IT’S SUDDEN, BUT I CAME TO

ANOTHER WORLD! BUT I

HOPE TO LIVE SAFELY
– Isekai demo Bunan ni Ikitai Shoukougun –

- VOLUME 2 -
Exposure

-AUTHOR-
Antai
-ILLUSTRATOR-
Hitaki Yuu

[ REIGOKAI: ISEKAI TRANSLATIONS ]

 CHAPTER 25
A REPORT FOR NOW

The days go by fast. It has already been 10 years since I came to this
isekai.

…Just kidding. It has only been 2 weeks.

I would have no complaints if I could ly through that amount of time

without anything happening.

I woke up comfortably, washed my face, and headed to the kitchen.

I kindle the ire irst. I have gotten used to igniting with the kindle
stones.

I heated up the soup I prepared a lot of for yesterday’s dinner.

I boil water in the other pot and hard-boil eggs.

I actually like them half-cooked though… I miss the quality of life of

Japan.

The production of antibiotics would be dif icult, but pasteurization

should be possible, I think?

Boiled eggs are barely in the safe zone if you can maintain the
temperature of the water to a certain degree… but there’s nothing to
adjust the ire.

“I would like to think up a good method…”

I throw the boiled eggs inside cold water and wait for a while.

I leave the pot stand at the center of the table, rinse 3 wooden plates
with water and place them there.

I drain the water where the boiled eggs are, move them to a colander,
and then to the table.

Peel some fruits with a fruit knife at the end.

Hmm, I would like yogurt too.

I would like to make bacon egg over boiled eggs, but the production
cost of bacon is hopeless.

People who make Japanese-style meals from the very morning are truly
incredible.

I felt this in my bones as I poured the soup on the plates and put my
hands together.

Peel the shell of the boiled eggs, and add a pinch of salt from the bag.

The cooled exterior is slightly chilly, but the inside is faintly warm.

That said, this isn’t enough to warm me up, so I bring the soup into my
mouth too.

‘Fuuh’, I let out a sigh and inished eating the irst egg.

That’s when the irst housemate came.

“Shishou~, good morning!” (Wolfe)

“Good morning, Wolfe. You are lively today too.”

“Wolfe is always lively!” (Wolfe)

The learning speed of Wolfe is really high.

She doesn’t need the possession spell anymore after all.

She can’t say complicated words, but she can already speak the
common language of this world.

The possession spell was undone just the other day and it is currently a
period of observation, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any issues.

Eh, what about the otherworlder that’s eating breakfast?

Hahaha, he is still in the middle of it.

Being able to communicate with words was an incredibly appealing

thing for Wolfe, and her efforts and desire to learn the language was a
sight to behold.

On the other hand, my habits with Japanese have not gone away yet,
and I end up depending on the convenient possession spell
unconsciously.

But well, I have only been learning for around a week or so, you know?

Don’t you think it is nice progress that I can say ‘Hello’ and ‘Nice to
meet you’?

I did make progress, you know? There’s a good amount of times when
this possession spell won’t translate some terms correctly.

If I had to bring out a case of this, it would be with ‘sampuru’. Cara-jii

didn’t understand the meaning of this at irst.
The reason is simple: the meaning that a ‘sampuru’ is a ‘sample’ was
rooted in my mind.

It apparently transmitted properly after I concentrated strongly on an

example of it before speaking it.

I noticed that most engrish words fall into such issues.

I tried out using engrish words like ‘agenda’ and ‘legume’, and it didn’t
transmit.

Well, that’s all there was to it though.

“Hm~fufu~hm~fu~♪” (Wolfe)

Wolfe poured soup on her plate while humming and put her hands
together like I did.

There’s originally no custom of placing your hands together for an

‘itadakimasu’ like on Earth. The Yugura Church does have the custom of
putting their hands together in prayer though.

“Itadaki… masu!” (Wolfe)

Of course, the language was Japanese. I am not forcing her to, but she
ended up completely learning this one Japanese term.

I am impressed at how she eats such a modest meal with such glee
though.

It makes me want to make a bit more complicated stuff.

“Shishou, where are you going today?” (Wolfe)

“I am heading to Marito’s place. You go ahead and participate in the
training of Cara-jii and the others or something, Wolfe.”

“Oka~y!” (Wolfe)

And then, the last housemate -the landlord- arrived.

Even though she should have washed her face, she hasn’t washed off
her drowsy face.

“Ilias, good morning!” (Wolfe)

“…Good morning, Wolfe.” (Ilias)

Ilias poured soup in the same manner and began eating.

She stared absentmindedly at me stretching my hand towards the

fruits, and spoke to me.

“The irst time I saw you, I thought you were a person that has a hard
time waking up once you fall asleep.” (Ilias)

“My fatigue was at the very limits at that time after all. I normally wake
up when I feel the morning sun on my skin for around 1 hour.”

But well, I sleep like a log outside of that, so there’s rarely any occasion
where I would wake up in the middle of it.

Me sleeping at that time was close to being knocked out, yup.

Let’s hide the fact that I hold a grudge from being hit awake at that
time.

“I on the other hand thought that you would be the type that would be
sharp in the morning.”
“I can get in that mindset more easily once I change clothes though.
That’s why I make sure to change into my armor at home.” (Ilias)

If I think of a knight’s appearance being the same as the suit of a

salaryman, I can kind of get it, but it is more like a ire ighter wearing
their ire ighting clothes from home, yup.

I drew my own conclusion here as I begin to peel the skin of the fruits
that Ilias and Wolfe will eventually be eating.

“But hasn’t that instilled a strict image in the minds of the people?”

“That’s… I can’t deny it.” (Ilias)

According to Saira-san, who is the representative of the people and

knows the state of the knights well, the impression the citizens have of
Ilias is: strict, serious, gallant, doesn’t look like jokes would get through
her, you would die if you make her angry, etc.

She looked pretty down when she heard the last one.

There’s the need to ix that image to a certain degree, so Saira-san and I

are in the middle of planning a variety of things.

“It is important to bring out results, but you have to be careful in how
you portray yourself too.”

“Hmm… and what exactly should I do?” (Ilias)

“If you are greeted, answer with a smile. That should be enough if it is
you.”

“Smile… hnn.” (Ilias)

That’s not a smile, is it?

If you were to respond with that face at a greeting, the random citizen A
would go ‘eh, did I mess up somehow?’.

“Looks like you need to practice how to smile naturally. You can pull it
off once in a while though.”

“Isn’t it dif icult to smile on command?” (Ilias)

“Of course it is. More so when you don’t do it normally. You don’t lose
anything from trying, so practice.”

“…What about you? Can you do it?” (Ilias)

“Of course I can.”

I showed a refreshing smile. She was shocked.

This rascal. There’s a heaven’s difference between my smile and yours,

okay?!

“Got anything to say?”

“N-No, just surprised you can make a face like that… I will work hard
too.” (Ilias)

Ilias changed into her armor after that and headed to the castle ahead
of us.

I inished tidying up here and began some simple cleaning. Wolfe

obviously helped out too.

It is to the point where Ilias herself would ask for her room to be
cleaned. That said, it is not like Ilias hates cleaning.

She normally would like to do this every day, but she returns home at
evening or at night. With the current state where she can’t clean and do
the laundry in a satisfactory manner, she does all of that stuff together
in her free days.

Cause of this, she would normally leave the laundry to the laundry store
kind of place that’s on the way.

We head to the castle after inishing the cleaning and laundry. We

unfortunately don’t have a personal carriage, so it is on foot.

I considered having Wolfe carry my body like the gorilla did in order to
take it easy, but the gazes of the people bothered me, so I gave up. Let’s
just accept it as light exercise after a meal.

Wolfe was following by my side with a hum. A certain someone was

humming while making food when Wolfe was taking a nap, and it
seems like she heard it, and I ended up having to teach her.

Since then, I would hear phrases I have heard somewhere in Japan

every now and then…

The eyes around… It seems like they have gotten used to this to a
certain degree.

This is in part because black wol kins have been coming every so often
since a few days ago.

There was an of icial announcement from the government as well, and

they have recognized this situation as normal despite there being
demi-humans.

That said, it is not on the level of the reaction from Japanese people
when seeing foreigners in Tokyo.

If anything, I would say their eyes are like those of wonder from seeing
someone from another district.
Also, Wolfe stands out with her peculiar whiteness. It is to the point
where you would want to ask her which bleach she used. She hasn’t
though.

If their reputation increases a bit more, she might become a beast girl
popular with the neighbors, but it seems like they still feel
apprehensive about speaking to a stranger.

By the way, a certain someone has black eyes and black hair despite his
normal appearance, so he would sometimes feel the gaze people would
direct to foreigners.

And we arrived. I showed the pass permit to the guard in front of the
bridge, and we entered the castle grounds.

The pass permit that Lord Ragudo gave me: an outstanding item that
allows me to have audiences with Lord Ragudo and Marito without
having to do almost any procedures.

The reason it is ‘almost’ is because there would be times when they are
in the middle of a meeting or would be busy receiving outside guests,
and I would be made to wait.

I headed to the corridor just like that and towards the of ice room. I
greet the soldier and have him lead me inside.

Inside, I see Marito facing documents on his desk.

“Your Majesty, good morning!” (Wolfe)

“Good morning, Wolfe, good morning, friend.” (Marito)

“Will it take a while more?”

“Let’s see. Please take a seat wherever and kill some time.” (Marito)
I sit at the chair prepared for me. There was a book of mine there.

At this time of the day, Marito is normally inishing up his paperwork.

Due to the time he takes to end being erratic, he created a space for us
to kill time in this manner.

And so, I am having a study session for a while with Wolfe. I move to my
original objective after that.

“Was there any change?”

“Right. Being able to choose the subjects in educational institutions is

mostly well received. I feel like we will be able to narrow the candidates
for the subjects and apply them. But increasing the education level of
the whole populace really didn’t get much of an approval as expected.”
(Marito)

“Figures. If the period of time they use to study is extended, the

children would have already grown to a point where they can help out
in work. It would be too precious to lose such a labor force.”

“If it were like in your world, anyone would be able to have hopes of
becoming a high of icial. However, there were many who perked up
their ears when it was mentioned that if there’s promising children,
gold would be given to stimulate their growth, and they would be able
to attend the learning institutions of nobles.” (Marito)

“Did the nobles not show disapproval towards commoners getting

involved with work that’s mainly composed of nobles?”

“It means that there are no few of such stances as well. But there were
always opinions that stated this would also stimulate the self-respect
of the aristocratic children and they would be more motivated.”
(Marito)
“I see. But I feel like the nobles would end up bullying the lower class if
this is implemented.”

Right now what I am doing is responding to the questions of Marito.

I was troubled in what to tell him regarding Earth, and he proposed to

do things this way.

Just how’s the governmental system? What kind of reaction will the
people have at times like this? I answered the questions he asked even
if they were only vague recollections.

Of course, there was a lot of specialized knowledge missing within all of

that.

That’s why we would debate ‘why it ended up like that’ after hearing my
answer.

After that, if we reached a conclusion he found convincing, Marito

would then ruminate about whether it could be of use in this country’s
government and policies. Even if it is a justi ied method on Earth, most
cases wouldn’t match with this world.

That’s a given. They were things thought up considering the workings

of that era and its background, as well as the changes in the
environment after all.

If I had to put out an example, it would have to be the election system. It

is the system that lets the citizens vote for the people that will run the
government.

But the preamble for this to actually work is for ‘the populace to
understand politics’.

It is because of this existing that the populace can choose the candidate
that has declared the reform that they desire.
But the people in this world are not acquainted with politics. Their
education system is underdeveloped, and they have only received the
bare minimum education to perform their daily activities.

They do have their job knowledge, but they have no opportunities to

touch upon anything else.

If that’s the case, the point of elections is dimmed. It will just become a
competition of how many votes you can get, and it will become a nation
where the ones who are good at those kinds of moves are the ones who
hold the power.

It would be far more effective for the king, who has learned the politics
of this world correctly and has knowledge, to choose the next
successor.

In other words, it would mean that it suits the hereditary system.

But it is not like all systems on Earth are useless here. The knowledge
that has been thought up over the long years is not just for show.

No matter if the times are different, there are still ef icient political
measures and policies.

The king of Taizu is the one who does the selection; the work of Marito
who is a professional in the structure of this world.

“That said, when the worlds are different, there’s also a lot of ideas that
feel really fresh. Accepting the marriage of people from the same
gender would be hard in this world, but it is pretty interesting.”
(Marito)

“It is an era where the people can give their opinion, so with the
increase in the world’s population, the need for procreation has
disappeared. Due to this, an increase in love from the same gender
increased, and it was easier to apply it; there’s a variety of reasons
though. Of course, the biggest reason being that they had to spend an
outstanding amount of time and effort, and fought discrimination.”

“A population of more than 7 billion, huh. I can’t imagine it. With that
many people giving their opinion, things must be pretty hectic.”
(Marito)

“Right. Where I was born, there’s a proverb that says: ‘10 people, 10
colors’. It is natural for the likes and natures to differ by the amount of
people there are. There will be overlaps with an increase in numbers,
but it is not like everything will be a perfect match.”

And within those, there’s a good amount who you can understand yet
can’t agree with.

There are times when such dissonances will appear in your daily life as
well.

“I think that’s enough for politics. Next would be knowledge about the
development of civilization. Can you tell me about these electrical
appliances related to cooking?” (Marito)

“Aah, I spoke about the functions and uses for the rice cooker the last
time, huh. Next would be… the microwave. This is…”

Magic exists in this world. It is a world where electricity is not

implemented, but it is not like the nights are completely dark.

There’s magic stones that shine faintly like luminescent paint when
being illuminated, and they would be set around as street lights.

I can see a variety of instances where things that can’t be used without
electricity were made possible thanks to the blessings of magic.

In that case, if I were to explain the functions of the electrical

appliances on Earth, he may be able to judge whether they can replicate
such things with magic.

That said, that theory cannot be put to practice without specialized

knowledge in magic itself.

Ilias apparently can use the basics of magic. I remember the time when
she managed to light up the ire without using a kindle stone when
cooking.

It is currently impossible to ill the lifestyle of the populace with

electronics, but the signi icance of these conversations will be big in
inding out the practical uses of magic.

“Fumu, it gets vague when it comes to the explanation of the

principles.” (Marito)

“I have some rough knowledge of it, but I don’t have that much
knowledge in science.”

“I also don’t know much about magic myself after all… Maybe we need
to ind a trustworthy specialist?” (Marito)

“That would be nice.”

Research is necessary in order to develop civilization. Then, when are

such researches performed?

Researching for the desired ield is natural, but it wasn’t the case a long
time ago.

A big reason for research is to have superiority in the relationships

with other countries. Due to this, there were dizzying advances on
events like wars.

There’s no way there’s no such thing in the history of this world.

Magic is also obviously used here. But the research of magic has only
been performed by a tiny minority.

The reason for this is because of the existence of the magic seal stones.
The military uses of magic were shaved off greatly due to this.

If the worth of magic lowers, it gets taken out from the targets of
research. This is the reason why the applications of magic are low in
this world of magic.

However, it is not like there’s no specialists.

Even if it is a profession that’s not evaluated highly, there are no few

who have been charmed by the in inite possibilities of magic.

“Wolfe, isn’t it about time for your training?”

“Yeah, I am heading off!” (Wolfe)

We had Wolfe join up the training of the Ragudo Division when she
came to the castle.

Wolfe has learned how to emit and control her mana, so the next thing
she began to learn was how to move her body.

Since the opportunity was there, we also exited the of ice room, and
moved to a place where we can see the training.

There’s a table and chairs readied at a part of the rampart, so we can

watch the training grounds below.

Marito has inished up his paperwork, so he has come to peek as a

break.

Wolfe and the Ragudo Division members are already having bouts.
“The growth of Wolfe-chan is fearsome.” (Marito)

“Yeah.”

Wolfe doesn’t skimp in her efforts, but her talent in battle is on a whole
other level.

Her beast-like way of carrying her body characteristic to black wol kin,
and the massive amount of mana that she can use to enhance her body.

If it is just in plain strength and speed, she is already comparable to the

Ragudo Division.

In this world, the difference in the amount of mana you have heavily
in luences your performance. It is because you can strengthen your
body with it even without using magic.

Wolfe possesses abnormal amounts of mana, so her individual specs

are beyond that of her peers.

That said, she hasn’t been able to defeat a single one in the Ragudo
Division as of present.

She had bouts against other knight divisions too, but she lost most of
them as well.

This is a plain difference of technique and experience. The knights have

been trained on the daily in the use of mana, their weapons, and their
decision making on gambles.

They excel against enemies like Wolfe who move instinctively like an
animal.

On top of that, the Ragudo Division has a lot of senior knights

compared to other knight divisions.
They have already passed the peak of their own bodies. The reason
why they are still in active duty despite that is because of the
experience and technique they have nurtured.

If it is against other knight divisions, they would use strategies that

take advantage of the difference in the strength of their bodies, and
there would be times when she would manage to get one hit in.

But Wolfe can’t even get a hit in when it is against the Ragudo Division.

It can’t be helped, Wolfe. Those old men begin evading before you
move, you know?

They probably didn’t even need those techniques of theirs against the
bandits because there was so much of a difference.

But the height of their specs really show as the level of their enemies
increases.

