Yuna, you’re scaring me.” (Shinobu)

“That’s because I’m angry.” (Yuna)

“I’m so sorry.” (Shinobu)

Shinobu shrunk back when I glared at her.

“That man is my master.” (Shinobu)

“Master? So why does that master and his disciple need to confirm me, Shinobu?” (Yuna)

“It’s to see if Yuna has the power to save this country.” (Shinobu)

“…………”

I was speechless at Shinobu’s sudden words. Suddenly, when I was told that I had the power to save the country, my thoughts stopped.

“I’m not strong enough to save a country.” (Yuna)

“That’s not true. Sakura-sama told me that you are the light that will save this country.” (Shinobu)

“Sakura-sama?” (Yuna)

A new person’s name came up.

“Shinobu, if you want people to believe you, you need to tell them everything without hiding anything.” (Jubei)

The man being restrained by the chibi bears told Shinobu.

“Master … Yuna, I’ll explain from the beginning, so please listen.” (Shinobu)

Since I wanted to know the reason, I decided to listen to her.

“Thank you.” (Shinobu)

=====

Shinobu picked up a twig in front of her and began to draw on the ground.

She drew a circle-like shape, then square-like shape on the top, bottom, left, and right.

“This is the land of harmony where we live.” (Shinobu)

What do you mean by the Land of Harmony there? There are four big islands? Are those continents? So this world was made up of four large islands, or rather, continents?

Then, Shinobu drew a small circle in the center of each of the four islands.

“There is an island in the center of the land of harmony, an island that is considered sacred and isolated from the rest of the world. An island where people cannot enter because of the barriers. And this island is sealed because of monsters.” (Shinobu)

“Could it be that the seal has been breached and you want me to defeat the monsters?” (Yuna)

It’s an overused trope that is standard for games.

“Well, the seal hasn’t been broken yet.” (Shinobu)

“Does that mean the seal is about to break?” (Yuna)

“Sakura-sama foretold that the seal would be breached soon and the monsters would then be resurrected.” (Shinobu)

“Foretold?” (Yuna)

“Only a few people know about this, so please don’t tell anyone, but Sakura-sama can see the future in her dreams.” (Shinobu)

Does that mean she has the power of premonition?

“Sakura-sama foresaw a month and a half ago that the monsters’ seal was breached, the monsters went on a rampage, and many people died. Everyone was skeptical at first, but after that, She had a series of dreams afterwards. So we inspected the island and found that some of the seals had indeed been weakened.” Shinobu

“So why don’t you just strengthen the seal or make a new one?” (Yuna)

You just have to make a double barrier.

But Shinobu just shook her head.

“We can’t easily do that. There are people who are redoing the seal right now. But to create a new one, the power of the sealed monsters has to be weakened first.” (Shinobu)

So you’re saying that you want me to weaken the monsters’ power?

“But why me? There are strong people in the Land of Harmony, aren’t there? Even Shinobu’s master is strong, isn’t he?” (Yuna)

I turned my gaze to the man whose body is pinned down by the chibi bears.

“There are, but it’s impossible. It is said that monsters grow by feeding on negative emotions. So, in order to prevent negative emotions from entering the barrier, people are forbidden to enter and only a handful of people are allowed inside the barrier.” (Shinobu)

“Isn’t it possible that I’m not one of those handful of people?” (Yuna)

“That’s all right. A pure maiden can freely enter.” (Shinobu)

“……Ha~a?” (Yuna)

A pure maiden? You mean…

I felt my face turn red.

But I quickly kept my composure and tried not to let Shinobu and the man notice my embarrassment.

“That’s why masters and “talented” people can’t enter the island because of the barriers. It is also difficult to find a pure maiden who has the strength to fight the monsters.” Shinobu

So it’s me, then?

Hmm? This is where the questions arise.

How did she know about me?

How did she know where I was?

How did she know about my abilities?

How did she know that I’m a pure maiden?

A lot of new mysteries emerged. According to Shinobu, she knew about me from the beginning and approached me.

“Why me? Did you know anything about me?” (Yuna)

I thought it was about the kraken, but the words that came out of Shinobu’s mouth were different.

“Sakura-sama had a dream. In which she saw a small but extremely bright, beautiful, warm light come out in that dream. Sakura-sama said that it was the light of hope.” (Shinobu)

“And I meant to be that light, is that what you’re saying?” (Yuna)

That doesn’t necessarily mean me.

No one wouldn’t think that a girl in a bear suit would be a ray of hope in the first place.

“The light appeared from the southern sea, riding on something like a beast.” (Shinobu)

I rode the beast from the sea.

Was that supposed to be me on Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear?

Shinobu pointed with a twig to a spot on the map of the Land of Harmony that she had just drawn on the ground.

