《Mushoku Tensei Redundancy》


 CH 1

    It''s been several months since the conclusion of the battle of the Biheiril Kingdom.


    Since then, Hitogami has stayed silent, and the days went by without any enemy presence.


    That said, what I have to do hasn''t changed.


    To prepare for Laplace''s revival in 80 years, I''ve been silently moving around, making various arrangements.


    But lately, I''ve been home a lot.


    Because both Eris and Roxy got pregnant at the same time.


    It has to be because I let loose after Gisu was defeated.


    And my disorderly daily life was the result.


    Of course, the result itself is something joyous.


    But during pregnancy, their fates are weakened and they are easier targets for Hitogami.


    I would also like to spend as much time as possible with my wives during their pregnancy.


    And so, for the first time in a while, family time has continued.


    By organising the information gathered by the Mercenary Groups established in various places, regular meetings were held where Orsted went through the information to determine our future course of action.


    On one of those days...


    On that day, together with Orsted, we were going over the information on the next country that I would be visiting.


    The next king of that country was still young but he was already a remarkable figure, and I was supposed to approach him with the intention of taking advantage of him.


    Orsted didn''t say what would cause the next king to fall, he kept silent.


    He probably has some reason. Is the person that would cause that King''s fall not in the current loop?


    Originally, we were supposed to meet him later on, at this point, is there any surefire way to topple him?


    And so, how should I move?


    Orsted said he''d look at his memo relating to him and think of a method.


    And that was when it happened.


    "Let Norn Greyrat get married."


    "Wha.....?"


    Sudden.


    Orsted suddenly broke the silence by saying something insane.


    I, who am normally very careful about my words around Orsted, almost unintentionally leaked out the line: "The hell you saying all of a sudden?"


    Right now, we were thinking about how we would cause this remarkable figure to fall.


    There was no logical link at all.


    Is what I thought.


    But no, maybe there wasn¡¯t absolutely no link.


    There was one possible answer.


    "...A political marriage?"


    Going by the flow of the conversation, to cause the remarkable figure to fall... that''s what we would do.


    "Not as a political maneuver, I was thinking about the future."


    Nevertheless, it is a painful topic.


    Orsted had decided that I would move towards this man with the intention of having him win her heart.


    Well that¡¯s fine for now.


    It''s not as if I don''t have confidence in this person.


    I just don''t believe that this remarkable man of lineage could win her heart.


    The man is a womanizer on the level of Paul, if we can''t find a woman to allot to him, I would have to consent to Orsted''s suggestion.


    That said.


    Norn is out of the question.


    Norn will eventually get married.


    But, Paul was a peerless womanizer, handing Norn over to the same kind of man is no good.


    Norn''s partner would need to be someone more sincere.


    And somebody that I can accept.


    I won''t hand Norn over to some useless nobody.


    I wouldn''t be able to face Paul.


    No matter how noble their objective, I will not forgive those who use and discard their family.


    "Not like that."


    "Then what did you mean?"


    "I am indebted to Norn Greyrat''s child."


    "Debt...? So it''s not Norn that you are interested in, but her child, whom you have business with?"


    "It''s not business. In this loop, it''s not all that important."


    It was not a very pertinent conversation.


    Not being able to read Orsted''s true intentions was not a new thing.


    But up until now, I''ve at least been able to determine what he was trying to do.


    Groundwork for the future.


    Norn''s child isn''t important, but because in a previous loop he/she was useful, he would like to set the groundwork.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    I stood up.


    He looked up at me while sitting.


    He¡¯s not currently wearing his helmet. His face is scary as always but, but I¡®m sure right now it¡¯s even more frightening.


    ¡°If it must be so by all means, would it be permissible to meet at noon in the forest to the north of here in three days time?¡±


    Norn, rest easy.


    I will protect your chastity,


    Even if the opponent is Orsted, I will not pull back a single step.


    So Paul¡­ lend me your strength.


    I ask you for the power to overcome this mighty enemy and return home alive.


    ¡°Wait. You are misunderstanding something.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°During the countless 200 years I have repeated, I have become attached to certain persons¡¯ existences.


    Norn Greyrat¡¯s child is one such existence.


    She has helped me on countless occasions, I am indebted to her.


    Therefore, if it is possible, I would like to meet her in this lifetime.


    Because as it is, it will not happen.¡±


    It¡¯s true that there¡¯s no male presence around Norn.


    That didn¡¯t change even after her graduation.


    She has her family, but she isn¡¯t jobless.


    On the recommendation of the school, she entered the Magic Guild and is now working at the main office.


    She is what you would call an ¡°Office Lady.¡±.


    There are a considerable number of men in the Magic Guild.


    But there is no male presence around Norn.


    She doesn¡¯t go out on her days off and spends all her time at home helping out by looking after the kids or doing housework.


    Even during her schooldays, she had no one special that she associated with.


    I thought Norn would eventually but, honestly, if it goes on this way, it seems like she might spend her whole life without getting married.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In this world, for those of certain positions, arranged marriages are a common practice.


    It may be half-hearted, but I am technically a man of notable position with both influence and connections.


    With that being the case, this development isn¡¯t all that odd.


    ¡°¡­No, a child isn¡¯t something you can make on your own.


    The same person couldn¡¯t be born no matter who the partner is.¡±


    The King of a country would have a high enough standing.


    But I do not intend to acknowledge it.


    Until I see it with my own eyes, and confirm what kind of person they are.


    ¡°That aside, was this remarkable figure originally Norn¡¯s partner?¡±


    While I was thinking that, Orsted scrunched his face up in confusion and raised his eyebrows.


    As always his face is scary.


    But I remember this face, it¡¯s the ¡°The hell you saying all of a sudden¡± face.


    He opened his mouth and his suppressed eyebrows moved.


    ¡°No¡­ Sorry. That has nothing to do with this.¡±


    After I pulled myself together, the conversation continued.


    "So, just who was Norn''s partner?


    Norn married this person each and every time, didn''t she?"


    "Yes, as far as I know, Norn''s partner is predetermined."


    Norn''s fated partner.


    What a lucky guy.


    Simply by existing, to have the good fortune of being able to marry Norn.


    If he spends his days lazing around, I''ll kidnap him and fix it.


    Spartan training.


    From dawn till dusk, I''ll force it into him.


    Until his body can say nothing but, ''Yes'', ''Absolutely'' and "Thank you very much, cheating will not be tolerated.


    The condition will be, let¡¯s see... If he would like to become Norn''s partner, he would at least have to be able to stay conscious after taking a punch from Eris.


    "It''s Ruijerd Supardia."


    My thoughts stopped.


    Inside my head, I remembered the face of a bald warrior who had lived for over 500 years.


    No, he''s not bald anymore.


    He is a respectable man with a with splendid green hair.


    "Their child is the last warrior of the supard race.


    Continuing the will of Ruijerd after he had fallen to the plague, reclaiming the Supard''s honour by joining the humans side in the fight against Laplace and delivering the final blow.


    It was a huge burden that anybody would recognize...


    But this time around, the Supard race remains in large numbers.


    That child will most likely not have to be burdened with this duty."


    While I was still arranging my thoughts, Orsted finished his explanation.


    He was probably remembering that child''s whole life.


    If she defeated Laplace, that means that she most likely co-operated with Orsted.


    Which means, right, for Orsted to make this kind of proposal, I do understand it.


    "..."


    But, well.


    This time is different


    I''m here, there was also the Teleport Incident.


    I don''t know how Ruijerd and Norn got to know each other in the other loops,


    But there is no mistake that this is a love story that Orsted is well aware of.


    If I were to suddenly approach Norn with talks of marriage she would most likely just turn me down.


    After all, he''s 500 years old.


    Ruijerd would probably be bewildered too.


    Having Ruijerd as a relative definately wouldn''t be a bad thing.


    But this definitely isn''t something for me to decide.


    Umu.


    "...I think that Norn''s feeling are the most important."


    "That''s right. There''s no need to rush."


    Orsted said that and nodded in agreement.


    After that, I had Orsted tell me Norn¡¯s story from the previous loops.


    In a world without me, it seems Norn became an adventurer.


    She sang songs and wrote stories while adventuring; a singing, dancing, fighting, minstrel. She formed a party with those of similar interests, and journeyed towards the northern continent.


    Although neither her swordsmanship nor her magic were, by any means, outstanding.


    By adventurer standers she was at best a B grade.


    And so, during a certain request, her party was annihilated by a demonic creature.


    Norn was also on the verge of death.


    What appeared then was our Ruijerd.


    He beat down the approaching demonic creature and freed Norn from her predicament.


    And to Norn, Ruijerd was love at first sight.


    And from then on, she accompanied Ruijerd on his journey to find the Supard race, and slowly began her attack.


    Apparently Ruijerd ignored her advances at first, but after he discovered that the Supard race had been wiped out by a plague, he fell into despair.


    Norn devoted herself to comforting the anguished Ruijerd, he was moved by her affection, and the two got married.


    The two of them began their life together in a corner of the Biheilil kingdom.


    And during that time, while Norn was pregnant with their child, Ruijerd fell sick with the same illness that struck the Supard race and died.


    Norn, now alone, took upon herself, the responsibility of raising the child, and eventually her life came to an end.


    I thought it sounded like a lonely end, but according to Orsted, Norn looked satisfied on her deathbed.


    It was an unexpected and unlikely love story, but with the two of them, nothing would be strange.


    That said, I wonder how Norn and Ruijerd would get together without such a chain of events.


    Would Norn be happy, being paired with somebody she didn¡¯t love?


    Would Ruijerd accept?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Well, there¡¯s no point to me toiling over it alone.


    What¡¯s important are Norn¡¯s feelings.


    There may be no male presence around Norn, but she is at that age.


    She¡¯s got to have a man or two she likes, having been in a relationship or two wouldn¡¯t be odd.


    No, it may just be that I don¡¯t know, she may already have herself a man.


    And one day, all of a sudden, she might bring a man to the house and he would ask me ¡°Father-in-law, please give your daughter to me¡±.


    And then I would reply ¡°Who¡¯s this ¡®Father-in-law¡±.


    And then: ¡°I am ¡®brother-in-law¡¯¡±¡­


    I got sidetracked.


    Anyhow, I must first hear Norn¡¯s feelings.


    At these times, I get the feeling that this isn¡¯t something I should hear.


    I also don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that Norn would tell me.


    A woman would be better.


    But Aisha is no good.


    I feel like if Aisha hears this it¡¯ll turn into something bad.


    Which means, it would have to be Sylphy or maybe Roxy.


    Norn seems to respect Roxy in particular, Roxy would be good.


    On the subject of admiration, Eris would also be good.


    Eris had been teaching Norn the sword for quite a while.


    Ever since Norn graduated, she¡¯s been going jogging and doing practice swings with Eris every morning.


    It¡¯s clear to see that Norn looks up to her.


    But with Eris¡¯s commando personality, telling her to ¡°Ask indirectly¡± would be impossible.


    It would have to be Roxy.


    No wait, Someone with a high skill level at ¡°Asking indirectly¡± would be Sylphy.


    After all that.


    Or should I say, as expected.


    It seems the person Norn liked was Ruijerd.


    She had looked up to him ever since she was little.


    That admiration from childhood eventually grew into love, and the incident in the Biheilil Kingdom re-awoke it.


    I like this person.


    But after hearing about his past, she was convinced that she couldn¡¯t be with him, and decided to hide her feelings.


    ¡°I understand leave it to your Onii-chan.¡±


    After hearing all that, I hit my chest.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    Q: Before you said it would be 1-2 chapter in a month and now it¡¯s 2 in one day!


    You always exceed expectations. Magonote-san salute!


    A: Although for now, the first three chapters are just Norn¡¯s story.


    After that¡¯s over it¡¯ll be around another month.


    I return you¡¯re salute.


    Q: Returning to the¡¸In a Sense¡¹


    I have waited.


    A: Rather than a return, I would like you to think of it as an end-game event.


    Q: Guehehe¡­ Marraige?


    Onii-chan will always support you!


    Becoming a bride is unthinkable!


    Is what I had thought¡­_(©´¡¸¦Å:)_


    A: To begin with, Rudeus is also a married person.


    Q: Is such an older brother alright?


    I have a bad feeling lol


    A feeling of fruitless effort¡­!


    It¡¯s a problem, Rudeus doesn¡¯t at all feel reliable.


    Very unreliable.


    A: Is this what you take away from 2,800,000 characters!


    Q: Norn-chan¡¯s wedding¡­ This is¡­ Teren-san reads this¡­ wouldn¡¯t it turn into something bad?


    A: Let those who will sing, sing.


    Pielord: I wish people would realise I exist...

 CH 2

    Leave it to me.


    I said that and began the preparations for the marriage.


    Norn has given an affirmative response, the problem lies on Ruijerd''s side.


    He is an adult. If I asked him to marry my sister, he would most likely agree to it.


    Thinking logically, marrying my family is also to the benefit of the Supard race.


    Objectively, looking at my title, I am a trusted retainer of the Dragon God.


    Since ancient times, marriage has been a way of deepening strength of an alliance.


    With Ruijerd and Norn¡¯s marriage, the Supard race won¡¯t oppose the Dragon God faction, and we would no longer have to cast them away.


    That''s the proposal I have prepared.


    It is a happy proposal.


    But is that really alright?


    Would that make Norn happy?


    If Ruijerd married her thinking "It can''t be helped", would Norn be satisfied?


    When she realises that she isn''t loved back, she will most likely break into tears.


    Ruijerd is currently in Biheilil Kingdom, in charge of negotiations.


    Which means that Norn wouldn''t live in the Magic City Sharia any longer and would move to the Supard village.


    After the incident in the Biheilil Kingdom, the whole village knows her name and face,


    So the villagers would most likely accept her.


    But, while living with a race other than your own, the common sense and daily lifestyle would be different. Would Norn be able to make a good living?


    Worst case, Norn would be ostracised from the villagers.


    I''m worried.


    Very worried.


    I asked my three wives for advice on the issue:


    Roxy said: "If it''s Norn, she''ll be fine."


    Eris said: "If it''s Ruijerd, she''ll be fine."


    Sylphy said: "You''re overthinking this."


    But I am still worried.


    I cannot allow Norn to meet with misfortune.


    If Norn were to spend her days crying, Paul would glare at me in my dreams, and Zenith would be standing at my bedside slapping me awake from my peaceful sleep.


    For both their sake, I must make sure Norn is on the road to happiness.


    Anything after that is up to Norn herself.


    Of course, I understand that Ruijerd is a man worthy of my faith.


    Even if he didn''t love Norn from the bottom of his heart, I know that he would treat his wife properly.


    He would care for her in a way that would never cause her to cry.


    But I still have to confirm this with Ruijerd.


    No matter how much Ruijerd might not love Norn.


    Even if I must prepare some kind of event to have them get along better.


    It should be possible to have Ruijerd¡¯s feelings for Norn turn around.


    And then everything should reach a Happy End.


    "...Alright."


    And so, with that, I arrived at the Supard village in Biheilil Kingdom.


    The Supard village, a few months into reconstruction, already looked complete.


    The village was surrounded by large trees and on the inside, houses were lined up in rows. They hadn¡¯t harvested yet, but there were crops growing in the field.


    When the Supard warriors saw me, they bowed their heads and kindly led me into the village.


    After I gave an appropriate greeting in response, we quickly made our way to Ruijerd''s house.


    Of course, it was a new building.


    Ruijerd held a rather significant standing in this village, so his house was large.


    Yup, it''s more than enough for two people to live.


    "...Ruijerd-san, are you in?"


    "Oh, Rudeus."


    Ruijerd was inside.


    It seemed he had just finished eating, he was sitting next to the fire place in the centre of the room with his eyes closed in some kind of state of meditation.


    "..."


    I went and sat down in front of him in seiza.


    Ruijerd opened his eyes and gave me a puzzled look.


    "...What''s wrong?"


    As he asked me, I turned my palm towards Ruijerd.


    "Please wait a minute, I''m still choosing my words."


    "...Alright."


    And so I kept my silence.


    While sitting there staring at the flickering fire, it felt like nearly an hour had passed.


    It may sound odd, but I couldn''t think of anything to start with.


    I know what I must say.


    Ruijerd''s feeling for Norn.


    Whether he likes her or dislikes her and what he thinks of her a marriage partner.


    But I don¡¯t know how to word it.


    How about:


    ¡®How do you feel about marrying Norn?¡¯


    No, marriage and feelings are separate issues. I can''t forget that.


    "..."


    Ruijerd didn''t try to start a conversation with me as I was sitting in silence.


    He was waiting for me to start talking.


    As if to say that there was absolutely no need to rush, that I should choose my words at ease.


    I don''t know whether or not he has some business to take care of, but he probably doesn''t have anything to do.


    Most likely, he acts this way towards Norn as well.


    Or it¡¯s possible that Norn may think of this attitude of his a little irritating.


    No, probably not.


    The very reason Norn fell in love with Ruijerd was because of this particular trait of him.


    A partner not bothered by silence is a valuable thing.


    Although I''m agonising a little over it now.


    "...Right, recently, Norn has been making tea, she''s gotten quite good."


    "Hmm, Norn''s tea."


    I said that fishing for a response, and Ruijerd replied.


    As I thought, he is somewhat interested in Norn.


    So is the first condition clear...?


    No, wait, when a man who has been sitting in silence for an hour says something, no matter what it''s about, you would reply.


    Don''t rush.


    It''s about the flow of the conversation.


    "It seems that because she''s been making it at her workplace, she''s gotten better."


    "Is that so... When she came to the village before, it was good."


    Ruijerd closed his eyes as if he was remembering something.


    Is that so, it seems Ruijerd has already had Norn''s tea.


    It was good he says.


    Putting it like that means that he would probably like to try it again.


    Is he thinking something like "I''d like her to make me tea everyday..."?


    Damn it, how should I ask him.


    We traveled roughly 10 minutes from the Supard village into the forest surrounding the Earth Dragon Valley.


    Deep into the Forest.


    Here in a small clearing, Ruijerd and I face each other.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ruijerd had a stern face the entire time.


    I might have made him mad.


    After that conversation, it¡¯s no surprise that conveying Norn¡¯s feeling to him was a failure.


    Or he might have just misunderstood.


    As some form of political manoeuvre, I was presenting him with Norn.


    If it¡¯s Ruijerd,


    He¡¯d say like a man, ¡°As her brother you must protect Norn. You mustn¡¯t use her to curry favour.¡±


    It¡¯s because he¡¯s reliable like that, that I can trust him.


    ¡°You already noticed it a while back.¡±


    But what came out of Ruijerd¡¯s mouth was outside of my predictions.


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    What have I noticed?


    I, who am currently standing here in confusion?


    I, who cannot even guess what is right by any standard?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say any more, here I come!¡±


    It seems there¡¯s no use in talking.


    I had no reason to have my precognition eye open, and without it, I had no way to see Ruijerd¡¯s movements.


    ¡°¡ªWah!¡±


    Ruijerd closed in in an instant and I was thrown to the ground.


    But opposed to ten years ago, I knew what to do.


    Thanks to my regular training, I managed a last minute response.


    Ruijerd came at me with his spear from the right, and I raised the right hand of the Magic Armor MK. II to guard.


    But Ruijerd then came around with a low kick which I blocked, and then used that leg as a pivot and kicked around with his other leg to knock me down.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    Ruijerd thrust his spear at the back of my neck and looked down at me expressionlessly.


    ¡°I concede. Splendid skills.¡±


    I have no idea what¡¯s going on.


    But I can¡¯t say anything else.


    I don¡¯t think he¡¯d stab my neck, but it¡¯s obviously my loss.


    ¡°Is this sufficient?¡±


    What¡¯s he talking about?


    Is what sufficient?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it me that¡¯s insufficient?¡±


    ¡°¡­Then, is this enough?¡±


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s enough but in this situation he¡¯s not lacking anything.


    No matter what I say it would still be uncouthly.


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    As I said that, Ruijerd, moved his spear out of the way.


    I raised my body up and sat down.


    And looked up at Ruijerd with with my pathetic face.


    ¡°Then as promised, I get your sister.¡±


    And then Ruijerd said something odd.


    He gets my sister?


    What about my sister?


    Was there that kind of promise?


    Huh?


    What were we talking about?


    I seem to have lost sight of the conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as you suspected.¡±


    What did I suspect?


    ¡°I have fallen in love with Norn.¡±


    ¡°Fallen in love¡­¡±


    I desperately tried to remember the meaning of that phrase.


    If I remember correctly¡­ It¡¯s a feeling. A feeling of longing for someone.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Which means that Ruijerd likes Norn?


    No, wait, don¡¯t jump ahead.


    Misunderstanding are my weakness.


    ¡°So Ruijerd-san, you like Norn?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I like her.¡±


    Am I being pranked?


    Should I happily say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you marry Norn¡±.


    And then when I go and bring Norn along in a white kimono, Ruijerd will come along with a giant billboard saying ¡°Huge Success¡±.


    That would me a huge mental shock. Norn might even kill herself.


    It has to be Hitogami¡¯s doing.


    Damn it! For Ruijerd to be Hitogami¡¯s apostle!


    ¡°Is this some kind of joke? Or maybe a punishment game?¡±


    ¡°It is not a joke.¡±


    Ruijerd looked slightly offended by that.


    That¡¯s right, Ruijerd isn¡¯t the type to joke around.


    Especially at times like this.


    ¡°From when?¡±


    ¡°Several months ago, around the time of the battle in the Biheilil Kingdom. I would like to hold closely, the woman who so devotedly looked after me.¡±


    They did look like they were getting along well together back then.


    It couldn¡¯t have just been Norn¡¯s one sided feelings.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    Q: It¡¯s because of practice that she can cook well, but how did Rudi, after living in the same house for so many years, not try it?


    A: If he had asked she would have made something for him, but all the practise was probably done somewhere else.


    Like at school.


    Q: I¡¯m so happy that I feel that something¡¯s going to go wrong¡­


    A: Even though this is a redundancy chapter!?


    Q: It¡¯s good to cry isn¡¯t it.


    A: I don¡¯t mind it.


    Q: I think this belongs on the daily rankings. But if the people that see Mushoku Tensei and then go read the original are only a few, I think it would be a waste.


    A: The redundancy chapter is just an extra so it¡¯s ok.


    Q: The light novel manga deal that I bought has arrived.


    A: So it arrived!


    That¡¯s good¡­


    Q: A secret extra chapter¡­ It¡¯s really great.


    A: That this story became three chapters, it surprised me too¡­

 CH 3

    ©¤©¤ Norn¡¯s Perspective ©¤©¤


    It has been decided that I will be marrying Ruijerd-san.


    It was quite a sudden experience.


    I answered earnestly to my brother¡¯s various enquiries, after which he pulled Ruijerd-san along with him in no less than 10 days. Ruijerd-san then confessed his love for me and asked my hand in marriage.


    The talk moved forward as my mind was still in a daze, the marriage ceremony was to be carried out after 10 more days.


    Brother and Ruijerd-san were steadily making progress.


    My job was to create a marriage dress along with the Superd women. A very Superd like dress which looked similar to what Ruijerd-san always wore.


    It seemed that the marriage would be carried out in Superd style.


    I wished that I would get to do it in Milis style, but stressing the fact that I would be the one going to Ruijerd-san¡¯s place as his bride, I wasn¡¯t reluctant. All the Superd people were good-natured as well, and I honestly didn¡¯t want anything more than this.


    Ruijerd-san would probably not like being kissed on his forehead in public.


    Brother told me that he would take care of it and I could only be grateful for that.


    But, maybe, if I only wished for just the Milis Necklace then maybe... Should I ask for it¡­ ?


    I¡¯m pretty sure this might be my last chance to request something selfish from my brother.


    ¡°...¡±


    I was currently in the middle of clearing out my room as I was pondering about such things.


    The room that I have been living in almost everyday together with Aisha after being brought along by Ruijerd-san. Since I had been living in the dormitory for so long my attachment with the dorm room was stronger than this one.


    But I realized that various memories dwelled within this room as I was clearing things out one-by-one.


    The doll of Ruijerd-san created by Zanoba-senpai. I was very moved the first time I saw it and ended up asking for it, after which I placed it in my dorm room. Even Nii-san did not say anything.


    Someway or another, gazing at this doll became my daily habit. It wasn¡¯t an exact replica of Ruijerd-san but it was still similar to him. I kept wishing that I could see him again, watching this doll everyday.


    And then the wooden sword. The sword I received from Eris-neesan which I swung almost everyday because of the training I received from her.


    I hadn¡¯t really progressed that much, and I knew that I didn¡¯t have much talent for it, but it was fine.


    Swinging a sword is quite fun and it wasn¡¯t like I wished to be the world¡¯s strongest. No one in Sharia said something ridiculous like ¡®You don¡¯t have talent so forget about it!¡¯. Of course, that list also included Nii-san and even Eris-neesan, Sylphy-neesan and Roxy-neesan¡­ not even Zanoba-senpai or Cliff-senpai said something like that. Even though each and everyone of them were extremely gifted, they didn¡¯t say anything.


    I now know how wonderful a thing they did for me and I am grateful for that. And I also understand that even though I did not have any talent, giving your all and working hard is what really mattered. If not for that I would have never become the Student Council President.


    In the Student Council where I became the President, none of them had any talent. To some teachers, and even during the first part of the year, we were known as the Stupid Student Council. But only Vice Principal Jinas said ¡®The students are getting along well, even better than during Ariel¡¯s Presidency¡¯.


    Actually, it seemed that crimes and violence among students were few during my time as President¡­


    It was possible that I just got lucky, but I think that it was because we didn¡¯t have any talent.


    It was because we were dumb, we could be considerate of the students.


    Because we were dumb, the students could be considerate of us. They would think that they had no choice but to help us out.


    If in a school of over 10,000 people, if they know that a student council of little more than 10 people are still giving their best, it¡¯s only natural that those 10,000 students would start to be more considerate.


    I had also stopped wearing my school uniform, which now stay in the closet.


    If I recall, I heard from someone that Nanahoshi-san designed this uniform. Before that, students wore tattered clothing. But everybody was already wearing the uniforms or robes by the time I enrolled.


    Everyone wore the same uniform, be it a student with a scary face or a bewitching woman.


    I thought it was because everyone wore the same uniforms that I had so many friends. Were it not for the uniforms, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make so many friends.


    Just by looking at the Demon race or a Beast race, I couldn¡¯t even approach them as I would be too scared by their appearance.


    Well something like that is beyond me, really.


    But even Aisha mimicked us by adopting the uniform system in her Mercenary group, which led me to believe that putting on the same uniform on every student was a very effective move.


    ¡®Cause even that Aisha ended up doing it.


    And finally, father¡¯s sword that was now hanging on the wall. The sword he used almost all the time before marrying mother. The sword given to me by Nii-san when he was distributing father¡¯s belongings. There was one more sword given to Aisha, but he quickly took it away saying that he had to use it in the war. Father¡¯s armor laid in mother¡¯s room.


    I used to pray to this sword each time something happened.


    Father wasn¡¯t really a Milis believer and was someone who would scowl at the very mention of it, but I liked doing it anyway.


    If he were still alive, he would surely scold me for this but I didn¡¯t think that he would hate it. Since even father tried his best at things. Because there are times when we fail even if we work hard which is true for me and even Nii-san¡­ that¡¯s why I liked doing it.


    And thus today as well, I prayed to my father.


    ¡°I am going to get married now, father.¡±


    No, it was more like a report than a prayer I guess.


    Nii-san said this. It seemed that even he visited father¡¯s grave to report things. Even though he¡¯s such a busy person¡­ He¡¯s very diligent.


    ¡°Nii-san has been diligently playing your role, father. Even though I think that I am a burden to him, he¡¯s still doing his best for my sake without raising any complaints whatsoever.


    ¡­ I can¡¯t thank him enough for what he¡¯s done for me.¡±


    I intended to report about my marriage but ended up giving my thanks to Nii-san. I thought of Nii-san as someone who protected me by filling in for father who died and mother who became that way. Of course, he¡¯s a very busy person so he couldn¡¯t keep his eye on me all the time which made me thought he looked after me unwillingly after father¡¯s death.


    I now know that it wasn¡¯t like that.


    I can¡¯t explain it more properly but Nii-san seriously tried his best to fill in for both father and mother.


    I had a memory, a very old and distant one. It was a memory of right after I had been born. Of course it was vague and I didn¡¯t have a good grip on it. It was a time when I couldn¡¯t even reply in short words properly. It was a memory where¡­ I had a contest with Aisha.


    I didn¡¯t know why we were having a contest but I remember that mother was there at the goal line. And of course I was defeated by Aisha. Aisha reached mother with a terrific speed and then mother hugged Aisha and praised her.


    I cried after watching that. Mother was far from me and I thought that she was stolen away by Aisha, that I wouldn¡¯t be receiving any praise and so I cried. And then mother said ¡°Norn, I¡¯m waiting right here for you, so come to me.¡± She said that and waited for me until I finally managed to reach her and then she praised me.


    Nii-san was also someone who waited for me. No matter how slow I was he still waited for me. He persevered, even at times when he was confused or smiled wryly, he never once abandoned me and always waited for me.


    He¡¯s that kind of person. That¡¯s why I think that he seriously tried to fill in mother¡¯s shoes as well.


    ¡°...¡±


    It¡¯s the same with the marriage preparations as well. Nii-san did all of it. I did think that if father was still alive then he would have done the same things as Nii-san.


    He might¡¯ve not liked Ruijerd-san though and would¡¯ve gotten into a quarrel with him but if it came to marriage then he would¡¯ve said ¡°Leave it to me¡± and would¡¯ve done the preparations in secret.


    Since it seemed like the same thing happened during mother¡¯s marriage.


    ¡°...¡±


    While thinking about such things I continued clearing out my room and in no time, I was finished. It was never a room that had much in it, but now that my personal belongings were no longer here it was completely empty. It seemed like this room would be used by Lucy-chan and other kids but it should be fine if it¡¯s cleared out this much.


    Now all I had to do was to take my belongings and some keepsakes and go to Ruijerd-san¡¯s house. To Ruijerd-san¡¯s house in the Superd village.


    Honestly, it felt like I was in a dream or something. Marrying that Ruijerd-san that I admired for so long since way back then. My heart was beating like crazy. It seemed it was the same for Sylphy-neesan, starting a married life with the person you love gives birth to expectations mixed with tension.


    Ruijerd-san was way older than me but after I married him then I would have to do what Nii-san and Sylphy-neesan and the others do. I knew how it¡¯s done but I didn¡¯t really put into practise. I¡¯m a little nervous. I wonder if he¡¯ll be gentle. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to do it properly.


    ©¤©¤ Rudeus¡¯ Perspective ©¤©¤


    Norn¡¯s and Ruijerd¡¯s marriage was to be performed in the Superd village in Superd style.


    The villagers gathered with each of their own cooking under the full moon and congratulated the bride and groom while having a feast together.


    I wasn¡¯t one of the villagers but I still participated by bringing along my cooking and my family as if it was natural. Since we were Norn¡¯s family, they obviously couldn¡¯t say no. No one denied us. Rather, they all welcomed us.


    The cooking was prepared by Lilya and Aisha.


    It seemed that Aisha held some complex feelings regarding Norn¡¯s marriage. Ever since the marriage had been decided, she was seen quite often lying on the sofa rolling around, deep in thought and then getting scolded by Lilya. Which reminded me that a few days before the marriage, the two of them were talking about something till late night in Norn¡¯s room. I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about¡­ but even she might have some things to think upon.


    Since it definitely wasn¡¯t like she wouldn¡¯t give her blessings to Norn.


    Even the cooking that was brought for the wedding saw no signs of shoddiness, instead she put all of her skills into making it. She collected the ingredients from Milis and Asura and made a huge fruitcake.


    We were worried whether or not the Superds would be delighted by something sweet but then Roxy gave it her seal of approval. Well, it¡¯s possible that she just likes sweet things¡­


    Since it was pretty much Norn¡¯s most precious moment, all of the family members attended. The small kids Ars and Sieg were here as well, and of course Leo, Jiro and Beat too. Not just the family, the perpetrator who made this marriage a reality, Orsted, too was here stealthily hidden into a corner.


    Added to that, we invited Norn¡¯s friends from Sharia as well, who were happy to attend. The Student Council and Norn¡¯s underclassmen, after hearing about Norn¡¯s marriage, requested with their heads bowed that they be allowed to attend as well.


    In the open place of the Superd village, the humans who were attending the marriage while shivering in fear was a pitiable sight to see the least but¡­


    Well, after seeing the happy and blessed Norn their tension gradually wore off and they had enough composure to pour sake to Norn when the banquet was reaching its climax.


    Yep, Norn looked happy.


    At home, or rather in front of me, Norn looked sullen almost all the time but now that she was sitting beside Ruijerd, her face was floating with a bashful smile the whole time.


    Moreover, each time Norn tried to look at Ruijerd and Ruijerd who sensed it tried to look back, she quickly looked downwards as her face got red like a tomato.


    Her body was dressed in the traditional bridal costume made by the Superd females, in front of plenty of cookery, her face grew red and a smile floated each time she saw Ruijerd.


    Also, it was good that we prepared a Milis style wedding to include in the middle of the actual ceremony as a surprise. We pretended that a change of clothing was necessary and dressed up Ruijerd and Norn in snow white clothing. By the time they returned, Cliff who had hidden himself as a surprise guest, started reading the Milis ritual prayer.


    In the end, when the necklace prepared beforehand was put on Norn by Ruijerd, Norn¡¯s face went full red as Ruijerd went down on his knees only for Norn to kiss his forehead clumsily.


    Norn had a surprised face the whole time but by the time it ended she was smiling in tears. That smile seemed to be incredibly happy.


    If this is not a blessing then I don¡¯t know what is.


    ¡°Norn-ane looks so beautiful.¡±


    Aisha called that Norn beautiful. Was it her attire that she considered beautiful or was it her happiness, I did not know, but Aisha was looking enviously at Norn.


    ¡°Your time will come too, Aisha.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be doing this.¡±


    An immediate reply. Aisha did not wish to be married. For me, I would like to send Aisha away in the same fashion as Norn but¡­


    Well, marriage isn¡¯t life so I wouldn¡¯t mind even if she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°...¡±


    Nevertheless Norn was a bride now huh. I¡¯m deeply moved.


    When we met in Milis she was so small and aggressive. After enrolling in school, she even confined herself in her dorm room. A troublesome child, a hopelessly clumsy child, I had such impression of her and yet before I knew she entered the Student Council, became a fine President and worked diligently, was idolized by many of her underclassmen and was now married.


    ¡°...Kiiin.¡±


    Reflexively, the inside of my nose became prickly and made a sharp noise.1


    Dear Paul-sama.


    Norn is incredibly beautiful, she has been raised into a good girl.


    Can you break out from your gravestone?


    No, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d be able to.


    If not then please come as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Onii-chan, don¡¯t cry at a time like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying. *sobs*¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ if you can watch her from afar then why not at least say a few words to her?¡±


    ¡°Nh, nh~¡±


    The banquet was in full swing so the attendees were giving their blessings to the bride and groom in order. Though there wasn¡¯t this kind of custom in Superd style¡­ Cliff might¡¯ve said something.


    Norn was receiving their blessings with a smile. She was having such a happy time. Would it be fine if I approached her in such a time like this? I felt like it would be fine just watching her from afar.


    And thus, Norn was now married.


    Ruijerd and Norn were a couple with a huge difference in their height and age but their compatibility was perfect, as such a child was born in just a year.


    A child with a face exactly like Norn¡¯s, green hair and a cute tail, having a gem on her forehead, a female Superd.


    That girl was named ¡ºLuicelia Superdia¡».


    When Orsted heard that name, he made an absurdly scary face. With an absurdly scary face, he smiled.


    Looking at that smile, which gave me goosebumps, I realized. I realized that it was the name that was in agreement with his memories.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    Q. This is redundant!?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be alright to include it in the main volume?


    A. I had originally planned for Gisu to be gathering companions during the Cliff Chapter, and to write the Redundancy Chapter during the Organization Chapter, and then for Gisu to betray them at the end of the Redundancy chapter¡­


    It was that kind of flow that I had planned.


    But time flowed a bit faster than I had hoped and Gisu betrayed them at the end of the Clif Chapter and we ended up with what we have now.


    Q. Is the Redundancy chapter in chronological order.


    A. It¡¯s currently undecided.


    It¡¯s possible that the order may be mixed up.


    Q. One question: How did they bring Beet along?


    I¡¯m pretty sure he was planted outside the door...


    A. Of course he was transferred into a plant pot.


    1. Some kind of superstition maybe.


    Pie : The Author also said that he would probably get 1-3 more stories out before the end of the month.


    He also implied that he would be writing the story of 80 years at some point.


    Kaezar : He also said that Luicelia was the first to come out from the 3 characters named Norn, Ruijerd and Luicelia, she was the last survivor of the Superd race. She¡¯s a very reserved person, honest and would immediately kill her enemy but she was someone who battled on in difficult circumstances, tried very hard and earnest on surface, a beautiful Demon.


    She won¡¯t be making any appearances except in her child form in this volume but if the author wrote the 80 years from now story then she would probably come out.


    Kaezar : May as well add more things. Author had given out a list that he will be including in Redundancy volume, the list includes :


    List of things he will write :


    List of things he¡¯s undecided about :


    Different from Redundancy volume, things that will get their own title in time :


    All of this is merely provisional and subject to change.


    Pie: That sounds pretty siq.

 CH 4

    Some time passed.


    Eris and Roxy safely gave birth to their children. Both of them were girls. Roxy¡¯s daughter was named Lily and Eris¡¯s daughter was named Christina. With this, we now had 4 daughters and 2 sons.


    Our house had become a little cramped. It was about time we gave some thought to remodelling while taking family planning into consideration.


    Furthermore, Lucy was now 7 years old.


    Now that she was 7, she could be called a first-year student studying in a primary school. The primary school was a place where kids of the same age learned about the fundamental knowledge that was essential for survival while co-habitating with other students.


    Of course, it would be beneficial if that knowledge was taught by the parents themselves.


    The most important keyword in a school was communal life.


    Humans are beings who lived in groups. Most humans can¡¯t live alone. They are beings who live together while helping each other, loving each other and getting into fights from time to time. It¡¯s possible that those with the will to stay alone are out there, but they are probably a minority.


    A school is a place where one learns how to make colleagues or friends, how to interact with them and how fights occur.


    Nevertheless, a primary-school-like system didn¡¯t exist in this Ranoa Kingdom. It should be obvious because there was no compulsory education. Here, a school was considered to be a place where people go if they wanted to go.


    Even so, I thought that there was a need to go to school. Part of the reason was that I dropped out of high school in my previous life, but as for this life, I did learn a lot of things in the school of this world too.


    I got along with Zanoba, met with Cliff, Badigadi, Nanahoshi, Ariel¡­ And then married Sylphy.


    There was no doubt that it was because of my daily attendance to Ranoa Magic University that my human relations were now in such abundance.


    As such, I thought that there was a need to go to school, to let them go.


    As such, during last year¡¯s family council, that proposal was approved by more than half the members. Sylphy, Roxy and Lilya were in agreement. Even though Eris said ¡°There¡¯s not really any need to go¡±, she didn¡¯t strongly oppose it.


    Thus, it was decided that our children would start attending the University when they became 7. Though the other students enrolling wouldn¡¯t necessarily be in the same age group, it was decided with the thought that it would be beneficial to their future.


    And today was Lucy¡¯s first day attending school. From here on out, for 7 years, or possibly even more if she repeated a year or two, this was the very first day of her school which she would be attending for a very long time.


    ¡°Is there anything that you¡¯ve forgotten, Lucy?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    Lucy, wearing her oversized uniform and carrying a bag too big for her, was now standing in front of the entranceway. Everything that she had on was brand new. The beginner¡¯s staff and the robe contained within the bag, magic textbooks, even the lunch box, everything was new. And it seemed that Lucy, with all her new things, was happily grinning while looking at herself in the mirror.


    As a result of that, she was somewhat careless, even to my words. Well, she did check those out many times over yesterday night, and there weren¡¯t that many belongings to begin with. So I guess it should be fine.


    But, that, isn¡¯t she forgetting that? Then shouldn¡¯t it be fine to remind her?


    ¡°Do you have your handkerchief?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in my pocket!¡±


    ¡°Pencil case?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in my bag!¡±


    ¡°Lunch box?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in my bag!¡±


    ¡°My goodbye kiss?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a no!¡±


    That¡¯s a no!?


    Impossible, that can¡¯t be¡­


    Nevermind.


    Um¡­ was there something else? Something which was easily forgotten. Like future dreams, aspirations, the truth¡­


    ¡°Rudy, it¡¯s gonna be fine.¡±


    As I pondered, Sylphy came and patted on my back.


    ¡°Lucy is already a grown up, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Grown up.


    She had certainly grown up. She was already 7 years old. Now that she was 7 she could do various things and do it alone.


    ¡°Papa, it¡¯s gonna be fine! I¡¯m gonna work hard!¡±


    Lucy said while clenching her fist. That gesture was brave, lovely and very worrying. If I was a kidnapper and looked at something like this, I would immediately steal her away.


    Although she had grown up, she still had some way to go.


    ¡°Lucy, don¡¯t follow any strangers no matter what they say, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°If they forcefully try to take you away then shout out my name as loud as you can, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°If they covered up your mouth and said that they¡¯ll kill you if you make a noise then ask them to read the letter I¡¯ve prepared, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okaaay!¡±


    Incidentally, I¡¯ve written quite a bit for the kidnapper. I¡¯ve written just whose subordinate I am and what kind of people I have connections with. I¡¯ve also written just what would happen if Lucy were to be hurt. It¡¯s possible that they might not be literate, but I¡¯ve made necessary arrangements with the slave traders and asked them to socially lynch those who seem like they would kidnap my children. Those who would kidnap my children would be ostracised.


    Still, cause for concern was something that was common. Unpredictable situations could exist in any amount. I couldn¡¯t help but get worried sick that Lucy might get dragged into something like that.


    All of that happened about 1 hour ago.


    ¡°And now I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I mean, I know that Sylphy is right. Even I©¤ even Sylphy was able to grow because we left our house. That¡¯s unmistakably right.¡±


    I was expressing my idle complaints. I had consented. If that¡¯s what Sylphy had decided then I had to abide by that too. Luckily, there were many acquaintances in the Magic University and danger was low as well. I had also heard that student order had improved quite a bit because of Norn¡¯s Presidency. The mercenary group led by Aisha had become quite big due to which the whole town¡¯s order had improved as well.


    Yet, I was still worried. I had this indescribable fuzzy feeling.


    ¡°But¡­ you know.


    Lucy is still 7 years old. She¡¯s so small yet has to go to school alone¡­ that¡¯s just¡­


    Well, I mean it¡¯s true that I went to Eris¡¯s place when I was 7 and started exploring around my village from age 5 but¡­ But I could at least see her off, right?


    Orsted-sama, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Orsted had a grim face. A face which questioned whether this matter was related to work or not.


    I might¡¯ve mistaken him as someone to consult with. When given considerable thought I realised that he was still my boss. Not a person who should be listening to my idle complaints.


    If the idle talk was related to Hitogami then it might be fine but I guess lodging complaints about my family matters was not a good idea.


    Even Orsted might not know how to answer if he was suddenly asked about something like this. And Lucy was someone who was not within Orsted¡¯s field of knowledge¡­


    I just thought that Orsted might understand somehow.


    This unbearable feeling of mine!


    ¡°...¡±


    As I was lost in thought, Orsted stood up. He could also be seen perking up his shoulders.


    Of course, I¡¯d expect this as I¡¯ve associated myself with Orsted for a long time. I knew that he wouldn¡¯t get angry at something like this.


    He was not angry at all. It took a considerable amount of effort to anger him.


    ¡°You are foolish.¡±


    Huh? He got angry?


    He¡¯s not angry, right? He looks angry. That¡¯s weird. I¡¯m being scolded.


    ¡°...Use this.¡±


    The thing Orsted handed over to me was the black helmet. The spare curse reduction helmet.


    ¡°...¡±


    What am I supposed to with this?


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried about your daughter, you just want to go and see her, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    I see, that¡¯s right!


    I just want to go and see her. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about Lucy or not or anything. No, obviously, that¡¯s one reason as well, but I just want to see her introducing herself in the classroom, quickly raising her hand trying to answer a question, tip-toeing in the library to get a book, and things like that.


    There was no parent¡¯s day in Magic University. I wanted to go and see Norn as well but couldn¡¯t. I wanted to watch Lucy at least.


    That wish of mine was very big!


    ¡°B-but, if I go and see her then Sylphy would get angry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    When I said that, Orsted silently took off his coat. And then, put it on my shoulder. As if to say ¡°Use this too¡±. Just what am I supposed to do with the helmet and this coat?


    I left the office in Dragon God style.


    It was a mighty fine weather outside. Fine weather appropriate for Lucy¡¯s first day at school. And I somehow felt stronger, probably because I was wearing these clothes.


    Is this how a person feels who swaggers about under borrowed authority? I feel like I could make even the North God dance around my pinky.


    ¡°Orsted-sama, are you about to leave?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    As I was thinking that, I was suddenly called out from the back of the office. When I looked around, I could see a young boy holding a large sword.


    Aleksander Ryback. It was North God Kalman the Third.


    Don¡¯t tell me, did he hear my thoughts? Nah, that¡¯s not it.


    I feel like he¡¯s cleaned himself up a bit, but it¡¯s kind of like, only at the level of feeling stronger after watching Rocky.


    That so-called ¡®movie motivation.¡¯


    ¡°Where might you be heading today, Orsted-sama? Shall I accompany you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    For a moment I thought he was mocking me.


    However, Alek¡¯s eyes were clear in all respects and his tone was sincere.


    ¡°Ah, thank you very much for the other day. To think that the North God Style four foot form would have such an advantage¡­


    I never thought that you would be so knowledgeable about the North God style. It¡¯s clear to me just how inexperienced I currently am. Now that I recall myself during the Battle of Biheiril, I might die from embarrassment.¡±


    Don¡¯t tell me he hasn¡¯t yet realised that I¡¯m not Orsted? No, that can¡¯t be.


    Alek had been at Orsted¡¯s side constantly these days. He even lived in one of the basement rooms of the office. He had taken the role like that of a watchdog of Orsted. It would be troublesome if the watchdog mistook his master for someone else.


    ¡°Have you not realised yet?¡±


    ¡°What have I not realised!?¡±


    When Aleksander entered the office, his eyes met with the receptionist named Faria Steer. While looking at Aleksander and pondering whether she should ask or not, she finally opened her lips after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Excuse me, Aleksander-sama.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Faria-san? I¡¯ll be going to find out this correct answer that lies in the conference room so please make it short.¡±


    ¡°Rudeus-sama had just now left the premises wearing Orsted-sama¡¯s clothing but¡­ does he intend to do something?¡±


    Upon hearing that, Aleksander made a very surprised face.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Rudeus-sama wearing Orsted-sama¡¯s clothes¡­ !?¡±


    Aleksander couldn¡¯t even think about doing something like that. Imitating Orsted¡¯s clothing style was something which was absolutely dreadful to him.


    And at the same time, he gulped down his own saliva. The reason why Rudeus was wearing Orsted¡¯s clothes didn¡¯t even require him to think that much. He thought that something needed to be done which could only work with Orsted¡¯s clothes.


    Possibly a decoy or something. He thought that Rudeus intended to lure the enemy out while in disguise as Orsted and arrest the enemy. In the meantime, Orsted would be able to achieve an objective.


    Which meant that the enemy was so strong that one couldn¡¯t fight the said enemy without Orsted. For example, one of the overlooked World Powers, Technique God or someone who Aleksander had unpleasant memories with, Death God Randolf. Or one of the Demon Slaying Three Heroes, Armored Dragon King Perugius Dola or possibly North God Kalman the Second, Alek¡¯s father, Alex.


    Either way, Rudeus had enough potential alone. It was possible that victory could be assured if he were to equip the Magic Armor but then he wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish his job as a decoy.


    Even Aleksander knew about Rudeus¡¯ bravery. The fearless Rudeus.


    Aleksander knew that Rudeus¡¯ combat power was inferior to his. However, those movements he saw in Biheiril Kingdom still remained in his memory vividly. That power to face an enemy far stronger than yourself with simple honesty. That was something Aleksander knew well.


    It was courage. Rudeus was a hero who had been acknowledged by Atoferatofe herself.


    And then, he realised, that this was the correct answer.


    ¡°Faria-san, please keep that matter confidential.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    Faria Steer¡¯s neck inclination was gradually coming up to its regular position but Alek paid it no heed and put his hand on the door to the conference room.


    He prayed that he would be granted the honor by Orsted to fight alongside that hero someday. While burying those feelings deep within his heart he entered the room.


    Though it was only a few minutes after that Alek would ask about the correct answer from Orsted himself.


    Next time, a shocking development where a man with a full-faced helmet is seen chasing after 7-year-old girls!


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. "Kore ga... Atashi..." Rudy is saying ''atashi'' here, an extremely feminine way to refer to one''s self. It''s a common line for a girl who''s just gotten a makeover.

 CH 5

    I chose a route and started walking, a route with the least people possible. And yet, I felt like I was attracting attention. It was probably because I was currently in disguise.


    Something called one¡¯s imagination.


    But even so, others did not have much interest. No, I still felt the surroundings gazes.


    But that should be obvious. Orsted had been using the office on the outskirts of town for a while now. There weren¡¯t many people who had seen him in person, but there were plenty who knew of this appearance of his. A black helmet and a white cloak.


    Right now, my outfit was the same as that of Orsted¡¯s trademark. Walking through the town like this, it was natural I attracted attention.


    In fact, without the curse, I might be giving a favourable impression to the townsfolk. Maybe I should try the main street. Doing good things to give someone a better image, like in the old days.


    The main street was closer to the school too.


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Killing two birds with one stone.


    Improving Orsted¡¯s reputation would be a plus for me as well.


    Right, next time I should propose a¡ºDragon God Festival¡»where everybody dresses up in black helmets and white cloaks and dances in ecstasy.


    With that in mind, I started moving towards the main street.


    ¡°Wha!?¡±


    And, in that instant, I quickly turned around and hid myself.


    I had glimpsed a familiar red haired person in the main street. And with that red haired person was the figure of a large white dog. And on the dog¡¯s back were two children.


    They were Eris and Leo. And on Leo¡¯s back, Lara and Ars.


    Leo, you two-timer! Even though you ran away from a walk with me, you went out with Eris.


    No, it was different for me. That was a farce of a walk for my own satisfaction. What Eris and Leo were doing was territorial scouting.


    But what do I do now?


    I never thought I¡¯d encounter Eris now and here of all places. No, I could probably talk my way past Eris. Like saying we could go visit Lucy together.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But how would I go about explaining this outfit. She wouldn¡¯t immediately try and stab me right? I¡¯m also worried about the kids. Right now, I was doing something I obviously shouldn¡¯t. I broke my promise with Sylphy. Should my children be allowed to see this pathetic side of their father?


    The answer is no.


    ¡­¡­


    Now that I gave it more thought, it really wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. I even went to the trouble of a disguise. I should just go back home. I made it this far through a lapse in judgement, but wouldn¡¯t waiting at home with Sylphy and greeting Lucy when she comes back be the better option?


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    But I wanted to see Lucy in her hour of triumph. I know it¡¯s selfish but it¡¯s different from what Sylphy said. I definitely wasn¡¯t doing this because I didn¡¯t trust Lucy. And it¡¯s not so I could help her out from behind the scenes. I promise. I swear to God.


    Even if she looked as if she was about to cry, I wouldn¡¯t lend a hand. At home, I¡¯d properly hear the story from her and only then would I help her out and instruct her.


    Nice one Rudeus buddy. That¡¯s the line. That¡¯s the line that wouldn''t break my promise with Sylphy. Though I had decided on things on my own, without consulting with Sylphy first, but as long as I kept that promise, I wouldn¡¯t really be going back on her words. But still, after all of this is over, I¡¯ll properly tell her and apologise.


    It was actually because I wanted to see Lucy in class that I went to look. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t hold myself back. Is that alright? Can I do it? Can she get angry if I am honest?


    Alright. Good boy, Rudeus.


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±


    Ah, in any case, it seemed that Leo had noticed me. His nose was twitching and he was looking in my direction.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Eris noticed too. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a problem if I¡¯m found, but explaining this getup would take a while. Getting held up would also be a pain. Let¡¯s take a detour.


    ¡°Whoever¡¯s hiding there! Come out!¡±


    But it was already too late, I was already found out by Eris. These clothes stood out too much¡­


    Now then, what to do. Do I go out or not? If I do, how do I explain it?


    No. But¡­ Yes. There¡¯s still quite a distance between us. She shouldn¡¯t be able to clearly see me yet.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I showed myself from the waist up. Eris had her hand on her sword and Leo was wagging his tail. And on top of that, Lara, on top of Leo, and Ars sitting as if hugging her, were also looking at me.


    The two of them were looking at me blankly, their gazes pure.


    ¡°Orsted¡­?¡±


    Eris looked confused and removed her hand from her sword while I turned around. Nonchalantly.


    With movements as if to say that I just coincidently came across you on the roadside, nothing to worry about.


    ¡°¡­Wait just a minute.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡±


    Eris called me to a halt. Was my cover blown? Eris was a Sword King. A warrior who went almost toe to toe with the former Sword God. Looking at my demeanour, you could tell in an instant that I¡¯m not Orsted.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just imagining things. It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go, Leo.


    But as soon as I stopped, she said that, turned around and started walking. Leo was glancing in my direction but he didn¡¯t chase after me and followed Eris.


    I arrived at the school. I avoided the front gate, climbed the wall and breached the compound. And then aimed for the classrooms.


    I may not have participated in many classes, but I did seriously attend the school for many years. I did know where the first year classrooms were. I avoided students getting taught in the schoolyard and those walking during the intervals, heading for the first year classrooms.


    This place hadn¡¯t changed much either. It hadn¡¯t even been a decade since I graduated, but it really felt like that. Though the number of unfamiliar students had increased.


    It also felt like there had been an increase in Elves, and Beast and Dwarf races since my time as a student. There also seemed to be a large number of Demon races.


    I heard from Roxy in the dining room that the main members of the student council were from the Elven race, and the next chief of the Dwarf race, so that seemed to be reason.


    It was something that couldn¡¯t be seen when Ariel was president.


    The amount of other races had increased, but the fact that they were not arrogant anymore was most likely due to the remains of Norn¡¯s presidency. Basically she simply did not permit any type of racial discrimination. And that was what caused the current atmosphere of the school.


    A small portion of the nobility of the Magic Triumvirate apparently did not approve, but they are like that, proud by nature.


    I was walking down the hallway pondering about such things, when suddenly, while I was turning a corner:


    ¡°Uff.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Almost immediately, someone came from around the corner as well. That person was being followed by five students. No, rather than being followed it was more like being surrounded. When I said being surrounded, it gave off a bad feeling, but it was basically a popular student walking to class with other people. I could see some of the surrounding students holding notebooks, it seemed that there was something they didn¡¯t understand and were asking about it.


    It¡¯s a very admirable thing to do. Yep, that¡¯s right, that person would be able to answer anything. And what came out from that person¡¯s mouth would undoubtedly be the truth.


    Well, sometimes that person might be wrong, but that mistake also includes the truth.


    Those who ask will receive revelation. Liberation.


    Let those words resound within you ©¤ grasp their meaning, and any may attain strength. Oh students who earnestly accept those words ©¤ ponder their meaning and think about how you must live. Oh students, right now, all of you are in bliss.


    ¡°¡­Orsted?¡±


    That person, with suspiciousness lurking beneath those slightly sleepy eyes, looked up at me. Several seconds later, those eyes opened up wide.


    ¡°No, Rudy? It¡¯s Rudy, isn¡¯t is. It¡¯s Rudy, right?¡±


    As expected of Roxy. That keen insight of her¡¯s wasn¡¯t something I could fool.


    ¡°¡­How did you know?¡±


    But I asked nonetheless, because the foolish I couldn¡¯t help but seek the truth. Though it was clear to me that it was the wisdom of Roxy. I asked whether she had reached the truth without any real reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, the only person with the courage to wear that (Imitate Orsted), would have to be Rudy.¡±


    There was a reason. As expected of Roxy!


    ¡°Is Orsted-sama aware of this situation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this was a suggestion from him after all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then that means that there¡¯s some reason for it.¡±


    Roxy nodded her head and began scrutinising my outfit. I felt like she had some kind of convenient misunderstanding.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But is that alright? Should I deceive Roxy? Should I lie to Roxy for a momentary period of selfishness? Is that fine? Rudeus, is that fine with you?


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no important meaning to it.¡±


    There¡¯s no way that¡¯s fine. I cannot lie to Roxy. Lying to Roxy has a different implication than lying to Sylphy or Eris. The thought that lying to Roxy in an important situation is something is wrong, that can¡¯t be helped. If I lie here, the next instant, I will come flying in from 20 years in the future and hit myself with a Stone Cannon. Or this very second, I, having lost my identity will suddenly have my limbs melt and turn into an indeterminate existence.


    ¡°Then why are you wearing that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I wanted to see Lucy¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Wanted to see? What about your promise with Sylphy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not secretly helping her out or being over protective.


    It¡¯s just that, I just©¤ I just wanted to see what she was like in class¡­¡±


    While I flusteredly said that, Roxy silently looked at me, with reproachful eyes. The surrounding students too were perplexed at such a sudden development.


    I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±


    But, Roxy relaxed her gaze.


    ¡°As long as you honestly watch over her without lending a hand, I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see you.


    I just saw that Orsted had simply come to the school to inspect it.¡±


    ¡°Sensei¡­!¡±


    ¡°Just this once.¡±


    I arrived at the classroom. I was peeking into the classroom from the hall, but then I thought that looking from the hall wasn¡¯t a very good idea and circled around. If a rumour that Orsted was peeking begins to circulate, our company¡¯s reputation would be affected.


    While pondering such things, I made a partitioning screen near the window of classroom. Near a window which was not visible from the surroundings...


    ¡°...Wait? Couldn¡¯t I have just claimed that I was doing a classroom inspection?¡±


    Roxy said I could after all. I felt like I could have gone and gotten permission to watch. If I had explained it to Jinas, he probably would have done something like that.


    I messed up.


    Well I guess it¡¯s fine. As long as I can see Lucy, I¡¯ll be satisfied.


    While thinking that, I activated my clairvoyance and looked inside.


    Several desks were lined up in the classroom. Students fit to be called first years were sitting in rows. Most were over 15 year old adults. There were some 10 year old kids too but there was basically nobody as young as 7. There were some kids that looked about 7 but they were mostly from the Dwarf race.


    Normal humans, Demon race, Elf race, Dwarfs and Beast races. Peaceful people, arrogant people, kind people, there were plenty of them. Sitting in the back of the classroom was someone who looked like an adventurer, giving off an eerie vibe. Wouldn¡¯t getting involved with him get you bullied? No, no matter who they are, they wouldn¡¯t pick on a 7 year old child.


    But where¡¯s Lucy¡­ Aah, there she is, in the front row. As expected of my daughter. Sitting right in the front row full of motivation.


    Is what I thought, but it seems her desk was too big. Her desk was so big it¡¯s hard to see the front. She¡¯s seriously listening to the teacher''s words and taking notes, but because of the size of the desk she looks like she¡¯s having a hard time. After she gets home, it might be good to let her carry a cushion or something to sit on.


    Sitting next to her was a girl of about 10. Most likely a Dwarf. No, from the feeling she gave off, she seemed human. From the way her hair was arranged, most likely a noble. She occasionally talked to Lucy while looking at her own magic textbook. She probably didn¡¯t think that taking notes was the norm.


    Lucy looked at the girl¡¯s magic textbook with a serious face and said something while pointing. Because she was whispering, I couldn¡¯t really hear her, but she seemed to be teaching her something.


    She seems to have already made a friend of a similar age. Have they become friends?


    It¡¯s still only the first day of class and the teacher didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of teaching anything too significant. Looking at the blackboard I could see that they¡¯re starting from the basics of the basics. Lucy had already learnt this stuff years ago.


    An easy victory.


    ¡°Sensei!¡±


    Is what I thought, when Lucy raised her hand.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Aggregate magic power isn¡¯t decided the moment you¡¯re born, it increases when magic is used during childhood. I think what you just said is wrong!¡±


    Compared to what¡¯s taught in schools, what Sylphy and Roxy taught her was slightly different. But I feel like it might have been better if she had left it unsaid. Having their own failings pointed out isn¡¯t something teachers like very much.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Lucy. Lucy Greyrat.¡±


    ¡°Greyrat¡­ Which meant you¡¯re Roxy-sensei¡¯s Daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Right, you must have received a special education since you were young.¡±


    The eye¡¯s of the teacher shone.


    This teacher, I don¡¯t want to imagine it, but he isn¡¯t about to disrespect Roxy is he?


    He wouldn¡¯t disrespect a parent in front of their daughter would he?


    I had decided that I would hold back today, I had decided that, but starting tomorrow, your way to home might become a danger zone, you know?


    ¡°It¡¯s true that that theory is one explanation. It¡¯s true that may have been the case for your father and mother. It could also have been the case for your father''s apprentice, Juliet-dono. But whether or not it¡¯s reliable has yet to be confirmed. Your father, mother and Juliet-dono may have been special cases. Or it may not apply to Magic and Beast races. It may just be that your father and Roxy are mistaken. There has not been any significant investigation. I will not engage in such research. Therefore, I will teach ¡°Aggregate magic power remains the same throughout one¡¯s life.¡± Because that is what I believe.¡±


    The teacher spoke in a torrent of words. In order to persuade Lucy, or maybe to persuade himself. Lucy listened to that with a serious face.


    ¡°Students, I¡¯d like to hear it from you too. From here on out, you students will study a variety of things. In magic and otherwise. In school and perhaps after graduation, you will study. While you are at this school, we, the pioneers of the art of magic, will teach you all kinds of things. You, as students, may believe in those teaching or not, it is your choice. When things have been proven as wrong, we will admit our mistakes. And if you do prove a mistake in our teachings, it will be you who is teaching us. And if it is what you are saying that is truly correct, we will consent.¡±


    Hmmmmm. A way of thinking with high flexibility. It didn¡¯t seem like he was a bad teacher.


    In fact, he seemed like a good teacher.


    ¡°That is all. Lucy, do you have any further questions?¡±


    ¡°None! Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°Good. Please be seated. I will continue with the class.¡±


    The teacher gave a hearty laugh and Lucy sat down. And the applause burst out from the class. Lucy looked backwards surprised, her face became red and she looked down.


    It¡¯s alright Lucy. You just said something correct. Putting aside whether you¡¯re truly correct, those who think you are are giving you applause. So raise your head.


    After that, I continued to watch Lucy¡¯s classes for a while. There were some good and bad teachers. But Lucy didn¡¯t hesitate and continued to berate the teachers with questions and doubts. The teachers answered, avoided the questions and occasionally pointed out her mistakes and class continued like that.


    Lucy stood out. A seven year old girl wilfully motivated to take class was quite rare. During break, while Lucy was eating her lunch, she was surrounded by quite a crowd, and by evening Lucy was already quite popular.


    They were surrounding Lucy and asking her all kinds of questions. About her parents, her family, where she lived and about herself. She was without a doubt popular.


    Some among them were probably just trying to butter up to my daughter. But that¡¯s fine. You can only meet a person once, the starting point may have been self interest, but there are all kinds of ends.


    Life is long so it¡¯s better to let her seldom associate with bad children.


    ¡°Haa.¡±


    The last class ended. I was satisfied. I was able to learn Lucy¡¯s daily life at school. Of course, I wasn¡¯t worried. She was Sylphy¡¯s daughter and had been properly taught by her, Eris and Roxy.


    There were no worrying factors.


    No, well, if I did have a worry, it would be that she was my daughter. Spending everyday in the corner of the classroom with her head down on her desk, was a possibility. No, realistically, that wouldn¡¯t have happened. From here on out, there¡¯ll probably be plenty of painful things but it¡¯ll probably be fine.


    After this she¡¯ll go to school every day and I¡¯ll be content with hearing her stories during dinner each day. While remembering what I saw today I¡¯ll be able to eat rice smiling.


    I guess I¡¯ll go home now. For now, I¡¯ll return the cloak and helmet to Orsted.


    While thinking that, I removed the mud wall made partitioning screen by rescinding the magic.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    Standing on the other side of the mud wall was a single woman. White hair and a slender body. Pants that looked easy to move in and a sleeveless top. The white arm extending from her shoulder, her hands placed on her hip and a face with a mix of anger and disappointment.


    It was Sylphy.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Do you need something?¡±


    I tried my best to mimic Orsted.


    ¡°Rudy, what are you doing here?¡±


    Of course, it was futile.


    ¡°No, um¡­ Sylphiette-san, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Lara said that she saw her father hiding his face in a weird outfit while she was out for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Aah¡­ Indeed.¡±


    It was Leo. He betrayed me. He didn¡¯t see me, he confirmed it with his nose. Or maybe because Orsted¡¯s scent was mixed in, rather than Leo, Lara noticed. Leo and Lara can understand each other after all. No wonder Lara was looking my way.


    ¡°¡­Going as far as to wear that.¡±


    Sylphy¡¯s shoulders were shaking. She was very angry.


    Sylphy gets crazy when she¡¯s angry. I can¡¯t say specifically how. I can¡¯t say it, but whenever she gets angry or is sullen, I¡¯m generally the one in the complete wrong and I¡¯m pierced by reproachful eyes by everyone in the family. Everything becomes very hard. And for at least a week, I¡¯ll be spending the night alone.


    ¡°Can you really not trust Lucy and I that much.¡±


    Tears started flowing from Sylphy¡¯s eyes.


    Gloomy. This is a gloomy person. A gloomy person, not an angry one.


    For now, I kneeled in front of her right then and there.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, it¡¯s not like that. I just wanted to watch Lucy in all her glory.


    I wanted to see her in class, asking the teachers questions. I wanted to watch her diligently studying.


    You know, cause I haven¡¯t really been here very much while she was growing up.¡±


    During my flustered explanation, Sylphy looked at me with her tear-stained face.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s just, I couldn¡¯t hold back any more, I had intended to tell you after it was over.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a lie isn¡¯t is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I had intended to apologise to you.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to see Lucy in class that much?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I said that and Sylphy put her hand out and helped me up. She had already stopped crying.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m in the wrong here, because even though you only thought about just watching and went so far, I forbade you to even look.¡±


    ¡°No, you did nothing wrong. I had agreed to it beforehand after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You did.¡±


    As we were talking and such, Sylphy¡¯s gaze suddenly raised up. The look on her face said she messed up. When I turned around, I understood the reason.


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    ¡°Um, today, I made friends with a girl called Belinda-chan.¡±


    In the end Sylphy, Lucy and I ended up making up and going home together. Holding Lucy¡¯s hands, the three of us were lined up. I thought she would get mad that I came but she wasn¡¯t.


    One by one, she explained all the fun things that happened today in school.


    ¡°You know, Belinda-chan is the daughter of a minister of the Ranoa Kingdom. She¡¯s still little, but she¡¯s really smart, so that¡¯s why she came to school. She says she¡¯s going to become the best in the school and make her father notice her.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°And guess what, the first class was with Blue-Mama. At first, everyone made fun of her and I almost got mad, but then Blue-Mama, she showed us a little bit of magic and everybody was like ¡°wow¡±. And then Blue-Mama said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you whether or not you listen to my class.¡± She was so cool!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell that story to Blue-Mama. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    The plan was thrown out of whack but that in itself was a good thing. Holding Lucy¡¯s hand, walking along with Sylphy. Walking along in a line, blocking the path probably isn¡¯t a good thing, but what does it matter. This was my city.


