Read Online Iriya the Berserker by Hideyuki Kikuchi - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Hideyuki Kikuchi
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easily . . . Hmm, is that someone else over there?”
Beyond the enormous tree that loomed behind the carriage, a foot and silvery robes could be glimpsed. Going over to check, D found the corpse of Lorelei, who’d been stabbed through the heart from behind with a dagger. He also discovered the driver reduced to dust, still in his perch on the carriage.
“First, this Lorelei who brought Iriya here was stabbed from behind and killed. By the workmanship on the dagger, it seems Mitterhaus may have done the deed personally. Following that, Mitterhaus tried to attack Iriya but was slain, and his driver was killed as well.”
After that skillful explanation, the hoarse voice fell into silence for a short time.
“Mitterhaus either attacked Iriya or put her in his carriage so he could take her away. Iriya must’ve been able to stab him because Lorelei had been put down first. Iriya ran outside, Mitterhaus followed her out here, and that’s where he croaked. His driver was trying to save him when he met his end—got any problem with that?”
“Nope,” D responded. “With the spell of Lorelei’s song broken, Iriya slew the Noble. Simple enough—but easier said than done.”
“Right you are. As good of a Hunter as she might be, I could see her taking out some pseudo-Nobility or hired warriors, but not slaying a Greater Noble with millennia under his belt this easily. Not even if she got the drop on him. After all, once Lorelei’s power over her was broken, Mitterhaus probably would’ve used his own hypnotism on her. Or did it not affect her?”
Though it seemed much longer, less than two minutes had passed since D had found Iriya.
“Mitterhaus is destroyed,” D told her. “Did you slay him?”
Not moving her eyes from the spot on the ground where they were fixed, she replied, “I don’t know—can’t recall anything. The last thing I remember . . . here I was. D, when did you get here? It was you that took down Mitterhaus, wasn’t it?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
D’s gaze once again focused on the pale nape of her neck. Not even his eyes could find the faintest flaw. He put his left hand against her forehead as well, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there. And that was the end of the matter.
A tremendous mystery seemed to linger nearby with its maw gaping disturbingly wide, but D got Iriya up on her feet, then helped her onto one of the horses from the carriage.
“D . . . What on earth’s going on with me?” she asked in a tone so doleful she seemed to doubt whether tomorrow would even come.
“Take the reins,” D replied.
His good looks and cool voice seemed enough to solve Iriya’s mystery. Nodding as if she understood as much, the warrior woman gripped the reins, a smile rising on her lips.
Ballad of the Wilderness
chapter 4
I
The sun went down. The curtain came up on the “Time of the Nobility.”
D chose not the forest for their camp, but rather the middle of the plain. There was no guarantee that this location would be entirely safe, but being out on the plain gave an unobstructed view on all sides, which was clearly better than being in a forest, where supernatural creatures crawled under cover of bushes or lurked behind trees. Collecting some dead wood and dry grass, D made a fire. Before the sun had sunk they’d had their meal while still on horseback. The smell of cooking would be just the thing to draw vicious supernatural beasts. However, there was nothing the travelers could do to cover their own scents, nor could they stop the sound of their heartbeats. They could only take the chance that they’d be able to escape the ultrakeen senses of famished monsters and demons.
“So, it’s been two days—tomorrow we should hit Clements, right?” Iriya said in a somewhat relieved tone, even as her eyes remained trained on their surroundings.
She was referring to the time they’d been traveling since they’d left McCrory. For someone expecting relentless pursuit and
Beyond the enormous tree that loomed behind the carriage, a foot and silvery robes could be glimpsed. Going over to check, D found the corpse of Lorelei, who’d been stabbed through the heart from behind with a dagger. He also discovered the driver reduced to dust, still in his perch on the carriage.
“First, this Lorelei who brought Iriya here was stabbed from behind and killed. By the workmanship on the dagger, it seems Mitterhaus may have done the deed personally. Following that, Mitterhaus tried to attack Iriya but was slain, and his driver was killed as well.”
After that skillful explanation, the hoarse voice fell into silence for a short time.
“Mitterhaus either attacked Iriya or put her in his carriage so he could take her away. Iriya must’ve been able to stab him because Lorelei had been put down first. Iriya ran outside, Mitterhaus followed her out here, and that’s where he croaked. His driver was trying to save him when he met his end—got any problem with that?”
“Nope,” D responded. “With the spell of Lorelei’s song broken, Iriya slew the Noble. Simple enough—but easier said than done.”
“Right you are. As good of a Hunter as she might be, I could see her taking out some pseudo-Nobility or hired warriors, but not slaying a Greater Noble with millennia under his belt this easily. Not even if she got the drop on him. After all, once Lorelei’s power over her was broken, Mitterhaus probably would’ve used his own hypnotism on her. Or did it not affect her?”
Though it seemed much longer, less than two minutes had passed since D had found Iriya.
“Mitterhaus is destroyed,” D told her. “Did you slay him?”
Not moving her eyes from the spot on the ground where they were fixed, she replied, “I don’t know—can’t recall anything. The last thing I remember . . . here I was. D, when did you get here? It was you that took down Mitterhaus, wasn’t it?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
D’s gaze once again focused on the pale nape of her neck. Not even his eyes could find the faintest flaw. He put his left hand against her forehead as well, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there. And that was the end of the matter.
A tremendous mystery seemed to linger nearby with its maw gaping disturbingly wide, but D got Iriya up on her feet, then helped her onto one of the horses from the carriage.
“D . . . What on earth’s going on with me?” she asked in a tone so doleful she seemed to doubt whether tomorrow would even come.
“Take the reins,” D replied.
His good looks and cool voice seemed enough to solve Iriya’s mystery. Nodding as if she understood as much, the warrior woman gripped the reins, a smile rising on her lips.
Ballad of the Wilderness
chapter 4
I
The sun went down. The curtain came up on the “Time of the Nobility.”
D chose not the forest for their camp, but rather the middle of the plain. There was no guarantee that this location would be entirely safe, but being out on the plain gave an unobstructed view on all sides, which was clearly better than being in a forest, where supernatural creatures crawled under cover of bushes or lurked behind trees. Collecting some dead wood and dry grass, D made a fire. Before the sun had sunk they’d had their meal while still on horseback. The smell of cooking would be just the thing to draw vicious supernatural beasts. However, there was nothing the travelers could do to cover their own scents, nor could they stop the sound of their heartbeats. They could only take the chance that they’d be able to escape the ultrakeen senses of famished monsters and demons.
“So, it’s been two days—tomorrow we should hit Clements, right?” Iriya said in a somewhat relieved tone, even as her eyes remained trained on their surroundings.
She was referring to the time they’d been traveling since they’d left McCrory. For someone expecting relentless pursuit and
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