Rinkan no Madoushi:Volume1 Chapter1

Status: Incomplete

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The Girl Who Swims in the Fountain of Mist

Don't go deep into the forest –

It was said over and over again, right now the child was deep in the forest.

“A competition for the best strawberry picker.”

Having chosen to gather at a point near town by her friends – while she became engrossed in her search for strawberries, she lost sight of her companions and occasionally noticed that she was lost.

As she was walking about driven by anxiety, she lost track of the places she had been to already.

Holding the basket heaped with strawberries, she looked around herself, having lost her bearings.

“Everyone...where are you...?”

She was startled by her voice that had become slightly hoarse.

It wasn't noon yet since wild strawberries were picked early in the morning. However, danger lies dormant in the forest no matter what time of the day it is. There probably isn't a great difference in the danger whether it's day or the night.

Beasts haven't approached a fixed distance from the town because of the “Belfry of Beast Protection”. However, the effectiveness didn't reach deep into the forest as one would expect.

Bewildered, the girl raised her voice. “...Everyone – ! Where are you – !?”

The person who hears her voice was just nearby.

But it was particularly unfortunate for her – it wasn't a “Human”, a ferocious animal lived deep in the forest, furthermore it was bad timing since it happened to be hungry at that moment.

As soon as the girl noticed the beast's roar from behind, her body stiffened.

A huge wolf emerged, swaying from the shade of the tree. It possessed a body not unlike a bear.

Suddenly, the girl's breathe became shorter.

In this neighbouring forest, the Kokurou was at the top of the food chain. The jet black fur was traded at high prices, but even the hunters were greatly reduced since they couldn't handle the brutal beast.

While dribble fell from the horizon of the gaps in its fangs, the black wolf confirmed its game with a wild look.

Its nails appeared from its paws attached to the earth.

The girl couldn't say a word as the wolf's glare struck her with fear.

The weak are eaten and the strong survive – such was the scene of the law of nature that could be seen there.

And then the black wolf put all its strength into its back legs so it could throw itself onto the pitiful girl.

It was at that moment that an unforeseen obstruction came into its path.

“Oh, my – I was going to spend the time until night sleeping.”

An awfully calm voice that reduced the tension came down from the tree. The girl looked up, surprised at the intellectual voice.

The Kokurou noticed that he overlooked a different game and showed vigilance.

However, the figure couldn't be seen due to the overgrown leaves.

The owner of the voice went “Hmm” without showing himself.

“One hungry wolf and one hungry girl carrying wild strawberries – well, as a gentleman who should I support?”

The black wolf faced the direction of the voice muttering buoyantly and roared.

Frightened, the girl finally sat down on the spot.

The voice up the tree laughed strangely.

It wasn't like a sneer. It wasn't particularly cheerful.

Rather it was a little lonely – that voice laughed gently to the end.

“Young lady, you're lucky. I'm not hesitating and the wolf seems to have confirmed me as his enemy. It's too early to talk about that matter – as a “Wizard” this is nothing less than a challenge so I'll entertain it.”

After the cool voice stopped – a black mass jumped down from the tree.

The girl sitting down watched his back in blank amazement.

And in a moment, the girl's field of vision was covered in thick darkness.

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