Chapter 123

Surprisingly, the hotel was nice and clean .

Since the exteriors of a lot of the buildings within the beastmen territory did not match the interiors, when I saw a proper building, I imagined that the rooms would be hideous . Contrary to my expectations, the interior had a monochrome style and because the hotel seemed like a luxurious one, it was anticlimactic .

「It’s better than I thought, but are the hotel charges and the like alright?」

We were pretty much growing male high school students, and Amelia whose appetite trumps mine was here, so the food expenses alone would be a lot .

Furthermore, when it came to hotels as nice as this one, I wasn’t sure if the money we had on hand would be enough .

When I whispered this to Zeal-san, he smiled and said that it would be alright .

When I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what he was talking about, a beastman who seemed nice came out to greet us .

「Everyone, welcome, thank you for coming to Hotel ‘Raven’ . I am the owner, Korbo . Please relax and take it easy today . 」

If the sloping-shouldered innkeeper of the “Thousand Cranes” in Ul was a pigeon beastman, then this person was a raven beastman .

I’m not that knowledgeable about animals, so I might be wrong though .

Jet black wings could be seen from behind him, so that’s what I assumed .

Korbo happily started speaking as he guided us to our rooms .

「Actually, I used to be an adventurer, and at that time, Kurou-sama had saved my life . When I heard that Kurou-sama and his companions were worried about finding a hotel, I suggested that you stay here . 」

I see, so that’s what happened .

How should I say this…so that Kurou also helped other people?

Therefore, there will be no charges for your stay here, he said this and stopped in front of the hotel’s best room .

It might be bad that the room fees were covered just like this .

「Kurou-sama, I have brought everyone here . 」

He knocked, and after Kurou mumbled a reply, he opened the door .

「Uwaaaah!」

「Ooh!」

The hero and the others raised their voices with joy .

My eyes widened as I looked at the sight in front of me .

「Wow!」

「Aah… . 」

The interior of the room matched the hotel’s monochrome interior design, but the scenery outside could be seen through the wall, and we had a view of the gorgeous town below . The night view was breath-taking .

I thought that he was talking quite a bit on our way towards this room, but it was for this, huh .

The view was beautiful, as if there was no wall, but the room did indeed have a wall . It seemed to be composed of a transparent material that I’ve never seen before .

「This wall was specifically constructed from the scales of a monster, so please enjoy the scenery outside . Now then, if there’s anything you need, by all means, please let me know . 」

Korbo said this and quietly left the room .

If there’s something moving within the black and white room, it would be Kurou who was relaxing on the black sofa .

He was swirling a glass of what seemed to be wine in one hand, while watching the hero and the others who were excited over the night scape .

「It’s a nice room . 」

「Aah, I also didn’t think that I would be able to stay in this kind of room for free . …Korbo doesn’t have any connections with the underground, and there are no suspicious people among his employees either . It will be safe tonight . 」

Perhaps it was because he heard such a rumor, but it seems that he properly investigated Korbo as well .

Looking up from his glass, I was reflected in those eyes of his for the first time .

「About that rumor, don’t worry about it so much . 」

My eyes widened at the words of comfort that came out of Kurou’s mouth .

He was like that in the beginning, but was he actually a nice guy .

I had always thought that he was a tsundere, but recently, he’s been much nicer .

「Even though Amelia may be targeted?」

「You’re the type who would be able to properly display his strength when there’s not as much tension . Rather than stupidly exerting yourself, do things as you normally would . That will help ensure her safety . 」

I gave a wry smile at Kurou who looked towards the window once again, and sat down on the sofa next to me .

「You say things a teacher would say . 」

「You didn’t know? I used to take in disciples . …maa, they all, without exception, were hospitalized . 」

I heard about it from Amelia .

He had thought to pass down his techniques like the first hero, but the spirits of his disciples broke .

It seems that was also the reason why he refused to take Amelia in as a disciple .

「It’s been on my mind, but that, what kind of technique is it?」

Amelia, didn’t tell me what it was either .

I thought that since it was something that the blacksmith Kurou had acquired, it would have to be a skill that anyone could get .

It probably had something to do with how Kurou had removed the effects of『Shadow Magic』manipulating my body and the magic circle that Mahiro had cast on Amelia when he came to save us in the dungeon .

Kurou thought about it a little, and began speaking .

「…to put it simply, it’s the cancellation of offensive magic . The formal name of the special skill is『Reversal』 . If an opponent uses magic circles, just by looking at the magic, it would create a reversal magic, and cancel it . 」

Hee, I raised my voice in admiration .

Truthfully, I didn’t think that there would be a skill that can cancel magic by sight .

That’s why Mahiro was cautious as well .

What a magician slayer .

「However, there are disadvantages, of course . Before acquiring this skill, one must master the ancient language . And, this ancient language is terrifyingly difficult . Difficult enough to break your spirit . 」

Ancient language, if I remember correctly, it’s the language engraved in magic circles .

Certainly, if you didn’t have the special skill『Language Comprehension』, it would probably only seem like patterns .

「On top of that, even if you understood the ancient language, the words were also unintelligible . …it took me a hundred years to memorize it as well . 」

Nn?, his words confused me .

If I remember correctly, wasn’t the lifespans of beastmen a little over a hundred years .

A hundred years to memorize the ancient language and acquire『Reversal』, and he had joined the hero party to subjugate the demon king a hundred years ago .

The numbers didn’t add up no matter what .

「You, just how long have you lived?」