'She's waking…..'
'…..hat's wro…. Happening….. is she…..'
Huh? Voices? What are they talking about?
It's still too and early and they're being loud already.
'Hey …..ake up…..'
"Ughh… five minutes more~"
Why would I get up so early in the morning? It's not like I still have school. And my job won't start until noon. Give me break…
'Hey.... wake up....!'
What's this persons' deal? Can't a young woman enjoy her beauty sleep? Though, this voice seems kinda familiar.
"I said! Get your ass up!"
What the hell? I told you, just a few minutes more. Please stop shaking my thighs—
…
Luminescent green light greeted my vision as my eyes blared open. A small room with barely anything inside was lit up by a green colored lantern of sorts. My eyes fluttered around for a few seconds before settling into the face of a black-haired stranger in his early twenties wearing an orange overcoat who paused from my abrupt action. As I took stock of the situation, my eyes going back and forth from his right hand touching me to his leaning posture.
"E-Erm…. Good morning?"
"K-Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!!"
SLAP!*
"Gah…!? That hurt— Oi! What the hell was that for you brat!?"
"Right back at you! Where do you think you're touching me! You pervert….!"
"I was only shaking you to wake up!"
"Shake my shoulders! Not my thighs you— who the hell are you anyway?!"
I yelled as I pointed a finger in his direction. This perv had the gal to barged in a woman's room while she was asleep. I had the biggest urge to call up the police then and there however—
"It seems like your already awake young miss. It would also seem like we have an unexpected visitor~"
A third party caught my attention as I turned to the elderly voice to my right. Sitting about three meters into that direction is a rusty looking skeleton with a woolly white beard that covers the half part of it's skull. Pale twin orbs of glowing blue stare into our direction as it suddenly came to me as to where I am right now.
"Ah…. Good—"
KKAAAHHHHHH...!!!
"—evening….. right, good evening Mr. Tom~!" I finished, while ignoring the ruckus outside. Right, it's been almost half a year now since I've woken up in this strange new world.
Half a year since this fantasy setting you'd normally see on a manga or novel unfortunately happened to me out of nowhere. Looking back, I probably died like almost all those people from novels.
Last thing I remember was seeing a shadow of a person inside my apartment and that's it.
"Hey! Stop ignoring me!"
Ah…. Right. There's still this pervert to be dealt with.
"So…..? who are you supposed to be? Some kind of flag who finally arrived after all this time? Sorry but you're not my type." I retorted.
"Sigh… what the hell are you even talking about?"
The pervert whose name I still don't know muttered lowly while scratching his hair. Now that I finally have ample time to relax. I began to take note of said perverts appearance; Shaggy unkept hair of a familiar black hue hides a bit of his chocolate colored eyes as a tired—with a hint of relief? —expression is plastered on his average looking face. If I have to make a guess regarding his age, he must be somewhere around his mid-thirties. Wearing a beige colored long sleeve shirt looking worst for wear paired with a ragged dark blue jeans. On his left arm rest a windbreaker coat that was full of tears. He looked like one of those drunkards I'd encounter from time to time on my way home from work who throws all their money into pachinko all day.
"I mean it could only be 'That' right? I'm for some reason thrown into an unknown world so it should mean that I'm in this place for an important role right?" right? even someone like me who rarely consumes media nowadays at least know that much.
"Sigh… So you don't have any idea how you got here huh? Heck, you might not even know what place this is damn it. Guess expecting you to know something was asking for too much." He seems more exhausted after he uttered his words, although his reply seems more likely directed to himself than to me.
"Hey, what kind of young woman do you take me as!? I at least know what this place is called that's the first thing any reasonable person would ask."
What the hell is this guys deal? Knowing the place you are at is what any responsible person would try to know first and foremost, "Willowshire: the orchard of the lost, it's a place in this world called the Underworld right?"
A shocked looked appeared in his face before vanishing as quickly as it appeared replacing it with a flat stare.
"W-World called Underworld… Seriously?"
"She's not wrong though." A third voice cuts into the conversation.
"See? Even Mr. Tom agrees, this place is a farm land for the undead people." Yep, almost all my knowledge of this place came from Mr. Tom, a local here who's been here for almost two decades.
"She just called these walking skeletons n meat, people—"
"She's not completely wrong either. For the most part we ARE, people." Tom-san cuts him off; I mean, even though most of the locals in this place are like skeletons or whatnot. Most still were conscious enough to talk and hold proper conversations with me.