    ¡°Did you have fun at school Lucy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Lucy nodded with extreme happiness. When I saw that I thought that there was nothing to worry about.


    ¡°See, Papa. Lucy was fine right?¡±


    As if reading my mind, Lucy said that.


    ¡°Yeah, you were just fine. Good girl.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Papa¡¯s daughter right?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, way more amazing than Papa.


    Lucy was outstanding. No matter how you look at her, she¡¯s outstanding. Compared to her father who¡¯s not alright at all. A guardian was necessary.


    ¡°By the way Rudy.¡±


    Suddenly, Sylphy raised a finger.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°How long are you going to keep wearing that?¡±


    I looked down at myself. A thick white coat and a black helmet. Up until now I¡¯ve been Fake-Orsted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll return it tomorrow.¡±


    Yeah, right. It won¡¯t be a problem tomorrow. I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d have it back by the end of the day, and Orsted isn¡¯t in any rush. But still, this cloak, the fabric sure was nice. It felt similar to a Red Dragon¡¯s pelt, if I asked Aisha, would she know?


    ¡°By the way, Lucy.¡±


    While I was thinking that, a question came from my mouth. It was a small question, for the sake of confirming something.


    ¡°What is it Papa?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a problem. What¡¯s the colour of my hair?¡±


    This questions definitely wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t trust her. It¡¯s just to make sure.


    ¡°Brown!¡±


    ¡°Correct. Lucy¡¯s smart. I can expect good things from you in the future. As expected of my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Geeze~ Don¡¯t make fun of me~¡±


    As I was laughing at the sullen Lucy, I happily walked down the path.


    ¡°But Rudy, you broke your promise, so I¡¯ll have you bear with it for three days.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I¡¯ll have to bear with it for a little while, but I¡¯m happy.


    The next day.


    An odd rumour began circulating around the town. Orsted was aiming for Lucy. It¡¯s probably because I was walking around dressed like that.


    Rumor lasts for only 75 days. I obviously knew that it¡¯s groundless, and since Sylphy and the rest of my family knew that too, it was fine.


    While thinking that, when I went to Orsted to return the coat, Orsted was glaring at me with a scary face, and I had to come up with an explanation¡­


    But that¡¯s a different story.


    Orsted¡¯s Coat: The material is the pelt of an ancient White Dragon. It carries an absurd amount of magic power, and possesses high physical and magical defence. It possesses self-restoration against ageing and damage. Because the Ancient White Dragon is now extinct, it¡¯s a unique Item

 CH 6

    My name is Lucy Greyrat. I¡¯m the first-born daughter of the Greyrat House.


    I have a big family. I have three Mamas, three small sisters, three small brothers, two Grannys, two Aunts and three pets. There are 16 people in total. It¡¯s a big family.


    Let¡¯s start with my Mama. I have three mamas. They are white-haired mama, blue-haired mama and red-haired mama.


    White-haired mama is the one who gave birth to me, and the first to become Papa¡¯s wife. Papa said that mama is the youngest and the most spoiled. White-haired mama is a talkative person and she always said this :


    ¡°It¡¯s important to make friends, okay? And you must never bully the weak, okay?¡±


    She kept persuading me that it¡¯s important to make friends.


    Blue-haired mama is Lara¡¯s mama, and the second wife of my Papa. Papa said that she looks small but she¡¯s the oldest, and he relies on her the most. Blue-haired mama is quite a reserved person, but she did say that :


    ¡°Live however you want, if you don¡¯t understand something then just ask someone.¡±


    She never persuaded me about anything, but she knew everything and always answered anything I asked of her.

 CH 7

    A long, long time ago.


    In the days before the school of the Water God Style.


    A certain country was frightened of the Water Dragon King.


    Their fishermen had encroached on his territory, and incurred his wrath.


    As a result, each day, their fishing boats were attacked, and water dragons frequently appeared in the port town.


    The knight order attempted to resist, but due to the dragons¡¯  massive size and their ability to move freely through the water the country was rapidly pushed towards ruin.


    They were on the precipice of destruction.


    In this situation, the gloomy King declared that he would offer both his crown and daughter¡¯s hand to any who could subdue the Water Dragon King.


    The many knights, brave men, and Heroes who took up the challenge met their end torn to pieces at the hands of the Water Dragon King.


    What appeared then was a man carrying a single worn out sword, clad in worn out rags.


    Dramatizations of this ancient tale depicted him as a splendidly handsome man, but this couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. His true visage could elicit only one word. Vagrant.


    His name was Raydel.


    Raydel volunteered before the king saying,


    ¡°I will defeat him. Everything will be ok.¡±


    With this, the King consented to his challenge.


    Many thought he would give up halfway, as there was no way such a sloppy man could do anything.


    But Raydel was strong.


    He froze over the surface of the ocean, putting a stop to the water dragons¡¯ movements. Within  a blink of an eye, he approached the Water Dragon King.


    Having broken out of the ice, the writhing Water Dragon King rushed to attack Raydel.


    With his worn out sword Raydel returned the Water Dragon King¡¯s unblockable strike slicing its head off with a single slash.


    With the Water Dragon King¡¯s head in hand, he returned to the country a Hero¡­ Or so, he should have.


    The king gave him a fortune great enough to play around with for the rest of his life.


    That was all.


    He could not consent to giving his daughter and crown to this dirty man.


    Raydel was not mad but he fell into a deep depression.


    He was in love with the princess.


    He loved the princess whom he had always watched from afar.


    Because his wish to marry the princess was not granted, he thought of leaving the country.


    Or should he have decided so, he could have easily become the king through sheer force.


    But there was someone who got angry in Raydel¡¯s stead.


    It was the princess.


    While reprimanding the King the princess hit him, sent him flying, and left the castle. She chased after Raydel who was leaving the country and clung to his legs , saying:


    ¡°I have abandoned my country.


    I am no longer a princess, nor do I have a last name.


    Even if you obtain me, you won''t be able to have the country, you won''t be able to become king.


    But if that is still agreeable with you, please take me as your wife.¡±


    Raydel held the princess in his arms and left the country smiling. The two married soon after, then vanished.


    Decades later.


    Somewhere in the world, the Water God Style was born.


    And in accordance with that story a custom was born. ¡°The spouse of the Water God shall abandon their household¡±


    Isolte Cruel.


    She is the person in charge of the Asura Kingdom''s Water God style school, and the single instructor of the Asuran Knight Order.


    She is currently a Water Emperor, but just recently acquired the third out of the five secret techniques belonging to the Water God style.


    In a few months she will succeed the name of Water God.


    Age unknown.


    Appearing in  her twenties.


    Stunning blue-black hair and dignified features.


    Whoever saw her would admit she was beautiful.


    But rumour has it that she isn''t really all that young.


    In the Asura Kingdom, the only person that knows her true age is Lady Ariel.


    But now, this woman is currently searching for a marriage partner.


    Her long days of training to become the Water God are over.


    Although she''ll still continue training, this is a turning point in her life, that is to say... She should seriously start considering marriage.


    But her search for a husband is a difficult one.


    Of course, that''s not to say there''s no one willing.


    She''ll soon be the Water God after all.


    There are many who have approached her.


    Such as fellow Water God style disciples.


    Captivated by her beautiful appearance, there are few men whose hearts have not been touched by her sincere training.


    That being said, they are swordsmen.


    They are those who have decided to make a living through the sword.


    There are few men tolerant enough to take on a wife stronger than themselves.


    It was Isolte¡¯s condition that if they were a swordsman, then they would have to be as strong as her, or at least possess strength of the King class.


    For Asuran nobles, female swordsmen have always been popular.


    The passive women of the Water God style have a much softer and more graceful demeanour when compared to those of the assertive and violent Sword God style.


    Isolte would also be well versed in the etiquette of the imperial court.


    A young, pretty, well-spoken girl; the men would be all over her.


    And on top of that, she''s an established swordsman.


    To have a woman like that serve as their wife and to be able to dishevel her in bed at night.


    Many Asuran nobles approached her with those thoughts in mind.


    Of course, those who approached her with perverted hobbies and vulgar laughs were refused.


    But every now and then someone who would make her think "This person might be alright." comes along.


    Good looking, good personality and fairly good sword skills.


    Those kinds of good looking men are quite good at hiding their perverted interests while flashing a smile and drawing closer.


    Very prince like.


    Isolte could easily see through guys like that.


    The people around would always end up saying things like "He''s actually a scumbag, don¡¯t bother with him."


    Those prince types have good outer relations.


    If Isolte cared about such superficiality, she''d have already fallen.


    Thinking thoughts like "Well, he''ll do."


    Even so, those very princes immediately turned her down upon hearing her condition.


    "I will soon become the Water God and will name myself, Water God Reida Ria.


    If you are to marry me, you must abandon your household.


    The spouse of the Water God must not have a last name."


    The custom of the Water God.


    Not following it wouldn''t be disadvantageous and following the custom most likely would not provide any benefit.


    It is simply a tradition followed by generations of Water Gods.


    Isolte¡¯s grandmother, previous Water God Reida also followed this tradition.


    Because of this, Isolte''s father also didn¡¯t possess a last name.


    Isolte was troubled.


    She''d been searching for a husband for several years now.


    It mostly seemed to be going well, but things always tripped up at the last step.


    "At this rate it looks like I wont be able to marry  before the succession." Is what she thought.


    She was confident.


    She had good looks, cooking skill, and was well versed in make up.


    There wasn''t a day she missed the upkeep of her hair and skin.


    She was well-versed in conversation as Water God style training included such skills in its curriculum.


    Skills for provoking the opponent and taking the initiative.


    Putting them into practise, flattery is simple.


    But she was still having to exert herself.


    Despite all that, she couldn''t get married.


    Even Eris and Nina had managed to find partners but she still couldn''t.


    Well it was probably be because they had childhood friends.


    There was no law that stated she had to marry.


    But she still thought she could overcome that with her own charm.


    She was self-conscious.


    But she thought that her ideal partner would eventually show himself due to her unceasing effort.


    "How many has it been now?"


    "...That was the 21st."


    21 people had now turned her down.


    Including the one''s she, herself had turned down, the number was much higher.


    "I see."


    Right now, Isolte was sitting in her living room facing her brother.


    Isolte''s brother, Tantris Cruel, was a high level Water God style swordsman.


    He was the oldest son of the Cruel house but compared to his little sister, he couldn¡¯t be considered especially talented.


    He put forth enough effort to make his blood run, but in the end he didn''t have the talent to advance any higher.


    But he''s an honest man.


    His grandmother, Reida, had told him "Maybe it''s time to make you a saint class." but he had said "I dont need a title unbefitting of my stature." and rejected the offer.


    Even when Reida was alive, he''d been in charge of the dojo''s administration.


    And he''d even looked after Isolte.


    "Do you think you''re aiming too high?"


    "No I don''t think..."


    "You have a certain level of talent and standing. You have the right to choose a suitable partner. But if you''re too picky and can''t find anyone, there''s no point."


    "I understand that."


    Isolte had always looked up to her brother.


    The two of them had lost their parents at an early age.


    Luckily their grandmother was the Water God and they didn''t have to struggle to survive, but she was a busy woman and didn''t have much time to look after the two of them.


    At that time, it was Tantris who took over as the parent.


    He had supported her after their parents died and raised her.


    The school of swordsmanship is a world of ability.


    The talented Isolte surpassed her brother in under 10 years.


    But she never stopped looking up to him, and he never stopped supporting her.


    "There''s no need to think about the honour of the Cruel house.


    Living as the Water God, a harsh fate no doubt awaits you.


    Forget about status and lineage and pick someone you''re comfortable with."


    "..."


    Tantris was already married and had a child.


    Of course they had met with Isolte and talked with her about it.


    But Isolte hadn''t thought she was very likeable.


    She was the daughter of an Asuran noble.


    Her father had sent her to get married to create a relationship with the Water God Reida.


    She obviously looked down on Tantris and had no understanding of Swordplay.


    She had never once come to the dojo.


    Aside from things relating to the children, the two mostly lived apart.


    Isolte didn''t want to marry someone like that.


    It''s exactly because of that, that Isolte had been so careful in choosing.


    ...Although her carefulness extended only to stripping away their facade''s.


    But she had stuck by the requirement of at least intermediate level swordsmanship.


    She had no intention of fussing over lineage.


    But now that she had become the main instructor, she would have many chances to meet with Ariel and talk to her and there were many coming to meet with her who wanted to take advantage of that.


    A fallen noble, a commoner, or an adventurer would have been fine.


    As long as they¡¯re able to make up for it in some other way.


    "I have no intention of choosing."


    "Then are you ok with someone I choose for you?"


    "No, I should be allowed to search for my own partner."


    And she was also very stubborn.


    Of course there''s also the fact that everyone Tantris recommended were nothing but muscleheads...


    Although you couldn''t call her picky, she absolutely wouldn''t concede on her conditions.


    It really didn''t seem likely that she would be able to marry.


    "Right..."


    Tantris had no intention of blaming her.


    It wouldn''t be the first time the Water God was without a spouse.


    And he could continue the Cruel line himself.


    But he still wanted to help his little sister find happiness.


    And if his sister wanted to find happiness in marriage, he wanted to support her.


    That said, if she didn''t want his help, he had no intention of pursuing.


    Although he didn''t have much talent, he was still a man of the Water God school.


    Isolte walked to the Asura Kingdom''s Silver Palace.


    The crest of the shield bearing battle girl carved onto the breastplate of the silver armour is one that is famed throughout the land.


    Her white and blue coat fluttered through the air as she marched forward.


    The patrolling soldiers stood at attention with admiration in their gazes as she walked towards the palace.


    There isn''t anybody in the Asuran Imperial Palace who doesn''t know the name of the Water Emperor Isolte.


    And there are many soldiers who yearn for her dignified figure.


    By the way, there aren''t many who know that she''s been having thoughts along the lines of "I don''t want to get married too late." or "I hope a good guy would fall from the sky."


    "Why if it isn''t Isolte-dono, where are you headed?"


    The person standing in front of her was a single man.


    He was short and lanky with thin hair, overall he seemed very timid.


    He looked about 40 years old.


    He was human, but if Rudeus saw him, he''d probably think "He''s looks like a senile old man."2


    No matter how you looked at him, he didn''t seem like a knight or a swordsman, but he was wearing the same silver breast plate as Isolte.


    But his armour had a slightly different design.


    His crest was a girl praying with a rampart crown atop her head.


    "Well if it isn''t Lord Ifrit. My good graces to you sir."


    "Ahh, be at ease. We are of the same rank, there is no need kneel."


    Sylvester Ifrit.


    One of the Seven Knights of Asura The ¡ºKing''s Rampart¡».


    He with a name that didn''t match his face, was the chief executive in charge of the defence of the Imperial Palace.


    Isolte was only a knight.


    Knights were of a fairly low class, whereas nobility was quite high.


    And Sylvester held the highest position among all knights and soldiers, and was also a middle ranked noble.


    Normally any servant who crossed his path would immediately fall to their knees.


    "But..."


    "We are both knights of Her Majesty."


    In response to his sharp words, Isolte stood back up.


    "That is sufficient. We do not work for the country, but for Her Majesty. The only person you should kneel before is Her Majesty, herself."


    In response to Sylvester''s rising aura, she swallowed her words and nodded.


    Sylvester was of small stature.


    He was prone to illness and could not be called strong.


    He was in no way skilled with swords or magic.


    And yet in spite of that, he had managed to graduate as the valedictorian of the knight academy.


    He raises people up and and is well versed at command.


    He truly understood the meaning of the phrase, "Right person for the right job."


    And for that one talent, Ariel dragged him out from an obscure corner of the country, called him back to the palace, and appointed him as her knight.


    "By the way Isolte-dono, where might you be heading?"


    "Her Majesty has called for me."


    "If that is the case then you haven''t the time to be wasting it with someone like me."


    "Did you have some business with me?"


    "It''s nothing major.


    There''s simply a man I would like to introduce you to.


    I hope you''ll forgive the selfishness of my foolish son, but time permitting, if you are interested, I hope you''ll at least have a couple of words with him."


    This was a conversation Isolte very much was interested in.


    She wanted to hear more about this foolish son of his.


    But she was currently being called by her lord.


    "I understand. When I have the time, I''ll come and we can finish the conversation."


    But she simply said that with a stiff face and headed off


    On her way to the inner palace, the amount of people decreased.


    The simply dressed soldiers began to become scarce, being replaced by lavish knights.


    These lower ranked nobles, befitting of their titles¡¯ as knights, had all pledged allegiance to Ariel.


    Those who had an extremely small chance of betrayal.


    And in the inner section of the inner palace, there were even fewer people.


    By now the soldiers and knights had disappeared and she was walking through an empty hallway.


    Occasionally, there was a frighteningly sharp looking maid - The Imperial Maids - passing by.


    These Imperial Maids were personally chosen by Ariel.


    There possibility of betrayal was even lower.


    Ariel was in the ¡ºKing''s Chamber¡».


    Standing in front of the extravagant door was a single man.


    He was completely covered in golden armour and holding a giant battleaxe.


    The Asura Kingdom''s greatest gatekeeper.


    The possibility of him betraying Ariel was non-existent.


    "Isolte Cruel! Reporting for summons!"


    "...Yessir."


    Doga had received Isolte''s introduction and slowly moved.


    They seemed like clunky movements.


    But Isolte couldn''t see a single opening.


    If it came to it, he could swing that battleaxe of his at terrifying speeds.


    And if it came to it, breaking past this man and passing through the door behind him would be nigh on impossible.


    "...Hm?"


    Doga had extended his hand towards Isolte.


    The Seven Knights of Asura.


    With Luke Notos Greyrat, the¡ºKing''s Dagger¡»as the head, they are seven knights who have sworn absolute allegiance to Ariel herself.


    Even among knights they possessed a special position and independent movement was permitted to some extent.


    Isolte was also a member.


    The¡ºKing''s Greatshield¡».


    To defend the King at all times, a fitting name for a Water God style swordsman.


    Isolte, Sylvester, Doga.


    These three are known as the¡ºThree Knights of the Left¡».


    Among the seven knights of Asura their main job was the protection of Ariel.


    But Isolte felt something was off.


    The seven knights of Asura were knights who had pledged absolute allegiance to Ariel.


    At least that¡¯s what was said.


    Because Isolte hadn¡¯t gathered with them and met them yet, she wasn¡¯t deeply informed about them.


    They may have pledged loyalty to Ariel, but most of them are unrelated to the Asura kingdom, having been gathered from outside.


    They most likely each have their own reasons to unconditionally serve Ariel.


    But Isolte was different.


    Isolte had a reason to betray.


    The previous Water God.


    The moment when her grandmother had died.


    The death of the previous Water God Reida


    During Ariel¡¯s battle for the crown she had been killed by Ariel¡¯s supporter, the Dragon God, Orsted.


    Of course, it had happened during a battle.


    Isolte was a warrior who had no intention of harbouring unnecessary emotions after a battle had come to a close.


    This was because before she was Isolte¡¯s grandmother, she was the Water God.


    If she were to defy Ariel, more so than the Asura Empire, the Water God school would see to her banishment.


    And thus, she wouldn¡¯t think of defying Ariel.


    Isolte¡¯s resolve was clear on that.


    But no matter how sure of it she was herself, if all she had was words, nobody could be certain it was the truth.


    Nobody could see the depths of another¡¯s heart.


    It was entirely possible that after her grandmother had been killed, she had been secretly harbouring hatred and secretly aiming for Ariel¡¯s life.


    Or maybe instead of Ariel, she could be aiming for the perpetrator, Orsted.


    In truth, when Ariel was taking the crown, she had a large number of knights and nobles killed.


    And the amount of people who still hold grudges was not small.


    They continue their everyday lives having pledged loyalty to Ariel, awaiting their opportunity.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for Isolte to be thinking the same way.


    Isolte had sworn the knights oath and pledged loyalty to Ariel.


    But it wasn¡¯t because of Ariel¡¯s personality, nor was it due to patriotism.


    It was to protect her honour and place as Water God.


    She was currently protecting their relationship of mutual trust, but if that was jeopardised, it¡¯s possible that she couldn¡¯t guarantee absolute loyalty.


    It¡¯s not as if she thought of betrayal.


    It¡¯s simply that the possibility exists.


    That¡¯s something that Isotle herself understood.


    And yet in spite of that, she was chosen as one of the seven.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    Q: Not being able to beat Doga even after becoming the water God, does this mean that her ability is below the World Power class?


    A: It¡¯s not that she can¡¯t win.


    It¡¯s just that she practises defence techniques, so breaking past Doga to get into the room would be quite hard.


    Q: Isolte-san is worn out!


    A: It¡¯s just that she doesn¡¯t have an eye for people.


    She¡¯s quite capable as a swordsman.


    Q: Is Doga¡¯s face bad?


    A: He has a harmless looking face.


    He¡¯s a looks like a good person.


    1. Aniue.


    2. Literally "Windowsill race" and it''s an expression that means old employees that have been given menial tasks until they retire.

 CH 8

    In the Asura Kingdom there¡¯s a group known as the Seven Knights of Asura.


    They are those who have pledged absolute loyalty to Ariel Anemoi Asura.


    Leading them:


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Dagger¡»Luke Notos Greyrat.


    In charge of offence are the Three Knights of the Left-Wing:


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Greatsword¡»S¨¢ndor von Grandeur.


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Halberd¡»Oswald Eurus Greyrat.


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Hound¡»Ghyslaine Dedorudia.


    In charge of defence are the Three Knights of the Right-Wing:


    The¡ºKing''s Gatekeeper¡»Doga.


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Rampart¡»Sylvester Ifrit.


    The¡ºKing¡¯s Greatshield¡»Isolte Cruel.


    Seven people.


    There are those whose birth and descent are clear,


    but others were those who Ariel and Luke had personally scouted.


    From commoners and lower ranked nobles to high ranking officials, there was even a half Immortal among them.


    But what they shared was their undying loyalty towards Ariel.


    While Isolte is pondering the true meaning behind the ¡°particular¡± in Ariel¡¯s statement ¡°rather particular sexual dispositions¡±, let¡¯s take a look at one of those knights.


    He was born in a small village of the Asura Kingdom''s Donati province.


    He was a little slow and treated like a henchman by the other kids.


    But his body was strong and he never got sick.


    His father was a soldier who protected the village and spent most of his days away.


    There were very few soldiers so he didn¡¯t get many days off and ended up spending most nights away from home.


    When the boy was around 5 years old, his little sister was born.


    She was a sweet girl just like her mother.


    But the mother had a difficult time recovering from childbirth and passed away.


    The boy cried.


    He was hit by his friends and he was stung by a bee, but the stupefied boy continued to cry.


    The crying boy¡¯s father said this to him:


    ¡°Right now you can cry, but when you stop, you have to protect this girl.¡±


    Holding his little sister, the boy looked up at his father and nodded many times over.


    And that day, the boy stopped crying.


    The next day the boy began faithfully practising to realise his father''s command.


    The command to protect his sister.


    To protect his sister he began to guard the entrance to his house.


    The whole day, holding a hatchet he found in the corner of the house, he stood at the entrance.


    Only when his sister cried did he leave his post, in order to comfort her.


    Seeing his figure, his friend laughed.


    ¡°The hell you doing?¡± he said.


    ¡°You can just watch from inside,¡± he said.


    The adults of the village had said this to him:


    ¡°If you want you can leave your sister to us.¡±


    ¡°There are already plenty of children at our house so one more won¡¯t matter.¡±


    But the boy firmly refused to hear it.


    He had them teach him how to take care of her, but he would not entrust his sister to anyone else.


    One day.


    An incident occurred at the village.


    In the middle of the night, something had snuck into the barn and laid waste to the livestock.


    From the footprints¡¯ size it was judged to be a wolf.


    Soldiers were running around telling the villigers to stay inside and lock their doors.


    The next day.


    A single house had been attacked.


    The wolf had gotten in through who knows where, instantly bit off a child¡¯s head, and escaped through a window.


    After waking up, without knowing what happened, the family simply chased after the blood trail.


    And on the outskirts of town, finding children¡¯s clothing in a pool of blood, they went crazy.


    These two incidents made the soldiers realise that they were mistaken in their judgement.


    It wasn¡¯t a wolf that was hiding in the village, but a magic beast.


    It was only the size of a regular wolf, but it was a cunning magic beast.


    The perpetrator was a magic beast.


    Its head and hind legs were that of a wolf¡¯s.


    But from the shoulder down it was a monkey. It could walk on two legs and climb trees.


    It was only about the size of a large dog.


    But its head was oddly large in comparison to its body.


    And that head gave it intelligence.


    It was a mutated magic beast.


    The magic beast who wondered what humans tasted like, was lurking in the wheat fields as if ridiculing the frightened villagers, searching for its next target.


    But the adults didn¡¯t return to the field that day.


    The wolf chased after them but looked in the wrong place.


    What was left in the house were two children.


    The magic beast, licking its lips, used its monkey arms to climb the chimney, descending into the fireplace.


    The next day.


    The boy¡¯s father who had finished his patrol saw a trail of blood coming from his own house.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be,¡± he thought with an ashen face as he ran inside his house. He soon found the cruel corpse of the figure left behind.


    It was the corpse of the magic beast.


    The corpse of the beast with its head smashed open.


    And between the corpse and his daughter was his son, standing imposingly, clutching his hatchet.


    He could see that the beast was dead.


    The boy was covered in blood and his arm was broken.


    But that was all.


    The magic beast was small but it did resemble a wolf.


    It was several times bigger than the boy.


    And in spite of that, the boy had beaten it to death with his blunt hatchet.


    He had protected his sister.


    From thereon the life of the gatekeeper Doga continued.


    When he was ten, he protected the entrance to his village.


    Right before the teleport incident, a wild stampede of magic beasts occurred .


    They swelled forth from a forest in the kingdom and some number of villages suffered.


    Some were even engulfed and completely destroyed.


    Doga¡¯s village was among those attacked.


    But Doga, with his dauntless courage and hatchet, diverted the swarm.


    It¡¯s said that he defeated nearly a hundred beasts during the battle,


    And although he had defeated so many, his father had passed away during.


    Doga simply stood bewildered next to his father¡¯s body.


    The knights who saw Doga¡¯s courage recommended him to the imperial garrison.


    Seeing Doga hesitate for the sake of protecting his sister, they said this:


    ¡°Listen boy, we¡¯ve been separated from our families and move all over the kingdom protecting villages.


    In other words, we protect the very country itself.


    As long as the country is at peace, our families can live in safety.


    Meaning that protecting the country is protecting your family.¡±


    At that time, the simple-minded Doga didn¡¯t understand those words.


    In the end, what caused Doga to move was money.


    After his father had died, he needed money. He had heard that he would be able to get the money for the two of them to live in the Imperial capital and decided to move there.


    Doga entered the Imperial army.


    He was in charge of protecting a small gate cutting off the slums from lower class residences.


    In case those of the slums tried to riot, it would create a bottleneck preventing them from swarming.


    Besides the fact that passage was prohibited at night, it wasn¡¯t a particularly important gate.


    He and his sister had been allocated a single room.


    It was small, but it was home.


    He would commute from there to his post each day and man it from dawn till dusk and sometimes even all night.


    Doga was a simple man, but he had a strange charm to him.


    At first the other soldiers didn¡¯t look kindly towards a ten year old working with them and there were many who harassed him.


    But due to his honest personality and his resolute attitude towards his sister, his co-workers began to relax somewhat and in about a year¡¯s time began to recognise Doga as a comrade.


    Two years later.


    One night, a certain girl ran towards the gate he was guarding.


    The girl clung to Doga and asked him to save her.


    While Doga was hesitating, a group of men with harsh glares appeared and yelled, ¡°Hand us the woman!¡±.


    Doga was bewildered and had no idea what to do.


    If Doga¡¯s watch partner Hans hadn¡¯t been dozing off, he probably could have come to a decision.


    The woman, seeing Doga confused, quickly ran towards the gate.


    Doga immediately grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her back,


    Because passage is prohibited during the night.


    But in that instant,


    Sensing that the woman was trying to run away, they gave chase.


    Doga swung his battleaxe.


    He had gotten the axe as a farewell gift from the village blacksmith.


    All of them died.


    Seeing Doga covered in blood, the woman wet herself and sunk to the ground.


    Hans woke from the noise and was taken aback by the scene before him.


    ¡°This is bad,¡± he thought.


    Doga, who had killed them all, would be punished.


    And he, who had been dozing off, would also be punished.


    While thinking that, with his face ghastly white, he went to confirm the bodies.


    After seeing their faces, he realised that they were members of the violent thieves¡¯ guild that had mixed in with the lower class citizens.


    The knights stationed at the slums were lacking manpower and couldn¡¯t do very much to them.


    But Doga had annihilated them all.


    Doga was promoted.


    From a soldier who protected the entrance to the slums,


    To guarding the gate that connects the lower and middle class districts.


    And for some reason Hans came with him.


    Doga continued to protect that gate for some time after that.


    Through rain and wind he continued to protect it.


    Even as he grew up he continued to protect it.


    Hans had saved the simple Doga.


    Eventually, Hans became the person who understood Doga the best.


    And in that time, his little sister grew more and more beautiful and married Hans.


    Or maybe, Hans had been aiming for Doga''s sister.


    But to Doga, it didn''t matter either way.


    Because, although Hans was always sleepy, he wasn''t a bad guy.


    For his sister''s sake, Doga bore witness to their vows to Saint Millis.


    And Doga was alone.


    Now that his sister was married, he thought about how he had completed his father¡¯s order to the very end.


    There wasn''t any need to guard the gate anymore.


    But Doga continued to guard it.


    Through rain and wind he continued to protect it.


    One day,  massive news spread like a wave all throughout the capital.


    It was declared that Ariel Anemoi Asura would be crowned Queen.


    For several days, festivals continued throughout the city.


    Doga and his comrades were excited and Hans was jumping for joy.


    But a soldier''s work increased during a festival.


    Their guard post was moved from the middle class district to somewhere else.


    The kingdom was recruiting temporary civilian soldiers, so real soldiers like Doga were given much more important duties.


    And in turn, their wages increased.


    Doga and Hans thought they could use the extra money to buy his sister something nice and worked hard.


    On a certain day before the coronation.


    Due to some twist of fate, Doga was stationed at the back door of the palace.


    It was a fairly disused door where occasionally someone with a permit would come through.


    Hans wasn''t with him.


    Doga was with several other soldiers.


    A single man wearing a worn-out armour and holding a long pole came along.


    He said:


    "Could you let me through here? I''d like an audience with Her Majesty Ariel."


    Of course the guards refused him.


    The day he became S¨¢ndor''s disciple, Doga returned to his house, collapsed on his bed, and slept like a log.


    Thanks to the healing magician that came with the reinforcements, there wasn''t a single wound left on him.


    But his battle with North God Kalman had completely emptied his nearly bottomless stamina.


    It was the first time in his life that he had collapsed from exhaustion.


    After sleeping for two straight days, he awoke.


    Next to his bed was his crying sister and a relieved Hans.


    And S¨¢ndor with a happy look on his face.


    "Morning! Now my disciple, let us be off!"


    S¨¢ndor used his tremendous strength to lift Doga to his feet and after Doga had put his armour on, he began to drag him out to who knows where.


    Doga, without knowing what from, asked Hans to save him.


    "Sorry Doga, but it doesn''t seem like a bad thing.


    I don''t have any idea what''s going on either but I think it''s a pretty prestigious offer.


    So well, why don''t you just give it a try? Work hard, I''ll be heading out now."


    "Ok. Brother, good luck."


    Although Hans had seemed to understand the basic gist of it, Doga was still confused.


    But he didn''t have the strenght to go against S¨¢ndor, and they headed to the gate he guarded yesterday.


    After they reached the gate, S¨¢ndor took out a rather gaudy permit and they passed through.


    And before long they were in the inner palace.


    While Doga was constantly surprised by the dazzling rooms around them, S¨¢ndor had noticed something.


    What they had seen was the beautiful golden haired woman in front of them.


    "Is that him?"


    "Yes Your Majesty!"


    "I''d like to talk to him."


    Coming out from behind S¨¢ndor, Doga stood in front of the woman.


    The woman was extremely beautiful and above all sublime.


    "I am Ariel Anemoi Asura. What would your name be?"


    Doga didn''t know that name.


    Doga was on guard duty and hadn''t heard her name at the coronation ceremony.


    And of course, he hadn''t seen her before either.


    But once he realised, Doga fell to his knees.


    Somehow he felt that he had to.


    "I-I''m... Doga."


    "Why did you become a soldier?"


    "M-my dad told me to pr-protect my sister..."


    Doga wasn''t all that good at talking.


    In all his life, although he listened to plenty of other people, he had never said very much.


    But the words that came from his mouth had convinced Ariel.


    "To protect your sister, a splendid goal."


    "B-but, Hans is already protecting my sister, so Hans and my sister are together and um,"


    The soldier next to Ariel had added "His sister is married to a soldier named Hans".


    Doga didn''t know, but it was Luke.


    "So she doesn''t really need me to protect her anymore..."


    Doga looked downhearted as he said that but Ariel smiled.


    "That is incorrect Doga."


    "Hmm?"


    "You cannot stop looking after her."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Hans has become your brother, so you must now protect both your brother and your sister. Your work has doubled."


    Those words caused Doga a shock.


    He hadn''t thought about it like that before.


    But she was correct.


    Hans addressed Doga as a brother.


    Hans was his brother.


    If he was to protect his sister, he would obviously protect his brother.


    "R-right! I have to keep protecting them!"


    "Yes, but with your current method, it''s possible that you may not be able to protect them both."


    "Wha!? Why?"


    "You are strong, but your arms are short. If those two are to fall into danger, it''s possible that you may be too far to help."


    Doga looked at his hands.


    He remembered his father''s death.


    He had been close by, but had been killed by a beast outside of Doga''s vision.


    Since then, Doga had continued to protect the Final Door.


    The Final Door, the entrance to the King''s chambers.


    At times he would head out on Ariel''s orders.


    Once a day, not too far from Ariel''s door, he would receive instruction from S¨¢ndor.


    And once a month on his day off, he would go visit his sister and Hans to eat with them.


    When Doga wasn''t around, someone else was protecting the king''s door in his stead.


    Much of the time it was the¡ºKing''s Greatshield¡», Isolte Cruel.


    But it wasn''t like that to start with.


    He was appointed a knight and presented with a shiny set of golden armour.


    And after taking his post he did not move.


    After he had decided to protect it, he couldn''t leave it to someone with half hearted resolve.


    For an entire month, he left the door to no one other than S¨¢ndor.


    If he wasn''t ordered to rest by Ariel, he would have continued standing there without even eating for days.


    He would check anyone approaching the King''s chambers.


    Gender had no relevance, and would even take the smallest fork.


    And in that time, someone had joined the Seven Knights.


    The¡ºKing''s Greatshield¡», Isolte Cruel.


    She was the head instructor and in the time before Ghyslaine joined, was the only female member and eventually took the job of Ariel''s personal guard.


    One day.


    S¨¢ndor, for the sake of finding members to join the Golden Knight Order, was to search the kingdom.


    Without S¨¢ndor, Doga had no replacement.


    After an entire month of standing without break, Doga collapsed.


    S¨¢ndor decided that Isolte and Doga were to have a match.


    At that point, S¨¢ndor named Doga a¡ºNorth King¡».


    Although S¨¢ndor had only recently started teaching him, Doga was quite skilled.


    But it goes without saying, it was Isolte''s overwhelming victory.


    Doga''s battleaxe was warded off like a gentle breeze. Time after time, he was countered and eventually defeated.


    It was to the extent that if they had been using real swords, Isolte could have killed him in an instant if she wished.


    Doga continued to attack Isolte with his inexhaustible stamina but couldn''t lay a single finger on her and was defeated.


    The slender woman who was like a flower, continued to blow off the axe that was bigger than herself and continued to attack.


    As Doga took that hit over and over, he had to admit:


    She was someone fit to protect the door in his stead.


    And at the same time, he understood,


    This woman was a graceful and lovely flower.


    Something he could not touch.


    Doga had fallen in love with Isolte.


    "You seem pretty down lately..."


    Doga was having dinner with his sister''s family when he was told that.


    In front of the simple looking Doga were a number of dishes on the table.


    And on the other side of the table was his sister and her husband Hans.


    And sitting across from Hans was their daughter.


    Doga was sitting there blankly filling his mug of wine to the brim.


    "Are you not feeling well?"


    "...Wh-why?"


    Having perceived unrest in Doga''s heart, Hans pointed to the food.


    "Eat it all up alright."


    Looking at it, it was obvious to see that he hadn''t eaten much.


    It was his beloved sister¡¯s cooking.


    Normally, Doga would be wolfing down his food in silence, swallowing enough to make his cheeks bulge with a happy look on his face.


    Along with his favourite wine.


    He loved wine that was normally reserved for special occasions, so much so that he would even drink it here.


    And for that reason, Hans made sure to always have a barrel ready at their house.


    But for some reason, he hadn''t even eaten half his food and the way he was drinking his wine seemed somehow worn out.


    To those who knew Doga, something was definitely off.


    "If you aren''t feeling well, why don''t you go see the castle''s healers? You''re already a knight, if you ask, surely they''d do that much for you? Well at least you don''t look too bad."


    "...?"


    Doga puzzlingly tilted his head.


    He himself didn''t realise something was off.


    "If you''re tired, why not get a little more rest? I know that working as a guard for her majesty is a prestigious job and all. But if you were working too hard and collapsed, it wouldn''t be a joke... Well, I can''t really imagine you collapsing though."


    "Yessir."

 CH 9

    ¡°How many has it been now?¡±


    Right now, Isolte was in her house connected to the Dojo.


    Sitting in the living room opposite her brother.


    ¡°¡­He was the 26th.¡±


    Isolte said that as she hung her head.


    Tantris tried to look her in the eyes, but she averted her gaze.


    ¡°There¡¯s a rumour going around that you¡¯ve given up.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Isolte pressed her lips together.


    ¡°Well, um¡­ Everybody¡¯s great. They¡¯re all nice, calm people¡­ It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just?¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re all so perfect, their flaws all stand out.¡±


    Isolte began to remember all the people she had met with.


    The royal family members introduced by Ariel.


    They were all lively young men, and did well to entertain Isolte during the meeting.


    But¡­ They were all quite honest.


    Just as Ariel said, they began to talk about their own individual fetishes.


    The five she had met with, were all quite open about it.


    Handsome, kind; After they were married, he would try his best to be of use to Isolte: Atole Orpheus Asura.


    Handsome, strong; He has a deep understanding of the Water God Style: Beijil Venti Asura


    Handsome, elegant; He¡¯s be an extreme help to the finances of the Water God Style: Carlos Siodos Asura.


    Handsome, funny; He can make you laugh in any conversation: Daniel Lips Asura.


    Handsome, cute; He just makes you want to protect him: Elliot Skiron Asura.


    All of them spoke in great detail.


    About what they¡¯d do to her on the bed, or places other than the bed, what they¡¯d want her to wear, and finally, what Isolte wanted¡­


    Isolte, who was by no means experienced, couldn¡¯t keep up.


    When she realised, she declined.


    They said upfront what they thought.


    She remembered the repulsive lust those handsome men possessed.


    In truth, Isolte had quite a bit of mistrust towards men.


    Not all men are like that.


    They may not all be, but the world is large and there would have to be some that are.


    So Isolte began to think that it would be fine if she just didn¡¯t get married.


    ¡°What was wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say. It¡¯s something that I refuse to let from my mouth.¡±


    ¡°I get it¡­ They are Asuran royalty after all.¡±


    The perverted tastes of Asuran royalty are quite famous.


    The upper class wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with the normality of the common person¡¯s desires.


    ¡°But this really is a problem. You turned them all down.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t rejected all of them yet. There are still some left.¡±


    ¡°True, but at this rate, nothing¡¯s going to get decided.¡±


    Tantris said that and reminisced.


    Isolte, whenever she had to choose anything for herself, would always end up being too picky, denying everything, and saying she hated it.


    And then someone comes along and takes all the good things leaving her with whatever¡¯s left.


    That¡¯s also the reason she missed the usual age for marriage.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Taking her personality into account, he came to a decision.


    ¡°Marry the next man you meet with.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be able to match all your conditions.


    Because you¡¯re in a position to choose, you focus on all the bad points.


    But after you¡¯re married those flaws could seem like trivial matters.


    There might be some massive benefit that you missed at first.¡±


    Tantris didn¡¯t like this kind of overbearing argument.


    He believed that ample time to choose is necessary.


    And to know that person from the core.


    But it¡¯s because of¡ºAriel¡¯s introduction¡»that he believed, even if he had to be somewhat overbearing, he had to make it work somehow.


    He couldn¡¯t allow Ariel¡¯s introduction to end in failure.


    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±


    After a short silence, Isolte prepared herself.


    It¡¯s true that she was too picky.


    She¡¯d always been like that.


    That kind of personality has a good affinity with the Water God Style, she would soon be the Water God after all, but it had a bad compatibility with marriage.


    If things continued this way, she might spend her whole life single.


    Water God is indeed a title to be proud of.


    To receive praise and admiration from all.


    Responding to everyone with a smile, conversing, and returning home in a good mood.


    And then come home to an empty house, eat alone and go to bed with no one by your side.


    Empty.


    She didn¡¯t become the Water God to receive praise.


    But besides the swordsman within her, another Isolte exists.


    And that existence is already alone.


    And because of that, she felt empty.


    She didn¡¯t know whether or not building a family would fill the hole in her heart.


    But it would be better to have someone to come home from being admired to boast to.


    It¡¯s possible that whoever that might be, after listening to Isolte¡¯s day, they might demand some perverse act but¡­


    ¡­No, she was resolved.


    ¡°So, when and where is the next meeting?¡±


    ¡°Today. Apparently there¡¯ll be a carriage to come pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Royalty coming to meet me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There were three people left.


    Isolte didn¡¯t know, but after hearing that five had already been rejected, they had decided to go all out.


    As a result of the order being chosen via lottery, each one came at her more serious than the last.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡±


    It was then that Isolte realised.


    ¡°The Dojo is quite noisy.¡±


    The Dojo was adjoined to the Cruel house.


    That said, it was the headquarters of the Water God Style, so it took up a sizeable portion of land.


    Normally you wouldn¡¯t be able to hear anything, but Isolte was a Water Emperor.


    When the noise was mixed with anger and bloodthirst, she¡¯d have to notice.


    ¡°Is he already here?¡±


    ¡°It seems a bit soon for that¡­ No I might just be mistaken, but in any case, I¡¯m going. Even if it is a mistake, it isn¡¯t good to keep royalty waiting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    Isolte and Tantris nodded to each other and walked towards the door.


    The Dojo was somewhat noisy.


    The disciples in their training uniforms were surrounding someone, berating them with insults.


    ¡°Aah, Master, there¡¯s someone here to challenge you! He just showed up demanding that our Master come out.¡±


    Isolte and Tantris turned blue the second they heard that.


    If the students were acting this way towards royalty, it would be possible for them to have the Dojo shut down.


    He probably didn¡¯t give his name.


    The man who had come here to pick Isolte up.


    ¡°Cease this!¡±


    At Isolte¡¯s cry the place immediately quieted.


    ¡°Open the path! He is my guest!¡±


    ¡°¡­But this man,¡±


    ¡°All students are to kneel in the Dojo!¡±


    After Isolte had shouted that, the disciples scattered like baby spiders, headed towards the Dojo and kneeled in a line.


    Ever since the previous generation they¡¯d been quite fast at this.


    Well, that aside.


    She would have to quickly apologise.


    Thinking that, Isolte looked behind where the disciples just were.


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Waiting there was a man standing at 2 meters tall.


    A shoulder width of at least a meter.


    With a massive stone like frame.


    Isolte recognised it.


    ¡°Doga?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yessir.¡±


    When she called out and he turned around, it was definitely him.


    The completely honest member of the Seven Knights of Asura, the¡ºKing¡¯s Gatekeeper¡»Doga.


    He had previously been standing there looking frightened,


    but when he saw Isolte he looked relieved.


    ¡°You managed to narrowly escape death. This man is the North Emperor Doga. If he was serious, you people would have¡­¡±


    Isolte had said that much and then noticed how Doga was dressed.


    Knight¡¯s formal wear.


    Isolte hadn¡¯t seen him in formal wear before.


    He was always wrapped up in his usual gold or grey armour.


    And as if it were his uniform, Ariel didn¡¯t say anything.


    In addition to his tightly wrapped appearance, he held a bouquet of flowers in his hand.


    In Doga¡¯s hand it may have looked small, but it was quite a large bouquet.


    ¡°What are you doing here? On Her Majesty¡¯s orders? Or is an urgent summons?¡±


    Isolte was puzzled.


    Doga slowly walked towards her and pressed the bouquet towards her hands.


    Isolte didn¡¯t think it was possible.


    Bouquet and formal wear.


    Isolte felt that it wasn¡¯t possible.


    But what he said next, made the impossible, possible.


    ¡°I-Isolte Cruel¡­ I love you! P-Please marry me!¡±


    How was it possible that Doga was a member of the Asura royal family.


    She suddenly understood.


    He was the only man allowed to guard Ariel¡¯s private room.


    Luke was a special case and even S¨¢ndor, although he was allowed a weapon was assigned to guard some far off room.


    Even late at night, he still stands outside Ariel¡¯s room.


    But considering that, she had never heard that he was a eunuch.


    Doga was known to be a harmless man, be he was still a man.


    With a large build and strength of a North Emperor.


    Considering that, it would be simple for him to take a visit to Ariel¡¯s bedroom.


    Isolte had always wondered how this man had gotten his position.


    But what if he was related to Ariel?


    Someone she had known since she was young?


    His birthplace was supposedly a small village somewhere in the empire, but there¡¯s all kinds of royalty.


    Ariel had once fled to a distant country, Doga may have also have hid himself since childhood.


    ¡°Isolte.¡±


    At Tantris¡¯s call, Isolte came out of her sea of thought.


    He may have been part of something dangerous.


    Doga was most likely part of the darkness of the Asura Empire.


    If she carelessly got involved, Isolte might be erased.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Being asked from the front brought her back to reality.


    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡±


    Isolte once more looked at Doga.


    ¡°Please marry me.¡±


    He said that.


    Without a doubt.


    He remained silent after that, but she shouldn¡¯t have misheard.


    Doga¡¯s manner was impressive.


    Walking in from the front door with flowers in hand and proposing right off the bat.


    Isolte would have preferred something slightly more romantic.


    But if you think about it, you could call that romantic.


    Giving flowers in front of a group of people and proposing was added to Isolte¡¯s list of romantic confessions.


    Of course, not in front of a smelly Dojo, but a beautiful fountain, at a luxurious party hall¡­


    But she decided to ignore that.


    She was ignoring all kinds of things.


    ¡°¡­Perfect timing. A fellow member of the Seven Knights would match you perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    It was then that Isolte realised where they were.


    In the line of sight of the Disciples.


    ¡°In any case, we should change the location. Doga, please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Yessir.¡±


    Isolte began walking in the opposite direction.


    She didn¡¯t take the flowers from his hands and for a second Doga looked somewhat sad but immediately began to follow Isolte.


    And so Doga was invited back to Isolte¡¯s estate.


    He was sitting huddled up on the sofa that was creaking under his weight.


    The bouquet was still on his lap.


    Opposite him, Isolte was sitting dignified.


    She didn¡¯t give off any sort of aura nor did her face reveal her emotions.


    It gave the illusion that she was feeling nothing at all.


    Tantris wasn¡¯t around.


    He had left them at the entrance to prepare tea.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And in the meantime, Isolte was carefully observing Doga¡¯s face.


    In the face of her gaze, Doga put on a serious expression.


    Because he was trembling slightly, it was obvious that he was nervous.


    But what Isolte was looking at wasn¡¯t that, it was his face.


    His simplistic face.


    She just wasn¡¯t fond of it.


    She could try to ignore it, but it just wasn¡¯t her preference.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Honestly, she thought that maybe one of the previous 5 might have been better.


    They were all similarly high spec¡¯d with handsome faces. They were all much more fantastic.


    But the next royal family member to come through might be below Doga.


    There was also the previous discussion with her brother.


    This was something she had to decide.


    ¡°In any case, who would have thought you were royalty.¡±


    As Isolte said that with a sigh, Doga looked puzzled.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t royalty.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hm? Were you adopted?¡±


    She asked that to find out if he was hiding his status as royalty.


    ¡°I was born in a small village in the Donati province and have always been a gatekeeper. Me pops was a soldier of the village and¡­¡±


    But what came out from Doga¡¯s mouth was a story of rising up from a decidedly poor soldier.


    No, he might not have been poor.


    Isolte had already somewhat heard the story but when he got to the part about his sister''s wedding, he started crying, which caused Isolte to start crying too.


    ¡°And so, after I heard you were gettin¡¯ married, I thought, before that, I should let you know how I felt.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But this basically meant that he was someone completely unrelated.


    he had nothing to do with the royalty introduced by Ariel.


    And so Isolte decided to refuse him.


    It was a slight shame, but she had to uphold the dignity imparted through Ariel''s introduction of the suitors.


    (Hmm? A shame? why?)


    It was then she questioned her own thoughts.


    But she immediately reached a conclusion.


    He was honest, diligent, and wholehearted.


    From what she had heard from him just now, he didn¡¯t have any kind of fetish that would make you draw away.


    He had the strength of a North Emperor and as a member of the Seven Knights his wage was secure.


    He liked to drink but it didn¡¯t make him violent, nor did he get involved in showy gatherings.


    Only his face was no good.


    It wasn¡¯t that it was bad, it just didn¡¯t fit with Isolte¡¯s preferences.


    ¡°U-um¡­!¡±


    Seeing Isolte¡¯s complex look Doga spoke up as if resolving himself.


    ¡°I-I, ever since I first saw you, I thought you were as pretty as a flower, and, um, I had always loved you!¡±


    Doga said that and once more pushed the bouquet towards Isolte.


    ¡°Is that right, from when we first met¡­¡±


    Isolte¡¯s vision was filled with flowers.


    Deep blue flowers.


    She didn¡¯t know their name but they were beautiful flowers.


    Being compared to these flowers caused her heart to flutter a little.


    ¡°¡­Yessir.¡±


    If Isolte recalled correctly, their first meeting was a battle.


    To decide the matter of Ariel¡¯s guard, the time when she fought Doga.


    To say that it was then that it started.


    Thinking back, he had always been somewhat kind to her.


    He always had faith in her.


    He wouldn''t take her weapon when she entered Ariel''s room.


    Of course, it was also because they were both members of the Seven Knights.


    But that wasn''t all there was to it.


    Thinking like that, Doga''s face looked about 20% better to her.


    It really wasn''t that he looked bad.


    Looking at it from a different angle he had a certain charm.


    You normally wouldn''t see it because of his helmet anyway.


    Or so, Isolte thought.


    "No, no...!"


    Isolte shook her head.


    "I''m terribly sorry but it has already been decided that I would marry royalty at Ariel''s introduction."


    Right, if she was to choose Doga here, it would disgrace Ariel.


    Isolte was a knight.


    Her loyalty may not be absolute and unwavering, but she had still sworn it to Ariel.


    To disgrace the name of her Lord is something she mustn''t do.


    "You are also her majesty''s knight, you wouldn''t go against her will, would you?"


    "...Yessir."


    Doga looked somewhat troubled.


    Just as Isolte said, Doga was also a Knight.


    Doga was Loyal.


    It was precisely because he was not royalty hat he had gained Ariel''s faith and been made gatekeeper.


    He could not do anything that might betray Ariel''s trust.


    "...Then if you would please go home."


    "Yessir."


    She had thought that Doga would try to resist, but he easily stood up and turned his back to Isolte.


    Quite easily.


    He even looked somewhat triumphant.


    It was as if he knew he would rejected from the start and was simply relieved that he had said it.


    It was a respectable position to take, but it was also somewhat disappointing.


    ¡°¡­Haa.¡±


    Isolte sighed and looked at the table.


    There sat a single flower petal.


    Not the bouquet;


    He had taken that with him.


    ¡°I should have at least taken the flowers from him.¡±


    Isolte muttered that to herself with the petal between her fingers.


    Later that day she turned down the royal that came to meet her.


    The next day.


    Isolte was in the training grounds.


    One of her duties was to be a sword instructor.


    While the soldiers were learning from watching the knights, she was thinking about what happened yesterday.


    The royal that had come to meet her, Fraiser Kaikias Asura.


    His sexual desire was, as usual, repulsive, but he wasn¡¯t a dislikable person.


    But compared to Doga, his insincerity was readily apparent.


    But instead of refusing him outright, she should have at least told him to wait before she made her decision.


    In any case, only two were left.


    She would have to screen each of them carefully and choose one


    As she was thinking that, a messenger soldier approached her from behind.


    ¡°Isolte-dono! Her Majesty has issued an urgent summons for you!¡±


    Isolte could guess what Ariel wanted to talk about.


    She had probably heard that Isolte had rejected them one after the other and intended to scold her.


    She was resigned to her fate.


    Isolte thought that she would have to apologise to Ariel.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Thinking that, Isolte left the training grounds.


    She left behind the knights¡¯ rooms outside the training grounds in a cloud of dust.


    Normally one would shower when leaving after training, but as the summons was urgent, something like that wouldn¡¯t be allowed.


    And so, she quickly headed towards the King¡¯s chambers.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    As she got close to the inner palace, she felt something was off.


    She noticed it was much busier that usual.


    Normally one you would advance through the empty hallway devoid of both soldiers and knights but today you could see soldiers busily walking about.


    Something probably happened.


    Isolte was thinking about it but Her Majesty¡¯s summons was the priority.


    Without hearing anything in particular, Isolte headed towards the King¡¯s Chambers.


    And so, she arrived before the King¡¯s Chamber.


    In front of the extravagant door, Isolte furrowed her brow.


    The person who should have been standing there was missing.


    The single man with the stone like frame in his golden armour.


    The man who would never move from his post in front of Ariel¡¯s room, the Asura Empire¡¯s strongest gatekeeper, Doga.


    He wasn¡¯t anywhere in sight.


    As if in his stead, standing in front of the door in formation were the palace knights.


    All of whom had weapons strapped to their waists.


    It was an imposing sight.


    In addition, they all held themselves like experts.


    There were also many lower level noble knights that would normally wouldn¡¯t be allowed this far into the palace.


    They were most likely Sylvester¡¯s men.


    They did not fear their rear, each taking optimal movement.


    ¡°Lord Ifrit!¡±


    It was then she saw the figure of a certain person.


    The man in charge of the guard of the castle, the¡ºKing¡¯s Rampart¡»Sylvester Ifrit.


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Isolte. You got here quite fast.¡±


    ¡°Just what is going on here?¡±


    Hearing that, Sylvester had quite a difficult face.


    As if he was questioning how he should explain it.


    Several seconds later, he shrugged his shoulders and said this:


    ¡°Her Majesty calls for you.¡±


    As if to say that everything would be explained inside.


    Isolte gave up upon hearing that explanation and knocked on the door.


    ¡°¡­Isolte Cruel, reporting in!¡±


    ¡°You may enter.¡±


    Ariel¡¯s voice was the same as always.


    Contrary to the bustle outside, her voice was unusually calm.


    ¡°Please excuse me.¡±


    Isolte opened the door and entered.


    What she saw before her was a strange sight.


    Ariel sitting at her desk, performing her duties.


    Luke standing beside her, arms crossed, looking worn out.


    An Imperial Maid standing grim faced and armed.


    And Doga.


    Doga who was rarely ever seen in Her Majesty¡¯s room was standing there.


    In one hand he held his golden helmet and in the other, a slightly withered bouquet.


    ¡°Good work Isolte. You arrived rather quickly.¡±


    ¡°I was in the training grounds¡­ But just what has happened here?¡±


    To which Ariel replied as if it was nothing:


    ¡°Doga has decided to retire as my knight.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Isolte looked at Doga.


    He looked serious.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was doing this as a joke.


    ¡°So what exactly does this mean.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll have you hear it from Doga himself¡­ Doga if you could explain it one more time.¡±


    Ariel said that and looked at Doga.


    Doga nodded and began to speak.


    ¡°Isolte said that she couldn¡¯t marry a knight of Ariel-sama.¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    A single sentence.


    With that, Isolte could guess the reason she was called here.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it! So as to not shame your Majesty¡¯s name: ¡°A knight of her Majesty, you wouldn''t go against her will¡± is all I said.¡±


    ¡°Quiet, listen until the end.¡±


    In response to Ariel¡¯s calm voice, Isolte subsided.


    But Isolte¡¯s thoughts were not calm.


    Depending on the flow of the conversation, she could be accused of instigating revolt in Doga.


    No, judging by the clamor outside, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if that was already the case.


    Although she didn¡¯t have such intentions¡­


    ¡°Doga.¡±


    Unbeknownst to what Isotle was thinking,


    In response to Ariel¡¯s cue, with some difficulty, Doga continued.


    ¡°I thought really hard.


    About how I promised my dad that I would protect my sister.


    Ariel said that protecting the country and protecting my sister were the same thing.


    And Ariel-sama is the queen so protecting her is protecting the country.¡±


    ¡°But my sister said that I had protected her plenty already.


    There was nothing to think about, this time I would protect what I loved.¡±


    ¡°I like Ariel-sama. I like this country. I want to protect them.


    But my feeling for Isotle are much more special.


    So I¡¯ll quit as Ariel¡¯s knight.


    And after that, I¡¯ll protect Isolte.¡±


    After he said that, he put his golden helmet back on his head,


    And once more he held the flowers out to Isotle.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Isolte¡¯s eyes were filled with slightly withered deep blue flowers.


    The same bouquet from yesterday.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he says¡­ What are you going to do Isolte.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Isotle was wide eyed at the sudden confession.


    ¡°I dont know what kind of conditions you have put out,


    but he has chosen you over the Seven Knights of Asura.


    It¡¯s more than a woman deserves. What will you do?¡±


    Those words.


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t called he to be reproached for inciting rebellion in Doga.


    And on top of that, she was being asked how she would respond to him.


    ¡°B-but, the men that your Majesty had introduced¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget about that group.¡±


    Alarm bells had begun ringing in her heart.


    Far greater than when she faced the Fighting God in the Biheiril Empire.


    She felt like she would collapse on the spot.


    In actual fact, her face was bright red.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    It was then she remembered the story of the first Water God.


    The princess that threw everything away to be with the Water God.


    With yesterday¡¯s conversation, she knew that Doga didn¡¯t have much to his name.


    His strength, large build, and few family members.


    And his position as a member of the Seven Knights.


    But he no longer even had that much.


    He threw away his position and even his own family to choose Isolte.


    With yesterday¡¯s conversation, thinking about it carefully, she was somewhat hasty.


    Doga said that Isolte was worth more to him than anything.


    He was different from all the other nobles and royals she had met with.


    Even after he had thrown away that which he held closest to him, he still didn¡¯t demand that she become his.


    Just like the princess from the story.


    In the whole world, the only person who loved her that much, might just be Doga.


    Just what was there to be dissatisfied with.


    His face was something she no longer cared about.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Before she realised, Isolte had taken the flowers.


    The large blue bouquet.


    The slightly withered flowers seemed as if they were Isolte¡¯s symbol.


    Even if the flowers wilted Doga was still sure to love them.


    In the end, a flower¡¯s beauty was but a fleeting thing.


    ¡°I may not have much, but I¡¯ll be in your care from now on.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yessir.¡±


    Doga had a bright smile on his face while applause burst out from the surroundings.


    The proposal in the King¡¯s Chambers became well known even among ordinary soldiers.


    Doga¡¯s former co-workers shed tears of joy, and those who idolised Isolte and wanted to make her theirs shed tears into their pillows.


    Doga retired from his position as a member of the Seven Knights and became Isolte¡¯s husband.


    He was no longer Doga of the Seven Knights, but Doga the house husband.


    ¡°You said that you would retire as my knight but Isotle is also a knight of this country.


    She is quite strong, but if I were to die, the country would fall into disarray, and she might very well be assassinated.


    Of course, you said that you would protect her¡­ Nor do I have any intention of dying.


    In any case, how about it? Why don¡¯t you protect Isolte while protecting me?¡±


    ¡­But due to Ariel¡¯s persuasion it was decided that he would keep his post.


    There was no way Ariel would allow the North Emperor Doga to escape from her grasp.


    Of course, as punishment for the disturbance he had caused in front of the King¡¯s Chamber, he was assigned no small amount of manual labour.


    Two members of the Seven Knights of Asura getting married was an excellent outcome for Ariel.


    The members of the Royal family that she had called out to were but a trivial matter.


    Due to his marriage, the time Doga spent guarding the King¡¯s Chambers was greatly decreased.


    He would return home at a predetermined time each night, and when Isotle was sent away on duty, he would certainly follow.


    As a result, Isolte¡¯s position shifted to an exclusive guard for Ariel but that¡¯s another story.


    The awkward Doga had been accepted by Isotle.


    Until they were married they spent that time getting to know each other as friends, and it wasn¡¯t until about a year later that the two were officially married.


    During that time, a rumour started that Isolte truly didn¡¯t like Doga after all.


    Because within the Royal palace, during that time, Isolte¡¯s treatment of Doga was just as cold as usual.


    But after Isolte accidentally referred to Doga as ¡®Darling¡¯ in front of the soldiers and turned bright red while quickly correcting herself, that rumour soon vanished.


    Surely, when the two were alone, they were as close as a couple could be.1


    And so, the two were married.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. Original said: "As close as Mandarin Ducks"

 CH 10

    It was storming that day.


    Rain struck the ground as if trying to wash it away, and enormous bolts of lightning fell towards the earth.


    The light from these strikes illuminated the inside of a certain house.


    A single house, standing in a barren plain.


    In that house, two Mad Scientists laughed.


    ¡°Hahaha!! MUWAHAHAHAHAH!! FINALLY! IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED!¡±


    ¡°YES! AFTER ALL THIS TIME! IT¡¯S FINALLY COMPLETE!¡±


    The two Mad Scientists danced around the room hand in hand.


    ¡°To have come this far, it¡¯s all due to Shishou¡¯s peerless techniques.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s all due to your boundless knowledge and design. Without that we would never have completed it, Zanoba.¡±


    The two were Rudeus and Zanoba.


    The two praised each other and stopped dancing.


    In the room with the two of them, a dais was set.


    It was a stone dais emitting a strange light.


    On that dais, a lone girl lay there sleeping completely bare.


    ¡°It truly took a long time to make it this far.¡±


    Rudeus thought about all their continuous failures.


    The first time they tried to activate it ended in failure.


    To complete Prototype Unit No.01 many tens of versions and minor changes were necessary.


    As a result, what they got after activation was a golem that could comply with simple commands.


    This in itself was something which would be in great demand, but what the two strived for was something much different.


    For Prototype Unit No.02 an Artificially Intelligent core and a body closer to a human¡¯s were to be developed.


    Of course, the failures continued.


    The body gradually became more human-like, but to make its movements more human, changing the flesh was very difficult but but tampering with the core to the same end could cause it to fail to activate.


    To make it as human as possible they had to achieve the perfect balance.


    Failures led to more failures.


    They re-examined the memoirs of the Eccentric Dragon King Chaos many times over.


    They even asked the Armoured Dragon King Pergius for advice and gained insights into magic formations and spirit summoning.


    The Dragon God Orsted gave them rare magic stones and knowledge of many materials.


    But despite that, the failures continued.


    The unreachable domain of the Mad Dragon King. They shed tears at the thought of never touching it.


    They failed, shed tears, tried once more, and failed once again.


    But each time they failed, they learned something new, slowly making progress.


    And finally, one month later.


    At last, they had succeeded.


    They had succeeded in activating a doll of temporary composition.


    The Prototype Unit No.03.


    It had no face but without a doubt, it activated.


    They were overjoyed at the success.


    After taking the Data from the Prototype Unit No.03 they immediately began work on the next unit.


    The Prototype Unit No.04


    The Prototype Unit No.04 had specs quite close to the finished product.


    The body and face of a human, lips that moved when it talked and it made full use of its limbs to move freely.


    But in actual fact, the two of them hadn¡¯t completed all the experiments on the Prototype Unit No.03.


    They hadn¡¯t examined for all possible flaws.


    In their pursuit of their ideal doll and perfect form, they did not have the patience.


    And so, they brushed the process aside and began work on the almost complete Prototype Unit No.04.


    But that in itself was a good thing.


    Everything Prototype Unit No.03 could do Prototype Unit No.04 could too.


    They still had to perform the system check on the Prototype Unit No.04 and test its compatibility with the tasks that they would have the finished product undergo.


    That was fine, they thought.


    This is the next step, they thought.


    What we want to see it beyond this, they thought.


    This is the Automaton that we want to see, they thought.


    ¡°Now then! I¡¯m activating it~!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Zanoba reached out to the magic stone on the girl¡¯s modest chest with an excited expression.


    Within that magic stone, in the chest of the girl was the core.


    The tiny complicated magic formation in the Core was the girl¡¯s heart.


    After the Core activates, the Doll would stand on it¡¯s own feet, learn, make it¡¯s own decisions, and absorb mana with it¡¯s own power allowing for semi-permanent activity.


    It¡¯s was perfect autonomous doll.


    Of course if that happens it¡¯s possible that it could collapse from mana exhaustion.


    But if that happens it would just need to be rested on the platform until all it¡¯s magic recovered.


    But when Rudeus first proposed that, Zanoba had said:


    ¡°If it needs a human to restart it, doesn¡¯t that make it incomplete?¡±


    But Rudeus replied to him:


    ¡°Of course not, that in itself is perfection.


    When people fall and can¡¯t get up by themselves, it¡¯s by borrowing the hands of others that they can stand once more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zanoba¡¯s hand began to hesitate.


    Would even he hesitate at having to touch the chest of a small girl?


    No, he wasn¡¯t someone to have doubts over something like that.


    ¡°¡­Shishou why don¡¯t you do it?¡±


    ¡°No, the reason we made it this far was your hard work, you do it.¡±


    Zanoba was frightened.


    They were about to realise their ideal.


    The thing they had been dreaming about for more than 10 years.


    But he wasn¡¯t originally a timid man.


    He was someone unrelated to indecision.


    ¡°I understand¡­ Then, I will activate it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Zanoba¡¯s hand slowly reached towards the girl¡¯s chest.


    Slowly and carefully as if touching something fragile his hand crept along the girl¡¯s skin towards the magic stone.


    The mana needed for activation wasn¡¯t that large.


    It was an amount anyone could provide.


    ¡°¡­¡ºAwaken, my beloved daughter¡»¡±


    The moment Zanoba said the activation incantation, his mana was sucked through his finger.


    The red light on the platform began to turn blue.


    the second he confirmed that, he removed his hand.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Several seconds passed in silence.


    The two men held their breath and watched the girl activate.


    The post activation process was automatic.


    After the chant and input of the initial mana, all that was left to do was watch.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The girl, silently opened her eyes.


    She had dark black pupils.


    And at the same time, the physical connection to the platform was severed.


    After the connection was severed, the girl slowly sat up.


    She had pure white hair.


    She was so slender, you would think she didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of muscle.


    Her breasts were small but the shape was perfect and her figure was so beautiful you wouldn¡¯t think it belonged to a young girl.


    This was the crystallisation of Zanoba and Rudeus¡¯s many years of experience in doll creation and art.


    Her body was made of artificial flesh and her bones were of the same strength as the Magic Armour.