The old soldiers of the Ragudo Division, their elderly appearance is

proof of how they have polished the weapon that is themselves.

“That’s on a whole other level.”

“Yeah.” (Marito)

I move my gaze a bit to the distance. There’s Ilias swinging her sword
alone.

Swinging a sword several times bigger than her body without any
issues. The trees around were shaking heavily from the wind pressure
it was creating.

That gorilla really is dangerous. The strength of Ilias is in a league of its

own even within the Ragudo Division.
Her technique alone is on the same level as the seasoned soldiers of the
Ragudo Division.

She has an overwhelming amount of mana that surpasses Wolfe on top

of that.

Wolfe is apparently above her when it comes to talent alone. But

because she spent her life until now in training, the aggregate amount
of mana is literally inhuman.

And with the synergy of her body strengthening through mana… it just
doesn’t make sense anymore.

I heard something insane before about how she managed to bounce off
the spear of Cara-jii that can pierce iron with just her bare body when
she buffed herself.

She is not just a gorilla, she is a metal gorilla.

Ilias normally does training alone. It is because it is necessary for her to

hold back even against the members of the Ragudo Division.

With the other knight divisions, there would be people who would be
crippled for life due to the difference.

The only ones who can ight against Ilias, who is within the top 5 of this
country, would be a number of knight captains.

The fact that there’s still several other people on Ilias level is terrifying.

By the way, Lord Ragudo can apparently defeat Ilias easily. The depths
of this country are profound.

Wolfe had a bout with Ilias once, but the girl didn’t crawl onto the bed of
Ilias that night.
Considering this, Dokora was a pretty impressive guy for being able to
ight against Ilias with one arm even if it was just for a brief period of
time…

Marito is also acquainted in swordplay, and he has bouts against the

members of the Ragudo Division every now and then.

“How is the military power of this country compared to others?”

“If it is in terms of individual quality, then we can without doubt puff

our chests out proudly even within the continent.” (Marito)

“However, when it comes to power as an army… huh.”

“We are straightforward to the point that we are easily toyed with by
bandits after all. Also, our numbers are low. I would say I am con ident
in our legs.” (Marito)

The strength of the knights is not to be scoffed at and the horses are
weird -that’s this country.

You can reach the location you want to go to with a horse if it is a place
within this vast territory after all.

The irst bandit lair was close and it was a surprise attack, so it was on
foot, but horses were used on the Dokora subjugation.

It is to the point where they can deploy the knights in the whole area of
Taizu within the night. You should be able to understand how fearsome
that mobility is, right?

Even if I don’t know the speed of a horse, I still thought that speed was
weird.

“Oh, Lady Ratzel is looking over here.” (Marito)

“Yeah, she has been glaring this way for a while now. I have been acting
as if I haven’t noticed.”

I understand what she is trying to tell me. She is probably trying to tell
a certain someone, who made Wolfe participate in the training yet is
watching from above, to come down and join in.

When Marito waved his hand instead, she hurriedly bowed and
returned to swinging.

I feel like she is gonna nag at me on the way back. Aah, the pain.

But the training I can think of is stuff like swinging a sword in a kendo
dojo. It is by no means the kind where I mix along in that inhuman
domain where I could die from an unfortunate accident.

“That said, if I don’t join in on the training, I feel like she is going to
complain to me everyday. That would be a drag.”

“Isn’t that ine? Training your body and being able to protect yourself to
a certain degree isn’t a bad thing.” (Marito)

“I know that though.”

‘First, let’s begin with how to use mana. You concentrate like this and…
tadah’ -is what Ilias said as she crushed a rock with her bare hand. It
made me think it was hopeless.

‘Like this!’ -is what Wolfe said as she replicated that in her irst try. I
seriously felt it was hopeless at that moment.

“Their training is different on a fundamental level just from the fact

that I can’t use mana.”

“Then can’t you just ask the Ragudo Division to take that into
consideration? There should be a point to teaching you at least the
techniques. I am ine with tagging along too, you know?” (Marito)

“Right. I can easily tell that I will eventually be forced to participate

after all… Haah…”

A sigh leaked out. I feel like Ilias would make a complicated expression
from that in itself though… What should I do?

I am going to get glared at by Ilias if I continue just watching, so I

resume my isekai exchange.

On the way back, I walked the evening cityscape together with Ilias and
Wolfe.

“How about just joining in on the training already?” (Ilias)

Ilias tells me her displeasure of the day with a straight stare. Well, of
course she would tell me that, yup.

“Marito told me that too. Even if it is impossible for me to do the same

amount of time as Wolfe, he said that he would create time so that I can
participate.”

“Right, right. As expected of His Majesty, he gets it.” (Ilias)

She nodded happily. Of course she would be if the highest person in the
country agrees with you.

“I personally would like to learn magic rather than swordsmanship

though.”

“Magic, huh. I have mastered the basics, so I think I would be able to

teach you.” (Ilias)

“If you can teach a person who learns through theory, I would like you
to.”
“Muh, I can. You have to give an oomph to your magic—” (Ilias)

“Did you not hear me, you incarnation of instinctive application?!”

Yesterday, Dog’s Bone was on a holiday, but today is a work day. So, we
headed to Dog’s Bone.

“Welcome!” (Saira)

The waitress Saira welcomed us energetically. In this world where most

of the necessary nutrition can be compensated with the mana inside
the ingredients, salt is simply a luxury good.

Therefore, Dog’s Bone was prospering greatly today as well due to their
dishes with salt in this world where the seasoning of dishes is mostly
thin.

Unfortunately, I don’t see signs of other stores employing salt at full just
yet.

So I say, but the inventory of salt in Taizu itself isn’t that good.

Dog’s Bone can secure an inventory of salt thanks to Ban-san who is an

in luential merchant even in this country, but the other stores haven’t
been able to secure a method to obtain it.

There’s been word-of-mouth, so an in lux in salt will de initely happen,

but it seems like the spread of it will be further in the future.

I will need to reduce the price of the salt until then.

“Ooh, Nii-chan, I have inished a new product.” (Gozu)

The one who showed up saying this was the owner of the place, Gozu.
The dish brought out was a hot chicken soup with noodles made from
wheat lour.
I consulted on whether ramen could be made and this is what was
created.

I tried it out at once. The taste of the soup is extremely good. Since
there’s no stuff like bonito lakes and dried seaweed, the lavor is on the
weaker side, but that’s compensated for with vegetables and spices.
However, the noodles still leave a lot to be desired.

Ilias and Wolfe are eating it in glee. This world doesn’t have the custom
of using chopsticks, so it does give the impression it is hard to eat.

There’s spoons and forks, but… maybe we need exclusive forks and
soup spoons.

“For things like the thickness of the noodles, it should be enough to just
match the tastes of the people in this country. Also, considering the
ingredients put on top, I feel like you could add them to the menu.”

“Isn’t this much enough?” (Ilias)

“Tasty!” (Wolfe)

“The condiments of the grilled meat, vegetables that suit the soup, and
putting a variety of things on top of the seasoned boiled egg is a staple
in my country of Japan.”

“Fumu fumu, I see. So that’s how you complete a single dish.” (Gozu)

“That’s right. You currently don’t have a business rival that uses salt,
but they will most likely put their hands on it in the future. When that
happens, your menus will overlap. Then, it will turn into a battle of who
can one up their dishes by adding a little extra something. If you test
out a variety of things now to create a gap, it will get easier for you in
the long run.”
“I see. Then I will consult with the housewives. How about changing the
ingredients weekly?” (Gozu)

“That’s nice. You could hear the opinions of the customers and it would
be harder to get tired of it.”

I was having a light chat with Gozu, but the voice of the housewife from
the kitchen calling for Gozu made him return hurriedly. This power
dynamic most likely won’t be changing in the near future.

I was thinking about talking to Saira too, but it will most likely be a
hindrance with how busy it is. Let’s con irm with her only on her free
days and invite her to a meal in the future.

We returned and took our baths respectively. You normally need to ill
up the water, light up a ire, and ready up the warm water, but we are
being helped out by the skills of Ilias here.

By her illing up the water using magic and lighting up the ire, we can
ready the bathtub several times faster than normal.

These spells serve no use in battle due to the magic seal stones, but it
apparently is a priceless treasure when camping.

There’s a lot of knights who learn basic magic because of such

advantages.

Being able to easily prepare drinkable water, light the ire, eat your food
safely, and even prepare a bath, there wouldn’t be any worries in the
hygiene department.

Ilias is apparently high spec in terms of magic too. A magic metal

gorilla.

By the way, when Ilias is not present, I would heat up the water myself
and just wipe myself with a towel.
I tidy up my own bedding while I wait for Ilias and Wolfe to inish
bathing. And then, I switch after, enter the bath, and wash away the
fatigue of the day.

When I got out of the bathtub and headed to the living room, Ilias was
polishing her sword.

I myself grab a parchment and pen, and begin working. I can see the
surroundings with the illumination of the magic stones, but it is
slightly dark.

While I was thinking this, Ilias infused mana to the magic stone, and
strengthened the light.

“Thanks… Did Wolfe go to sleep already?”

“Yeah, it seems like she wanted to say goodnight to you, but she fell
asleep, so I carried her to her room.” (Ilias)

“I am glad to see that she managed to enjoy her day. Makes me jealous.”

“You would be able to sleep just like that if you train, you know.” (Ilias)

“It would be a really appealing offer if I wasn’t woken up by pain the

next day.”

“That depends on your growth.” (Ilias)

“How much will an adult that doesn’t get taller anymore grow, I
wonder.”

The two of us chit-chat for a bit.

Ilias inished the maintenance of her equipment while we were doing

that.
“Now then, I will also go to sleep. How much longer do you plan to stay
awake for?” (Ilias)

“Aah, when I get to a good stopping point, I will go to sleep, but… it

would be in around 1 hour.”

“I see… So about this much.” (Ilias)

Ilias poured mana on the magic stone again and adjusted it.

“Goodnight.” (Ilias)

“Yeah, goodnight, Ilias.”

Ilias returned to her room. I resume my work after seeing her off.

I inished my work in 1 hour as I told her.

I wanted to put a little more work into it, but the light of the magic
stone has weakened, so let’s end it here.

I silently returned to my room and sunk into the bed.

—Dear acquaintances from Earth, this is how I am living safely in this

world.
 CHAPTER 26
I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO
IT A BIT FOR NOW

“Ingredients, ready; equipment, ready; anything else to prepare… Well,

this much should be enough.”

“Shishou~, should I put this on the carriage?” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, please do.”

“Got it!” (Wolfe)

We put the groceries we bought inside the carriage that was readied in
front of the church.

We will be moving away from Taizu for a few days, but I would say
preparations are mostly done, I guess.

This would be my irst time in this world where I am spending the night
out by my will.

Man, just thinking about it stimulates the child in my heart and makes
me excited. Yup yup!

It reminds me of the educational ield trips in the days when I was a

student.

The trigger was when I went to Marito’s place.

“There was a request from Maya. She wanted to borrow a number of
knights as escorts.” (Marito)

“I see.”

“It ended up with both Lady Ratzel, who is close to Maya, and the
trustworthy Lord Domitorkofucon being given the job.” (Marito)

“Well, makes sense.”

“Thus, you can go together with them.” (Marito)

“What’s that about?”

“Let me explain in detail. An envoy from a branch of the Yugura Church

has come here under the orders of their headquarters with inspection
as their objective. They apparently want to check the state of the
churches in the respective villages.” (Marito)

“Fumu.”

“They also want to ask a variety of things in the villages that have no
churches too, and said they want to build churches in them if there’s a
request for it.” (Marito)

“I see. They then requested for knights as intermediaries in the guise of

escorts, and chose Cara-jii who is a senior and is trusted by the villages,
and Ilias who is close to the Yugura devotee, Maya-san. And so, I should
take advantage of this and check the villages?”

“Yeah, the opinions you have that leave the most impression on me are
in the spots where you are self-aware of the differences between this
world and your world. This city is the only place you have been in until
now, right?” (Marito)
“The irst thing that came to sight when I descended here was this place
after all. The village of the black wol kins… can’t be considered within
the sphere of this country’s culture, huh.”

“You have gotten used to the state of the castle and the city, right? If you
check the lifestyle of the residents outside the castle next, I thought it
would be easier for you to tell me your opinions, you see.” (Marito)

“True. But is it okay for me to accompany them when I am not a knight?”

“No need to worry about it. We have told them we will have a counselor
candidate accompany them for the sake of learning while we were
discussing the conditions.” (Marito)

“I am grateful that you didn’t say court jester.”

And so, I went to Maya-san’s place with Ilias and Wolfe.

“Oh, I didn’t expect the counselor candidate to be you, boy. You have
gone up in ranks.” (Maya)

“It is just a front. I was told to study about the difference between this
world and mine so I could give useful advice more easily.”

“I see. I think it is better than learning in a class. Considering the

members, it seems to be okay to bring Wolfe-chan as well.” (Maya)

“I will do my best… studying!” (Wolfe)

“Good girl!” (Maya)

“Ehehe!” (Wolfe)

“Cara-jii is currently preparing the carriage. He will eventually come.”

“And so, where’s the envoy from headquarters?” (Ilias)

“It is me.”

The one who appeared was a young woman.

I would say she is around her mid twenties. Her soft-looking hair hangs
on her shoulder, and the front is a straight cut. A pretty girl that gives a
calm and prim impression.

“My name is Rakura Salf. Looking forward to working with you.”

(Rakura)

“Ilias Ratzel.” (Ilias)

“Wolfe!” (Wolfe)

“Here as well. Uhm, what should I call you?”

“I don’t mind you calling me Rakura, Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

“Candidate though. I will be careful not to get in the way, but if I do

something rude, please tell me without reservations.”

I shake her hand with my formal smile. Oi, Ilias, don’t make that weird
face; you too, Maya-san.

“—By the way, you have an unusual appearance, Counselor-sama. Black

hair and black eyes… moreover, the amount of mana in your body is
really low… Is it alright if I ask your origins?” (Rakura)

“Unfortunately, I have been moving from dwelling to dwelling since the

day I was aware… Also, I separated from my parents and began living
alone. Taizu is the irst place where I began settling in this continent. My
internal mana being low is by birth. I am not that good at manual labor
thanks to that.”
“My my… Hm? Counselor-sama, you seem to be possessed by a Spirit.”
(Rakura)

“Yeah, Maya-san casted the possession spell on me in order to interact

with someone that speaks a different language. Have you already heard
that a black wol kin settlement was discovered in Taizu recently?”

“Yes, is the white haired girl there one of them?” (Rakura)

“That’s right. This girl has already learned the words of this place, but
we have been using this possession spell to communicate with the black
wol kins. A merchant friend of mine was the one who found that village,
so I have gone to that village myself as a helper of his.”

“I see. You are working really hard despite being young.” (Rakura)

“I am the one pro iting from being able to work together with a beautiful
person like you, Rakura-san.”

“Oh my. Fufu.” (Rakura)

I had an enjoyable chat with Rakura-san. Oi, as I said, stop those eyes,
you two. Learn from Wolfe!

“Now then, let’s begin our meeting. Rakura-san and I will be discussing
the order we will be going to the villages in. I leave the preparations of
the materials to you and Wolfe.” (Ilias)

“Got it!” (Wolfe)

Ilias and Rakura-san entered the room deeper in. Now then, let’s go
shopping.

“Boy, you dodged the question as if nothing.” (Maya)

“I can’t really tell her everything about my origins… Did your sensor go
off there, Maya-san?”

“No, I couldn’t feel a single lie.” (Maya)

That’s right. I didn’t mix a single lie in that conversation just now. Since
Rakura-san is in the same profession as Maya-san, I decided to do it this
way since she might have the same power to see through lies like Maya-
san.

I don’t know the speci ic logic of it, but I have a faint guess of how it
works.

The special trait of these girls in their sacred profession is that they
excel in distinguishing your mana.

I have eaten a rye fruit in the past which has special mana in it, and
Maya-san managed to tell that from the outside.

If they can see through lies as an extension of this, there’s the possibility
they observe the luctuations of the person’s mana.

People have some sort of habit when they lie. A skilled liar can lie
without showing it on the outside, but what about the inside?

If being aware that you are lying brings some sort of movement to your
mana, then a priest or someone in that line of profession who observes
those in their daily life… That’s basically my guess.

If they can see through everything as if they can read your mind, I
honestly wouldn’t be able to do anything, but I judged that such a
possibility was low.

The reason is Wolfe. The past of this girl is a tragic one. However, I didn’t
see any reactions of Maya-san that would allude to her reading such
memories of Wolfe after meeting her.
If it is Maya-san who showed clear disdain towards the topic of
necromancy, it should have shown in her face if she had read the mind of
Wolfe.

Therefore, I have thought of a countermeasure to this lie detecting

power with this theory in mind.

If I tell a lie, I will de initely hit that sensor. It sounds like an impossible
game at irst glance, but that’s not really the case. You just have to
distort the truth with the truth.

It is true that I moved from place to place when I was in Japan. After I
began living alone there, the irst place I settled in ‘in this continent’ was
without doubt Taizu.

My amount of mana being low is also by birth. The possession spell is

‘also’ used to communicate with the black wol kins.

“So it really was that kind of method, huh.” (Maya)

“Yeah.”

“Did you think up those responses beforehand?” (Maya)

“…I thought that coworkers of yours might be able to do the same.

