Monogatari no Naka no Hito Chapter 1

“Okay, let’s go outside.”

The place is the depths of the forest located in the east of a great kingdom.

Where demons settle down, and people don’t approach, there is a strange rumor.

It is said that deep in the forest resides a demon who eats those who have lost their way.

a.s.sisting that rumor is that the inhabitants of the village near the forest call it “Demon’s Forest” and do not go near the forest’s depths.

In the old days, villagers who entered the forest noticed that no matter how many times they entered the forest they would lose their way and return to the village.

The villagers feeling it was eerie, created the rumor to prevent the children from going into the forest.

Even now it still remains.

In truth, demons don’t live in the depths of the forest, but rather a single human lives there.

His name is Riheed, a magician of eternal youth.

Riheed who bears eternal youth once travelled the world, in the end he arrived at this forest and using magic he made a tower where he immersed himself day and night with his fondness for reading.

That was roughly 200 years ago.

At last this Riheed puts an end to his shut-in life, the reason is his determination to set out for town.

Before he became a shut-in he used all his a.s.sets to gather together magic related books, and has now finished reading through everything.

Riheed who loves magic, does not have the intention to create new magic.

To begin with, it can be said he doesn’t have the talent to make them.

However, by reading a magic book he is able to master that magic.

Like that he tests out the magic he learned. Riheed with satisfaction, continued this cycle of reading new books for 200 years but the remaining books would run out in a month.

That one month felt longer than the 200 years, and the decision to go out was made.

It’s not that he particularly wanted to remain indoors, but after being secluded for 200 years the outside world is unknown to him.

Though there is a Familiar, he received almost no information regarding the circ.u.mstances of the outside world, so it took some time to make up his mind.

Thinking that way, even Riheed who could easily defeat the king of the demon clan, to change after rooting himself in place for so many years would be timid in a strange place.

Such a Riheed, with a large aim and a bit of longing for company, at last raised his sluggish self.

“My eyes!! The sunlight’s so dazzling!”

Leaving the tower and walking through the dense forest, the moment Riheed crossed the boundary line between this dark world into the bright world, he covered his eyes and crouches down.

He relied on the light of magic inside the tower, because the forest was dim all the way through it was all right, but after 200 years’ time it seems Riheed has thoroughly forgotten about the light of day.

“How pathetic of me. I’ll surely be burnt by the light of day and can’t be saved.”

Doing a silly little play, at last his eyes become accustomed to the sunlight and looks back at the forest.

Here is the border of the forest’s most inner part which can be called the territory of Riheed’s tower and the ordinary forest, so the forest still continues on ahead.

However, separating the borders is certainly the sizes of the trees, the types are different and the amount of light pa.s.sing through is remarkably different.

“Now then. Is there something strange regarding magic?”

Riheed has no recollection of it being so, but since the old days he has only tested the effects of magic in circ.u.mference of the tower so the ecosystem might be different.

“For now, let’s go.”

Riheed abandons that thought and starts walking.

Perception magic locates a community of people on the forest outskirts, so Riheed advances his legs in the direction of the nearby village.

In that perception magic, a group of several people are found.

“Hmm?”

Riheed is puzzled towards the suspicious state of the group.

At first Riheed thought they are hunting something but there is a single person surrounded by that group and the signs of magic is in the air.

“This is…!”

Riheed fundamentally has a gentle personality.

He is not so coldhearted to leave a person in front of his eyes who is possibly in a danger.

Riheed consciously pours magic power into the magic formation carved into his shoes, and started to run.

Riheed’s speed increases rapidly, and draws near to that group.

Exactly as magic was descending on a small silhouette, a large silhouette cuts in at that moment.

When the magic impacts into the large silhouette, it is repelled and a cloud of dust rises.

Holding a large staff and wearing a robe, a man who looks precisely like a magician stood in the way.

“Na.”

Who raised that voice.

Was it the small silhouete, or the men surrounded it.

As if reacting to that voice, the men organized themselves preparing for action.

However, the magician completely controls the s.p.a.ce.

The men are unable to hide their surprise when their comrade’s magic are prevented.

The small silhouette who is now next to him is the same.

The name of the small silhouette is Mikene Mikarune.

Mikene is the only daughter of the lord who rules over the region around here.

Excelling with a talent in magic, she is loved by her father.

The father, because of his self-indulgent sons who make no efforts, said that Mikene would hereupon be his heir.

The father desired and thought that this would make his sons put in effort similar to Mikene, but the lazy sons put in effort with a different meaning.

The result is this circ.u.mstance.

Mikene returned for vacation from the magic school of the royal capital, returning home in her usual way leaving the eastern territory near the forest, like that the adventurers the brothers employed were about to kill her.

Appearing there is a man in the first half of his twenties, with black hair and wearing a black robe, furthermore tall and holding a large staff, a man exactly like the magician of the stories, it was Riheed.

Though Riheed acted like a prince from a story, the feelings given off were in a completely different direction.

Holding up the staff Riheed calmly opens his mouth.

“Now then, even if this Ojou-san made a mistake, how is it good for several men to surround a girl.”

Riheed said with a calm way of speaking, but the eyes are glittering just like eyes aiming at their prey.

“Tsk, this is for work! Die!!”

A single adventurer in frenzy from Riheed’s statement attacks with a sword.

Seeing that, Riheed’s face is warped with joy and wields his staff.

Instantly the man falls down.

The surrounding adventurers who saw it considers the man in front of their eyes to be considerably dangerous. Though they tried to escape, by the time they had turned around Riheed had already finished chanting his magic.

Riheed’s magic causes the adventurers fall down.

“Ku, kufufu.”

“Eek.”

Riheed dances with feelings of joy with an unpleasant laughter because of the results of the magic, Mikene lets out a short scream because of the gap between the appearance and abrupt eccentric behavior.

The magic Riheed used on the adventurers was one he recalled from reading.

The burden depends on the spirit of affected person, except they would not wake up for some time. It’s very much a clean magic.

To say why such a thing was used is a very easy thing.

The memory of the adventurer who used magic was read.

For Riheed who has stayed indoors for 200 years it was an unknown magic, something which attracted his interests very much.

Thus the disgusting action came out from too much joy.

Recovering as a result of the girl’s scream, Riheed turns his head and notices the girl.

“Errr, you’re welcome?”

“Eh, err, thank you?”

It was quite a helpless first contact between the magician and the girl.