    The artificial flesh used Rudeus¡¯s earth magic clay as a base, mixed with the scales of Red Dragons and Phantom Butterflies that have high magic power and finally, the sap of an Elder Treant and Immortal Race blood.


    This was the compound that was completed after continuous trial and error with high class materials. While possessing exceptional durability, it also had a feel extremely close to human skin.


    What made the body move were magic formations carved into the bones.


    These formations cause the artificial flesh to solidify and move like muscle.


    The principle was the same as the Magic Armour.


    ¡°But still, what should we teach it?¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯ve already confirmed that it can complete simple tasks, we should see just how adaptable it is and test the extent of its independent thought.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole heap of things to look into. Let¡¯s just get through whatever we can.¡±


    The two were discussing their future plans while drinking.


    After it had successfully activated they didn¡¯t make it do anything considerable.


    But it did manage to skillfully interpret a vague order


    She had the fundamental knowledge of the earlier models and would continue learning by herself.


    But they still didn¡¯t know just how far it¡¯s intellect would stretch.


    Like the extent of what it could learn or things it couldn¡¯t do.


    Or how far it could think for itself and make it¡¯s own decisions.


    ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯ll take responsibility and teach it all kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go teaching it anything you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I would return those words right back at you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha.¡±


    The two were drinking merrily and thinking about what to do next.


    But then Zanoba changed the conversation topic.


    ¡°Right, the¡ºbyproducts¡»that you made have been selling well too.¡±


    ¡°We did end up making all kinds of other things in the middle of research. Have you been selling them at the store?¡±


    ¡°The frog bag is particularly popular.¡±


    ¡°Oh really¡­¡±


    To get the proper consistency of human skin, Rudeus tried all different kinds of combinations.


    Among them was the cheek pouch of the Rain Force Frog. It was extremely long and thin but also very durable.


    He had originally thought to use that to make the skin.


    In the end they decided to look for something different to use and made something else from it.


    That was¡­


    ¡°The contraceptiveCondom3 is it.¡±


    ¡°Luke-dono is especially pleased with it. He created a factory to produce them in Asura.¡±


    ¡°Asuran nobles really do like that kind of thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Although you say that, you use it too don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah.¡±


    Yes, Rudeus used them too.


    Almost every night.


    After his third and fourth daughters Lily and Christina were born there was a silent agreement that the next child to be born would be Sylphy¡¯s.


    Sylphy became the centre, so the nights he spent with Eris and Roxy decreased.


    But because the Elves weren¡¯t very fertile, she wasn¡¯t able to conceive a third time.


    The fact that Sieg and Lucy were able to be born might simply have been good timing or maybe god was bullying them¡­


    They didn¡¯t know, but when their turns began to decrease Eris and Roxy got restless.


    Compared to before, Eris¡¯s desire had settled down but she was still quite lascivious.


    The gleam in her eyes was like a wild beast.


    But if Rudeus would accompany her, she might end up pregnant.


    And that¡¯s where the condom comes in.


    If it was used, the wild Eris could be satisfied and there would be no child.


    Seeing Eris who was currently bearing her third child, Sylphy didn¡¯t look upset, nor was the atmosphere of the house strained.


    It was somewhat of a godsend.


    ¡°¡­Well, you know, it¡¯s not too good for the amount of children to increase if the number of people to look after them doesn¡¯t as well.¡±


    ¡°You could just employ a maid.¡±


    ¡°If I hired a maid, she wouldn¡¯t look after me too. Six people is just too many.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ That¡¯s just like you Shishou.¡±


    Zanoba laughed.


    Seeing that Rudeus suddenly thought of something.


    The question everyone was always thinking of asking.


    ¡°Right, what do you think of Julie?¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°Like, as a second wife?¡±


    ¡°With Julie?¡±


    ¡°Well there is her age, and her status is quite low¡­ But you don¡¯t consider yourself royalty anymore right? It¡¯s not a bad idea right? Being surrounded by kids, praising them, sometimes having to scold them.¡±


    Zanoba listened and then firmly shook his head.


    ¡°I won''t get married to her.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    Hearing his firm reply Rudeus decided to let it go.


    Everybody had a line that couldn¡¯t be crossed.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was saying that simply because he didn¡¯t want to marry her.


    There were plenty of reasons like his status as royalty, the fact that he was already married or the younger brother that he had killed, or Pax.


    ¡°Uugh¡­ My head hurts.¡±


    The next day.


    Rudeus began to detox the pain in his head and got up.


    Looking outside the window, the storm had blown over and a cloudless sky opened up before him.


    ¡°It¡¯s already noon¡­ I must have drank too much.¡±


    But, for some reason, drinking together as men was too good.


    Celebratory drinks especially.


    Yesterday they were bewildered at the dolls shamelessness, but that was another thing.


    Now that the Prototype was complete, the next step would be the fun part.


    The dream before them. Their overflowing hope. Their bursting love.


    Thinking those kinds of things, Rudeus looked towards the doll¡¯s face and¡­


    ¡°¡­Wha?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t there.


    The doll wasn¡¯t on the dais.


    All he could see was an empty platform.


    ¡°Wait a second, huh? What? Umm, Zanoba~? What¡¯d you do with the doll~?¡±


    Zanoba had probably woken up before him and gone to teach it.


    Thinking that, he began to look around.


    He then saw wrapped in a blanket in the corner of the room, Zanoba just waking up.


    ¡°Hmm~¡­ Shishou, the doll is still suspended on the dais isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Suspended?¡±


    Rudeus suddenly remembered.


    After they had put clothes on it they had definitely put it to sleep on the dais.


    There was no doubt that they had put it asleep.


    ¡°¡­¡­Did we suspend it?¡±


    But to properly suspend it, it was necessary to give it the order to shut down.


    You had to place your hand on the magic stone and recite the chant.


    They hadn¡¯t done that.


    ¡°S-Search!¡±


    ¡°U-Understood!¡±


    The two began to search for the doll in a panic.


    But they couldn¡¯t find it anywhere.


    Not in the lab or anywhere else.


    The doll had disappeared.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. This line made me feel weird translating it.


    2. This it a term for hyper-reaslistic sex dolls, but with the context it''s used in here ''sex doll'' isn''t an appropriate term. See This for details. Original term: ¥À¥Ã¥Á¥ï¥¤¥Õ


    3. Kanji says contraceptive but is read "Condom"

 CH 11

    That day, Elinalise was out shopping.


    Hand in hand with her son Clive.


    Elinalise had already birthed and raised many children but holding hands and going out with her own child was still fun.


    Especially with Clive who looked so similar to his father.


    His hair and his lips both resembled Cliff.


    And although she had no basis, the way he thought himself the best was exactly like him too.


    Remembering how Cliff had looked when they had first met, Elinalise began to drool... *Ahem* smile happily.


    "Okaa-san, pumpkin! Buy the pumpkin! The pumpkin!"


    "Hmm, you''re right. Pumpkin is quite delicious this season..."


    "Not like that! If you eat pumpkin you know, you grow taller!"


    "Who taught you that?"


    "Lucy-chan!"


    Elinalise''s son Clive was a pretty boy.


    Especially his eyes and features were quite like Elinalise, there was no doubt that he''d be popular with both human and elf girls in the future.


    But unfortunately he got his stature from his father and was quite short.


    Clive had quite a complex about it and at home he would talk about how he wanted to get taller all the time.


    "I wonder why you want to get taller so much?"


    "It''s a secret!"


    Clive''s face got a little red as he said that.


    But Elinalise already knew the reason.


    It was Lucy.


    Clive was in love with Lucy who was two years his senior.


    He wanted to get taller so that Lucy would think he was cool.


    "Hmm?"


    It was then that Elinalise''s long ears picked up a familiar voice.


    (Oioi, Isn''t it common sense when you get something from someone to give something back huh?)


    (I wanna know what kinda voice you''ll make for us girlie.)


    The voice was coming from a back alley behind a bar.


    Looking into it, you could see a girl being held by two men.


    They were someone Elinalise recognised.


    And for a change, this time it was the girl that she knew.


    "By voice do you mean like this?"


    "You''d think so right? But people can make a much better sound you know?"


    "Come on, come to the inn with us and let''s have a listen? It''s cool right? Let''s go."


    The woman didn''t seem like she was completely against it.


    But as far as Elinalise knew, she wasn''t that fond of this kind of invitation.


    What she wasn''t showing on her face is that she was troubled.


    "Hey, cut it out."


    Elinalise, shopping  bag still in hand called out to them.


    The men immediately turned to look.


    "Huh? What''s your problem?"


    "That girl is a friend of Rudeus. Go find someone else to hit on."


    The two men turned their lustful eyes towards Elinalise.


    "By someone else... Missie, how about you?"


    "Eeh, to say that in front of my little brother? How dirty."


    "Your brother? You flatter yourself."


    Elinalise had an embarrassed smile and a hand on her face.


    From their joking attitude she could already tell they were outsiders.


    Most likely traveling adventures.


    If they were from around here, there''s no way they would still be here after hearing Rudeus''s name.


    "Who are you... Hmm?"


    In front of her appeared Clive red in the face.


    With a tree branch he had picked up in hand.


    "Dont touch my mother!"


    "Clive, I appreciate the thought, but you mother can handle people of this level no problem. Get back."


    "Waaa..."


    Elinalise lifted Clive up and placed him behind her back.


    Elinalise reminded herself to praise Clive later and drew her sword.


    "This level? Even though the two of us are A rank?"


    "Hmm... Impressive at that age, you two must have some amount of talent."


    "Haha, you sure are composed. You must have some confidence in your skills."


    "No, unfortunately I''m simply mediocre."


    The two men drew their swords.


    They looked very familiar with them.


    Elinalise carried her sword around for self defence, but unfortunately she didn''t have her shield.


    Considering the opponent''s strength, 2 vs 1 was not in her favour.


    "Rest assured, after I teach you a lesson, I''ll show you a good time."


    Elinalise returned her sword to its sheath.


    The two had looked somewhat scared before, but now they were looking towards Elinalise with lustful eyes.


    After seeing the two seperate from the girl, Elinalise took a deep breath.


    "KYAAAAA! HELP!! KIDNAPPERS!!! AAAHH!"


    A scream echoed through the alley.


    The loud noise startled the two.


    "Wha!"


    "W-we aren''t kidnappers...!"


    But Elinalise''s voice continued ring out.


    Once Elinalise could see that no one was coming from the empty path, the back alley fell silent.


    "...Heh, trying to give us a fright. There''s no way anybody would be coming. We''re behind a bar in the middle of the day."


    "I''ll let you scream as much as you like on the bed..."


    But then.


    Doors all around began to open one after the other.


    And out came men.


    Groups of wild men, all in jet black coats.


    On their backs was a yellow crest that somewhat resembled a tiger.


    They were the Rudo Mercenary corp.


    As part of their work, they helped carry in the alcohol that the bars planned to sell that night.


    "Elinalise Anego!"1


    "Who the hell do you bastards think you''re laying your hands on!"


    "You assholes pickin'' a fight with the Rudo Mercenaries!?"


    "You wanna go! We''ll take you!"


    Those normally courteous young men who would protect the peace, when dealing with outlaws or those that hurt others, would become quite ill mannered.


    And on top of that, there were more than 10 people heading towards them.


    If it was Rudeus he would have apologised the second he saw them trying to intimidate him.


    No, Rudeus would probably have apologised the second he saw the doors open.


    "......W-We apologise!"


    "We were ignorant of your greatness... We have only arrived today."


    It took longer than two seconds for the men to throw away their swords and apologise.


    Congratulations, Rudeus''s honour has been upheld.


    Rudeus isn''t a coward or a chicken after all.


    Yes, if a large number of wild men come out of a building, anyone would apologise.


    "Anego, what should we do?"


    "They haven''t done anything yet, so let''s let them off with a warning. Take them somewhere nearby and teach them a lesson."


    "Yes ma''am! Alright then, you lot, come over here!"


    "No, but we... um..."


    "I said get over here!"


    "Umm, I have somewhere I have to be..."


    "You can afford to miss it!"


    After confirming that the adventurers had been dragged into the bar, Elinalise walked up to the girl.


    "Nanahoshi, it''s been a while... Was it already the day you were supposed to wake?"


    The girl was Nanahoshi.


    The expressionless girl nodded.


    "I awoke last night."


    "Is that so... Well talking here would be dull. Let''s hurry on."


    Elinalise said that and took Nanahoshi''s hand.


    It was then she felt something was off.


    "In any case, that was rather dangerous. I''m glad it was behind that bar so that help could come quickly."


    A few minutes ago, the two had entered the cafe.


    They had ordered the same fruit juice.


    Nanahoshi had imitated Elinalise''s order.


    Incidentally, in front of Clive was a somewhat fancy dessert.


    Lately sugar had been appearing rather cheap on the market so people had been using it to make preserved fruits.


    It seemed to be Nanahoshi''s first time in the cafe as she was looking rather curiously.


    "So, what happened?"


    "There have been numerous occurrences, it is difficult to choose a single one. Please refine the question."


    "...Did you always talk like that?"


    Elinalise was puzzled, but she knew that going through hard times could often change the way people speak.


    If a person changes so does their outlook.


    "Then please tell me everything from the beginning."


    "From the beginning?"


    "Yes, from the very start."


    Nanahoshi blinked twice and began talking.


    "I awoke on the dais. When I awoke Zanoba-sama and Rudeus-sama came up to me."


    "Oh, intruding on a lady''s room, what am I to do with those two."


    "The two of them, seeing me without clothes, looked exceedingly happy."


    "Huh...?"


    "After that the two of them touched my limbs and exposed chest, proceeding to check every corner of my body. After that they began to argue whether or not they would use me. After they were satisfied with me, they came to the conclusion to dispose of me and proceeded to put me to sleep on the dais and then proceeded to sleep themselves."


    Elinalise''s thoughts stopped for a moment.


    The image she had in her head was of Rudeus and Zanoba stripping a sleeping Nanahoshi with vulgar looks on their faces, waking her up and forcing themselves onto her.


    Having seen those kinds of men plenty of times, Elinalise could imagine it quite easily.


    "A-and you didn''t resist?"


    "Resistance was meaningless."


    "True, they are Rudeus and Zanoba... Was Pergius-sama not present?"


    "It was only the two of them."


    Elinalise didn''t know much about Pergius''s personality.


    But she did know that Pergius wasn¡¯t in his castle all the time.


    "W-was this the first time?"


    "Yes. But Rudeus-sama and Zanoba-sama had planned this for some time, it seemed like they had preparations in place"


    "Are you saying it''s possible they have been aiming for you since way back?"


    For them it would be simple to know when Pergius would be out.


    And be extension, when such a day would line up with when Nanahoshi would awake.


    "..."


    Elinalise was a calm woman.


    She was a woman who, due to her vast experiences, had the composure to remain calm in a situation such as this.


    But to her, being betrayed by those she trusted was quite shaking.


    But how could Rudeus...


    Putting aside the unpopular Zanoba,


    Rudeus was surrounded by his children and wives who both loved him and he loved back.


    The man who put his life on the line and fought Orsted for the sake of his family.


    Rudeus who does all kinds of things with Sylphy and Roxy at night.


    Rudeus who had Eris do all kinds of things to him at night.


    How could he... To Nanahoshi...


    She who was frantically searching for a way to return to her homeland.


    There was a part of her that thought that it was impossible.


    That it was some kind of mistake.


    Rudeus had been sincerely helping her.


    Much to Sylphy''s jealousy he continued to help Nanahoshi.


    He went to the Magic Continent and fought the Demon Lord Atofe to save her.


    But just looking at Nanahoshi''s expression.


    Removing the uneasy smile from before, she was constantly completely expressionless, like a doll.


    She neither smiled nor cried


    Even her hair was now short. Only barely up to her shoulders.


    The hair that she had looked after so carefully.


    It was now somewhat dried.


    Elinalise wasn''t especially close to Nanahoshi.


    But she had still known her for quite some time.


    And over that time she had gotten to know what kind of expressions she made.


    She had never seen Nanahoshi so shocked before.


    Nanahoshi couldn''t possibly be making it up.


    She couldn''t tell what was the truth.


    It could be a trap by someone to try and take down Rudeus or Zanoba.


    Right.


    There were all kinds of magic tools to change one''s appearance.


    That said, to use it, one would have to infiltrate deep into the Sky Castle. It would be impossible to imitate Nanahoshi.


    The only people capable of that would be those who knew Perguis''s schedule to some extent and could determine when the Sky Castle would be mostly empty.


    There weren''t many people who fit that.


    She was confused.


    She was flustered to an extent that she had never felt in these last few years.


    What should she do. What was the truth.


    She knew only one thing.


    "It must have been hard."


    Elinalise stood up and moved next to Nanahoshi and embraced her tightly.


    What she knew was that the the girl in front of her carried a scar on her heart.


    "Elinalise-sama, the conversation isn''t..."


    "It''s fine, I''ve heard enough.


    You had to talk about something difficult.


    I don''t quite believe it but... Mmm.


    Betraying someone''s trust is unforgivable. I will properly punish Rudeus."


    Therefore Elinalise put off finding the truth for now and decided to comfort Nanahoshi.


    "Has Rudeus committed some kind of crime?"


    "Yes, a terribly hateful crime."


    "What would that be."


    "He hurt you. No, not just you. Depending on how they feel, he could have also hurt his wives... Sylphy, Roxy, and Eris."


    "I am uninjured."


    "No, they have hurt your heart."


    "Heart..."


    Elinalise suddenly felt something odd while holding Nanahoshi.


    She somehow knew something was off around her heart.


    Elinalise often held people in her arms so she could tell.


    She had never felt someone chest that felt like this.


    There was no tangible sense of discomfort, but there was almost something inhuman about it.


    "Found it!"


    A loud voice rang out in the previously quiet cafe.


    Looking at the entrance, you could see a man in a grey coloured robe pointing towards Elinalise''s group.


    It was Rudeus.


    Following behind him was Zanoba.


    It wasn''t just the two of them, they were also with some of the Rudo Mercenaries.


    Eris''s job in the house was taking Leo and the children on walks.


    Of course, she would also teach the children swordsmanship, she also had a class at the school.


    But when it came to¡ºHousehold Jobs¡»Eris only had walks.


    As long as there was nothing pressing, they would head out early afternoon.


    Of course, taking everyone out would be dangerous so she at most took 2~3 people.


    When Leo would go out for a walk, Lara would get on his back as if it was natural so she would really only be taking one or two people.


    Today, Lara and Sieg were riding on Leo''s back and the still young Lilly was on Eris''s shoulders.


    And so, walking around the town and letting the children play somewhere suitable was Eris''s daily routine.


    Just a little while ago it was only Lucy, Lara, Ars, and sometimes Clive.


    Back then Lara would often have her hair pulled by the boys of the neighbourhood until Lucy would stop them.


    But lately because of Eris''s training, Lara has been able to fight back.


    When Eris had turned away for a second Lara was standing with a cut on her face and a bleeding nose.


    Nearby were the boys she had fought with crouching down and crying.


    Lara and Eris''s eyes met and still expressionless she thrust out her fingers in a V declaring her triumph.


    When Eris saw that she was somewhat troubled.


    When she was younger she often got into fights was scolded for it.


    A nobleman¡¯s daughter shouldn¡¯t be getting into fights, if someone says something to you, you return it with words, or so they¡¯d say to her.


    She wondered if she should scold Lara.


    But she ended up praising her.


    Lara didn''t speak very much.


    That shy girl standing up for herself was something to be proud of.


    "Good job", "As expected of my daughter", was the kind of thing she said.


    Of course, if Sieg or one the others had made someone obviously weaker than them cry, she would get mad.


    She''d spank them until their behind was red.


    But those boys were older and bigger than Lara.


    And so Eris thought to herself that complementing her was right after all.


    Thinking that Lara would be going to school next year, giving her nothing but praise might not be so good, but Eris didn''t think that far ahead.


    That said, today they weren''t at the usual park, they were heading somewhere different.


    There probably wouldn''t be any fighting.


    There wasn''t any meaning to it, just a whim.


    "Don¡¯t go too far from the bank!"


    Today they had come to the river to play.


    Lara and Sieg had taken off their clothes and jumped in with Leo.


    Eris was watching Lilly.


    Lately she had begun to toddle around.


    Maybe because the river excited her, she walked up to it nervously and put her hand in and shrieked at the cold and ran into Eris''s arms; she had already repeated it a number of times.


    "Kyaa! Mama! Mama!"


    "What is it? Is the water scary?"


    "Cold!"


    Hearing her half-baked answer, Eris let a smile slip and pet Lilly''s head.


    Lilly and Lara looked quite alike but Lara was somewhat more docile.


    But Lilly was much more investigative than Lara. Whenever she found something, she would be exceedingly curious.


    Just then, it looked like Lilly found something.


    "Mama! Sparkles!"


    "...Sparkles?"


    "It''s sparkling!"


    Looking where she was pointing, beyond the shining surface of the river, something else was sparkling.


    A fish.


    A small fish about the size of a finger was swimming around.


    "It''s a fish."2


    "Annoying!"


    "Not annoying. A fish. Try saying it. Fi-sh."


    "FISH! Mama, come on, catch it! Catch the fish!"


    "Yes yes... Let me see it."


    Eris rolled up her sleeves and looked in the river.


    After a few seconds there was a splash.


    And suddenly the fish was in Eris''s hand.


    The fish had no idea what happened and simply moved it''s mouth bewildered.


    "Here."


    "Yay! Yay!"


    Eris gave the fish to Lilly.


    The fish then seems to realise the danger it was in and suddenly began to flop around.


    It jumped off Lilly''s hand and fell back in the river.


    "It got away..."


    "Huhu, it thinks it can... Hm?"


    But in the middle of their exchange Eris sensed a presence.


    "...Something''s coming."


    Something was heading towards them from the city.


    Quite fast.


    It would have to be Rudeus wearing the magic armour¡ºMK.2 revised¡»or something of the same level.


    "Leo. Go get the two of them! Have them put their clothes on too."


    Hearing Eris''s shout, Leo barked and began to push Lara back up the bank.


    Lara was unaffected.


    She probably already knew what was going on from talking to Leo.


    Sieg grumbled that he still wanted to play but Lara grabbed his hand and they climbed out of the river and began to dry themselves.


    "Lara, help Sieg put his clothes on!"


    Sieg had only recently been able to put on his own clothes.


    Doing up a single button was quite slow and without help, he''d take quite a while.


    Eris was somewhat impatient.


    She didn''t feel any hostility from whatever was approaching but it was a bit too fast to grab the children and run.


    Even if it was an enemy, she could probably win, but it would be better to have the children run.


    The three children would run on Leo''s back and she would confront the enemy.


    Orsted''s office was also close by.


    The place where both The North God Kalman III and The Dragon God Orsted were staying.


    There was no doubt that they would be safe there but...


    "...Huh, what?"


    But seeing what was approaching, Eris let out a confused sound.


    Because it was a face she knew.


    A girl with black hair.


    Nanahoshi.


    When Eris arrived at the office the atmosphere was quite heavy.


    She also recognised the large number of Rudo Mercenaries gathering outside.


    And it wasn¡¯t just them, Zanoba and Julie, Elinalise and Clive, and the North God Kalman III Alexander were all there too.


    But the normal unpleasant aura was gone.


    It seemed that Orsted was out.


    ¡°Eris! Why are you here!?¡±


    And then, Rudeus walked out from the group.


    Eris was relieved upon seeing him.


    And at the same time, confirmed that her unease from before wasn¡¯t imagined.


    ¡°I ran into someone strange on our walk.¡±


    Hearing Eris¡¯s answer, a danger could be seen in Rudeus¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What kind of person?¡±


    ¡°They looked like Nanahoshi.¡±


    Rudeus immediately looked like he wanted to ask something.


    Like were they were or what happened.


    But more so, was concern for the person in front of him.


    ¡°I see¡­ So, did they do anything to you? Nobody was injured right?¡±


    ¡°The children are fine.¡±


    Rudeus looked worriedly at the kids.


    Lara, Sieg, and Lilly, playing with her hair.


    The people left in the office were the children, Leo, Julie, and Alek.


    ¡°Now then, until your father returns, you can play with onii-san over here.¡±


    Almost the instant their parents disappeared,


    The smiling Alek began to talk to worried looking children.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. Elder Sister/Boss Lady


    2. "It''s a fish"=Sakanada | "Annoying"=Sakanade. It''s a pun. They sound similar.

 CH 12

    At that time, Sylphy was at home looking after the 4th daughter Christina.


    "That''s good Chris,1 now take you hands off and walk towards mama."


    "Hmh~! Mama you come here...!"


    Compared to the fast learner Lily, Chris could only barely walk while holding onto something.


    And so recently she had been undergoing training like this with her mothers.


    Although Chris had never really liked it and was shaking her head on the brink of tears.


    "No you come over here, come on, do it slowly, slowly."


    "Hm! Uuh... Mama~... Come..."


    "No. Come on, I''m right over here."


    Chris was grumbling and crying.


    That said, it wasn''t something she couldn''t do.


    She just like to be spoilt.


    "*hic*... aah!"


    She eventually shut her eyes, toddled over to Sylphy and jumped into her arms.


    "There, there. You did great. Good girl."


    "Nn~..."


    Sylphy held Chris as she always did and stroked her head.


    Chris, still sniffling, held onto Sylphy.


    Compared to the energetic and curious Lilly, Chris was quite timid and withdrawn.


    She belonged to the indoor faction and never went out much.


    Eris occasionally took her out with the others, but she would always be stuck to her and she would often start crying and come right home because she was scared.


    Therefore she wouldn''t go out on walks and spent most of her time home.


    "Chris, you''re too shy. I wonder where you get that from..."


    Slyphy said that, but, well, it definitely came from Rudeus.


    "Mama... Papa, not home yet?"


    "No, he''s not home just yet."


    Chris is what you would call a daddy''s girl.


    Ever since she was born she was always quick to cry but whenever she was in Rudeus''s arms she would always stop.


    She was the complete opposite of Ars.


    Lately, Rudeus''s lap has been her reserved seat.


    "Aah!"


    "...Hmm?"


    She had  heard a sound from the entrance.


    Someone had probably come home.


    "Papa?"


    "I wonder... I don''t think it is."


    Rudeus had left yesterday.


    He hadn''t given an exact time, but he said he''d be 2~3 days.


    So he shouldn''t be back yet.


    "Onee-chan?"


    "It''s a bit too soon to be Onee-chan."


    It wasn''t quite time for Lucy and Roxy to be back from school, or for Aisha to finish with the Mercenaries.


    It could be Eris back from her walk.


    No, She was out with the playful Sieg, so she''d probably be out a bit longer.


    Then Lillia and Ars back from shopping.


    No, the two of them just left. It would be too fast.


    It''s possible that they could be coming back because they forgot something...


    It could be Zenith.


    She was sleeping in her room, but she could have made her way into the garden without anyone seeing.


    Sylphy kept thinking all kinds of things and put Chris on the couch.


    "Chris, wait here."


    Sylphy, somewhat baffled, headed towards the entrance.


    After she left the living room and was halfway down the hallway, she heard a creak.


    The door was half open.


    But what Sylphy was looking at wasn''t the door.


    "..."


    She was standing inside.


    Sillouetted by the setting sun of the half open door, she stood there.


    A black haired girl.


    Just by appearance, she was the girl called Nanahoshi.


    If they were closer, she might have called out to her.


    But the moment Sylphy saw her, she frowned.


    "...You''re not Nanahoshi are you?"


    Hearing that, the girl''s lips warped into a smile.


    With the lighting behind her, the look gave an ominous vibe.


    "Yes. That is correct. How did you come to know?"


    "Nanahoshi comes to our house quite often. Whenever she opens the door she has habit. She''ll always knock twice and if there''s no response, she''ll open the door slightly and ask "Is anyone home?"2 quietly."


    Sylphy said that and put mana into her right hand.


    An unknown existence imitating their friend had infiltrated her house.


    When Rudeus arrived, the house was eerily calm.


    Beet¡¯s post.


    Aisha¡¯s garden.


    Leo¡¯s dog house.


    No one was there.


    Peeking through the unlocked entrance, he could see the cleanly swept hallway and living room door.


    It was calm.


    No, it wasn¡¯t that there was no sound.


    Only a cry resounded throughout the house.


    It was a voice he knew well.


    It was Chris¡¯s cry.


    It was a cry of heartbreak.


    It sounded like something important had been lost, as if alluding to some great sadness.


    To Rudeus, it was a familiar cry.


    A cry that whenever he approached, would quickly stop.


    And although he heard it, for some reason, he still thought it was calm.


    ¡°¡­The mercenaries are to remain on standby.¡±


    Rudeus issued that order, opened the door as silently as possible and went inside.


    Here, it was also calm.


    The hall was clean.


    As a result of this incident, the doll¡¯s disposal was dismissed.


    Their plan became to maintain the doll to the best of their abilities.


    And the doll that played the central role in the incident, was assigned a legitimate unit number.


    Automaton No.01.


    After that, Rudeus continues his experiments in the Lab and the Magic City Sharia and advanced many of his various plans.


    But that¡¯s another story.


    Nanahoshi also became aware of the doll¡¯s secret.


    Discovering that a doll with her face functioned sexually, she was clearly displeased.


    But after Rudeus prostrated himself and told her that he had already promised Sylphy that he wouldn¡¯t use it to that end, she somewhat forgave him.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. So, what¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t come up with one yet.¡±


    ¡°Really? Do you want me to give it one them?¡±


    And so Nanahoshi named the doll.


    The Automaton No.01 would be known as¡ºAnne¡».


    And in case Nanahoshi¡¯s acquaintance were to ever appear, in order for him to be able to know of her existence, the doll would be given a Japanese-like name and so,¡ºNanahoshi Hajime¡»3 was chosen.


    If she were to ever meet Nanahoshi¡¯s friend, after saying that name, she would proceed to tell of her relation to Nanahoshi.


    And so it¡¯s official designation was¡ºAutomaton SS-01 Anne¡».4


    They didn¡¯t yet know if Unit No.02 would be Deux and and Unit No.03 Trois, but they would work that out when they got there.


    The SS stood for Seven Star.


    That was how the first product of the Seven Star Series¡ºAnne¡»was completed.


    And her brothers and sisters slowly increased over the years.


    But let it be known, that she was the only one with nipples.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. Chris is short for Christina and the Japanese "Kurisu" is not considered as masculine a name as Chris is in English.


    2. "Gomenkudasai" Literally translated, it''s basically two apologies, but it''s a rather common way to inquire whether there is anyone is whether it be a home or a workplace.


    3. Nanahoshi is in kanji here and Hajime is written with the character for one.


    4. The name "Anne" and the French "Un" for one are both written the same in Japanese.

 CH 13

    I wake from my sleep.


    It feels like a great morning.


    At one time, this was the moment I most feared.


    I feared that I would be killed in my sleep, or wake up someplace that wasn¡¯t my bed like a dim forest.


    Until I found a bed that I felt was safe, I was always afraid of sleeping.


    But there were also times when the lack of sleep chipping away at my alertness almost got me killed.


    It got better when I found a technique that let me stay wary while sleeping¡­


    But during those days, I never would have thought that I would eventually be able to sleep without worry.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I steady my breathing and head for the office¡¯s study.


    The study is piled up with documents detailing the differences between the original history and the current loop.


    Written in them is the¡ºOriginal¡»and the¡ºAlternate¡».


    The history where I did nothing is the¡ºOriginal¡».


    And events that changed as a result of my actions are the¡ºAlternate¡».


    I write these documents for the sake of defeating Hitogami.


    To defeat Hitogami, I have exhausted no little amount of effort but there is a need to reach where he is.


    The battle with Laplace 80 years from now is especially important.


    Minimising our losses against him is directly related to defeating Hitogami.


    And for that purpose, I¡¯m going to freely use the ¡ºOriginal¡»and the¡ºAlternate¡»to change history and ensure we have as much fighting power as possible.


    Of course, since I can¡¯t take the documents with me on the next loop, right before each loop I organise all my actions and have no choice but to memorise them and try again.


    But this loop is different.


    Rudeus Greyrat is here.


    With each person he encounters, the world greatly changes.


    I had intended to record the differences as usual, but before I knew it they had turned into an observation diary of him.


    Most of the pages have Rudeus¡¯s name written on them.


    And with so many changes, my writings can¡¯t keep up.


    I had originally intended to keep a detailed record of all events until the end of the loop but quite a bit of information has probably been left out.


    Honestly, I don¡¯t think it has much point.


    There¡¯s something odd about this loop.


    It feels like something special is going on.


    The chance of Rudeus being in the next loop is quite small which would render all these notes meaningless.


    I most likely have to win with this loop.


    That is what fate dictates.


    We must store up as much fighting power as possible, I¡¯ll preserve as much of my Mana as possible and defeat Laplace with the bare minimum, so as to go all out against Hitogami.


    That said, there¡¯s no reason to not take notes.


    If I am to fail and on the next loop, Rudeus is still there, this information will certainly prove a powerful weapon.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And now I¡¯ll record today¡¯s happenings.


    First up is the information that came through the Lithograph.


    Thanks to this communication lithograph, collecting information has gotten considerably easier.


    In all the previous loops, if some change occurred, without going to the scene and collecting the information myself, I wouldn¡¯t be able to know the result.


    I had gotten used to it, but due to my curse, it was quite stressful work.


    Compared to that, now I can do nothing but sit and the information comes flowing in.


    Before I had to go through a number of loops to know the full extent of the changes resulting from a single action, the difference in convenience is astounding.


    Although, if Rudeus didn¡¯t exist, I would never have needed such a comprehensive information network.


    I alone would never have caused so much change.


    If too much was changed, on the next loop I would wonder where to begin.


    And I¡¯m still troubled on how to treat the Automaton he created.


    I saw the doll he had named Anne, but I never thought something like that could be made with human hands.


    Pergius was surprised too, that it was more human than his spirits.


    That doll is most likely the existence that the Mad Dragon King Chaos dreamed of.


    Chaos has already passed and is no longer in this world, but if he was still alive, he would have loved to join them in their doll making.


    If he is still in the next loop, I guess I¡¯ll put off collecting his treasure.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    While thinking such things, when I looked at the communication lithograph I saw something rather interesting.


    Information from Ariel.


    It seemed as though Doga and Isolte got married.


    As far as I could remember, the two of them were never married.


    The chance of Isolte ever getting married was always quite small.


    And children go without saying.


    This would also have to be because of Rudeus.


    How would I ever manage to reproduce this.


    At my current level, I haven¡¯t a clue¡­


    Although before I attempt to reproduce such an occurrence, I would have to see what kind of person their child is and what kind of role they¡¯d play.


    Depending on the circumstances, I may end up preventing their child from being born.


    But if I did that, Rudeus would most likely oppose me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I do not wish to lie to or deceive Rudeus.


    Even if in the case that he¡¯s in the next loop, he¡¯d forget about everything.


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    Mid way through my documentation Rudeus appeared.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it paperwork again today? You¡¯re always so devoted Orsted-sama.¡±


    ¡°No more than usual¡±


    ¡°The fact that it¡¯s usual is what¡¯s important! Life is long after all so you have to take it little by little! As expected of Orsted-sama! You do understand!¡±


    Rudeus sometimes gets strange.


    He¡¯s normally quite docile.


    But his attitude does follow a pattern.


    When he gets this high spirited, it¡¯s because something good is happening.


    And conversely, when he¡¯s very quiet and apologetic it means he has something hard to say.


    He¡¯s rather easy to read.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening today?¡±


    ¡°As expected of the President! Vigilant as always! Hehe, This morning Lara said that she wanted to be with papa forever! How do I put it. Ehehe.


    Chris is always clinging to me but I never expected to hear it from Lara, so I was a little excited. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring them with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I brought Lara and Sieg here on Leo.¡±


    Sieg as well hmm.


    That¡¯s somewhat unexpected.


    But when I thought that, Rudeus¡¯s complexion took a turn.


    ¡°Aah, about Sieg! It seems that he¡¯s a fan of Alek.


    He enjoyed the story of the Biheilil Kingdom that he heard from Alek.


    And he asked me if I was going to meet with the North God-sama to take him along so he could hear the story again.


    He¡¯s with Alek right now.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Should I not have brought children to the office after all¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Rudeus¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel is his family.


    He treasures them. Rudeus lives for his family.


    He¡¯d do anything for his family, and if you hurt them, you will become his enemy.


    He¡¯ll hit you with all kinds of unthinkable attacks from all directions, and when it looks like he¡¯s about to lose, he¡¯d easily throw away his pride and betray Hitogami or the like and beg for forgiveness.


    Evening.


    After completing the first stage of my recount, I left the study.


    It seems Alek hasn¡¯t yet delivered the two of them home.


    The sun is about to set, it would probably be better to have them back sooner.


    Fariastia¡¯s hours must have ended because she¡¯s no longer at the reception.


    ¡°Your Papa normally walks around like he¡¯s cowardly and incompetent.


    In fact, he probably really is a coward.


    But when he gets mad he¡¯s scarier than anyone else.¡±


    Even now, they¡¯re still talking.


    But now instead of telling a story, he sounds as if he¡¯s teaching something.


    Sieg is listening with a serious expression.


    ¡°When facing that unyielding spirit, I lost.


    Orsted-sama apparently had a similar experience.


    Of course, someone such as him didn¡¯t fail to overcome it like I did.


    And because I couldn¡¯t defeat his spirit, was most likely the reason I became his subordinate.


    But do you understand why both Orsted-sama and I recognise him?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s strong.¡±


    ¡°Papa, strong? But Papa would lose to Red Mama¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s right. But it¡¯s a little different from normal strength.¡±


    I¡¯m also somewhat interested in how Alek sees Rudeus.


    ¡°Your Papa has no redeeming features besides his mana.


    Your Papa can¡¯t wear Touki by nature.


    His judgement isn¡¯t particularly high, and when confronting unexpected circumstances he¡¯ll panic.


    Hie eyes aren¡¯t that good. Even with his Magic Eyes, he¡¯s only reached the level below Orsted and I.


    His reactions are slow. No matter how far ahead he can see with his Magic Eyes, his body can¡¯t keep up.


    He¡¯ll hesitate when killing people, he has trouble delivering a killing blow to a flesh and blood enemy.


    His chantless magic is a point in his favour, his magic activations speed is unmatched among Magicians, but compared to us swordsmen, it¡¯s still too slow.


    In the time it takes him to kill me with one¡ºStone Cannon¡»I can kill him three times.


    That is to say, no matter what he does, if I feel like it, I can take him out.


    No matter how many different kinds of tactics he has, none of them have any meaning.


    And I¡¯m not even the world¡¯s strongest. In just speed, I¡¯m one or two ranks below top class.


    Of course, he could retreat and throw out all kinds of complex magic, but him having the chance to do that is unlikely.


    In other words, if you systematically analyse him, he just doesn¡¯t seem cut out for fighting.¡±


    ¡°Papa¡­ Is weak¡­?¡±


    Sieg looks quite sad.


    Having their father admonished to their face, there are very few children who that wouldn¡¯t make sad.


    Especially because Rudeus showers his children with love.


    ¡°Aah, don¡¯t give me that look.


    I¡¯m not done talking yet.


    Listen. The reason your Papa is strong, is because he know his weakness better than anyone.


    That¡¯s why he can get rid of his weakness and think of how to take advantage of his strong points.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Yup. He can use the Magic Armour to increase his speed many times over.


    Because of my Magic Itemmana bestowed item and Saint Dragon Touki, not even ancient poisons can harm me but I still felt some unease.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But I had opened the drawer completely off guard.


    And then grasshoppers came jumping out at me from inside.


    5 of them.


    So I was supposed to feel relieved after seeing the spiky fruits and then this was meant to surprise me. A two stage plan.


    Lara most likely waited behind the reception until I went out, before intruding to commit the crime.


    She must be happy with herself.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But Lara really is the only one who I have no idea how she¡¯ll grow up.


    That¡¯s most likely what Hitogami is afraid of about that child.


    Several day later, Rudeus returned.


    He didn¡¯t just complete his goal, but apparently also made it rain and somewhat helped the drought.


    He really is an efficient man.


    After receiving his report I decided to tell him about Sieg.


    ¡°¡­I would like to have Siegheart commute here regularly.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be?¡±


    Naturally he seems somewhat puzzled.


    Now how shall I explain it?


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m somewhat interested in so I would like to watch over him.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Will he be back by curfew?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Understood. For the time being I¡¯ll let the women know.¡±


    He probably hasn¡¯t asked for any more confirmation due to his faith in me.


    Or perhaps he simply gave up due to my insufficient explanation.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask?¡±


    ¡°No, I somewhat understand that someone will be teaching him something¡­ Although I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s a secret from me.¡±


    ¡°Aah.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better that way. Give Alek my regards.¡±


    We¡¯ve been seen through.


    But I¡¯m grateful that¡¯s the case.


    My interactions with Rudeus will continue.


    It¡¯s better when the other party can understand you.


    It¡¯s somewhat better as a secret after all.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Good work today.¡±


    Right as Rudeus was about to leave,


    I remembered a certain something I wanted to ask.


    ¡°Rudeus.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What is a Cheddar Man?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Hero who¡¯s head is made from cheese.


    He finds hungry children and tears off bits of his face to feed them.


    He defeats bad guys who try to scare people with a single punch.¡±


    ¡°¡­Was there a man like that in your previous world?¡±


    ¡°In my world he was made of bread filled with red bean paste.


    But since red bean paste doesn¡¯t exist here it was replaced with cheese.


    I tell it to the children as a bedtime story.¡±


    I learned something.


    Cheddar Man.


    Although I don¡¯t understand why he tears off bits of his face.


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I was just a little curious.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll be heading out.¡±


    After seeing that Rudeus had left I returned back inside.


    When I returned to my desk I saw the bag of spiky fruits that Lara left.


    The grasshoppers had already hopped outside.


    After she got home she was probably scolded for the prank she was running away from too.


    ¡°Haa.¡±


    I let out a sigh.


    Lara and Fariastia.


    Aleksander and Sieg.


    And Rudeus and Cheddar Man.


    This loop really is quite fresh.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. It literally referred to some fruit known as "Xanthium strumarium" But that sounds odd in writing so I fudged it to make it sound better.

 CH 14

    I thought we should go for a family vacation.


    The children are steadily growing up.


    Lucy has grown accustomed to the Magic University.


    Lara doesn¡¯t really like to study, but she¡¯s still plenty energetic.


    Ars is somewhat wild like Eris but he¡¯s quite diligent in what he does, and he¡¯s not one to pick on those smaller than him, so he should be fine.


    Sieg is still quite small and he¡¯s still a crybaby, but since he started being trained by a certain someone, he¡¯s gotten somewhat stronger.


    Lilly and Chris are still young, but they¡¯ve recently graduated from breast milk and have begun their education.


    There¡¯s not yet a seventh, but the 6 of them are still young children.


    Everyday is lively and the problems never stop.


    That said, Lara and Ars have begun to go to school, and Sieg and Lilly have begun to walk, so after all of them began their studies, things have quieted down somewhat.


    There¡¯s no signs that Hitogami might be plotting something.


    The truly peaceful days have continued.


    So that might be why.


    Why I thought that it might be time to show the children the world outside of the Magic City Sharia.


    I wonder why I suddenly thought that.


    Maybe because that night was particularly lively.


    Lucy was keeping to herself.


    Lara was playing with her food.


    Ars was being picky.


    Sieg was stuffing his cheeks.


    Lilly was cutely sipping her soup while dirtying her bib.


    And Chris was on my lap with her mouth open wide waiting for her next bite of food.


    As well as three wives, one little sister and two mothers.


    It was lively dinner table.


    But it¡¯s not just dinner time, lately the house is always lively.


    But that¡¯s a given.


    With 6 children there¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t be.


    Ars and Lara are rascals that love to cause trouble.


    Lily and Chris, maybe because they¡¯re the same age, often get into loud fights.


    Lucy has it together and Sieg is rather docile, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re always quiet.


    The noise never dies down.


    So that¡¯s when I thought:


    As long as we have the chance.


    I have no idea what will happen when the children grow up.


    I might be somewhere fighting someone with Orsted, or some of them might have left Sharia.


    When they get older, they¡¯ll be going to School in the Asura Empire for three years, so they might settle down there.


    Or they might even decide to leave the house by themselves before that.


    Paul also fought with his father and left.


    Something similar might happen to me.


    Hitogami also has it in for me, so there are plenty of times that he could interfere.


    But children never do exactly as they¡¯re told.


    Lara doesn¡¯t like studying or training so she often runs away.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    In any case, that¡¯s what I thought.


    That the children won''t all be together forever.


    That¡¯s why, we should take a family vacation while we can.


    Of course, it¡¯s not as if we¡¯ll be circumnavigating the world.


    For about a month we¡¯ll visit some people we haven¡¯t seen in a while and show the kids something different.


    Nothing too adventurous.


    So with that said, the destination is the Millis Continent.


    The plan is as follows:


    First we use the Teleport Magic Formation to transfer to the Holy Millis Kingdom.


    There we¡¯ll stay there for about 10 days.


    The first half will be with Zenith¡¯s parents and Cliff and the church.


    After that is a field trip to the Adventurers Guild HQ, the Magic Tower, and other places the city is famous for.


    Next is a trip by carriage along the Holy Sword Highway for a quick stop off at the Great Forest.


    Then a visit to the hot springs in the Azure Dragon Mountain range.


    And finally we return home via the Teleport circle around there.


    And while we¡¯re there I¡¯ll make contact with the Ore God that I had put off meeting up till now.


    It should go something like that.


    We¡¯ve already discussed it as a family and have been planning for half a year.


    Roxy has her job as a teacher after all, and I had to consult Orsted as the company president.


    The kids also have their studies, everyone has plans.


    That said, the entire family had agreed.


    Lucy especially, she may have gotten the idea when we visited the Asura Empire before, when she heard that we¡¯re going on a trip she was really excited.


    I already asked Elinalise if she wanted to come along and she made her feelings rather apparent.


    She was quite happy to have an excuse.


    She goes to see Cliff a number of times throughout the year, but she would much rather be with him all the time.


    Cliff also wants to move up the ranks faster so he can bring Elinalise and Clive to him, but the Millis Church¡¯s power struggles seem like quite the ordeal.


    And since we¡¯re going to be visiting the Latrea house, Zenith and Lilia are coming too.


    I¡¯d like to have the Miko tell me what she¡¯s been thinking again.


    Lara can apparently converse with her, but she doesn¡¯t talk about it all that much.


    Whenever I ask her, she just looks like it¡¯s a pain.


    At her age she might not understand the importance.


    Leaving Lara aside, although it may be personal business, the Miko and Pope are Millis officials so I did make appointments to meet with them, so there¡¯s a good chance I¡¯ll be able to see her.


    This time I¡¯ve also asked Norn to come.


    I promised Claire I would last time after all.


    No, I don¡¯t think I promised.


    In any case, I decided it would be better to take her along while she¡¯s still in the happy aftermath of her marriage.


    And I¡¯ve already conveyed the fact that she¡¯s married.


    No matter who the recipient is, my words will not waver. Including the fact that he¡¯s from a Magic Race.


    I still haven¡¯t gotten a response, she might be mad.


    She might just be pretending she didn¡¯t hear.


    But, it¡¯s probably a matter of race.


    At first Norn refused on the grounds that her child was still young.


    Maybe because Sperd children mature fast but, Norn¡¯s daughter Luicelia was already off breast milk and had all her teeth. Her hair is green like her father and she¡¯s just started taking steps swinging around her cute tail, but she had yet to open her eye.


    It¡¯s been half a year since then.


    It¡¯s snowing as always in Magic City Sharia


    We called a carriage and we¡¯re now riding through the snow laden city towards the office.


    After giving our greetings to Orsted we went through the teleport formation to Milishion.


    The other end of the teleport circle comes out in a secret hideout in Milishion.


    And all of a sudden we¡¯re in the Millis continent.


    I never strongly felt like I wanted to take a trip.


    But since it was possible, I would have liked to take a formation leading to outside the city so we could see it from there.


    Witnessing the gargantuan towers, the excitement of walking through the massive ramparts, it¡¯s something that has to be experienced.


    That said, when we go outside to sightsee, we¡¯ll be able to do that then.


    There¡¯s no rush.


    After getting on the carriage I had prepared there earlier, we headed straight towards the Latrea house.


    We have 14 people, 15 including me.


    Taking that into account, I prepared 2 large carriages.


    The first is me, Roxy, Zenith, Lilia, Lara, Chris and Leo.


    The second is, Sylphy, Eris, Lucy, Ars, Sieg, Lily, Aisha and Norn.


    We had already bid Elinalise and Clive a temporary farewell and the two headed straight for Cliff.


    The kids were quite excited to be traveling for the first time, it took some time for their mothers to calm them down.


    Lara seemed especially excited by the Milishion scenery.


    It was rather surprising considering her usually unimpressed demeanour.


    ¡°Lara, don¡¯t lean out the window.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ok.¡±


    Every now and then she¡¯ll start leaning forwards before Roxy tells her to sit back down.


    But she still places her head out the window to look around.


    I¡¯m worried that she¡¯ll suddenly fall out, but Leo is holding onto her clothes so she should be fine.


    ¡°¡­Mama, when we get closer, there are colours everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Milishion is home to many famous designers and they create many kinds of clothes aimed towards commoners, everybody here likes to dress up.¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s winter, there¡¯s no snow, it¡¯s not even cold.¡±


    ¡°Around here, snow doesn¡¯t fall that often.


    And when the season comes around, it rains heavily.


    But that huge tower keeps it at a fixed level so the city never floods.¡±


    Hearing Roxy explain things to Lara like that is quite calming.


    Seeing the two like this just emphasises their resemblance.


    She¡¯s almost like a Mini-Roxy.


    ¡°Papa, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Chris is always happy on my lap.


    It¡¯s just, maybe because she¡¯s scared of the outside, or she doesn¡¯t like the shaking of the carriage, she¡¯s been gripping my sleeve the whole time.


    But if I pull it off, she¡¯ll probably start crying.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat at great-grandmother¡¯s house, so just wait till then ok?¡±


    ¡°K.¡±


    My words go over smoothly with Chris.


    Were it one of her mothers who said so, she would most likely have thrown a tantrum saying she wanted to eat right now.


    Sylphy and the others might not like it, but when Chris is around it gives me a sense of superiority.


    But when she grabs my hand like that and rubs it on her stomach, it makes me want to go buy her something.


    Hey, you, stallkeep over there. Give me your most delicious apple, huh? You don¡¯t know which one is the most delicious? Then I guess I¡¯ll take them all. Don¡¯t worry. Whatever¡¯s left will be a gift to the Latrea house. Now I kinda want to say it.


    Oh right, I brought a bunch of greeting gifts for the Latrea house, but I wonder if Claire will like any?


    She wont say something like ¡°I don''t want such low class filth in my house,¡± right?


    She wouldn¡¯t be so rude as to say it right?


    While thinking that, I suddenly noticed that Lilia looked rather stiff.


    ¡°¡­Lilia-san, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling somewhat uneasy.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Claire-sama.¡±


    There¡¯s one major obstacle to overcome on this trip.


    My grandmother, Claire Latrea.


    That obstinate grandmother, when she heard that we¡¯d be staying in Millis, immediately offered to house us.


    I¡¯m glad I haven¡¯t replied.


    Just giving a greeting and not staying at the house was also an option.


    When I think about the way she treated Norn, Aisha and Lilia in the past, it makes me uneasy.


    But I¡¯m not outright against the old lady¡¯s suggestion.


    Claire has one fatal weakness, that¡¯s my adorable children. I don¡¯t think it would be impossible to spend a few days quietly.


    So that said, first we should just go check it out and say hello.


    And if it seems like it won''t work, we can just go stay at an inn.


    The reception at the manor was welcoming.


    The maid was full of smiles and the butler was polite.


    At the very least it was more welcoming than the reception I received last time I came to Milishion.


    After they took our bags we were guided to Claire¡¯s room.


    ¡°I thank you for the long journey.¡±


    Once Claire saw us, she said that still seated.


    Still seated.


    Though I won¡¯t say her attitude was poor. She¡¯s the master of the house after all.


    ¡°Not at all, we only just left.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Though I¡¯m still having trouble wrapping my head around it¡­¡±


    Claire presser her fingers against her temples and looked like she wanted to say something, but she decided against it.


    It was probably the fact that I use teleportation magic as if I own it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce my family.¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you see fit.¡±


    They all line up.


    The children, three wives and Norn and Aisha.


    Today Aisha isn¡¯t in the maid outfit, but a lovely dress.


    At first glance, she could be mistaken for the eldest daughter.


    Lilia is the same, but she already moved with Zenith to another room.


    ¡°Mary.¡±


    ¡°Yes Madam.¡±


    Claire gave the order to the maid beside her and put out her hand.


    The maid took hold of her hand and slowly helped her to her feet then handed her her walking stick.


    She looked rather fragile leaning on her walking stick.


    She had none of the fortitude she had previously.


    It seems the reason she didn¡¯t stand when we walked in wasn¡¯t her pride.


    ¡°Are you unwell?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting old after all.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly be so old that your legs would weaken to such an extent¡­¡±


    She¡¯s might be old enough to be called great-grandmother, but both I, and my kids were all born quite early.


    I wouldn¡¯t go out of my way to ask her age, but since Zenith is about 40, she should be around 60, 70 at most.


    ¡°Would you like me to attempt healing magic?¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯re an outstanding magician, but this is Milishion and I am a noble.¡±


    Meaning that this is something that can¡¯t be healed with healing magic.


    Well if she says it¡¯s fine then I won¡¯t press it, but I¡¯m somewhat uneasy seeing her like this.


    ¡°Rather than your concern, I¡¯d like continue with the introductions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Well then I guess I should start.


    First is Sylphy, Roxy and Eris.


    The three wives.


    ¡°This is Sylphy. The first wife I married. The house is normally left under her supervision.¡±


    ¡°Rudeus-san, I have something I wish to talk to you about. Do you think you could remain behind?¡±


    Is what I thought, but right as I was about to leave the room, I was called for.


    I told the rest of the family to go on without me and stayed back.


    Claire¡¯s expression was, well, normal.


    She didn¡¯t seem mad.


    ¡°Please sit.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    I sat down in the chair in front of her as told.


    And as if there was some kind of switch in the chair, someone came out with tea.


    They didn¡¯t bring out tea for my family, but I guess we weren¡¯t sitting down.


    There weren¡¯t enough seats after all.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so punctilious. I have no intentions of reprimanding you.¡±


    It seems I¡¯ve been seen though.


    But considering how she was before, I hope she¡¯ll overlook me being somewhat wary.


    ¡°Then what do you wish to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Simply idle conversation.¡±


    I stole a look at her face.


    There was nothing behind her expression and she simply sipped her tea.


    The way she drank was captivating.


    There¡¯s probably some etiquette behind the way she drinks her tea.


    I drank too while trying to mimic it.


    They¡¯ve used some good tea leaves.

 CH 15

    Ars was bored so he decided that he wanted to walk around town alone.


    When he first got here, what first caught his eye were the numerous towers.


    According to White Mama, they¡¯re huge Magic Tools, and it¡¯s because of them that the city has remained peaceful for so many years.


    After that was the shining silver building.


    According to Red Mama, that¡¯s the Adventurers Guild HQ, and most adventurers will visit it at least once.


    He absolutely wanted to go to those two.


    Of course, if he told his father, he would take him there.


    Just today, after he said he wanted to see the sparkly gold building, he took the smiling Ars along with him.


    But once they were inside, he didn¡¯t let Ars walk around freely.


    After they went in, Ars was running all around with curiosity in his eyes, but his father threw all kinds of limitations at him, ¡°You can''t touch that,¡± ¡°You can''t go there.¡±


    Honestly, Ars thought they were too restricting, and boring.


    But what Ars didn¡¯t know was that the Millis Church was already very considerate of Rudeus.


    The Millis Cathedral, especially the Inner Sanctum, are places only those with special permission may enter.


    Under no normal circumstances would they allow rowdy children to enter.


    But Ars was still a child.


    He thought that as long as he asked to go to the the tower or the silver building, he¡¯d be able to go.


    But he realised that his movements would be restricted like today.


    That¡¯s all he thought.


    And so, when his father and the others left for the Inner Sanctum with the guards and the woman with the big chest,


    He and the other children were told to play in the gardens until they came back, he saw his chance.


    (Let¡¯s see how close I can get to the silver building and the tower.)


    Thinking about it, his entire life had been restricted by his parents.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go there,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t walk around town alone.¡±


    Whenever he went out, he was always with Aisha or Leo.


    Since he was little, he had readily obeyed, and even now he didn¡¯t intend to oppose.


    Although he didn¡¯t completely understand the intention of his mothers, even though he was a child, he knew it was to teach and protect him.


    He knew that it was dangerous to go outside, and that he shouldn¡¯t go alone.


    He didn¡¯t necessarily hate having to go together with Aisha.


    But even so.


    Sometimes he just felt like he wanted to go somewhere without someone watching him.


    ¡°Hey, Lara-nee, let¡¯s slip out. You wanna go take a look at the silver building and the tower?¡±


    And so the one Ars chose to invite was Lara.


    For a change, Lara was alone today.


    Leo was with the Guardian beast of the girl they called Miko, the Snowy Owl, and had left Lara behind.


    And so Lara was also thinking that this was her chance.


    Lara and Leo have always been close.


    And even now, she had never disliked that.


    But he followed her everywhere, and was always warning her about her actions, so lately she had been thinking that it was a little irritating.


    So when she heard Ars¡¯ invitation, the edges of her mouth raised just a tad and she nodded.


    ¡°I thought that too.¡±


    And so the two began to put their plan into action behind Aisha¡¯s back.


    They timed their escape for when Chris shouted ¡°Papa¡¯s gone!¡± and started crying and they moved to a bush, running from shadow to shadow towards the exit.


    ¡°Hey, where are you two going?¡±


    And the one who had spotted them was Sieg.


    ¡°Shhh, we¡¯re just going out to play a little.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll get mad at you if you go outside.¡±


    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been sneaking out the back by yourself lately.¡±


    ¡°I-I did not¡­¡±


    Ars knew.


    Sieg was always going out by himself.


    But he didn¡¯t know why he wasn¡¯t being scolded for going out by himself.


    Ars thought that because he never saw him leaving with Aisha or Leo.


    And so he was a little annoyed that his little brother was the only one allowed out alone.


    In actual fact, Sieg wasn¡¯t alone.


    Sieg, and of course Ars didn¡¯t know, that when he sneaks out of the house, a Rudo Mercenary is always secretly guarding him.


    Of course, under the orders of the worrywart Rudeus.


    ¡°So if you want me to stay quiet, so will you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ok.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, we¡¯re only going to the silver building and that huge tower to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re going to the adventurers guild?¡±


    Hearing him say silver building, Sieg¡¯s eye¡¯s shone.


    He had heard many a heroic tale from Alek.


    And many of them ended up at the Adventurers HQ so he had an extraordinary curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then, I want to go too!¡±


    And so Ars and the other¡¯s left the Millis cathedral.


    With mischievous hearts and full of curiosity.


    Ars, with Sieg and Lara in tow, headed towards the town.


    The architecture was completely different to that of Sharia¡¯s, and was filled with all kinds of houses and buildings with odd shapes; it set Ars¡¯s heart on fire.


    They had seen a lot of it in the carriage ride here, but there was something different about seeing on your own two feet.


    Just having the pavement under you is a big change.


    Even walking around a new city is exciting by itself.


    A group consisting entirely of children, especially Sieg with his green hair, stood out, but they didn¡¯t mind it.


    They had gotten quite used to those gazes in Sharia.


    ¡°Lara-nee, you have to walk forward. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°K.¡±


    Lara responded, but kept looking around with sparkling eyes.


    She was even more entranced than Ars at the tidy city.


    ¡°Hey, do you think we should have invited Lucy-nee? If we get separated, she¡¯ll get mad at us.¡±


    ¡°If we had told her where we were going, she would have stopped us.¡±


    Sieg was always quite a coward.


    And even though he¡¯d been training by himself and gotten quite good with a sword, Ars still couldn¡¯t figure out why he was still scared of everything.


    ¡°Ahh Lara-nee! What¡¯s that!?¡±


    What Ars was pointing at was a strange work of art.


    It was a green sculpture in the shape of a owl.


    It looked somewhat similar to the white bird they had seen, but it was obviously artificial and a little ominous.


    Lara looked at it and answered with confidence:


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a fountain.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way someone would make a fountain that looks like that.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a fountain.¡±


    ¡°Eeh¡­ That can''t be right¡­¡±


    But just as Ars went to inspect it, water squirted out of its mouth.


    ¡°Aah, It really is a fountain! Amazing! How did you know!?¡±


    ¡°I saw one similar at Juli-san¡¯s place.¡±


    That was one of Rudeus¡¯s¡ºByproducts¡»The Merlion wind fountain.


    It was based on the Miko¡¯s guardian beast Nurse and was presented to her upon its completion.


    That said, putting something like that in the Church¡¯s Headquarters would be troublesome,


    But because of it¡¯s stuffed animal like qualities, the Miko complained that she wanted it close by, and so it was installed near the Church for the townspeople to enjoy.


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Seeing Ars and Sieg¡¯s gazes of interest, Lara puffed her chest out with pride.


    As the three continued their conversation, they crossed a bridge.


    And as they did, the scenery around was quite different.


    The buildings were smaller and there were more people.


    You could even see people carrying swords or walking around armoured in large numbers.


    The rugged hard faced people seemed to have increased.


    They had crossed from the Sacred ward to the Adventurers ward.


    ¡°It got kinda normal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    But it was a scene that they had already gotten used to in Sharia.


    Although they could be called muscular and rugged, compared to the Rudo Mercenaries, they looked rather weak.


    Not to mention Red Mama.


    ¡°Lara-nee, which way was the silver one?¡±


    ¡°Hm. This way.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    The exuberant Ars walked forward followed by an excited Sieg with a somewhat sleepy looking Lara behind them with a little smile on her face.


    ¡°Wow, amazing!¡±


    ¡°Aah!¡±


    Once they arrived at the main street, the Adventurers Guild HQ immediately came into view.


    It was a giant silver building placed right in the centre of the street. There was no way you could miss it.


    ¡°Ar-nii! Hurry up!¡±


    Sieg ran forward in high spirits.


    A complete 180 from his previous opposition.


    No matter what he said, there was no way he could fight against the charm of the¡ºAdventurers Guild HQ¡»That was the start of so many legends.


    ¡°Aah, wait!¡±


    Ars and Lara, with anticipation in their face once more, chased after him.


    They wanted to get a closer look as quick as possible.


    Seeing the children suddenly start running, those around them suddenly thought ¡°Danger¡±.


    The result of children running was usually bumping into someone or getting run over by a carriage.


    But they completely overturned the people''s¡¯ assumptions and the three children skilfully weaved through the crowd of people.


    And they even stayed to the side where the carriages didn¡¯t pass.


    That was the result of daily training.


    ¡°Woah~!¡±


    After arriving at the staircase in front of the entrance, Sieg let out an excited shout.


    It wasn¡¯t though they hadn¡¯t seen a building of this scale before.


    The Magic University in Sharia was a structure of impressive stature.


    But there was just something different about it.


    The Adventurers guild HQ was silver and incredibly shiny.


    The Magic University was filled with reds and browns, kind of like a potato.


    ¡°Ar-nii, it¡¯s the Adventurers Guild!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the Adventurers Guild!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s completely different from ours!¡±


    ¡°Ours is shoddy compared to this!¡±


    ¡°But this smell inside is the same.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it does smell.¡±


    Muttering some rude remarks, they walked through the gate.


    Very quietly.


    Some of the dim-witted adventurers liked to pick fights with children who walk into the guild.


    That was something that Blue Mama had told them.


    Ars was basically wishing for a fight, but if he started one after already sneaking out, Red Mama would get mad.


    Red Mama is scary when she¡¯s angry. She¡¯ll spank your behind until it¡¯s bright red.


    And if Sieg or Lara got hurt, Red Mama wouldn¡¯t be the only one angry.


    Making Blue Mama or White Mama angry, the thought had Ars shaking in his boots.


    But thinking that he might get to see Papa angry, made him kind of want to start a fight.


    Up until now, Papa would always be complimenting or pampering them, rarely would he scold anyone.


    They had never seen Papa truly angry before.


    ¡°Wow~¡±


    The inside of the guild was just as splendid as the outside would suggest.


    The inside felt amateurish but also composed, and there were a lot of desks.


    The number of adventurers was also completely different to outside.


    In the Magic City Sharia all the magicians seemed like beginners, and all the warriors and healers were quite skilled.


    But here it was the opposite. The ones that looked like beginners were the warriors and healers but all the magicians looked experienced.


    ¡°Ars.¡±


    Seeing that Ars was satisfied by the scenery in front of him, Lara called out from behind.


    ¡°There are 3 more floors.¡±


    Lara pointed at the information board in front of the stairs.


    It outlined the purposes of each of the floors.


    The first floor was a reception and a meeting place, the second floor was a store where you could buy equipment and raw materials directly from the guild, the third floor was restaurant, and the fourth floor was a guild room for large scale events and meetings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go up!¡±


    But as Ars began walking towards the stairs, a shadow was cast over them.


    When he turned around, a woman caked in makeup with huge breasts was standing there.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a playground. What¡¯d you come here for?¡±


    ¡°S-Sightseeing! We¡¯ve come from Ranoa Kingdom¡­¡±


    The reason he managed to reply right away, was because his Papa had told he what to say.


    ¡°Your parents?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s just us right now.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Then, how about I guide you around? Although I may not look it, I¡¯m a staff member here. Today my shift ended in the morning, so how about it?¡±


    After she said that, she showed them the crest on her shoulder.


    It was the same one as the people from the reception.


    ¡°T-then please do.¡±


    Ars¡¯s heart was pounding.


    Ars loved voluptuous breasts.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t hate small ones, but he liked big ones better.


    The woman in front of them was about the same level as Aisha, which was a size sufficient to cause Ars¡¯s heart to pound.


    ¡°Alright then, leave it to me. Ok? The first floor, as you can see, is the reception area.¡±


    The woman began explaining all kinds of things with a friendly smile.


    The three of them followed her around on their tour of the Adventurers Guild HQ.


    First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor¡­


    The woman guided them around so politely that you would never imagine she was dealing with children.


    They had intended to move around freely, but they ended up with a guide.


    They had strayed from their plans, but everything they saw was fresh.


    Especially the guild room which Sharia¡¯s guild hall didn¡¯t have. It was so lavishly designed that you wouldn¡¯t imagine it belonged to adventurers.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the end. Did you have fun?¡±


    Right after she was done, she turned towards Ars and said that.


    ¡°Yes, it was interesting! Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me¡­ So what are you doing after this? Are you going to meet your mum and dad?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then would you like me to walk you home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll go home by ourselves!¡±


    He turned her down because they had yet to see the tower.


    He lied to her, but if they started walking to a different part of the town, she would surely notice.


    There was no way they could go home without completing their objectives.


    And so, Ars and the others left the Adventurers Guild.


    Their plans had changed slightly but it turned out alright in the end.


    ¡°Now then, on to the next one!¡±


    Ars was pointing not just at the tower, but the sun which had passed noon was beginning to fall.


    They saw all kinds of things on their way to the tower.


    A complex aqueduct, on top of which were small boats.


    A carriage carrying large amount of what looked like monster materials.


    And protecting it was a crowd of adventurers.


    They would shout in excitement whenever something caught their interest and were enjoying their field trip quite thoroughly.