There’s the possibility to meet some since I am commuting to the
church. I thought I would get questioned about a variety of things, so I
have been replaying this in my head since a good while back.”

This is the truth too. I assumed these kinds of questions would be

‘common’, so this is one of the things I have simulated beforehand.

But what Maya-san really wants to know here is most likely ‘whether I
can do the same thing for other questions’.
The answer is yes and no. If there’s a topic I want to hide, I can imitate
this act in the middle of the conversation.

The reason for this being yes and no is because there’s the possibility
my agitation will be seen through.

I didn’t want Maya-san to notice this if possible, but with a special case
like Rakura-san appearing, it can’t be helped.

Rather, it would be better to have her understand I have a

countermeasure for this, and lower her desire to draw out information
from me.

“Aah, but Rakura-san being a beauty were my real feelings in that

moment only.”

“I can tell just by looking -with you being that happy and everything.”
(Maya)

Maya-san sighed. What did that sigh signify?

“By the way, do you think Ilias is a beauty?” (Maya)

“I think that inhuman strength is dangerous.”

“I pity that girl too.” (Maya)

We went out shopping after that and that brings us to the present.

It seems like Cara-jii grouped up with Ilias and the others after bringing
the carriage, they came out from the church together.

“Ooh, if it ain’t the lad. It is a great help that you are here too. I would
have felt too suffocated without you.” (Cara)
“That goes the same for me. In the irst place, they would be pretty much
like your children or grandchildren.”

“Yeah. For you lad, it would be as if you were walking with lowers on
both hands.” (Cara)

“There’s one that not only has thorns, but might even have needles
growing out of her though.”

“Hooh, who might that be?” (Ilias)

“Hard— Ouch! That’s what I mean!”

I ended up slipping because of the peace of mind Cara-jii brought. I was

on the verge of tapping out due to an injury before departing.

The trait of Taizu is that there’s a lot of forests, and its territory is
surrounded by giant mountain ranges.

There’s the Taizu castle at the east side of the region, and most of the
villages spread out at the west side of it.

Even if a war were to happen and they get attacked, it is a strength of

this kingdom that most of the villages won’t get caught in the ires of
war.

On top of that, a march from the direction of Gahne would require them
to cross through the narrow path in a forest.

Even if they tried to invade through the forest, it would still put an
extreme burden on them.

And then, the chivalric order that prides on their small number of elites
in Taizu would have an overwhelming geographic advantage and
mobility in that narrow path. I wouldn’t want to attack them even if
asked to, yup.
We are currently heading to a northwest village. We will be going around
the villages on a route that lets us go through them in one journey
without backtracking.

That said, the black wol kin village would be an exception. There’s a
language barrier. They began to have exchanges with the outside not
that long, so it was discussed that we shouldn’t bring too drastic of
changes on them.

But it is a village that feared the Demon Lords and went into hiding.
Maya-san said they might be a good match for the Yugura Church.

The Yugura Church. Yugura is apparently the name of the hero that
received the blessing of God and saved the world. It should be safe to
consider it similar to christianity.

The Demon Lords that were born from the forbidden resurrection
magic and dropped the world into fear. The hero that received the
divine protection of God defeated them and saved the world.

And so, what was born from the desire of preserving the teachings of
that hero for posterity was the Yugura Church.

The name of the hero remaining for posterity is something you hear
often in fantasy, but going as far as developing into a religion is pretty
rare. They are mostly young boys from a small village, so it can’t be
helped.

It probably would be easy for the black wol kins to gain affection
towards the hero that defeated the Demon Lords which were the
symbol of their fear.

Rakura-san said that it might be a good idea to tell them about the
Yugura Church as a further lubricant in their relationship once they get
used to the exchanges.
Well, the Yugura Church has the most number of believers in Taizu, and
the black wol kin are beginning to go back and forth in that
environment. It will most likely transmit without them going out of
their way to do so.

“Speaking of which, I have not heard about the damages the villages
suffered from the bandits. Were there no attacks?”

“Aah, the villages have knights of Taizu stationed there. The bandits
wanted to avoid battles against the knights, so they didn’t get close to
the villages. There were escorts when moving from village to village
too.” (Ilias)

“So the ones who suffered from this were the merchants who didn’t
have the leeway to get knights as escorts, huh.”

“Yeah. But even so, it was communicated to them that they should avoid
moving from village to village as much as possible as a precaution.”
(Ilias)

I am glad Dokora refrained from using necromancy. It would have been

dif icult to protect the villages with just the stationed knights if undead
were to attack.

That said, if they did something like that, it would also expose the cards
of Dokora.

“What kind of facilities are there in the villages?”

“First would be cultivation ields. There’s also livestock facilities. If it is

at the side of a forest, there would be facilities for the sake of lumbering;
if it is at the side of mountains, there would be facilities for mining.”
(Ilias)

We arrived at the irst village, and I decided to talk to Ilias about a

variety of things in the time Cara-jii and Rakura-san went to talk with
the village chief.

My image of this being the village in the Middle Ages hasn’t changed. I
feel like the wooden constructions are somewhat big, most likely due to
the effect of this country being predominantly forests.

“So they are basically cutting open the forest to increase the amount of
liveable land for people, huh.”

“Right. The villages are expanding with the increase in population.”

(Ilias)

“Aren’t there villages that are not nearby rivers with so much forest and
mountains around?”

“Such places utilize the underground water. The water for the
cultivation ields relies mostly on rain, but when it is necessary, they can
either use the underground water or people who can use magic.” (Ilias)

“Magic really is handy in those points too.”

“That said, the amount of water you can create is proportional to the
amount of mana you have, so you wouldn’t be able to create enough
water to satisfy a whole village. Depending on the place, there’s also
villages that draw water from rivers through waterways.” (Ilias)

“In my country, most houses can draw water, so it doesn’t feel fresh
though.”

“Really…? That’s impressive.” (Ilias)

I then found the watchtower of the village. This is my irst time seeing a
wooden watchtower in real life.

“You have a watchtower, huh. I don’t think there’s much of a need for
that against animals though…”
“The reason for its existence is as a countermeasure for monsters.”
(Ilias)

Now that she mentions it, I have barely touched upon that topic until
now, but there’s monsters and demons in this world. Since the
opportunity has presented itself, I asked Ilias about monsters.

There’s special mana illing the regions where the Demon Lords ruled in
the past. The creatures born from this are different from animals in that
they have a great amount of mana inside of them. Those are monsters.

There’s still not much known about demons as of present. They are like
humans, but they act as subordinates of the Demon Lords.

Monsters apparently spawn in the regions poisoned by Demon Lords

even now. Monster subjugations and puri ication of the land is being
performed often in other countries. The place where that’s the most
prominent is Mejis.

There seems to be such places in Taizu, but the frequency of monsters

appearing in front of people is pretty low. The reason being the
existence of the ‘Black Demon Lord Killer Mountain’.

The past Demon Lord territory where monsters are supposed to be

born exists on the other side of that mountain, so most monsters are
dealt with by the slimes living in that mountain.

The danger of that slime is so high that even a dragon, which is

considered the highest threat within monsters, would still avoid it. In
the irst place, it has killed a Demon Lord, so there’s no enemy for it.

But there’s monsters who luckily get through the mountains without
meeting the slime too.

Most of them are monsters that ly in the sky like wyverns.

Dragons excel in avoiding danger, so they don’t even approach the
mountain, but unintelligent monsters would try to challenge crossing
the mountain.

Knights would be stationed permanently in the villages in order to

prevent harm from such monsters.

“That’s about the gist of it.” (Ilias)

“I was wondering where did a wyvern show up when I heard about the
story of Cara-jii, but it originated from such circumstances, huh.”

But this really is a story that enhances the fearsomeness of past

experiences. To think the irst place I was thrown into was a danger
zone of such magnitude.

It is terrible that there might have been a chance for me to encounter a

monster too. That’s way too nasty.

Well, I did encounter the most dangerous one which is the slime-san
though.

“That there’s a watchtower in every village must mean there was a

decent amount of casualties in the past, huh.”

“Yeah, there was a large-scale monster invasion around 10 years ago. It

is rare even within the history of Taizu.” (Ilias)

The expression of Ilias was harsh as she said this. Considering the age
and living of Ilias, it was most likely the reason for her having lost her
parents. Let’s not touch that topic for now.

Villages are normally not structured in a way to use magic frequently.

The quality is lower compared to Taizu’s capital, but maybe they teach
reading and writing at least? In that sense, you could consider their
living conditions being better compared to the equivalent era on Earth.
The other thing that draws my attention would be the small knight
station and the existence of a church, I guess.

For now, I had her show me the facilities that would let me understand
the form of agriculture and forestry of the villagers, and investigate
their low.

Rakura-san and Cara-jii returned while we were doing that. They have
apparently wrapped up talks about the management of the church, the
frequency of participation in masses from the villagers, the necessary
funds, and such stuff.

And then, they got on the carriage and headed to the next village.

“If you are consulting about the expenses for the management of the
church, does that mean support funds will be provided from the
headquarters?”

“Yes. There’s a decent amount of alms in the capital of Taizu because

there’s a good number of believers, but when it is on the scale of a
village, they might be carrying burdens from this. Such circumstances
would hinder faith. Thus, we are distributing the donations that have
been gathered from sympathizers.” (Rakura)

“So it is to investigate how much of that share will be distributed.”

“Yes, how about you, Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)

“I am proceeding with my inspection of the lifestyle quality of the

villages. Even if it can’t be helped for the capital, I would like to deal with
the qualitative difference between villages.”

I talk with Rakura-san inside the carriage. I was taught a variety of

things about the relationship between the Yugura Church and Mejis.
Mejis is a kingdom, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the
Yugura Church holds the real power in Mejis despite being a kingdom.

The king of Mejis has talks with the Pope, and they have the role to
transmit the policies decided to the citizens.

It is not like he is a complete yes-man. He also makes proposals while

considering the current state of the nation, but the king himself
wouldn’t be taking political measures on his own.

Well, if most of the citizens are Yugura believers, creating friction

between the Pope would make it hard to manage the country.

There’s the downside of the real power being held, but a part of me
thinking that would make it easier for a king might be because a certain
someone doesn’t wish for such positions of responsibility.

However, in that case, my way of seeing Mejis changes somewhat. Mejis

doesn’t forgive taboos. The true form of this is that the will of the Yugura
Church is rooted strongly in it.

Dokora, who was an Anbu of Mejis, had deep relations with the Yugura
Church, and the ones who cornered him were the Yugura Church too.

If we consider this, Maya-san’s tolerance is quite impressive. Maybe she

is an outlier within the will of the Yugura Church?

“Speaking of which, the mother of Ilias worked in the church just like
Maya-san, right? That means…”

“Yeah, my mother was originally from Mejis. She came together with
Maya to Taizu, and then she married my father who was a knight of this
country.” (Ilias)

On Earth, the catholic sisters don’t get married. Do they not have many
restrictions like that?
It may be connected with a savior, but there must be a good deal of
differences when it comes to the teachings of a hero.

“What do you think of the teachings of the Yugura Church, Counselor-

sama?” (Rakura)

“I haven’t had opportunities to touch upon their teachings, so I haven’t

af iliated myself somewhere until now. However, I have been taught
many things by Maya-san lately, and I understand that the existence of
the Yugura Church is extremely important and valuable for the people
who have been scarred greatly by the Demon Lords.”

“My my.” (Rakura)

“I currently can’t blindly accept the Yugura Church, but I am also not so
rebellious as to go against a religion when I am the minority. If I am
going to be knocking on the doors of religion, I do want to consider the
Yugura Church.”

“There’s no need to wait for you to have deep religious faith. We will
always be waiting for you to join, Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

Hmm, this feeling of formality is nostalgic. The village tours after that
proceeded without any issues too.

I investigate the names of the villages, details of the facilities, and how
degraded their lifestyle is. That goes the same for the expressions of the
villagers as well as the state of their living.

It is not like they are all the same, and reasons do exist for those
differences.

If it were because of the peculiarities of the village, that’s ine, but if they
can become downsides and problems, they could serve as targets for
deliberation.
“Didn’t you come here to learn about the differences between the
villages and the capital?” (Ilias)

“It would be a waste to just learn, right? There’s a lot to earn from
testing things out yourself in this fashion. It might even prove
bene icial. You have to make use of the chances given to their utmost,
you know.”

“I see. Meaning that today is a serious day.” (Ilias)

How rude. There’s no day where I am not serious. Even when I am

messing around, I obviously mess around seriously.

Also, Wolfe has come today. I have to show her my dignity as a Shishou.

I have been having Wolfe state the points she has noticed after
comparing the villages.

“The cows in this village are smaller than the ones in the village before!”
(Wolfe)

“Ooh, is that so, is that so. Leaving aside the differences between
individuals, if there’s a difference as a whole, we could consider this
being a difference in the breeding environment. The climate and
exposure to the sun normally doesn’t change. In that case, the size of the
livestock pen, the lifestyle rhythm of the cows, and the amount and
quality of food might be the factors. Try to derive the reason for this by
observing the surroundings of the cows and inding the differences.”

“…Hmm?” (Wolfe)

Looks like I need to avoid saying too complicated things, yup.

“Become the cow-san and think about why they are smaller.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)
It hit evening while we were doing all that. We secure a place to sleep in
the church of the last village we went to today.

Ilias and Wolfe are sleeping in the same room, and the others in a room
of their own.

Cara-jii alone was invited to the house of the village chief, and ended up
staying there.

When it is outside the capital, Cara-jii’s popularity is higher as a senior

compared to the military prowess of Ilias.

I can’t really say there’s absolutely no prejudice and discrimination

towards Ilias as a woman, but it is pretty tame compared to the capital.

I could have gone to sleep at once, but I decided to organize the papers I
wrote down today and headed to the desk.

I hang the Illumination Stone, that Ilias imbued mana into, on the ceiling
of the room, and dedicate myself to the deskwork while relying on that
light.

Someone knocked on the door while I was doing that.

“Come in.”

The one that came in was Rakura-san. Contrary to her daytime out it,
she was wearing a comfortable completely white robe. It really
stimulates my desires.

“Apologies for coming in so late in the night. I was walking a bit around
because I couldn’t sleep, and I saw light in the room, so… is it a bother?”
(Rakura)

“I don’t mind. I was in the middle of compiling what I have noted down
today.”
“You are a really diligent one, Counselor-sama. Can I see?” (Rakura)

“Go ahead. Please sit on the bed or wherever you ind most
comfortable.”

I urged Rakura-san to sit, and gave her the documents I inished writing.

Rakura-san was silently reading them. I silently resume my work so I

don’t get in her way.

After a while, there was a reaction from Rakura-san.

“You are writing it down in quite the detail. To think you would even
write down about the games the children of the village play…” (Rakura)

“There’s reasons for even the smallest things. The possibilities of this
linking to the information one seeks merit such efforts. The least I can
do as an inexperienced person is to not miss any events I witness as
much as possible.”

“I see…” (Rakura)

“For example; there’s villages where the children play with handmade
toys and those that don’t. The makers of such toys are most likely the
parents. The villages that can afford the time and have the mental
leeway to make handmade toys for their children in their busy daily
lives and the ones that don’t might have a difference in the amount of
work they do, their ef iciency, and technique.”

“…”

“By watching the state of their work, equipment, and technique while
having such assumptions, those kinds of differences are made clear… or
something like that?”
“…If someone like Counselor-sama managed to climb to a standing of
responsibility, the people must be reassured.” (Rakura)

“Haha, thank you very m—?!”

I suddenly feel a presence closing on me. When I looked back, Rakura-

san had walked right by my side.

The sweet perfume tickled my nose. I can feel her heat from up-close. I
could tell my heartbeat was getting noisier and faster.

“E-Excuse me…?”

“Counselor-sama, there’s actually something I would like to consult with

you.” (Rakura)

“O-Okay, if it is something I can do… Uhm, clo—”

Rakura-san’s hands were placed on my cheek and lap. Her face

approached slowly, and her breath reached my face.

“There’s actually one more objective in this inspection, you see…”

(Rakura)

“W-What could it be?!”

Rakura-san showed a glossy smile and said this.

“We are searching for a certain book. Do you know about a book that has
information about necromancy written on it?” (Rakura)

Damn it~! Of course that would be the case!

 CHAPTER 27
THE FUTURE LOOKS BLEAK
FOR NOW

The objective of Rakura-san being the articles of Dokora was within

expectations. It was on the level where Marito and I went ‘ igures’.

It is not like I was assuming here, but in a situation where we were

wary of the movements of the Yugura Church, their headquarters
suddenly sent personnel, so it is natural to reach that conclusion.

A sigh leaked out. Even though this is the irst seductive-looking event I
have confronted in this world, the punchline arrived pretty fast.

Couldn’t we have, you know, build a nice relationship for a few days,
aiming for the moment when I completely trust you? I would have had a
bit more fun…

“E-Eh? Counselor-sama? Why did you sigh…?” (Rakura)

“Isn’t that obvious? You came at me all seductively and what you asked
for was information…”

“T-That’s not it —Could it possibly be that the charm magic is… not
working?” (Rakura)

What’s that? She casted something like that on me?

“Well, you came at me in such a manner, so you could say I was

charmed in a way…”
“…”

Ooh, her face is turning visibly bright red.