"I know, but she's not right either— who the heck are you supposed to be anyway?" He finishes as he turned to look at the talking Skeleton that is Tom-san.
"That's the last thing I would want to hear from a stranger who suddenly appeared in our bunker!" I countered.
"Sigh, right. Proper introductions…" he strailed off as he put a palm into his face, "You guys can me Uru, I'm a detective / law enforcer of sorts. I came here looking for someone, good evening."
"Oh— and I'm Eruka, Kikyou Eruka. I lived in Minogawa prefecture before all of 'This' happened nice to meet you." I introduced myself as I gesture to the place to imply what meant by 'this'.
"And this kind old bones here is Mr. Tom, full name Thomas Michael Spencer." I followed with pun.
"Ahahaha. Old bones indeed, young miss." Came Mr. Toms response.
"The fuck? What's up with a bone like you getting 3 full names while some of us only have one! Don't go making fake names up you dumb skeleton." Was the now named Urura's outraged reply.
"Pfft!"
"Hey! Why are you acting so smug all of a sudden?"
"I mean, pfft! I thought you were supposed to be some important character cuz of how mysterious you were earlier but seriously? You don't even have a surname." I said in amusement.
"I'll have you know that Guts don't even have a last name! And he's still a protagonist!" Was his rebuttal.
His response made me blink as what he said sunk into my mind. I blink my eyes a couple of times I truly looked into his frame, so he really is a Japanese too?
"Wait, so you really are like me? As in suddenly waking up in this other world 'me'?" I finally let out what I thought was the obvious. Makes me wonder if he just forgo on giving us his surname?
"In layman terms yes…" He answered as again, he seemed to have this tint of irritation whenever I said the word 'World'; maybe he's still having doubts believing that we are really in another world or having some issues of his own.
"And yes, I came here to tell you that you are indeed chosen to save this world fro—"
"Why me?" I groaned out as I cut him off before he finishes the obvious line.
"Hey! You looked like you're all game earlier! What's up with the complete 180!?" He exclaimed with an exasperated face.
"Well seriously, that kind of mission sounds too much work. Ugghhh… why is it always like me getting saddled into thankless jobs?" Seriously, it's like life always have it in for me to always be pushed around.
"Sigh, I don't even want to know what kind of life you have growing up. Anyway, I'm just joking. It's a Joke hear that?" he admits as he says that with a guilty look on his visage, "So yeah, as I've said earlier. I came here looking for a person— and no, it's not you. It's kinda related to my job as a law enforcer." The second part of his sentence was said with a tone of irritation as he said my index finger pointed at my face.
"So, it's a criminal of some sort? Or maybe even a runaway kid? I really haven't seen any other human here except for you to be honest. Also, do I get some form of compensation if I turn them in?" I took some guesses as I ask if I'd get something in return for helping with this kind of thing. I mean, hey at least give me something in return for helping. I mean with him having a job already, maybe I could try going to the same city or place he works at to buys some new clothes and I'll definitely need some money for that. I highly doubt that they'd accept a 10,000yen bill.
"Oh this person is definitely a criminal alright. As for compensation, yeah you'd definitely earn a small fortune if you ever turn them in…" He answered. Ohh! Now that's what I want to hear, so whoever this person was, they're important enough for them to give huge sum just to have them captured. Maybe a former noble of some well known family? Or a criminal princ—
"That is if you don't die trying anyway."
Ehh?
"D-Die trying?"
"Yeah, about that. I'm actually looking for a serial killer. And their last known whereabouts, was the road that leads to this place."
...
Uwaahh, why did I think that things would simple anyway?
KKAAAHHHHHH...!!!
The loud croak outside broke through the unconfortable silence that Urus' statement brought.
Finally deciding to get up from the small bed I was on. I stretch my arms to remove the stiffness from my body. Guess I'll never really get used to sleeping on such a small and rough bed.
"How much time had passed since evening started Mr. Tom?" I turned to Mr. Tom wondering how much time left before dawn breaks so we can start working on the fields.
"Almost twelve hours, daylight should be starting soon."
"I see, woke up just on time then!"
"Ok, that's good and all. But can somebody please explain to me. WHAT THE F*CK is that outside!?" Seems like the perv still have no idea huh?
"How come you still haven't explained to him about the Queen of the valley Mr. Tom?" Since they've been clearly here for almost 12 hours I would've thought that he was already given an explanation.