    But because of all their dawdling, the tower which should have been quite close, was still surprisingly far.


    By the time they had arrived there, it was already dusk.


    ¡°Wow~, it¡¯s huge¡­¡±


    Seeing the tower at night from this close up was overwhelming for them.


    It was so thick that it took them several minutes to circle the whole thing, and it was so tall you couldn¡¯t see the top.


    And when you looked at it close up, you could see faint symbols carved on the whole thing.


    Although the Magic Tool wasn¡¯t comprised of the whole tower, to protect the Magic Tool on the inside, large scale barrier magic was carved around the tower.


    Of course, Ars didn¡¯t know that.


    He simply thought that Lily would have liked to see this kind of thing.


    ¡°Ar-nii, it seems they won''t let us inside after all.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Although Sieg had managed to find the entrance, there were two soldiers guarding it, it seemed no one was allowed inside.


    That¡¯s a matter of course.


    Ars did want to see the scenery from the top of the tower, but since it seemed impossible, he had the judgement to give up there.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Well then, let¡¯s head home!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°K!¡±


    Ars gave a triumphant shout and began to walk back so Lara and Sieg followed.


    ¡°Lara-nee, it was so much fun!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was fun. That dragon head mounted in the guild room, I want one too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, when I get bigger I¡¯ll get one for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡±


    They were delighted to see all kinds of things they wouldn¡¯t normally have.


    Sieg was especially excited and had been continuously been talking at Lara.


    But while they were walking Ars was suddenly assaulted with unease.


    Could it be.


    No, it can''t¡­


    ¡°Hey, Ar-nii, remember that  giant sword mounted on the wall in the Adventurers Guild, do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°It was one of the 48 Magic Swords.¡±


    ¡°You sure know a lot.¡±


    ¡°It was being used as a decoration, so it was probably a fake, Alek-san once drew a picture for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Aah, wait up!¡±


    Ars gave Sieg a rude reply and walked faster.


    Sieg was confused at Ars¡¯s sudden silence but kept talking to Lara.


    Lara was slightly curious about Ars¡¯s demeanour but she didn¡¯t do anything about it and just kept listening to Sieg.


    The three continued to walk.


    They frequently trained so no one complained that they were tired or their feet hurt.


    But seeing Ars walk in front of him silently, Sieg inevitably got quieter.


    Before long he stopped talking entirely and the three walked in silence.


    Slowly through the night.


    And so, the day ended.


    Several minutes after the sun had set.


    The three were standing in a dark alley.


    There were no traces of people in the silence around them


    ¡°Hey, Ar-nii, how much farther is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­How should I know.¡±


    Ars didn¡¯t intend for it to turn out like this.


    It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t think of the trip home.


    On the way there they would aim for the huge tower, and on the way back they would aim for the shiny gold building.


    It¡¯s a golden building after all.


    It stands out from quite a distance, and they would just be returning along the path they had already come.


    That¡¯s what he had thought.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    And so the three of them had arrived at their destination under the guidance of the woman.


    ¡°Eeh?¡±


    Is what they had thought.


    The scene in front of them was that of a dark alley.


    There wasn¡¯t a single trace of anyone around them, the walls were scrawled with obscenities and the trash covered floor gave an overwhelming odour.


    No matter how dark it was, he could tell there was no shiny gold building around them.


    ¡°Umm, Where? Eeh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no good. Didn¡¯t your parents tell you not to follow around people you don¡¯t know?¡±


    Hearing footsteps suddenly surround them, Ars was shaking.


    They were surrounded by vulgar laughs and a number of men.


    Ars could tell that they were planning on kidnapping them.


    And even though he had realised that, his thoughts were still a mess.


    The woman was a staff member at the Adventurers Guild and had kindly guided them around.


    So why¡­


    She had said she had gotten off work, but she said the same thing at noon¡­


    ¡°You lied about working at the guild!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you. This is a side job. Just a little bit of extra money. There are lots of kids like you in this city. Orphans who want to become adventurers and come to the guild but leave without joining. And once they leave, if they can¡¯t make it back home before dark, this is what happens.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Ars immediately picked up a broken stick from the ground and took a stance to protect his brother and sister.


    ¡°Ar-nii¡­¡±


    Sieg was shaking while holding onto Ars¡¯s sleeve.


    Lara was expressionless as always, but she looked somewhat pale.


    He couldn¡¯t even protect the two of them.


    It was his fault it ended up like this.


    It was his mistaken judgement.


    But now, what could he do right now?


    What had his mothers told him¡­ What¡­ What¡­!?


    ¡°ANYONE! IS ANYONE HERE! WE¡¯RE BEING KIDNAPPED! PLEASE HELP!¡±


    Ars shouted.


    If anything happens, before you think about fighting, look for help.


    That was what Blue Mama had said, or was it White Mama?


    Or maybe Aisha.


    No, it was probably something his Papa had said.


    ¡°Cry and scream all you want, no one¡¯s coming.¡±


    Along the dark path.


    The three were on Leo following Aisha and her lantern home.


    The kidnappers had already been taken care of, after Aisha blew some kind of dog whistle, the Rudo Mercenaries came running and took them to the authorities.


    Ars thought they would be scolded on the way home.


    Why did you leave all by yourself?


    Why did you get Lara and Sieg involved?


    Aisha rarely got angry.


    No matter how mischievous Ars was or how much trouble he caused for others, she never got angry.


    She would always cover for him saying it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    She would always kindly tell him not to do it again and to learn from his mistakes.


    But this time, they were only a step away from disaster.


    And they had ignored Aisha who was always looking after them to do so.


    Aisha had come to search for them, but Mama or Papa probably got mad at her.


    She was told to look after the kids until everyone came back, but they ended up disappearing.


    And having someone you¡¯re watching over running away would also make you angry, no matter how gentle Aisha is, even she would be annoyed.


    Although Ars didn¡¯t think that far through, he could still guess that Aisha would be angry at them for what they did.


    ¡°Aisha-nee¡­ Sorry.¡±


    And so, Ars apologised.


    ¡°Hmm? For what?¡±


    ¡°I left without telling you, and put everybody in danger¡­¡±


    ¡°Eeh? What are you talking about?¡±


    But Aisha laughed and pat his head.


    He couldn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of anger from her actions.


    Ars wondered if she had forgiven them.


    But why?


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    Aisha said that and Ars realised they had arrived at the gate to the Latrea house.


    In front of the manor, Ars swallowed in anticipation.


    Aisha may have forgiven them.


    But his mothers would definitely be angry.


    They had taught him to protect his siblings.


    And this time he had gone against that.


    He should at least be prepared for Red Mama¡¯s spanking.


    Even Papa might be angry.


    ¡°Thanks for your work.¡±


    Aisha said that to the gatekeepers and they followed her through the kitchen¡¯s back door.


    They walked down a hallway and opened up a door to a room filled with their family.


    In there was:


    Their three mothers, two grandmothers, a blonde aunt, a stone faced great-grandmother and their Papa.


    After dinner, Ars left the large dining room.


    He returned to his own room and as if it was natural, he turned around and faced Aisha.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The first thing Ars did was ask that.


    Why was no one angry at them.


    Why did everyone know they went to the Adventurers Guild.


    All those included.


    And Aisha just gave a smile.


    ¡°Wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Aisha changed from looking like she had just succeeded in a prank to a serious expression.


    ¡°I saw you when you three were trying to sneak out of the Cathedral¡¯s courtyard.


    You looked like you had lost to your boredom and were about to pull some kind of prank, but when I heard you say that you were going to the Adventurers Guild, I immediately followed.¡±


    Ars could understand that.


    Aisha had already seen through everything.


    And on top of that, she didn¡¯t meet up with them and let them do what they wanted.


    Tailing them so that on the off chance that something happens, she can come out and save them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go all the way to the magic tower though.¡±


    She had always been protecting them.


    Although she didn¡¯t intervene when they were lost and on the verge of tears¡­


    ¡°¡­Then when when you realised we were lost, why didn¡¯t you help us?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Don¡¯t you already know that?¡±


    Hearing her joke like tone, Ars clenched his teeth.


    Of course Ars knew.


    It was his fault they were in that situation.


    He thought that because of his mothers¡¯ teachings, if something did happen, he¡¯d be able to do something about it.


    And even when he knew they were lost, he still didn¡¯t give up.


    He mustered up his own wisdom and tried to figure something out.


    It wasn¡¯t over.


    And so Aisha continued to watch. It wasn¡¯t her turn to come out.


    But in the end, when it came to a situation where they would be injured, she came out.


    Ars made a mistake so she came to save them.


    And because that woman didn¡¯t seem like a kidnapper, because she had kindly guided them around the guild, Aisha didn¡¯t act until the last moment.


    He couldn¡¯t blame her.


    Everything was his fault.


    Aisha was still cleaning up after his mistakes.


    ¡°¡­Aisha-nee¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Anything else to say, do you know what you did wrong?¡±


    ¡°We snuck out without telling you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    Aisha¡¯s denial surprised Ars.


    It was something unusual.


    Aisha never really tried to teach Ars anything.


    She always say ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± and cleaned up the situation, but never said anything in regards to it.


    But Aisha¡¯s face was the same as always with a smile full of composure.


    ¡°Ars-kun, you thought I was irritating and decided to go out by yourselves right?¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think you were¡­ irritating. Just a little¡­ Aah, but I like you Aisha-nee.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hehe, thanks. Hearing you say that, you¡¯re making me embarrassed.¡±


    Aisha put her hands on her cheeks and swayed side to side.


    ¡°In any case, you wanted to go to the Adventurers Guild without someone watching over you right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you knew you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ Everyone would worry¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, worrying everyone is bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But you never wanted to worry anyone on purpose right? You¡¯re not that mean of a kid.¡±


    Ars nodded.


    He didn¡¯t think too much about it, but he never wanted to worry anyone.


    ¡°You thought that after you went to see the Adventurers Guild and the tower I¡¯d just ask ¡°Jeez, where have you been?¡± and you¡¯d just look at Lara and Sieg and laugh ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± like nothing happened?¡±


    It was exactly that.


    He didn¡¯t have that clear an image, but a situation like that was Ars¡¯s ideal.


    They would go out and enjoy themselves and return before they worried anyone.


    They might have worried Aisha a little, but they would be right back and she¡¯d say ¡°So you were just over there,¡± and give a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The fact that you couldn¡¯t do that is the problem.¡±


    Aisha said it straight out.


    Ars had a goal.


    To go to the Adventurers Guild without Aisha or Leo or anyone else.


    She didn¡¯t care about the fact that they didn¡¯t want to go together, it was just part of the goal.


    But if you set that as your goal, you have to complete it, is what she was saying.


    ¡°¡­Although you say that¡­ Aisha-nee what would you have done?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Even I¡¯d have a hard time going to both the tower and the Adventurers Guild in that short amount of time. They¡¯re just too far apart. So I¡¯d probably just go with the Adventurers Guild and save the tower for another day. Didn¡¯t you already know that you didn¡¯t have much time? So the second you heard our plans yesterday, you should have come up with a proper strategy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°I would have also brought a weapon, and a tool to contact someone. So just in case I ran into something I couldn¡¯t handle myself, I could call someone to come help.¡±


    Hearing it outlined so clearly, Ars realised what he did wrong.


    Looking at it calmly, Ars really was careless.


    It was too sudden and lacked thought.


    Failing in that situation was a given.


    At the same time he thought:


    Aisha really is amazing.


    ¡°¡­I got it. Next time, I¡¯ll be more careful. So I don¡¯t worry anyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes. As long as you keep that in mind. But while you have to be careful, you can''t be scared of failure. Because you¡¯ll never be able to do anything that way. Fail to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°Eeh, but, if it ends up like today¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! If you fail, I¡¯ll take care of it like today! Challenge yourself without fear.¡±


    Aisha whacked her large chest.


    Ars didn¡¯t really understand, he remembered how today felt and smiled at Aisha.


    ¡°Alright. I understand Aisha-nee! Thanks!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome! Aww, Ars-kun you¡¯re so cute!¡±


    Aisha said that and hugged Ars.


    And while he was having his head pat while being stuffed into Aisha¡¯s soft chest,


    Ars was earnestly thinking over the day.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. This


    I want to apologise because I don''t feel this chapter is up to the same standard as what I have the rest of them at.


    The author decided he wanted to write it third person but from someone''s perspective (Just think about that for a second) and in Japanese this isn''t too hard to do because you just remove any first person pronouns and it works. but in English what you get is a clunky mess of perspectives.


    I tried my best to minimise any impact it had on the tone but I''m not perfect. This is one language difference that can''t be overcome.

 CH 16

    That day I was reading on a chair out in the garden.


    Eris and Sieg were nearby doing practice swings.


    Although I think it would be fine to give it a rest while they¡¯re on vacation


    Ars was with them just before but Rudy¡¯s aunt Therese had invited him off somewhere.


    They¡¯re probably eating sweets inside her room by now.


    Well that¡¯s fine, but he¡¯s always been somewhat¡­


    Whenever he¡¯s with with women with large chests, he always looks quite excited.


    I feel his relations with women in the future will be harsh.


    Lara has been wandering around the garden with Leo for a while now.


    Probably plotting something again.


    Her actions have been somewhat incomprehensible as of late¡­


    That aside, Ars, Sieg, and Lara are all usually quiet around the house, so today should be quite peaceful.


    Sylphy and Norn took Lucy and Clive on a trip to the Adventurers Guild.


    They invited me along with them, but I turned them down.


    I don¡¯t really want to have a child come up to me, tell me ¡°I¡¯m trying to make a party of adventurers around the same age,¡± and invite me to join.


    And in Millishion Magic races always stand out.


    There was also Lilly and Chris to look after¡­


    But they had already fallen asleep, so I was left without something to do for the first time in a while.


    And being myself, I decided to read a book.


    And lucky for me, there was quite an interesting book in the Latrea library.


    The title was:¡ºOrigins of Divine Attack Magic¡»


    Its description of Resurrection Magic was quite interesting.


    ¡ºDuring the Human-Demon Great War, the Demons utilised a certain magic to torment the Humans.


    Resurrection Magic


    A magic to revive and enslave the dead, now Skeletons, Wraiths, and Moving Armour type magic beasts are all that¡¯s left of this Forbidden Art.


    Divine Attack Magic was birthed to combat Resurrection Magic. And during the First Human-Demon Great War the two continued to counter each other and evolved together.


    After that, Resurrection Magic was declared a Taboo and was lost, and Divine Attack Magic though it still exists today, is in decline.¡»


    There weren¡¯t any detailed descriptions of any magic formations or chants, nor do I have any intention of attempting Resurrection Magic, but reading about it has tickled my curiosity.


    Ancient magic battles.


    How romantic¡­1


    ¡°¡­Roxy-sama.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Someone called me from behind and I looked up from my book.


    Standing there was a maid of the Latrea house.


    I have a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°The madam¡­ Claire-sama has called for you.¡±


    Claire Latrea.


    She is more or less my grandmother-in-law.


    Although we should be around the same age¡­


    For now, I won¡¯t show any displeasure, but if it has something to do with the Demon Expulsion faction, I¡¯m sure that will change.


    I wonder what she wants to say.


    To be honest I want to run¡­


    I snuck a glance at Eris.


    ¡°Oi, tuck your arms in more! Raise your chin!¡±


    She¡¯s teaching swordplay with the same enthusiasm as always.


    If it has something to do with my race, that¡¯s fine, but if it¡¯s something else¡­


    Like if it¡¯s about the children¡¯s education.


    But if I run she might end up calling on Eris.


    Eris can''t handle complex or subtle conversations.


    If they say something she doesn¡¯t like, she¡¯ll end up hitting someone.


    That¡¯s just what she¡¯s like.


    She would be able to rebuke Claire, but then a fight would be unavoidable.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    This is just another duty as Rudeus¡¯s wife.


    Although I had gotten myself hyped up over it¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Currently Claire is quietly drinking her tea.


    And I, unable to say anything, am simply sitting in front of her.


    For some reason Lillia and Zenith are here too, Lillia being in the same shoes as me.


    Zenith is the same as always.


    Honestly, it¡¯s suffocating.


    There are also some sweets next to the tea but I can¡¯t reach for them.


    They¡¯re some of my favourites, but I feel like if I try to grab one, I¡¯ll get told off.


    ¡°You¡¯ll ruin your dinner,¡± or something like that¡­ I¡¯m often having to tell Lara that.


    It can¡¯t be a coincidence that both Lillia and I are here.


    Although our husbands are different, we both have the same position that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call ¡®mistress¡¯.


    And that¡¯s something that the Millis religion doesn¡¯t accept.


    That said, I am prepared.


    I have been somewhat spoilt as of late, but I have always been prepared for insensitive statements.


    It seems Lillia feels the same way I do.


    Or maybe she was already prepared for it far before I was.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. "Romantic" Written in katakana (The Engrish Japanese alphabet) has a different meaning to the traditional love sense and refers to the older artistic, epic, adventurous meaning.


    2. Originally: "Itadakimasu". If I made you laugh I have succeeded.

 CH 17

    Time flew by and our 10 day stay passed in the blink of an eye.


    The first day was a visit to the cathedral.


    We took Zenith to the Miko and she used her power to hear what she had to say.


    Claire was with us too, and half way she broke down into tears.


    I almost did as well, bud seeing that Zenith was happy as always, I held it in.


    While we were doing that the children seemed quite bored waiting outside, but we still had to meet with the Pope together with the Miko so we ended up taking quite a while.


    The Miko kept bragging about her daily training routine and how slim she¡¯d gotten and just wouldn¡¯t stop¡­


    The kids must really have been bored out there.


    Apparently Aisha took Ars, Lara, and Sieg to see the Adventurers Guild HQ.


    Going by the fact that they go back so late and Ars¡¯s face when he got back, it looked like some problem had occurred¡­


    But Aisha had probably already dealt with it.


    But it didn¡¯t seem that Lucy was mad at being left behind.


    She and Clive were probably satisfied looking around the Cathedral together.


    She might have liked the gardens or maybe Clive¡¯s tour was quite entertaining.


    And seeing that Lucy wouldn¡¯t tell me the details it was probably the latter.


    If I pressed it I might have gotten it out of her, but I held back.


    In any case, I¡¯d like for Clive-kun to continue to be sincere.


    The second, third, and fourth days were spent giving various greetings.


    Letting people know that the Dragon God¡¯s subordinate was in Millishion.


    The Holy Knight Captain.


    Various members of the Latrea family. And of course among them was my aunt Therese. She¡¯s unfortunately still unmarried.


    After that was the formal audience with the Pope¡­


    I met with the Millis Royal Family.


    The 5th Royal Prince. And although he was a price he was over forty.


    It was a real pain, but I eventually managed to secure an audience with the King in several days time.


    For a greeting as the representative of the Dragon God.


    Orsted had said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you put off making relations with the Millis Royal Family,¡± but I asked him before and a simple greeting was fine.


    I don¡¯t know why he said that after hearing that we were going there for a holiday, but the original purpose was show the kids different parts of society.


    I myself didn¡¯t see any problem.


    On the fifth day we delivered the doll to Cliff.


    When we got there he had some good news for us.


    In the last five years he seemed to be evaluated quite highly and they were considering his promotion to Bishop.


    Normally that would be impossible as young as he is, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some kind of ulterior motive.


    The parish Cliff is in charge of is in a particularly special location.


    The southernmost point of the Great Forest.


    When I went through it while traveling, it wasn¡¯t a particularly important place.


    But it seems that in the last 10 years the scope of the place has increases along with the number of people.


    The city isn¡¯t affiliated with any particular country or race, but when places get larger like that, people are bound to be interested.


    And so, various representatives of different races have gathered there to decide all kinds of things.


    The Millis Church¡¯s representative is an Archbishop known as the Cardinals¡¯ Dagger and part of the Demon Expulsion Faction.


    He follows the Human Supremacy Doctrine, so not only is he against the Magic Races, but the Beast Races too. He¡¯s a disdainful man, but he¡¯s good at his job.


    I¡¯m sure he¡¯s working to assure all kinds of things are in his interests.


    But considering his personality, putting him there could cause problems with their relationship with the Great Forest.


    But there are some especially extreme groups among the Demon Expulsion faction that welcome such a turn of events.


    And so that¡¯s why Cliff was chosen.


    Because of his relationship with the Rudo Mercenaries who employ a number of beast races and one of the Beast Race Princesses.


    He was well connected, possessed no prejudice and he was of the pope faction.


    So they raised his rank and gave him the job of overseer.


    Cliff seemed disappointed that he wasn¡¯t chosen purely for his ability.


    But regardless, after he finishes his work in the city, he¡¯ll be a Bishop in both name and rank.


    Once he becomes a bishop, his influence will increase, and if he can gain favour with the Elves of the Great Forest, the church may stand for him taking one as a wife.


    If that happens he¡¯ll be able to invite Elinalise and Clive to Millis.


    And after hearing that much I was like ¡°Then here¡¯s your promotion gift!¡±


    And took out the doll, but he got super mad.


    Apparently if they knew he was with a woman at this time, it would be a big fuss.


    That said, he didn¡¯t completely outlaw the doll, so I think he might have been happy with the idea.


    He seemed quite curious as to the details of its Magic Formation.


    Well if it comes down to it we can always put some sunglasses on it and dress it as a man, like Sylphy suggested.


    It has the strength to act as a bodyguard so I¡¯m sure it would be helpful for Cliff in his line of work.


    There¡¯s no guarantee that that Archbishop won¡¯t try to assassinate him.


    Incidentally, when I returned that day, Claire was in quite a good mood.


    Apparently Lara found her locket that she had lost a year ago.


    It¡¯s a good story.


    A parent loves to boast about their kids.


    ¡­Although Leo was probably the one doing the searching.


    And Roxy¡¯s child raising motivation seemed to have increased.


    ¡°All the children will be at school soon, so I¡¯m going to have to properly watch over them,¡± she said.


    Roxy¡¯s cute but she¡¯s the type to worry too much when she¡¯s enthusiastic about something so I¡¯m a little worried.


    Also, apparently Sylphy and Norn took Lucy and Clive to the Adventurers Guild.


    Lucy talked about how wonderful their lunch was with a massive smile plastered over her face.


    It seemed like she wasn¡¯t that interested in the guild itself.


    On the sixth and seventh days we walked around with no particular goal.


    We went shopping and took the kids sightseeing.


    We took a carriage out of the city to look around, we stopped at a nearby farm, we let the kids play in the river we came across.


    We basically just did whatever we felt like.


    The ninth day was the audience with the King.


    The Millis King was a mild old man.


    In Millis the Church holds most of the power so the Royal family is comparatively weak.


    It¡¯s now the tenth day.


    Time for us to leave Millishion.


    We¡¯ll head north through the Blue Dragon Mountain Range towards the hot springs.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters until we reach the entrance to the Great Forest, but I hear there are a lot of ruffians near the town stops.


    Just you alone would be one thing, but to bring children along too, you¡¯ll should be a bit more careful¡­¡±


    Right before we left, Claire gave us a good mouthful.


    When I was here last, she was reprimanding me for all kinds of things, but when we first arrived she didn¡¯t say much, now, by the tenth day, she seems to have no problem scolding us.


    Although she¡¯s not unpleasant about it.


    She probably finally managed to get a feel of the distance between us.


    But right before we left, she turned to face Norn.


    ¡°Norn-san, this time around we didn¡¯t talk all that much, but would it be alright if I said just one thing to you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    Norn had ¡°Here it comes,¡± written all over her face.


    She¡¯s been trying her best to avoid Claire these past 10 days.


    Even in spite of Ruijerd telling her to treasure her relatives¡­


    But Norn couldn¡¯t be blamed.


    If they were to talk, Claire might end up bad mouthing Ruijerd.


    And if that happened, I¡¯m sure Norn would fight back in turn.


    Claire¡¯s quite stubborn, so I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t take back anything she said and it¡¯s quite possible it could turn into a massive ordeal.


    ¡°You are no longer a Latrea or a Greyrat.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In that instant, Norn¡¯s expression was extremely aggressive.


    She probably expected something unfavourable about being a Demon¡¯s wife.


    That¡¯s just how sharp Claire¡¯s words were.


    Even I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.


    ¡°You are now the wife and mother of the Sperdia Family. Be aware of that and work yourself to the bone for your husband.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    But what Claire followed up with was something quite sensible.


    It did sound somewhat like an order though¡­


    ¡°I am not knowledgeable of Demon customs but is it a wife¡¯s duty to protect their children and house, I¡¯m sure that hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes!¡±


    Norn looked quite shocked but she eventually meekly nodded.


    Claire then nodded in satisfaction.


    As if a weight was lifted from her shoulders.


    I feel like Claire has changed in these last 10 days.


    Maybe because of that, Roxy and Lillia could spend their last few days here relaxing.


    Something probably happened in the time I was away.


    Especially Claire and Roxy. They seem much closer compared to when they just met.


    She¡¯s probably happy Claire wasn¡¯t discriminating against her.


    Roxy¡¯s had more than enough of that in her time after all.


    And thanks to that, Norn probably managed to get over a little of her ill feelings.


    ¡­Aisha is the same as ever though.


    After about half a day¡¯s travel from Millishion, we arrived at the entrance to the Blue Dragon Mountain Range.


    We stopped the carriage and got the children off.


    And then we turned around.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A spectacle opened up before us.


    You could see the City of Millishion in the distance.


    The river flowing through the city, green as far as the eye can see.


    We spent 10 days there.


    The Brilliant white Royal Palace, the glittering gold Cathedral, and the Sparkling silver Adventurers Guild.


    It¡¯s the same view I saw together with Eris and Ruijerd 20 years ago.


    Although the small building and the people living there might be different, seeing it like this makes it seem like nothing¡¯s changed.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    This kind of massive scenery is something you can see quite often in this world, but I would bet there¡¯s no other place that you could walk around in and then look at it from a distance like this.


    It gives a kind of indescribable feeling.


    I stopped thinking to myself and turned around to check the children¡¯s reactions.


    ¡°Wow~!¡±


    They were quite varied.


    Lucy had a smile of honest admiration.


    She¡¯s been acting more and more like the eldest sister lately, but she¡¯s still quite childish in this aspect.


    ¡­Oh, Clive next to her seems to be debating to himself whether or not to grab her hand.


    In the valley that divides the Blue Dragon Mountain Range.


    On the proverbial ¡®handle¡¯ of the Holy Sword Highway.


    The cliffs rise up straight from the ground, with only the occasional rock jutting out, producing a gloomy valley as far as the eye can see.


    The children were quite excited when they first saw it.


    Even Lara let one of her rare ¡°Wow,¡±s slip.


    ¨D¡ð¡ñ¡ð¨D


    1. Ok, these lines sound way out of place in english.


    But it''s actually a joke on Rudeus''s part.


    "Doki Doki Shichau.


    Doushimashou. Tabun, ima, atashi no kao, makka wa."


    The is a super cliche line that a shoujo heroine would think to themselves after being confessed to.


    The tone is super effeminate and he even uses ''Atashi'' the most effeminate of pronouns.


    2. This joke was legit there in the Japanese.


    ¥Ð¥¦¥ê¥ó¥¬¥ë - Bowlingual (Bow wow the dog noise combined with Bilingual)


    It refers to this gimmick product that claims to translate barks into Japanese and Rudy refers to Lara as one.


    It literally says: "Since I don''t have a Bowlingual I can tell, but ours doesn''t really speak all that much."


    3. Hey! What''s wrong with that. I''m offended [Sarcasm]


    While I''m here I''d like you guys to give the Editor, King of the End, a thank. He''s been with me since nearly when I took over and he''s saved me hours of having to read over my work multiple times. He''s been doing (almost) thankless work for a while now and he''s still always there ready and happy to help. So ket him know he''s appreciated.

 CH 18

    When you think of mountains, hot springs come to mind.


    After that, we arrived in the post town, and after pushing our way through the swarms of Beast Races¡¯ gathering to meet Leo, we arrived at our inn.


    After taking a quick stroll through the town, we met up with our guide, Talhand.


    And after the children fell asleep, we had an adult-only meeting in the tavern.


    After our stay at the inn, we set out first thing in the morning.


    Following Talhand¡¯s directions, we arrived at the hot springs.


    We had heard that Monsters appear around the hot springs, but it was much closer than I thought.


    You can see from the rockface the other day meets the milky white of the hot springs.


    The entire area was surrounded by a large stone wall to keep the Monsters out.


    And if you look down in the direction we climbed up, you can see the post town in the distance.


    In other words, it¡¯s an open air bath with a superb view.


    And of course, it¡¯s a mixed bath.


    But there really aren¡¯t many people here.


    There aren¡¯t even any Humans.


    If you look around, it¡¯s almost entirely Dwarves and Hobbits, with the occasional Beast Race.


    Hot springs probably aren¡¯t all that popular with Humans or Elves.


    In Human culture, baths like this are usually the things of Nobility.


    Well then, there aren¡¯t many people.


    And there are no Humans.


    That said, there are men.


    There are men and women.


    Showing my beloved wives¡¯ and daughters¡¯ naked bodies to unknown men is a good thing.


    Wait, no it¡¯s not.


    Especially this time, because it¡¯s not just my wives.


    Elinalise is here too.


    Even if she used to be your friendly neighbourhood adventuring stripper, I will find pleasure in seeing another man¡¯s sexy Elf wife naked.


    Wait, that¡¯s not right.


    And so, with that in mind, I have prepared a special kind of bathrobe.


    It¡¯s a Kantoui Made of a dark fabric.1


    It has no particular resistances, but it¡¯s made to feel natural like a swimsuit when wearing it.


    The designer is Aisha Greyrat.


    ¡°Aisha-nee, they have a waterfall over there!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Were?¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s over there, there.¡±


    ¡°Aah, wait Mama.¡±


    Aisha, along with Eris, Ars, and Sieg all seem excited to be in a hot spring for the first time, and are exploring their new environment.


    The dark black fabric isn¡¯t see through, but it does cling, making the figure completely visible.


    And they¡¯re moving all over generously exposing it.


    Eris probably hasn¡¯t noticed so that¡¯s fine¡­ And Aisha probably doesn¡¯t even care.


    Well whatever.


    This is a place anyone can enter.


    As long as the important places are hidden it¡¯s fine.


    Let those who are embarrassed be so.


    Although I do hope they don¡¯t cause trouble for anyone else here.


    Even here, there are manners that are necessary.


    ¡°Hey Blue Mama, you¡¯ve been here before haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Tell us!¡±


    ¡°Sure. It was right after I had left the Magic Continent, around the time I had just graduated from being a beginner Adventurer¡­¡±


    Roxy was telling a story to Lucy with Lily in her arms.


    Clive was also listening in nearby.


    Clive¡¯s face was bright red, probably because of Lucy¡¯s state of dress.


    But it¡¯s too early for you to know those kinds of feelings Clive-kun.


    Your father, nor I, will permit it at such an age.


    ¡°¡­And so Holy Beast-sama, this is the Saviour-sama?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lara and Leo were surrounded by Beast Races¡¯


    Lara has her usual bold expression, but she looks somewhat bothered.


    It was like this in the post town as well.


    ¡°Chris-sama, If you get hot, please say. I will prepare you something to drink.¡±


    ¡°Kaaay~¡­¡±


    Lillia was washing Zenith and looking after Chris.


    She was sitting with me before but she didn¡¯t like the hot water so she quickly got out.


    Now she¡¯s clinging to Zenith.


    Well, that¡¯s fine.


    ¡°¡­Aaaah! This is the best¡­!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve drank Dwarf liquor. It¡¯s pretty strong¡­ But it¡¯s good.¡±


    And Sylphy, Elinalise, Cliff, Talhand, and I are all drinking together.


    We bought some Dwarven liquor in the post town and chilled it.


    I¡¯ve never tasted anything like it before, I don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s made of, but I do know that it¡¯s good.


    It goes down smoothly and as it passed your throat, gives a soft scent of flowers.


    The cold penetrates your body and slowly warms you up from the inside.


    After we got out of the bath, we headed back to our rooms.


    After that we had the rest of the family wait in the inn as Roxy, Talhand, Elinalise, and I went to look for somewhere to install the Teleport Formation.


    We only took those used to walking through mountains.


    Eris wanted to come too, but I had her stay back as a guard.


    And so the four of us entered the mountain.


    It was just past the inn.


    Somewhere people don¡¯t come across often is ideal for a Teleport Formation.


    Ariel once told me that the majors powers want to have Teleport Gates connecting them and they¡¯re currently making plans for it¡­


    But that¡¯s still quite far off.


    Lifting the taboo on Teleport Magic.


    Until we know that it¡¯s a real possibility, I¡¯ll still have to keep putting my personal Formations where people can¡¯t find them.


    If we go too high we¡¯ll be in Blue Dragon territory, so we still have to keep it within reachable range.


    ¡°I guess about here¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    Now that we¡¯ve found somewhere to set it up, it¡¯s time to make a building.


    It¡¯s basically made the same as a Dragon Race relic.


    Four rooms with a hidden staircase in one leading to the Teleport Formation.


    I¡¯ve left Roxy and Elinalise outside to keep watch.


    I dig the hole with Earth Magic and begin forming the room.


    I had Talhand help out with the specifications of the inside.


    Nobody¡¯s going to stumble across here, but the Formation lead to the office.


    So in the million to one chance someone finds it, we¡¯d be in trouble.


    And so with that in mind, I dressed it up like a real ruin so any travellers that come across it leave satisfied. I even threw in something that looked like a treasure chest.


    I set it up like something along the lines of a rest stop.


    It should seem like somewhere ancient travellers would be able to take a break.


    Talhand was the one who made the furnishings.


    He certainly lives up to the Dwarves¡¯ legacy of craftsmanship.


    He crafted it all from a single huge piece of stone and even made them look appropriately worn.


    By the time the sun set, the building looked like it had been standing there for over a thousand years.


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive. I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to tell.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any plants or moss. Anybody who knows what they¡¯re doing could tell right away.¡±


    Oh.


    It seems the craftsman is unsatisfied with his work.


    That said, I don¡¯t think anyone will come across it that quickly.


    If someone does eventually stumble across it, it should look properly aged by then.


    There¡¯s nobody around to clean it after all.


    ¡°Is it even alright for us to be erecting a building here? The Dwarves have sealed it off haven¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°The Dwarves treat the mountain as something of a God and buildings are considered offerings. No matter what we build, nobody¡¯s going to complain.¡±


    Is that how it is?


    Maybe I should have made the outside more gaudy instead of hiding it all underground.


    The fact that the entrance leads underground basically screams that something fishy is going on.


    Well I guess it¡¯s too late now.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re done here, we should head back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡±


    Finally, I activated the Formation and Teleported.


    After confirming that it does in fact lead to the office, I head back.


    ¡°All good.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If something comes up I¡¯d be fine with you using it too Talhand-san.¡±


    ¡°No thank you. I shall make due with my feet.¡±


    Talhand shook his head and refused.


    So for now, the Teleport Formation is complete.


    All that¡¯s left is to head back.


    The next day, we set out from the town early in the morning.


    And here is where we parted with Cliff and Talhand.


    We gave our goodbyes before getting in the carriage.


    Cliff is to conduct his investigation today and return to Millishion within the next few.


    ¡°Clive, make sure you¡¯re a good boy.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Cliff really didn¡¯t want to say goodbye to Clive.


    It¡¯s not like they won¡¯t see each other again.


    But it¡¯s always painful to part with family.


    And so our family vacation ended without incident.


    Thinking back on it, all I did was work, but it was a good trip.


    I pray this was a good experience for the children and will help encourage them.


    Saying it like that really doesn¡¯t suit me.


    I hope they all grow up well.

 CH 19

    ¡ºTalhand The Clifftop¡»was the 37th of 51 siblings.


    He was born to an ordinary Dwarf family and was constantly surrounded by his brothers and sisters.


    51 of them.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t all share the same mother.


    Something not generally known is that in the Dwarf village, all children of the same generation are all grouped together.


    I guess you could liken it to a school, but from the moment they are born, they are considered siblings until death.


    And so all the children live as siblings, any disparity in wealth is lost, and they can eventually transition smoothly into positions of responsibility within the village.


    And among their siblings, someone will be the chief, some will be servants, and others will marry each other.


    Of course, that¡¯s simply the state of this village.


    Dwarves outside the village have no such custom.


    Anyhow, Talhand was raised among several tens of people as siblings.


    He was a normal child.


    He was interested in rock and iron, he liked the smell of alcohol, and he admired blacksmiths and builders.


    The only thing that might have stood out was that he seemed to like the men more than the women.


    That aside, among his siblings there was one who was particularly popular.


    His little brother, the 38th of 51.


    His name was¡ºGodbard of the Splendid Heavenly Peak¡».


    Godbard had a particular talent.


    Once Dwarf children are of age, they are taught blacksmithing and crafts, as well as simple Earth Magic.


    And amongst those, Godbard far outshone the rest.


    He could use the hammer to create steel as hard as the adults, he could craft ornaments splendid enough to make you doubt your eyes, and if you showed him a building, he could immediately fix its weak points.


    Dwarves live longer than humans.


    Around the time that Godbard¡¯s talent was discovered, there were still those who had lived through the Laplace War.


    ¡°He¡¯s the spitting image of the late Ore God,¡± they proclaimed.


    At their recommendation he was selected as a candidate for the next Ore God and was given preferential treatment.


    The other children also came to recognise him as their future leader.


    It was at that point that Talhand also began to show changes.


    He lost interest in smithing and crafts.


    Because he knew that no matter how hard he tried, nothing he made would ever outshine Godbard.


    He wasn¡¯t comparing himself to Godbard.


    The adults never even looked at anything anyone other than Godbard made, so there was never even any comparison.


    Did Talhand want to be number one?


    No.


    That wasn¡¯t it.


    Then did he resent the respect shown to Godbard?


    That wasn¡¯t it either.


    Talhand and Godbard were quite close.


    In fact, Godbard was one of his first friends.


    Talhand¡¯s first love was Godbard.


    When he heard that Godbard was to be the next Ore God, he was happy.


    And so, Talhand thought of how he could be helpful to Godbard.


    How he would make up for his deficiencies and become his right-hand man.


    The conclusion he reached was Magic.


    Especially, Water and Wind Magic which the Dwarves considered worthless.


    The previous Ore God was was a God Class Earth Mage, and using the stone he created, produced a legendary sword.


    But it¡¯s also said that the reason he was able to create such an amazing sword was because of the Water and Wind talents of the Elves.


    Blacksmithing is done with more than just earth and fire.


    To grow fire, you need wind. To cool steel, you need water.


    It¡¯s not an incorrect philosophy, but the adults of the village refused to acknowledge it.


    Tradition and formality have prevented previous generations of Dwarves from excelling at Wind and Water Magic.


    They would give all kinds of reasons to prevent Talhand from learning Wind and Water Magic.


    In actual fact, Talhand was far better at Earth Magic than Wind or Water.


    But Godbard had said, ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea. Those adults¡¯ heads are too hard.¡±


    Those words gave Talhand determination and further flared his admiration of Magic.


    And so Talhand separated from the norm.


    And because of that, he became an object of scorn among some of his siblings.


    According to them, any Dwarf who couldn¡¯t work a forge, couldn¡¯t be considered a man.


    And Magic should only be used to loosen bedrock, anything used in smithing should be birthed by nature.


    And under their contempt, Talhand slowly advanced his studies.


    It was all for the sake of Godbard.


    When he became the new Ore God, he would definitely need Talhand¡¯s strength.


    That¡¯s what he believed.


    Even when they criticised him, ostracised him, and he became known as an eccentric madman, he continued to believe.


    And then the day arrived.


    The day Godbard became the Ore God.


    In accordance with the succession ritual, the Ore God must craft five swords.


    And for each sword he creates, he selects those he can most rely on.


    The Ore God himself selects his his wife and friends, those who will help him lead the village in the future.


    Talhand of course, nominated himself.


    He¡¯d been training himself for this day.


    But to his surprise, Godbard didn¡¯t select him.


    He selected those in the village who possessed skill and his lover¡­ And that was fine.


    But his last selection was one who had berated Talhand as a lunatic, a stubborn old man.


    Talhand objected.


    ¡°As if I could stand such foolishness, I worked this hard for you!¡± he said.


    But Godbard replied,


    ¡°Can you make an actual sword?¡±


    And of course Talhand answered,


    ¡°Of course I can, give me a chance.¡±


    Godbard gave a bitter look, but he consented.


    The stubborn old man and Talhand.


    They would both forge a sword in competition.


    After that, Talhand continued traveling as an Adventurer.


    He was almost always alone.


    After the incident with Godbard, he could no longer bring himself to trust people.


    After being ostracised for so long, he had no idea how to interact with others.


    And his sexual inclination didn¡¯t help with that.


    His smithery was at the base level a Dwarf should have, but the Magic that he had spent most of his time on was only at a reasonable level.


    It only went as far a reasonable.


    So he clad himself in armour and had no choice but to resign himself to something of a Magic Knight role.


    But he still didn¡¯t think being a solo adventurer was that difficult of a task.


    When Talhand was raised to B rank, a certain person took notice of him.


    Elinalise Dragonroad.


    At first, she had her eyes on his body.


    She felt like eating up a Dwarven youth.


    But with Talhand¡¯s sexuality, he had no interest in her.


    And no amount of seduction could change that.


    And when he finally got tired of her advances, he told her he was gay.


    Elinalise stared at him mouth agape and the proceeded to laugh.


    Talhand wasn¡¯t too pleased with that.


    But he knew he would be able to part ways with the lascivious Elf.


    But Elinalise never left him.


    He had no idea why.


    Maybe she thought she could stay out of trouble by following him around.


    After that the two of them teamed up a quite a number of times.


    The abilities of the fast warrior Elinalise and the heavily armoured Mage Talhand meshed well together.


    He still found her irritating, but for some odd reason, it wasn¡¯t an uncomfortable sensation.


    Maybe because her common sense was bound by strict rules.


    Although neither of them talked about forming an official Party.


    But the appearance of a single boy changed that.


    Paul Greyrat.


    He managed to bring together the scattered Elinalise, Talhand, Gisu and Ghyslaine and form a party.


    The¡ºBlack Wolf¡¯s Fang¡».


    Their combination caused quite a stir, but that¡¯s a story for another time.


    The members of¡ºBlack Wolf¡¯s Fang¡»were all those ejected from their own societies.


    And although none of them matched with Talhand, they were all faithful to their desires.


    Paul was especially creative in his wild thoughts.


    When he heard of Talhand¡¯s preferences, he simply laughed it off and exclaimed, ¡°So I get the women, Elinalise gets the men, and if you take whoever¡¯s left, nobody gets wasted.¡±


    Paul was an easy to understand kid and his every action would leave you wanting to sigh.


    Although it didn¡¯t seem as if he acted without restraint.


    He possessed some amount of common sense.


    Even when he was publicly labelled a playboy, he continued to live how he wanted as if he couldn¡¯t care less.


    Paul¡¯s way of life opened Talhand¡¯s eyes.


    Paul¡¯s actions gave the¡ºBlack Wolf¡¯s Fang¡»quite the bad reputation, but it was fun nonetheless.


    Whenever Paul did something befitting of his name, he would give a hearty Dwarven laugh.


    Talhand¡¯s feelings for Paul, while similar to love, were decidedly different.


    It was most likely faith.


    For the first time in his life, he had companions he could trust.


    But that trust was broken.


    Zenith joining the party had destroyed his reliance on them.


    Paul, who had run around uninhibited until now, began to act with common sense to conform with what Zenith expected.


    You could consider it Paul growing as a person.


    But Paul made one mistake right at the end.


    The upheaval caused by Paul¡¯s marriage to Zenith left a scar on each of the members hearts.


    In hindsight, it may have only been a small thing.


    But it resolved Talhand to never join another party again.


    After that, Talhand continued on alone, and before long, the Fitoa Annihilation Event occurred.


    He was reunited with Elinalise, met Roxy, and together with the two of them, his aversion towards groups diminished¡­


    But his sentiment didn¡¯t extend to Paul.


    He met back up with Paul on his return from the Magic Continent.


    And the man he met, was no longer the unruly child he once knew.


    He was a man, a father, desperately searching for his family.


    Talhand knew he had changed, that he had grown up.


    One day, in his emptiness, a thought came to Talhand.


    That he should learn to blacksmith.


    He couldn¡¯t tell why he thought that.


    But throughout his journey towards the Asura Kingdom, he took up jobs in smithies alongside his work as an Adventurer as training.


    Because of Gisu¡¯s gambling, he had lost most of his fortune.


    And to earn a little more money, when he reached the Millis Continent, he took a break from his travels.


    He started smithing with all of his magic at his disposal.


    Fire, Earth, Water and Wind.


    He made swords, he made gauntlets, he made shields, he made swords, he made armour, he made helmets, and he made swords.


    And through that, he somehow began to understand what Godbard had said to him all those years ago.


    Some things just can¡¯t be conveyed through words. The tempo, the timing, the force, he began to get a feel for all these things.


    His skill rapidly increased.


    The intricacies of Godbard¡¯s forgery were burning in his mind.


    And his knowledge from his time as an adventurer about what kinds of equipment outperformed others played a big part.


    The way he used Magic was far from that his village taught.


    Eventually, people who would buy his wares appeared.


    The Rudo Mercenaries.


    Because he was acquainted with Rudeus, that branch became his sponsor.


    And because of that, eventually he was able to set up his own shop.


    But, as always, his actions didn¡¯t have any purpose to himself.


    His part time Adventures, playing teacher to apprentices, none of it had any meaning.


    What finally changed that was when Rudeus brought his entire family over from Sharia.


    Paul¡¯s son, could stand on the same level as the Latria house.


    When he saw that, he knew.


    He finally understood.


    That he had to return to his village.


    That he had to overturn the decision on that day.


    That¡¯s why he was smithing.


    After getting the rod of black rock from Rudeus, Talhand returned to his store.


    He had always thought that if he had the ability, that was the kind of stone he would make.


    What was once a dream, was now possible through all the training he had put himself through.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The first step was to powderise the rock from Rudeus with hammer and Magic.


    Then mix in iron sand and heat it.


    And using Earth and Wind Magic to achieve temperatures unimaginable with a conventional furnace, raise the heat.


    Both the Shingane and the Tamahagane1would be made of Rudeus¡¯s rock and the iron sand.


    The ratio would be different, but the basic process the same.


    He could have used Red Dragon scales or Hydra bones to produce an even stronger sword, but Talhand wouldn¡¯t use any of that.


    There wouldn¡¯t be any point.


    He began to slowly forge the sword, and after an entire night without rest, he began the tempering process.


    Slowly but surely, he poured the epitome of his magic and willpower into the sword.


    The result: a single blade.


    It was a hard black sword.


    It had no special decorations and no special effects.


    But Talhand was satisfied. He made a scabbard, wrapped it in a first class cloth, and placed it on his back.


    After putting the remaining black rocks in his bag, he set off from Millishion.


    His destination: the Dwarf village.


    Even after so long, nothing had changed about the Dwarf village.


    The village was built from stone at the base of a cliff.


    The memories of the esteemed¡ºOre God¡»Godbard regarding Talhand had somewhat faded.


    It was only natural.


    Many years had passed since Talhand had left the village.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown old, Talhand.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would have died in the middle of nowhere a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°I had intended to.¡±


    The two exchanged only a short greeting.


    Off to Godbard¡¯s side was his wife and right-hand man.


    With the return of the village¡¯s biggest madman, their vigilance was plain to see.


    But there was no such thing between Talhand and Godbard.


    Talhand had decided to face Godbard with a calm heart.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡¯


    But Godbard didn¡¯t have any intention to talk.


    There was so many things that could be said.


    About his experiences outside the village.


    But words were unnecessary.


    Talhand wordlessly took out the sword.


    Godbard, still silently, removed it from its scabbard and marvelled at the blade.


    ¡°¡­Hoo.¡±


    Godbard¡¯s response was overflowing with admiration.


    He brought the sword up to his face to study.


    ¡°This blade holds great faith¡­ There is neither wavering nor naivety, but the inexeprience can be spotted. Given the same materials and construction, I could craft a better blade.¡±


    Talhand smiled.


    Of course he was happy.


    No matter how hard Talhand had worked at smithing in these last few years, he couldn¡¯t catch up to the Ore God who had been diligently studying for over a hundred years.


    That much was obvious.

 CH 20

    Sword God Jino Britts.


    He is said to be the weakest Sword God in history.


    Having never left the Holy Sword Region even once in his lifetime, with neither a tale of defeating a formidable foe.


    Being the least popular of all the Sword Gods, people throughout the ages spoke about him as [a man who only became Sword God due to the passing of generations].


    There have been only little confirmation as to whether he was the weakest or not.


    However there is one fact that is for certain.


    Out of all the Sword Gods, he lived the longest.


    Jino Britts was born in the Holy Sword Region.


    His father was a Sword Emperor and his mother was the younger sister of the Sword God.


    He was three years old when he became self aware.


    Jino had been swinging his sword for as long as he could remember.


    Taking a wooden sword for children, he learned the way of swinging the sword from his father.


    Just like that memory, Jino¡¯s childhood days were filled with swordsmanship.


    Waking up early, running and practice-swinging, training after breakfast, training after lunch, fitting in a short break after dusk and eating dinner, practice-swinging and then going to bed.


    It was that kind of life.


    That being said, Jino did not particularly like swordsmanship.


    He trained like it was a natural thing to do but was only doing it because of his parents made him.


    He never once did it by his own will.


    Still when he was young, it was still good.


    There were only those who were either practicing or practiced swordsmanship around Jino.


    Other kids were doing it as if it was natural and his Sword Emperor father as well as his mother who was the Sword God¡¯s younger sister, praised Jino for learning new techniques.


    Even the retired old man praised Jino for being an admirable child when he was running around with a wooden sword.


    There was no room for doubt.


    Swordsmanship was common sense for Jino.


    However, as Jino rose in rank, his surroundings changed.


    His father who was pleased with him simply holding the sword became stricter as he ranked up.


    Swing your sword to overpower your opponent.


    You are still weak, don¡¯t be overconfident just because you are overflowing a bit with talent.


    Like that, he taught Jino and repeated harsh training beyond the likes of before.


    Even the adults from the dojo, who in the beginning used to watch over Jino pleasantly, began to turn towards him bluntly with unpleasant eyes as he passed through the ranks of Intermediate and Advanced and beat them in matches.


    At that moment, swordsmanship for Jino changed to something he was not interested in.


    Even then, it was not like he wanted to do something else.


    If it was a child from another country, he may have said something like wanting to become an adventurer.


    However for Jino, the idea of [leaving home] never came out.


    For some reason even his parents never taught him anything like that. Because there was no need to.


    Jino never knew that there was an ever expanding world outside of the Holy Sword Region.


    To Jino, the Holy Sword Region was the entire world.


    Swordsmanship was the same as the likes of breathing air and eating food.


    That¡¯s why he continued to practice it.


    To someone like himself, his childhood friend Nina also happened to be his only friend.


    Nina was the daughter of the Sword God.


    In the Holy Sword Region, anyone lower than the Saint rank are not allowed to enter the main dojo.


    Anyone not higher than than the Advanced rank, including children, were thrown into dojos near their homes.


    Nina was the daughter of the Sword God but she was no exception.


    Nina wasn¡¯t the only kid in her generation, but she was the only kid that was on par with Jino¡¯s swordsmanship.


    He got along with her.


    In the Holy Sword Region, the popular topic was always about swordsmanship.


    However, despite the fact that Jino disliked swordsmanship, he was a one of a kind genius and his theory regarding swordsmanship had an extraordinary side to it.


    The only person in the same generation that followed him in that regard was Nina.


    Nina was the leader.


    She brought children of the same generation together and stood on the top of that summit herself.


    She not only stood at the top of the children from the same dojo, but also the ones from every dojo in the Holy Sword Region.


    Although there was the fact that she was the Sword God¡¯s daughter, Nina was definitely talented. Among the children, her swordsmanship was the strongest.


    Amongst the children in the Holy Sword Region, the ability of one¡¯s sword was the basis for everything.


    During her break from sword practice, Nina gathered the children and made a secret organization.


    It was an organization only for children.


    Jino took the role of second in command within the organization.


    Although there was the fact that he was the second strongest, him getting along well with her played a role as well.


    Nina and Jino.


    It was most likely that these two saw something different in swordsmanship.


    As proof, out of all the children in Nina¡¯s group, most of them never reached past the Sword Saint rank.


    That organization lasted for five years but once Nina reached the Sword Saint rank, it was disbanded.


    As expected, Nina and Jino reached the rank of Sword Saint at the same time.


    Even compared to history, their growth was considered to be quite fast.


    Especially Jino.


    He became a Sword Saint at a mere 12 years old.


    When Jino became a Sword Saint, people around him yelled in surprise [Isn¡¯t he the youngest?].


    Both his father and mother praised him with open arms.


    However Jino was not particularly happy.


    He felt like he just did as he was told, so he didn¡¯t think it was amazing, and he knew that the four year older Nina was stronger than himself.


    Nina and Jino were allowed to practice in the main dojo after becoming Sword Saints.


    Nevertheless, nothing changed.


    Everyday, everyday, sword training.


    As usual.


    Since Nina was the closest to him in terms of age and skill, he always practiced with her .


    As usual.


    Nina dragged around Jino like her henchman as usual.


    As usual.


    Despite the fact that Nina was surrounded by senior swordswomen, the fact that she was the leader didn¡¯t change.


    Things that did change, were things such as the Sword God looking over his training and the increase in distance between his home and the dojo.


    Ahh that¡¯s not right.


    The opportunity to receive teachings by Nina¡¯s father, Sword God Gal Farion increased as well.


    He said something totally different from what Jino¡¯s father said.


    [Swing the sword for yourself]


    If Gal¡¯s words were to be summarized, it would give off that kind of feeling.


    Jino¡¯s dad would often say the likes of [Swing the sword for the sake of getting stronger] at the dinner table.


    Jino knew the difference between the two phrases, but he couldn¡¯t really tell which one was right.


    In regards to each one, nothing really hit home.


    Nevertheless, there was no real scolding as long as he completed the training given to him.


    Also, in the occasional mock battles, as long as you didn¡¯t lose too much, no one said anything.


    Despite the fact that moving to the dojo dropped his mock battle win rate, it was a fight against adults who were 10 years older than Jino. There was nothing to blame for the losses he sometimes suffered.


    Although there was change¡­. nothing big changed.


    That¡¯s what he thought.


    It was obviously that day that the big change occurred.


    She came.


    Eris Greyrat.


    The moment Eris arrived at the Holy Sword Region, she did a striking debut.


    Defeating Jino and Nina in an instant, she gave off a strong impression.


    Complete defeat.


    But even that was not a huge change for Jino.


    For Jino, something like losing was an everyday occurrence.


    Although he was praised as a genius amongst his generation, he always lost to Nina.


    It was the first time he lost to such a surprise attack, but when there were times he traded blows with his father or the Sword God, it ended in a similar result.


    Therefore, it was the same thing either way.


    It was not like he didn¡¯t feel angry, but after being scolded by his father due to the Sword God declaring [Jino is naive], such feelings vanished.


    Ahh, so it¡¯s alright to do things like that too, such was the lesson he got out of it.


    Though despite learning the lesson, he had the level of discretion to think [Let¡¯s not do it because it will be frowned upon at the dojo].


    Nina was the one who changed the most.


    Nina was different from Jino.


    With her bruised face flushing with rage, she didn¡¯t speak for that entire day.


    After practice in the dojo, she returned home and cried at the backyard in secret.


    She swung her sword while crying.


    As she repeatedly muttered, Unforgivable, unforgivable¡­


    Jino hesitated to call out to her.


    It was the first time Nina experienced losing to someone amongst her generation.


    Even so, it was not like she lost with just any ordinary sword.


    From what Jino had heard, they fought using a wooden sword embedded with iron.


    She didn¡¯t even lose gracefully.


    Collapsing, getting mounted on and beaten endlessly, even leaking herself due to the fear and pain, that was how she lost.


    It was a defeat like no other.


    It was the first time in her life that she experienced something like this.


    Since then, Nina¡¯s attack against Eris begun.


    At first, Nina conspired with the other swordswomen and tried to exclude her out.


    But Eris never cared about other people from the very beginning, so it resulted in failure.


    Eris desired for strength more than anyone else.


    The Holy Sword Region¡¯s internal affairs was none of her concern.


    Without any opposition, Nina¡¯s frustration began to build up regularly.


    She badmouthed Eris at every opportunity and even complained about her to Jino.


    Jino didn¡¯t like that kind of Nina.


    When Nina was the leader, she was completely different.


    Even if there was someone she didn¡¯t like, she didn¡¯t exclude them out.


    Nina looked like a bad person to even Jino, who knew her for a long time.


    It was one day that changed that.


    Without telling anyone, Nina suddenly disappeared.


    Of course, there was no one that worried.


    Although Nina had never left the Holy Sword Region and was ignorant of the outside world, she was a Sword Saint.


    There was talk about how she may have left to go on a combat training trip because of being provoked by Eris.


    There were more people who were impressed than those who were worried.


    It was to the point that even Jino was told by his father: [It may be a good time for you to see the outside world as well. If you hunt a red dragon, maybe that relaxed expression of yours will change].


    Although Jino thought about doing it, he never took action.


    Because he never had much interest about the outside world he never once visited.


    To put it bluntly, he was a bit scared as well.


    The majority of the adults in the Holy Sword Region knew about the [Outside World].


    However, it was at most to the degree of knowing about neighboring countries or the countries they were from.


    There weren¡¯t many people who actually traveled around the world.


    The tales that were told were mostly about where and what technique they used to defeat a certain opponent.


    Among such tales, there was one adult who told him stories of her failures.


    Ghyslaine Dorudia.


    It was Sword King Ghyslaine.


    Although she was an adventurer who traveled around the world, she taught him about the times she almost died due to her own stupidity.


    [The world is a place where even the most talented swordsman die. If you don¡¯t know how to use magic or math, or how to read, death will come swiftly]


    Ghyslaine¡¯s serious face as she told him these stories made Jino believe her.


    It was because Jino, like the rest of the children in the Holy Sword Region, didn¡¯t know how to read, use magic or math.


    Without any interest, rather fear of not being able to solve things with swordsmanship alone.


    It was no surprise that he didn¡¯t even want to go out.


    In any case, Jino didn¡¯t chase after Nina and days passed by.


    It was after two months since Nina left that she came back.


    Jino wanted to ask Nina about her trip, but she didn¡¯t tell him anything.


    Something probably happened.


    Since that day, Nina changed.


    Stopping her harassment towards Eris, she became more serious and earnest in regards to swordsmanship.


    She rarely associated with other swordswomen and her arrogant nature disappeared as well.


    She spent most of her breaks on special training.


    Though that special training was nothing more than trading blows with Jino in sparring sessions.


    Following her like a henchman, he traded blows with her countless times.


    Trading blows silently.


    Such days passed by.


    And so, this was when Jino began to fall for Nina.


    It was only after months and years passed by that Jino began to become aware of his love.


    Before that, many things happened.


    The North Emperor Auber and Water God Reyda came to visit.


    For Jino, none of these events interested him but the same could not be said for Nina.


    Being provoked by Eris, Nina constantly grew stronger.


    Even Jino, who did special training with her, also became stronger as well.


    But it slowly became impossible to win against Nina.


    Even though he rarely won against her before, his win rate against her steadily plummeted.


    In the blink of an eye, there was a huge gap between Nina and Jino.


    Jino didn¡¯t really think much about this issue.


    Losing against Nina was the same as before.


    Going from winning only once every five times to winning once every ten times is not that big of a change.


    But why is it.


    Somehow he felt like he was being left behind.


    At that day, Sword God Gal Farion called for Nina, Eris and Jino.


    The Sword God asked for the answer of [The difference between a Sword Saint, Sword King and a Sword Emperor].


    Jino had no idea what the answer was.


    However, Eris and Nina were different.


    Nina answered after a moment of thought while Eris ended with insisting her answer was correct despite being told it was wrong.


    The Sword God was also satisfied with Eris¡¯ answer and made them fight each other.


    Announcing that the winner would become a Sword King.


    And so, Eris won.


    Eris became a Sword King while Nina wept.


    Seeing the weeping Nina, Jino had a strange feeling.


    Unconsciously clenching his fists, he tightly shut his mouth.


    He couldn¡¯t understand his feelings.


    Nor the reason why he felt like so.


    He might be irritated.


    Or maybe even frustrated.


    Why isn¡¯t he himself standing there?


    Does he not even have the right to fight those two?


    After this, what would become of himself?


    It was the first time Jino ever felt such emotions.


    At the same time, he realized it.


    The question that the Sword God asked Nina [Marrying with Jino or becoming a Sword King. If you had to choose between the two, which would you choose?].


    Hearing that question and feeling his face flustered, unable to deny anything.


    That he somehow fell in love with Nina.


    Since then, Jino changed a bit.


    It wasn¡¯t that his usual behavior changed. He completed the training given to him by his father and the Sword God and continued his special training with Nina.


    That didn¡¯t change even after Eris left the Holy Sword Region.


    His matches against Nina just became more intense than before.


    What changed was his attitude towards swordsmanship.


    He became more proactive than before.


    He began to think about the meaning of everyday practice as well as thinking about each technique, he experimented with various things.


    The result was extraordinary.


    In the blink of an eye, he became on par with Nina.


    It wasn¡¯t anything strange.


    Jino had the talent from the very beginning.


    Nina also changed.


    Nina, who became a Sword King, began to often travel to nearby villages and towns after Eris left the Holy Sword Region.


    Hunting demons, going to dojos in big towns and giving out lessons.


    Nina was proactive in such activities instead of just focusing on improving her swordsmanship.


    On the other hand, Jino refused to leave the Holy Sword Region as usual.


    Though he no longer felt scared of the outside world, he had no thought of leaving.


    Even Jino did not know the reason why.


    Maybe there was no reason at all.


    But there was also no reason to leave either.


    He trained diligently even when Nina wasn¡¯t there, and from time to time, built up a lot of practice by sparring against his Sword Emperor father.


    However, each time, he couldn¡¯t overpower his opponent.


    His Sword Emperor father was too far out of reach.


    According to the Sword God, he would be gifted with his Sword King license soon, but that was it.


    In terms of technique, he had already caught up to his father.


    It was the same for Nina.


    It was probably the same for fellow Sword Kings Ghyslaine and Eris.


    But he couldn¡¯t win.


    He was lacking a single step.


    He knew that.


    He even knew what he needed to do to win.


    But he couldn¡¯t put it into action.


    Although he became proactive, he restrained from putting himself into a harsh environment.


    No, there was a time when he did put himself into a harsh environment.


    And each time, he always thought to himself.


    Why must I do these things to the point where I suffer?


    Years passed by without an answer.


    One day, Nina asked him after coming back from seeing a coronation ceremony in the Asura Kingdom.


    [Hey Jino. Why don¡¯t we get married?]


    Jino responded with a nod.


    He didn¡¯t give it much thought.


    Instead, it was something he expected to happen sooner or later.


    It was because he liked Nina and it didn¡¯t seem there was any indication of her being in that sort of a relationship with another man either.


    Nina, who had an impatient personality, brought Jino to her room and immediately did the deed.


    It was both their first time, so there were a lot of lacking points as well.


    However, there was enough compatibility between the two to dedicate themselves to at least one night.


    As the pleasant feelings kept coming, he thought to himself.


    I want more of this.


    It was probably the first time in Jino¡¯s life that he wanted something so strongly.


    The day after that.


    Jino took Nina along to see the Sword God.


    It wasn¡¯t Nina that took Jino, but Jino who took Nina.


    To tell him that they wanted to get married.


    It was a rare sight for Jino to move independently.


    [No]


    Was the Sword God¡¯s immediate reply.


    The Sword God who never once interefered with his daugther¡¯s education, gave a firm NO for the first time.


    The reason was simple.


    In the eyes of the Sword God, Jino lacked charm.


    Without a sense of independence, not to mention an adventurous spirit let alone ambition.


    A man who simply does as he is told.


    Although the Sword God did not know that the two had spent the night together, he figured that Nina was the one who brought up the topic of marriage to him as well.


    Jino was the type of man that never wanted something for himself.


    He never tried to grasp something with his own hands.


    And yet, marriage?


    Don¡¯t make me laugh.


    But at the same time, he had another thought.


    That it wasn¡¯t a bad flow of events either.


    [If you want to get married, defeat me yourself. Then I¡¯ll give you my permission].


    It was the Sword God¡¯s way of encouraging Jino.


    By giving him an obstacle, he hoped that Jino would show at least a bit of determination.


    [¡­¡­ !]


    However, at that moment, Jino understood.


    He felt as if something clicked in his head.


    I understand.


    Ahh, it was this all along.


    The thing that the Sword God would always tell him.


    Something that he was missing.


    The identity of [Why?].


    It was this.


    It was something as simple as this.


    Jino felt as if everything in front of his eyes became clear.


    The thing he couldn¡¯t really understand throughout his life was starting to become clear.


    He grasped something with his own hands.


    The final one, the one step that he was missing.


    It was a [Goal].


    After that, it was simple.


    Jino changed.


    He completely changed.


    His entire being changed.


    He stopped all the training that he was ordered to do until now.


    He even stopped his special training with Nina.


    Did he become truant?


    Not at all. He started training by himself.


    In that training, there was no need for a partner.


    He already had plenty of combat experience from his special training with Nina, practicing with his father and participating in countless mock battles.


    There was a theory for winning as well.


    Jino had a vision of gaining certain victory against swordsmen of the Sword God Style.


    However, to reach that vision, there was an extraordinary amount of effort needed. He had to overcome painful and harsh days.


    Hence the reason he didn¡¯t do it until now.


    He didn¡¯t have a reason to do it.


    Whether it was frustration or irritation, such feelings weren¡¯t enough to endure it.


    However, it was different now. Jino had a goal in his hands.


    I want Nina, I want her no matter what. Even if I have to go through painful things I want her.


    That goal changed the painful and harsh to joy and hope.


    After that, all there was left was to grind and sharpen.


    Forging his body to increase the speed and weight of the sword.


    It was needed to verify his theory.


    Training, Special Training, Practice.


    There were countless words, but none of them applied.


    If one was to find a word that applied¡­. It would be [Work].


    Jino simply did the things that he needed to do.


    To make his body be able to defeat the Sword God, he worked flawlessly everyday.


    To reach his limits, Jino continously worked.


    Jino was able to do it.


    He had that sort of talent from the very beginning.


    With motivation, deeply thought out theory, flawless work.


    The innate talent that controlled all those things.


    With these four elements combined, Jino¡¯s sword became sharp.


    ¡ï¡¡¡ï¡¡¡ï


    And so, the fated day came.


    That day, Jino got up early and went to where his childhood friend was and once again proposed to her.


    Facing off each other with wooden swords, Jino defeated Nina and told her to become his.


    After she accepted, he headed to where the Sword God was.


    It was the afternoon and there was a mock battle going on in the main dojo.


    In the Holy Sword Region, it was a combat practice that happened from time to time.


    It was not only a place where one could test to see how much their skill improved, but also allowed for two people to challenge each other to see who was at the top.


    In such a place of training, Jino unexpectedly came back.


    For a Sword King like Jino, his opponents would either be two Sword Saints, Nina who was the same rank as he was, or a Sword Emperor who he would challenge together with Nina as two people.


    Nina was absent.


    Since that was the case, naturally he would face off against two Sword Saints as tradition followed.


    However,  as soon as he walked to the center of the dojo, Jino pointed his wooden sword at the Sword God.


    The dojo fell deadly silent in an instant.


    [Jino! You bastard, what are you doing!]