“P-Please forget about it! I beg of you! Forget it!” (Rakura)

It has been a while since I have been grabbed by the collar and shaken.
Aah, but this might be the irst time I experience femenine physical
strength since coming to this world.

“N-Now now, please calm down. I thought you were really bewitching.”

“That’s not it! That required such preliminary motions!” (Rakura)

Rakura-san appealed with tears in her eyes and a bright red face. A
state that I feel she will seriously cry if I tease her any further.

I should keep the teasing in moderation as an adult.

“It is okay. I was actually charmed. Man, that really made my heart
drum.”

“Uwaaaaaan!” (Rakura)

But there’s times when I lose to the allure -in a variety of meanings.

“Here, have some water.”

“Uuuh… *Sob* Thank you very much.” (Rakura)

I soothe the panicking Rakura-san and had her sit on the bed. Keep the
messing around to a moderate degree.

Now then, I have to hear about the details.

“Let’s summarize it. Aside from this time’s inspection, you are also
searching for something, and you approached me -the counselor
candidate- to obtain information? You tried to get information from me
quickly, so you used charm magic, and you for some reason couldn’t
charm me.”

“…Yes.” (Rakura)

“On top of that, if you use charm magic, the memories of that time will
disappear, so even though you mustered courage in using the
preliminary motions of the charm magic you normally would be so
embarrassed you wouldn’t want to do it, you ended up showing a
shameful sight because you failed.”

“…Yes.” (Rakura)

“If you were to tempt me normally like that, you would have been able
to manage even without magic though.”

Ah, she is going to cry again. If it is that embarrassing, just don’t use it.
You dug yourself into that one when you tried to escape to the easy
method.

“Even though it certainly activated… Why didn’t it work?!” (Rakura)

“Aah, right. Let me con irm this irst but, is charm magic the type that
you cast to the head of the target?”

“Eh, y-yes. To be more precise, it is a spell that lets you charm the
target by interfering with their mana through their eyes.” (Rakura)

“There. Didn’t we have a talk about me having low mana? You most
likely didn’t make mistakes in your motions, but I don’t have enough
mana inside of me for you to mess with.”
I remember the time with the rye fruit. Use the mana of the person that
ate it, construct a state of control, and invite the creature to the nest of
the slime.

It has enough of an effect on animals who have questionable amounts

of mana, but a certain someone who is an isekai beginner probably has
around 1 mana point, so you don’t even get affected by it.

I thought at irst I was simply lucky, but when I heard about how I can’t
get most of the treatments from healing magic, I felt like I was in a state
where my insurance was half-complete.

“No way… Then what should I… Right! If I pour my mana into

Counselor-sama…!” (Rakura)

“By the way, is it really okay for me to hear that?”

Aah, her face got even redder. I pretty much get it now. It is that kind of
method, huh. What’s with this airheaded beauty?

“If you are going to go that far, wouldn’t it be faster to just seduce
normally…?”

“T-There’s no way I can do something like that!” (Rakura)

“But you were.”

Now then, we resume our talk after putting a second break in between.

“But why did you go through such a forceful method…? Can you please
tell me if you can?”

“Uuuh…” (Rakura)

This is the gist of it.

The Yugura Church’s headquarters have sealed the taboos and Demon
Lord related records.

Someone might one day stretch their hands onto the forbidden and the
Demon Lord might appear again. This is a last resort in order to oppose
such a situation.

But Dokora -an Anbu of Mejis- managed to steal one of those books. She
hasn’t been told the speci ics of it, but it apparently has information
related to necromancy written in it.

It is inferior to resurrection magic, but necromancy is also one of the

forbidden spells. The Yugura Church chased after the trail of Dokora in
order to avoid the spread of it.

And then, they found the bases when he was in Gahne. They found
traces of Dokora trying to learn necromancy there.

They lost his trail after that, but a request from Maya-san to Mejis for
data came in.

A man with one arm and the possibility to be able to use necromancy;
that was without doubt Dokora.

Dokora had already lost an arm by the time he was escaping the chase
of Mejis. After that, the Yugura Church requested the search of the book.

It is because Dokora being able to use necromancy at a high level had a

high chance of this meaning that he brought the book to Taizu after all.

But the book was not found even when investigating all the lairs.
Headquarters ordered Maya-san to continue her investigation, but
there were no results.

There should be, but they can’t ind it. People voicing their suspicions
towards Maya-san began to be raised.
A capable person was dispatched from headquarters in the form of
Rakura-san in order to clear those suspicions.

“Capable?”

“I-It is true! I have learned many high rank spells, and I am a

puri ication magic specialist. I can deal with undeads even on an army
scale!” (Rakura)

Of course she would be capable then. Even the knight division with the
most numbers in this country were having trouble against the undead
after all.

And yet, this degree of airheadedness is weird. Is it actually an act? If

that’s the case, what a crafty… no, she could have just succeeded in her
irst attempt at seduction if that was the case.

But after hearing this, it makes me think about how important

compatibility is. Rakura-san’s strength is honestly low. She is most
likely on the same level as me… Let’s throw away that sad outline.

In that case, she wouldn’t be able to deal with the attacks of the knights
brought upon by their inhuman movements.

But those knights don’t have a decisive move against undead. However,
a cleric can slaughter the undead one-sidedly -they are already dead
though.

The gorilla that defeated them in one hit can’t it in the category of
‘compatibility’, so let’s just put her in the exceptions.

“And so, you inally got the chance to act outside the eyes of Maya-san.
You met a certain someone who you might be able to get useful
information from if you used charm magic, and that brings us to the
present.”
“Yes…” (Rakura)

“So you just self-destructed because you got hasty!”

“Cause cause cause, I thought such a perfect opportunity could only be

called the guidance of God!” (Rakura)

“Even if that were the case, I can accept it until the part of the charm
magic, but I don’t know about how you went straight to your main
objective without even con irming whether the charm actually
worked.”

“It hasn’t failed until now!” (Rakura)

We were really on guard against the Yugura Church to be honest. Marito

and I discussed a variety of countermeasures over and over to act with
the utmost caution, so this level of carelessness is pretty rough on me.

“Uuh, I failed in my stealth mission and I even showed a shameful

sight… I am done for… Now that it has come to this…” (Rakura)

“If you are going to kill yourself, please do it in your own room. I will
speak in taverns about your gallant igure in your last moments.”

“You really mean that, don’t you?! If you tell me that, I wouldn’t be able
to die even in death! I would turn into an undead!” (Rakura)

Despite this being the joke of a pure white cleric, that was pretty black.
Please rest in peace.

But it would worsen my quality sleep if she were to make me the cause
of death. Let’s do a follow-up.

“There’s no need to get involved in stealth. Maya-san should have been

able to tell that she is being suspected if a person from headquarters is
coming at this time. Then just declare it quickly and search for it with
no shame. Why are you trying to search for it all secretly?”

“If a book with information about forbidden magic were to be known,

there’s the fear of people wanting it appearing.” (Rakura)

“Hasn’t Maya-san already been told about the existence of the book by
headquarters?”

“…Right.” (Rakura)

Rakura-san hammered her hand. Give me back the effort I put in my

formalities in the morning. I was dealing with you as if you were a
skilled assassin, you know?

“Aah, but if Maya-sama were the one hiding the book…?!” (Rakura)

“Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that she is hiding
it. You would actually be able to seal her movements if you were to
declare it instead.”

“…I see.” (Rakura)

Rakura hammered her hand.

Who was the one who appointed her?! That person has no
quali ications to pull any stratagems!

“Haah… I am off to sleep.”

“No way! You are not going to help me?!” (Rakura)

“Let’s remember what you did just now, okay?”

“Please forget that. Forget.” (Rakura)

“No way in hell I will!”

“Hasn’t your way of speaking gotten a bit ruder?!” (Rakura)

“Dressed up personalities are only used for the people you have to use
them on.”

“Uuhh, even though I thought Counselor-sama was a wonderful

person…” (Rakura)

“Thanks. You were also wonderful, Rakura… were.”

“Your honest feelings are stabbing me and it hurts!” (Rakura)

“Good grief… I got it, I got it. I will ‘help you search for the book’. Fine
now?”

“Really?! Thank you very much!” (Rakura)

I have no intention of sharing the fact that Marito already has the book
though.

I left it hazy by using the low of the events, but I managed to slip away
from answering the question ‘do you know about the book?’.

“Ah, by the way, do you know something about the book?” (Rakura)

Or not. This woman really betrays my expectations in every aspect.

“On the other hand, I am the one who wants to hear about this book. Do
you have information about its appearance?”

“Uhm, I heard it is an old book with writing in a language never seen

before.” (Rakura)

“The inside too?”

“Yes. It is apparently not easy to decipher it.” (Rakura)

“I have not read such a book in Taizu.”

“I see…” (Rakura)

Safe. I hesitated for an instant there. I have seen the title several times
already, however, I have not read the contents of it yet.

The issue would be that I was on the verge of saying: ‘I have not read
such a book’. This would be a lie.

It is because I know it is written in Japanese. I have obviously read

books in Japanese in Japan.

In the case I add the words ‘in Taizu’ later, it would technically be like
trying to take away the lie after the fact, so the lie detector might have
caught it.

I need to test out how effective it is and how much I can get away with,
but I would like to avoid dangerous scenarios like this one. Even if I can
deal with it, there’s no doubt it is a troublesome power.

“Do you have no way to search for it?”

“Yes, I do have one in a way. There’s special mana imbued in that book,
so there would be a reaction if I were to put up a dedicated barrier for
it.” (Rakura)

“I see. So that’s why you were going around arranging the setup for the
barrier in the churches, huh.”

“Yes… wait, how could you tell?!” (Rakura)

“Wolfe told me that your luggage was getting lighter bit by bit. The
contents didn’t give off the scent of food, and there were things like
stones inside of it. You probably even made a simple altar in the
villages that didn’t have a church with the excuse ‘it is so you can at
least offer your prayers’. I can imagine that.”

Wolfe’s ears and nose are not your average ones. I can only be
impressed at this wolf demi-human.

When I asked her to tell me the differences and changes, she told me
about the luggage of Rakura too.

It is easy to imagine the actions Rakura might take by seeing her cards
and knowing her objective.

“Is that barrier big enough to cover a whole village?”

“Yes. Ah, but it causes no harm to them. On the contrary, the mana from
the barrier corrects disturbances in your internal mana, and gives you
bene its like recovering your fatigue and beautifying you. A really
useful thing.” (Rakura)

‘I have not seen minus ion products lately’ -is the only comment that
comes to mind here.

“There’s a lot of knights from Taizu that have magic seal stones
embedded in their weapons. Does that contraption of yours not get
affected by the magic seal stone?”

“Right. The core of the barrier would be affected by the magic seal
stone and get undone. However, the mana released from the mana
simply has those properties, so it is okay.” (Rakura)

So that means it is okay as long as they don’t bring weapons inside the
church, huh.

It resembles the method of Dokora. No, they are from the same country
to begin with, so it might be natural for their methods to be similar to a
certain degree.

“You guys can tell even if it reacts at a long distance?”

“Yes. When the mana of the corresponding book touches the mana of
the barrier, it will create a resonance, and will release a characteristic
super expansive wave of mana. If we detect that, we will be able to tell
which barrier it was that reacted.” (Rakura)

Complicated methods have increased. That said, using the properties

of mana feels like the method to avoid the existence of magic seal
stones.

But can’t you create a pretty dangerous weapon if used with bad
intentions?

I don’t specialize in this ield, so I don’t know what kind of special

properties are born when new mana is born from different properties.

“If there’s no reaction after setting it up in all the villages, it would

mean that it isn’t in the villages for now, right?”

“Yes. If we set it up in the Taizu capital last, we would be able to con irm
all the places where people are.” (Rakura)

“Well, that’s true, but will you get permission for that?”

How many countries would there be that would say okay when asked
whether they can set a barrier of their own country in it?

It does output something similar to minus ions though…

“…Can’t something be done with your help, Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)

“I am a candidate after all. I have no such authority. I think I would be

able to consult with the king about it, but I won’t be able to tell whether
I can get an agreement unless I ask him.”

“That alone is enough!” (Rakura)

“Next would be setting it up in the city. Let’s search for good places
together. But if it is a matter of this importance, you should act more
carefully.”

“About that… I saw the amount of mana you had and thought it would
be safe…” (Rakura)

“Oi, Rakura, I will eventually betray you, ya hear me?”

“Ah?! You said that for real!” (Rakura)

And this is how I formed a weird alliance with Rakura.

“Hah! You have been calling me without honori ics by the time I
noticed?! Even though I am older!” (Rakura)

“That bit is getting old.”

The next day, we went around the villages and inished setting up the
contraptions. We took 2 days to go around the villages on the west side,
and we went around the east side villages on the 3rd day.

But despite setting them up in all the villages, she didn’t ind the book.
It is in the castle, so that’s obvious though.

I can’t help her out in the current stage, so I continued doing work
resembling a counselor candidate.

“But with knights stationed in these many villages and the work at the
capital, the chivalric order must be busy. Do they even have enough
people?”
“Right. The knight apprentices are helping out in a variety of
miscellaneous work too at the capital though…” (Ilias)

“Rakura, I heard that the appearance rate of monsters in Mejis is high,

but how do they deal with that?”

“Let’s see. We would offer rewards for parts in the body of the monster,
and would ask adventurers to deal with them. The villages would also
have temporary contracts with them to safeguard them.” (Rakura)

“I see. So you are leaving the monster subjugation to the specialists.”

“I would like our country to imitate that, but not many adventurers
come to Taizu…” (Rakura)

Monsters rarely show up, so adventurers can’t get a stable income.

It would be dif icult to have a similar way to manage this as Mejis. I

would like an element to call adventurers to Taizu.

“By the way, since when did you two get close?” (Ilias)

“No, it is not like we have gotten close though.”

“Aren’t you talking to each other as if you have opened up your heart?
You are also calling her without honori ics.” (Ilias)

“That’s because this girl—”

“About that! I wanted to form a friendly relationship with Counselor-

sama the same way as Ilias-sama, so I asked Counselor-sama to call me
in that manner. I requested him to speak to me in a more informal
manner!” (Rakura)

“I-I see.” (Ilias)

“No, it is simply because my evaluation of her has plummeted.”

“Why can’t you match up with me?!” (Rakura)

“I wouldn’t be that happy to match up with you and get thanked.

Staying misunderstood** would be more amusing instead.”

“How can you say that honestly?!” (Rakura)

“…Seriously, what in the world happened?” (Ilias)

“Shishou~, Wolfe would like to have the same as Ilias and the others.”
(Wolfe)

I silently beckon Wolfe over, have her sit close to me, and pat her head.

“Listen here, Wolfe. It is true that your position is in the minority and
different from everyone else. But there’s no need to go out of your way
to worsen your evaluation. Learn to choose who to imitate, okay?”

“But… Shishou, you are always only kind with Wolfe.” (Wolfe)

“It is not like I am being especially kind with you, Wolfe. It is just that
the others are low. That’s why I am being natural with you, Wolfe.”

“…Okay!” (Wolfe)

“Wait a moment. Does that mean your evaluation of me is bad too?!”

(Ilias)

“You thought it was good?!”

“Don’t get surprised!” (Ilias)

“I am an intellectual. Don’t think my evaluation will increase easily

towards someone who solves everything with brute force.”
“Ugh… But it is not like I am an idiot. I am an intellectual to a certain
degree!” (Ilias)

“As long as you immediately jump into the decision of ‘it would be
faster to do it by force’ every time, I de initely won’t acknowledge you
as an intellectual, you muscle-brain gorilla!”

“What’s a gorilla?!” (Ilias)

We returned to the capital of Taizu after that. Rakura told Maya-san

about the situation at once.

“Of course that would happen. It can’t be helped. I myself would like to
clear up my suspicions, so do your best, Rakura!” (Maya)

“Ah, yes…” (Rakura)

And so she got permission to do as she pleases. The obstacle to act in

the city has disappeared with this.

“Maya-san, you knew about this pretty much from the very beginning,
right?”

“Of course. It would be weirder to not know.” (Maya)

“Right.”

————————–

The holy grounds of the Yugura Church that exist in Mejis. The place
where the hero pledged to defeat the Demon Lords and the place where
the Grand Church of the Yugura Church was built.

Within the most cramped and simple room in that giant Grand Church,
there’s the Pope of the Yugura Church, me, Euparo Rosareo.
I don’t have a liking for the extravagant and gaudy. However, the Yugura
Church is the religion with the most people.

Due to this, the Grand Church towers as the leading construction in this
world, but my of ice room is a recreation of the workroom that I had
been assigned to in my younger days.

And one of the archbishops was called to this room.

Ukka Kenuku is at the left-wing of the Yugura Church, and it is the

person that sent Rakura to Taizu.

“So, that’s why you sent Rakura Salf to retrieve the book, huh.” (Euparo)

“Yes, that’s exactly the case, Pope-sama.” (Ukka)

“…If my memory serves right, she should be a super outstanding cleric.

She has learned almost all of the puri ication spells that are the
quintessence of the Yugura Church at that young age, and her
achievements in devil hunting are certain.” (Euparo)

“Yes, that is correct.” (Ukka)

“I also remember that her other talents are tragic as if that lone talent
of hers had robbed her of every other one.” (Euparo)

“Yes, that’s exactly right.” (Ukka)

“Why did you choose her…?” (Euparo)

I sighed. Can a battle oriented cleric like Rakura be able to do her job of
retrieving the book properly? No, it would be impossible. I have seen
Rakura once after all. It would be a bit impossible for her.