“When the king heard this, he gathered his soldiers at the port to greet them.” (Shinobu)

“Soldiers?” (Yuna)

“When I heard that someone who could deal with the sealed monsters riding on a beast would appear, I took action. I didn’t know what kind of scary things to expect.” (Shinobu)

Am I a monster?

“But the day after I did it, the light went away from Sakura-sama’s dream.”

If that light had been me, and the port was full of soldiers, I might have pulled back, thinking it would be troublesome.

“She has a lot of visions, but nothing definitive. However, it was safe to assume that when the messenger was to meet alone, the light would come closer. But depending on who was the messenger, the light would sometimes go out. Then, an idea came that if I was to meet the light on the beast, the light would not disappear.” (Shinobu)

So that’s why Shinobu approached me.

“So, a few days ago, I was looking through a telescope at the sea from a hill overlooking the harbor, when I saw a bear running over the sea. I was surprised at that time. I was really surprised because there was a person riding on top of a beast that appeared from the sea. And riding on top of the bear was a girl dressed as a cute bear. I was so confused. I had imagined a very strong woman.” Shinobu

“Well, sorry to disappoint.” (Yuna)

“So, I couldn’t decide if the light of hope that Sakura-sama was referring to was really Yuna. Still, I had to make sure somehow, so I observed you. Then I noticed that Yuna was buying food and tatami mats in large quantities. You didn’t look like a ray of hope.” (Shinobu)

She’s been watching my every move.

“And the adventurer’s guild as well?” (Yuna)

“That’s right. I thought it would be a good chance to know Yuna’s abilities since you accepted the request. However, the client seemed to refuse the request, so I decided to participate. I’m a well known adventurer, so I knew he wouldn’t refuse if I was there with you.” (Shinobu)

“So, that’s why when I tried to give it to Shinobu, you said it wouldn’t make sense without me.” (Yuna)

I remembered the conversation we had prior.

“Indeed. I wanted to know how good you are, after all.” (Shinobu)

“I kind of get the story. But why did you put on this act? Why didn’t you just ask me like a normal person?” (Yuna)

“Of course, that was my initial intention, but there were some people who objected. ‘Is this stranger really capable?’. ‘How can we trust a stranger?’. ‘Can we let this person into the sacred land?’. There were many opinions. Even though this was not the time to be talking about such things, I couldn’t proceed if I didn’t know what kind of person you were. So, in order to find out what you are capable of, they decided to have a preliminary match, but the light disappeared from Sakura-sama’s vision.” (Shinobu)

Yeah, I can imagine myself saying no if I was asked to have a match that would test people like that out of nowhere.

“So, after much consideration. It was decided that a skilled master in the country would fight to test your skills. But in order to know your power, they needed you to be serious. So they discussed how to do it naturally. Then they decided to put on this act.” (Shinobu)

“Then, the part where Shinobu’s father was killed…” (Yuna)

“I’m sorry. That’s a lie. But it’s true that he fought and lost a long time ago. I just improvised the story from there.” (Shinobu)

“But then, why not avenge him? Why capture?” (Yuna)

“The light vanished when the word “kill” was added. That’s why “capture” was decided to be used.” (Shinobu)

I certainly don’t want to help a stranger take down an enemy. And I certainly don’t want to help kill them.

There’s a good chance I would turn her down. No, I’m pretty sure that I would have turn her down.

“But didn’t Shinobu and your master fight for real?” (Yuna)

The fight between the two didn’t seem theatrical.

Shinobu was really hurt, and she was really about to be killed.

“I was serious. It was a fight for my life. It was a way to keep the light alive. The result of that battle. Both my master or I could have died. But Sakura-sama said that the light was getting closer and there was no time to explore other ideas, so this was the only method.” Shinobu

“But that doesn’t mean a master should try to kill his apprentice.” (Yuna)

I turned my gaze towards the man.

“Please don’t be angry with Master. I also fought with the intention of killing him, and my master was prepared to be killed by Yuna so that he could bring out your strength. Both my master and I were prepared to die. If we can save this country, it’s a small price to pay.” Shinobu

“Ha~a~” (Yuna)

I could only sigh.

“Did you really think I’d listen to this after Shinobu died and help you?” (Yuna)

I’m sure I’d feel appalled and go back to Crimonia.

“I don’t know, but my master and I are still alive. And Yuna is listening to us right now. I want you to meet Sakura-sama and the king and listen to what they have to say.” (Shinobu)

Shinobu puts her hands on the ground and bows her head.

The man next to her bowed his head along.

“But I can’t forgive you for attacking Swaying Bear just to get me to take you seriously.” (Yuna)

“It was my intention to block that. But Swaying Bear avoided it easily.” (Shinobu)

“Ku~u ~ n”

Swaying Bear, who’s next to me, has a proud face saying, ‘It was easy’.

I’m worried about you, and I’m angry for you. What’s with that smug face?

=====

Author’s Note:

That was a life-threatening act.

I think I will explain in detail about the dreams of precognition after meeting Sakura.