    The first person to get up from their seat was Jino¡¯s father, Sword Emperor Timothy Britts.


    He raised the wooden sword he had by his side and struck at Jino.


    No, he tried to strike him.


    However, the moment he tried to get up with one knee, the knee that was at the front was smashed.


    At the same time, the hand holding the wooden sword was also smashed and caused the sword to drop on the floor.


    Sword Emperor Timothy Britts opened his eyes wide in shock.


    He was used to pain.


    His facial expression never showed pain.


    Despite that, the cold sweat that ran down his face.


    In his eyes, there was the figure of Jino who had just finished swinging his sword.


    After a glance at his father, Jino turned around to the Sword God.


    [Sword God sama, I have come to take Nina]


    He declared as he pointed the sword just like he did a moment ago.


    Sword God Gal Farion looked at that sword and laughed ferociously.


    [Alright, come ¨D¨D]


    at me.


    Before he could finish those words, Jino moved.


    But Gal also moved at the same time.


    Rather, Gal was faster.


    It was because Gal was already in stance.


    When the Sword Emperor was defeated, he picked up a wooden sword, raised his hips and readied his sword drawing stance.


    Though it was a disadvantageous stance, to Gal, nothing was disadvantageous.


    To be able to surpass his opponent with overwhelming speed despite being at such a disadvantage, such was the being known as the Sword God.


    However, he couldn¡¯t surpass Jino.


    Jino moved at roughly the same speed as the Sword God.


    Nevertheless, the two wooden swords that moved at roughly the same speed clashed together a little closer to Jino.


    That is to say, the Sword God¡¯s speed was superior.


    Thus, the Sword God drove his strike in even deeper with more speed.


    It was at that moment that the Sword God had a bad feeling.


    The Sword God was nearly flawless in this single trade of blows.


    For the Sword God Style that had the motto of ¡°A Single Strike¡±, to block an opponent¡¯s sword was considered a poor move.


    However, collapsing the opponent¡¯s stance with the first strike and finishing him off with the next wasn¡¯t unheard of.


    It was like that until now.


    To the Sword God Gal Farion who dominated his opponent with the first strike, there was no such thing as defeat.


    That¡¯s what he thought, but Jino¡¯s sword was heavier than any other sword Gal had faced before.


    Jino¡¯s stance didn¡¯t collapse.


    Of course Gal¡¯s stance didn¡¯t collapse either.


    It was a tie.


    It rare for Gal to experience a tie between first blows.


    It was a tie despite the fact that Gal drove his strike in deeper.


    In that case, the next move would be different.


    Gal¡¯s stretched out sword took time to come back.


    Jino¡¯s sword was different. Despite catching up to Gal¡¯s sword, it was in a position where it could instantly go back.


    It wasn¡¯t like both of their stances collapsed.


    It was the slightest difference in time.


    But Jino made that slightest difference his.


    The definitive difference that was like putting a thread through a needle in order to gain certain victory against Sword God Gal Farion.


    Gal Farion couldn¡¯t execute his second swing.


    That day, Jino grasped everything he wanted into his own hands.


    Sword God Jino Blitz.


    He grasped everything he wanted into his own hands.


    Nina Farion.


    That was everything he wanted.


    The title of the greatest swordsman, [Sword God] was nothing much to him.


    He never once left the Holy Sword Region in his lifetime.


    This resulted in him having the lowest popularity out of all the Sword Gods and rumors spread about him being history¡¯s weakest Sword God.


    He was also not accepted by the Sword Saints who were apprentices of the previous Sword God.


    But he didn¡¯t care.


    Rumors had no meaning.


    That was because he was going to defeat every single opponent who challenged him.


    Such opponents included a swordsman who tried to become the next Sword God.


    A challenger who came after hearing the rumors about the [Weakest Sword God].


    Jino crushed them all.


    After becoming the Sword God. Undefeated.


    That was Jino Britts¡¯ combat record.


    It may have been possible that if he left the Holy Sword Region, he could have beaten experts such as the Water God Reyda and Death God Randolph.


    However, he didn¡¯t do it.


    For him, the Holy Sword Region was the entire world.


    From the beginning to the end, there wasn¡¯t anything he wanted from the outside world.


    Nevertheless, after becoming the Sword God, his world expanded without a doubt.


    Because other than opponents, there were many people who paid a visit to befriend the Sword God Jino Britts.


    Though they did not want to fight him, at times they requested for sword lessons and at times did business with him.


    Rudeus Greyrat was also one of those people.


    Yep, he suddenly showed up one day.


    With the Mad Sword King Eris Greyrat at his side, who Jino had deep relations with.


    Bringing along with him, the North God Kalman III and Dragon God Orsted¡­

 CH 21

    Posted on March 20, 2017 by Hoopla


    Currently, I¡¯m in the Holy Sword Region¡¯s dojo.


    From what I heard, it is called [The Current Room].


    On my right is Alek.


    With a smile on his face and not a hint of bloodlust.


    On his waist is the two handed longsword forged by the Ore God using the black rocks I created.


    Though it has no special power, as expected of a blade forged by a being with the title of God, its quality is excellent.


    Alek took a liking to this sword which was close to two meters long, and began to use it.


    Orsted is on my left.


    Wearing a black helmet and not uttering a single word.


    Without a hint of movement, he is standing still like a static image.


    Though it seems like a fly would stick to him, due to his intimidating aura, not even a mosquito comes near him.


    But the other people weren¡¯t paying attention to me, Alek or Orsted.


    Everyone was paying attention to the person standing in front of me.


    It¡¯s Eris.


    She was standing with a wooden sword in her grasp.


    Though her face was tense, she wasn¡¯t particularly releasing any bloodlust.


    However, it was clear that the wooden sword she held tightly in her hand was filled with strength.


    Eris was standing in the center of the Current Room with a wooden sword in her hand.


    And in front of her, was a Sword Saint with a broken wrist tumbling on the floor.


    [¡­ I give up]


    Saying such words as if he was frustrated, he stood up and bowed.


    Without waiting for Eris¡¯ reply, he moved back to the side of the dojo.


    On the side of the dojo.


    There was a row of Sword God Style swordsmen standing side by side.


    There seems to be close to 20 of them.


    To say that each of them is a Sword Saint, the world is a small place. That small world is being crowded into a small place.


    And across from Eris.


    There was a seated man and woman.


    Though I don¡¯t know their age, they must be around mine.


    I don¡¯t know if I could call them young with that kind of mindset, but seeing how many of the Sword Saints were in their 30s and 40s, it is probably safe to say so.


    The man sat the woman beside him and held her shoulder.


    Compared to the other Sword Saints, he seems to be relaxed.


    Even in front of Orsted.


    Though Orsted had his helmet on to suppress the curse, he is being relaxed in front of that Orsted.


    Jino Britts.


    As expected of the Sword God.


    Holding a woman with such an imposing figure, I can¡¯t think that we are around the same age.


    At the very least, I can¡¯t sit my wife beside me and hold her shoulder or touch her waist in front of Orsted.


    If I did, I would be beaten. Primarily by Eris.


    But I did get a favorable impression when the woman began to hit the man¡¯s hand away when he sometimes stretched it towards her chest.


    The woman¡¯s name is Nina.


    She is Eris¡¯ friend and is said to be a Sword King in terms of rank.


    But I can¡¯t feel even a slightest Sword King-ish aura from her.


    Leaving her body to the seemingly happy Jino, she is ocassionaly hitting away her husband¡¯s hand that would stretch towards her chest.


    They are not taking any notice of us at all.


    Stupid couple, people might even call them as such.


    [¡­¡­]


    Well, let¡¯s explain why we are in such a tense state of affairs.


    The summary until now!


    Hello to all you good children!


    My name is Rudeus Greyrat!


    I¡¯ve come to visit the hottest and coolest tourist spot, the [Holy Sword Region].


    Thinking about the future, I had no choice but to talk to the Sword God Style and Eris had a connection with the Sword God as well.


    Also, thinking of this as a sort of an obligation, I came to give my greetings as well.


    Members of course include both Eris and I!


    As far as I know, there seems to be ton of people in the Sword God Style that like to let swing their swords before opening their mouths, so I didn¡¯t bring people affiliated with magic.


    Of course, though these guys probably have morals as fellow human beings, we killed the Sword God¡¯s father in law during the battle in the Biheril Kingdom.


    From that point of view, do you think saying [Please lend us your strength] won¡¯t cause problems?


    Well depending on the mood, we might just come back without speaking a single word.


    Anyways, since we don¡¯t exactly know what will happen, this is a two man trip including me and Eris, who knows the Holy Sword Region quite well.


    ¡­ that was the plan but there was a surprise.


    When I was talking about going to the Holy Sword Region, Orsted acting unusually, said he was going to go too, as if he was hiding something.


    He was probably concerned that I was going to say something carelessly and make the Sword God angry.


    In other words, he was going to escort us.


    Anyways, there was no reason to refuse his offer. Orsted is definitely reliable too.


    And since Orsted was going, Alek said [Well then, me too].


    Alek. Yep, the guy who has a bit of a strong desire for becoming a hero.


    There¡¯s also the fact that he has a reputation like Cliff back in the day for not knowing how to read the atmosphere!


    I wanted to say that [Well, the person who looks like he would cause problems is probably NG].


    Though he takes care of Sieg quite well, there¡¯s a difference between that and this.


    But Orsted sama said [¡­ do as you wish].


    As a result, it was decided that the four of us including me, Eris, Orsted and Alek would go to the Holy Sword Region.


    And so we arrived at the Holy Sword Region.


    There was a tranquil scenery giving off vibes of a snow covered country village spreading out.


    And the place we arrived to while I said alone in a lonley voice, [It¡¯s a pretty good scenery] [For the countryside, they do have a good arrange of wooden swords] [Ah, villager found] was the Sword God Style¡¯s main dojo.


    The place that we were led to by smiling Sword Saints, was the Current Room.


    A gentle mood full of smiles.


    But for some reason, my muscles are twitching.


    It¡¯s probably nothing!


    Rather than talking about that, it¡¯s time for greetings, greetings.


    ¡­ while I was thinking such thoughts, a Sword Saint said the following.


    [First of all, I want to see the Mad Sword King Eris¡¯ sword that was said to have defeated the previous generation]


    You want to do that first!? But before I could turn around to see what was going on after saying such words, the Sword God shrugged his shoulders and said [Do as you wish] without a care.


    And so began the slaughter.


    The smiling Sword Saints with their smiling faces began to seethe bloodlust from their entire bodies and challenged Eris.


    Despite their smiles and use of wooden swords, it was obvious that they were going for the kill.


    Using the sparring match as their excuse, they were going to beat her to death. It was easy to see that they were not going to hold back.


    Nevertheless, Eris is more or less a Sword King.


    She wouldn¡¯t fall behind to those Sword Saints.


    With ease, she turned the tables against the Sword Saints.


    As Eris started to beat each person one by one, the smiles on the Sword Saints¡¯ faces began to fade and showed signs of hatred. As of right now, they aren¡¯t even bothering to hide their bloodlust.


    However, in the middle of that, there was one person with a carefree expression.


    It was Jino.


    Even Nina, who was bothered by the bloodlust of the Sword Saints, showed a little troubled expression, but Jino seemed like he couldn¡¯t care less.


    And so, this tense space was created!


    So, I tried to explain it with the utmost enthusiasm¡­


    Ha.


    My stomach hurts.


    Why did it turn out like this¡­


    I feel like I suddenly failed. It¡¯s impossible to have a discussion with this atmosphere.


    But I want to at least explain myself.


    There wasn¡¯t even time to stop them.


    It honestly happend too fast.


    When Jino finished saying [Do as you wish], Eris picked up her wooden sword as if it was the natural thing to do and the Sword Saints waited for her in the center of the dojo.


    By the time I sat down in my current position, Eris already striked down one of them.


    And so, without any time to stop them, the Sword Saints came one by one saying [I¡¯ll go next], [Me next!].


    However, I think the time to stop these fights has come near.


    There¡¯s roughly around 20 Sword Saints, and Eris has defeated close to 20 of them.


    The one she is fighting right now is the final Sword Saint.


    In that case, he will most likely come out.


    Sword God Jino Britts.


    Even though he is whistling without a care, he will most likely have no choice but to come out if everyone below him is defeated.


    The Sword Saints are probably waiting for that moment as well.


    The moment when the Sword God comes out and beats the red hair Mad Sword King to death.


    Taking revenge towards those who killed the previous Sword God.


    They came forward with such a proposal solely for this reason.


    I am regretting it.


    I shouldn¡¯t have come.


    If Eris fights with the Sword God, she won¡¯t get out unscathed.


    Even I don¡¯t think I can fight the Sword God at this distance.


    And I¡¯m also thankful.


    Even if I can¡¯t react in time, Orsted and Alek should be able to block the Sword God¡¯s blade.


    Though Eris may not be able to get out of it unscathed, as long as she doesn¡¯t die, it¡¯ll be alright.


    Eris should have at least that much of a resolution.


    Nevertheless, I¡¯m thankful towards those two for coming here with us.


    However, if I interfere with the fight between the Sword God and Eris, all negotiations will probably be over.


    Nevertheless, I can¡¯t predict what will exactly happen.


    Well it definitely won¡¯t be good.


    Anyways, let¡¯s stop it.


    Let¡¯s try to talk it out.


    That¡¯s my job.


    Sounds good Rudeus. These people may be hot blooded, but if you try hard, they¡¯ll probably listen.


    Hang in there okay?


    Let¡¯s Fight! (TL Note: This is a translation of ¥ì¥Ã¥Ä¥Õ¥¡¥¤¥È¤À !, the word is used as an encouraging/motivational word than literally ¡°Let¡¯s Fight!¡±)


    [Ugh¡­ I give up]


    And just now, the final Sword Saint has been defeated.


    He is tightly clenching his wrist like the previous Sword Saint before him.


    Actually, all the Sword Saints are clenching their wrists.


    Whether they were right handed or left handed, Eris beat them with the same techinque.


    This only angered the Sword Saints even more.


    Next up should be Nina?


    No, Nina doesn¡¯t seem to have any intention of moving.


    The Sword God will probably move first.


    If the Sword God makes his move, it¡¯s my turn.


    Time to look for when he moves.


    When the Sword God begins to stand up, it¡¯s time to switch to full on flatter mode.


    It was an impressive match, but my throat is parched after the watching the match. How about we take a break and drink some tea?¡­ Let¡¯s say some lines like these.


    Hm? Is it okay to say such lines?


    Doesn¡¯t it sound like it¡¯s just going to make the situation worse?


    Maybe I should go more in the lines of praising the Sword Saints who lost.


    Haha, well, the gentlemen of the Holy Sword Region are truly dedicated to sword practice. ¡­. Let¡¯s go with this.


    With this, even they will say [Well, these were only practice matches so it can¡¯t be helped that we lost] and come out with such a conclusion.


    Alright let¡¯s go, Let¡¯s go now, Let¡¯s go.


    [¡­¡­]


    However, there is no change to the Sword God.


    Nina also seems to have no intention of moving either.


    [Are you done?]


    Said Sword God Jino Britts whose voice gave off a light feeling in the midst of this tense situation.


    It was in a very nonchalant voice.


    [And? What did you come here for again?]


    Huh?


    It sounds like he will listen before fighting.


    It isn¡¯t like the Sword God Style¡­ but it is convinient.


    I came forward and raised my voice without hesitation.


    [¡­ First of all, my apologies]


    [An apology?]


    [In regards to the previous Sword God]


    As soon as I said that, the atmosphere around the Sword Saints began to change as if they were waiting for this moment.


    The other side gave us the cue!


    The time is now! Let¡¯s get out revenge!


    If they were dogs, they would have been wagging their tails and barking.


    I thought about talking about it in a more roundabout way, but it¡¯s all the same.


    There was no running away from this.


    [¡­¡­]


    However, the Sword God began to make an awkward face.


    If you make a face like that, it¡¯ll put me at a loss too.


    I felt like I said something weird and wanted to look around.


    Nevertheless, he began to nod his head as if he understood it.


    [Ah, about that, I¡¯ve heard about it from Nina a while back. Nina said she would cooperate with you all. That being said, I guess there is a need to apologize for killing the father of your cooperator]


    He said it as if it was none of his business.


    To the point where it left the Sword Saints more speechless than myself.


    [But master¡­ the previous Sword God Gal Farion, tried to challenge you on his own will no?


    Then isn¡¯t it more appropriate that we apologize to you?


    If this pertains to the entirety of the Sword God Style, it is us who broke the agreement after all.


    So what happens now?


    I don¡¯t really know much about these kind of things]


    The ones that want to know what will happen is us.


    Am I really talking to the top authority of the Sword God Style?


    I came here thinking that he would be at least as hard headed as Atofe¡­


    It¡¯s a strange feeling.


    [Umm¡­]


    Calm down, first comes answering his questions.


    I¡¯m pretty sure Eris talked to Nina during Ariel¡¯s coronation ceremony.


    That we were planning to make the Holy Sword Region, the Sword God, into our ally.


    But before such talks were finished, the fight at the Biheril Kingdom occurred and Gal Farion became our enemy.


    [Eris and Nina only talked and there had yet to be a formal agreement to the talks. Did Nina tell the Sword God about our talks?]


    [She did tell him, but that was all there was to it]


    Nina who was vaguely nodded her head.


    To those words, Jino also nodded his head.


    [To say the least, we didn¡¯t hear anything about [Opposing the Dragon God Orsted and his allies]. But if he did fight¡­]


    Jino frowned with his eyes.


    [That means that the previous generation decided to become your enemy huh?]


    The Sword Saints¡¯ spirits began to rise.


    Alright, well said.


    Let¡¯s grab our swords and fight, hurry, hurry!


    I felt like I could hear such thoughts.


    [¡­ Wait. Please calm down]


    After hearing those words, Jino shrugged his shoulders.


    [Do I look like I¡¯m flustered?]


    [No you look really calm. It¡¯s just that, look, we came all the way here to apologize and get rid of any hostilities between us. It¡¯s not good for us to fight with your Sword God Style who have a strong combat strength either. We want to be close to those who are strong. We also have things to keep you interested as well. A trade of swords and food, maintenance of infrastructure and even cooperation in regards to construction. In other words, if you become our enemies,


    we will have to stop such activities. Isn¡¯t that bad for you as well?]


    [Haa¡­]


    Jino sighed in response to my words.


    My explanation may have been a bit too long. I probably would have kept it shorter if I was talking to Atofe. But then again, he doesn¡¯t seem like her who would simply agree and say [Alright, you are our comrade!]


    Jino looked at me and said with a trouble expression.


    [Do I have to say every little thing? The previous generation did not say anything to us. In other words, he chose to fight you as an individual. We have nothing to do with it. Therefore, we have no intention of fighting you. Besides, there¡¯s something more important than something like that anyways]


    After saying such words, Jino pulled Nina to his side and buried his face onto her head.


    Even though Nina is blushing, she is letting him do it.


    It looks like they are passionate for each other, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to show a little restraint in front of others?


    Look at that. Eris¡¯ face is blushing red. Her eyes are open wide. She is crossing her arms and standing with her legs wide in a stance to be ready for a fight.


    However, is the person I¡¯m talking to really the Sword God?


    His response is so logical that is scares me.


    It feels weird.


    Aren¡¯t the Sword God Style¡¯s higher ups more like [Shut up! Stop saying things that we can¡¯t understand! You¡¯re the boss¡¯ enemy! We¡¯re gonna kill you!]


    Ah no, that¡¯s more like Atofe isn¡¯t it.


    But isn¡¯t it pretty much the same thing?


    Ah, maybe the person infront of me is a body double. Or it may be a staff member who is in charge of public relations.


    [¡­¡­]


    But I¡¯m thankful for the way this conversation is headed.


    Though it is a bit weird seeing how calm he is knowing that we killed his master.


    Well, I can understand if he is acting that way because he decided to put the future ahead of his emotions after thinking about the current situation.


    He probably thought a lot about it before and came to such a decision.


    [If it¡¯s like that, then please once again¡­]


    [Please wait!]


    The person who shouted such words and stood up was a Sword Saint.


    With his face flustered, he pointed at us¡­ no rather, at Orsted.


    [We admired the previous Sword God, we saw his sword, learned and practiced and became strong! Such a person was killed! By them! They killed the previous Sword God who we are indebted to and yet, why are you just silently sitting there!? Is it okay for our Sword God Style to be looked down upon?]


    [Then you go do it. Bring a real sword, I¡¯ll be watching]


    Jino said that immediately.


    The Sword Saint¡¯s movement came to a halt.


    [Huh¡­ ?]


    [Those guys probably came here expecting the same thing. Mad Sword King Eris, Dragon God Orsted, North God Kalman III. And behind them, Rudeus Greyrat will provide them with magic support. Even if you guys all fight them at once, you won¡¯t even get a single sword strike in and be annihilated.]


    [That¡¯s¡­]


    [Now, go do it. We¡¯ll clean up your corpses and make sure to give you a funeral as well. I don¡¯t know if you guys can defend your honor with your deaths but I¡¯m sure you will be satisfied]


    [¡­]


    After hearing such words, the Sword Saint sat down.


    Clenching his fists in frustration.


    And so, he said with a shaking voice.


    [Do we¡­ have no choice but to let these guys go? Without fighting them when they are the enemies of the previous generation?]


    [Then you why don¡¯t you just do it. I have no intention of holding you guys back. You are free to do as you please, just like my father did as well]


    Jino seems to be troubled.


    In my case, rather than worsening the resentment, I want it to be settled down as well.


    Though trying to settle it with a life or death situation is a bit too much.


    [Now that I think about it, the Sword Emperor isn¡¯t around huh]


    Eris muttered.


    Jino turned to face Eris.


    [My father and his companions have left the Holy Sword Region. They weren¡¯t willing to accept my position as the Sword God]


    It doesn¡¯t seem like the Sword Emperor they are talking about has anything to do with Nina.


    From what Jino is saying, the Sword Emperor in question seems to be one of the two disciples under the previous Sword God.


    Looking around, the person in question doesn¡¯t seem to be here.


    [By now they probably have opened a dojo in Asura, Millis or even the Dragon King Kingdom. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have minded if they wanted me to be the one that had to leave¡­]


    Jino said as he shrugged his shoulders.


    [So is the apology the only conversation we will be having? In my case all I can really say is ¡°thank you very much¡± at this point]


    As I expected, he is a little weird.


    I don¡¯t intend to talk bad about someone else, but this man named Jino seems to be too cold, or maybe too concerned about the future¡­. He sure is weird.


    [No, the conversation is going to get a little long. We are currently in a war against an existence named Hitogami]


    With those thoughts in mind, I decide to go in detail about our fight against Hitogami.


    Nevertheless, it seems like Jino is understanding my words.


    If this conversation can be settled without a fight, it will be a win win situation for us.


    Though it feels like I¡¯ve been let down, it isn¡¯t bad.


    If I look at him without my expectations of what a Sword God should be like, he is an agreeable young man.


    Once I get him to agree to cooperate with us, we can get along while drinking lots of tea afterwards.


    If I do that, the weird feeling he is giving off will surely disappear as well.


    [¡ª With that being said, we wish to ask for the cooperation of the Sword God Style for the future]


    [I decline]


    ¡­ Mmm?


    Huh?


    [We will not cooperate]


    Despite the Sword Saints shouting [Yes! Yes!], even they are feeling astonished.


    [¡­ Does this mean that you will be siding with Hitogami?]


    [No we will not oppose you either]


    Mmm?


    [Then¡­ are you planning to stay neutral? Can we hear the reason?]


    [I wish to defend my master¡¯s teachings]


    [Teachings?]


    [My master said this at every opportunity: [Be strong for your own sake]. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what he meant. Even now, I don¡¯t think there is a person here who understands it as well. Even my father and his companions didn¡¯t understand. But I finally understood when I thought about making Nina mine. The sword should be swung for one¡¯s own sake. For the pure purpose of achieving your goals]


    There was a conviction in Jino¡¯s voice that said such words.


    A conviction that didn¡¯t allow a single doubt in the words that he spoke.


    [Therefore, I won¡¯t cooperate. I will swing my sword for my sake. All for myself]


    [¡­ So for instance, if your family is about to be in danger, you won¡¯t swing your sword?]


    [No, at that moment if I love my family, I will swing my sword]


    At that moment, for the first time, Jino looked directly at me.


    A strong and imposing gaze.


    That gaze was something far from what Eris told me about him.


    [Or are you saying that you will kill my family if we don¡¯t cooperate?]


    Everyone inside the dojo froze.


    Jino¡¯s statement simultaneously gave off both chills and bloodlust.


    Cold sweat is covering my entire body. If I was alone, I may have even wet myself.


    He is the Sword God.


    The Sword God that defeated the previous Sword God Gal Farion in an instant.


    Though he is weird, he may even be one of the top five powerhouses in the world.


    I understood that.


    [No. I also love my family as well]


    [Is that so? I¡¯m relieved]


    The bloodlust dissipated.


    [You are just like the rumors say, Rudeus san]


    [What are you talking about?]


    [That you became the subordinate of the Dragon God for your family and even blew up a country]


    [Well that¡¯s roughly the truth. Though I didn¡¯t blow up a country]


    [And you are even calmer than I thought you would be]


    Jino turned his gaze elsewhere.


    His gaze laid upon my sides. Eris and Alek, as well as the Sword Saints.


    All the Sword Saints had their hands hovering over their sword handles.


    Some of them even have their swords unsheathed.


    Looking behind me, Orsted didn¡¯t even move an inch. As expected.


    I didn¡¯t move as well, but that¡¯s because I was shivering at all the bloodlust.


    [In other words, you are a trustworthy man]


    What do you mean by [In other words]?


    [Because you are such a person, I can be relieved. We won¡¯t cooperate. Because my sword is a sword that will only be swung for me and the ones I love.]


    [¡­ Ah. I see]


    I slowly understood Jino Britts.


    To put it simply, he wants to protect the ones he love with his own hands.


    He isn¡¯t so different from me.


    I clung to Orsted in tears because I wasn¡¯t able to do that.


    But he thinks he can do it, and also has the ability to do so as well.


    He has no plans to do anything outside of that.


    Of course he is the Sword God. Even if he declares his neutrailty, the enemy will still come.


    But he probably doesn¡¯t want to increase the amount of enemies with his own actions.


    Though I don¡¯t understand why the previous Sword God is not a part of [the ones he love].


    No¡­ That¡¯s not it.


    The previous Sword God [lived and died for himself].


    As a result, they probably think that blaming us for his death is barking up the wrong tree.


    [¡­. Umm]


    At this rate, persuading him may be hard.


    Jino is already set with his answer.


    His mind won¡¯t change until we decide to give up our fight against Hitogami or he thinks that he can¡¯t protect his loved ones by himself.


    I won¡¯t be able to pursuade him at all.


    Because he already made his decision.


    To never look back after making a decision, as expected of the Sword God Style¡¯s top authority.


    [Is that so¡­ Then please be careful when Hitogami approaches you sincerely in your dreams. Don¡¯t fall for his lies when he tells you that it is for your family¡¯s sake and lose everything]


    [Alright]


    It¡¯s disappointing, but let¡¯s withdraw for now.


    I understand that they have no interest in opposing us for now.


    They won¡¯t be our allies, but they won¡¯t become our enemies either.


    He realized what kind of person I was and told me he [wanted to be neutral] in good faith. He probably isn¡¯t planning anything.


    Then let¡¯s be satisfied with this for now.


    [If I ever die and my position is taken over, please come again. In the end, this is my personal decision after all]


    [I will do so]


    I turned around and faced Orsted.


    I don¡¯t know what he is thinking about underneath that helmet.


    [That being said, are you okay with that Orsted sama?]


    [¡­ Alright]


    As I asked while turning around, Orsted slowly nodded his head in agreement.


    After that, after tending to the wounded Sword Saints, the situation began to flow to where Alek joined the training.


    Right now, I¡¯m sitting at the inner part of the dojo watching Alek spar with the Sword Saints.


    The Sword Saints are holding wooden swords, but they were definitely filled with bloodlust.


    They are probably thinking that it would be no problem if they ¡°accidentally¡± killed Alek during their training.


    Alek is handling it lightly.


    Nevertheless, whether it is as expected of Sword Saints or Alek is simply holding back, occasionally one of them would land a hit on Alek.


    It is the Longsword of Light.


    Well they are still using wooden swords after all. The wooden swords broke the moment it hit Alek, giving him no damage. Touki really is a cheap technique isn¡¯t it.


    However, the wooden swords of the Holy Sword Region sure are strange.


    It seems like there is a metal like substance embedded in the wooden swords.


    I guess it¡¯s to imitate a weight similar to that of a real sword.


    Someone without Touki could be killed if they are hit in the wrong spot huh¡­


    Ah, so is that why there are only Sword Saints in here.


    Because if you¡¯re not at least at the Advanced rank or higher, you can¡¯t handle Touki?


    [Now that I think about it, why did you accompany us this time Orsted sama?]


    I suddenly asked Orsted who was sitting beside me in a quiet voice.


    [I wanted to make sure I saw Jino Britts]


    [Is that because you wanted to see if he was different from how he usually was?]


    [Indeed]


    Jino, with Nina by his side, is watching over the training.


    Eris is sitting beside Nina.


    She seems to be talking about something with Nina.


    Seeing as how I can occasionally hear them saying words like Gal Farion, she seems to be telling her about the previous Sword God¡¯s final moments.


    [So how is it?]


    [He hasn¡¯t changed. He is still simple minded and stubbornly lives only for his own sake]


    [Hmm]


    [Jino in his youth was insecure. With that, he could have been easily swayed by Hitogami. But seeing him now, it won¡¯t be a problem to let him go]


    [I see]


    Staying neutral while not becoming an enemy.


    Thinking about it, we can also call him our ally in a way.


    It would be hard for him to become an apostle as well.


    Though they are not moving in concern for the future, it¡¯s not like the other countries are moving vigorously as well.


    It¡¯s more important that they do not become Hitogami¡¯s apostles.


    Though there will be instances where some will become our enemies whether we like it or not.


    If we start talking about that, there will be no end to it.


    [I give up¡­]


    One of the Sword Saints began to fall down with a large thump.


    Immediately, the next Sword Saint shouts [I will be next!] and walks to the center of the dojo.


    ¡­ But after becoming aware of it, all the Sword Saints were either sitting down or defeated.


    The annihilation of the Sword Saints (2nd time today).


    As expected of the North God Kalman III.


    [¡­¡­]


    Silence fell upon the dojo.


    [¡ª So I said in the end. [It¡¯s good to see a guy who lives freely be so strong]]


    In such a situation, Eris¡¯ voice echoed out abruptly.


    She raised her head in surprise when she realized her voice was louder than she thought.


    Immediately closing her mouth, she intimidatingly dispersed all of the Sword Saints¡¯ gazes that gathered around her.


    The Sword Saints lowered their heads and began to let out their voices in frustration.


    Those gazes began to slowly head towards Jino¡¯s direction.


    Leaving his pupils to do all the fighting, not caring for the honor of the Sword God Style, such complaints could be heard.


    Jino is ignoring them with a carefree face.


    It may just be that he hears such words on a daily basis.


    [Is Sword God sama not going to join us in training as well?]


    A Sword Saint asked after seeing the responseless Jino.


    The man was the first to challenge Alek and had a huge bruise on his face after being defeated numerous times.


    It was the same man that asked him to wait some time ago.


    [I¡¯m good]


    [Why?!]


    [It¡¯s not a matter of why. I requested them to train with you guys because you guys wanted it. If you guys are done, the training should be finished as well]


    The Sword Saint¡¯s face distorted.


    He began to shout while trembling, unable to bear the current situation.


    [It was good back in the days of the previous Sword God! That man diligently protected the honor of the Sword God Style! When guys like these came, he didn¡¯t allow them to be so arrogant! I can understand why the Sword Emperor and his companions left as well!


    Even though you are the Sword God, you refuse to show us a single demonstration! You do all the training by yourself, always flirting with that woman everyday! It¡¯s also the same when our enemies have come and asked us to be their subordinates! It¡¯s fine letting go of


    our past grievances and forming an allegiance with our enemies! But you just want to vaguely declare neutrality! Is that because you don¡¯t want to make them your enemies? What kind of person are you! What¡¯s the point of being a Sword God!]


    The dojo became deadly silent.


    Jino¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t change.


    He is as carefree as ever.


    He is making a face that seems to ask [What is this guy going on about?]


    However, the man¡¯s face turned pale as he seemed to realize that he said a little too much.


    [The sword is an individual¡¯s property. Even if I win, it won¡¯t be your guys¡¯ victory and I won¡¯t be able to protect your guys¡¯ honor]


    Jino said so briefly.


    [I defeated the Sword God because I wanted to be with Nina. It¡¯s also the reason why I am here. I didn¡¯t have any intention of defending my honor or taking care of you guys either.


    If you have any complaints, you can leave as well. I don¡¯t mind losing my position as the Sword God, but if I give it to you guys, you will chase me out won¡¯t you? I don¡¯t mind leaving but right now is not a good time. My kids are too young]


    The Sword Saints lowered their heads while saying [Ahh].


    That¡¯s not it, why don¡¯t you understand, such voices could be heard.


    Either way, the atmosphere is turning for the worse.


    The Sword God and his disciples.


    Looks like the situation won¡¯t be easily resolved.


    I guess it means Jino is still too young.


    If he doesn¡¯t resolve this situation well, he may create enemies within the Sword God Style.


    [How about you just show them a demonstration?]


    The person who broke the silence was Nina.


    She began to separate her body that was leaning towards Jino and sat up straight.


    [I want to see you fight as well]


    [I get it. If that¡¯s what Nina wants]


    Jino suddenly stood up.


    As if his heavy like hips from before was a lie.


    Was he perhaps sitting on it with his butt?


    Either way, can we really say the situation is stable with this?


    To me it seems to be unstable.


    Will it really be okay?


    [How about you as well Eris? Jino has gotten strong you know]


    [¡­ I got it]


    Eris also got up after hearing Nina¡¯s words.


    She is throwing something towards my direction.


    After receiving it, I realized that it was her sword.


    Demon Sword [Nodobue]


    It was the previous Sword God¡¯s favourite sword.


    Jino and Eris began to walk towards the center of the dojo.


    Alek was there and shrugged his shoulders.


    [So who is going to do it?]


    [Of course, the weakest one is first]


    Eris said so and pushed Alek aside.


    Alek nodded his head in agreement and headed back towards where we were.


    He didn¡¯t break off a single sweat.


    I¡¯ve never seen him sweat¡­


    No, I¡¯ve seen him do it in the Biheril Kingdom.


    He was drenched in sweat.


    [¡­ The people here are no good]


    Sitting next to me, he said so in a small voice.


    [Despite trading blows with stronger people, they have no interest in learning]


    [Even I could see that as well]


    [Right? My grandmother¡¯s people are better than them]


    Atofe¡¯s royal guards are a bit of a different story.


    As I thought while looking, Eris held a stance with her wooden sword.


    An upper stance as usual.


    It¡¯s an attack stance.


    On the other side, Sword God Jino held a sword drawing stance with his hips.


    Talking about sword drawing, it reminded me of Ghyslaine.


    But compared to Ghyslaine, he is much quieter.


    Ghyslaine used to swing her tail while in her sword drawing stance as if she was timing her attack with ferocitiy.


    Jino¡¯s stance had no such thing.


    Similar to Orsted not too long ago, he is standing still in his stance as if time has stopped.


    There is no opening.


    [¡­¡­]


    Eris began to close the distance.


    The opponent is the Sword God.


    If there weren¡¯t talks before this, this situation would have had my heart jump out.


    Even if she gets beaten, she probably won¡¯t die?


    It¡¯s okay right?


    I should use my foresight eye just in case.


    Well even if I use it, I probably won¡¯t be able to see his sword.


    If it seems like she will be hit in a vital spot, will Orsted stop it before it happens?¡­


    [If it¡¯s Eris san, you won¡¯t need a start signal right?]


    [Mmm]


    Eris nodded her head.


    When I thought about that, the fight had already ended.


    ((Eris got hit on her dominant arm and fell down to one knee))


    ((Eris¡¯ wooden sword flew in mid air and became stuck on the dojo¡¯s wall, ending the fight))


    That¡¯s all I saw with my foresight eye.


    And a mere second later, that became a reality.


    [¡­¡­]


    In my eyes, it seemed like Eris made the first move.


    Before I could even confirm it, the tip of her sword already became an afterimage.


    But in the end she still lost.


    She lost in terms of speed and got hit on her dominant arm.


    No, it isn¡¯t only her dominant arm.


    Looking closely, her leg that was in the front had it¡¯s toe bent in a weird direction.


    Two sword hits.


    Was it two attacks in a row?¡­


    She broke both her arms and legs.


    But Eris didn¡¯t stop moving.


    This much wasn¡¯t enough to stop her.


    Making a ferocious smile, she begins to charge with her other leg.


    ¡­ That¡¯s what I thought would happen but she let go of her strength.


    She gave up.


    [Let¡¯s end it there]


    The echo throughout the dojo belonged to Orsted¡¯s voice.


    Inside the dojo, voices such as [Ahh] and [Splendid] could be heard.


    However, that was only the minority.


    The voices sounded somewhat bewildered.


    [What happened? Did she dodge the first blow¡­?]


    [The first blow was aimed at her ankle. That¡¯s why her toe¡­]


    [Then how about the second blow?]


    Such whispers could be heard among the Sword Saints.


    Did the match finish? Did it not?


    It was probably too fast for them to even come down to a conclusion.


    However the result is clear.


    Eris sat down drenched in sweat while the Sword God was standing with his wooden sword held loosely.


    He said he will show them a demonstration, but the people that watched it didn¡¯t even know what happened?


    There¡¯s no point of a demonstration at this rate.


    The Sword Saints¡¯ facial expressions were stiff as if they were frustrated at themselves.


    However, simultaneously, a feeling of relief began to circulate.


    They probably think that with this, the Sword God Style¡¯s honor has been protected.


    If the anger has settled down, it¡¯s a win win for me as well.


    [As expected of the Sword God! The first blow was aimed at the front leg¡¯s ankle.


    However, that first blow traveled the shortest possible distance from the ankle to the wrist. Hitting the ankle is okay, so is his opponent dodging the blow. Either way, his opponent¡¯s first attack would be delayed and allow him to land a counter to their wrist.


    It is a feat that is impossible to achieve without the absolute confidence in regards to the speed of one¡¯s sword]


    Alek said so in quite a loud voice.


    So that the Sword Saints could hear him.


    Hearing those words, the Sword Saints nodded their heads saying [I see].


    Thank you very much for explaining, Alek san.


    Though Alek sat down as if it was something obvious, he gave a little criticizing gaze towards Jino.


    His face looked as if it was saying, [Tell them of such things if you are their master].


    [If it was the old Eris san, she would have charged despite being in that situation]


    [If this was the time to be stubborn, I would have done so]


    [I see. As expected of Eris san]


    Jino smiled a little and slowly nodded his head.


    Eris suddenly laughed as well.


    However, her brow is dripping with cold sweat.


    She¡¯s not the type of woman to whine over a broken wrist and ankle, but it should still be painful.


    I got up and rushed to Eris.


    [Are you alright?]


    [¡­ I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and use your healing magic. Don¡¯t try anything funny got it?]


    [Yes ma¡¯am]


    I immediately chanted my healing magic and healed her bones.


    I¡¯ve already been warned beforehand, so I¡¯ll refrain from touching her chest or butt.


    Despite being a mock battle, a strike strong enough to break the bones.


    I tremble at the thought of such a strike hitting the head or the neck.


    Well, Orsted is here as well, so as long as the head doesn¡¯t go flying off, I think it should be fine.


    Nevertheless, the Sword God.


    The previous Sword God was the same, but I just can¡¯t see his sword.


    He¡¯s someone I don¡¯t want to turn into an enemy.


    [How is it?]


    [¡­ He is amazing. It¡¯s frustrating, but I don¡¯t think I can beat him]


    I asked her about her injuries, but all she talked about was the battle.


    She is tightening her mouth as if she is really frustrated.


    Though Eris gave birth to two children, she was diligent when it came to swordsmanship.


    When thinking about that¡­ No, she¡¯s just frustrated that she lost. She was always like that. She hates losing.


    [Then, I shall]


    When I brought Eris back, Alek got up with a cheery face.


    But, he suddenly turned his head towards Orsted.


    [Will it be okay Orsted sama?]


    [I don¡¯t mind. Do as you wish]


    Did Orsted possibly give Alek the permission to beat up Jino?


    If Jino can¡¯t beat Alek, the Seven Great World Power rankings may change as well.


    The man who declared neutrality, Jino Britts.


    By defeating Eris just now, he settled down the frustration of the Sword Saints.


    The Holy Sword Region will be able to protect its neutrality.


    However, if the Sword God loses, everything changes.


    Ignoring Jino as an individual, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the majority of the Holy Sword Region become our enemies.


    What should I do? Do I have no choice but to stop them?


    ¡­


    No, let¡¯s not say anything, since Orsted gave his approval.


    I just have to think of a way to deal with the result.


    [Very well]


    Alek came to the front.


    A spar using wooden swords.


    Nevertheless, the North God and the Sword God.


    It is no exaggeration to say that this is a battle between fellow memebers of the Seven Great World Powers


    The current seventh rank right now is nothing more than a decoration after all.


    Who will win?


    Alek most likely has the advantage by having more experience.


    Despite beating the previous Sword God, the Sword God is young and lacks experience.


    In addition, Alek probably has a lot of pride as the North God Kalman III.


    There¡¯s also the fact that he saw the Sword God¡¯s attack not too long ago.


    [¡­¡­]


    Alek, who took a center focused stance and Jino, who is in his sword drawing stance.


    Who is going to start first?


    Normally, the Sword God Style¡¯s Jino would strike first and the North God Style would counter that blow.


    However, it feels like the opposite may happen as well.


    [¡­ Hmp!]


    The first one to move was Alek.


    I saw it this time.


    A no motion thrust from the center.


    However, Jino swung his sword in a speed that exceeded that thrust.


    He unsheathed his sword as if he was matching the timing of the thrusted sword¡¯s tip and deflected it a little¡­ That¡¯s all I was able to see.


    The next moment, Jino¡¯s sword vanished.


    The next thing that was reflected in my eyes was the moment when Alek¡¯s left hand broke.


    At the same time, Alek took a step back and there was a black line on the dojo floor.


    He probably did the same move he used on Eris but this time attacking the wrist first and then the leg.


    Alek grabs the wooden sword with his broken hand.


    However, the hand that seemed to be broken repaired itself right away.


    It¡¯s probably due to his Immortal Demon Blood.


    Furthermore, his eyes burned with fighting spirit as if it was trying to say that the true North God Style starts now.


    However, Jino stepped to the front despite the situation.


    A terrifying fierce attack had begun.


    Each time Jino swung his sword, Alek broke his arm and leg.


    The broken bones immediately healed and didn¡¯t put Alek out of the fight.


    However, that¡¯s all that happened.


    Jino didn¡¯t allow Alek to go on the offensive.


    Alek probably tried many different things.


    However, it was clear to anyone that his attacks didn¡¯t reach.


    [¡­ I give up]


    Before long, Alek dropped his sword.


    There was no injury.


    However, his clothes were tattered and the tip of his wooden sword was split.


    On the other side, Jino was uninjured as well.


    Though he was drenched in sweat, he was overwhelming.


    I didn¡¯t think there would be this much of a gap.


    To beat Alek who was so strong to that extent¡­


    Wouldn¡¯t Jino right now be on par with the Great Powers? No, I mean he already is one of the Great Powers.


    [Man, you are strong. It made me realize that there are always people stronger than yourself]


    [You only have one hand and if this was a real battle, there¡¯s no telling who would have won]


    [If we fought with real swords, I would be in pieces by now]


    Alek easily admitted his defeat.


    Jino used his sword drawing stance with a wooden sword that had no scabbard.


    If it was a real sword drawing stance, it would have been even faster.


    Therefore, there is the possibility that the gap would have been even wider if they used real swords.


    [Now then¡­]


    Alek held his wooden sword and came back to us.


    Despite losing, he has an easy going expression.


    Though he seemed to be a little frustrated¡­ He didn¡¯t scream like he did during the time in the Biheril Kingdom.


    He probably changed as well.


    [¡­ Hmm?]


    When I casually looked around, I realized that everyone was looking at me.


    Even Jino stood in the center of the dojo despite the fact that the spar was over.


    Facing my direction.


    [The seventh rank of the Great World Powers¡­]


    [We can see the fight between two Great World Power rankers]


    [Though I don¡¯t think Sword God sama will lose¡­]


    [We might even be able to see the Dragon God Orsted¡¯s techniques]


    I could hear the Sword Saints talking.


    Eh?


    Hmm? What¡¯s happening?


    [Rudeus sama. Please show it to us. The power of the magic armor that was able to defeat me]


    After hearing what Alek whispered to me, I suddenly spoke.


    It was a speech I prepared in advance.


    [Haha, everyone in the Holy Sword Region puts so much enthusiasm into their training as I expected! However, the day is almost over and I¡¯ve gotten really hungry! How about we put an end to it here?!]


    Everyone became disappointed.


    And so, the greetings to the Holy Sword Region ended.


    Although I¡¯ve been called a coward by the Sword Saints, that is none of my concern.


    The Holy Sword Region¡­ No, Jino Britts will probably defend its neutrality until his death.


    With that, I¡¯m satisfied.

 CH 22

    Posted on April 20, 2017 by Hoopla


    That day, Rudeus and his companions decided to spend a night in the Holy Sword Region.


    They were lent a room in the true dojo and spending the night there.


    However, Eris was called to Nina¡¯s house.


    She was planning to stay with Rudeus and the others but she was fervently requested by Nina.


    Nina¡¯s house.


    That is to say, this is Jino Britts¡¯ house as well.


    When Eris told Rudeus that she would be staying there alone, Rudeus worried and opposed her decision at the same time.


    He was worried about the attitudes of the Sword Saints.


    The Sword Saints were oozing bloodlust due to their involvement in the death of Gull.


    Rudeus was most likely exposed to such bloodlust.


    However, as far as Eris knew, the Holy Sword Region was always like that.


    From the beginning, most swordsmen wanted to be seen as strong rather than actually becoming strong.


    However, there was no one with a strong enough fighting spirit to ambush an opponent who came from outside the dojo.


    If there was someone like that, he would be similar to Eris in her past.


    Nevertheless, Eris left behind Rudeus and arrived at the Britts residence.


    It was a bit distant from the dojo and was a small house unfitting of someone with the title of Sword God.


    [Welcome. Come inside. Jino is out doing training at this time so he won¡¯t be back anytime soon]


    [T-thanks for having me]


    Eris went through the doorway nervously.


    Thinking about it, it may be the first time Eris has ever done this since she was born.


    Going over to a friend¡¯s place.


    She meets Isolte each time she visits the capital of the Asura Kingdom.


    However, she never went over to her house.


    Though she had been to the dojo nearby, it is different from [going over to a friend¡¯s house].


    [Welcome back!]


    The thing to greet the nervous Eris was a lively voice.


    Making noises with their little feet, two children came out to greet them.


    [Mother! Welcome back]


    [Welcome back!]


    On one side was a lively little boy. With a  wooden sword in his right hand, his smile covered his entire face.


    On the other side was a little girl. This one was still young and was running as if she was trying to catch up to the boy.


    They ran all the way to the doorstep but after being surprised by Eris, they stopped in their tracks.


    [This is my son Nel and my daughter Jill. Both of you, this is Eris. She is mom¡¯s friend]


    [H-hi, I¡¯m Eris]


    After being introduced as a friend by Nina, Eris tightened her mouth and bowed her head.


    The two kids¡¯ eyes widened after hearing of Eris¡¯ name.


    [Red hair! Are you by chance the Mad Sword King Eris!?]


    [Red hair!]


    Nel couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment after hearing that name.


    As for Jill, it seems she didn¡¯t know what was exactly going on but decided to just repeat what was being said.


    However, despite not knowing much about Eris, she seemed to be curious about Eris. With glittering eyes, she drew closer to Eris.


    She is probably curious about her red hair.


    Jill stretched her hand out at Eris¡¯ waved hair.


    [Come on now]


    [R-red!]


    Jill said in a dissatisfied voice and started throwing a tantrum.


    Seeing Jill act in such a way, Nel raised his voice in panic.


    [No Jill! It¡¯s the Mad Sword King! If you touch her, she¡¯s going to eat you!]


    [Gulp?]


    Jill looked at Eris with frightened eyes.


    Seeing such a scene, Eris laughed.


    For some reason, the way these two kids acted reminded her of Ars and Sieg a few years back.


    [I won¡¯t do something like eating you]


    [¡­ Your plan to make them put their guards down and eat them aren¡¯t you?]


    The person who said such words was Nina.


    Looking at Nina with question filled eyes, Eris tightly shut her mouth.


    After seeing Eris make such an expression, Nina laughed and held Jill out to her.


    [I¡¯m just joking. Do you want to try holding her?]


    [Mhm]


    Eris receives Jill from Nina.


    Jill was frightened but after realizing that Eris¡¯ way of holding her was more experienced than her mother, she quickly settled down.


    Grabbing the red hair, she smiled saying [Red, tasty!] and put it in her mouth.


    [Ah, Jill. You can¡¯t eat that!]


    [¡­ Uuu]


    Being scolded by Nina, Jill quickly put it away from her mouth.


    Regardless of the colour being red, it was still hair and wasn¡¯t delicious at all.


    However, it was too late and Eris¡¯ hair became all sticky.


    [Looks like I was the one who got eaten]


    Eris said so in laughter as she brushed Jill¡¯s hair.


    Nina looked at the scene in surprise.


    As if she was saying ¡°Is that really Eris?¡±


    No, there was a time when Eris saw a similar scene play out in the Asura Kingdom.


    Since Eris is a mother as well, she can act in such a way.


    [Since you know that it isn¡¯t tasty, you can¡¯t eat it anymore okay?]


    [Uhn]


    As soon as Eris put Jill down, Jill began to jump around and ran back inside the house.


    [I¡¯m Nel Britts!]


    And so Nel appeared as if him and Jill had switched places.


    He greeted her using one knee.


    [Mad Sword King! Your the real deal right! It is an honor to meet you!]


    [¡­ I¡¯m Eris Greyrat. You can get up now]


    [No! Uhm! Uhm! Since a long time I always¡­]


    Looked up at Eris with glittering eyes.


    With an excited expression, he tried to say something.


    [Alright, that¡¯s enough. Nel. Are you planning to keep Eris at our doorstep? At least carry on after dinner]


    And so, Nina stopped it there.


    She put her head on Nel¡¯s head and patted him with a bit of strength.


    [Okay¡­]


    Nel lowered his head in dissatisfaction.


    He wanted to talk to her more. If it was possible, he wanted her to help him in his training.


    However, his mother will most likely not allow him to do so.


    It¡¯s always been like that.


    When famous swordsmen visited the Holy Sword Region, they were never allowed to meet him.


    Leaving the dissatisfied Nel behind, Eris was invited into the house.


    [Everyone changed didn¡¯t they?]


    After dinner, Eris relaxed in the living room and began talking to Nina.


    There is no sign of Jino.


    He returned to his room with the kids after dinner.


    Judging from the sound of the children¡¯s laughter, he seems to be playing with them.


    [I would have never thought that he would become like this at all]


    Nina, Eris and Jino.


    Jino was the most inferior out of the three.


    He always swung his sword with a sulken face and couldn¡¯t even reply to the Sword God¡¯s words.


    Despite this, he reached the point of taking Nina as his wife and beating Eris in a single blow.


    When Eris realized this, she couldn¡¯t hide her astonishment.


    Though she heard about it from Gal, actually seeing him in person made her think that his entire person had changed.


    [Well you didn¡¯t even grab your sword at the dojo as well]


    Nina is the same as well.


    Despite the fact she was so deadset on becoming stronger.


    She only looked at Eris in the dojo. Not only that, she also let Jino do as he pleased.


    Back in the day, Nina would have never done such things.


    [Well, I do have another child coming]


    Nina said that as she gently touched her belly.


    Thought it was difficult to tell from the outside, it is certain that her belly has swollen a little bit.


    [Although Jino gave me the title of the Sword Emperor, it looks like I¡¯ll have to retire soon]


    [Are you satisfied with that?]


    Eris asked in contrast to the laughing Nina.


    Though Nina dropped her gaze towards Eris, she showed a satisfied face.


    [Yep¡­ I¡¯m satisfied. I do have feeling that I want to continue in swordsmanship. But it¡¯s weird, I have little regret. To me, my path to the sword may have been over after my loss to Jino]


    [You lost?]


    [Yep. Before Jino challenged the Sword God, he told me to become his if he beat me in a duel. So I fought hard and ended up losing]


    [What a lovely proposal]


    [I know right?]


    Nina recalled those moments in her past and began to laugh.


    Before that day, Nina thought about becoming the strongest swordsman, or even becoming the Sword God herself.


    However, such thoughts disappeared in an instant.


    Jino was just that strong.


    He brought her down in a single strike as if all the effort she had put in were in vain.


    Just like he did to Eris today.


    If it wasn¡¯t Jino.


    If he wasn¡¯t her little henchman back in her childhood, things may have been different.


    She might have cried in frustration and become even more obsessed with the sword just like she did when she lost to Eris.


    However, her opponent was Jino.


    Jino became strong so that he could marry her.


    And after beating her, he went straight to the Sword God and achieved victory.


    Returning with the title as the new Sword God, Jino stole away Nina¡¯s lips and put himself unto her.


    That day, Nina became Jino¡¯s.


    In mind and body.


    Though Nina claimed that she wanted to become the next Sword God, she knew that effort alone wasn¡¯t enough.


    It is difficult with just effort or talent alone.


    Even if you have those two things, it may be hard to reach such a goal.


    Despite that, Jino worked as hard as Nina as if he was pulled in by her.


    With such a mindset, he worked himself to a bloody pulp far surpassing Nina.


    And so Jino arrived at it.


    The state known as the Sword God.


    The place that only a select few can hope to reach.


    Therefore, Nina is thinking that Jino should receive a [fitting reward] as well.


    The fitting reward would be as Gal Farion said, [letting him do as he pleases].


    It¡¯s fine to let the Sword God can do as he pleases.


    So even if Jino behaves in the manner he did today, she won¡¯t say anything.


    Whether it is her thoughts or things she wants to say, Jino would hear her out.


    But she felt if she did such things, Jino may become weak.


    Nina couldn¡¯t bear being a hindrance to the one she admired.


    Anyhow, Nina abandoned her sword and began to focus on another matter.


    Parenting.


    She was satisfied with that.


    [How about you Eris?]


    [I¡¯m satisfied]


    [Even though there are two other wives than you?]


    [I don¡¯t really mind. It¡¯s quite normal. Though my father only had my mother as his wife, my grandfather had his hands on


    a lot of women. Even Rudeus¡¯ father had two wives as well.]


    [Although I¡¯m not a Millis believer, I can¡¯t think of someone having multiple wives]


    Of course, Eris had her complaints as well.


    She did think about what it would be like if she was Rudeus¡¯ only wife.


    They would probably be always happy.


    However, it would just be the two of them from day to night without bothering anyone else.


    Comparing that to the current [Greyrat household], how would it be.


    A home without Sylphy and Roxy.


    There would be no Lucy and Lara, Sieg and Lili as well.


    To make up for that, Eris would probably have more children, but it was hard to think of her having more children.


    It¡¯s because she knows the present that she feels dissatisfied.


    For instance, having a towel handed to her sweat drenched self after training.


    Or when she enters the bath and forces the mud covered Lala into the bath right after.


    And after washing the children, the new clothes and underwear that were placed for them to wear in advance.


    Being able to pass her work to the others without feeling bad or sticking to them all the time, the right kind of distant feeling.


    Sylphy and Roxy


    Thinking about how life would be without the two of them was hard for Eris.


    To begin with, she currently feels complete.


    Watching the kids grow up is both fun and worth doing.


    In a little while, she will teach them real swordsmanship.


    Lucy is heading towards the path of magic and though Lala¡¯s path isn¡¯t clear, Ars is definitely going to go into swordsmanship.


    How should I teach them? How will the grow up?


    Even by just thinking about such things gave her happiness.


    [Eris, you¡¯ve changed as well]


    [You¡¯re right]


    [If it was the old you, you would have probably sent kids flying with your kick]


    [How rude, I wouldn¡¯t kick or do something like that]


    [In the past you seemed to be like a child but now you are taking care of children]


    [I¡¯ve given birth to two children after all]


    [How about a third one?]


    [I think I¡¯m good with children for now]


    [Even that as well?]


    When Nina asked, Eris¡¯ face blushed.


    [¡­ I, I wouldn¡¯t mind more of that]


    That was Eris¡¯ true feelings.


    However, the heavy and discomforting feeling during pregnancy isn¡¯t something she likes at all.


    [Nevertheless, the current Eris is so much easier to get along with]


    [I too like the current Nina much more as well. Back in the day, you were kind of a bother]


    [I guess so]


    Nina in her past was sharp.


    She always thought that she was the strongest and didn¡¯t care about anyone below her.


    Though the thing that caused her ego to completely vanish had to do with coming into contact with Eris, her marriage with Jino played a major role as well.


    [¡­ Ah, thinking about it, Isolte also got married. Did you hear about it?]


    Eris suddenly remembered one other person.


    Isolte Cruel.


    Currently calling herself the Water God Reyda, the one who stands at the top of the Water God Style.


    [Yep, there was a mail telling me she was going to get married. But I couldn¡¯t go due to my pregnancy.]


    [Then how about the news that she gave birth to a child?]


    [That¡¯s the first time I¡¯me hearing it. Is it a boy? A girl?]


    [It¡¯s a girl. Since she can¡¯t give birth to a lot of children since she is the Water God, she sighed over the fact that she couldn¡¯t give


    birth to a sucessor that could carry their lineage.]


    [I guess it¡¯s hard for her too. But her partner is a North Emperor right? Wouldn¡¯t he be upset over the fact that it is a girl?]


    [Doga would never do such a thing. He is a good guy]


    While talking, Eris brought up her memories.


    Thinking about it, the person who voiced their objection against the marriage between Isolte and Doga the most was probably Rudeus.


    Rudeus has the utmost trust in regards to Doga.


    It¡¯s because his life was saved by Doga during the battle in the Biheril Kingdom.


    His savior.


    Simple, honest and someone who could be easily deceived, such was the man named Doga.


    Hearing that Doga was going to marry a person who had high standards like Isolte made him say things like [Is she in it for the money?], [Is she just toying with him?] and it seemed like he was also going to do a secret background search on her.


    Despite the fact Isolte helped him out as well¡­


    Anyhow, it¡¯s impossible to think that a simple man like Doga who is trusted so much by Rudeus can be someone that would be upset that his child was a girl.


    What Eris saw before was him putting his daugther who took after her mother on his shoulders and having a large grin on his face.


    From cleaning, doing the laundry to even taking care of his kid, he always seemed to take the initiative.


    It was to the point that even Eris who didn¡¯t do much of the basic household chores asked Isolte, [shouldn¡¯t you be doing something as well?]


    Eris would never forget the mumbling Isolte who responded to her with deadpan eyes [He is much better than I am at it¡­]


    [This time, it would be nice if our kids got along as well]


    Eris nodded to Nina¡¯s words.


    [You¡¯re right. It¡¯s also not a bad idea to send your kids abroad to study at the magic university]


    [That sounds interesting. But Jino would probably not allow that. He¡¯s the type of person that wants his loved ones nearby at all times.]


    [Then the kids would never be able to leave the Holy Sword Region]


    [When that time comes, they¡¯ll leave as they please]


    Having such a conversation with Eris, Nina laughed out loud.


    This kind of conversation would have never happened with the old Eris.


    [Hm?]


    Eris sensed a presence and turned her head around.


    At the entrance of the living room, there was a boy.


    It was Nel.


    In his hands, was a single book.


    When he met eyes with Eris, he started walking towards her as if he made up his mind.


    [Excuse me! Mad Sword King!]


    [¡­ What?]


    [You ¡­ You are acquaintances with this person right!?]


    The book he held out had the title [The adventures of the Supard race]


    It was a book that Eris was very familiar with.


    It was a book written by Norn, made by Rudeus and sold by both Zanoba and Aisha.


    [Are you talking about Rujierd? Or are you talking about Norn?]


    [Norn¡­ Are you perhaps acquainted with the author as well!? Ah, of course, your last names are the same ¡­!]


    [Norn is my sister in law. She is also Rudeus¡¯ younger sister]


    [You are talking about the seventh Great World Power ¡°Quagmire¡± Rudeus! Also known as the right hand of the Dragon God ¡°Magic King¡± Rudeus!]


    [Yep, you know quite well]


    [My mother told me a lot about the Supard race and Eris san! I¡¯ve heard stories about the Quagmire and the Mad Sword King from ministrels as well! I always wanted to


    meet you guys even if it was just once!]


    Nel said as he looked up to Eris with glittering eyes.


    To Nel, Eris was a character straight from the stories that were sung by ministrels.


    In other words, she was a being from legends.


    Unlike his father, he was very interested in [The outside world]


    When he goes out into the outside world, he too wants to become someone who is sung by ministrels.


    This was his dreams for the future.


    [Well, that¡¯s an honor]


    Eris felt like she was going to laugh.


    But, she couldn¡¯t break the dreams of the boy in front of her, so she tightened her face and humbly nodded to him.


    The image she was thinking in her brain was the ever formal Roxy.


    [Rudeus and Orsted is here as well, so you can visit them before we leave if you want. The North God Kalman III is here as well.]


    [Can I!?]


    Nel looked at Eris as if he was going to fly.


    The seventh Great World Power and the second Great World Power.


    After that, Kalman, who was famous in the North God heroic tales.


    Beings who are on par or even surpassing his father who held monstrous strength.


    He would have never thought that he would be able to achieve his dreams and meet such beings on a regular day like this.


    [Uhm¡­]


    Nel put his book behind his back and put his legs together.


    [Mad Sword King sama has traveled around the world before right?]


    [Yep, from the Demon continent to the Millis continent, and to the end of the centeral continent. I haven¡¯t


    been to the Heaven continent and the Bagaritto continent.]


    [About your adventures¡­ I would like to hear about them, is it okay?]


    [Mine? Not Rudeus¡¯?]


    [I would like to hear the Mad Sword King¡¯s stories!]


    Eris smiled slightly and nodded her head.


    Thinking back, she liked listening to such stories.


    Constantly begging Ghyslaine, she heard stories about her adventures.


    But she never thought that she would end up being the one doing the telling.


    No, there were times when she told her stories to Ars and Sieg when they begged her to.


    Even now, Sieg frequently listens to her stories.


    However, this is a little different sensation from that.


    This is because she isn¡¯t being treated as a mother, but rather as a hero.


    But Eris couldn¡¯t understand that.


    She just felt a little elevated.


    [That huh¡­ Then, I¡¯ll tell you about my adventures in the Demon continent]


    Eris was starting to tell her stories about her past in joy.


    Seeing her like this, Nina felt her mouth forming a smile as well.


    [She really changed¡­]


    She changed herself, and so did Eris.


    A relationship that mutually lifted each other up, she couldn¡¯t say such a compliment out loud.


    However, it felt as if she became closer to Eris.


    When they first me, she was sure that they would never get along.


    When Eris became a Sword King and left the Holy Sword Region, she respected her but couldn¡¯t call her a true friend.


    But it¡¯s different now.


    Though her respect for her has decreased, she is feeling something towards her she never felt before.


    Though she won¡¯t meet her for a while, if she met Isolte she would probably be feeling the same thing.


    For someone like Nina that didn¡¯t have a close friend starting from her childhood, it was a rare feeling.


    [Eris]


    [¡ª And then, Rujierd suddenly killed the pet kidnapper¡­ what?]


    [Next time, let¡¯s bring our children and go meet Isolte]


    Hearing such words, Eris blinked her eyes and suddenly nodded her head.


    [Alright]


    Jino became the Sword God and changed.


    If the Sword God is like that, the Holy Sword Region will change as well.


    Jino may even be unexpectedly defeated by an outsider.


    That is the life of a swordsman.


    Swordsmen are unstable beings.


    However, this friendship will probably last for a long time.


    Because I¡¯m no longer a swordsman myself.


    Such were Nina¡¯s thoughts.

 CH 23

    When I woke up, I saw someone coming out from the dim bedroom.


    Saying it is ¡°someone¡± may not be the right way of saying it.


    It was Sukeakoto of Time.


    He had left the room in silence after checking if I had woken up.


    [Fua¡­]


    I stretched my body while letting out a yawn.


    [¡­]


    My name is Nanahoshi.


    Nanahoshi Shizuka


    A high school girl that came to this world from another world.


    I¡¯m what you would call a Tripper.


    Though I experimented with teleportation magic to get back to my own world, it seems like that I won¡¯t be able to return anytime soon. Staying in this world for too long will result in me dying by an illness, so to diagnose it, one of Perugius¡¯ subordinates known as [Sukeakoto of Time] used his time stopping ability on me and I skipped time, only waking up once a month. This is my current situation.


    Waking up only once a month.


    One day is short.


    After taking a shower, eating and then hearing about what has been going around in the world, the day ends.


    Furthermore, for me, a single year is only 12 days.


    In the blink of an eye, years pass by.


    If it was the old me, I would have been worried about every little thing.


    However, these days I live in comfort partially due to Rudeus.


    ¡­ That¡¯s how it is but I¡¯m worried about one thing.


    It¡¯s Sukeakoto¡¯s time stop ability.


    There¡¯s is one huge flaw to this ability.


    [¡­ I¡¯m hungry]


    I become extremely hungry when I wake up from the time stop.


    According to Perugius, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a person from another world without mana and he believes that it is not a big problem.


    Whether it really is a big problem or not, I¡¯m starving after I wake up.


    My stomach growls.


    The feeling of not eating something for an entire day assaults my stomach.


    Even today, I felt like I was going to collapse if I didn¡¯t eat anything immediately after I woke up.


    However, the meal comes later.


    I got up from my bed and exited my room.


    The place I¡¯m headed for is a place I can wash myself up¡­ in other words, the bathroom.


    Taking a bath is a must if I want to stay at Perugius¡¯ castle.


    Perugius loves cleanliness.


    Within this vast castle, there is not a single piece of trash on the ground.


    Naturally, a human living in this castle must also be clean as well.


    If you aren¡¯t clean, you will be stared down by Sylvaril¡¯s unpleasant gaze.


    Therefore, I walk striaght towards the bathroom and wash my body while holding off my hunger.


    Holding a towel and soap in my hands, I wash my body while rubbing my half asleep eyes.


    This is the least amount of manners that one must provide to stay in this castle.


    After taking the shower and getting cleaned up, I sat down on the floor in my hunger and put strength in my legs to face my room.


    The bedroom is my own room that was assigned to me.


    In there is someone.


    In there maybe Rudeus and Zanoba or Sylphy and Aisha, waiting to greet me.


    In terms of how frequent they visit, I guess Rudeus would be number one.


    [Good morning, Nanahoshi]


    It¡¯s Rudeus again today huh.


    I relax after seeing his body.


    He is the existence that comes to stop my hunger.


    Though I don¡¯t know if he knows I have a hunger problem or not, he always brings me food.


    Karaage and curry, cream puffs, those kind of things.


    After reproducing the food from our world, he brings them here.


    Occasionally he brings something weird, but instead of it tasting bad, it is more of a laugh as it is something different.


    [Hmm hmm¡­]


    Today, I could smell a sweet scent coming from within the room.