“Am I the only one who can predict that Maya will be able to see
through our objective completely?” (Euparo)
“No, that’s our aim from the very beginning.” (Ukka)

“…Got it. The work of going through this rally of questions and answers
is a waste of time, so tell me everything in one go.” (Euparo)

“We plan on having Rakura search for the book as a front. The Taizu
archbishop is a woman with a sharp mind. She will most likely notice it
is an inspector sent there no matter who we were to choose.” (Ukka)

“Right. Being able to climb all the way to archbishop at such a young
age is not just for show.” (Euparo)

“That’s why we have to turn it around. By sending Rakura whose

intentions would be discovered easily, we will have Maya notice, and
have them do the search with that in mind.” (Ukka)

“But was there any need for it to be Rakura? If you sent someone more
suitable for searches—” (Euparo)

“Fufufu, there’s the need for it to be Rakura. If someone as clumsy as

her were to be sent as an inspector, Maya would lower her guard,
thinking we don’t consider this matter too serious. That’s our aim!”
(Ukka)

“…So you have sent someone else in secret.” (Euparo)

“That’s our Pope-sama!” (Ukka)

Ukka praised me with an exaggerated reaction. Who was the one that
made this guy an archbishop? -Right, me.

No, this guy may act like this, but his connections are seriously
incredible.

The one who is shouldering most of the avenues for the Yugura Church
to raise money is Ukka. He has the strong point of others not being
vigilant of him because of that personality of his.

Meaning that he can get along with most people. His achievements in
those fronts are so big they can’t be made light of, so the current state
of things is that other archbishops have no choice but to shut their
mouths.

“We have already sent Anbus of Mejis to Taizu. In the time when Rakura
is standing out with her coarse search, the Anbus will be searching in
the shadows and will obtain that book. This is my plan! People lower
their guard when given an answer. We will take advantage of this!”
(Ukka)

“…Well, you have a point. If you are properly using skilled people, I have
no complaints. But try to avoid aggravating our relationship with
Taizu.” (Euparo)

“Yes, leave it to me.” (Ukka)

At any rate, this guy not only has wide connections in Mejis, but also
connections with the Anbus?

Did they have a great chat in a tavern or something?

“Fufufu, my plan won’t ever be noticed. It is perfect after all!” (Ukka)

——————————–

“They must have sent someone else.”

“Right. That’s the only possibility I can think of.”

That night, I went to the place of Marito because I needed to report this,
and discussed what actions Mejis could take.
“I doubt it is another cleric. The possibility would be a merchant or an
adventurer.” (Marito)

“The dif iculty of doing an investigation when they are strangers would
be high. There’s the possibility they are using the Anbus of Mejis?”

“Right. If they have the ability to disguise themselves, there’s even the
possibility that they would in iltrate the castle.” (Marito)

“Looks like there’s a need to form a countermeasure. Right, I ended up

being an assistant of Rakura. It is okay to let her swim around, right?”

“Let’s see. Use her well.” (Marito)

“Gotch— Understood. And so, what should we do about the book?”

“Judging from what you told me, they are going to be setting up
barriers outside the castle, right? We won’t be able to bring it outside in
that case. Me or Lord Ragudo will continue keeping it in our
possession.” (Marito)

“It might even be an option to begin the deciphering of the book with
the premise that it will get retrieved.”

“Right. But the person that sent Rakura must be pretty bold. It is
practically as if they have publicized to Taizu that they possess books
related to the forbidden.” (Marito)

“They were prepared for Maya-san to discover this, but didn’t expect
the information to leak to Taizu from Rakura… No, there’s no way that’s
the case.”

“They most likely compromised to a certain degree, and tried to stop

the worsening of relations with Taizu. I guess they are upright in that
front. I kind of like that.” (Marito)
————————————–

“You told the counselor candidate about the situation?!” (Ukka)

Ukka heard the report of Rakura and was dumbstruck. They are using
one of the secret arts of the Yugura Church to communicate at long
range by using a crystal.

The places where it can be used are limited, but it is set in most of the
Yugura churches where a bishop or higher are stationed.

“I-It is alright! I told him about the situation and he said he would help
me out with the search of the book.” (Rakura)

“Ooh, that’s wonderful.” (Ukka)

“He is someone who does his work very seriously, and he is also
someone who is friendly with Maya-sama. I am sure he understood the
seriousness of the situation.” (Rakura)

“Umu umu, you were blessed with a good helper! But don’t forget to
keep his mouth shut.” (Ukka)

If Euparo were here, he would be holding his head in pain, but there
was no one to retort here.

“Rakura, a big disaster might be impossible to avoid if the necromancy

written in that book were to be spread to the world. Put your heart into
it!” (Ukka)

“Yes, I will do my best to answer your expectations, Ukka-sama!”

(Rakura)

The transmission was closed off. Ukka was surprised by Rakura’s

unexpected action, but he was satis ied with the results.
He even thought she might be able to ind the book faster than the
Anbus.

“Ukka-sama, may I?”

“Umu, it is you, huh. Go ahead.” (Ukka)

A visitor appeared at that moment; a single young man.

“A call from Rakura?”

“That’s right. It seems like things are going better than expected with
Rakura. She might even ind the book faster than the Anbus you
arranged.” (Ukka)

“Well well. But I wouldn’t mind that result either. There’s no harm in a
member of the Yugura Church showing results when moving in public
after all.”

“Umu, that’s right. And so, did you have some business?” (Ukka)

“Yes. I would like a few more people helping out the man that is moving
in the shadows. I have come to get permission for this.”

“Fumu, Rakura has gained an ally in the local area too. It would be hard
to obtain the help of the locals if you move in the shadows. Go ahead
and dispatch them as soon as possible.” (Ukka)

Ukka swiftly signed the papers that the visitor prepared.

“I will do so at once then.”

Saying this, that visitor left the room. Ukka stared into empty space
after seeing him off.

“…Hmm, was there someone here just now?” (Ukka)

Ukka tilted his head.
 CHAPTER 28
IT PAINS MY HEART FOR NOW

I was helping in the search for the book together with Wolfe on the next
day. Helping out in the search for it in order to not ind it.

“Now then, after consulting with His Majesty regarding setting the
barriers, I received permission from him that it is ine as long as it is
just for a set period of time.”

“Oh my!” (Rakura)

“But there’s already several barriers set in the castle, so he can’t give
you permission on that one.”

“I see…” (Rakura)

After consulting with Marito, it was decided that setting a barrier at the
castle should be avoided.

They might take forceful methods if left be, so the objective is to deal
with the ones under their nose irst.

“In the case an anomaly happens, it will be immediately removed. Also,

he wants us to avoid setting them in the whole city at irst just in case.
The front is that it is a barrier that provides healing after all.”

“But if we don’t use it in the whole city, we won’t be able to con irm…”
(Rakura)

“Just expand it as the days progress. Rakura, you already know where to
set it irst, right?”
“…Hmm?” (Rakura)

“Don’t think you will be forgiven just for doing a cute gesture.”

I might have forgiven her with this if it were in a normal scenario.

“*Sob* Please tell me.” (Rakura)

“We are moving with the assumption that the book is in Taizu. It would
be troubling if the book were to be brought out while we are expanding
the barrier for the search. We have to set them in a way where the gates
of the ramparts are within the range, and then encircle the city with that
as the starting point.”

“Fumu fumu.” (Rakura)

“But before expanding to the inside, we go around the walls as if

surrounding them. They might go over the walls after all. Do you think
you have enough tools?”

“All around the capital, huh… I think it is barely enough, but I feel like
there wouldn’t be enough for the inside…” (Rakura)

“Setting it all at once hasn’t been approved anyways. You can just
proceed with the setup as you get them ready.”

“Understood. Then that means today will be setting them around the
gates and the walls!” (Rakura)

“If the preparations of the tools for the barrier are fast, we could set
them inside the capital as well as the travel route to Gahne. I would also
like to investigate the bases of the bandits directly after that.”

“Exploring the mountains and forests, huh… That sounds like a lot of
work.” (Rakura)
“But you need to investigate the places Maya-san has in order to clear
the suspicions of Maya-san. I am giving you this, so make a copy.”

I say this and give the map of Dokora I got from Marito.

“This is?” (Rakura)

“The map of Taizu that Dokora used. The lairs he used, lairs he didn’t
use, and marks of caves that could serve as candidates. The knights have
already investigated them, so it wasn’t that dif icult to borrow this.”

“Oh my, our search will be a lot more ef icient with this!” (Rakura)

“But the excuse I used to borrow the map was that I wanted to do a cave
resource investigation for the merchant Ban-san who I am cooperating
with. We are going to be going around both the lairs and the caves, so it
will take a decent amount of time.”

“Right. But it might be hidden in the caves, so it works just ine.”

(Rakura)

“There should be no issues with setting barriers temporarily in the lairs

and the caves, so there should be some leeway in your materials.”

This is to buy time with Rakura.

We will have her set barriers around the capital, and have her take a
whole lot of time to encircle the city.

We will also occupy her with the lairs and caves of the bandits at the
same time, and delay the search in the castle.

I will proceed with the decoding of the book in my free time. Marito’s
plan is that it should be ine to return the book if the decoding of the
book is done.
In the perspective of Rakura, this will take time, but with the
assumption that it is within the territory of Taizu, she must do her
search while reducing the risks of the book being brought out of the
nation.

The true objective of Mejis is not clear, but their pretext is to impede
necromancy from spreading. She shouldn’t be able to deny this plan.

The next issue would be to dig out the identity of the other searchers
that must be working in the shadows. We have no choice but to manage
somehow on this one.

“Fuuuh, we are done!” (Rakura)

We set the barrier in front of the gate and went outside. We went around
the capital with horses and set barriers in a way so that there won’t be
any holes.

We began in the morning and it will already be evening in a bit more. I

am understandably tired now.

We borrowed 2 horses from the barracks. Rakura rode on one and the
other one was me and Wolfe.

I learned how to ride a horse together with Wolfe, but Wolfe managed to
learn faster than me, and a certain someone still has to ride together
with someone else.

No, these horses are scary, you know? They are a size bigger than the
horses in horse racing, and they don’t lose in speed against them.

A total beginner running with a thoroughbred is just impossible. It is

like asking you to run a scooter on a highway at 80km/h.
We met Ilias while on our way to return the horses to the barracks.

“Ilias, huh. It is rare to see you here when you are normally patrolling
the city.”

“The barracks outside the walls are under the jurisdiction of the Ragudo
Division after all. Even if we are leaving it to the sentries, I come here
every now and then to check on their state. What about you?” (Ilias)

“I borrowed horses and went around the walls with Rakura. She said she
wanted to see the difference here with Mejis.”

“I see. How was it?” (Ilias)

“Mejis doesn’t have ramparts this wonderful. They don’t make walls so
that it is easier for the believers to see the Grand Church in the holy
grounds.” (Rakura)

“That’s careless for a place with a lot of monsters.” (Ilias)

“We have several layers of barriers deployed instead, and monsters

can’t get close unless it is a pretty large sized one.” (Rakura)

I see. Barriers can be handy in a lot of scenarios. It is also big enough

that they can preserve the scenery with this.

“Speaking of which, I was thinking about exploring caves tomorrow. Can

you have normal battles against beasts, Rakura?”

“Yeah, it is okay. I am strong.” (Rakura)

I can’t bring myself to trust her. Let’s show it on my face.

“Ah, your face is telling me you don’t trust me!” (Rakura)

“Considering everything that has happened until now…”

“Muuh! Then I will prove it to you!” (Rakura)

Is what Rakura said as she deployed a barrier around immediately.

The cubic barrier that was deployed in almost no time around Rakura
gave me the impression of a thick half-transparent glass.

“This is the defense magic I am proud of! It won’t budge one bit from
your average attacks!” (Rakura)

“Then, Wolfe, try going all out.”

“Yes, Shishou~!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe spun her arm and stood in front of Rakura. She then inhaled and
dashed forward.

It is a simple lunging attack that mixes magic emission, but her power
shoots up drastically from that sheer output of hers.

“Taaah!” (Wolfe)

The thunderous sound and impact resonated in the air as her ist made
contact with the barrier, but her ist didn’t get further than that.

“Ooh.”

“Shishou, my hand, it hurts.” (Wolfe)

“Makes sense.”

I pat the head of the teary-eyed Wolfe. Rakura puffed her chest out with
a smug face.

“How’s that?! This toughness despite no incantation!” (Wolfe)

“It is certainly impressive. How is it, Ilias?”

“Yeah, it is great. The construction of the spell uses the caster as the
main constituent, so it would be hard to deal with if you allow it to be
deployed. It would be dif icult to dispel it with a small magic seal stone.”
(Ilias)

“So a big one can.”

“Well, yeah. A military level size would be pushing it a bit, but… beasts
and monsters don’t use magic seal stones anyways!” (Rakura)

“Rakura, can I test it out too?” (Ilias)

Looks like Ilias is also interested in its toughness.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.” (Rakura)

“Alright. I should go with the scabbard on just in case.” (Ilias)

Ilias picked up her sword -with the scabbard still on. If she were to hit a
way too hard barrier with an unsheathed sword, it might even chip the
blade.

Ilias stopped in front of the barrier and brandished her sword.

“If I am correct, Wolfe’s attack was around that much, so… alright,
somewhere around here!” (Ilias)

She swung down in a straight line, but it was stopped by the barrier.
“Muh, it really is hard.” (Ilias)

“…”

Rakura’s face stiffened. Ah, now that I look closely, the sword has
stabbed into the barrier.

The sword broke a part of the cubic barrier and lost its momentum from
the resistance of it.

“That’s an impressive barrier. I would have to get pretty serious in order

to destroy this.” (Ilias)

“Don’t try it. You would most likely send both the barrier and Rakura
lying.”

“A-As expected of Ilias-san. You certainly do have the skills to be in the

top 5 of Taizu…” (Rakura)

Even Ilias can’t hurt Rakura if it is with a simple attack. But if she were
to get serious, the attacks would be dealt at a speed faster than the eye
can see.

Ilias really is on a different level even in Rakura’s eyes.

“But I should have been able to prove to you, Counselor-sama. Leaving

aside Ilias-san, this barrier wouldn’t be broken by someone like
Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

Rakura spun inside the barrier. That’s true, but it kind of annoys me.

“Then, since the opportunity is there, can I test it out?”

“Hmhm, of course!” (Rakura)

I look around for now and ind something nice. I grab a shovel leaning
against the wall.

“There’s no way you can break my barrier with something like that. This
barrier is set even at my feet. There’s no point digging!” (Rakura)

“Hmm, this should work just ine.”

I leave the shovel on the ground for now and grab a somewhat big rock
nearby.

“Huh? Are you switching to rock throwing?” (Rakura)

“No, that would be bad for my waist, so I won’t do something like that.”

I put the rock by my side and grab the shovel. I thrust the shovel
towards the location where I got the rock from.

“Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)

“Alright, this should be enough.”

I raise the shovel in front of the barrier. And then, I pour the contents of
the shovel onto the top of the barrier. The contents are obviously
stopped by the barrier.

“What in the world are you trying to—oh?!” (Rakura)

There’s earth on the barrier above Rakura. The earth spreads on top
without spilling because it is cubic.

It is half-transparent and the inside can be seen clearly, so that must be

the same from the inside -she most likely can see the many insects and
earthworms hidden, squirming below the rocks.

“E-E-Excuse me, Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

Now then, Rakura could move inside the barrier. She can deploy it
instantly, so it is centered around her and there’s no need to move it
constantly. Turning that around, it means the barrier doesn’t move.

In other words, for the person herself to move away from here, she
would have no option but to undo the barrier.

“Man, it really is sturdy~. Let’s go then.”

“I am impressed at how you do horrible things as naturally as you

breathe.” (Ilias)

“P-Please wait! Please move this away! At least the bugs!” (Rakura)

Rakura smacked the barrier from the inside over and over, and begged
for help.**

“It would get my hands dirty.”

“I will wash them! I will bring out clean water and wash them with joy!”
(Rakura)

“Can’t you just redeploy a cone shaped barrier inside?”

“I can only use barriers of this shape!” (Rakura)

“Aah, then that. If you use wind magic as soon as you undo it?”

“If I mess up the timing, magic will be unleashed inside this closed
space, you know?!” (Rakura)

“If you undo the barrier in an instant, you can do it. Never give up.”

“I might be able to, but… it really is impossible!” (Rakura)

She tried to work hard for an instant there, but she imagined the risks of
messing up, and her concentration has crumbled into shambles.

“But in a cubic barrier that can’t move, wouldn’t you get checkmated if a
monster that spits out poison shows up?”

“True. You would be able to stop it temporarily, but what remains on top
of it…” (Ilias)

“You should make it cone shaped or spherical. Also, make it so that it is

easily malleable.”

“Umu, that would be nice.” (Ilias)

“You two stop your sound conversation and do something about this,
please!” (Rakura)

After that, I was seriously about to leave Rakura there and she began to
cry. Wolfe said she couldn’t leave her, so I asked Ilias and she washed it
off with water magic.

But well, she ended up getting poured water on her head with the water
that still remained above the barrier.

