Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 137: Go Agane

Tags: #Fantasy #Action #Adventure #MaleProtagonist #KindProtagonist #CarefreeProtagonist #Reincarnation #Isekai #Harem

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆

'Alright, the Difficulty hasn't increased. Good. All the Tags seem the same as they were before, too.'

"I don't think there's much to go in terms of preparation... Ah, Librarian, is there anything I need to know about Reincarnators?"

'Ina told me quite a bit about them, something about being granted cheat skills or unique advantages by God for their new life, but I guess that would be the 'Beast Taming' Skill mentioned in the title, right...?'

"I think that about sums it up! Reincarnators are those who died at least once and were brought back, either in their own world or in another! Whether or not they meet a divine being or are brought back with any advantages is circumstantial!"

"That sounds about right. Anyway, there's not much I can do about it right now, right? Let's just get started."

'Since I have the White Death now, I shouldn't be lacking in offensive power, and I think I've got a certain idea of what 2-star Difficulty is like now.'

"Certainly! Then, let's do it...!"

The Librarian enthusiastically announced, and without a moment's hesitation, the world around me began to warp.

[Here we go! Transporting to the Illusory World of-- eh, ah, do I really have to say it? I'm sure you understand, it's a bit long, so I'll take it upon myself to skip it this time! Ahem, pardon me!]

Finding her words amusing, I smiled with my eyes closed until I felt my position stabilise.

In the following seconds, I opened my eyes to a field of grass.

[The target is 'Itou Touya, the Reincarnator'!]

[Oh, um, fun fact! Itou is the family name―apparently the syntax and sentence structure is different where he comes from!]

'Yeah, I know...'

Before me was a vast grassland, upon which an ordinary, yet radiant sun shone from its hot seat in the blue sky above, like an island monument in the endless ocean.

"Hm..."

Compared to the previous Contract, it was almost the stark opposite in terms of location. Still, taking in the immediate surroundings in front of my eyes, there didn't seem to be much going on where I spawned in.

Of course, before I had the chance to voice any questions or concerns, there was one thing missing.

[Your identity is of a travelling young noble currently in the land of the 'Kingdom of Belfast'!]

"Ah."

Looking down, I indeed spotted that my own clothes resembled the typical outfit of a wandering traveler in a fantasy setting. Beneath a dust-brown cloak, I could also feel a second set of clothes, and was that more noble-looking?

"So I'm a noble... But, does it even make sense to be travelling by myself like this?"

I asked that both to myself and to the Librarian, expecting an answer that didn't make me wait for long.

[Enki, I have previously informed you that the disguise and starting location is determined automatically by the magic that sends you into the Illusory World; I am not the one who dictates it. Therefore, I'm sure there is a good reason for this being the circumstance, even if it appears to not be so on the surface.]

"Really?"

[Certainly! L-let us believe, at least!]

So she claimed, but I'm not sure if I remembered something like that being the rule.

I thought it might have just been easier to be a regular traveller or something rather than some evidently undercover noble, but whatever. If that's what she was saying, I should probably have faith that it'll provide me with the best chances of success.

'Now then, where should we get started...?'

To accomplish the end goal of killing the Protagonist, I first needed to locate him. Obviously.

Since the answer to that wasn't immediately obvious from the outset, I should first locate myself. Scanning the area again, I really seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere; a vast expanse of grassland, sparsely populated with trees and some wild animals, with birds and other strange creatures flying in the distant sky above.

Follow current novels on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

In one direction, I could spot a hazy mountain range in the distance, which provided quite the cinematic view, more than any natural beauty I had ever seen before, at least with my own two eyes.

In the complete opposite direction, if I squinted, I could barely make out the silhouette of what looked like a tremendous wall.

'That's gotta be a town or something, right? Or a city. Bit odd to have that big a wall around it, though...'

If I were to guess, that'd be it.

As expected, it wasn't anything like a modern city with skyscrapers. This was labelled a fantasy world, after all, and from what I could tell with that wall, it definitely made a match.

'Should I just head over there to start with?'

Going with the logic that making a move sooner would also result in plot advancement sooner, I decided to do just that.

As I began my casual walk towards the distant walled city, I contemplated.

Unfortunately, the Tags this time didn't provide me with many hints of what dangers might lurk. Individually recalling them in my mind, they were like so:

#Reincarnation―A phenomenon I was more or less familiar with thanks to Ina.

Though I primarily understood the term originating from religious contexts in Buddhism, it was evident that this time's Reincarnator must have been someone who died and came back to life in a new world.

In light novels like this, those who reincarnate also seemed to acquire various abilities or advantages upon doing so. Usually, I feel like keeping your memories after dying would by itself serve as quite the benefit, but in this case, an example would be the Protagonist's supposed Beast Taming ability.

#Isekai―Having studied under the aforementioned 'Homebound Master' older sister, which I think was honestly too positive-sounding of a title for her, this is yet another term I would never forget. Even more so than #Reincarnation, in fact.

In short, it was just a word that translated to 'Another World', or something along those lines.

As a Tag, I suppose it held the meaning of 'the Protagonist being whisked away to a world other than his home, Earth'.

Lastly, #Harem―This was a word I was already acquainted with, but that Ina had, for a third time, gone into great depth talking her mouth off about.

Since the context behind this was already stated in the title, there was no need to deliberate on why this was included in the Tags.

'It's useless.'

All in all, there was no information to be garnered from the stated 'element Tags' alone. Even including the 'primary genre' and 'Protagonist descriptors', there was nothing of use.

"...Oh, actually, didn't it label the Protagonist as 'lazy' and 'carefree'? In that case, maybe there is something to work with..."

As I muttered that to myself, continuing to drag my feet across the grass to the city that didn't seem like it was getting any closer, something unknown brushed my ears.

"Hm...?"

Faintly, ever-so-faintly, there was a noise.

"――!"

'Oh, there it was again...'

"――!!"

And again.

"――!!!"

And... again?

Wasn't it also growing progressively louder?

And, I feel like there was something else mixed in with it this time.

To this unknowable, mysterious noise, I turned to face the direction it sounded like it was coming from―and I raised my head towards the sky.

"What the f--"

The moment I did, my eyebrows shot up, but I didn't even have enough time to swear.

"Aaaaaahhh...!"

Someone's unmanly cry resounded throughout the sky above me, and I immediately started sprinting.

"Aaaaaahhh, aaaAAAAAHHH...!!"

Hearing that godawful, truly dreadful scream that pierced my ears, I ran――

"KIYAAAAAAHHH...!!"

"Weeeeee, kahahahaha~~!"

"It huurts! It hurts, it huuuuurts...!!"

――Away from the quartet of singing voices that barrelled towards me from the heavens.