    Ahh, this smell¡­ Ahh.


    I wonder what it is today¡­


    [Gulp]


    I accidentally swallowed my saliva as it built up inside my mouth.


    My stomach growled.


    I want to eat it already.


    As if my body was being controlled by my stomach, I started to approach Rudeus.


    [Good morning]


    Rudeus moved towards to the table near the window and put seven objects on the table and began to heat them up.


    They had a triangular shape.


    With a fan on his left hand and holding a brush and pair of long chopsticks on his right hand, he began to roll the things and brushed them with something.


    When he used his brush, a dark brown liquid close to the colour of black began to ooze out.


    Afterwards, when he started brushing the seven objects, a sweet armoa filled the room.


    I can¡¯t be wrong.


    That black liquid, must be soy sauce.


    [Today is going to be yaki onigiri]


    I sat down on my seat as if I had agreed to his words.


    As I moved the table, the outside view could be seen from the window.


    Perugius¡¯ most proud garden and white clouds.


    A superb scenary only possible in a fantasy world expanded itself.


    No, I guess if you go to certain places in my old world you could see the same thing¡­ such as the Machu Picchu.


    If I remember correctly, wasn¡¯t there a Machu Picchu in Japan as well?


    [¡­]


    When I looked, I could see a tray that was covered with cloth on the table.


    When I removed the cloth, I could see a bunch of white onigiri side by side.


    As I expected, there is no seaweed.


    [Yaki onigiri¡­ it¡¯s my first time eating it]


    [Huh? You¡¯ve never eaten one before?]


    [We didn¡¯t really make onigiri back at home]


    [Ha~ ¡­ onigiri huh¡­]


    Rudeus nodded with a vague face as if he understood or didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    But, I do have some experience with such a face.


    That¡¯s a face one makes when they feel the generation gap.


    But it was just my house, other kids made and brought onigiri all the time to sports events or field trips.


    It¡¯s not a matter of difference in age.


    [Well, here you go]


    With a small sound, a single plate was put in front of me.


    On the plate were two steaming onigiri.


    [There¡¯s also miso soup, are you going to drink it?]


    As Rudeus said this, he brought up a huge pot towards the table.


    When the lid of the pot opened, the smell of miso gently filled the room.


    Although I didn¡¯t reply to Rudeus, Rudeus poured the contents of the pot into a wooden bowl as if he understood what my reply was going to be anyways.


    As for the reason why the bowl was made of wood, it¡¯s probably due to his obsession with them.


    When the wooden bowl full of miso soup was placed before my eyes, my mouth filled with saliva as if it had already tasted it.


    Of course, drinking miso soup in this world isn¡¯t a first time experience for me.


    Rudeus had already brought it with him multiple times before.


    It isn¡¯t like before when the Dashi wasn¡¯t put into the soup at all either.


    I think that each time he brings it, it gets closer to perfection.


    I¡¯m pretty sure that Sylphy and Aisha back at Rudeus¡¯ home is working hard on it.


    [Itadakimasu]


    I met my hands together and bowed.


    As I was about to start eating, I hesistated for a moment.


    To my side was a knife and fork, and chopsticks as well.


    I guess he is being considerate in letting me eat in whatever way I please.


    [¡­]


    But, I reached out with my barehands intentionally.


    I know that it is bad manners.


    However, when thinking of onigiri, an image of using one¡¯s hands to eat it had a strong impression on me.


    It may be that I simply admired the way of eating onigiri with bare hands.


    I gripped the onigiri with my fingers and put it into my mouth.


    A crunchy texture.


    As I chewed the onigiri, the fragrance of soy sauce filled by mouth.


    Furthermore, the place that showed my traces of chewing on the onigiri was the hot white rice.


    As the flavours of both the white rice and the soy sauce met together, I could sense something tinkling on the corner of my brain.


    I took a bite into the contents in my mouth once more before I swallowed it down.


    [¡­!]


    At that moment, I could feel a strong sensation inside my mouth.


    There was something inside of the Onigir.


    It¡¯s sour.


    Is this perhaps¡­


    [Umeboshi?]


    [The other day, I went to visit Ariel and saw her boasting about her garden. In there was a tree that resembled a Japanese Apricot tree.


    So just to try things out, I took a few of its fruits and realized that it was spot on]


    [Heh¡­]


    Afer this, Rudeus began telling me the origins of this tree, and how Ariel said to him [Are you planning to poison someone?] when he was taking the fruits, but


    I had no interest in his stories.


    Enough of that, this is umeboshi.


    It was something I never really ate in my world.


    I didn¡¯t really like it either.


    But what is it? This sour taste that is unique to the umeboshi.


    Despite my mouth being full of food, my saliva overflowed like a tsunami.


    Inside my mouth, my saliva was overflowing and the white rice, umeboshi and the soy sauce flavoured burnt rice began to blend together.


    White rice and umeboshi, I¡¯ve now found out the reason why these two are usually eaten together.


    Before I swallowed the contents in my mouth, I chewed it three more times.


    As I implolitely stuffed the yaki onigiri into my mouth, the soft rice, the soy sauce flavoured burnt rice and the umeboshi¡¯s sour flavour met together.


    Ahh¡­ it¡¯s so good.


    [Hnn¡­]


    As my throat got stuffed due to swallowing it all down, I drank the miso soup to wash it down.


    The miso soup¡¯s thin taste helped wash away the flavour of the plums and the soy sauce and refreshed my mouth.


    [Fuu¡­]


    After taking a breath, I keep repeating the pattern of eating and drinking.


    As I did so, a single yaki onigiri disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    It was delicious.


    [The next one is going to have Okaka in it. It wasn¡¯t made with skipjack tuna so the taste might be different, but it is still delicious.]


    Okaka.


    I¡¯ve eaten that many times before.


    Especially in kindergarten, it was a regular dish that went with an egg on my rice.


    To reproduce that taste¡­


    I want to eat it already.


    [Uh Nanahoshi, listening to me while eating it is fine but]


    [Huh?]


    [I have a little thing I want to discuss with you]


    I felt a bad premonition.


    He sometimes brings something to discuss about.


    Whether it is something about his children or having a fight with his wives and wanting to know what he did wrong.


    Of course, I¡¯m being helped by Rudeus as well.


    Work as hard as you can, say what is on your mind.


    Thinking of it as giving him some advice.


    However, sometimes he discusses things that I can¡¯t really answer properly.


    For example, saying that he made a doll that looks exactly like me and that it has lewd functions.


    Or worrying that him and Slyphy are having a hard time making a third child.


    Although I give him some advice during these times, it doesn¡¯t seem to help.


    Because I¡¯m nothing more than an inexperienced female highschool student.


    [What¡¯s up?]


    [To tell you the truth, Lucy¡­]


    Lucy.


    Rudeus¡¯ oldest daugther.


    In my memory, she was a little girl with long ears and a lot of energy, with a little shy side as well.


    It feels like I haven¡¯t met her in a long time.


    I wonder how old she is right now.


    I wonder what the heck Lucy did.


    She didn¡¯t become a deliquent by any chance did she?


    Maybe it¡¯s something like Lucy rode on her horse every night in the alley, doing nothing but fighthing and after all that gathered around with all the nearby


    thieves and made a Greyrat alliance which she set sail with to take over the nation and to top it all off she is currently being oppressed by some army and sitting in


    a juvenile detention center¡­


    [He is going out with Clive kun]


    [¡­]


    Clive.


    If I remember, he was Cliff and Elinalise¡¯s son.


    I guess he is Lucy¡¯s childhood friend.


    [Sorry but how old are those two again?]


    [Lucy is 14 and Clive is 12]


    14 and 12.


    Clive is a bit young¡­


    But it¡¯s by no means too early for him to go out with someone.


    Though when I was 12, I never dated or had a broken one sided love before.


    But, thank god.


    It seems that today won¡¯t be about a heavy topic.


    [Are you against it?]


    [I¡¯m not particularly against it]


    [Then what¡¯s the problem? You want to discuss it right?]


    [No, I just thought that it would nice to say something to her as a father]


    As a father?¡­


    [Are you planning to say something?]


    [No how should I say it. I want to tell her that love is fine but she should also focus on her studies as well. Or telling her to use contraception as well]


    [You shouldn¡¯t tell her about the last one. It¡¯s important but it¡¯s way too early for that talk]


    [Ah okay]


    But if I was in her position, what would I do.


    Being over 13 years old, dating someone in my class and having my father nag at me about it.


    If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t like it.


    I would say that I know all that already and would rebel according to the situation.


    I don¡¯t know how Lucy would take it.


    But Lucy is probably working hard to be recognized by Rudy.


    Though it¡¯s been a long time so I don¡¯t know how she is now¡­


    But since she is a dilligent child, she probably is still working hard on it.


    What would happen if she stopped to catch a little breath and her father started scolding her for it?


    When she would usually work hard and the moment she took a little break, her father would tell her [Keep studying].


    ¡­ She would probably hate it.


    Then right now it is better to just leave her alone.


    But at such a young age can a kid in love come back to studying and sports?


    Since I don¡¯t know much about love, I can¡¯t say much.


    It¡¯s just that since there are so many people in society who go crazy about it, wouldn¡¯t it be hard for her to focus on other things as well?


    Hmm¡­


    [Well, I think it¡¯s just a matter of how you say it]


    [How I say it?]


    [Something like telling her to date in moderation until graduation]


    It¡¯s a matter of how one says it.


    Outright denying it without listening or showing too much interest into her relationship isn¡¯t good.


    Also, there¡¯s the fact that the Greyrat household sends their kids to the magic university at the age of 7.


    When they graduate, they will be an adult.


    If that¡¯s the case¡­ well, it¡¯s a matter of being responsible for one¡¯s self.


    [Ah I see. Moderation huh. That¡¯s a good word. I got it, thanks]


    Rudeus sighed with a relieved face.


    It seems like he received good counselling this time.


    Though I don¡¯t know what the result will be.


    [Well, eat up. What will you have for the next one? Ume or Okaka?]


    When I looked at my plate, all the Okaka ones were gone.


    It seems like I ate all of them during our counselling session.


    I couldn¡¯t feel the taste at all.


    Although there remained a bit of a delicious aftertaste.


    Alright, next time I¡¯ll make sure to savor the taste more.


    [Okaka]


    [Alright]


    Rudeus used his brush to smear the white onigiri with soy sauce and put it on the charcoal brazier.


    After a few seconds, the smell of the burnt soy sauce floated in the air.


    It¡¯s a fragrant and a little sweet smell.


    Even though I had just finished eating two onigiri, saliva gathered around my mouth yet again.


    [To cook food inside, it seems that you lack common sense]


    And so, someone entered the room.


    A silver haired man with a splendid white coat wrapping around his body, it was none other than Perugius.


    Sylvaril could be seen behind him as well.


    [Ah, my apologies. But not to worry, we are using ventilation]


    [It¡¯s fine. Although you seem to lack common sense, my Chaos Breaker is strong when it comes to heat as well. With this much, not even a stain can remain]


    [I thank you for your leniency]


    [Hmph]


    Snorting in response, Perugius had a seat.


    [What are you eating?]


    [It¡¯s called yaki onigiri. It¡¯s a dish that consists of cooked bunched up rice coated with soy sauce or miso]


    [Hmm, it sounds like something that an adventurer would eat]


    [It¡¯s a dish for the common folk after all]


    [Guess I¡¯ll try one]


    Perugius is always like this.


    He would say things like how the cooking style is shabby or that it looks bad.


    But he never chooses to not eat it.


    Rudeus responded with the usual ¡°Yes, I know¡± and put one of the two cooked onigiri in front of Perugius.


    He also put one in front of me.


    [Do you eat it with your hands?]


    Perugius looked at my dirty hands and frowned.


    [Eat it however you like]


    Hearing Rudeus¡¯ reply, he grabbed a knife and fork and cut the onigiri.


    Then he put the cut onigiri into his mouth with his fork.


    It¡¯s an elegant conduct.


    It puts my dirtied fingers and mouth to shame.


    [How is it Perugius sama?]


    [Hmm¡­]


    Perugius frowned after a bite.


    Was it not to his taste?


    [Perugius sama, there¡¯s no real need to force yourself to eat a dish from another world¡­]


    Sylvaril said so.


    Even though he hasn¡¯t even tasted it before¡­


    Something as good as this¡­


    [No, this is a taste that I¡¯ve missed for some time]


    [A taste you¡¯ve missed?]


    [During the Laplace campaign, among the soldier¡¯s provisions, there was something like this. It was a hardened bread which you would soak in a sauce


    and cook it until it is a little burnt]


    [¡­]


    [Because of the needlessly strong taste, I can¡¯t say that it tasted good, but it does take me back]


    Perugius narrowed his eyes and looked outside by the window.


    Out there was a garden full of multi colored flowers and a sea of clouds.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of thoughts Perugius holds in regards to his past.


    He talks about his heroic past frequently but never really talks about his sad memories.


    [Rudeus]


    [Yes?]


    [It had a good flavour]


    [Thank you very much]


    I ate my Okaka onigiri as I saw them exchanging words.


    Ah.


    I forgot to savor the taste again.


    Well, it was delicious for sure.


    I wanted to savor the taste more deliberately.


    However, with this I¡¯ve eaten three.


    I¡¯m slowly getting full.


    A full stomach is a palate¡¯s worst enemy.


    No matter how delicious something is, if you eat it with a full stomach, the taste falls.


    Especially for dishes with a strong flavour.


    One more.


    That is most likely my limit if I want to savor the taste.


    Should I do Okaka as my last one?


    But I¡¯ve already eaten two of them.


    Would Ume be better?


    Wait a second, how about putting half of each in it?


    No, the cooking time of the Ume and Okaka is different¡­


    [Well, it¡¯s time to wrap up]


    As he said this, Rudeus lifted up the kettle from the table.


    He put his hands on the exterior of the kettle for a few seconds.


    When he did this, steam began to come out from the kettle.


    At first I wondered what he was doing but it seems that he is using magic to warm it up.


    I can¡¯t smell the contents of the kettle.


    I wonder what¡¯s inside.


    [When there¡¯s yaki onigiri, this is always the finisher]


    Rudeus put the cooked onigiri into a container and began pouring the contents of the kettle inside it.


    From the gentle sweet smell, I could tell what was inside the kettle.


    It was tea.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the aroma of black tea.


    It was green tea.


    [Ochazuke!]


    I shout out my thoughts.


    [I see that you had tea]


    [Well¡­ the ingredients for both black and green tea is the same]


    Though I never had yaki onigiri in my original world, I never knew you could eat it like this.


    Ochazuke is also a standard desert after a meal.


    Even with a full stomach, you can fully savor the taste.


    [Here. Give it a try]


    I grabbed my chopsticks and began splitting apart the yaki onigiri that was soaked in the tea.


    The cool aroma of the green tea increased my appetite.


    [Itadakimasu]


    I began to stir the ochzuke wholeheartedly.


    The green tea is softening the burnt rice and neutralizing the strong flavor of the soy sauce.


    The smooth texture goes down my throat like water.


    Furthermore, if you cut the ume inside the onigiri, it becomes a umezuke.


    If it¡¯s this, I can eat as much as I want.


    [Fu]


    Before I knew it I had eaten everything.


    When I was eating I thought I could eat as much as I wanted but after finishing it, I am left with a full stomach and a feeling of satisfaction.


    As I look around, I can see the garden and clouds.


    It feels as if I went on a picnic and ate until I was full.


    It¡¯s happiness.


    [Perugius sama¡¯s garden sure is beautiful]


    As I mumble to myself, Perugius does not reply.


    With a face that seemed to say ¡°obviously¡±, he slowly drank the ochazuke.


    Rudeus stayed silent as well as he ate the uncooked onigiri.


    [¡­]


    A silent moment.


    Rudeus would at times drink his miso soup and the sound of him drinking echoed throughout the room.


    This island has a lot of trees and flowers.


    However, there are no birds.


    Other small animals are non existent as well.


    For some reason, that gives off a strange feeling.


    In such a place, we are eating onigiri and drinking miso soup.


    This situation seemed like an extravagant moment of good luck.


    Even though the cause of me coming to this world was due to an unfortunate event.


    But such happiness during times of sorrow is such a blessed moment.


    [Rudeus]


    [Hm?]


    [I¡¯m definitely going to go back]


    [Do your best]


    If I do go back to my world without any problems, I¡¯m going to travel and see the world.


    Taking onigiri with various ingredients inside.


    With a container full of miso soup.


    With a small bottle of soy sauce, I¡¯ll go to a place where cooking is permitted and cook and eat my own yaki onigiri.


    Such were my thoughts.

 CH 24

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Jokoril


    ¡ª


    My name is Nanahoshi.


    Nanahoshi Shizuka.


    Due to various circumstances, I am currently freeloading in Perugius¡¯s Castle, Chaos Bringer.


    With his subordinate¡¯s ability, waking up once every month is how I live right now.


    This lifestyle is the result of my ¡°I can¡¯t return until I achieve a certain something in this world¡± theory.


    But let¡¯s leave that aside for now.


    In my previous world, there was a fairytale called ¡°Sannen Netarou¡±


    TL Note: The name means ¡°He who slept for three years¡±


    In a certain village suffering from persistent drought, there was a man named Netarou.


    He did not do any work in the village and merely slept through his days for three years, raising the ire of the other villagers.


    One day, Netarou woke up and moved gigantic boulders from up in the mountains. Every single day, he threw these large boulders into the river, finally changing the course of the river towards the drought stricken village. Because of this, the crops in the field were able to receive water and the village was saved from its long years of drought.


    He wasn¡¯t merely sleeping. All this time, he was thinking about solutions to save the village.


    Such was the story.


    I am doing pretty much the same thing as him.


    At least that¡¯s what I think.


    However, what I am doing is not something noble like helping the people of this world. Instead, I am merely doing this so I can return to my previous world.


    Of course, I am indebted to the people of this world. If they are in trouble, I would want to reach out and help them.


    Leaving that aside, it is time for lunch.


    My stomach is empty today as well.


    It is growling with a ¡°guu guu¡± sound, requesting me to eat food even while I am showering.


    I am now a hungry wolf.


    Whether it is Little Red Riding Hood or seven goats, I can probably devour them all.


    Nonetheless, being assaulted by such intense hunger every day (actually every month), I might slim down so much that I look anorexic.


    When that happens, people might not recognize me when I return to my previous world and I don¡¯t want that, which is why I must eat my fill today as well.


    While my mind was filled with such thoughts, I arrived in my room. A pleasant smell reached my nose. At the same time, the figure of Rudeus preparing something at the table came into my view.


    [Aah, good morning Nanahoshi.]


    [Morning.]


    Placed in front of Rudeus is a pot made from earth magic, being heated up by something that looks like a portable stove. A nice bubbling sound reverberates in the room.


    It looks like we will be having Nabe today.


    Soups like this with many ingredients cooked together are not uncommon in this world. Normally, the ingredients are thrown into the pot as is, resulting in a soup with a strong pungent stench and horrible flavor. Even when made by a capable chef, the soup would turn out to be something edible, but remain unappealing to the appetite.


    However, what¡¯s this aroma of miso that tickles my nose?


    This smell cannot be produced unless the flavor of the dashi stock is properly brought out and the miso paste is dissolved completely. Ah, my stomach is growling again.


    [What is it today?]


    With a passable greeting, I arrived at my seat. If we are using fire in the room, won¡¯t we get scolded by Perugius? I recalled that I forgot to warn Rudeus about this, but it should be fine. Perugius will also be eating here anyway.


    [Today we¡¯ll be having¡­ here, look.]


    Rudeus lifted the lid from the pot, revealing the dish beneath the steam.


    As expected, it is a dark brown soup. What looks like chicken meat, spring onion and mushrooms with a white egg in the center are bubbling in the soup. Furthermore, beneath all those ingredients lies something white, long and thin. White noodles! That means this dish is probably¡­


    [Udon?]


    [That¡¯s right, it¡¯s miso udon.]


    Miso udon!


    [You made udon noodles?]


    [Yup, I had some difficulty explaining what ¡°noodles¡± are to her, but actually making these is not that difficult.]


    It is mainly Aisha that re-creates the dishes from our previous world.


    After listening to explanations regarding the cooking method and the finished product from Rudeus, the dish is re-created through trial and error.


    The miso udon we are having today is also a result of that process.


    [Alright, eat it quickly before it becomes soggy.]


    While saying that, Rudeus skillfully transferred the miso udon into a bowl using a ladle and chopsticks before serving it. The miso soup¡¯s aroma drifts into my nose. Saliva fills my mouth as I immediately grabbed a hold of the chopsticks.


    [¡­ Itadakimasu.]


    Just when I was about to eat the udon noodles, I stopped.


    I put down the chopsticks and took up the spoon.


    I decided to first taste the soup.


    I cannot start eating the noodles before first tasting this rich miso soup.


    [..Nn]


    The flavor of the dashi was splendidly brought out in this soup.


    It is most likely seafood based.


    A deep miso flavor is layered with the taste of the dashi, and there is a mellow aftertaste that is hard to describe.


    At that moment, my stomach started growling again, as if it¡¯s hurrying me to eat solid food.


    Stomach: Please give me solid food now.


    Me: Please stop rushing me.


    I can hear these words resounding in my mind.


    Me: Calm down, I¡¯ll eat it even without you telling me to.


    With that, I once again picked up the chopsticks.


    I picked up the soft udon noodles floating in the soup. Even though I am confident in using chopsticks, the udon noodles that I haven¡¯t had in a while broke up and fell back into the bowl. Unfazed, I picked up the remaining pieces of udon, blew on them and slurped them up.


    [..Nfuu.]


    This is definitely udon.


    It may be due to the quality of the wheat flour used, but the taste is a little different from what I¡¯m used to. However, this is without a doubt, the taste of udon. It is so soft that I can swallow it without chewing.


    Ahh, it¡¯s so nostalgic¡­


    Speaking of which, I¡¯ve eaten this kind of udon a long time ago.


    My mother prepared it for me when I was down with flu back when I was still schooling. The udon I had back then was bland, and the lack of flavor was made worse by my illness. Compared to that, this udon is delicious.


    [Fu¡­]


    I took a breather after I swallowed the udon noodles.


    Next up on the menu would be the spring onions. Spring onions in this world have a strong raw stench.


    They taste as if they might contain poison when eaten raw.


    Maybe because these spring onions were being cooked in the miso soup for a long period of time, the stench is almost non-existent.


    The more I eat, the more I can taste the unique flavor of the spring onions; it doesn¡¯t make me sick at all.


    Rather, it was as if every bite is preparing me for the wave of flavor coming from the next mouthful of udon.


    The taste of the udon noodles and spring onions come together in perfect harmony, bringing the tastiness of the miso udon to the next level.


    What about the mushrooms?


    From the appearance, it does not look like shiitake or enoki mushrooms at all, it is unique to this world.


    The bright colors make it look poisonous. Perhaps this mushroom was once a monster.


    I picked up a mushroom with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth. I savored the texture of the mushroom by chewing slowly. The intense umami flavor burst out in my mouth ¨C it tastes a lot like shiitake mushrooms ¨C No, this is definitely shiitake. Yup, let¡¯s just call this mushroom shiitake.


    Before the aftertaste of the mushroom faded, I quickly took a bite of the chicken.


    As usual, this world¡¯s ¡°chicken¡± does not taste exactly like chicken as well. But how do I put it, maybe because it was simmered in the soup for a long time, this meat melts in my mouth.


    The umami flavor of the shiitake and chicken, coupled with the miso, spring onions and the udon noodles.


    Truly a match made in heaven.


    I continued chewing and swallowing this delicious meal.


    The ingredients are cooked so tender that I can easily swallow it and it goes into my stomach without much resistance at all. Before I knew it, the bowl was empty.


    [¡­Seconds.]


    [Alright.]


    Rudeus scooped out more udon noodles from the pot.


    I started eating the moment the bowl was re-filled with the noodles.


    Spring onions, udon, chicken, udon, mushrooms, udon, re-fill.


    I kept eating in this cycle without talking.


    I probably did not eat miso udon all that much in my previous world.


    Even if I went to an udon restaurant, I can¡¯t imagine myself ordering this at all.


    I would have ordered another kind of udon.


    But now that I know how tasty this dish is, things would be quite different.


    Miso udon would be the first thing that comes to mind when talking about udon. I might come to utter such a phrase like I am some udon connoisseur, even though I really know nothing about udon.


    [Is it good?]


    [Yes.]


    But I cannot let my guard down.


    Although Rudeus would feed me good food, this comes at a price.


    Sometimes, he would come to me asking for advice.


    [By the way Nanahoshi, listen to this.]


    Even though he asks for advice, the topics are usually not serious.


    Things like:


    How Ars is so popular at school, and how he¡¯s worried that Ars would lay his hands on girls here and there.


    How Sieg has become very muscular, and would corner Rudeus with his powerful sword strikes during practice-duels.


    How Lucy and Clive started going out, and are often seen going on dates in town.


    How childish Lara still is, frequently playing pranks on people.


    Trivial stuff like that.


    [I arm wrestled Sieg the other day.]


    [Arm wrestle?]


    [Yeah, and Sieg¡¯s arm has gotten really big, just by grabbing my hands it feels as if he was about to crush it.]


    [If I am not wrong, Sieg-kun was taken in by Alexander was it? As a disciple right?]


    [That¡¯s right, North God III. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he was a great teacher or our Sieg has talent, but Sieg is mastering the North God Style at a shockingly fast pace. Alek also commended his learning speed.]


    [Hmm¡­ So what happened to the arm wrestling match? Did you win?]


    [I won. As luck would have it, I was wearing my Magic Armor at the time. With that, I protected my dignity as a father.]


    [I wonder if you really protected it¡­]


    Looks like the topic today is trivial as well.


    But I cannot relax yet.


    Depending on the circumstance, Rudeus will start off with light-hearted topics like these, before going into heavy topics. When that happens, he will sneak peeks at my facial expression before addressing me with ¡°Hey, Nanahoshi¡± sheepishly.


    [Hey, Nanahoshi-san¡­ On another topic¡­]


    Here it comes.


    The way he says it with a difficult expression.


    Furthermore, he addressed me with a -san suffix.


    Today¡¯s topic is going to be considerably heavy.


    [It is not really an easy thing for me to say¡­]


    [¡­What?]


    To be honest, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.


    Once it starts, I would become so exhausted that I cannot really enjoy the taste of the food.


    But I am someone who is always treated to such a feast by him.


    It isn¡¯t good to ignore someone who has been taking so much care of me.


    [I may be wrong about this¡­]


    [Uh huh¡­]


    It¡¯s coming.


    What is it going to be about?


    [¡­ Haven¡¯t you been gaining weight lately?]


    [Eh?]


    Something unexpected.


    [Me?]


    [How should I put it, you kinda look a little plump compared to how you were like last time.]


    I touched my cheeks instinctively.


    Did I really become plump?


    I haven¡¯t been looking into the mirror lately, so I am not really sure myself.


    There are mirrors in this castle, but unfortunately it is not as common as having it in every toilet like back in Japan.


    They are so uncommon that I couldn¡¯t find even one mirror within walking distance.


    As expected, there isn¡¯t one in this room either.


    I have gotten fat¡­?


    Really? No, but, it can¡¯t be.


    My body is in a weird state in this world.


    I don¡¯t age, my nails and hair don¡¯t grow and I don¡¯t even have periods.


    So getting fat should not be possible.


    Even so, I still get hungry.


    If I consume food, I will still excrete waste.


    Meaning, the food will be digested and distributed as nourishment to my body.


    If I can get hungry, it implies that this nourishment is used up.


    In other words, at least for a time, this digested food stays in my body.


    So¡­ I did get fat?


    The food is not only used to maintain my physical state, but also stored in my body?


    Even though I get so hungry in the morning?


    [Ahh, my bad. It¡¯s probably rude to say something like this to you.]


    [Not really¡­]


    [If you are worried about it why not I make a weighing scale? It won¡¯t be able to display accurate readings, but it can at least do something like compare my weight to yours. How about it?]


    [I-I don¡¯t need it]


    I can¡¯t imagine myself getting fat.


    After coming to this world, I shouldn¡¯t have been able to lose or gain weight.


    The hunger I feel when I wake up must be because I used up all of the energy gained from my previous meal.


    That must be it. Yes.


    That¡¯s why it must be his imagination.


    It¡¯s not like Rudeus sees my face every day.


    It¡¯s only about once per month.


    He should not be able to notice how different I look.


    No, isn¡¯t it the opposite?


    Isn¡¯t it precisely because he does not see me every day that he notices the changes in my appearance?


    [¡­]


    Thinking back, ever since I started freeloading in this castle, I have only been eating and sleeping.


    When Rudeus started making Japanese food, the amount I ate increased as well.


    I used to only eat the bare minimum to survive, but lately I have been devouring food till I am bloated.


    Me being constantly on an empty stomach may have further fueled my appetite.


    But when I think about it, my stomach will get empty even without me doing anything.


    Illustrations of Sannen Netarou also often depicted him being fat¡­


    So, I really got fat? With this lifestyle¡­


    [Rudeus. Even while having three wives, it seems like you still do not understand a woman¡¯s feelings.]


    While I was trembling from the thought of possibly becoming fat, Perugius entered the room with those words.


    It seems like Sylvaril is with him as well.


    [A woman¡¯s feelings¡­ It seems like I am still inexperienced.]


    [Appearance is everything to a woman. If she had put in everything for her hair, makeup and clothes, to point out changes in her weight is an action of utmost insensitivity. I believe you should have prepared a portion for me as well, right?]


    [I see. Here you go.]


    Perugius sat at his seat as if it was the most natural thing to do and requested his portion of the meal.


    Unlike what he said, I am someone who isn¡¯t all that conscious of my weight though¡­


    It¡¯s just that I thought there was no way I could become fat, and got a shock when I found out the truth.


    ¡­ Even so, I think I wouldn¡¯t want to get fat.


    More importantly, wouldn¡¯t your pure white coat be stained if you slurp on the udon noodles?


    Even if it isn¡¯t curry udon, the color of miso udon soup is still quite dark.


    Did Rudeus not notice this?


    [Oh yeah, do you know how to eat this?]


    Rudeus did not notice it at all and said that instead.


    In this sense, it is indeed true that Rudeus does not understand a woman¡¯s heart.


    But on whether paying such attention to clothes is part of having a woman¡¯s heart, even I have no idea.


    [You bastard, are you making fun of me?]


    [My apologies, it is because we do not really see things like noodles in this world.]


    [They were lost to the war with Laplace. There might be remnants of such food remaining however¡­]


    [Oh, I see.]


    Due to the war 400 years ago, humans were practically annihilated aside from those in the Asura Kingdom.


    That is why the food culture has perished alongside those who died in the war.


    Even so, it wouldn¡¯t be bad if some part of it remains.


    [Having said that, it has been a long time since I ate this as well. I only had this once during the war. Furthermore, it is the first time I have it with these ingredients and soup.]


    Perugius picked up the fork while saying that.


    Isn¡¯t it very difficult to eat udon with a fork?


    As I was about to point that out, Perugius skillfully curled the noodles using the fork and put it into his mouth with majestic grace.


    There was no way for the soup to splash anywhere.


    It looks like I was worried for nothing.


    [Hmm, the taste is good.]


    [I am relieved.]


    [But this is too soft. What I ate before had more elasticity to it, isn¡¯t this food for the elderly?]


    Miso udon noodles are almost always soft.


    This is because it is simmered in the miso soup.


    However, after hearing Perugius say that, I suddenly had cravings for normal udon noodles as well.


    Not that I have any complains with miso udon, it¡¯s just that I also wanted to have a taste of springy udon noodles.


    [I knew that you would say that.]


    While saying that, Rudeus took out some noodles that was in a sack.


    He came prepared.


    [It was boiled once before, so it might not have that much body to it. But I think it has the texture close to what you desire.]


    Rudeus lowered the noodles into the pot to boil it as he said that.


    The noodles bubbled in the soup.


    Watching that scene, I started to recall a noodle texture different from what I ate a moment ago.


    [Can I also get a refill of that?]


    [Why of course, eat up.]


    With that reply, I once again leaned forward holding my empty bowl.


    ¡ª


    I ate my fill today as well.


    My appetite is fully satisfied.


    The hungry wolf returns to the forest with a bloated stomach.


    I have been ¡°gaining weight¡± huh¡­


    I asked to be brought to see a mirror after the meal.


    To be honest, my figure did not change that much from what I remember.


    But maybe, as I thought, I got a little plump?


    Perhaps due to it being right after a meal, my stomach is protruding out.


    [¡­]


    It¡¯s not like I absolutely hate becoming fat.


    Even so, I would prefer to maintain my current figure.


    It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just a little bit, but I would hate it if I were to become so fat that I was mistaken for someone else.


    [¡­ I should exercise a little.]


    I told myself just before I went to sleep.

 CH 25

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Jokoril


    ¡ª


    My name is Nanahoshi.


    Nanahoshi Shizuka.


    Due to some circumstances, I am currently running in the garden of Perugius¡¯ Castle, Chaos Breaker. The cobblestone path circling the castle is definitely not easy to run on. Even so, I will keep running. That is because I need some exercise.


    Recently, I have been running like this every single day. The castle is surrounded by this beautiful garden and its appearance changes every time I wake up. Different flowers bloom every month, resulting in a rotating assortment of colors. If I were to wake up every day instead of once every month, I would be able to fully appreciate this gradual change.


    [Fuu¡­]


    Three laps around the castle.


    That takes up just about an hour. Of course, it¡¯s not like I was continuously running for an hour, I don¡¯t have the stamina for that. If I have to take small breaks, I will. Initially, I was plagued with muscle cramps due to my sedentary lifestyle, but lately, this level of activity rarely results in cramps or sores. This must be a result of my body becoming more physically fit through training. If I can train to become fit, then it logically follows that a lack of activity will make me fat.


    Anyways, if I am running with this frequency, I shouldn¡¯t be able to get too fat. Not that I am against getting fat. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to be mistaken as someone else when I return home.


    After catching my breath, I took a shower, changed clothes and returned to my room. I wonder what¡¯s on the menu today. What will Rudeus bring me today? I pushed the door open while having those thoughts in mind.


    [Hmm¡­.]


    [What¡¯s wrong? Your chances of winning are slim now. Surrender.]


    However, Rudeus is nowhere to be found.


    In his place are Zanoba and Perugius. Between them sits a table on which they are playing a game similar to chess. The chess pieces are well-crafted, such that minute details can be made out even at a distance. This set was probably taken from Perugius¡¯ collection, or bought somewhere by Zanoba.


    As for the state of the game, it seems like Zanoba is being outnumbered. Even without looking at the board, you can tell that Perugius is winning by looking at Sylvaril moving her wings with pride.


    Come to think of it, this world also has a game like that.


    How nostalgic.


    Back in middle school, I was really into games like chess and shogi. I used to go to a dojo-like place in the neighbourhood to play from time to time. In fact, I won quite a lot of those games. I stopped all of that once I got into high school, though.


    [Please wait a moment. In the Shirone Kingdom, we fight to the last man without surrender.]


    [You do not have the makings of a ruler it seems. Even if you lose the war, you can rebuild the country as long as troops remain.]


    [You mean there existed a country rebuilt with just surviving troops and a dead leader?]


    [How ignorant, Zanoba Shirone. It is the very country you were born in. Your country descends from one that was annihilated in the war with Laplace.]


    [I see¡­ It is no wonder that the downfall of my country occurred in my generation.]


    Leaving aside the contents of the conversation, I am more interested in what they were eating while playing their game of chess. Two slices of white bread cut in either squares or triangles, with something in between. From what I see, that something consists of green and yellow stuff. Regardless of what is put in between the two slices of bread, the name of the dish remains the same.


    It¡¯s sandwiches.


    [Long time no see, Zanoba.]


    [Ohh, Nanahoshi-dono! Good morning. It has really been a while.]


    Zanoba has really gotten old as compared to the Zanoba I remember. Much of his hair has become white and his face is filled with wrinkles. He is now over 40 years old, from what I have heard. Zanoba is officially an old man now.


    [So it¡¯s not Rudeus today, huh.]


    [Shishou1 has been busy recently, you see. Remember that incident?]


    [Ahh¡­]


    Some time ago, Rudeus consulted with me on a dreadfully serious topic.


    It was regarding the elopement of Ars and Aisha.


    As for what happened during his consultation, it¡¯s so heavy for someone like me that I did not know what to say at all. All I could do was to give vague responses or keep quiet. He brought in donuts on that day, but I could not appreciate the taste at all. In the end, more than half of the donuts remained unconsumed. It seems that the issue is still unresolved.


    [Even so, as you can see, Shishou has prepared food for everyone here. You should eat up too, Nanahoshi-dono.]


    [¡­Itadakimasu]


    I sat beside Zanoba. Although only a third of the sandwiches remain, there are still a variety of fillings to choose from. There¡¯s one filled with Tamagoyaki2, some with what looks like smoked meat and grilled fish, as well as those with white filling ¨C probably potato salad.


    For now, I reached out and grabbed the Tamagoyaki sandwich.


    It may have caught my interest because of its bright yellow and green colors, but it was also due to nostalgia. As my family did not make onigiri, my lunch boxes were often packed with sandwiches. Among them, there were always Tamagoyaki sandwiches.


    Thick cuts of tamagoyaki and a lettuce-like vegetable are held between the bread slices. I held it with my bare hands and started nibbling the top part of the triangle. The inner side of the fluffy bread has gotten soft from the moisture. Biting into the lettuce-like layer, I feel a slight crunch as a subtle bitterness spreads in my mouth. As my teeth sink into the softly fried tamagoyaki layer, saltiness hits me with a slight hint of sweetness, balancing the bitter taste of the lettuce. A salty aftertaste is left in my mouth, intensifying my urge to take the next bite.


    Just when I was about to take a second bite, the tamagoyaki slipped out of the bread and landed on my plate, possibly because it was too thick. I picked the tamagoyaki up with my fingers, returned it in between the bread and took my second bite. This may be bad table manners, but I don¡¯t care. While wiping my fingers with a handkerchief, i took my third and fourth bite.


    Bread, lettuce and eggs.


    Even with just three ingredients, this wonderful balance of flavor is achieved.


    There¡¯s also me being hungry from the physical activity, as I instantly finished eating the first sandwich.


    [Still, it is quite unbelievable, what happened. Even wise people would act so rashly.]


    [How is that unbelievable? That is human nature at work.]


    With a snort, Perugius moved his chess piece.


    Zanoba reacted with a ¡°Ugh¡± to Perugius¡¯ move, and reached out for a sandwich while staring at the chessboard.


    [What do you mean by that?]


    [Humans are the most foolish when they desire something. They fail to do something they are usually able to do, and they take the easiest and most irrational route. Don¡¯t you remember such times, yourself?]


    [Yes, I do.]


    [As expected. This chessboard is the perfect demonstration of that. You left yourself defenceless, trying to take my king. You throw away your troops needlessly over and over again with those reckless attacks, all the while not realising that the king was just a bait.]


    Perugius has an overwhelming advantage in the chess game.


    Zanoba lost more than half of his army and is being surrounded by Perugius¡¯ troops.


    [Subsequently, after experiencing your defeat in this match, you would probably stop taking baits that are dangling right in front of you. Even if you are tempted by your desire, you would be able to control it. However, after a few matches, you would fall for the same trap again and choose the simplest way to attack. That is human nature, and humans are foolish.]


    [So you are saying that no matter how smart one is, he will repeat the same foolish actions?]


    [I don¡¯t know about that. But for someone that always makes the optimal decision after considering the cost and benefits, which route she chooses when desire takes over¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be a sight to behold?]


    [I see, is that why Perugius-sama would not tell Shishou about Aisha¡¯s whereabouts? If that is the case, pardon me as I would have no choice but to say that you have bad taste.]


    [Hmph, I have no intentions of moving my subordinates for such a trifling matter.]


    It seems like Rudeus had sought help from Perugius.


    If only Perugius had swiftly found Aisha, I would not have felt so needlessly depressed¡­


    [Though you say that, doesn¡¯t Perugius-sama also have desires?]


    [Hou?]


    [Your obsession with Laplace, isn¡¯t that in Perugius-sama¡¯s own words, utter foolishness?]


    [Zanoba, are you trying to say that I am a fool?]


    [My apologies, that is not my intention¡­]


    [Fine. You are right, I am foolish by nature. But Zanoba, a person can make wise decisions with full knowledge that they are foolish.]


    Having an increasingly strong urge to let out a heavy sigh, I reached out for my next sandwich. Being wise or foolish¡­ What a drag¡­ If I think too much about what Perugius is talking about, I would definitely not be able to savor my sandwich.


    [And even fools come in many varieties, for example¨D]


    [Hey, how long are you guys gonna go on about that topic?]


    When they heard that, both of them exchanged glances.


    Zanoba adjusted his glasses while Perugius snorted in displeasure.


    [My apologies, this isn¡¯t something we talk about over good food. Perugius-sama, let¡¯s leave it at that.]


    [Hmph.]


    The conversation ended and both of them returned to playing their game in silence.


    I should also go back to having my meal.


    Next, the ham sandwich.


    It had a rectangular shape, made to fit the shape of the ham.


    This is probably the Greyrat household¡¯s homemade ham.


    When I hold it in my hand, it can feel that the ham is covered in spices.


    What was this called again¡­ Yes, it¡¯s pastrami.


    The ham itself is cut thickly, giving it a juicy appearance.


    Lifting up the bread a little, I can see that the inner sides of the bread and the lettuce are slathered in a brown-colored sauce. It looks incredibly delicious.


    Without a second of delay, I opened my mouth wide and bit into it.


    The bread felt a little harder compared to the previous ones. I feel the body of the ham and the crunchiness of the cucumber and lettuce, hitting my teeth with a nice resistance. If I were to describe the tamagoyaki sandwich as an experience of softness upon softness, then this sandwich would be an experience of denseness upon denseness.


    On top of that, the sauce accentuates the meaty taste of the ham, stimulating my taste buds. The spicy taste in my mouth gets stronger with every bite.


    [Looks like the spice used on the meat came from the Migurd Village in the Magic Continent¡­]


    Just as I was thinking that aloud, Sylvaril came serving tea.


    Her displeased expression might be because this spice came from the Magic Continent and was produced by the hands of a Magic Race.


    Perugius¡¯ subordinates do not take a liking to people from the Magic Race.


    Maybe her displeased expression was because of what Zanoba said as a rebuttal to Perugius or even due to me ending their conversation prematurely.


    [Is this okay?]


    [¡°Even if its made by the Magic Race, an ingredient is still an ingredient, they are not the Magic Race itself.¡± was what the generous Perugius-sama said. Through Rudeus-sama, we hold some of this spice in the castle¡¯s kitchen.]


    Ultimately, Perugius prioritised his own desires and took the easier way out. This spice was purchased from the Migurd Village by Rudeus. In the end, his money is going right into the pockets of the Magic Race.


    [¡­]


    Anyways, I couldn¡¯t care any less about that.


    I took a sip of the red tea and gave a sigh of relief.


    Let¡¯s see, which one should I eat now?


    The potato salad sandwich looks nice.


    [Check. Surrender now, Zanoba.]


    [Hmmm¡­ Looks like I have nowhere to escape. I surrender.]


    [If you had said that 20 moves earlier, your troops would not have died in vain.]


    While talking, Zanoba added salt to his vegetable sandwich and ate it.


    So you can eat it that way too. When I saw that, I start to crave the sandwich with the tomato-like vegetable filling.


    [As expected of Perugius-sama, you are too strong. I cannot imagine myself winning.]


    [That goes without saying. I have been playing this game for several hundreds of years. As if I would lose to humans who cannot even live past a hundred years.]


    ¡­ No, let¡¯s go with the other sandwich.


    The menchi-katsu3 sandwich, which is the only other option left. Right, katsu sandwich it is. While I am still hungry, I want to eat something with more of a bite to it


    [Nanahoshi, how about it? One match?]


    [No thank you, I¡¯m good.]


    [I see. Not only did you cut our conversation off, you would also refuse to have a match with us.]


    [No, that¡¯s¡­ ah¡­]


    Just when I was about to reach out for the katsu sandwich, Perugius took it and bit into it. That was the last one.


    [¡­]


    If you looked at the sandwiches on the plate, four flavors of sandwiches were lined up together. In other words, there should have been four katsu sandwiches. They were placed closest to Perugius. There were four people in the room. Theoretically, if each person were to eat one type of sandwich each, I should have my share of that katsu sandwich¡­ Sylvaril wasn¡¯t even eating this time round¡­


    [So Zanoba, shall we have a rematch? Or Sylvaril? You sometimes lose on purpose so I can¡¯t really trust you¡­]


    [I will do it. Please teach me the rules and how to move the pieces.]


    Hearing me say that, Perugius broke into a wide grin. Seeing that expression, I finally understood. He probably ate my katsu sandwich predicting that I would do this. I pushed Zanoba aside and sat in front of the board, in full knowledge that I thoroughly fell for his ploy.


    ¡ª


    4 wins and 11 losses.


    That¡¯s my score for today.


    More losses than wins.


    At first I lost three games in a row, which allowed me to learn the rules and features of this game. As it seems like classic shogi tactics are often being employed, I used the double check and open check techniques like it was the most natural thing to do.


    After the fourth match, I learned the trick to smoothly build an encirclement of the enemy. Winning became much easier, but I haven¡¯t fully grasped how to attack properly, resulting in a fragmented offense. It ended up with me trying to fend off various offensive moves from Perugius.


    While doing that, I attacked with shogi tactics similar to the Climbing Silver and the Fourth File Rook. Having these attacks in my arsenal, my scores with Perugius were about 50-50, with me winning the final match.


    The moment Perugius lost the last match, his face was filled with frustration, despite having more wins than losses.


    Losing four times to a beginner player like me must have damaged his pride as a perfectionist. Being able to see his twisted facial expression, I will leave aside my resentment of not being able to eat the katsu sandwich.


    As game was ending, I finished up the remainder of the sandwiches. I had my fill today.


    Satisfaction.


    It is too bad that I couldn¡¯t eat the katsu sandwich. I¡¯ll request for it again next time.


    [My apologies Nanahoshi-dono, it seems like I have done you a disservice today.]


    As he was about to leave, Zanoba said that with an apologetic expression. I wonder what he is apologising for? We didn¡¯t really talk today right? Ah, he was observing at the side the whole time I was playing the game with Perugius, occasionally giving me advice. We did talk.


    If it¡¯s not about not talking to me, then it must be regarding that topic.


    [I should be the one apologising.]


    I may have appeared a little irritable today, I shouldn¡¯t have stopped their debate.


    [If you have any message you want to leave to Shishou or anyone else, should I pass them on for you?]


    [Let¡¯s see¡­ To Rudeus, I pray that his issue is resolved soon. Can you tell him that for me?]


    [Understood. Well then, I will return again, next time with Shishou and Cliff-dono.]


    Exchanging those words, I saw Zanoba off.


    It was good that Zanoba came for me today.


    There was a day where neither Rudeus nor Zanoba, not even Perugius came to visit me. I spent that day quietly in a daze, alone in my room. My mind wandered off and was filled with negative thoughts, making me needlessly depressed.


    Compared to that, I would much rather be having conversations, even with the kinds of topics discussed today. Lately, I think I have come to better appreciate the value of having liveliness and company. It¡¯s not like I absolutely need company, but with no one around, it feels lonely.


    [Alright, please come again.]


    I replied Zanoba, feeling thankful for his words.


    However, while having a meal, I would prefer to talk about brighter topics.


    With such thoughts, my eyelids grew heavier as I fell asleep.


    ¡ª


    1. Master/Teacher in Japanese.


    2. A type of fried egg, folded into a cuboid shape: Video link


    3. Fried breaded patties with minced meat as the filling: Video link

 CH 26

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Jokoril


    ¡ª


    My name is Nanahoshi.


    Nanahoshi Shizuka.


    A high school girl hailing from another world. In other words, one of the teleported. Currently, in preparation for the fated day, I am living in Perugius¡¯ castle while skipping ahead in time. To be blunt, it¡¯s a decadent life consisting mostly of sleeping right after eating.


    I started doing some exercise as I¡¯ve been putting on a little weight lately. Mostly doing jogs and stretches. Also, under the instruction of Sylvaril, I am doing some hand-to-hand combat training. Apparently, I don¡¯t have much talent in that.


    Now then.


    Today, as usual, I started exercising the moment I woke up, and got criticised by Sylvaril. Something like, ¡°focus your killing intent onto your enemy when you attack¡±. As someone who is just doing this for the sake of slimming down, there¡¯s no way I can do that. My mind is so occupied with thinking about burning fats that I have absolutely no space for killing intent.


    Speaking of which, the effects of exercising are amazing. After my daily routine, my stomach goes completely empty. It lets out a nice big growl, begging for meal time to come.


    Now then, who will be visiting today?


    What will they bring for me?


    I returned to my room holding those thoughts.


    And then, sitting there at the table was Rudeus. Lately, when I see the figure of him, I feel a sense of relief.


    A pleasant aroma of some sauce and bonito flakes drifted in the air. When I focused my eyes, I saw a bunch of brown spheres piled up like a mountain on a plate.


    Looks like we will be having Takoyaki1. With this realisation, saliva rushed in to fill my mouth.


    [Gulp]


    Swallowing my saliva, I sat down on my seat. I want to eat it now.


    [Morning.]


    [¡­ Ahh¡­ Good morning¡­ Nanahoshi¡­]


    Unfortunately, while I am relieved that Rudeus came to visit, there is one downside to it. Sometimes, he comes to me asking for advice. Things like ¡°This and that happened in my family, what do I do?¡±.


    Of course, I am indebted to him. To my utmost limits, I would think about the matter and give my thoughts on it, hoping that whatever I said could be of some help.


    However, sometimes, he brings up unbelievably heavy topics. In those times, Rudeus will have a look on his face like he was about to die, and greet me with a voice like he was about to die. Yes, just like how he is right now.


    Not only that, the Rudeus today is lying flat on the table, still carrying that dying look. Without a doubt, the topic today is going to be awfully dark.


    He sluggishly propped his own body up, and faked a smile.


    [I made some Takoyaki today. There¡¯s Takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. The bonito flakes aren¡¯t made from bonito, but it smells similar right? The octopus inside has a poisonous color but it¡¯s safe to consume, so you don¡¯t need to worry.]


    [¡­Thank you. I-It looks very good.]


    [Anyways, have a bite. I think it turned out pretty well this time round.]


    Let¡¯s enjoy it before the dark topic comes.


    In that spirit, I picked up the takoyaki with the toothpick sticking out of it and ate it.


    It looks like its fresh off the stove, but a little time has passed. It¡¯s hot but not to the point where it would burn my tongue. There¡¯s also the savory smell of the somewhat salty sauce and sweet mayonnaise. When I bite into the soft exterior, the runny filling rushes into my mouth. The burst of flavor hits every part of my mouth. Delicious.


    By reflex, I took a second bite. Amidst the runny filling, I bit into something with a stiffer texture. It¡¯s the octopus meat. I don¡¯t have a tongue so sensitive that I could taste the flavor of the octopus, but there is a huge difference with or without it. It has been a long time since I ate octopus meat, was it ten years? At the very least, I haven¡¯t had any octopus since I got teleported into this world.


    [-Hofuu..]


    Maybe because I stuffed my mouth full, such a sound leaked out. When I breathe in, the smell of the food passes through my nose and a subtle aroma of spring onions and red ginger2 remains. This smell further intensified my hunger, making me reach out for the next takoyaki.


    [Is it good?]


    [It¡¯s good.]


    [I see.]


    While he also snacked, Rudeus watched me voraciously devour the takoyaki. It¡¯s embarrassing to be watched while eating¡­ but I can¡¯t stop moving my hands.


    This takoyaki has a nostalgic taste. How do I put it¡­ it tastes cheap. The surface doesn¡¯t have any crispiness to it. It does not seem like tenkasu3 or yam was used in making these.


    Still, it tastes nostalgic.


    Ah, I see. This tastes like the takoyaki mom bought me in the supermarket food court. The taste of temple festivals.


    It definitely isn¡¯t cheek-meltingly delicious, but I never would have thought that I could eat something like this just a few years ago. There were times where I thought about how I would never be able to eat takoyaki again.


    I am on the verge of tears.


    [Hey, Nanahoshi. It¡¯ll be great if you can listen to this while you eat.]


    Ah.


    [I have something I want to talk to you about¡­]


    Here it comes.


    [¡­What?]


    To be honest, I don¡¯t want to hear it. The topics Rudeus talks to me about are too heavy for me. Though it is true that I have been in this world for a while, I am but a mere high school girl in the previous world. Even if you ask me about things like family relationships, I don¡¯t have any decent answers for you.


    [Actually¡­ Lucy¡­]


    Lucy.


    Rudeus¡¯ eldest daughter.


    The most outstanding of the kids, who has her act together.


    That outstanding Lucy, what exactly has she done? It can¡¯t be that she¡¯s laid her hands on her little brothers¡­ That incident with Aisha and Ars should have been resolved¡­ Please spare me from another heavy topic.


    [She brought Clive home the other day and told me, ¡°I am going to marry this person.¡±]


    Clive-kun.


    Ah, that should be Cliff¡¯s son.


    To Lucy, he should be a childhood friend.


    If I recall, he moved to Milis.


    How old was Lucy again?


    [¡­ Sorry, Lucy-chan, how old is she now?]


    [18.]


    [And Clive-kun?]


    [16.]


    Ahh, they have already reached that age. They were only 14 the last time I heard about them. It might be due to my lifestyle now, but time really flies.


    If I am not wrong, one is an adult starting from 15 years old in this world. Those young children have grown into splendid adults. Come to think of it, Lucy has surpassed me in age, not counting the years spent in this world. Wait, but- huh?


    [Before this, you told me that Lucy-chan and Clive-kun were already dating right?]


    [Yeah.]


    Even though Clive-kun moved, if they kept in contact and marry when they reunite, it wouldn¡¯t be strange. It might have been decided between them without the knowledge of Rudeus. Then is it a problem on Clive-kun¡¯s side?


    [Then, did Clive-kun not get employed?]


    [Nope. He became a priest of the Milis Church. Having good grades, he was already someone of status when he was dating Lucy. He is indeed impressive.]


    [¡­Then what is the problem?]


    Did Rudeus get into a big fight with Cliff or Elinalize without me knowing?


    If it¡¯s that, then I can at least be the mediator.


    [Ah, it¡¯s not really a problem but¡­ Somehow I am the only one that didn¡¯t know.]


    [About what?]


    [About Lucy¡¯s wedding¡­ Notwithstanding Sylphy and Roxy, they even consulted Eris. But I was the only one who didn¡¯t know and it came so suddenly.]


    [Isn¡¯t that normal? Aren¡¯t meetings with the bride¡¯s father all like this?]


    Even I would probably do the same thing. I wouldn¡¯t go out of my way to report every detail about my dating life to my parents. There¡¯s nothing to hide, but until the decision to marry is confirmed and finalised, there wouldn¡¯t be anything to inform.


    [Is that how it is?]


    [That¡¯s how it is.]


    [Then that¡¯s fine, but¡­ When she dragged Clive-kun to me, saying she would marry him, I asked about many things like Clive-kun¡¯s future prospects and their goals. Hearing their answers, I felt that the way they think is indeed inexperienced, but steadfast and realistic. When I was in admiration of how much he resembled Cliff-senpai, Lucy suddenly said, ¡°This probably doesn¡¯t seem like much to Papa.¡±. For a joke, it sounds a little~ too sarcastic and felt a little sulky. Even though I didn¡¯t think like that at all¡­ It might be that I-I¡­ am hated by Lucy¡­]


    Rudeus has a face on the verge of tears right now. Even though he is a full grown adult, why is he making such a pitiful face? Regarding his relationship with his children though, he has completely lost his confidence ever since a few years ago.


    [That¡¯s why I told you to properly talk to your children.]


    [I talked to them! Properly! Yeah¡­ I intended to do that¡­ but the kids, when they talk to me, they somehow use honorifics and are very stiff¡­ it¡¯s different for Lara and Chris though¡­]


    [Ahh¡­]


    It might not seem like it when he is interacting with me, but it seems like Rudeus plays the role of a strict father in his household. If that¡¯s the case, then it would probably wear on the children. My family wasn¡¯t like that, but one of my friends¡¯ was. She was always complaining that she couldn¡¯t talk to her father about anything.


    Thinking about it, ever since I graduated middle school, I don¡¯t think I have been properly talking to Dad. It¡¯s not like I have a reason not to, but I was going through puberty. One becomes an adult at age 15 in this world, but puberty comes at around the same age. There¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary going on here.


    [Hey Nanahoshi, what should I do?]


    [¡­What you told me just now, it would be good if you tell that to Lucy as it is. ¡°Clive-kun is someone who is reliable and grounded in reality, I wish you both happiness.¡±]


    As far as I know, Lucy did not hate Rudeus.


    On the contrary, she should be working hard to meet Rudeus¡¯ expectations.


    Of course, I might be wrong as I haven¡¯t met her for years.


    [Ahh, I see. Okay. But how should I bring it up to her¡­ perhaps in a bath?]


    [In a bath? You are joking right? Seriously?]


    [I¡¯m joking. Sorry.]


    [Maybe while eating¡­ No, invite both of them to a meal, wouldn¡¯t it be good to talk it out over the three of you? And then talk about Lucy-chan¡¯s good points. Maybe something like, ¡°She is my pride and joy and I will never forgive you if you bring her unhappiness.¡± to Clive-kun wouldn¡¯t be bad? You can even talk about her weaknesses and say something like, ¡°My daughter is like this but please take care of her.¡± I think that would be good.]


    [Hmm, you are right. I¡¯ll do that. But wouldn¡¯t it be better not to talk too much about her weaknesses?]


    [¡­ Her good and bad points, it would be better if you talked about everything. At times like this it is best to be frank. It would be very obvious if you tried to sell some weird pleasantries.]


    [¡­Got it.]


    Somehow, Rudeus is making a face as if he was saved. It seems like I have been of help this time round,though I don¡¯t know how it will turn out in the end.


    Speaking of which, I wonder how I managed to make such bold statements about something I have never even experienced before? Perhaps this is what I want Dad to tell me when I get married.


    ¡­Dad, huh¡­


    How is he now? He must be worried¡­


    [Ah, go ahead, eat up.]


    [Alright.]


    For the time being, that ends the sentimental talk. Rudeus and I started reaching out for more takoyaki.


    Alright. When I get back, I will definitely eat takoyaki.


    If possible, with Dad.


    [Hou, looks like you are eating something unusual today.]


    While having those sentimental thoughts, a certain man arrived at the table. One can feel a  majestic aura emanating from his white regalia, a man with silver-grey hair.


    It¡¯s Perugius.


    Behind him follows Sylvaril, as usual.


    When Rudeus brings in food, he would always appear like this. As a food connoisseur, he cannot resist trying avant-garde food such as this.


    [I shall have some too.]


    [Please do, please do.]


    With a face full of smiles, Rudeus served up a plate of takoyaki. Perugius grabbed the fork offered by Sylvaril, got a piece of takoyaki and ate it.


    [Hou¡­ I see, this has a cheap taste.]


    [Well, it¡¯s a dish of the common man.]


    [But this does not taste bad at all¡­ Hmm¡­ there is something cartilage-like inside. What is this?]


    Ah¡­


    I wonder how Perugius-sama feels about eating octopuses. In this world, I have never really heard of anyone eating octopus. Even in our previous world, westerners do not really eat octopus. If they found out we fed them octopus, wouldn¡¯t they get angry¡­?


    [It¡¯s from a Great Tentacle.]


    Rudeus said it simply like that.


    [Great¡­ Tentacle¡­ you say?]


    Perugius¡¯ actions froze. With a stiff facial expression, his gaze fixated on the takoyaki served in front of him. Maybe because of that, the air around Sylvaril changed. She¡¯s making a face as if she was saying, what did you just let Perugius-sama eat?


    Hey, the one who said he would eat it first was Perugius¡­


    [Such a nostalgic name.]


    Unexpectedly, Perugius¡¯ expression softened. With a hint of sentimentality, his eyes narrowed. Using the fork, he cut open the takoyaki and took out the octopus meat.


    Uwaa¡­  I shouldn¡¯t have seen this.


    It¡¯s green, a green octopus. Red on the surface with green flesh.


    [If I recall, you were attacked by one of these and lost all your rations during the laplace war right? The tentacles remaining on deck were then grilled for food.]


    [Yeah, it was Urupen¡¯s idea. Given its color, I thought it was definitely poisonous but surprisingly it was not. Since it was the moments right after a battle, it tasted very good¡­ I see, to think that I would be able to eat this again.]


    Phew, looks like there wasn¡¯t a problem. It seems that Rudeus already had knowledge that Perugius had octopus before. Without anyone noticing, Sylvaril went back to her normal demeanor.


    [Sylvaril.]


    [Yes Sir!]


    [Take down the recipe.]


    [Understood!]


    Rudeus muttered something like ¡°I knew you would say that¡±, took out a piece of paper and handed it to her.


    [I made these soft and chewy this time, but a way to make the surface crispy was also written down in the recipe. Please do use it as a reference.]


    Crispy takoyaki.


    Ah, I want to eat it too.


    What should I do? Should I request for it?


    But requesting it is¡­ it seems a little too overbearing and I don¡¯t want to be¡­


    [For Nanahoshi, I will bring some next time.]


    [¡­ Alright, please do.]


    Did he learn magic to read my mind?


    Nah, if he could read minds then he would not have agonised over the issue of his daughter.


    It must be that I am easy to read.


    Well, we have known each other for a long time, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    Still, I¡¯m a little frustrated.


    [Hmph¡­ Sylvaril.]


    [Yes Sir!]


    [My throat is dry. Bring us some drinks. Shione¡¯s Second Flash, with a few drops of Asuran Wine.]


    [Understood!]


    Before I knew it, Perugius started preparing drinks.


    [Oops, my apologies, I wasn¡¯t thoughtful enough.]


    [Your preparations are always one step lacking, Rudeus Greyrat.]


    [I have no excuses.]


    Turning around, I see that Sylvaril is moving her hands quickly, preparing tea using the tea set that the room was equipped with. Then, I noticed Armanfi carrying something to our table ¨C three cups of tea, steaming hot and fully prepared, in front of us.


    [Please enjoy your tea, it¡¯s Shione¡¯s Second Flash.]


    I am served one of the cups.


    Takoyaki and red tea. Certainly, there is the aftertaste of the sauce remaining in my mouth and I¡¯m starting to get thirsty¡­ But I feel like these two items won¡¯t make a good match. What drink goes well with takoyaki? Cider? Cola?


    [Hmm? It¡¯s good?]


    Sipping it with those thoughts, a gust of spring breeze blew in my mouth. Surprisingly, the taste of the tea did not clash with the intense flavor of the takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. In fact, it  accentuated it. After gulping it down, my mouth feels fresh with only trace amounts of the bonito flakes¡¯ aftertaste remaining. I instinctively crave the next bite of takoyaki. It feels like the combination of having milk right after Anpan.3


    [To have tea that goes well with takoyaki¡­ as expected of Perugius-sama.]


    [Hmph. That goes without saying. I have experienced food from all sorts of places and time periods. I am different from the likes of Baglah Haglah4 who¡¯s interested in only filling his stomach.]


    When complimented by Rudeus, Perugius puffed out his chest with pride. While Rudeus is an expert at flattery, this is another level of amazing.


    Food from our previous world, paired with drinks from this world. There properly exists something that goes well together. In the past, I didn¡¯t care so much about that and merely pursued the taste of our original world, huh¡­


    [If you are so inclined, I would even personally pair every meal you bring here with my drinks.]


    [Ahh, that would be a great help. By all means, please do. I can use it as reference for my food habits going forward.]


    [Hahaha! Very well!]


    Perugius laughed. I have no idea what triggered that reaction, but Sylvaril also seems to be in a good mood, and Rudeus looks relieved. The takoyaki I¡¯m having in this pleasant atmosphere tastes really good.


    [Thank you for the food.]


    Having finished the takoyaki, I joined my hands together to give thanks. The color of the octopus gave me a little shock, but the taste was not bad. Well, it¡¯s been a while since I had octopus after all.


    By the time I ate my fill, it was sunset. Rudeus is already in making preparations to leave. It seems like we meet just about every other day to me, but it¡¯s once a month for him.


    [Ah, Nanahoshi.]


    [Yes?]


    [Here, an addition. I thought of some more things I wanted to add. I¡¯ll leave it to you.]


    Lastly, Rudeus handed me a piece of paper. Folded four times, it was a small letter.


    [Alright, definitely.]


    I don¡¯t look at the contents, carefully placing this letter into a small pocket that I never let leave my body.


    ¡ª


    When the time came to see Rudeus off, it was completely dark out. As I walked to my room, I thought about today¡¯s events.


    Lately, it feels like Rudeus has been coming less frequently. As he adds on more years to his age, he too gets saddled with various responsibilities. That¡¯s right, age. Compared to when I first met him, he has aged considerably. Rudeus is now 35 years old.


    His children too, are becoming adults one by one. That small and cute Lucy-chan is going to get married soon¡­time goes by too fast. There will come a day where Rudeus will just suddenly stop coming altogether.


    Somehow, I feel like I am being left behind.


    Ah, that¡¯s wrong.


    Of course I knew.


    It isn¡¯t me that is being left behind, it¡¯s the opposite.


    I am the one that is jumping ahead into the future.


    Returning home to our previous world in the end.


    When I think about that, I feel a tinge of loneliness. How many more times will I be able to meet Rudeus or Zanoba like this¡­?


    [¡­]


    I patted the small pocket that I never let leave my body. Inside it, contains several letters Rudeus wrote for his family back in the previous world. He writes a new one every few years. He too, is now giving his all, living in this world.


    I am deeply indebted to Rudeus. In my life, I will probably never meet another person who would take care of me as much as him. He is someone similar to Dad and Mom.


    I don¡¯t know whether delivering these letters would suffice as repayment for his kindness. But if I manage to make it home, I will see to it that they are delivered. Then I will tell his family about how he is living properly in this world and how much he took care of me without leaving out a single detail.


    [¡­Alright, I am in your care, Sukeakoto-san.]


    [Yes.]


    With my head filled with those thoughts, I once again go back to sleep.


    ¡ª


    1. A kind of fried dumpling containing octopus meat: Video link


    2. Also known as Benishouga, they are ginger that is pickled into a red color. You often see these in sushi restaurants, along with the Soy Sauce and Wasabi.


    3. Also known as Agedama, they are small pellets of crispy fried tempura batter. Often used as toppings in a variety of Japanese dishes:Video link


    3. Bread with red bean paste filling: Video link


    3. It¡¯s not strange if you completely forgot about this guy. He is an extremely minor character who appeared in one of the extra chapters in the Main Story, Volume 6. The chapter name is ¡°The Two Who Met¡±.

 CH 27

    Christina Greyrat is my youngest daughter. In our family of six children, we affectionately call her Chris.


    Being the youngest child comes with having to endure unfair treatment. Always being on the lowest priority, the last to choose candies and having hand-me-downs for clothes ¨C such is the fate of the youngest child.


    However, Chris was different. Maybe because she was too good at acting cute or due to the fact that the eldest child, Lucy, was keeping the rest of the children in line¡­ Chris was able to avoid the fate of other lastborn children. Not needing to endure much of anything, she grew up leading a carefree life.


    Maybe I have spoiled her too much.


    Not that i had any intentions to spoil her.


    I planned to love all my children equally.


    But out of all the kids, it was only Chris that i doted on without restraint.