“You are so horrible. Counselor-sama, you are a horrible person!”

(Rakura)

We sat at the chairs inside the barracks and Rakura complained as she
dried herself with the warm air Ilias was casting with magic.

“Even though I pointed out a fault in the barrier you were so proud of. I
am hurt.”

“No, I think that’s questionable as a human being…” (Ilias)

“Shishou, bullying, not good.” (Wolfe)

“As if I am being a bully. Rakura is far beyond me in terms of ability. I
simply surpassed that with smarts.”

“I am saying what you did afterwards is horrible! Even though I was

seriously troubled, you left me there as if you didn’t care at all from the
bottom of your heart!” (Rakura)

“My sourness lowered after all. I was satis ied.”

“I wanted to spend the day together with the kind Counselor-sama I met
the irst day…” (Rakura)

“What a coincidence. I miss the Rakura that had a mature charm.”

“What a sad agreement in sentiments… Alright, you are dried now,

Rakura.” (Ilias)

“Thank you very much, Ilias-san!” (Rakura)

Speaking of which, hasn’t the distance between the two shortened?

There must be attraction between these two kindred souls.

However, a muscle-brain and an airhead may be similar but are

different. If you don’t understand that difference, you will be in a world
of hurt -mainly by the hands of Ilias.

“Now then, let’s head to Dog’s Bone to have dinner. What will you do,
Rakura?”

“Uhm… my pocket is currently…” (Rakura)

“I can treat you if it is just that much. More importantly, can a cleric eat
meat?”

“Yeah. Is there a reason why we wouldn’t be able to?” (Rakura)

Oops, not good. This world doesn’t have Hinduism which reveres cows
and Islamism which inds eating pig as taboo.

“I had the preconception that religious people were apprehensive about

killing and eating living beings.”

“It is true that life is a precious thing. That’s why we show gratitude to
their lives until now.” (Rakura)

So they technically don’t have restrictions as a religion, and they simply

show their gratitude to the food? It resembles the itadakimasu of Japan.

“Then there’s no issues. This place is the establishment you need to go

to if you come to Taizu. Let’s go.”

I grab the hand of Rakura who tilted her head and bring her to Dog’s
Bone half forcefully.

Taizu which is surrounded by nature, the neighboring country of Gahne

which has plains spread far and vast, and the wasteland that’s located by
the side of this including Mejis; all of these are not by the side of the sea.

That said, when we go as far as Mejis, there’s actually a neighboring

country that comes in contact with the sea, so the price of salt is
apparently around twice cheaper than here.

But it doesn’t change the fact that salt is still a luxury good and it is
expensive.

Rakura smacked her lips at the dishes that took advantage of salt. Of
course, it is not only because of the salt. Taizu is surrounded by
mountains and forests, so the herbs and spices are more varied
compared to other nations.

There’s also the recently discovered rare forest that has a lot of mana
where black wol kin live. If the special herbs there were to spread to the
market, the cuisine of the surroundings would expand even further.

And so, things were ine until the part where Rakura enjoyed the Taizu’s
food culture in the middle of development.

It is not like Rakura is weak to alcohol, but her self-control wasn’t

working.

Tasty food and tasty alcohol; she was so happy with those that she
forgot she was eating under the pocket of someone else and continued
ordering.

The result was that the dead drunk airheaded cleric was now being
piggybacked by me, and we are taking the long route home that has the
church of Maya-san on the way.

Her body is a lot more mature than that of Ilias and Wolfe, but she is still
a child on the inside.

“She is completely smashed here.” (Maya)

“Seeing how she drank, it didn’t look like it was her irst time though.
She collapsed the moment I took my eyes off her.”

“I would say it is better than overdrinking. Her emotions rose up in the

middle of it and once she goes over a threshold, she gets assailed by
sleepiness. I think that’s the kind of girl she is.” (Maya)

It is true that it seems more like she is sleeping peacefully rather than
being neck-deep drunk. In other words, maybe we would have been able
to wake her up if we smacked her awake. Give me back my hard work.

“You could have brought her back home.” (Maya)

“She has no place to stay in.”

“I was referring to your home obviously, boy.” (Maya)

“I am not so hungry as to put my hand on a woman that drank herself to

sleep -especially so if it is someone I will be working with in the future.
That’s why, don’t glare at me with those eyes, Ilias.”

“You are without a doubt a man. I don’t mind you having a deep
relationship with women, but I wouldn’t be able to have a peaceful sleep
if it is right by my neighboring room.” (Ilias)

Of course that would be the case. I myself don’t have a special kink like
letting my neighbor hear the sounds.

“It has been a while since I have begun living under the same roof and I
have not caused a single problem. I would like you to believe me on that
front.”

I am actually being reserved here in a variety of ways. I am living

together with 2 girls of age after all.

Knocking before entering the toilet, the bathroom, and their bedroom is
a matter of course, but I am also being careful not to cause any troubles
to them when I myself am using those places.

Imagine a lucky pervert situation were to happen. It would be Dead End

-literally- with the unrestrained ist of Ilias.

“Well, that is… you are right. Yeah.” (Ilias)

“I am borrowing a room from the owner, so I can’t go bringing trouble. I

would be staying the night elsewhere at such times.”

“That’s a good stance… By the way, there were times when you stayed
the night elsewhere though… or am I remembering wrong?” (Ilias)

“Now then, let’s head home, Wolfe.”

“Yes, Shishou!” (Wolfe)

“Oi, why are you ending the conversation so abruptly? Oi, wait!” (Ilias)

I am not a child, so I would like you to refrain from prying on my private

time.

———

The place is a vacant house in the capital of Taizu. After the elderly
person that was the owner of the house died, this building was given
respite for a brief period of time, so there shouldn’t be anyone here, and
yet, there is.

The man went through the closed door without even touching it.

The man advanced through the dusty loor without leaving footprints.

This man with his whole body wrapped in dark cloth was advancing
through the open room as if he were a ghost with no substance.

The place he arrived at was the place that was once his room. But
there’s no traces of people staying there, and there was simply one
coarse crystal in this place.

The secret art used by the Yugura Church. It is the same one Maya and
Rakura use to contact headquarters.

The man touched the crystal and it released a faint light.

“Let’s hear your report.”

A voice resonated from the crystal. It is the voice of the person that
spoke to Ukka after the report of Rakura.
“Rakura went around the gates and the outer walls with the helper in
the previous report to set the detection barriers.”

“I see. It will take time but it is a sound method. It seems like it was true
that she met a proper helper.”

“They are apparently going to be searching the lairstomorrow with the

map that Dokora left behind.”

“So she won’t expand the barrier immediately, huh. Does she not have
enough tools or is she planning on spreading the circumference as she
gauges the situation?”

“Any additional orders?”

“It should be ine to just keep observing Rakura for now. Please
prioritize not getting found until we know the whereabouts of the book.
Also, I have dispatched your comrades to that place. Convene irst and
inish preparations.”

“I am grateful for that. Then I will concentrate on staying in the shadows

for a while.”

“Don’t forget to con irm the frequencies of the mana waves released by
the barriers set by Rakura.”

“I have already done so.”

“That was unnecessary con irmation then. Do you have anything else to
report?”

“The appearance of the helper is somewhat peculiar. He has black hair

and black eyes. I barely feel any mana in him, but I don’t sense any signs
of him hiding it.”
“Fumu, it is an appearance you ind in demons, but judging from this,
maybe it is just rare?”

“Also, it seems like they have a white black wol kin girl close to them as
a bodyguard. Her skill isn’t even worth mentioning, but the mana inside
of her is unfathomable.”

“I have heard that Taizu has recently begun having exchanges with the
black wol kins. Maybe they hired a skilled one as a bodyguard?”

“Also, it seems like he interacts with Ilias Ratzel too.”

“That’s the thing we should be the most cautious of. She is the female
knight that won the swordsmanship tournament in Taizu after all.”

“Right. The very person that defeated Dokora. I wouldn’t want to ight
her head-on even with all my comrades together. That’s all for my
report.”

“Understood. Contact me at any eventuality.”

“Alright.”

The transmission was hung up. The man placed a cloth on top of the
crystal that had faint light remaining.

The moment the cloth covered the crystal completely, the man had
already melted into the darkness.

———

We are currently in the middle of hiking a mountain.

Today we are heading to the cave that was the irst bandit lair me and
Ilias conquered.
The base where the giant man called Gidou was the boss at. Being the
closest base, we might be able to arrive at noon after we gathered in the
morning.

The participants are: Ilias, Wolfe, and Rakura.

Thanks to Ilias mowing down the weed at the front, we are advancing
more smoothly than before.

We had to advance silently the last time because it was a surprise

attack, but we are advancing this time around with the intention of
creating a path.

“My memories of yesterday are cleanly gone in the middle…” (Rakura)

“Please put yourself in my shoes as the one that had to carry you. It was
rough with how heavy you were.”

“I-I am not heavy!” (Rakura)

“It is not a matter of being thin or fat; an adult woman sleeping is plenty
heavy alone!”

“Hiiin!” (Rakura)

Ilias could have carried her, but when I tried to make her, the wife of
Cara-jii scolded me saying ‘carrying a girl is the job of a man!’ and I
ended up having to carry her.

I felt like I was pro iting at irst, but after walking a few hundred meters,
such leeway was gone from me!

We climbed up the mountain while chatting and we arrived in the blink

of an eye. The intrusive vegetation on our way was almost all sliced
away by the sword of Ilias.
The way she advanced steadily while making loud sounds reminded me
of heavy machinery, yup.

“Alright, rest for a while, Ilias. I am going to check the inside for a bit.”

“…Okay. Call me if anything happens.” (Ilias)

I go inside. It is a nostalgic sight. The corpses that Dokora retrieved to

use necromancy on are gone, but it still smells a bit. Hmm, is the stain in
the ground a bloodstain?

“The air is a bit dirty. Should I purify it?” (Rakura)

“You can do that?”

“Of course!” (Rakura)

When Rakura used magic, I felt as if air was lowing around me. And
then, the use of magic was stopped after a while.

I see, this is pretty convenient. Not only did it get rid of the stench
around, it even changed the quality of the air.

Even though we are inside a musty cave, I feel refreshed as if we were in

a clean and sterilized room.

“The air is tastier now!”

“The mana in the air also stagnates in places where people have died, so
you can return it to its original environment in this fashion.” (Rakura)

“Speaking of which, there were scars left by the Demon Lords remaining
in Mejis.”

“Yes. When it gets to that point, it is pretty hard to progress with the
puri ication, but we are slowly getting to that point.” (Rakura)
Magic that improves the environment, huh. It is one of the spells Earth
would like to have.

I would like to teach this mainly to the countries that have factories
looding them.

After that, we set a temporary barrier, but it obviously didn’t yield

results. We achieved our objective, so I am going to be doing my job
here now.

I check the inside of the cave and take note of the ores that are
protruding from the walls. It is being used as a base, so I most likely
won’t be inding anything valuable, but it can’t be helped.

There were no spontaneous inds, but I found a few articles left by the
bandits.

Looks like most of the worn out miscellaneous products were left here.
It seems like they just retrieved whatever might be worth a coin. I also
found a wooden box illed with magic seal stones.

Magic seal stones cost some money if you want to buy them, but most of
the ones here are small and of bad quality.

You would need to throw the magic seal stone itself inside the range of
the spell in order to make this one work.

It is used to disrupt detection magic, so small ones are enough, but it

seems like it would be dif icult to use them for anything else.

For example; the magic seal stones used in the equipment of the knights
are beautifully cut and polished into a spherical shape. Their size is
decent too.

Is there one in a size that can be processed…? None. There’s certainly no

use for them at a glance, but let’s take some.
I throw a few in my pocket and reconvene with Rakura. Let’s put it
inside my treasure container when I go back.

I haven’t had much of an increase in personal possessions since coming

to this world. Only the wooden stick that’s my partner, my clothes, and
the small wooden box that I safekeep at home stealthily -also known as
the treasure container.

This curious world makes me want to pick up stuff, so this container

ful ills that childish desire of mine.

As of now, there’s a big acorn and a pretty stone I picked up in the

middle of my walks.

I would like to prepare a big box in the future and gather

commemorative items from my adventures in this world.

After that, we headed to investigate the small caves that served as

markers. The ones here were not big enough for people to live in, but
there was a place that had underground water spouting out from.

Let’s scoop it with a canteen, bring it back, and check out its properties.

“There were no results in the end… What a waste of effort…” (Rakura)

“The places of today were lairs of bandits outside of Dokora after all.”

I spoke with Rakura in a low voice on our way back. I haven’t told Ilias
about the book.

Rakura said it was ine to tell her, but it would be somewhat troubling
for me.

Ilias has heard my conversation with Dokora, so she knows that Dokora
has left me a parting gift.
She may not know about me and Cara-jii heading off to get the book, but
if she were to hear about the book, there’s a high chance she might be
able to connect the dots. If that happens, a variety of info would be
exposed.

As long as Ilias is a knight, she has the duty to report to her superiors,
and if we were to explain the situation to her carelessly, we would end
up having her carry the burden of secret information -is what I
explained to Rakura and had her keep the information on wraps.

I have told them that the exploration this time around is for the sake of
searching for resources. I would like to tell her one day, but the details of
the book are something that we are hiding from Maya-san too.

On top of that, the talk of deciphering the book together with Marito is
something that Ilias wouldn’t ind desirable.

The fact that I might move to a path of evil is not a prospect she inds
pleasing. Rather than a knight, this is most likely her feelings as a
housemate and a friend.

But since this is something that Marito has decided on, it would be hard
for Ilias to say anything against it. When that happens, the only one she
would be able to consult with is Maya-san who she is close with.

Maya-san is tolerant, but it is a different story when it comes to taboos

like necromancy. She would have to do her job as an archbishop of the
Yugura Church.

Shouldering a secret brings a lot of pain to the heart. If it were to be

discovered before I explain things, it might even worsen our
relationship.

As someone who wants to live safely, I shouldn’t be holding a big secret.

That said, I understand the standing of Marito and sympathize with it.
Does Mejis simply have these books sealed and keep them in check, or
are they researching them in secret?

The truth that they are managing the books was con irmed with the
existence of Rakura, but we still don’t know just how dangerous it is
even now.

———

I observe him as we go back. He is talking with Rakura in a low voice.

I can’t hear what he is saying, but I hesitate in asking what it is. The two
of them must have their own secrets.

Rakura is a good person. She is straightforward and has skills as a cleric.

Even if she has a lot of cute parts, she is a charming woman.

They were keeping a strange distance from each other at irst, but now
they have an equivalent relationship.

His way of acting changes depending on the person like a mirror. My

relationship with him is just on the level where we can have casual talks
even now.

There are times when he pissess me off, but if I think of it as him

showing less restraint around me, it doesn’t feel bad.

His relationship with Rakura must have had a similar change.

The amount of people he can speak casually with has increased. That’s
something good, but…

“Ilias, are you tired?” (Wolfe)

Wolfe peeked at my face and spoke to me. Rakura and him are talking in
a low voice, so she must have come to me. She is pretty perceptive on a
lot of fronts. No, she is way too good at it.

Considering her upbringing, it wouldn’t be strange for her to live in a

more upfront manner. She is most likely desperate to not let her current
lifestyle spill out from her hands.

That’s how much fear she has of her past. The reality is that Wolfe would
tremble at times when she crawled in my bed.

“Right. I would like to go back quickly and take it easy.” (Ilias)

“Won’t you talk to Shishou, Ilias?” (Wolfe)

“Talk about what?” (Ilias)

“Shishou is thinking about many things. Just like the time when he
brought Wolfe out of the village.” (Wolfe)

Fumu. I begin pondering. I know that he is always thinking about many

things at all times.

He is not good with manual labor, so that must have become his way of
living.

But judging from the way Wolfe said this, should I judge this as him
scheming something as of present?

“Together with Rakura?” (Ilias)

“No, Rakura is not thinking anything.” (Wolfe)

That sounds horrible when phrased like that. But he is scheming

something that he is hiding from Rakura too? Then him interacting with
Rakura right now is also…

No no, they might simply be getting along.

“…Umu.” (Ilias)

So vexing. He tends to hate excessive interference. I am aware he is

relying on me despite that. Destroying that relationship would be…

I have maintained a close relationship with Maya as a friend of my

mother, but I have not had experience with a personal relationship I
have met by myself.

I can’t tell how much I can step in. But if I can step in, I would like to…

I am con ident in my swordsmanship, but I am not acquainted with

matters like this one.

“If I could get along better with someone by slicing them, I would slice
them in a heartbeat though.” (Ilias)

“Ilias, that’s scary.” (Wolfe)

I scared her. I would like to avoid scaring this girl. It really hit me hard
when this girl ended up getting scared of me after that one bout of ours.
I have to be careful.
 CHAPTER 29
IT FELT LIKE MY LIFE WAS
SUFFOCATED OUT OF ME FOR
NOW

We returned from our exploration after evening. I had Ilias and the
others head to Dog’s Bone and headed to Marito’s place alone.

I have the leather bag with an alcohol drink inside that was given to me
in Dog’s Bone. I bring that to a certain place before heading to the
castle. The boundary between the common and wealthy sector; I
advance through a back alley there. The person I came here for was
there.

“Hey there, Gazen.”

“What, it is you, huh.” (Gazen)

Gazen, a person that doesn’t have a house in Taizu. Basically, a

homeless person.