"I actually only started talking about an hour ago. When he burst into pur bunker at the start of nightfall, I thought it would be a good joke to startle him by suddenly talking once he gets near me. But alas, he only did that an hour ago. He stayed near the bunker door for the most part"
"Ahh! I remember, you did the same to me when I first came here. It's funny how much time had passed since that day." Yeah, it was really scary when he did that six months ago.
"True, so much time had passed since that day. It felt like a decade ago already ..." Mr. Tom half-whispered in a somewhat wistful tone.
"Well, I heard that bones aged faster in open air so maybe half a year for me is a decade for you?" I joked.
"Ohahaha! Maybe that's the reason young miss." He laughed.
Shifting my eyes to the other occupant of this small dimly lit room, I decided to might as well answer whatever questions he might have that I can answer.
"So anyway, basically. That giant horror movie ghost outside is what the residents of Willowshire call the Queen of the Valley. She acts as a guard, punisher and alpha hunter of Willowshire. Heard that she's been here for over a thousand years now, she's just your typical 'Onryō'. Just a prehistoric one."
Basically she's Willowshires Queen ghost. She's asleep on day time but an active guard at night.
"You gotta be sh*tting me. That's it? She's prehistoric so she's automatically bigger? is she a dinosaur of some kind!? Like hell I'm buying that crap! I've seen spirits even older than her, and let me tell you..." Seems like he believe my explanation.
"They're not as tall as Godzilla!" He roared.
Dude chill, I mean there's always a first time for everything right?
Taking a few deep breaths. Uru exhaled loudly before continuing.
"So let me get this straight. That—"
KKAAAHHHHHH...!!!
"—thing outside. The quote unquote 'Queen ghost' is just your normal vengeful spirit only she got bigger cuz yeah 'prehistoric'. And she acts as some kind of guard and hunter at night while she gets her beautiful sleep on daytime." He finished with an incredulous expression.
"For the most part, but there is a point that you got wrong." Instead of me, it was Mr. Tom who answered him this time.
"And that would be?" Uru intoned curiosity laced in his voice.
"You see. Willowshire, is a place of perpetual sunset and dusk" came Mr. Toms reply.
"Then how do you explain outside? It's clearly night time?"
"It's because of the Queen. there are certain parts of a week when she wakes up, and with her awakening comes the endless night times. We call it that ability of hers 'The Dusk killer' and is believed by the residents of Willowshire to be her Spirit Quintessence."
Spirit Quintessence.
Unlike other Isekai worlds that I've read or watched the residents of this world only has that. Basically it is single ability each individual has that could branch off into nine things. for example, one could have the Quintessence to Create fire. That ability could then branch off to being immune to temperature effects to create animate objects that is made of fire like a golem etc.
Although one could never have an ability that doesn't have anything to do with their main one, as it is explained to me that as the name suggests. A spirit quintessence ability came from the depts of q persons soul. A power born from the core of what makes an individual unique.
For reference, I Eruka Kikyou have discovered that I have the quintessence called 'Rejuvenation'. As the name suggests my current two abilities both have something to do with the namesake.
First is the ability: Upper Vigor.
What it does is it restores my own stamina by a huge amount but the requirements to activate it is to build a momentum in my body. Basically I have to jog or run first to activate it.
My second ability is called: Leaf flute.
The ability to promote growth on a living organism. It is a very useful when farming, so it's been a big help to me. as for where the name was derived from. It'ss because of the activation requirements, I need to bit and keep an object that came from said organism in order to use it. And i had a leaf in my mouth when I discovered said power.
By the way all of my abilities are named by Mr. Tom.
"Spirit quintessence..." Uru muttered.
"A power to invoke an endless night and impose her will into THIS world. That's not something a simple vengeful spirit just have."
He continued speaking in a low voice as if he's pondering something.
"That sh*t is way beyond Duke class am I right?" He directed another question to Mr. Tom who answered with. "I'm afraid so."
Duke class?
"Duke class?" As soon as the thought entered my head a similar question left my lips.
"You haven't explained that to her?" the question seemed to be directed to Mr. Tom again.
"I haven't seen any reason to explain things like that to the young miss."
GOOOOAAANNN!!!*
THUNK* …THUNK* …THUNK*
The familiar sound of a loud gong and creaking wood echoes throughout the land signaling the end of night.
"Good night miss Queen~ I have you had a nice evening!"
Even though she's a terrifying ghost, her awakening and to-slumber times are really a site to behold.
Specially on times when her fog would recede, where one could see her in her full glory. Makes me wonder how something so twisted and terrifying can be so beautiful at the same time.
I guess it's because of this that makes me not mind her waking moments.
[Chapter End]