    Lucy and the rest of my children were all afraid of me.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why at first.


    Somehow, it felt like I was being avoided. When they have things on their mind and want someone to confide with, it was mostly with Sylphy or Roxy.


    Well if you want advice of course you would go to Sylphy or Roxy¡­


    But aren¡¯t there things only shared between men?


    Maybe I am hated by my kids? There are days where I mull over things like that.


    Last I heard from Sieg, it doesn¡¯t seem like I am hated though¡­ I am well respected in the house, thanks to all the effort I¡¯ve put in till now. My children are all working hard so as to not disappoint me. Things like coming to me for advice are so absurd to them that it¡¯s out of the question.


    Naturally, I am happy about it.


    It¡¯s ¡°Respect¡± after all.


    I can¡¯t be unhappy about it.


    In my efforts to become a father with dignity, I more or less achieved results like I wanted, after all.


    But at the same time, it¡¯s kind of lonely¡­


    Even I want to play catch-ball with my sons on off days, or listen to their troubles over some drinks¡­ Ah ¨C  I did the latter with Sieg the other day. I feel bad for Sieg who has this and that on his mind, but it was one of the happiest times I had.1


    Thanks to Sieg, the misunderstanding with Lucy was also cleared up.


    I can¡¯t thank Sieg enough.


    And, amongst the children, only Chris wasn¡¯t afraid of me. Speaking of not being afraid, Lara probably wasn¡¯t afraid as well. Anyways, Chris was different from the other kids.


    She always calls out, ¡°Papa, Papa!¡± wanting me to spoil her. Kids like Lucy slowly become independent when they enter the Magic University, but Chris remained a Daddy¡¯s girl even then.


    Just when I thought she¡¯d  stop sticking so close to me when she underwent puberty, she still remained the same. Almost everyday, she would talk about what happened in school with a bright smile. When she has issues, she would come to me asking for advice.


    Yeah, of course I would end up spoiling her.


    With just a bit of pestering, I would have bought cute clothes or other things she wants for her.


    It¡¯s not like I am giving Chris special treatment. If the other kids wanted me to spoil them, I would have done so in moderation. Because they don¡¯t come to me wanting to get spoiled, it ended up with my spoiling Chris a little too much.


    Truthfully speaking, I¡¯ve also been spoiling Lara recently. Just the other day, she came pestering me for a lump of metal, which I prepared for her. Top quality Rudeus-brand metal bars. They¡¯re made with earth magic, so rather than metal bars, it would be more accurate to call them lumps of rock¡­ But it¡¯s the same quality as the ones used to make my Magic Armor, so it¡¯s almost entirely made of metal.


    I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll be using them for, but since she wanted them, I prepared some for her, to which she said, ¡°Thanks, Papa¡± in monotone while hugging me.


    Lara is, how should I put it¡­ Rather than wanting me to spoil her, she seems to think that I am an easy person¡­


    Well, that¡¯s fine.


    I don¡¯t mind being an easy person.


    It¡¯s better than not being able to spoil her.


    Leaving aside the matter with Lara, now it¡¯s about Chris.


    To be frank, Chris isn¡¯t that outstanding as a kid. Mediocre for swordsmanship, also mediocre for magic. She wasn¡¯t slacking off or anything, but she also wasn¡¯t that passionate about it either. She wasn¡¯t the worst of the kids. Just ordinarily graduating from the Magic University, ordinarily becoming an adult and ordinarily attending the Asura Royal Academy.


    In our family, after graduating from the Magic University, children have to attend the Asura Royal Academy. This is so that they become independent. Being left in the real world alone, they have to somehow learn to live.


    Life comes with its struggles. No matter what kind of lifestyle we lead, it will have its own share of difficulties.


    As with most difficulties, overcoming them is possible, either through personal strength, coming up with tricks or even with aid from the friends and comrades we made in our journey.


    Naturally, included in those ways of overcoming difficulties would be requesting help from our parents. There probably exist young people who don¡¯t want to ask for help from their parents, but the option is definitely there.


    Well, leaving aside matters of other families, if my children want my help, I will definitely try my best to help them, depending on the nature of the request.


    Be that as it may, it¡¯s not like I can always be by their side. Though our relationship as parent and child will never change, there are times where it just isn¡¯t possible for us to help ¨C for instance, when i have passed away from my limited lifespan.


    That¡¯s why, in school, where they can keep failing without consequence, they can get as much rehearsal as they want. Solving problems by using their head, moving their body, taking on responsibility for all of their actions.


    To be honest, even though I said so much, I am still worried.


    That is because Chris is so ordinary, honest to a fault, a crybaby and the most child-like out of my children.


    ¡­That crybaby going on with life without my protection, I wonder if she can really do it?


    My worries don¡¯t end there. Chris has always looked up to dazzling and pure princesses. Even attending the Asura Royal Academy is something she had been looking forward to since a long time ago.


    Anyways¡­ Real princesses really do attend the academy and they are indeed dazzling and pure, it¡¯s not necessarily untrue. But the Asura Royal Academy is not as simple a place as that. Just like its namesake, it is a simulation for the actual Asura Royal Palace. A whirling mess of conspiracy ¨C well, not to that extent, but power struggles between students are a daily occurrence.


    For the time being, I made sure to properly teach her about that, but it falls on her deaf ears. After a moment of looking at me blankly, she laughed while saying, ¡°Papa is such a worrywart!¡±


    Such a timid and spoiled child going into that harsh place with a mistaken impression¡­ I can¡¯t help but keep worrying. Some incident will definitely occur. Just like how Sieg was hit hard by reality, Chris might become a NEET.


    Honestly, we don¡¯t have to force her through the academy. For example, Lily didn¡¯t attend the Asura Royal Academy. Of course, that¡¯s because she had a clear path she knew she wanted to go down. Even when she secured employment, she wanted to be taken into apprenticeship of becoming a craftsman. It was only due to her strong determination that I allowed it. Anyways, I didn¡¯t want to let Chris attend the academy.


    However, even with me opposing it, in the end, I couldn¡¯t stop her. She is misunderstood about the academy. Dazzled by the illusion of a pretty and clean Asura Kingdom. She would probably find out soon that it¡¯s all a lie and get a huge shock.


    But that is all part of life. Lions would toss their cubs into the abyss and tigers would spend ten years training newbies to become villainous wrestlers. It¡¯s okay if you fail. Even if you become like Sieg, we will look after you for awhile. Even Sieg spent some time being indecisive at home. In the end, he found the path he wanted to go down as well.


    That is why I steeled my resolve and sent Chris on her way. Surely, she will come back home as a mature adult, or so I believed¡­


    No, if you asked me whether I believed that, I actually did not really believe it that much. I thought she would come back crying to me in the first year of the academy.


    Instead, contrary to my expectations, she didn¡¯t come crying to me. Although there were many complaints in the periodic letters she sent me, there weren¡¯t any nasty rumors.


    Ahh, she must be doing well.


    That¡¯s what I thought.


    Who would have thought that something like this would happen¡­


    Ò»Ò»Ò»


    Asura Royal Academy Graduation Ceremony.


    The graduation ceremony happens annually at the Asura Kingdom Royal Palace. Speaking of the graduation ceremony, all graduates are aligned in rows while standing up. Amidst the dignified atmosphere, one can imagine a scene where names of graduates are called out one by one, to receive graduation certificates.


    Graduation ceremonies in my past life and in the Magic University probably also felt like this.


    However, things at Asura Kingdom seemed to have a slightly different feel to them.


    The graduates are gathered inside the castle¡¯s huge auditorium and an extravagant party is about to be initiated.


    Parties of similar styles like this often occurred inside the castle.


    An obligation to be formally dressed up. The orderly lines outside the entrance. Greeting those of a higher social status than you. All of these are seen as an obvious thing to do in the society of Asura Kingdom, and that is exactly what is happening at this moment.


    However, this reception party had two differences from the society of Asura Kingdom.


    Firstly, the arrangement of having buffet meals while standing.


    This arrangement became a common practice after Ariel became queen. The lower to middle aristocracy were praising it, saying ¡°It gives us more chances to interact with people of higher status¡± while the upper aristocracy gave a different review, saying ¡°This made it easier for us to win over people of lower standing that we had an eye on, denying the edge for other nobles to get ahead of us.¡±


    Supremacists and other nobles who couldn¡¯t bear with standing due to their obesity were not really happy with this arrangement though¡­


    Either way, it would be no problem if they just host another party in the traditional format. It¡¯s all about segregation.


    The second difference is that every single graduate present in the ceremony is deemed to be of equal social status. The students in the Asura Royal Academy come from various different backgrounds. From peasants to nobles, and even the are upper or lower classes of aristocrats within the nobility, there are many levels to the complex social structure.


    Even after graduation, the students will differ vastly in their future endeavours. Some will go on to become knights, government officials or maids. Some will be married off to a foreign country and others will become feudal lords and succeed their parents in governing a small piece of territory.


    But at the ceremony itself, everyone is equal. They are given the social status of ¡°Graduate¡± and are allowed to remain standing even in the presence of royalty. Even if you are born in a slum, stole as a kid and had no ambitions after graduation, if you entered this school and survived the entire process, you would be ¡°Graduate¡± today.


    To manifest this equality, everyone was given extravagant ceremonial attire that no peasant could ever hope to afford.


    It was packaged such wherever they go, they would not be embarrassed to be recognised as a graduate of the Asura Royal Academy.


    Only for tonight, they enjoy a special social position.


    They are the guests of honor and have the spotlight for tonight.


    Of course, hierarchy still exists among the student population, so they are not necessarily treated the same.


    Grades, popularity, contributions to school events¡­ It would have been fine if that was all that mattered. However, if one were to be frank, the social status of a family is what really matters when it comes to determining the hierarchy.


    While equality is constantly being emphasized, it was only for appearance¡¯s sake.


    Either way, seeing how the graduates would lose their identity as graduates and return to their formal social status the next day, it couldn¡¯t be helped that this was the case.


    Differences in social status are callous and unforgiving like that.


    Now, the top of the hierarchy.


    Among the student population, the most superior. The one who garners the most attention, and contributed the most to school events. Furthermore, the one who carries the lineage of the upper aristocracy.


    One such person is now at the graduation party making a speech.


    A speech representing all the school graduates.


    As it is called, a commencement speech.


    This graduation party is attended by Asura kingdom¡¯s well-known aristocrats.


    Among them, without a doubt is Ariel Anemoi Asura, the Queen of Asura Kingdom.


    Being able to give a speech on how well-performed you are, and how much you have contributed to the kingdom in front of the queen.


    It is a role of great honor.


    Yet, it is just not for the honour alone. It is also a chance for the upper aristocrats to remember your name, and to show them how superior your house is.


    That is why, for the parents who are heavily involved in the power struggle happening in the royal palace, they have placed a great deal of expectation on their kids.


    They repeatedly emphasize to their kids, time and time again, the importance of being the top student ¨C and kids, being kids, will try to live up to the expectations of their parents.


    In order to attain excellent grades that will not bring shame to one¡¯s family and allow one to confidently graduate from the academy, one has to be earnest; be it in their studies, school events or even in recruiting allies into their factions.


    Of course, their parents¡¯ expectations are not the only reason to strive for the top seat.


    There is a good chance that people recruited into their factions would become retainers in their family after graduation. Also, it serves as good practice for those in the ensuing power struggle happening in the royal palace.


    Being able to take over the top seat also meant that one could work in essential departments in the Asura Kingdom.


    Of course, any student with ambition would strive to be the top student regardless of whether their parents were involved or not.


    The one who emerged victorious from this intense competition and became the graduate representative was a single young lady.


    The eldest daughter from the Asura Yellowsnake family, Viola Yellowsnake.


    The Yellowsnake family might not match up to the Greyrats of the four feudal lords in terms of pedigree, but they hold an important post as the managers of the treasury of the Asura Kingdom. They exist to help manage the finances of the country.


    In terms of their status, there is nothing to complain about, and no one had any qualms about her holding the post of the graduate representative.


    The head of the Yellowsnake house was also extremely proud that his own daughter was able to attain the top rank of the school even in face of competition from the Greyrats or even royalty.


    Viola is a beautiful young lady.


    Her characteristic brownish-blonde hair was tied up in a braid.. What endowed her body was a deep red dress.


    Usually, her thin, slightly pointed eyes leave others with a mean impression of her, yet at the speech her eyes displayed a dignified gleam.


    Her manner of speech was bold, and you could tell she was used to speaking in front of a crowd.


    Impressive.


    [ Ò»Ò» From now on, the ability, knowledge and experience acquired from school will be used diligently to contribute to the country. Glory to the Asura Kingdom!]


    Her speech ended without any problems and the audience unanimously gave a loud applause. That signals the end of the graduate representative address. What¡¯s left is just for Her Majesty Ariel to give her congratulatory address, a toast with Viola with ceremonial music in the background and it will be time for food, dance and small talk. Then I will be able to go over to Chris and give my blessings. While I have those thoughts, I can¡¯t help but let loose a smile. Chris probably also has her position to consider, so I have to greet her with my smartest face. As I was lost in those thoughts, something unbelievable happened.


    [¡­ However, there is someone that is unworthy of being called a graduate from the venerable Asura Royal Academy.]


    Viola continued talking. The speech has ended, but it seems that she still has some things she has to let off her chest¡­ Even though she was delaying Ariel¡¯s congratulatory address that¡¯s happening right after this. She actually did something so disrespectful, but Ariel only made a surprised face while being silent. Since Viola wasn¡¯t reprimanded, she continued what she was about to say.


    Viola began exposing all the evil deeds that person has done right from the beginning.


    She started the story with trivial harassment, like placing needles on shoes on the day of the dance event, destroying the textbooks of students of higher grades.


    She raised her grades by selling favors and engaging in flattery with the teachers. Also, she arranged for students of lower social status to sneak into the staff room and steal the test answers. How cunning!


    She bullied the female students who lost their home and used her large  entourage of male admirers to boss people around. Undeniably an underhanded, evil and unpleasant person.


    She fed a stray dog that wandered into campus grounds and built a doghouse at the back of the school. She even crushed a cockroach that came out of the staff room with her bare hands. The speech also included things that didn¡¯t make much sense like this as well.


    [To kick down others, to give evil such a high evaluation, are such actions appropriate for a graduate from the honorable Asura Royal Academy?]


    While carrying herself like she was in a performance, she looked at her surroundings. There sat the highest nobility of the Asura Kingdom. In response to her words, they frowned and began saying things like, ¡°Outrageous!¡± or ¡°If that¡¯s true, then it is unacceptable that this person is allowed to graduate!¡±


    Well, the so-called evil deeds she brought up are daily occurrences in the Asura Royal Palace, but the nobles continued to comment about this evildoer. Reason being, if people are caught committing crimes in the royal palace, they would be severely punished. In other words, committing crimes without getting caught is their brand of justice.


    Viola¡¯s gaze was directed towards the deepest parts of where the Asura Nobility were. There sat the Queen of this country, Ariel. Towards Viola¡¯s stream of accusations and exposure of this evil-doer¡¯s crimes, she listened while keeping quiet.


    When Viola looked directly at Ariel, the gazes of the crowd naturally shifted towards Ariel. Following that, the noisy crowd gradually started to settle down. When silence returned to the audience hall, Ariel opened her mouth.


    [What is the name of that person?]


    Those were quiet words, but for some reason it resounded clearly throughout the audience hall. Viola raised the corners of her mouth without her realising it, and pointed towards a certain place in the venue.


    [That person¡­]


    There lies the figure of a girl who had already started eating chicken nuggets with her fingers before the toast was done. Right beside her was a docile girl with brown hair who hurriedly tried to wipe the nugget-eating girl¡¯s mouth.


    Opposite of the nugget-eating girl, with a table between them was a handsome guy acting as if he was saying, ¡°Already? What am I going to do with you¡­¡± Beside the brown-haired docile girl was another handsome guy with a wry smile. And¡­


    Wait, around that nugget-eating girl, there¡¯s somehow a lot of handsome guys.


    Could it be that she¡¯s really popular?


    [Is Christina Greyrat!]


    [Hm?]


    In response to the stares coming from the entire audience hall, she only showed a blank face.


    ¡ª


    1. Events that happened in Jobless Oblige. I only recalled while translating this arc, but this arc occurs after Jobless Oblige. Personally I do not think any information here will spoil the enjoyment of Jobless Oblige so I will continue to finish up this arc.

 CH 28

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Jokoril, NewbieTranslatingRaws


    ¡ª


    Sorry for the long wait, projects and examinations took up a lot of time and this chapter is also really long. Hope you enjoy! (fitting title since this chapter took years)


    ¡ª


    [What a dreamy and wonderful place!]


    Was what Christina Greyrat thought when she enrolled into the Asura Royal Academy.


    She declared her thoughts out loud like Eris would, right in front of the entrance. Hearing that, the aristocratic students sniggered as they walked past Chris.


    However, those reactions did not register in Chris¡¯s mind at all.


    She was simply overwhelmed by the stunning scenery in front of her eyes.


    Trees swayed in the wind along the brick-paved pathway leading from the entrance to the school building. Flower beds lined the side of the pathway in a beautiful sea of colors. The school building itself, built in elegant ivory white using Asuran architectural techniques, exuded an aura of nobility. Compared to the run-down buildings in the Magic University that reeked of the countryside, this was indeed a polished and classy school building.


    Beside the school building stood the dormitory, whose beauty too, couldn¡¯t be matched by the likes of the Magic University. Every single room was much more spacious and even came with a balcony. It was almost like living in a castle, just like in Chris¡¯ dreams.


    Furthermore, the students moving from the dorms to the school buildings were refined, as expected. Even though they were all wearing uniforms, unlike in the Magic University, their appearances were neat and polished. Some of them weren¡¯t as polished, but they didn¡¯t enter Chris¡¯s field of vision.


    Everyone was good looking. There were good looking people in the Magic University too, but they don¡¯t hold a candle to the people here in the Royal Academy.


    That goes without saying. Real princes and princesses attend this school, after all. And from today onwards, Chris is also a student here.


    [Ahhn! I am so excited!!]


    Overcome with excitement, she started spinning around and bumped into a tree. As a result, a large number of caterpillars fell onto her and made her scream. Male students in the vicinity laughed out loud at this amusing scene.


    In any case, Chris finally was able to attend the school of her dreams.


    ¡ª


    Wanting to live a life of royalty, Chris attended the Asura Royal Academy. Yet, the first friend she ever made was neither aristocrat, nor royalty.


    Chris¡¯ first friend was a commoner from the Fittoa region¡¯s countryside. She obtained exceedingly good results in the newly built school in the region, and was enrolled in the Asura Royal Academy by recommendation. Not just her parents, but the whole village were proud of her. The village chief also came to celebrate her achievement and even organised a fund-raising campaign to finance her travel expenses.


    The village girl was extremely grateful to her village.


    [I will do my utmost to learn at the Royal Academy, serve the Fittoa lord and further the development of the village that raised me!] or so she swore.


    [For Ma, Pa, and all y¡¯all at the village, I¡¯ll do mah best!]


    But the girl was too talented for a mere commoner.


    The Asura Royal Academy labels itself as a school that accepts any student that has eligible results- a completely meritocratic system. It is a place where competence and performance are properly rewarded.


    Yet, reality proves to be different.


    More than half the students were of noble pedigree or from similar backgrounds. As such, differences in social standing naturally formed within the student body.


    For students that had experience interacting with the nobles, they acted as if there was an unspoken agreement to acknowledge this difference in social standing. For example, even if a student were more competent in an area than a certain noble, he would allow that noble to get a better score.


    The girl was unable to do that.


    Consequently, a target board was painted behind her back in the eyes of a certain someone of the high aristocracy.


    The bullying then started. ¡°Bullying¡± may not fully capture the full extent of the malicious deeds done to this common village girl. With their higher social standing, the bully treated this girl like a slave:


    The village girl had no one to call her ally as everyone pretended that they saw nothing. The bully just was that high up on the social ladder.


    Even though she came to study, she was prevented from doing so. The girl spent her days crying to sleep almost every night. The firm resolve she held when she made that oath to help the village slowly crumbled into despair. The desire to return to her warm and kind village welled up and grew stronger with each day.


    Out of nowhere, on a fateful day, someone came to her rescue.


    It was Chris.


    Chris noticed the bullying that was being done by the high aristocrats.


    [Good day everyone, such conduct is not fit for a school as elegant as this.]


    [¡­]


    She was completely ignored.


    However, that did not stop Chris. Getting worked up, she started arguing with the nobles, but eventually lost. Maybe due to the frustration of losing the argument, she started a fistfight with them. Even though it was one against many, Chris won, perhaps due to the special education from her parents.


    Losing an argument and then punching them was something that ran in the Boreas bloodline. Anyway, although it was nowhere close to being elegant, the village girl was saved.


    With a swollen face and blood dripping from her mouth, Chris smiled and said,


    [I will protect you from now onwards!]


    Hearing that, the village girl cried.


    For the first time since she attended the academy, she cried tears of joy. From that day on, she was friends with Chris.


    The same day, war started in that school for Chris.


    ¡ª


    The conflict between Chris and the higher aristocracy continued. Every single time, they would try to make Chris submit to their demands, and they would always fail. Chris was not a citizen of the Asura Kingdom, and above all, there was the teaching from her parents:


    ¡°Never bully the weak.¡±


    Staying true to that teaching, Chris stood against the high aristocrats. The village girl was not the only one she helped. The oppressed in the academy were not a small number. One by one, Chris reached out her helping hand to them.


    Frankly speaking, the life Chris led in the academy deviated completely from what she imagined. In her mind, the aristocrats were a group of people who were elegant and wouldn¡¯t do something as foolish as starting fights. In practice, the ¡°elegant¡± bunch were few and far between, while most of the nobles were blinded by their desires and ambitions.


    The pent-up frustration led Chris to shout, ¡°This is not like what I imagined!!!¡±


    Her life went exactly as Rudeus predicted, but Chris did not back down from this arduous journey. Because at that point in time, she had already gathered a large group of allies.


    Indeed, she was not alone in her fight against the high aristocracy. Every person helped was another ally gained. And every time Chris tried to help a new victim, her allies would assist. Numerous times, she only got out of trouble because of her allies.


    Two of them were especially notable as Chris¡¯ support.


    The first one was the village girl she initially helped. Owing a debt of gratitude to Chris for being her saviour, she saved Chris from a pinch countless times with her excellent intellect and abilities.


    The other person was a certain male student. Unlike other allies, he did not receive the help of Chris. However, for some reason, every time there was an incident, he moved to help her. Sometimes from the top of a tree, sometimes from outside the window, sometimes from above the stairs. At the most unexpected times, he would appear to save Chris from the quagmire while uttering sarcastic remarks at her.


    Initially, Chris had the impression that he was just an annoying bastard. Their first meeting was when Chris was screaming from the caterpillars falling onto her, where he laughed uncontrollably as he saw the scene unfold. Several times after that, he was always there to laugh at her when she did weird stuff, making sure to add in a line or two of sarcastic comments.


    With that said, every time he appeared to help, a faint glimpse of his kindness and manliness could be seen through his playful and immature fa?ade. Slowly, Chris became attracted to this weird guy ¨C and unsurprisingly so, because this guy was a stud. Furthermore, it was revealed later that he was a prince from the Kingdom. That weird guy who kept making stupid remarks while helping was actually a real life prince!


    For Chris, who had fairy-tale delusions about princes and princesses, learning about this fact would inevitably lead to the development of romantic feelings. But, leaving the romance aside for now¡­


    With her best friend and the prince by her side, along with the support from all her comrades, Chris marched on into a turbulent school life.


    Her enemies consisted of the high aristocrats that were bullying her friend. For these young nobles that tried to create their own factions in school, Chris was not a welcome existence. After all,  the people they were using as slaves were being taken away by Chris. She was the ultimate eyesore to the nobles who wanted to use their factions to gain power in the future. Hence, they started recognising her as an enemy for real.


    It wasn¡¯t just all enemies though. There were nobles that found Chris¡¯ actions interesting and took her side. Especially the ones who were elegant, carefree and would not resort to fighting, just like how Chris imagined nobles to be.


    Anyways, these nobles that helped Chris were not interested in joining the power struggle between factions in the first place. Most of them were students from foreign countries that already had the fate of being politically married off somewhere else. For them, things like joining the power struggle had no benefits to speak of.


    Instead of arguing about which faction of these greedy nobles to join, it was simply easier and more convenient to follow Chris. It was too troublesome to take part in the power struggle even though they had no interest in it.


    Before they knew it, Chris¡¯ supporters grew and grew into a huge group of students. The formation of the ostracized faction was finally complete.


    ¡ª


    Most of the enemies didn¡¯t do anything in particular to Chris and her faction. This was due to the fact that most of its members had low social status. Thus, even though they were gathered as a group, a mob of mere numbers without ability or authority could never really pose a threat.


    However, one person was different. She especially hated Chris as an enemy and would attack her with any chance she got.


    That person was Elizabeth Topcoat.


    A daughter of the Topcoat house, belonging to the high aristocracy of the Asura Kingdom. Excellent grades, extraordinary beauty, and top of the class for both magic and swordsmanship. An all-rounded genius who appears only once every hundred years.


    The Topcoat house stood in the lower-middle tier, in terms of the high aristocracy¡¯s peerage. But this difference in status was made up by Elizabeth¡¯s sheer talent and ability, so much so that it went without saying that she would become the top student.


    There is a reason for her hostility towards Chris¡­ ¨C well, it isn¡¯t  that big of a deal in hindsight. When Chris first enrolled, Elizabeth was the one who got pummeled in that first fistfight.


    While she was exceptionally gifted, Elizabeth was also exceptionally conceited. Even though she appeared cordial in public, she really viewed her peers as either trash or toys for her amusement.


    The gifted village girl was, out of all her toys, an especially rare and amusing one. That special toy was robbed away, all because a country bumpkin suddenly appeared.


    It all started from there. Meeting a mere foreign country bumpkin who didn¡¯t respect her, losing a fistfight against her, and getting a bleeding nose after losing that fistfight in front of others.


    It was utter humiliation.


    Unforgivable¡­


    Thus, Elizabeth swore to god¡­


    That before she graduated, she would completely crush the existence known as Christina Greyrat.


    And so started her journey of attacking on Chris at every turn. Yet, perhaps due to bad luck, every single one of her plans stopped a step short of destroying Chris.


    It would always go smoothly up till the most critical moment, and help would arrive for Chris, or she¡¯d find an item randomly laying around that would bail her out just as she needed it.


    Whenever that happened, Elizabeth could only bite her handkerchief and grind her teeth in frustration.


    The drawn out war against Chris continued for a year after her enrolment.


    To be exact, about eleven months.


    It continued till around the end of the first academic year.


    This battle of attrition culminated just as they were entering the second year.


    The stage was set in a small country to the north of the Asura Kingdom, in the Topcoat¡¯s territory. It was Elizabeth¡¯s hometown. While it is a relatively small piece of land, it has a highway connecting to the north, enabling trade with the Magic Triumvirate. This indispensable role of being the link between the Asura Kingdom and the Magic Triumvirate fell on the Topcoat house.


    One of the programmes in the Asura Royal Academy involves bringing students to every single territory of the Asura Kingdom. There, the students observe and learn about the various industries each area specialises in. In other words, it was a sort of field trip to gain insights into how society works. Experiencing first hand how influential nobles governed their territory had proven to be an extremely effective way to learn about management of people and land.


    That field trip destination had just so happened to be Elizabeth¡¯s hometown. With home ground advantage, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t plan an attack on Chris.


    This will be where that wretched bitch Chris dies¡­ not to that extent, but a plan would be put in place to humiliate Chris and brand her as a laughingstock.


    Unfortunately, this scheme backfired. As they say, ¡°when one curse is placed, two graves are dug¡±. Elizabeth dug her own grave with this plan.


    It all went as planned initially. Chris fell into the trap laid by Elizabeth. Leaving out the details, Chris was trapped in an old, dried up well near the Topcoat main house.


    What she did not realise was that this well held a sinister secret¡­ that the Topcoat house was illegally producing narcotics without knowledge of the Kingdom. It turned out that this well hid a secret passageway to the holding area for these drugs. With the help of the sarcastic prince and the village girl, this nasty secret operation was brought to light.


    Currently, the Asura Kingdom officially allows production of certain narcotics and aphrodisiacs. Only after permission is sought and granted will the production of such goods be allowed. It goes without saying that producing it in secret is a serious crime. The massive scandal that ensued was akin to poking a beehive with a stick.


    After the dust settled, the Topcoat house had its territory confiscated and was declassed to the ranks of the middle-aristocracy. Elizabeth¡¯s place in the school hierarchy plummeted to the ground, and she was ousted from being the leader of her faction to becoming just another underling.


    Any attempts to destroy Chris stopped after this. And thus, the long battle in the Asura Royal Academy came  to an end for Chris¡­


    ¨D or so it was supposed to¡­


    Indeed, this was merely the beginning. By defeating Elizabeth, Chris became the leader of the largest faction in the Academy, both in name and reality. This meant that she would be thrown right into the center of the power struggle between the academy¡¯s factions.


    ¡ö¡¡¡ö¡¡¡ö


    That is why Chris, who spent every day of her life fighting for the past three years did not appear flustered at all in the face of Viola¡¯s accusations. She was so calm, taking her time to chew on the food in her mouth. She then proceeded to drink a glass of water, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief given by a friend nearby, brushed off the food crumbs that landed on her chest and then finally cleared her throat.


    Sounding like she was still distracted, she shouted in reply to Viola.


    [Just what might you be saying, Viola-sama!? That is a most cruel accusation!]


    On top of that, she made sure that everyone in the venue could hear it. Her tone sounded like she was offended, behaving like she was brought to court.


    [It is unthinkable that I would do such a thing!]


    If you didn¡¯t do something, you had to declare it clearly and with dignity. This skill is necessary for surviving in the Asura Kingdom. This may go without saying, but actually doing it is not easy. That is because there are cases like Viola¡¯s accusations, where some truths are mixed into the lies.


    For example, the accusation that Chris was keeping a dog in school premises. As it wasn¡¯t a  complete lie, people might hesitate when trying to deny them and appear to be shaken. If they mumble or stammer in their speech, they would play right into the enemy¡¯s hands.


    Exploiting this opportunity, they would pressure the speaker for answers and instantly gain the favor of the crowd. If the support of the crowd is lost, then the case would also be lost.


    In the Asura Kingdom, the facts are often twisted to fit the circumstances of the speaker. Therefore, even if what was said was completely true, some doubt would still remain. To remove that small amount of doubt, a liar would have to put in many times more time and effort.


    When defending against someone who¡¯s lying, playing more and more cards to drag out the battle would tip the scales in your favour.


    That¡¯s the reason for denying the accusations.


    Deny all of them without hesitation.


    In cases where the accusation is spot on, backed with evidence, an apology should be given.


    This time, Chris has chosen to deny the accusations.


    [Viola-sama, today is the graduation ceremony, a joyous occasion¡­ Her Majesty, the higher aristocracy, your father and my father are all here to celebrate¡­ Why would you tell such lies?]


    On top of denying accusations, Chris made sure to impress on the audience that Viola was lying. This shifts the blame away from Chris to Viola. With that, she can go on the offensive and try to level the playing field with Viola.


    However, since Viola was the top student, their playing fields were far from being level. Some people would believe Viola simply because she was the top student. Chris¡¯ disadvantaged situation remained the same. At least now, she isn¡¯t one-sidedly being attacked.


    [Why?]


    Towards Chris¡¯ reply, Viola adopted a confident pose as if it was natural. If she were so easily stopped just by being asked ¡°why¡±, she wouldn¡¯t have set up this attack on Chris. Action was taken to completely crush Chris because all of the preparations had been completed.


    [Do you even have to ask? It is because I can no longer bear seeing an incompetent and evil student like you naming yourself a graduate of the Asura Royal Academy!]


    Though this declaration was loud, it wasn¡¯t in a shrill scream. Her voice emanated from the bottom of her diaphragm, with a pleasant echo that resonated in everyone¡¯s ears. As if it was scripted, her demeanor allowed her words to carry a majestic weight to it.


    From the look of it, most of the audience agreed with Viola¡¯s words. If Chris were really an incompetent, unscrupulous villain that only caused trouble, then she should immediately be expelled from the academy.


    Such was the atmosphere of the audience hall.


    [That can¡¯t be¡­ Even if it was not on the level of Viola-sama, I tried my best to study and make friends in my own way¡­]


    Chris cast down her eyes in sadness.


    Without getting too emotional, she again denied Viola¡¯s accusations.


    Seeing that, people ¨C especially those from Chris¡¯ faction, would come to believe her words.


    Chris was definitely not the embodiment of a model student in the academy. But during these three years, it was undeniable that she had put in effort towards her studies and in socialising. It was a common sight to see Chris wearing a white hachimaki1, furiously studying in the library before tests.


    For someone who stole the exam papers to cheat, as everyone knew, her results were weirdly mediocre. As such, there were students that began suspecting Viola instead of Chris.


    [Won¡¯t you stop this, Viola!?]


    The first student that stepped out was a young man.


    He had a well defined nose, with slightly drooping eyes and unique platinum blonde hair that one can never get tired of looking at. An unquestionably handsome guy from every angle, his name was Edward Anemoi Asura. Prince of the Asura Kingdom, he was someone who helped Chris on countless occasions.


    Standing in front of Chris as if he was protecting her, he spoke in a strong tone.


    [Take back what you said immediately and apologise to Christina!]


    [Your Highness Edward¡­ You would take sides not with me ¨C your fianc¨¦e, but with Christina?]


    Fianc¨¦e.


    Even though the romance between Edward and Chris was slowly blooming, Edward was actually engaged to Viola.


    Well, in the end, it was decided on by their parents. A political move to allow the Yellowsnake house to obtain closer ties to the Asura royal family. Edward did not harbor anything like romantic feelings towards Viola.


    While that was the case for Edward, Viola¡¯s feelings were another story. Ever since the day they were engaged, Viola was interested in Edward.


    Unlike a certain magician wearing a rat-colored robe somewhere, Edward was not a dense person. He had already noticed Viola¡¯s feelings towards him. Frankly, he thought it was fine to leave it till after graduation to reciprocate her feelings.


    To fulfill his duty as royalty¡­


    Yet he came to a sudden realisation today, that leaving it till after graduation would be too late. Because what gave rise to this situation was definitely her jealousy towards Chris.


    All of this was a result of his indecisiveness. That was why he decided to take responsibility and protect Chris.


    [If what you said was true, I would not have done something like covering for Christina. But what you said just now, aren¡¯t they all false accusations!?]


    He spelt it out clearly that it was all false accusations. In the presence of Ariel, his words as a prince hold a lot of weight. This backing is definitely something Chris needs at the moment.


    That Edward would cover for Chris was all within Viola¡¯s calculations. She knew that he was always close to Chris, even without him mentioning anything about dating her.


    [False accusations you say? Which part of it was false, may I ask?]


    [You may have mentioned a long list of evil deeds, but do you have solid evidence that it was Chris that did those?]


    ¡°Evidence¡±


    The moment she heard that word, Viola¡¯s face twisted into a demonic smile.


    Though it was just for that moment, the slightest fraction of a second.


    That expression lasted so short that most people never noticed.


    Unless you were Rudeus, who got used to peeking at Orsted¡¯s expressions on a daily basis, you would have missed it.


    Someone of that level, there was no other person around Viola except one.


    [Please wait!]


    It was Chris.


    Before Viola opened her mouth, she stopped her with that loud statement.


    She then joined her hands in front of her chest, like she was making a prayer.


    [Hey Viola, please stop this¡­


    Right now, you can still turn back. Can¡¯t we leave this as a joke?


    ¡°Chris is my best friend, I just wanted to play a little prank during my Top Student¡¯s Address!¡±


    ¡­Can¡¯t you say that?]


    In an earnest appeal, Chris said that.


    As if she knew what Viola was about to do.


    As if she were trying to stop Viola from doing something foolish that would backfire.


    In a way that hinted, ¡°you¡¯re already the top student, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    To the audience, that appeared to be the case.


    A part of the nobles took it the wrong way and were like ¡°Ah, so as expected, she really did do something¡­¡±


    Even if Viola passed it off as a joke, they would suspect that Chris was the party responsible somewhere deep in their heart.


    [If you could do that, I would let this be water under the bridge. I beg of you, please?]


    To the words that sounded a little condescending, a wicked smile creeped up on Viola¡¯s face.


    A smile that a hunter would have if his prey got caught in his trap and couldn¡¯t escape.


    A smile full of sadism, to sneer at this loser that would embarrass herself at the most appropriate stage.


    Without a second¡¯s delay, her facial expression became calm again. Maintaining that emotionless face, she turned her head to the side as if telling Chris that it was all too late.


    [Elizabeth!]


    Viola called out to a familiar name.


    A name that one would definitely know if they are present in this audience hall.


    Elizabeth Topcoat.


    The unquestioned favourite for the position of  top student when she enrolled, who then fell and vanished from the frontlines of the faction wars in less than a year.


    From the edge of the audience hall, a figure moved.


    The audience parted as that person moved towards Viola slowly, forming a road for her.


    Looking at her, she was close in age to both Chris and Viola. Gleaming, long golden hair with drills at the side. Unlike her gaudy appearance, she walked with steady and confident steps.


    As for her clothes, it was a dress that looked considerably cheap and much less flashy when compared to Viola.


    When she arrived next to Viola, she lifted the ends of her dress slightly and performed an elegant bow towards the nobles with an unfazed look on her face.


    [My name is Elizabeth Topcoat.]


    [Ah¡­ from that Topcoat house¡­]


    As soon as that name was heard, chattering broke out within the audience. Topcoat was a name that was fairly well-known in the Asura Kingdom.


    Well, needless to say.


    It was only two years ago that the Topcoats fell from grace and had their territory confiscated. It would be too soon to forget about such a big scandal.


    With the edges of her mouth just slightly raised up, she asked Elizabeth.


    [Elizabeth, please enlighten us as to exactly what was done to you.]


    [Two years ago, I was scorned for being from a disgraced house and treated as a slave. Furthermore, I was under the threat that my house would fall further if I tried to resist.]


    Elizabeth said that in monotone. However, her facial expression was far from that. Her lips were pursed tightly together,like she was grinding her teeth. One could see unspeakable regret and frustration in her eyes. For someone born into high aristocracy, it must have been extremely difficult to bear with such humiliation.


    That look on her face was testament to the truthfulness of her words.


    [Elizabeth is not the only one!]


    As Viola said that, students could be seen coming out from the audience. Although most of them were girls, there were also a few boys within that group. A total of ten students came forth.


    They arranged themselves to the side of Elizabeth and started to introduce themselves one by one. Most of them had low social status. The highest of them were middle-class aristocrats, with the rest being either low aristocrats or commoners.


    [Everyone here as well, enlighten us to your plight! It is your last chance!]


    Hearing those words, with resolute faces, the ten students told of their plight one after the other.


    Amongst them were people who:


    All of them, like Elizabeth, spoke in a tone like they were trying their hardest to remain calm. Yet the feelings overflowing from their hearts could not be completely held back.


    The frustration, despair and regret.


    And finally, the feeling of relief for being able to let it all out.


    Reacting to the accounts made by the group, the aristocrats became enraged, some of them yelling ¡°unforgivable!!¡±.


    Though almost all of them used to do the exact same thing, calling someone else out on their evil deeds when the opportunity arises is exactly what an Asura Aristocrat does.


    Of course, the ones that led a noble life were angry for real.


    [Everyone, I thank you for your bravery to step up and talk about your painful experiences.]


    While confirming the audience¡¯s response, Viola said that with a meek face. She then glared at Edward.


    [This is the proof, Your Highness Edward. With this many witnesses, do you have anything more to say?]


    [That¡¯s¡­]


    Edward¡¯s face twisted into a painful expression. He did not expect Viola to set up such a grandiose scheme.


    She was the top student. Just using that position to incite the high aristocracy would have been enough to get Chris expelled.


    Yet, she even had evidence prepared. Everything was set up down to the last detail, to utterly annihilate Chris.


    Normally, Edward would have something up his sleeve to counteract Viola¡¯s plans.


    For example, some evidence that proved Chris was innocent.


    But he let his guard down this time.


    It is the graduation ceremony today, and Viola is the top student.


    In other words, Viola was already the winner.


    The idea that the winner would still pull such a trick was too absurd to him.


    Even if he tried to do something, it wouldn¡¯t prove Chris¡¯ innocence. He was stuck thinking about what he could do in this situation.


    Thus, Edward could do nothing but stay silent.


    [No, even so, I cannot bring myself to believe that Chris would do something like that.]


    He squeezed those words out. Even though the evidence was shoved to his face, he spent three years with Chris, laughing together and crying together. He helped out with her studies, and ate ate terribly made lunch boxes with her. Because he knew Chris so well, he simply could not believe the accusations. Even with proof that Chris was secretly behind all these atrocities.


    [I see¡­ What a foolish person¡­]


    Viola replied in irritation. Frowning, she took her eyes off Edward and stared at Chris.


    Taking a step forward, she declared.


    [Look! This is the evidence, Christina! Do you have anything to say in your defense!?]


    Since it had come to this, no one here would not look at Chris without contempt. She had committed unforgivable atrocities, so she should stop making excuses and apologise. Such an atmosphere was floating about in the audience hall.


    Even the ever-doting parent Rudeus was making a difficult face, gripping his fist tightly. He had matured enough to refrain from shouting something like ¡°Our child would never do something like that!¡± on impulse. Standing beside him were Sylphy, Eris and Roxy. They each either held his hand or gripped his clothes to prevent him from dashing out and making a scene.


    In the face of this situation, where it seemed that everyone had unanimously concluded that she was the culprit, Chris moved. As if she had gave up on trying to salvage something, she looked at Viola in resignation.


    [Viola¡­ I did tell you to stop¡­]


    Standing alone, she muttered so. Then, she raised her head to look straight at Viola. There was no sign of panic or fear in her eyes, some could say she looked extremely calm.


    Others who saw her face could also put it like this.


    ¨C That it was a cruel and cold-hearted look.


    She did not glare at Viola, nor did she raise her voice. Not towards Viola, but the students beside her, she simply said in an indifferent tone.


    [Hey, everyone¡­ The horrible things that happened to you¡­ who was it that did them?2]


    The ¡°witnesses¡± all pointed their finger towards Viola in unison.


    ¡ª


    1. A headband that anime characters often wear when studying.


    2. She said it in a way like a child in horror movies would ask a question. Something like this? I don¡¯t know how to encapsulate its full meaning in English.

 CH 29

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Jokoril, NewbieTranslatingRaws


    ¡ª


    [Eh?]


    Viola couldn¡¯t understand¡­ why were the surrounding students pointing their fingers at her?


    It wasn¡¯t just her. Everyone in the audience hall was clueless as to what was going on.


    As if to shatter that confusion, Elizabeth stepped forward. Her eyes narrowed and the edges of her mouth turned upwards. With a sinister, snake-like smile, she declared:


    [All the atrocities that Viola-sama eloquently described were done by none other than Viola Yellowsnake-sama herself!]


    Elizabeth proudly declared for all to hear, as if she was announcing her triumph over Viola.


    [And all of us standing here are witnesses who can attest to that.]


    To those words, the students standing by her all nodded in agreement one after another.


    [That¡¯s right! I was treated like a used rag!]


    [Same with me! Viola-sama¡¯s grip was slowly strangling me to death!]


    [Me too¡­ My textbooks were ripped to pieces by Viola-sama!]


    The dazed Viola couldn¡¯t comprehend what was happening in front of her.


    [Eh¡­? Eh!?]


    Like a fish out of water, her face warped with dismay as her words got caught in her throat. All she managed to squeeze out was a measly¡­


    [Why?]


    Hearing those words, Elizabeth snapped.


    [Why? Towards me whom you treated like trash for an entire two years, you ask why!?]


    With such force behind her voice as if to grab Viola by the shirt, she shouted:


    [I WAS WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT!! THIS MOMENT, TO REVEAL EVERYTHING YOU DID TO THE MASSES!! NOT JUST ME! EVERYONE HERE WAS WAITING!! FOR THE CHANCE TO DESTROY YOU!]


    [Y-You¡­ so you betrayed me!]


    Having caught up with the situation, Viola¡¯s expression changed. Gone was her calm and composed demeanor, along with any shred of her overflowing confidence. Her face transformed into that of a man-eating demon.


    One by one, Viola pointed her finger at the students who betrayed her and glared at them.


    [You, you, you, ALL OF YOU!! Pulling such a stunt against me! I hope you do understand how badly all of you are going to end up!]


    That is exactly what you would call an outrage.


    A situation that was originally not supposed to happen ¨C that couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen ¨C had occurred.


    Even when confronted directly with such a threat, Elizabeth maintained her composure and made sure to return a wide grin to Viola.


    [My, my¡­ what is going to happen to us?]


    [Have I no choice but to explain in detail? The Topcoat family owes a huge debt to the Yellowsnake family. That means that if I feel like it, all of you could be turned into slaves, let alone forced into servitude as servants.]


    Viola directed those words towards Elizabeth in a loud voice.


    Debt.


    In fact, those words weren¡¯t just aimed at Elizabeth. The students that were brought forth as ¡°Evidence¡± against Chris were there for similar reasons.


    Not all of them were there due to debts. Some of them had other weaknesses which were gotten ahold of.


    In any case, Viola kept a firm grip on them.


    They were what allowed her to turn them into servile pawns, to use as she pleased.


    Yet, even in the face of those words, Elizabeth didn¡¯t back down. In fact, it was almost like she was waiting for them¡­


    [Debt?]


    Her reply was calm, even monotone. Looking at her expression though, it was a wicked smile. With a face truly reminiscent of an evil villainess, she retorted.


    [If it¡¯s that, it was fully paid off as of yesterday.]


    [Eh?]


    Viola was dumbstruck by her answer.


    For what it was worth, Elizabeth took out a piece of paper from her chest and handed it over to Viola as proof of payment.


    [This is the proof for the full settlement of the debt. The Topcoat family crest ¨C you can see it here, right?]


    [I-Impossible¡­ How¡­? It was supposed to take ten years to fully settle!]


    Hearing that, Elizabeth¡¯s expression returned to normal. Then, with a defeated smile, she looked towards a certain girl.


    [¡­ It was because Chris lent her strength to me.]


    [Chris? That Chris that you hated so much?]


    [Indeed, that girl, towards someone like me who scorned her so, benevolently bestowed her tender-loving hand to save me.]


    In a trance, Elizabeth gazed into the distance as if she saw a goddess manifesting there.


    Seeing Elizabeth¡¯s expression, Viola sneered.


    [Ah, I see, so it¡¯s that. You borrowed from Chris to pay off the debt owed to me, and that is why you betrayed me. In the end, you merely switched masters. What a fool.]


    [I¡¯m afraid you are wrong. I no longer owe any debt to anyone, because Chris enlightened me to a new way of doing business!]


    With that, Elizabeth started describing the new source of income that Chris suggested to her. This ¡°new source of income¡± wasn¡¯t anything like a regular part-time job. Since we are talking about debts owed between aristocracy, its a huge sum of money.


    To raise this huge sum, a new business had to be started. Put simply, it was ¡°a legal advice firm aimed at merchants¡±. As a house that was put in charge of lawmaking in the Kingdom, many of the retainers in the Topcoat house were well-versed with the law.


    On top of giving merchants work, they also provided richer merchants with advice on how to pay lower taxes. Thus, the profits within Asuran territory increased for the merchants, with some of the cut being paid to the Topcoats.


    Although making a business out of cutting taxes was detrimental to the Kingdom¡¯s finances, it wasn¡¯t too big of a deal, since said taxes were being squandered on the nobles¡¯ frivolous expenses anyways. Hence, it was simply a matter of trading one evil for another.


    In the grand scheme of things, the damage done to the Kingdom was negligible. Thus, by doing this and that with the merchants, the Topcoats somehow paid off their debts.


    [It is not just me, but everyone here. There no longer exists any weakness you can use against them to do your bidding.]


    The students around Viola vehemently agreed, saying ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±. The only reason they didn¡¯t cuss was because they were in the presence of Ariel.


    [These weaknesses that you thought could never be overcome even with great effort, were resolved by Chris. Painstakingly, problem by problem, like crushing ants individually.]


    ¡­ It was now that the audience caught on to what was happening.


    In summary, Viola used her underlings¡¯ weaknesses to force them into playing along with her scheme to destroy Chris at this graduation ceremony. What she did not expect, was that Chris would preempt this move. Thus, all the ¡°evidence¡± leading up to this reveal in the ceremony was corrected one by one, and was instead used as a counter to this trap.


    [H-How underhanded¡­!!]


    [My, my, my, I wonder who the underhanded one really is! Even though Chris was considerate of your stupidly inflated ego and didn¡¯t mess with you before the graduation ceremony¡­  She even worked behind the scenes to give up the post of graduate representative to you!]


    Towards the matter of giving up the seat of the graduate representative, Chris made a face as if to say ¡°Eh?¡± But no one noticed. If they did, they¡¯d come to realise that she really did try as hard as usual but came nowhere close to the top.


    Anyways, other than that dubious turn of events, everything else was true. All of the surrounding students agreed. The nobles came to understand the truth, and started to cast cold gazes onto Viola. Among them was Edward. Feeling disappointed and resentful ¨C both at Viola, who lied, and also himself, who couldn¡¯t stand up against such lies ¨C he glared at Viola.


    [You¡­  Committing such despicable acts, are you not ashamed of yourself¡­ !?]


    Having been told that by Edward, Viola appeared agitated for just a moment. However, she clenched her teeth strongly and shot back to him in defiance.


    [I-I feel nothing close to being ashamed!]


    There is nothing that can be glossed over at this point.


    Viola bared her feelings and let our her true thoughts.


    [Losing to that plebeian from out in the sticks of Ranoa, and letting you get snatched away is more of an embarrassment to an Asuran Noble!]


    To her words, Edward could only gawk in response.


    [¡°A plebeian from Ranoa¡±? How disrespectful, her father is a sworn friend of Her Majesty! While it is true that he was not given peerage in the Kingdom, he is treated on the same level as royalty! Do you not¡­]


    [No matter how great they are, if there are from the sticks, they are from out in the sticks! Mere neanderthals to me! Anyways, I have hated Chris since the very beginning!]


    Viola had detested Chris ever since the first day of school. Entering the school as a friend of the outstanding Elizabeth (though the surrounding people thought she was a mere follower) and being able to make friends with Prince Edward whom she had always admired, she was looking forward to a dazzling school life fit for a high aristocrat.


    And then Chris came and ruined everything.


    That airheaded brat who emerged from the boonies, reeking of soil and dirt.


    Getting the attention of Edward, orchestrating Elizabeth¡¯s downfall, and thanks to all that, even putting Viola¡¯s own status at risk. It was hell since then. The days where no one would respect her continued. While her family name had gone to the trash, Elizabeth was still as competent as ever. So by using her effectively, Viola was finally able to graduate at the top of the school.


    Yet, she still couldn¡¯t forgive Chris for snatching away Edward. It didn¡¯t matter if it was all untrue. She wanted a story to frame Chris and make Edward hate her. Even better if she could be expelled from the Academy and erased from history forever¡­


    [To think¡­ that you are this foolish¡­]


    Hearing Viola¡¯s words, Edward clenched his fist tightly.


    Just as quickly, he relaxed his fist. There was no longer any anger left in him. Beyond that, he was simply amazed and finally understood Viola.


    Hearing her words, Edward¡¯s patience had exceeded its limits.


    [Enough.]


    In all honesty, Edward was never interested in the girl named Viola. There was nothing to gain from being with her, and she wasn¡¯t particularly competent in anything. Furthermore, everything that came out of her mouth was heard elsewhere before. Even after she enrolled in the Academy, she only got close to the excellent Elizabeth so she could join the school¡¯s socialites. Someone who thinks that she is superior just because she¡¯s part of that group.


    From Edward¡¯s point of view, out of 100 ladies that come from Asuran Noble houses, 99 of them are the same, boring archetypal girl like Viola. Yet, she was his fianc¨¦e. Even if it was just something decided on by their parents, therein laid the duty of a royal. He had intended to give Viola special treatment, appropriate to the arrangement.


    Now, however¡­ at this very moment, Edward¡¯s perception of her had changed. Viola was not a run-of-the-mill noble girl. She was a person that wouldn¡¯t think twice about kicking someone down just to achieve her objectives. A cold, calculating fool that didn¡¯t treat people like human beings. Edward had come to hate Viola.


    Therefore, as a prince, fulfilling his duty as a royal, he raised his head. In a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone around, he announced:


    [I am someone who will be interacting with foreign powers in the future. I cannot possibly marry  someone who would publicly disparage an important figure from a foreign country as a country-bumpkin¡­ I hereby request that our engagement be annulled!]


    [Huh¡­¡­¡­¡­.]


    All the blood left Viola¡¯s face when she heard the sudden declaration.


    Annulment of engagement.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do something like that right?¡± Was what she thought in the bottom of her heart. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the power to¡±, was what she thought.


    However, this was a public setting.


    Yes, a public setting¡­


    A place with individuals from all sorts of backgrounds and statuses, the absolute best stage to completely destroy Chris. A place she personally picked herself.


    And ironically, this exact place was where all her escape routes were sealed.


    [Ah¡­ that¡­ can¡¯t be¡­ about that matter¡­]


    And so Viola tried to steer the conversation in a way that she could escape from.


    Using the excuse she thought of just in case this matter got brought up.


    [T-This is not something that we can decide on our own¡­ that¡¯s why¡­]


    Indeed, strictly speaking, anything concerning marriage is not something that they can decide on their own. That is because the engagement was decided between their parents¡­ in other words, the current heads of their houses.


    The house heads, with the future in their minds, decided that the marriage would bring both families to greater heights.


    Unless valid reasons were presented to the house heads through proper channels of discussion, and provided they are convinced by the reasons, annulment would not be allowed.


    Moreover, one of the house heads involved this time was the Queen of the Asura Kingdom. As the Queen¡¯s schedule is constantly packed, even a house from the high aristocracy governing financial matters of the country wouldn¡¯t be able to get a meeting with her at a moment¡¯s notice. Time would be required to execute or call off any plans.


    Viola was a cunning girl. As long as there was time, she could move to push circumstances in her favor and make the annulment void.


    She was confident that she could do that.


    As long as it wasn¡¯t now.


    As long as it wasn¡¯t here.


    As long as it wasn¡¯t right after the moment she failed.


    [I see, you make a convincing point.]


    Here, at this very place and time, all the key individuals were present.


    The two parties involved in the engagement, Edward and Viola.


    The current head of the Yellowsnake house, Carter Yellowsnake.


    And finally¡­


    [Is that fine with you, Mother?]


    Queen of the Asura Kingdom, Ariel Anemoi Asura.


    [¡­]


    Ariel, in a rare display, gave the surrounding people a soul-chilling gaze. Without her barely lifting a finger, she exerted so much pressure on the auditorium that all the chattering died down into a solemn silence.


    [Viola.]


    Hearing that voice, the once heated atmosphere instantly froze over.


    [Do you have anything to say in your defence?]


    It was Ariel.


    Those were words from Her Majesty, the Queen of Asura.


    Spoken in that powerful voice that had mesmerised people since her youth.


    [Ah¡­ uh¡­ I-I¡­.]


    Viola¡¯s face had now gotten so pale that she was on the verge of passing out. Her face bore a mess of emotions, making her eyes spin. Anxiety, confusion, anger, resentment, sorrow, pity, entreaty, disgust, worry, fear, self-blame.


    Perhaps, if she were a stronger person, if she had the heart to honestly admit that she was wrong, or if she had the guts to look for a way out even when cornered, things might have turned out differently. Even if she was being fired upon, if she focused on minimising the damage taken, she might have been able to escape.


    However, making a move while being in such a predicament was something Viola lacked the experience to perform. Born into high nobility and without any talent, she was pampered even when she did not put in effort. Nearly all of the people she met were of lower social status. It did not matter when she got into trouble, because things would go her way if she were to just complain a little. Having lived most of her life having things served to her on a silver platter, it was impossible for her to find a way out of this quagmire.


    The words that came out of her mouth next were simply painful to listen to.


    [I have done nothing wrong! I was framed by Christina! So that I would be publicly shamed at this ceremony! She abused their weaknesses and made them spout lies! DESPICABLE! I do not approve of such dirty tricks! Christina is the evil one! I have done nothing wrong!]


    What followed was an incoherent jumble of words. Lines like ¡°they are all spouting lies¡± were repeatedly and hysterically shouted. Outright denying what she just said. Piling lies on top of lies, like how Chris¡¯ atrocities were so numerous that it was hard to talk about all of them. That her own actions were righteous in comparison. ¡°I am guiltless!¡±, she continued to scream in a shrill voice.


    In any case, it was outrageous that mere low nobles and commoners would dare to frame a high noble like her. They should be punished for l¨¨se-majest¨¦1 ¨C was what her arguments devolved into.


    Viola¡¯s pitiable state was unsightly from anyone¡¯s point of view, and definitely inappropriate for a graduate of the Asura Royal Academy.


    That brilliant demeanor which everyone recognised as fitting for a graduate representative had disintegrated into the air.


    It goes without saying that in Ariel¡¯s eyes, such was also the case.


    [Hah¡­]


    Ariel did not entertain the likes of Viola. As no words could get through to her, she shook her head and summoned two individuals before her.


    [Have the principal and Carter come over.]


    Immediately, two men emerged from the audience.


    The principal of the Asura Royal Academy and the current head of the Yellowsnake house, Carter Yellowsnake.


    The principal was drenched in cold sweat, and Carter had his eyes wide open, his body audibly trembling. Both of their faces had lost all their color.


    Looking at both of them with a piercing glare, Ariel turned over to the principal and opened her mouth.


    [Principal of the Asura Royal Academy.]


    [Yes, Your Majesty!]


    [A person such as this is not fit to be deemed a graduate from our Asura Royal Academy.]


    [I-It is exactly as Your Majesty states.]


    [I declare in my name of Ariel Anemoi Asura, that this person shall have her graduation annulled and given the punishment of expulsi-]


    [IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!]


    The moment Ariel made that declaration, Viola gave off a thundering scream so loud that it cut off Her Majesty Ariel¡¯s orders. It was an act that no student who learned about etiquette in this school would have done. On top of all that, she started charging towards Ariel with both her hands raised in the air.


    Of course, she was immediately subdued by Ariel¡¯s guards. Viola was pinned to the ground in an instant and had her hands pressed towards her back. Completely ignoring that, Ariel shifted her gaze to the Yellowsnake house head.


    [Carter Yellowsnake.]


    [Yes, Your Majesty!]


    [I have planned to let Edward represent the royalty for diplomatic matters after his graduation. Main focus being the Northern Regions, with the Magic Triumvirate. Would someone who disparages the Ranoa Kingdom, one of the Magic Triumvirate as ¡°the sticks¡±, be fit as wife of this representative?]


    [As a matter of fact, I would think that she would not be suitable.]


    [Then, as per Edward¡¯s wishes, the engagement between Edward Anemoi Asura and Viola Yellowsnake shall be annulled. That is fine with you, yes?]


    [Yes, Your Majesty!]


    Carter¡¯s head remained lowered.


    Unlike his daughter, he was a sincere and loyal man. Whatever his daughter did was also the responsibility of the house head. Throwing mud at the prestigious graduation ceremony of Asura Royal Academy, causing a huge ruckus and being arrested in public.


    It was the ultimate shame and humiliation.


    So much so that he honestly wanted to act as if she was not his daughter.


    But Carter was an honest man. He intended to bear full responsibility for any transgressions committed by his daughter. Now, at this moment, he was prepared to serve any sentence passed onto him.


    [¡­]


    Of course, Ariel was well aware of Carter¡¯s personality. It was the reason why she arranged the engagement between their children in the first place. Although the engagement was annulled due to the daughter¡¯s foolish actions, the father was sinless. If anything, it was his failure in her upbringing¡­


    Either way, no matter how one was brought up, children like Viola ¨C who grow conceited and try to control all of their surroundings due to their peerage ¨C would still appear. Even with extremely thorough education, issues such as this will remain unavoidable as long as there exists differences in social status.


    To berate someone for something that is unavoidable goes against Ariel¡¯s pride.


    For the loyal, rewards should be given out over punishment.


    As thanks for the undying loyalty they have shown till now.


    [I do not intend to lower my opinion of the Yellowsnake house based on this one isolated case.]


    Speaking of which, there was another person here that needed mentioning.


    A girl who lost everything because out of nowhere, she was blamed for crimes she did not commit. And that girl¡¯s father was someone Ariel knew very well.


    His face is still blank now, but malice was seeping out of his facial expression. Once he understood the situation, his face was dyed in intense anger. It was very possible that he would draw closer towards Ariel in rage and grumble to her with an unpleasant look.


    I¡¯m okay with complaints, but I have to hand out some punishments even in name or it¡¯ll be a disservice to him¡­


    Anyways¡­


    [However, I forbid any resentment on the participants of this revenge plot. Accept it as an insult to your family name and live with it.]


    [I am grateful for your extreme leniency and consideration!]


    [In addition, you are to re-educate your daughter thoroughly.]


    [¡­Yes, Your Majesty!]


    The one deserving of punishment is not the family head, but the daughter. And it is not to the extent that the Queen herself has to deliver the punishment onto the daughter.


    Thinking like that, Ariel left the responsibility of his daughter¡¯s punishment to the house head.


    If it was the honest and loyal Carter, any punishment he gives would be appropriate.


    [That is all. You may step down.]


    [Understood!]


    After giving a bow to Ariel, Carter took his daughter from the guards and promptly left the venue.


    As one would expect, the looks of pity given to his back were piercing.


    A graduation ceremony where his daughter was the representative. He must have felt extremely proud. In fact, he was even showing off a little, talking to people who sat beside him.


    Even to Rudeus, he was like¡­


    [My daughter was a sore loser who didn¡¯t have any drive before enrolment, but it seemed like she gave her best in school. And you know what, in a happy turn of events, she even got the post of graduate representative!]


    While he was sheepishly talking about his daughter¡¯s success, she suddenly self-destructed and made a fool out of herself.


    There was a need to find out exactly what she was thinking in the depths of her heart.


    [Fuu¡­]


    After seeing off Carter, Ariel shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly.


    [For our much awaited special occasion, to suddenly have our graduate representative go missing¡­ is unprecedented, isn¡¯t it?]


    With a somewhat comical demeanor, she surveyed the area with her eyes. She posed as if she was saying, I am not mad that an incident happened, let¡¯s continue the party.


    It was quite out of her character, but if she didn¡¯t take that pose, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for the entire ceremony to get cancelled.


    It is the graduation ceremony today.


    Most of the students here were merely bystanders. She couldn¡¯t let the ceremony get called off because of an isolated incident.


    [Without our graduate representative, who in the world would give us a toast?]


    Hearing that, Luke, who hid himself beside Ariel suddenly came forth and gave a proposal.


    [Perhaps the next in line for the cohort?]


    [I see. The next in line for valedictorian position, come forth.]


    And right in front of Ariel, someone took a step forward.


    It was Edward.


    [Mother, I am the next in line for the role.]


    [I see, it was you. As expected of a prince of our Asura Kingdom. I shall give you praise for that.]


    [A blessing I gratefully accept.]


    [Then, graduate representative Edward, a word as the valedictorian our graduating cohort.]


    Ariel said in a slightly dramatic fashion.


    That little hint of happiness in her tone might have been because there weren¡¯t many ¡°accidents¡± like these happening in the palace recently, or maybe¡­ because the plan she had given up on ages ago had unexpectedly gotten back on track to success.


    [Understood! However, Mother, there is someone who is more fitting to be the representative than me. That person had saved countless students from various circumstances, and even turned past enemies into her comrades¡­ someone that embodies the very ideals of our Asura Royal Academy.]


    [Edward. That person that you are talking about, the one that had saved so many of our students, who exactly might that be?]


    Acting like the answer was so obvious that it goes without saying, Edward pointed his finger to a single girl.


    [Of course, it is her.]


    [Huh?]


    Exposed to the laser pointed looks from the entire auditorium, she only showed a blank face.


    ¡ª


    1. An offense towards the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state. E.g. Insults/Accusations against royalty or nobility in this case.

 CH 30

    Translator: flyingsakana


    Editor/Proofreader: Deculsion


    Sorry for the delay~


    ¡ª


    [Ugh¡­ I hate this¡­ So embarrassing¡­ What a blunder¡­]


    When she¡¯s done with her congratulatory toast, Chris came to my side muttering those words.


    Her face was completely red.


    Well, that¡¯s to be expected.


    She was suddenly pushed forward by the Prince to give a stuttered speech while still being flustered, a demeanor completely unfitting of a graduate in front of public.


    Putting that aside, the contents of her speech were great.


    It was regarding Asura Royal Academy itself, a school that was supposedly a place where the competent and talented are able to obtain higher education. Yet, it was overrun with the culture of putting peerage above all else. Chris openly criticised that aspect of the schooling experience in the Academy.


    Even though she personally entered the school through her family and parents¡¯ power, it is those that had shown their abilities that really deserved her spot. Even now, there exist people who are smarter, more passionate and would produce more results than Viola, Elizabeth and even herself.


    If the Academy were to recognise the abilities of those people, enough to even give them the valedictorian position, it would greatly surpass the Ranoa Magic University and become the best educational institution in the world. Such were her words.


    This speech wasn¡¯t something that the Asuran aristocrats took kindly to though. Among them were people who felt that being a noble in itself was a form of ¡°status¡±. In fact, several of them showed irritated faces in disapproval.


    [Ughhh¡­ I never expected that I would be giving a speech, and to ask me to do it so suddenly¡­ There¡¯s no way I could have done it well¡­]


    [Not really, it was good.]


    Despite all that, I was moved.


    I may be looking at her with the rose-tinted glasses of a doting parent¡­ But when I think about how my little crybaby who couldn¡¯t tell apart delusions and reality became able to think in such pragmatic terms, I am moved to the verge of tears.


    [Really?]


    [Yup, how should I put it? You¡¯ve come a long way. Honestly I thought you would be more childish and immature. Like finding out how different the Royal Academy is from how you thought and come back home crying to me levels of immaturity.]


    Hearing my brutally honest opinion, Chris gave me a blank look.


    She then scratched her face and slowly shook her head.


    [No¡­ I really was a kid. As Papa said, I actually grumbled a lot about it when I found out how different it was¡­]


    [So you did huh.]


    When I said that, Chris nodded and replied with a ¡°Yeah¡±.


    [I thought, that the Asura Kingdom was a much much more amazing and wonderful place than my imagination. The scenery, and the people. Yeah¡­ I revered everyone living here as gods.]


    Upon uttering that, Chris turned her head and looked straight into my eyes.


    [But they weren¡¯t gods. I was completely and utterly mistaken. My dream world was completely shattered, leaving me paralysed in panic and not knowing what to do¡­ But then I realised immediately-]


    [Yeah]


    [The people living here, aren¡¯t all that different. The things we have to do are the same, the things we think about are the same. We share the same worries and painful experiences.]


    Three years huh.


    Time flies.


    Really really quickly.


    To realise the same thing she did, took me more than ten years.


    Compared to that, she was more than early in this realisation.


    [I knew that I had to put what Papa and Mama¡¯s taught me to use here at the Academy. With that, I somehow made it through. But during these three years, I couldn¡¯t do things that were above and beyond what I was taught. Even with what happened just now ¨C to Viola ¨C if it were to be Papa, I think you would have done it better and smoother than what I did. Something like reforming her? Papa would have wrapped it up nicely without putting her through such misery on a special day like today¡­ You would have made her reflect and gotten along well with her.]