He is around 40 years old, but that look of his that doesn’t care about
his personal appearance makes him look older than he is.

He normally loiters around the back alleys, gathering trash. He would

also gather the trash thrown away unlawfully, and would get a bit of
income from the country.
I might have begun my life in this world in the same position as Gazen
if I hadn’t been taken under the place of Ilias. That made me think about
how he must have a lot of circumstances behind him and made me
pensive.

Gazen loiters around the city often, so he knows a lot about the state of
the city. I tried offering him some drinks to test it out, and I got useful
stories, so I would come here to get information every so often.

Gazen is a proper person and keeps the give-and-take mentality. And

so, I give him the booze as advance payment.

“Have you seen someone unknown lately in this city?”

“The newest one would be the lil sis that’s together with you. Haven’t
seen anyone else.” (Gazen)

“You know about Rakura? Well, that one doesn’t matter. I know about
her origins clearly after all. No other noteworthy changes?”

“Got that right. It is the usual Taizu. A booze carrier like you is a big
event for me though.” (Gazen)

Gazen said this laughing as he drank the booze. He is fastidious so

other homeless people take distance from him, but he is not that bad of
a man if you don’t mistake how to mingle with him.

But he is not a pawn I can use freely, so it is hard to utilize him.

“Gazen, there’s the possibility dangerous people are hiding in this city.”

“I haven’t seen them though.” (Gazen)

“But the nights in the city are dangerous. Can you please refrain from
wandering around at night for a while?”
“Haah? Who do you think you are?” (Gazen)

“Don’t say that. You are an important information source for me, Gazen.
I simply don’t want to put you in needless danger.”

“I am walking around this city seeking things at night too. I would

starve to death if I didn’t.” (Gazen)

I throw a gold coin to the glaring Gazen.

“What are you trying to pull off here?” (Gazen)

“Just for a while. Please limit your actions to daylight.”

“…Tch, you are one weirdo.” (Gazen)

Gazen cursed as he pocketed the gold coin.

“I will listen to you until this money runs out.” (Gazen)

“Sorry for making you take a suffocating action. I will bring tasty booze
again.”

I said this and parted with Gazen. Gazen’s existence is like air in this
city.

He is not needed by anyone, and he himself doesn’t need anyone. That’s

why he can obtain information one after the other with his eyes alone.

If that Gazen says he hasn’t seen someone, that must be the case for the
others.

But does that mean the Yugura Church just sent Rakura and that’s it?
No chance. Rakura is bait. They failed in selecting the personnel, but
that must be the truth. I need to bring out a bit more information from
Rakura.
It has just hit night. I was guided to a special room at the castle where
Marito is in. It goes without saying what the objective is: deciphering
the book.

According to Rakura’s info, the book has mana in it. If that mana gets
stuck onto my body, it would react to the barrier deployed in the city.
This room was set for the sake of avoiding this.

I also changed my clothes while at it, and have also equipped special
gloves. I feel as if I have become a forensic examiner.

The ones in the room are Marito and Lord Ragudo.

“Now then, this is unnecessarily nerve wracking. Reading this won’t get
me cursed, right?”

“I skimmed through it when I couldn’t read it. I would say I am actually

more energetic lately.” (Marito)

“Speaking of which, I do feel like you have been getting more and more
lively as the days pass.”

“Everyday is fun after all.” (Marito)

“Even when shouldering a problem like this?”

There’s no point in faltering the whole time. Let’s check out this book
quickly.

I reread the cover that has written: Sample No. 4: Research Record of
the Blue Demon Lord.

I can tell the contents of this book just from the title. Can I get even
more information than that?

“By the way, should I read it aloud?”

“Right. It is not like I don’t trust you, but it is not impossible for you to
get scared of the contents and back out, right?” (Marito)

“I have resolved myself thanks to you. Don’t come crying to me later.”

I opened the book. What’s written here is without doubt Japanese.

However, their writing style is somewhat old.

“It is hard to read… Is it writing of around the Taisho Era?”

“Taisho?” (Marito)

“An era around 100 years ago. When were the Demon Lords around?”

“500 years ago.” (Marito)

Fumu, the credibility of this book has suddenly dropped. That said,
there might be a disconnect in the time low between this world and
Earth.

I will read the contents for now and will check its validity and its
history.

“It is not like I can’t read it. Well, I will at least be reading what I can
read.”

This is how my life’s most dangerous read aloud session began.

———

“Rakura told the counselor candidate about the book, huh…”

I received the report of Ukka and was on the verge of holding my head
in pain.
“I-It is okay! According to Rakura’s report, they are really close and she
has told him to stay silent—” (Ukka)

“If you are going to ask for the help of a government of icial from
another country, you should explain the situation to the country at
least! Do you want to exacerbate this into a national problem?!”

The books related to necromancy being sealed within Mejis is

something that originally should be kept a secret. If there’s information
of the forbidden, it is in the nature of people to want that.

However, the Anbu of Mejis, Dokora, managed to steal one of those

books and escaped from the country. There’s no issue if it is possible to
retrieve this in secret. But now that we have blundered, we obviously
need to prepare ourselves to be injured to a itting degree.

Reveal the origins of the book to Taizu and request their help in the
search. It is a secret we have been keeping until now. Being criticized
by other nations is something that can’t be avoided.

In the irst place, there’s no way the other countries haven’t considered
the possibility that the Yugura Church has obtained knowledge of the
forbidden in order to learn countermeasures for it.

The current problem is whether to expose it ourselves or to have

someone else expose it. It goes without saying that both will worsen
our political relationship.

“It is ine already. It might be too late already, but contact the king of
Taizu.”

“B-But…” (Ukka)

“This problem is no longer just about clearing away our suspicions

towards Maya from Taizu. Since you are the one responsible to send
Rakura there, you will be the one reporting to Taizu every bit of info.
Got it?!”

“Y-Yes, Your Holiness!” (Ukka)

“Contact me at once if you feel like it will get bad. When that happens, I
will personally head there.”

“No way. There’s no need for you to go yourself, Pope-sam—”

“If you think so, wrap the talk properly!” (Euparo)

Ukka hurriedly ran off. Seriously, if he thinks of my well-being, I would

like him to act properly.

It hasn’t been long since Taizu has changed into an era where a young
and smart king has taken over. I have heard about how well he has been
ruling.

If we face him with sincerity, I am sure we can maintain a good

relationship.

But he is a young king. If we make him unnecessarily wary, there’s even

the possibility he might begin sharpening his claws to turn them
towards us.

“There might be a need for me to visit Taizu once regardless of this

situation…” (Euparo)

I have heard that Taizu is abundant in herbs and has a lot of dishes with
rich scents. Let’s consider this as a traveling plan.

———

I hurry preparations to communicate with Taizu with hurried steps and

ragged breath.
I was too overtaken in one-upping Maya and ended up exposing the
standing of the Yugura Church -no, the standing of the Pope-sama to
danger. I must hurry and ix this!

“I will irst have Rakura explain the situation to the king of Taizu and
then have them help out… Right, I already sent an Anbu to Taizu!”
(Ukka)

I hurry and contact him too… contact…

“Wait, now that I think about it, who did I send?” (Ukka)

“Ukka, is something the matter?”

“Oh, it is you! Actually, there’s trouble!” (Ukka)

I explain the situation.

“I see. We have to contact Rakura at once then.”

“Right? Also the Anbu—” (Ukka)

“Please wait. Rakura doesn’t know about the presence of the Anbu. I
don’t think there’s any need to tell them about that.”

“But…” (Ukka)

“Rakura is a cleric of the Yugura Church. There may be the drawback

that she hid her objective, but there shouldn’t be any issues in terms of
her standing. However, the Anbu would be a different story. It would be
an issue even if you were to divulge the information.”

“That’s… true.” (Ukka)

“Don’t worry. The Anbus are still in the middle of in iltration. We will be
the ones contacting you. Please concentrate only on instructing Rakura
only.”

“I-I see. Then, I will be counting on you!” (Ukka)

There should be no issues with this. Oh, I forgot something important.

“By the way, who was the Anbu sent to—” (Ukka)

I looked back, but there was no one there.

“…Hmm, what just happened? No, this is not the time for that! I have to
hurry and tell Rakura!” (Ukka)

——

I was having trouble deciphering the book. It is in part because it is

hard to read. But it is mostly because Marito and Lord Ragudo were
stopping me often.

It is true that that’s just how riddled with problems this book is. The
reality is that everyone in this room is holding their head in pain.

“Do you think Mejis knows about the contents of this book?”

“No, the chances of them only knowing that this is a record of

necromancy are higher. If what’s written in this book is true and they
knew about it, the Yugura Church would be doing their utmost to get
this book back.” (Marito)

Yeah, it wouldn’t be the time to be sending an airhead like Rakura. They

would either send someone as good as Maya-san or higher.

This book has enough worth that it should be ine to reveal the fact that
they had been hiding the possession of the taboo called necromancy.
“We will continue deciphering this, but it looks like it would be better
for you to think about what comes after that, Marito.”

“I plan on doing that even without you telling me. Honestly speaking,
wouldn’t it make things faster to just return this while making a face as
if we don’t know?” (Marito)

“What a coincidence. I was thinking the same.”

“You two, that won’t do…” (Ragudo)

The 3 of us sigh. I don’t want to read this book anymore though. It is so

chock-full of information that must not be known and it is really rough.

“Just how much more life-threatening information should I expose my

head to before it is over…?”

I lip through the remaining pages. The ile of characters enter my

vision. This is what will be entering my head in the future.

A bitter sigh leaked out. I then reached the last page of the book…
What’s this?

What was written there was something similar to a simple afterword. It

wasn’t anything complicated, and it was plain information that didn’t
require much thought.

However, this writing that could be understood in one glance was the
issue.

“It is not that the chances are high that the Yugura Church doesn’t know
about this. They de initely don’t know.”

“What’s the matter? Did you ind something?” (Marito)

“Yeah, if they knew about this, they would have burned this book a long
time ago.”

The expression of the two I shared this information with stiffened.

“Wait a moment. I didn’t want to hear that information!” (Marito)

“I myself didn’t want to know either! What should we do about this?!”

“You two, please calm down…” (Ragudo)

“Lord Ragudo, aren’t you trembling like a newborn calf?! This is the
irst time I see you this lustered!” (Marito)

This hard to believe truth made the strongest knight, the wise king, and
the otherworlder all lustered to an unsightly degree.

I closed the book for a moment after that and returned to the of ice of
Marito.

“Your Majesty, I don’t want to keep this book near me.” (Ragudo)

“Endure it. I myself don’t want you close to me with that book, Lord
Ragudo.” (Marito)

“That’s horrible, Your Majesty.” (Ragudo)

“But wouldn’t it really be for the best of the world if we were to return
this book as if we didn’t know anything?”

“That may be true, but… if we do, the matter of the Demon Lord…
Right! Let’s make it so you were the only one who deciphered it and
have you consult with the Yugura Church.” (Marito)

“You are telling me to die?!”

“I have the duty to shoulder the future of Taizu’s citizens…” (Marito)

“What a wonderful resolution, Your Majesty.” (Ragudo)

“I am de initely gonna snitch!”

We were about to heat up again, so we drank tea and had a breather.

“But this isn’t an issue that we can just ignore.” (Marito)

“If the contents of the book are true, this de initely is extremely bad.”

“Alright, let’s postpone this issue for now. We should inish deciphering
it irst.” (Marito)

“R-Right.”

There might be a ‘The contents of this book are iction. It has no

relation with actual people or events’ written in there somewhere. If it
is not written in there, it will simply be increasing the painful
knowledge though.

Now then, even if we are to run away from reality from the importance
of the contents, the other issues still remain.

“Does Taizu not have stuff like Anbus, Marito?”

“We do. The people investigating the origins of the book are that. I can’t
tell you the information of the members for your own safety though.”
(Marito)

“Please don’t. If I get tortured, I am con ident I will spill it out before it
even begins.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do now that we have learned about the
contents of the book though.” (Marito)
“Is there no spell that can make us forget? I would like to use it if it
does.”

“So there was that option. Lord Ragudo!” (Marito)

“This is a problem that cannot be ignored. Please give up and accept it,
Your Majesty. I am sure he will happily die together with you.” (Ragudo)

“That’s how it is, so… please die together with me, my friend.” (Marito)

“I would like to forfeit my friendship.”

My composure really gets taken away when it comes to talking about

this book. Let’s return to the main topic at hand for now.

“What I want to know is what kind of existence are the Anbus. What can
they do, on what basis do they move; I want to understand that kind of
stuff.”

“I understand the reason why you want to do that. But I think it is okay
to leave that stuff to Taizu though…” (Marito)

“My mental strength is not so strong that I would be able to believe in

the guy that told me to die together with him just a moment ago.”

“Wumu, preparing yourself isn’t that bad of a thing, huh. Got it. Then, I
will introduce you to one of the Anbus.” (Marito)

“That would be a great help. When can I meet them?”

“They are behind you.” (Marito)

A hand was placed on my shoulder behind me.

“—?!”
An incomprehensible sound leaked from my mouth. A leather gloved
hand was placed on my shoulder.

When I hurriedly tried to look back, Marito stopped me with his hand.

“Aah, don’t look back. It would be for the best to not know of his identity
as much as possible.” (Marito)

“I-I see. But at least let me prepare myself mentally irst. I thought I was
going to die there.”

“My apologies.”

The voice I heard from my back, I can’t tell whether it is high or low, or
whether it is a man or a woman. Marito did say ‘he’, so he must be a
man though…

“Apologies for the belated introduction. I guard His Majesty—or

something of the sort.”

“That introduction just now increased my friendship points quite a bit.”

“Thank you very much. If you have anything you want to ask, I will do
my best to answer within acceptable degrees.”

“It is weird to ask a question before a question, but are you normally
guarding Marito?”

“Yes, I am normally watching over His Majesty without showing

myself.”

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest in Taizu

after all. It feels extremely safe with him.” (Marito)

“Yes, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration indeed, Your Majesty. I am the

strongest after all.”
“That’s quite the con idence. And yet, you are a member of the Anbus
and your name is unknown…? Could you be someone who was judged
as outstanding and then treated as dying on duty to have you perform
in the shadows?”

“As expected of the friend of His Majesty who will be spending his
whole life together with him. You are a smart one.”

“I won’t do that. I won’t, I’ll have you know.”

“I have been observing you the whole time since the irst time you
spoke to His Majesty. You are someone who can be trusted. The irst
time you tried to surprise His Majesty, I wondered about whether to cut
you down, but I am glad I managed to endure just barely.”

“Can you please stop saying such scary things as if nothing?”

I can’t tell at all if this Anbu-kun is saying this seriously or if he is joking.

“If you are hiding yourself with magic, does that mean you get affected
by magic seal stones? There’s quite a lot of them in this castle though.”

“Yes, this body stealth spell can be undone with the magic seal stone.
But I can sense the mana clad on magic seal stones, so I can in theory
avoid it.”

“I see. So you won’t get caught unless it is a pretty extraneous situation,

huh.”

“In the case I am seen, I would have to kill everyone in the place, so it is
a lot of trouble.”

“Please do your best. Also, don’t show that face of yours to a single
soul.”
“I am con ident in my face, you know? I would be able to charm even
men.”

“I don’t want to die for that… Wait, could it be that you were watching
when we were deciphering the book too?”

“Yes, I raised my blade countless times, unable to accept the shocking

reality, and was about to cut you down.”

“I praise you for enduring, but can you please stop killing people in
order to escape reality?”

And so, we are entering questioning time. He tells me about the

knowledge of Anbus and what they can do. Fumu fumu, this is really
educational.

I have been hanging out with straightforward people like Ilias, Wolfe,
and Rakura, so the nostalgic feeling I had forgotten was returning.

—Aah, the same thought process of when I cornered Dokora is coming

back to me.

“It would be better for you to not return to that face.”

While I was thinking about the future, Marito spoke to me with a

serious face.

“Hm, was I making a weird face?”

“Yeah, it was mostly your eyes turning muddy. Lord Ratzel and the
others would get worried if they saw that, you know?” (Marito)

“That much?”

“That much.” (Marito)

“Want a mirror?”

“Yeah, thank y—wa, that was close!”

I was on the verge of seeing the face of Anbu-kun who was behind me
through the mirror. Moreover, he said in a low voice ‘ah, shoot’!

“Oops, sorry.”

“Please put yourself in the shoes of the person who might die from
those oopsies of yours. Or more like, please disappear.”

“What a terrible way of putting it. I am going to cry.”

“Please hide with magic!”

I look in the mirror again. I feel like it hasn’t changed much though…
Fumu.

“Right. I will return after having a light chat.”

“That would be a good idea. Want to hear one of my best jokes?”

“Please leave it for another time.”

“You would die laughing.”

“Do you want to kill me that much?!”

Anbu-kun is teasing me moderately, but he is the real deal. If it is just as

they state, he would be even stronger than Ilias.

To think I would meet the strongest of Taizu in this manner. Such a

strange development.
But I wouldn’t like to associate with a living landmine. Let’s just make
this our last interaction.

“But I didn’t know at this time that I would end up having an

inseparable relationship with this person.”

“Your mind reading ability is incredible!”

“It was showing in your face. It was an easy to read face.”

“I see—Wait, don’t stand in front of me without using magic!”