    [I wonder about that.]


    Saying that, I felt a little shaken in my heart.


    If she was putting it like that, it means that she knew what was in it for Viola while she performed that skit just now.


    Coming up with a plan, moving behind the scenes to set up the downfall of a single girl.


    [I just couldn¡¯t do it¡­]


    Those words sounded as if she had the ability to do it, but chose not to.


    Maybe Chris wouldn¡¯t have to go this far, and could have settled everything before the graduation ceremony.


    [Why couldn¡¯t you do it?]


    [I couldn¡¯t forgive Viola, not to mention the envy I felt¡­]


    That girl called Viola, just what exactly did she do?


    I couldn¡¯t possibly know that.


    From the events happening just a moment ago, I could grasp the gist of it, but not completely.


    Sure, that final scene where she got dragged out was indeed pitiable.


    However, Viola most probably looked down on and had inflicted pain upon many. Enough to make Chris declare that she was unforgivable. Such that it was almost natural to set up her downfall on a fine day such as this.


    If it were me who attended the Royal Academy, saw Viola¡¯s actions up close and were to be harmed by her¡­ I might have also not forgiven her and done something similar as Chris.


    No¡­ If it were me, perhaps I may not have escaped from her trap and got expelled?


    In either case, making Viola turn over a new leaf would never have crossed my mind.


    [So you felt envy?]


    [Eh? Uummmmm, y-yeah¡­ You see, Viola ¨C if she were to properly put in the effort, she had the potential to really become the top student. In etiquette, dressing, art appreciation, calculations and allocating resources to the upper limits of efficiency, she was top class in all these even during lessons. Yet for the subjects she was weaker in, she never puts in effort and cheats to get the top spot¡­ Even obtaining the valedictorian position through cheating¡­]


    Somehow it started sounding like she was making excuses halfway through.


    She must be hiding something.


    Could it be a relationship with a guy? No no, it can¡¯t be.


    But all around Chris were handsome guys¡­ That random guy Edward who looked like he was an exquisitely carved piece of artwork might have something to do with it.


    No, calm down.


    As a father, I should say something sincere at this point in time.


    [Well¡­ It might be strange coming from me, but I think it¡¯s true that Papa had changed the hearts of many. Blue Mama, Red Mama, Zanoba-san and even Cliff-san¡­ Many people had said that they changed after meeting Papa. However, it wasn¡¯t like they changed their way of thinking because Papa took actions to change them.]


    After all is said and done, the reason why they changed, even I have no idea. Somehow, they realised their shortcomings on their own. My existence might have became the spark that sent them on their way, but that¡¯s all there is to it.


    Even if forced at gunpoint, I would never say that I was responsible for the change in them. Because they only changed because they themselves felt that they needed to change.


    [Certainly, it might not have worked for Viola. But, it may be that due to this incident, she might have a change of heart? Aren¡¯t there anyone around you that changed over time like that?]


    [Hmm? I wonder?]


    As she muttered that, Chris slowly turned her head to peek behind herself. Standing there was the figure of a lone girl.


    If I am not wrong, she was the child named Elizabeth.


    The girl that acted exceedingly triumphant when she turned the tables on Viola. That girl is now having a friendly chatter with the students around her with a carefree expression.


    Viola did say that Elizabeth was ¡°Chris¡¯ enemy¡±.


    In other words, it¡¯s that.


    [The solution to pay off that Elizabeth¡¯s debt was impressive. Did you come up with that?]


    [Huh? Uhhh¡­ That idea was a suggestion from Aisha-neesan. So it wasn¡¯t necessarily me that came up with it?]


    Ah¡­ As expected.


    I thought that this would be the case.


    I realised it while hearing the plan, but for something that Chris came up with, it was a tad bit too sophisticated.


    [But it was you that executed it wasn¡¯t it?]


    [Well¡­ Yep. That¡¯s, that¡¯s exactly it.]


    Chris made an awkward face, but then immediately shook her head.


    [However Papa, just so that I could do that, I needed the help of various different people. Really, so many of them¡­ Not only that, while I was in school¡­ Things that I managed to do by myself amount to almost nothing. As expected, I am still a kid¡­ maybe more suitably, I am still naive.]


    [Certainly, it may be that you are naive. Even so, that girl called Elizabeth, at the very end, came to your aid. Why do you think that is the case?]


    [¡­ Because she hated Viola more than she hated me.]


    [Haha, that could be one of the reasons. But, you becoming cordial and helping her pay off her debts could be one of the reasons too isn¡¯t it?]


    Well, I actually do not know the exact reason. No matter what transpired, Elizabeth ended up becoming an essential piece of the puzzle in the fight against Viola.


    Not knowing the full details, I can¡¯t say for sure, but from her position, she probably could have easily orchestrated the downfall of both Viola and Chris at the same time.


    That is because, her debts were already fully settled.


    Yet, she stayed as Chris¡¯ ally till the end.


    That was the result.


    [Chris. You may feel that your abilities are inadequate now and that is fine. No matter how far one goes, he cannot possibly do something perfectly alone. Receiving help when one is in need, and providing help when others are in need, such is the continuous repetition of this cycle that is life.]


    [¡­]


    [In these three years, you have become capable of doing that.]


    Chris saved the students who suffered under Viola¡¯s tyranny.


    Still admiring the Asura Royal Academy, yet not getting tainted by its atmosphere. She did what she thought was right through her will alone.


    The result of that was her becoming the most adored among the graduating students.


    Maybe ¡°most¡± is the doing of my rose-tinted glasses of a doting parent.


    Even so¡­


    [You are already a splendid adult. Graduate with your chest held high.]


    Hearing that, Chris¡¯ expression broke down and she was about to cry.


    Like long ago, she would run to me crying for a hug. Expecting that, I held out my arms.


    A few seconds passed in silence¡­ And Chris with tears building up in her eyes bit by bit, immediately wiped off the tears.


    [Yes.]


    So she nodded.


    It was an excellent reply, I was happy that she became able to give such a resolute answer.


    But, where should I put my now extended arms¡­


    ¡ª


    After that, my  wives who were silently listening from behind  came forward and talked to Chris for awhile.


    It was about her life in these three years of school..


    While there were many tough times, there were also many happy moments. They talked about her friends and things that occurred in between merrily.


    Hearing the story of how the first bullied girl was saved, Eris had no other expression but her classic look of satisfaction.


    At first, Sylphy was unaware of how Chris was talking about the management of factions. When she came to realise what she heard, her face was full of shock.


    Roxy was really pleased when the topic came to how Chris followed her teachings and learned how to manage factions from the royalty of foreign countries.


    As the conversation came to an end, the wives left our side saying ¡°Now then, we are going to make the rounds with the greetings.¡±. Just as I was thinking how it¡¯s not good for me to have Chris all to myself¡­


    Suddenly, I realised that there was a girl behind Chris.


    Just as I thought,Is that a ghost!? I realised it was a girl I had seen before.


    If I recall correctly, she was the one that wiped Chris¡¯ mouth before all hell broke loose.


    She has a timid aura around her, hesitating and wondering whether to cut into the conversation between Chris and I.


    [Hello, young lady. I¡¯m Rudeus Greyrat.]


    And so I started talking to her with a face full of smiles. She is Chris¡¯ friend after all. If her friend had the impression that her father was a dark and gloomy person, it reflects badly on Chris as well. As much as I can, I want to play the part of a fun and sociable father.


    [!!!]


    I meant to be sociable¡­ So why did she tremble and hide behind Chris?


    Strange¡­


    From this past ten odd years, I should have gotten good at smiling¡­


    I even practiced smiling in front of the mirror every other day¡­


    [Ah! Papa, I¡¯ll introduce her to you!]


    Said Chris as she noticed the girl¡¯s presence.


    She spun her body around and brought the girl to her front.


    [This is Bell! She¡¯s my best friend, and will be taking on the role of a civil official under the Feudal lord in the Fittoa Region!]


    [P-Pleased to meet you¡­¡­]


    The girl named Bell was fidgeting from her desire to hide behind Chris. Lacking enough power, she couldn¡¯t do that and was restlessly letting her eyes wander around while putting her head down.


    [Bell is actually¡­ A huge fan of Papa!]


    [Wha! Wai- Chris, stop! Why did you tell him that¡­!]


    [Why not? You even said that you absolutely want to talk to him if you ever meet him¡­]


    It seems like Bell is my fan.


    Perhaps due to me being famous within the Asura Kingdom, kids like her appear once or twice every year.


    Though, they had almost always been boys who were into magic related fields. Girls like her were quite rare.


    Now I feel a somewhat embarrassed.


    [U-Umm¡­ My name is Bell¡­ Your paper regarding lightning magic, I read it¡­ To be able to create a new form of magic in this day and age, you¡¯re amazing¡­! I t-totally respect you!]


    [Ah, yes. Thank you very much.]


    A paper about lightning magic.


    I recall writing such a paper.


    No, it wasn¡¯t me who wrote it.


    It was just something I wrote when trying out note taking, to which Roxy said, ¡°This is amazing!¡± and then proceeded to edit it and published it as a book.


    So to be honest, about more than half of the materials were something written by Roxy.


    Although I had an intense desire to take all the credit and show off in front of Chris¡­


    [¡­ That turned out really good right?]


    [Yes!]


    [Well, more than half of it was something written by my Shishou after all.]


    [Shisho! You¡¯re talking about Roxy-sensei right! I have also read her paper, ¡°Fundamental Elements of Magic Usage in Close Combat¡± Is she also here today?]


    [She¡¯s not someone that would skip her own daughter¡¯s graduation ceremony. Look, she¡¯s over there!]


    [Where? I can¡¯t seem see her?]


    [Well that¡¯s because she¡¯s small, she¡¯s hidden in the crowd. She¡¯s definitely there. I can tell.]


    [Umm¡­ Is it okay if you introduce me to her later¡­]


    [Of course.]


    I see, this girl understands Roxy¡¯s greatness.


    As expected of my daughter, her choice in friends are excellent.


    This girl named Bell, I shall commit her to my memory.


    Graduates from the Asura Royal Academy are the cream of the crop. But at the same time, many of them have low social status. There may be times where they have no other choice but to leave the Asura Kingdom. Yes, just like how Lilya-san was before.


    When that happens, our company will welcome her with open arms.


    [Chris!]


    As I was talking to Bell, there was another person who was approaching us. He has a considerably handsome voice. He probably sounds cooler than he looks.


    Just as I thought that, the one who appeared in front of me was Edward who had annulled his engagement earlier with Lady Viola in the chaos just now.


    [You¡¯re so cruel! Didn¡¯t you promise to introduce Lord Rudeus to me?]


    It seems like he wants to become friendly with me.


    Perhaps due to the nice atmosphere exuded from the conversation between Chris and I, I am relatively popular today.


    It seems like the older I get, the happier I am to be popular with the young people.


    [Eh, Ed!? Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait!?]


    [You say that now¡­ But in the end you always sweep it under the rug don¡¯t you!]


    [I won¡¯t do that today! Please, just a moment, just give me a little while more, okay?]


    As I was feeling the joy of being popular with the kids, they suddenly started flirting.


    The conversation itself is normal, but they seemed to be really close.


    I have no issues with flirting or whatever, but doing it in front of your parents is a little¡­


    While it is indeed a heart-warming scene, Papa would still prefer it if you introduce him to me first.


    [What am I going to do with you, Chris¡­ Looking at the situation, you hadn¡¯t even talked about that matter yet right?]


    [That¡¯s~ why~ I~ said~ there is a thing called a proper order to doing things!]


    [¡°That matter¡±?]


    The moment those words slipped out from my mouth, both Chris and Edward snapped their bodies to face me. Seeing at how anxious Chris looked, this ¡°matter¡± is probably something considerably important.


    [That¡¯s why I said¡­ Ah©`! Gosh¡­]


    Chris waved her hands as if all that she prepared up to this moment was wasted.


    I don¡¯t know what it is about, but well, it is probably something that requires my approval. That¡¯s why it needed some lead up to it, and she most likely wanted to bring it up mid-conversation. In other words, she was setting up the mood.


    It is similar to how I would say ¡°You look prettier today¡± to compliment Eris, ¡°I like Eris¡¯s hands. They are the hands of a hard worker.¡± while I hold her hands. Ultimately leading to ¡°Can I grope your boobs?¡± and getting a yes from her.


    [Errmmm, I actually wanted to bring this up properly after the party ends.]


    [Okay.]


    Chris then coughed, cleared her throat like how Roxy did, and straightened her back to reset the mood. With a deep breath, like a proper lady¡­ No, ¡°like¡± would be rude to her.


    With the disposition of a proper lady, she turned to face me.


    In response, I also straightened my back.


    [I desire to stay in the Asura Kingdom after I graduate from the academy.]


    Ah¡­ So it¡¯s that.


    I see.


    [Papa may not approve of this. But living here for three years, I have become attached to the Asura Kingdom.]


    Papa will never do something like disapprove of it.


    Of course, I would have preferred if you came back to Ranoa and stay with us all the way.


    I wanted you to stay as the small and cute Chris.


    However, that is not a wish that can be granted.


    It can¡¯t be granted.


    People will grow.


    Growth means change.


    People will slowly change as they meet new people, and face new situations.


    Though, changes are not limited to good ones.


    As I see it, it is possible that the change is in a bad direction.


    I might have an angry outburst saying that she cannot stay here and forcibly take her back.


    But that should not be the way.


    That is because a bad change may not always lead to a bad result.


    There are people who only grew and matured because life took the worst turn for them.


    That was the case for me.


    It was only because I was a vile, degenerate neet in my previous life that I could obtain what I have in my current life.


    Leaving aside whether I am a good person now, I would personally like to believe that I had became more upstanding compared to my previous life.


    Staying here and living in the Asura Kingdom might be a bad influence to Chris. She may also grow in a way that I wouldn¡¯t want her to.


    Despite all that, I am fine with it.


    Chris¡¯ life is her own to lead.


    If it was where she wanted to go, how she decided she wanted to change, then I am in no position to prevent her from doing that.


    But as a parent, there is something that I have to guarantee is the truth. That is whether it was really Chris who chose this path from the bottom of her heart, I had to personally confirm this myself. As we know, it has been three years since I met Chris.


    I am aware that she is no longer the same Chris that fantasizes about and worships the Asura Kingdom, this is just in case.


    [Didn¡¯t you like it here since you were young?]


    [Yes. But as I said earlier, my ¡°like¡± in the past was merely towards the country in my delusions. But now, after spending three years here, I experienced the real Asura Kingdom, interacted with real Asurans and came to like it in the true sense of the word. The people who are living here, the climate, the culture¡­]


    [The culture? Even though there are so many people who were like Viola just now?]


    [Of course, there are bad places and bad people here. In fact, even more than other countries. But Her Majesty Ariel, the citizens of this country are all working hard to make this country a better place¡­ I want to live here, work here and if possible, be able to assist them in some way.]


    [Assist them huh¡­ How would you plan to do that?]


    [As a civil official, I have gained the right to serve in the palace. I would be working under Luke-sama for the time being¡­ Well, I would merely be an apprentice at the start.]


    Wait a moment, Luke-kun?


    I haven¡¯t heard anything about this.


    [Ah, I stopped Luke-sama from sharing this matter to you, because I wanted to be the one to tell you this.]


    [Ahh¡­ I see.]


    About this, I shall talk to Luke about it another time.


    I see, working under Luke huh.


    He¡¯s a close aide of Ariel and is the de facto Prime Minister. Working under him would mean being placed in the center of the government even as an apprentice.


    Seems like a career where she would end up as an advisor to Ariel or other Royalty in the future.


    This is completely like an elite course straight into the upper echelons of the society. I don¡¯t have any complaints about her workplace, and if things go well, she can do what she¡¯s passionate about. In her own way, she has constructed a solid life plan.


    That Chris, building a proper plan for her life¡­


    Just that would have been more than enough for me.


    But one last time, let¡¯s hear her determination.


    [It will definitely be very tough. Can you handle it?]


    [Yes!]


    With the most serious face in her life, she replied so.


    I see, an instant reply.


    That¡¯s a little worrying.


    Waiting in line for her would definitely be something that is unimaginably challenging for her.


    Even more so than what she experienced here in these three years.


    These thoughts reminds me of the time that I worried about Chris before she came to the Asura Kingdom.


    But it¡¯s good that she is so passionate.


    This passion can make all sorts of things possible.


    Just like how in these three years, Chris has become able to reply me with such resolve.


    [Rudeus-sama.]


    A voice came from behind me.


    Turning back, a person of peerless beauty appeared.


    She was older than me, and you would think that she¡¯d have had aged considerably, but her enchanting appearance is seemingly timeless, almost even more attractive now.


    Does she have Long-Eared tribe blood running in her veins?


    Nah, unlike the Long-Eared tribe, she probably had some method of maintaining her looks fitting of her age.


    It was Ariel.


    As usual, she has Isolte and Doga by her side.


    While Isolte was dressed in her easy-to-move-in formal attire and sword by her side, Doga was in his movement-limiting full plate armor.


    Behind that mask hides his face that is far too gentle, I somehow knew that he is definitely smiling at me.


    Looking carefully, Luke was also behind Ariel.


    And behind him, were a group of students looking in this direction at a distance.


    The students were indecisive about whether to approach and talk to us. Keeping their distance, there was an air of restlessness .


    [I have heard of the circumstances.]


    Well, you probably didn¡¯t just ¡°hear¡± it, but already knew about it in advance.


    With that, you chose the best timing to appear in front of us.


    [I understand Rudeus-sama¡¯s concerns, but from this academy, Chris has gained skills that are more than enough for her to handle living within the Asura Kingdom. Her ¡°results¡± just now is proof of that. Isn¡¯t that so, Luke?]


    [Indeed. Christina is suited to live in the Asura Kingdom.]


    That¡¯s fine, but it¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.


    In any case, if these two people who are spending most of their days deep in the heart of the Asura Kingdom says so, it is probably okay.


    I pray that it is not mere lip service.


    [¡­¡­]


    Hah¡­.


    Even so, that Chris is¡­ I see¡­


    [Papa¡­ what do you think?]


    Chris is looking at me with resolved eyes.


    Looking at her, thoughts of the past flooded my mind.


    Long, long ago.


    When it hadn¡¯t even been ten years since I¡¯ve came to this world.


    I met a single individual.


    He was extremely resourceful and efficient, and was always having fun watching me move behind the scenes trying to do something. He had an enormous ambition smoldering within, setting his sights at taking his fight to the inner Asura Kingdom. In the end, due to the occurrence of the Metastasis Event, his ambition was left unfulfilled.


    Chris now, in her figure or maybe her aura, resembles that person somehow.


    That person that I can never meet again.


    She resembles Philip Boreas Greyrat.


    If you think about it, it¡¯s only natural.


    Eris is Philip¡¯s daughter.


    And Chris is Eris¡¯ daughter.


    The blood runs deep in their veins.


    Having my mind filled with those thoughts, the answer materialised within me.


    Nah, my answer was there since the beginning , it¡¯s just that I needed that one extra push.


    [Ariel-sama, Luke-sama.]


    [Yes.]


    [Please take care of my daughter.]


    Those words left my mouth as I was raising my head, coming into view were the radiance of the warm smiles of both of them.


    [Of course.]


    When I once again turned to face Chris, she was looking at me with a face full of surprise and expectations.


    [Chris. Do your best.]


    [Yay! I love you Papa!]


    After doing a guts pose, she came running into my arms.


    When talking about something serious, I would like her to maintain her serious attitude till the end¡­ but well it¡¯s fine.


    My arms which had lost their destination could finally arrive at Chris¡¯ back, their promised land.


    Moreover, to be able to embrace Chris, this may be the last time.


    [Cough!]


    Just as I was getting drunk on the touch and warmth of my daughter, I heard someone clearing his throat from beside Ariel. Shifting my eyes there, I see an insanely handsome guy. Well, isn¡¯t this Edward-kun?


    [Chris, it looks like you are finished with that matter. Won¡¯t you introduce me soon?]


    [Ahh, yeah! That¡¯s right, sorry sorry]


    After separating herself from me, she went right next to Edward.


    Edward, with his natural faked smile, a.k.a archaic smile, approached me.


    At the same time, Chris referred to him with her hand.


    [Papa, this is Prince Edward. He is my classmate, and had helped me many times when I was in school. Also, umm¡­]


    [I am Edward Anemoi Asura. Pleased to make your acquaintance.]


    Our handsome-kun had given a perfect greeting.


    I have to return a greeting somehow.


    I may be considerably used to Luke, but dear me, I still get nervous when it comes to a young handsome guy.


    For the time being, he¡¯s a prince and towards a youngster, I should properly use honorifics and give a greeting appropriate towards royalty.


    [My name is Rudeus Greyrat. Prince Edward, it is an honor to meet you.]


    [I should be the one who¡¯s honored to see you! I have always been wanting to meet Lord Rudeus!]


    Like Bell just now, and Edward too, it seems like there are many students who are interested in me this year.


    Goodness me, I am gonna be overwhelmed!


    [Hoh, that¡¯s flattering. But, topics about me shouldn¡¯t be that common in the Asura Kingdom.]


    [I heard it from Chris. Lord Rudeus is an amazing person. While listening to stories of you, how should I put it, it felt like I one-sidedly had memories spending time with you.]


    Having a carefree smile plastered on his face, Edward started to talk about stories about me that he heard from Chris.


    Stories like how:


    It¡¯s a little embarrassing.


    Oh Chris, you didn¡¯t need to tell him about these!


    When I stared at Chris with these thoughts in mind, she averted her eyes while whistling.


    Seeing that, I decided to start my counter-attack.


    I am going to make that Chris embarrassed.


    [I see. So, what is your relationship with Chris?]


    It was meant to get back at her.


    A statement to make Chris blush in embarrassment.


    But Edward, after a moment of dumbfoundedness suddenly switched into an extremely serious face and said¡­


    He actually said it¡­


    [With Chris, I would like to date her with the intention of marriage.]


    It went without saying that my smiling face instantly froze over.

 CH 31

    My deepest apologies for delay.


    ¡ª


    [What¡­ did you say¡­?]


    My vision started blinking rapidly between darkness and light in response to those words.


    I am familiar with this feeling.


    It¡¯s a punch.


    It feels just like how I lose consciousness whenever Eris punches me.


    What a punch¡­


    What does that mean¡­ does that mean that I¡¯ve been punched?


    Furthermore, a punch so fast that it far exceeds my reaction speed.


    Even though I wasn¡¯t using my Foresight Eye¡­ I should have gotten used to seeing Eris¡¯ punches¡­


    [Yes, up till just now, because I was engaged, I held back and only spent time with Chris in moderation¡­. But I will say it clearly with conviction here and now. I am in love with Chris. I won¡¯t go as far as to have it now, but please allow me to go out with Chris with the intention of marriage.]


    This time it¡¯s a body blow.


    Right into my stomach.


    I suddenly feel pain in my stomach.


    [C-Chris¡­ What do you think?]


    I looked to Chris as if asking for help.


    [Eeh? Even if you ask me what I think¡­]


    She replied, covering her fully flush-red face with both hands while squirming.


    Ah¡­


    There is no saving this.


    It¡¯s the pose she does when she truly falls in love.


    The same pose she did around me when she was about five years old.


    But it doesn¡¯t count until you say it out loud!


    [It seems like Chris hates you though?]


    [Papa! Stop being mean! I like him too!]


    Shit.


    It turns out there¡¯s really no saving this.


    When I hear it directly from Chris like this, somehow the damage dealt to me is insanely higher.


    Like getting hit by a chair thrown by my cornerman¡­


    Anyone¡­ won¡¯t anyone be my cornerman¡­?


    As I looked around, I found a certain queen right beside Ed that could support me.


    Help me, Ariel!


    [Rudeus-sama. It goes without saying that, as I proposed before, the Asura house should form a connection with the Greyrat house. This too, would be a good opportunity, wouldn¡¯t it?]


    This isn¡¯t good, she¡¯s completely on the enemy¡¯s side.


    Her position is similar to that of a referee, but she¡¯s the type that would pretend not to see when I get hit with a lethal weapon.


    At the moment it looks like she has an emotionless mask pasted over her face, but if you look closely, you can see her mouth twitching.


    Sylphy is¡­ Ah¡­ she¡¯s part of the audience. She¡¯s looking over here like she¡¯s watching something interesting.


    Eris is¡­ happily wolfing down a piece of chicken nugget, completely oblivious to what is happening over here.


    Roxy is¡­ hidden within the large crowd and can¡¯t be seen.


    She mentioned that she would receive all sorts of comments on the color of her hair color when she¡¯s alone, but does she always have to be so aggressive about it?1


    I have no allies.


    I¡¯ve been driven into a corner.


    ¡­. No, this fight is one that I have to take on alone.


    If not, Dor*emon2 won¡¯t be able to go home in peace.


    Remember it!


    Wasn¡¯t it always my dream?


    To say ¡°I won¡¯t hand over my daughter to someone like you!¡± to a hoodlum who says he wants to marry my daughter.


    [¡­]


    But in actuality, to do it in a situation like this requires a considerable amount of courage.


    The courage to say ¡°someone like you¡± to my colleague, Ariel¡¯s son.


    The courage to say ¡°someone like you¡± to the person my daughter likes.


    The courage to say that to this guy, who¡¯s capable no matter which angle you look at him from ¨C do I have it?


    Nah.


    If it were some hooligan sporting a mohawk with nose piercings rampaging in the streets on his modified bike, then maybe¡­


    But not to this serious and upright young man¡­


    [That¡­ I knew Papa would hate this way of doing things so I told him to take it step by step¡­]


    [¡­ No, it¡¯s fine.]


    I know.


    Long story short, part of the reason why Chris orchestrated the fall of Viola was due to her jealousy towards Viola¡¯s engagement with Edward.


    From what I heard, the one who struck first was Viola, but the annulment of the engagement was outside her expectations¡­.


    Well I¡¯m quite hazy about the details there.


    But I suppose that¡¯s fine.


    This is the Asura Kingdom.


    Stuff like this happens all the time.


    If you couldn¡¯t at least do that, then you would be destroyed in an instant and sent fleeing from the country.


    Numerous employees of our company were also Ex-Asuran Nobility.


    If one is to live in the Asura Kingdom, one needs to be capable of that level of scheming, at the very least.


    However¡­


    With regards to that, I would like to hear what Edward thinks.


    [Edward-kun.]


    [Yes.]


    [Mere moments ago, you just annulled your engagement with Lady Viola. Despite that, you immediately turned around and announced that you are jumping ship to Chris. Isn¡¯t that somewhat too frivolous of you?]


    [Yes, I think so too. But, as it seemed like Lord Rudeus had guessed my intentions, I decided that instead of making up a half-baked lie, I should answer with my true feelings. Even though the situation may not be appropriate, I took the liberty to say it.]


    [¡­.I guessed at¡­ what?]


    [? Did you not probe my relationship with Chris exactly because you knew how I felt about her?]


    How the hell would I know that!?


    Yet, I see that¡¯s how it is¡­ It was me who started asking.


    Well, of course.


    Of course, it would appear to be that way from Edward¡¯s perspective.


    Thinking that at least for today, he should leave a good impression on me to seal the deal and feeling like he had been seen through¡­ He merely stated his honest thoughts in response to that.


    Well, isn¡¯t that surprisingly manly?


    [Furthermore, I am a royal that has come of age. If my engagement had been annulled, another partner would be chosen immediately after. Before that happens, I wanted to express my own will in this matter as soon as I could. Here, where Mother also happens to be present.]


    Marriage is a duty for royalty.


    However, that duty did not include having feelings of love towards the marriage partner.


    Having said that, he probably wanted to be married to someone he loves, if it was possible.


    Since it has come to this, Ariel would probably pick Chris as Edward¡¯s partner, even if she has to resort to somewhat forceful means.


    Well, Edward wouldn¡¯t know anything about that.


    His engagement with Viola was probably decided without him knowing, because he didn¡¯t particularly state his intention to be with anyone.


    To prevent that from happening again, he probably judged that stepping up and clearly stating his wishes was the best thing to do.


    [¡­]


    Ahh, this is rough.


    The atmosphere is so tense that my stomach hurts.


    That body blow from before really did a number on me.


    Why did I ask him something like that?


    Someone, please teach me time travel magic.


    I would return to a few minutes ago to punch myself right in the face to stop the question.


    ¡­Nah, there wouldn¡¯t be a point.


    It¡¯s only a matter of time.


    Even if it didn¡¯t come to this today, Chris would¡¯ve just brought him over to meet me on another day.


    If that happened, I would¡¯ve probably met him without knowing what moves he¡¯d make.


    Compared to that, being able to talk to him now would be considered lucky.


    Do your best, me!


    Sylphy is watching!


    [So you think you are a suitable partner to Chris?]


    [Yes! ¡­ I don¡¯t necessarily have the confidence to say so like that. But these three years, helping her, and learning so much from her, I have come to realise many things about myself. If it is with her, no matter for how many decades to come, helping each other, teaching each other, I am confident that we can live like that together.]


    Such a refreshing and perfect answer to my question.


    Would the me from twenty years ago have been able to deliver such a response?


    [If, there is anything that you feel unhappy about me, then by all means, please test me however way you want until you are satisfied.]


    [Hou, well said. Then¡­]


    Then, defeat me in battle!


    It would be cool if I said that.


    But even if he defeats me, it¡¯s not like that would add points to his attractiveness to Chris.


    Let¡¯s say I was childish and beat him up in my Magic Armor, that would only make Chris hate me. It¡¯s not like I have the hobby of beating up people Chris likes.


    I merely wanted him to show me that he has the power to protect Chris.


    I wanted to see his resolve to make Chris happy.


    It¡¯s not that.


    It¡¯s just that there are alarm bells ringing inside my head.


    That Chris is no longer that weak-willed crybaby that I¡¯ve always known.


    In the raging maelstrom that is the Asuran aristocratic society, she has matured into an iron-willed woman that can take charge of the helm.


    And Edward, recognising her abilities, wanted to share his life with her while helping each other out.


    Living in the Asura Kingdom requires strength different from the ones used in fist fights.


    At the very least, Chris has that type of strength.


    And, just moments ago, she had shown me proof in front of my eyes.


    Ariel had also given her seal of approval.


    It¡¯s not appropriate to declare boldly right after his engagement was annulled¡­ But I was the one who asked.


    Edward merely gave his response to my question.


    Like a man, boldly, and with sincerity.


    Rather than saying, [Today¡¯s not a good idea¡­] and sidestepping the issue, knowing full well that he would take blame and experience hardship due to what he said.


    He sensed that I was stepping in to test him, and came on the counter offensive.


    He¡¯s handsome not just in looks alone. Even his actions are handsome.


    If he didn¡¯t have a fianc¨¦e mere moments ago, then this situation would have been perfect.


    Damn it.


    What¡¯s with kids nowadays.


    These kids left and right, all of them having such good looks that it¡¯s creepy.


    If only they were more flimsy and weak-willed, I could have come on more firmly¡­!


    [¡­]


    Fu¡­


    Calm down Rudeus.


    This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯re marrying off your daughter.


    I was also this distracted when it was Lucy¡¯s time.


    That time, because I consulted with Nanahoshi, my mind was prepared and it went along great.


    This time I didn¡¯t have that mental preparation.


    Well, it¡¯s fine.


    It¡¯s fundamentally the same thing.


    Isn¡¯t it?


    What did I say that time?


    If I recall, it was [Date in moderation until you graduate from school].


    And what did this guy say just now?


    [We have been dating in moderation up until now.]


    And the graduation ceremony is today.


    Oof.


    I can¡¯t use the same line I used before!


    ¡­ Okay, I¡¯ve calmed down.


    In the first place, is this guy even an appropriate partner for Chris?


    If Chris is in trouble, would he lend his hand without feelings of it being bothersome?


    When push comes to shove, would he stand and fight beside Chris without running away?


    In the first place, just what kind of person is this guy?


    Let¡¯s start from there.


    [So, can you tell me more about yourself?]


    In the end, that¡¯s all I asked.


    [Of course.]


    Looks like it¡¯s gonna be a long story.


    ¡ª


    After that, I had a long talk with Edward.


    Not in the way you¡¯d think.


    It wasn¡¯t a threat disguised as a talk.


    It was a long, long conversation.


    I ended up hearing him out for the whole duration of the party.


    I felt bad towards him and other nobles that wanted to get close to him during this party.


    As a result, I managed to get to know him pretty well.


    How they started to like each other.


    How he was always there to help out Chris.


    How at the very end, he fell short of being able to help her, but still tried to do so.


    He was an exceedingly high-spec human being, but that doesn¡¯t mean he was perfect all around.


    Towards people he was interested in, he would go out of his way to approach them from the front; Towards people he wasn¡¯t interested in, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to care about them. He is such a callous person, and he admitted as much.


    For example, it seems like he never really interacted seriously with his fianc¨¦e, Viola, at all.


    That could have been one of the factors that incited this incident.


    For a weakness, that callousness may seem inconsequential. But this might cause problems down the road. After all, he is a prince. There¡¯s definitely no shortage of people vying for his attention.


    But that is something that Chris already knows, and believes that she can help out with. Bringing out the good points of people Edward isn¡¯t interested in, helping him get interested, keeping tabs on people in his place, becoming a buffer for him.


    By knowing each other¡¯s weaknesses and covering for one another, such weaknesses can be overcome¡­


    He might be a cold person, but towards me, he was straightforward and sincere.


    Even though he was fully aware about how I and the people around Chris dote on her a lot.


    The talk after that, he didn¡¯t try to dodge the topic, and I couldn¡¯t feel any fear from him at all.


    He did not run away.


    At the very least, regarding this topic, I could feel his enthusiasm.


    He isn¡¯t a perfect person ¨C a rather flawed one at that.


    A fellow that could say something like he wants to date another girl with intentions of marriage on the day he rejected his fianc¨¦e, I do not like that at all.


    Of course, I¡¯m not perfect too, myself.


    Despite telling Sylphy that I only loved her alone, over and over again, I was a good-for-nothing that married two more wives after that.


    I do not have the right to call others out on their shallowness.


    Even so, I want my daughter to be perfectly protected, by a perfect guy and live in perfect happiness.


    Alas, I understand.


    A perfect person does not exist.


    A seemingly perfect person is just someone who is really good at hiding his flaws.


    And whether it¡¯s my son or daughter, even while dating that seemingly perfect person, they will have to protect themselves and become happy by their own efforts.


    For now, after speaking with both Chris and Edward, I understand that their relationship isn¡¯t simply a matter of ¡°liking¡± each other. I understood that they were by each other¡¯s sides when they needed each other most within this three year period.


    In terms of ability, and personality, they are extremely compatible with each other.


    With all these in mind, it isn¡¯t all that bad.


    Although I can¡¯t just give him a giant seal of approval and say, [If it¡¯s this guy, I can leave my daughter with him without worries!]


    But he¡¯s good enough.


    That is why I allowed him to continue dating Chris.


    However, what lies beyond, is something that they will have to discuss and decide between themselves.


    I let them know that if it was something decided after much discussion between themselves, I would not object to it.


    And I hammered down the point that I would brutally murder Edward if he decides to be unfaithful towards Chris.


    ¡­ Of course, it will probably never come to that.


    After all, Chris isn¡¯t all that well put-together as a person either. She always simple-mindedly goes wherever she¡¯s able to reach, at the moment.


    That¡¯s what it means to be young.


    To move on without hesitation.


    It seems like the next time I step into the Asura Kingdom would be on Chris¡¯ wedding day.


    [Hah¡­]


    We are now on the way back home from the party.


    Not to the mansion we have in the Asura Kingdom, but to our home in Sharia.


    [Somehow, it¡¯s amazing.]


    All the while on the way home from the party, I kept mumbling these words.


    Maybe it¡¯s already more than ten times.


    The wives that nodded and gave their comments at first were all giving wry smiles and replied, [-Yeah].


    By the way, for missing the scene where I was stumped by Edward, Roxy is currently making an extremely regretful face.


    [That Chris getting married, huh¡­]


    I thought it would take awhile longer for Chris, but all of a sudden, and all at once, she became independent. A lightning fast pace.


    Amongst my kids, there wasn¡¯t one that matured that quickly from the Asura Royal Academy. Most of the time, right after they graduated from the Academy, there was a period of time where my kids wouldn¡¯t know what to do.


    In spite of all that, the one child that I thought had the worst compatibility with the Asura Royal Academy, when actually put into it, was the one best suited for it.


    You never know what happens with children.


    [Now, now, Rudy, that¡¯s all you¡¯ve been saying since just now.]


    Even if you tell me that, I just got a huge volume of information about Chris slammed right into my head. No matter what I do, I just can¡¯t think straight.


    Despite thinking about this and that, what came out in the end were still those words. It can¡¯t be helped.


    Alright.


    Once we get home, let¡¯s drink the night away.


    Whether this is an occasion to celebrate, or to wail over, or to continue arguing that I won¡¯t hand over Chris unless that rascal transforms into a transcendent super life-form.


    To make a correct judgement on that, I first need alcohol to cleanse my mind.


    [Everyone, let¡¯s drink when we get home. Who¡¯s up for it?]


    [Isn¡¯t that nice, once in a while!]


    [Ah, in that case let¡¯s open the wine that we got today.]


    [That sweet wine I procured the other day is good.]


    It seems like everyone had indicated their interest in participation.


    Awesome, then the four of us shall drink after such a long time.


    Yup, just the four of us.


    All of the children had already become independent.


    No, there¡¯s still one remaining.


    While she¡¯s doing research at the university, she always lazes at home on her off days and lives her days like a caterpillar. We still have one not-so-independent child at home, huh.


    Well, we can take our time with that.


    Though we really don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, Migurds have a long lifespan.


    Given enough time, it will work itself out.


    Forget about that, let¡¯s drink with Sylphy, sleep on Roxy¡¯s lap and grope Eris¡¯ breasts before getting beaten up tonight.


    When I regain consciousness in the morning, it will be a great morning.


    While having these thoughts, we¡¯ve reached home.


    Just as we were saying ¡°We¡¯re home¡± to Beet, who had coiled himself onto the gate, and ¡°Let¡¯s drink¡­¡±


    [WAN WAN WAN! WAN WAN WAN! GRRR! WAN!]


    We heard Leo¡¯s loud barks from within the house.


    Furthermore, it was a very agitated and impatient kind of barking.


    Almost as if he was rushing us, who were outside to quickly come towards him.


    [!]


    After a moment of glancing at each other, we moved immediately.


    With Eris as the vanguard, Sylphy and me in the middle and Roxy as rearguard.


    Eris drew her sword and I activated my foresight eye.


    Upon Eris¡¯ and my signal, Sylphy put her hand on the doorknob¡­


    And pushed open it.


    [RRAAHHH!]


    Eris rushed in headfirst, with Sylphy following closely behind.


    I stuck to the sides, looking to do a wraparound¡­


    [¡­ What are you guys doing]


    Upon hearing Eris¡¯ monotone words, everything stood still.


    There, stood Leo.


    And also Lara.


    Both of them were clutching onto a single bag, and froze in that position.


    This isn¡¯t a strange occurrence.


    Sure, Lara and Leo are close, but they do fight from time to time.


    Though, most of these fights end up with Leo backing down.


    But there was just one thing I couldn¡¯t understand.


    Lara Greyrat.


    My second daughter.


    A child who inherited the Migurd blood strongly, and looks like a 14 year old.


    The one that, just a moment ago, I wasn¡¯t thinking too fondly of. An unreliable daughter.


    She, for some reason, was carrying a huge backpack.


    One that would conjure up images of a long journey.


    One on her back, one on Leo¡¯s and the one that they were fighting over, three backpacks in total.


    Yes, that shut-in daughter of mine, was for some reason in travel attire.


    [Lara¡­ What¡¯s with that getup?]


    Towards Roxy who blurted out those words. Lara¡­


    Wore an extremely annoyed expression on her face.

 CH 32

    [Ah¡­]


    Lara showed a face of extreme annoyance.


    Even though I went to such lengths to leave unnoticed, I was found out at the very last moment¡­


    A face like that.


    Maybe she pulled off something strange again.


    Something that would get her a spanking from Eris.


    [Are you going somewhere?]


    [Yeah, for a bit.]


    As Lara said that, Leo circled around in front of Lara, lowered his waist and growled in a voice that he didn¡¯t usually use.


    [Uuuuuuu¡­]


    [Uh, alright. I get it already¡­]


    Such an unusual sight.


    Leo is seriously angry at Lara.


    Did our daughter do something bad?


    If that¡¯s the case, then this is definitely her trying to get away under the cover of darkness.


    Lara has the habit of escaping when she causes trouble.


    Although that was when she was much younger.


    Even though she pulled pranks, she was afraid of the Eris¡¯ spankings.


    I keep telling her, ¡°You should be prepared to receive punishment if you do something wrong.¡±


    Well, if she could learn her lesson just from me telling her, she wouldn¡¯t be doing it again and again.


    As they got older, our kids received fewer spankings from Eris, but Lara was the exception.


    Apparently it got so painful that she couldn¡¯t even sleep facing up.


    I wonder what she did this time.


    Could it be that she broke Sylphy¡¯s favorite porcelain ware?


    No, it couldn¡¯t be something as trivial as that.


    Even when she left a mysterious threatening letter on Orsted¡¯s desk and ran around in town, she didn¡¯t try to escape at night like this¡­


    [Papa, Mama.]


    Lara had a pitiable expression, but immediately changed to a calm one to face us. She then raised her hand.


    [I will be going on a journey for a bit.]


    And so she declared.


    So going out ¡°for a bit¡± turned into going ¡°on a journey¡±.


    [Where to¡­?]


    [I saw a particularly strange future, so¡­ here and there.]


    [Strange future?]


    We turned our faces to meet each other.


    Lara was a prankster that always did outrageous things for her own amusement.


    So much so that there was a time where we thought she might actually end up becoming the leader of a gang of rascals and bullies.


    She somehow mellowed out over the years, and before we realized it, she mellowed so much that she was just one step short of becoming an eccentric, divination-loving shut-in.


    It¡¯s not like we were particularly fussy about how we wanted our kids to turn out. After all, it looked like Lara was having fun spending her days in her own way.


    But to find out that she was trying to sneak off on a journey by herself is also worrying.


    [What happened all of a sudden? Did you do something so bad you had to run away this time?]


    [I didn¡¯t do anything.]


    [Then, why?]


    [¡­Explaining¡­ is a pain.]


    [Hey now, don¡¯t be like that.]


    Reluctantly swayed by my words, Lara let out a sigh in frustration.


    As if she was saying, even if I tell Papa¡­


    Hey hey, why not tell us about the matter without making that kinda face?


    We might be able to help somehow, right?


    [As it is now, I will lose.]


    Lose.


    Who exactly will she lose to?


    Is she competing with someone?


    Is it Lily? Or even Sieg?


    Lara¡¯s expressions were never easy to read. Perhaps she could sense impending danger somehow?


    [The next time I come home, it will be with a guy.]


    A guy!?


    Ah, maybe she heard about how Chris will be getting married from somewhere.


    News reaches her really fast. Even though Lara looks like that, she has an independent intelligence network of her own.


    Maybe she got anxious after she heard about what happened in the party.


    So that¡¯s the case¡­


    That Lara is anxiously leaving on a journey for marriage.


    She has matured¡­


    Has she?


    She has, right?


    I would like to think that she has.


    [That, you can¡¯t do that somewhere close to home?]


    [Impossible. The density here isn¡¯t optimal.]


    [Density? You mean mana density?]


    [Right.]


    Ah, I see.


    After all, depending on the environment¡¯s mana density, a man could grow up differently.


    A man who grew up in places of high mana density would be reliable, have green hair, hold a white spear and love children.


    But that¡¯s Norn¡¯s husband, so you can¡¯t go for him.


    [And also, various experiments.]


    [Experiments.]


    Experiments¡­ meaning her goal is not just finding a guy.


    If those experiments are dependent on mana density, then it makes sense that they can¡¯t be done here.


    Eh? Wasn¡¯t she just going boyfriend hunting?


    You¡¯re not making sense here, my daughter.


    [In other words Lara, you divined your own fate using astrology and saw a disconcerting future. Thinking that it cannot go on like this, you plan to continue your research in a faraway land, and at the same time find a marriage partner. Is that right?]


    Roxy summarized the contents of the conversation.


    Straightforward and easy to understand.


    As expected of Sensei.


    Pros do indeed do things differently.


    [Ah¡­¡­ I guess, that¡¯s not far off from the truth.]


    Though Lara wasn¡¯t totally satisfied with the answer, it looks like Roxy generally got it right.


    However, I can¡¯t help but think that something is fundamentally wrong here.


    It doesn¡¯t make sense, does it?


    I don¡¯t know what kind of future Lara saw in her visions, but just because you¡¯re performing experiments in a foreign land, it doesn¡¯t mean you can get a guy, does it?


    A more surefire way would be for me to find one for her.


    [¡­No need to worry. I¡¯ll definitely bring him back.]


    It seems like we don¡¯t have to worry, but I¡¯m worried.


    Really worried.


    For the guy that will get caught by this weird daughter of mine.


    Well, even so.


    If it¡¯s something that she is interested in and determined to do¡­


    I am not one to stop her.


    Let¡¯s wait.


    Wait and see just what kind of guy Lara will bring back.


    With long necks.


    [White Mama and Blue Mama can look forward to it.]


    Huh?


    [What about Papa?]


    [Papa is already dead.]1


    Hey, hey, don¡¯t say something straight out of Fist of the North St*r.


    But what¡¯s going on?


    Would I be killed just by meeting him?


    Or is it just that she doesn¡¯t want to let me meet him?


    Could it be, that I am actually already dead, and am currently a wandering spirit?


    No way. Though it¡¯s true that I retained memories from my past life and died once, I¡¯m not dead now.


    Why isn¡¯t she going to let me meet him?


    Up until now, being against any of the marriages that my children planned to have¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say I haven¡¯t done that.


    But just hours ago, I allowed the relationship between Chris and the Weird Prince!


    That¡¯s why, I want to at least meet him.


    [It¡¯s impossible for Red Mama too.]


    [¡­ Why is that?]


    Eris asked the reason for me.


    [Finding him is not easy. It would take time.]


    [Time¡­ Ahh. I see, so that¡¯s why. It¡¯s regrettable that I would never get to see Lara¡¯s husband.]


    Eris seems convinced.


    I also understood the reason why.


    It takes time.


    It is impossible for Eris too.


    That would mean¡­ about more than 50 years later.


    Around that time, Eris and me, would probably have passed on.


    Huh? Just to find one guy, it takes 50 years?


    Wait, if it¡¯s her, then maybe it wouldn¡¯t be weird if it takes that long.


    Or is it that the experiment that has a 50-year span?


    [Wait, um, Lara-chan?]


    As calmly as I could, I called out Lara¡¯s name.


    With my brain being close to punctured from Chris¡¯ matter, talking with Lara here far exceeded my mental capacity.


    It¡¯s completely outside my realm of understanding.


    That¡¯s why I want to cool it down even more.


    [There is no such thing as a perfect guy in the world. That¡¯s why, you have to compromise, or feel it-]


    [Hah¡­]


    Just as I was about to give a grand lecture about how to find guys, she heaved an exaggerated sigh.


    What? At least listen till the end¡­


    [Good grief, Papa is always like this¡­]


    Lara took two steps towards me, opened up her arms and for some reason, prompted me for a hug.


    And so, we hugged.


    She has a small body like Roxy.


    When she lets down her hair, her figure from the back looks exactly like Roxy¡¯s.


    I might have mixed them up maybe once or twice.


    When I called out ¡°Roxy¡±, and I got a reply from behind me, I had thoughts like ¡°An afterimage!?!?¡±


    [There, there. It¡¯s about time to let go of your daughter, yeah.]


    Lara patted me on the head.


    I feel like she¡¯s making a fool out of me.


    As if I was throwing a tantrum because I don¡¯t want Lara to leave.


    [If that¡¯s not how it is going to be, I¡¯ll tell on you about the second time you mistook me for Mama.]


    [Not that, please.]


    I am really reflecting on that one.


    Because of that mistake, I stopped sneaking up on and embracing Roxy from behind and started calling out her name instead, just to make sure it was her.


    Lara was like ¡°Well, things like this happen sometimes¡± and forgave me, but I couldn¡¯t forgive myself.


    [¡­]


    I let her down on the floor.


    She dusted off her clothes, smiled and imposingly put her bag on her shoulder.


    [Don¡¯t worry. Leave it to me. I won¡¯t let Papa¡¯s accomplishments go to waste.]


    Then, striking her coolest pose and putting on her game face, she said:


    [I¡¯ll go change the future for a bit.]


    My daughter is already past 20 now.


    She¡¯s not some 14 year-old boy.


    ¡­From a prankster, she became an eccentric, and she¡¯s finally evolved into a chuunibyou.2


    Nah, maybe this is just her way of manifesting her will.


    That she should no longer be lazing around and living off her family in Sharia.


    To leave one¡¯s hometown, become independent and find someone nice to get married to.


    Then, keeping that guy under her thumb and resume lazing around.


    That might be what she is trying to say.


    Perhaps.


    I don¡¯t know.


    [Erm, what do you think?]


    Forcing those thoughts into my head, I turned to the wives for their opinion.


    They were also making troubled faces.


    Maybe more than troubled, they look like they were baffled.


    Phew, so I wasn¡¯t the only one that didn¡¯t get what¡¯s going on.


    [Well, if she says she wants to go, there¡¯s no reason to stop her¡­]


    Sylphy was mumbling her words.


    Though she was the one who looked after the children the most, it seems like she also did not understand Lara all that well.


    It¡¯s not like children are easy to understand, anyways.


    Eris was the only exception. She looked like she understood everything.


    [Isn¡¯t that good? She should go on a journey while she¡¯s young.]


    Alas, she merely looked like she understood, meaning she did not actually understand what was going on. Her answer surfaced from reminiscing her own experiences. That¡¯s why, even though the reasons are unknown, it is a good thing to go on a journey.


    It¡¯s nice that Eris is so easy to read.


    [That¡¯s right. Lara should go out and explore the world a little¡­ Otherwise, letting her continue staying at home like this is hopeless in various senses of the word.]


    Roxy agreed with Eris¡¯s opinion.


    Marriage might be hopeless for Lara. Such was the weight behind her words of agreement.


    In fact, there were numerous occasion where Roxy tried to match make Lara.


    But all of those attempts were smashed to pieces by Lara herself.


    [¡­ I see]


    For now, it seems like no one here is going to stop her from leaving. Honestly, I still don¡¯t understand what this trip is for. But if she is leaving, I should see her off.


    [I understand. But if you don¡¯t have the intentions of coming back for decades, then you should at least say goodbye to everyone in town.]


    [I was told that by Leo as well. He got really mad when I said such farewells were unnecessary. Saying that I would definitely regret it and not allowing me to leave.]


    Ah¡­ So that¡¯s why Leo was mad.


    Good boy, you¡¯ve done well stopping her.


    I¡¯ll give you some high grade meat later on.


    No, Leo will be leaving as well, so there won¡¯t be a later huh.


    [Even though I told Lily, and even left a letter in the living room.]


    [Lara might not know, but Papa really hates farewell letters. So if I saw that, I would have given chase immediately, at full speed. Don¡¯t think you can run away from Papa.]


    [¡­ So you hated farewell letters. That¡¯s something I didn¡¯t know.]


    I¡¯ve had enough of receiving shocks from farewell letters.


    While thinking that, I sneaked a glance at Eris and she was making a face like she was saying ¡°I¡¯d give chase too!¡±.


    Your expression looks like you¡¯ve got nothing to do with this, but do you know that the reason I came to hate farewell letters is because of you!?


    Not like I am mad about it.


    Well, leaving that aside.


    [Lara, do you have anything you need?]


    [Nope.]


    She says that, but she does not look like she is fully prepared.


    Her backpack is fine, but her clothes aren¡¯t well-suited for travelling.


    Technically, she did try to prepare what she thought was needed for journey, but it¡¯s lacking in various areas.


    Then, perhaps I shall get some stuff ready for her.


    No. She¡¯ll figure out what she really needs while traveling on her own. I guess it¡¯s fine then.


    ¡­ From the way she¡¯s phrasing things, it seems like this is my last farewell with Lara.


    If that¡¯s the case, then just a little, I want to give her something special.


    Something to remind her of family every time she looks at it, even though she might be away for decades.


    Looking at the wives with that in my mind, well, it seems like we are all thinking about the same thing.


    [Wait here for a moment.]


    [Okay.]


    Exchanging looks with Sylphy and Roxy, I made haste to the study.


    If I leave her there for too long, there¡¯s a good chance that Lara might just vanish right then and there.


    She always had a habit of doing that.


    On the surface, she looks honest and always in a daze, but somewhere inside her is a shrewd prankster.


    Now we have Leo keeping an eye on her, so she probably won¡¯t disappear.


    [Oh, here it is.]


    Holding the item I dug out from the study, I returned to the entrance.


    Sylphy and Roxy also came back with their own gifts.


    Eris was already there by the time we arrived. As expected of her speed.


    [Lara. Here, take this with you.]


    Saying that, Eris handed over a single knife.


    [If it¡¯s a knife, I have one too¡­]


    [It¡¯s something of a protective charm. Use it if you happen to fight beings like of Orsted. It will work if you hit their vital spots.]


    [Understood. Though I won¡¯t be fighting Orsted.]


    Then, Roxy walked to the front.


    In her hands was a worn out hat.


    [I couldn¡¯t prepare anything given the short notice, so I don¡¯t have anything other than this¡­]


    This hat was the one Roxy wore previously.


    A hat that evokes many fond memories in me.


    It¡¯s probably made with really good materials. It has worn out considerably, but still looks very usable.


    [A hat?]


    [It may not be significant in Sharia, but blue hair stands out in human-majority countries. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it would be good to always put on a hat.]


    [Is that so? Understood.]


    Saying that, Lara dusted off the hat and put it on.


    [Erm, this is from me.]


    Sylphy handed out a few stacks of paper.


    [What¡¯s this?]


    [These are our home recipes. You are a girl, so if you are going to find a guy, you have to at least know how to cook.]


    [Well, you have a point¡­ Understood. I¡¯ll practice.]


    I¡¯m the last.


    I handed what I was holding over to Lara.


    Seeing what she received, Lara was shocked with her eyes wide open.


    [T-This¡­ Could this be¡­?]


    Saying that, she removed the grey cloth covering the top of the rod.


    [Arrogant Water Dragon King, ¡°Aqua Heartia¡±¡­!!]


    With trembling hands, she gripped the staff tightly, and looked at me straight in the eyes again.


    [Can I?]


    [People can tell with a single glance that it¡¯s expensive, so make sure to always cover it with a cloth while carrying it.]


    [Uuhh¡­ Understood¡­ Thank you!]


    Fufu, looks like she likes my present the most.


    Yay!


    She probably wanted to have it since a while back.


    [¡­¡­]


    However, Lara was not looking at Aqua Heartia, but the grey cloth that I took from her.


    Cloth¡­ rather than that, it¡¯s actually clothes.


    Worn out clothes.


    A grey robe.


    Lara merely stared at it silently, and after awhile, put it on.


    What she wore was a robe I wore long ago.


    Naturally, it¡¯s too baggy for her.


    If she goes on walking like that, the hem will drag against the ground, and her hands can¡¯t even be seen if the sleeves aren¡¯t rolled up.


    Pairing this with Roxy¡¯s hat, she looks no more different from a child role-playing as a magician.


    [Hey, Lara. That doesn¡¯t seem to fit you. It has several holes as well.]


    [I¡¯ll patch it up later.]


    [It hasn¡¯t been washed in a while, doesn¡¯t it smell?]


    [Yes. It reeks of Papa. I¡¯ll wash and sundry it later.]


    [Ah, alright.]


    Well, if she¡¯s taken a liking to it, I don¡¯t mind.


    Lara took out another cloth from her bag, and wrapped the staff in it.


    Then, she stood up and got on Leo.


    [Then, I¡¯ll be going.]


    [Ah¡­ Be careful of monsters.]


    [Understood.]


    Just like that.


    From the way she said it, it looks like I won¡¯t see her again in my lifetime¡­


    Well, it also feels like she might reappear at home after three days.


    If it¡¯s our last farewell, maybe I should say something.


    Shouldn¡¯t I leave her with some wise words?


    [Be careful of scummy guys alright?]


    [Understood.]


    [Remember to take baths.]


    [Understood.]


    [Brush your teeth too.]


    [Understood.]


    [And wash your face.]


    [Troublesome.]


    [Do your homework.]


    [Don¡¯t want to.]


    [Rudeus!]


    Because I started hosting the questions and answers corner before 9 pm, I was stopped by Eris.3


    Oops, this isn¡¯t good.


    Just because I couldn¡¯t think of witty things to say, I shouldn¡¯t  be spouting pointless stuff.


    Let¡¯s think a little more carefully, and give her my proper parting words. Yup, let¡¯s do that.


    As I take a step back, the wives stepped forward.


    [Given how sudden it is, I couldn¡¯t think of anything good to say¡­ Uhm, remember to eat your meals okay? You tend to forget your meals when you aren¡¯t careful.]


    [Okay. I¡¯ll remember to eat.]


    [Lara, travelling is a surprisingly fun thing to do, but please do not let your guard down. Death comes in an instant.]


    [Alright. I will be careful.]


    A word from both Sylphy and Roxy.


    The contents are¡­ relatively light.


    They have long lifespans¡­ so they are probably thinking that they would meet Lara again.


    [¡­¡­]


    Lastly, it is Eris¡¯ turn.


    If what Lara says is true, this would also be Eris¡¯ last time seeing Lara.


    I wonder what Eris would say.


    [I don¡¯t really understand it, but you found your path in life right?]


    [Yup, I found it.]


    [Then there¡¯s nothing more for me to say. Do your best.]


    [Un, I¡¯ll do my best.]


    Ahhh~!


    As expected of Eris, so cool!!


    I want to be cool like that as well.


    ¡°Then I have nothing more to say¡± I want to say something to the effect of that.


    Isn¡¯t there something like that?


    Finally, Eris turned towards Leo and said.


    [Leo, we are leaving Lara in your hands.]


    [Wan!]


    Leo barked with pride.


    Like he was saying that he¡¯s finally able to fulfill his duty.


    The straight, disciplined look of a soldier.


    Somehow, Lara¡¯s dreamy-eyed face also looked tenser than usual.


    [¡­¡­]


    Seeing that look, it somehow came to me.


    There¡¯s definitely something she set out to accomplish in this journey.


    I don¡¯t know what that is, but it¡¯s significant enough that Hitogami wanted to kill her.


    Which means that whatever she¡¯s trying to do would be vital key in defeating Hitogami.


    That is why this journey is necessary.


    ¡­Is what I would like to think.


    Since she is being targeted by Hitogami, maybe it might be better to not let her do as she pleases and keep her close for her own safety.


    But that might stop her from doing what she¡¯s is supposed to do in the future, and everything I did till now might be for naught.


    If she is just someone who¡¯s living her life, it is unlikely that Hitogami would do something to her.


    I wonder what it is, though.


    That¡¯s why, I shouldn¡¯t think like that.


    Lara has a destiny she was born to fulfill.


    She is being targeted by Hitogami and protected by Orsted.


    But, Lara isn¡¯t a mere tool to be used in defeating Hitogami.


    At the very least, I should not treat her like one.


    With those thoughts, once again, I stepped in front of Lara.


    [Lara. What you¡¯re thinking, honestly, I still have absolutely no idea¡­ but it is your life. So live it your way till the end.]


    [Yes¡­ I understand.]


    Her reply was in a rare formal tone, while she meekly nodded.


    Seems like I was able to say something useful.


    It may have overlapped with what Eris said a bit, but they are my true thoughts.


    Well, for now, let¡¯s see her off.


    Then let¡¯s go meet and explain the situation to Orsted tomorrow, and if there¡¯s anything we should do, we¡¯ll do it.


    Maybe secretly assigning some guards to follow her might be good as well.


    Alright.


    [Then, have a safe trip.]


    [I¡¯m off.]


    Lara replied in her usual absent-minded tone and stepped out of the door riding on Leo.


    Leo slowly walked paw by paw towards the gate of the estate.


    Then, he stopped and Lara turned her head around¡­


    For several seconds, she glanced at us and the house.


    Her expression, as usual, was in a daze and you can never tell what she is thinking about.


    But after awhile, she got off Leo.


    And facing us, she bowed her head deeply¡­


    [Thank you for taking care of me until now.]


    With that, Lara Greyrat left on her journey.


    ¡ª


    An hour later.


    We were in the living room.


    In the comfortable heat of the furnace, the four of us were cuddling and enjoying some warm tea.


    It was already late at night, but none of us felt like sleeping.


    We were ready to go all out drinking, but that urge has also died down.


    [Somehow, it all came so suddenly.]


    Sylphy blurted out alone.


    Chris¡¯ graduation, employment and engagement.


    Followed by Lara¡¯s journey.


    Especially the latter, it was so sudden that I understood none of it and am still somewhat shocked.


    [That child, she didn¡¯t have to leave this late into the night¡­ Could she be using the teleportation circles?]


    [At this time, the town gates should be closed, so that¡¯s probably it.]


    [It¡¯s worrying¡­ I wonder if we should go and take a look at her?]


    Since Lara¡¯s departure, Roxy has been repeatedly glancing at the window worriedly.


    In all these years, the one that worried about Lara the most was her, after all.


    For this child that had always been incomprehensible, Roxy would set her up in matchmaking sessions or even introduce jobs to her.


    Although, those efforts didn¡¯t seem to have had an effect on Lara.


    [She¡¯ll be fine. Something was different about her today. I felt some sort of determination from her, after all.]


    [Thing is, that determination is what she usually lacks.]


    Conversely, Eris and Sylphy weren¡¯t all that worried.


    To be frank, I am not that worried as well.


    Lara might have the vibes of a shut-in, but her way of being shut-in was fundamentally different from how I was in my previous life.


    With all that said and done, she is an observant person, capable of understanding everything happening around her.


    Yet, she still possesses strong curiosity and loves doing experiments.


    Ever since she was a brat, she loved to pull pranks. And perhaps due to how often she got reprimanded, her body could somehow sense when it wasn¡¯t okay to cross the line.


    She lived as she pleased, while making sure not to cross that line.


    That¡¯s how I saw her.


    So no matter where she goes, I think she will do well.


    Maybe not everything will go her way at first, but since she obtained the ability to see where her boundaries lie¡­


    She will take some time and maybe make some mistakes, but it will all work in her favor in the end.


    I¡¯d like to think about it that way.


    Speaking of which, her actions this time round are quite unusual for what she¡¯d been doing in recently.


    Her divination must have been considerably strange for her to take such drastic actions.


    Regarding her divination research, it¡¯s so out of my depth that I have absolutely no idea how it works¡­


    [At any rate, it looks like everyone has left home.]


    Such lonely words escaped Sylphy¡¯s mouth.


    That¡¯s right.


    Lucy got married and moved to the Holy Milis Kingdom.


    Ars was taken in as Orsted¡¯s subordinate and is travelling the world with Aisha.


    To come to the aid of his friend, Sieg became a knight in the Dragon King Kingdom.


    Lily is under full-time employment of the Zanoba Company as a magic tool researcher. She¡¯s nearby but she tends to coop herself up in her personal workshop and doesn¡¯t come home often.


    Then, Chris found employment in the Asura Kingdom, and most likely her marriage partner.


    And with Lara leaving on her journey¡­


    Our home no longer has any children staying here.


    [It feels like the house somehow got spacious.]


    [¡­¡­]


    Again, we were speechless in response to those words.


    Sounds of the bonfire.


    Without even winds blowing outside, everything is dead silent.


    Within the house too, it feels kinda lifeless and still.


    Just not too long ago, this house was filled with people and even felt a little cramped.


    That¡­ has reduced to only the people here.


    Going up to the second floor, there¡¯s also Lilia and Zenith, but even that adds up to only six people.


    As expected, it feels a little lonely now.


    [What shall we do from now on, then?]


    Sylphy muttered alone again.


    What to do¡­ Those words ¨C I guess it is only because it¡¯s her that she can say it.


    As Orsted¡¯s subordinate, I still have to go around the world doing the missions he assigns me.


    Eris often comes along as my escort on these missions. She also serves as an instructor for the Rude Mercenary Company.


    Roxy is a school teacher. And she was boasting about how she got promoted to a position responsible for an entire year¡¯s students.


    With everyone working on various things, Sylphy was the only one specializing in raising children. She basically stays at home for all of us.


    With all the children leaving the nest, she is left with nothing to do.


    [Do you have anything in mind?]


    [That, I can¡¯t really think of anything right now. I probably had several things in mind¡­ but for now I will continue the housework. Lilia-san¡¯s age too¡­ she would get mad if I say that but I can¡¯t be leaving it all to her now.]


    [If Sylphy says that, we are really grateful for that.]


    Talking strictly about taking care of the children, that had already stopped several years ago.


    Since we are talking about Sylphy here, if she has free time, she¡¯ll probably start something of her own.


    While she appears meek and obedient, she is unexpectedly curious and active after all.


    [¡­¡­]


    But, I guess that¡¯s the case.


    I had children.


    And they became independent, got married and even gave birth to grandchildren.


    I¡¯ve already come this far huh¡­.


    Thinking back, I really feel like I¡¯ve come a long way.


    When I first reincarnated into this world and decided to take life seriously this time round, I never would¡¯ve thought that this would happen.


    Nah, even at that time, I believed I would be able to live a decent life.


    However, reality indeed turned out really different.


    There were times where everything was smooth sailing, and times where it wasn¡¯t.


    Times of convenience, times of trouble.


    I¡¯ve been forgiven for things that I thought were unforgivable, and the converse as well.


    I tried my best at the time, and maybe occasionally slacked off.


    And it ended up the way it did.


    Three wives and six children.


    Working hard at my job and taking care of my parents.


    If my past self saw this, he might quip about how unexpectedly shabby my situation now is.


    He may think about things like how I could¡¯ve gone further and reached for greater heights.


    But I¡¯m am satisfied as I am now.


    Studying, travelling, making friends, creating art, researching, falling in love, marrying, raising children, working, fighting- to win, to be defeated, to gain, to lose, and to gain again, and while doing that, slowly building up experiences and things.


    I never thought that I¡¯d be able to live like a proper person like this.


    I thought about living life seriously, but I had absolutely no idea where to even begin going about doing that. Yet, I¡¯ve done well.


    Nah¡­ this is just the beginning huh.


    As the kids have become independent, we have more room to breathe now.


    So now, we can start something new again.


    [Me too, I think I¡¯ll start something new.]


    [Rudy too? Then let¡¯s do it together. What will we be doing?]


    [Ah, me too, please let me participate in that too.]


    [Naturally, I will be part of that!]


    The wives drew closer and we started thinking.


    What we would be doing next.


    Not what we should do, but what we want to do.


    Maybe there¡¯s nothing much that we really want to do, but something that¡¯ll be interesting once we start would be good.


    My life will still go on for awhile.


    How many years of age will I live to be, I still have no clue¡­


    But I¡¯ll continue working hard as I do now.


    [That¡¯s right, then let¡¯s¡­]


    If I do that, then this time round, I will die peacefully, having lived a satisfying life.


    ¡ª


    Some translator notes:


    1. Omae wa mou shinderu. NANI


    2. Eighth Grade Syndrome. A condition where people truly believe they are the chosen one. Sample video.


    3. I have absolutely no idea where this reference is from. Probably some variety show in Japan.