 CHAPTER 30
I GIVE IN FOR NOW

The morning of the next day, Rakura came to our home.

When I asked her what was the matter, she said there was an
emergency contact from Mejis. It was apparently to explain the
situation to the Taizu King and ask them to help out in the search for
the book.

I tilted my head at the sudden change in stance from the Yugura Church
at irst, but the reason was made clear after I listened to the situation in
more detail from Rakura.

Rakura apparently reported to her superior in Mejis stupidly honestly

that she has requested my help as the counselor candidate.

I did agree to keep silent, but not to them after all. Now that they know
about our relationship, they would obviously have to relay this matter
to the higher-ups.

By the way, according to Rakura, there was a discrepancy of 1 day

between report and orders. It should be safe to assume that the person
that gave Rakura the order is a different one from the person that made
the decision.

The one currently giving orders to Rakura is the archbishop called

Ukka. The person that can give orders to someone like that would be
Pope Euparo.
With this, I can roughly see the standing of the people ordering Rakura
at the Yugura Church. Their perception of the book is simply that it is
about information regarding necromancy. It should be natural to think
that.

But that at the same time brings up a troubling point. The book is
currently in the Taizu Castle.

The ultimate objective here would be to have a barrier of Rakura ind

the book, bring this to the negotiation table, and return the book. We
would inish deciphering the book in that time, but it is troubling now
that it has come to this.

Now that we have been asked for cooperation directly, we either open
up regarding the book and return it immediately, or we hide its
existence. It should be possible to hide it for the duration, but the
timing to return it would get more dif icult.

It would also mean that we are deceiving Mejis who brought out the
negotiations honestly. It is not like Taizu wants to pick a ight with
Mejis. We want to con irm the danger of the book.

Also, the danger of the book is pretty high as of present. It has gone
beyond dangerous.

Well, there’s no point worrying about it alone. Marito holds the last say
in this. I am sure Marito will make a responsible choice. Since the
situation has turned out like this, I immediately went to the castle
alone.

“I thought they already asked for the help of your higher-ups since the
point they asked you to help us out as the counselor candidate.”
(Marito)

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

“How long will it take to decipher it?” (Marito)

“Let’s see. I would like 2 days to read everything and tell you about it.”

“Considering how much remains, that makes sense. Do you think you
can manage to do it in 1 day if it is just a rough translation?” (Marito)

“Well, I think I can.”

“It is not like I would like to read the methods of necromancy

completely. Let’s just be content with knowing what’s written here.”
(Marito)

And so, it was decided that we will be accepting the request for
assistance from Rakura. Then, we will return it to them with the excuse
that we found the book stored in the treasury room the next day.

We will use someone who doesn’t know about the situation to tell this
to Rakura since she can see through lies. Rakura sometimes asks
questions in a pretty dangerous manner, so I thought I might mess up
somewhere. I am glad I don’t have to go through such a scary
experience.

“But there’s something that bothers me.”

“Allow me to guess. It is about the other searchers, right?” (Marito)

“Yeah, I asked Rakura subtly, and she said she didn’t know. Well, even
the person that chose Rakura would know that telling this to Rakura
would be bad.”

“But there’s no explanation for that, right? Is it simply because it is her,

or that their existence is not made public, so they plan on keeping it
hidden?” (Marito)
“I think it is the latter. If it is personnel that can move in secret, the
chances are high that it would be the Anbus of the country. If Anbus
have been sent to a foreign country, even if they were to confess this
honestly, it would be impossible to avoid friction between both
countries.”

“I would like to point out that they de initely must have them in our
country, but with us hiding the book in question, I don’t want to come
out too strongly.” (Marito)

“That said, instead of clearing the suspicions of Maya-san, there’s no

doubt they prioritized inding the book and their relationship with
Taizu. If they are going to disappear by themselves, there’s no need to
poke the tiger.”

This should wrap things up for now. After translating most of the book,
we will return it to Mejis. We will consider the threat of it in the future.

There was no need to warn Gazen to not walk at night.

He has his own lifestyle, so I should revoke it at once. And so, I parted
with Marito and headed to the back alley.

“Gazen, are you there?”

“What, if it is about the money, I still haven’t used it all.” (Gazen)

Gazen was reading a book slowly as he sipped through the alcohol I

gave him yesterday. He is drinking while tasting it so much. I
understand why it was recommended by Gozu.

The book Gazen is reading is… is it related to agriculture?

“No, it is about yesterday. It seems like it will end as unnecessary

worry.”
“I see. But even if you tell me to give you back the gold, I have already
used a good deal of it.” (Gazen)

“That book, huh. I one-sidedly pushed that request through, so I won’t

tell you to give it back.”

“I am glad you are generous.” (Gazen)

“Are you planning on growing crops?”

“I will bring soil from somewhere random, stuff it into a box or

something, and maybe I could make a small cultivation ield.” (Gazen)

A vegetable garden using planters, huh. You would be able to make

food, so that wouldn’t be bad. I should suggest this to Wolfe too. It
would be good for her education.

“Open holes to that and stuff pumice stones to them. It would serve to
improve the water drainage and would make it more dif icult for the
roots to rot.”

“Hoh, you know a lot about that?” (Gazen)

“An acquaintance of mine was raising plants as a hobby. I simply

obtained a bit of knowledge at that time.”

“Plants don’t complain at every single instance, and they won’t avoid
people after all. It should work just ine for someone like me.” (Gazen)

“It is true that they won’t complain. But they will wither without a word
if you don’t look after them properly though.”

“True. I would have to look after them at least that much. Might as well
pick up some rocks as you said.” (Gazen)
Gazen lazily got up and walked off. Planters on a back alley, huh. If he
makes just food, there might be complaints.

It would be better to advise him to think of the scenery too, but

considering how Gazen is, he most likely won’t be growing things that
will murder his surroundings.

“Make it with my money. If you get a decent harvest, share a bit with
me, okay?”

“Just a bit. Hehe.” (Gazen)

After parting with Gazen, I inished lunch, and met up with Rakura. It
seems like Marito acted quickly while I had a detour, and a messenger
had already been sent to Rakura to tell her that they are agreeing to
help out.

Now that they have requested the search of the book to the country, it
should be ine to explain to Ilias too.

“—And so, Rakura has come to Taizu in order to ind the book that’s
suspected Dokora has stolen.”

“I see. That’s the reason why you were guiding her around the outer
walls and going up the mountains together with her, huh.” (Ilias)

“The reason why I didn’t tell you was because Rakura did ask me to not
tell anyone. You could say it is a national secret.”

“My apologies, but there were a lot of circumstances behind this…”

(Rakura)

“No, it is enough that I know the reason why. It is true that the Yugura
Church would want to hide the reality that they are safekeeping books
regarding necromancy.” (Ilias)
“By the way, about the reason why I learned about this irst. This
happened when we went around the villages—”

“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!” (Rakura)

“So noisy!”

I explain to Ilias about my relationship with Rakura without hiding

anything -including a thorough recounting of how she casted charm
magic on me.

However, I hide the fact that Marito has the book. This is information
that Rakura must not know either after all. I am only sharing the same
amount of information I am sharing with Rakura.

“Counselor-sama, you promised you would keep it a secret…” (Rakura)

“I don’t even need to compare what’s better between keeping it a secret

from Ilias and worsening my relationship with her, or her opinion of
you worsening.”

“Uuuh…” (Rakura)

“I-I see. Well, I will keep it a secret, so don’t worry.”

“How kind of you, Ilias-san…! In comparison…” (Rakura)

“Because a certain someone reported to her higher-ups stupidly

honestly, the nation ended up getting involved.”

“*Sob* Communicating, reporting, and consulting is important, you

know?!” (Rakura)

After Ilias listened to it all, she began thinking. She must be

remembering Dokora. If she does, that topic will obviously be brought
up.
“If I remember correctly, Dokora said he would be leaving a parting gift
to you, and to check the lair, right?” (Ilias)

See, it did come. Ilias is a muscle-brain but not a bird-brain.

She is a prodigy that managed to learn all basic spells, and also the type
to immediately voice out what she has noticed.

She tags along with you if you settle things with her beforehand, so it is
not like she doesn’t have lexibility though.

But I don’t like making Ilias lie or have her conceal things.

“Yeah, the searches for the lairs were done the next day and the stolen
and valuable things were retrieved. The chances are high that it is
stored in the castle.”

“You were making me lay barriers outside despite the fact that the
chances of it being in the castle are high…?” (Rakura)

“Stolen goods can end up lowing outside the country if there’s no

owner. Should I have invited you to in iltrate the castle because it was
the highest possibility?”

“That’s… uuh…” (Rakura)

“I would have stopped you from that.” (Ilias)

“Right.” (Rakura)

“It seems like the investigation of the treasury room will end
tomorrow, so let’s inish the preparations of the barriers today at
least.”

I can’t tell her that’s pointless effort. I am sorry when you are all
motivated, but let’s pray she doesn’t pursue the topic too much.
“…Hmm, speaking of which, why did Dokora want to give a parting gift
to Counselor-sama?” (Rakura)

“Because he was the one who cornered Dokora, and Dokora

acknowledged him.” (Ilias)

“What?!” (Rakura)

Telling her unnecessary things… I felt like this would end up being
trouble, so I hid the fact that I had a connection with Dokora, and yet…

“I simply managed to luckily read his actions. The one who defeated
Dokora and mowed down his undead together with the forest was you,
Ilias.”

“That’s true, but…” (Ilias)

“If that was the case, you could have said so.” (Rakura)

This is bad. What should I say here…? I have to answer without mixing
lies. Like this, and like that, huh.

“I hate standing out. I am helping you out, Rakura, but I didn’t want
Mejis to know about my identity too much. That’s why I wanted to help
you out while hiding the fact that I was involved in the subjugation of
Dokora. Sorry.”

“I see… No, don’t worry about it. Due to my position, you have to
answer everything truthfully without hiding anything when asked, so it
can’t be helped if you would think like that.” (Rakura)

“I am glad to hear that.”

Rakura returned to Maya-san’s church and began preparations for the

tools to set the barriers. I entrust Wolfe to them while at it.
Ilias will be returning to work, so I head to the castle together with her
to inish translating the book. Of course, I have only told them I am
going there because Marito called for me.

“By the way, I have to apologize to you too, Ilias.”

“Me?” (Ilias)

“I am a housemate under your care after all, Ilias. It would have been
better to consult with you a bit, right?”

“You were made to promise to keep silent by Rakura, right? I did feel
sad, but it is better than breaking a promise.” (Ilias)

“So you did feel sad.”

“N-No, how to say it, I could tell you two had a shared secret, but I felt
left out from not being included in that…” (Ilias)

“Basically, you were sad.”

“Argh, shut up! Also, it wasn’t just me, Wolfe was also worried about it!”
(Ilias)

Wolfe is pretty sharp herself after all. But in Wolfe’s case, she was most
likely worried about Ilias. When you see someone close to you
troubled, you will feel worried. That’s the kind of girl Wolfe is.

After that, I resumed my translation work with Marito. We changed our

objective and I explained to him roughly what’s written there. We
would then dig down the areas that Marito and Lord Ragudo point out.

But, even with that, it still took time. The sun went down, and I ended
up having to stay at the castle to continue the work. I asked Ilias to pick
up Wolfe, and I inished having dinner at the castle.
“Speaking of which, this is the irst time I have had a meal in this
fashion. Working all night feels fresh and nice!” (Marito)

“When I was a minor, I had the stamina to last all-nighters, but it is

pretty rough, you know…”

“You do look like you don’t have stamina.” (Marito)

“It is not only about stamina, your mental health too. Concentration
normally doesn’t last the whole night.”

That said, I only need to read. I am leaving the understanding to the

others.

The ones who are actually understanding this and memorizing it are
Marito and Lord Ragudo. Right right, Anbu-kun too.

We wolfed down the late-night snack that Lord Ragudo made which
was so good it could be priced by Gozu and Saira, as we continued
working through the night.

———

“Hm~hmhm~, fuufufu~.”

I walk through the night city with a hum. I feel nice today. It is natural to
be in a good mood after things have gone well.

“Aah, there’s no booze anymore… Well, it is enough if it lasts for 2 days.”

I held the leather bag that’s now empty. That was tasty booze. Can’t that
brat bring more?

It is not like I can’t buy more with the money I have at hand, but the
booze I got was outstanding.
At any rate, he is quite the peculiar fella. Even though every single
person out there directs eyes and attitude of alienation…

He gives me booze, money, and would talk to me as a person. If he had

just given me money, I would have given him information outright. He
really is way too naive at dealing with homeless people.

“If I get tasty vegetables… I will at least give him enough to show my
appreciation.”

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the last bit of booze in my system as I

moved.

The backalleys are my garden. That’s why I can walk in it even with my
eyes closed. What entered my ears were the faint voices of people even
when it was night.

Aah, the couple there is having a stupid argument again. Today it is

about how to cut the vegetables. Just munch on it as it is.

The granny in the house there is mumbling by herself again, huh. Your
grandson is coming to check on you in a few days, so just go to sleep
already.

What I can hear from here is… what, this is an unfamiliar voice.

I opened my eyes and looked at the house where I heard the voice. The
old man should have died a few days ago. It is weird that there’s people
inside.

I remember the words of that brat. He said someone from outside has
come, right? Is it them?

Even I am refraining from using a vacant house. These guys really like
to mess around.
There’s a window in my vision. I move and peek inside… Who are these
guys?

There’s several men in full black robes. Tch, the kind of guys you better
not get involved with. I move away from the window and silently
distance myself from the vacant house.

What should I do? Should I snitch to that brat and get money?

Right, I am sure he would give me money. When that happens, my

vegetable cultivation plan will progress too.

Hm? My vision suddenly—

“Oi oi, did you kill him?”

“He was peeking inside the house. Judging from his attire and smell, he
must be homeless trash.”

“Aah aah, breaking the bone in his neck cleanly. They would discover it
was a murder like this.”

“Look at what he is holding in his hand. It is alcohol.”

“Aah, then, we get him up like this and… squash!”

“Are you insane to make noise?!”

“Sorry sorry, but that will make it look like an accident, right? Well then,
retreat.”

——

It is now morning. The decoding has gone well to a point where it is

inally okay to return it. I have been given permission to return home.
If I hadn’t told Ilias that I would be staying at the castle, I would have
given her an unnecessary misunderstanding at this point. The gaze of
Ilias has been strict lately when I am acting unhealthily. She must be
worried about Wolfe imitating me.

While I was thinking that, I coincidentally saw her. There’s someone

with her.

The body sticking out from the back alley has a familiar attire; if I
remember correctly, that’s a sentry. I think it is a knight in training that
is receiving instruction from the Ragudo Division.

…It is different from the usual Ilias. Did something happen?

“Ilias, you are making a sour face there. Did something happen?”

“It is you, huh. It is nothing, I simply saw an unpleasant sight from the
very morning…” (Ilias)

“What happened?”

Two sentries show up from the back alley. What they were carrying was
a stretcher with a cloth on top of it.

Judging from the abnormal bulge, someone must be on top of it. Did
someone die? Of course you wouldn’t like to see a corpse early in the
morning.

The corpse on the stretcher is covered completely in cloth, so I can’t see

them.

Well, I don’t want to see it though. But when I averted my gaze, what
entered my vision was something that had fallen on the alley, and my
breath got taken away.
It is a leather bag you put alcohol in and it is one I have seen recently. I
ran towards the stretcher, ignored the sentries that shouted at me to
stop, and lift the cloth.

“Oi, what are you—” (Ilias)

The one there was Gazen, who was alive yesterday, and showed a
sarcastic smile.

“…Gazen. No way.”

“An acquaintance?” (Ilias)

“…Yeah, a man that doesn’t have a home and lives in the back alleys
around here.”

We didn’t really have a deep relationship. We weren’t close either. But it

is not like we were complete strangers.

I know his likes in alcohol, I know what he tried to accomplish, and

yet…

—So leeting. That’s the only emotion that welled up in me.

“He apparently fell from drinking too much. He smashed his head hard
on the wall because of it…” (Ilias)

“I see…”

He was drinking alcohol from the very morning. It is not wei—no, wait.
I gave him this alcohol two days ago.

I picked up the leather bag. It is empty. The smell inside… is de initely

the alcohol I gave him.
It is the one I left Gozu to decide on, but it is a brand that’s rare in Taizu.
The chances he bought it again are low.

It would mean that Gazen has only drank from this since the morning of
two days ago till yesterday night. I also know that this alcohol isn’t so
strong as I have sampled it myself.

How was Gazen yesterday? He certainly was drinking, but his steps
were…

I entered the back alley Gazen had fallen in and found the wall that’s
apparently where he knocked his head.

There’s a bloodstain. He must have bleeded a good deal. There’s no

doubt Gazen died here, but… I looked around and noticed how
abnormal this is.

“Ilias, where are you carrying Gazen to?”

“There’s already too many people coming and going from outside. We
wouldn’t like too many people to see this. We are going to be carrying
him to Maya’s church for now.” (Ilias)

“I see, not to someone I don’t know. Can I come along?”

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

The corpse of Gazen was carried over to the church of Maya-san.

—It should be ine here. I whisper in the ear of Ilias.

“Can you please investigate his body thoroughly? There’s strange

points.”

“What do you mean by that?” (Ilias)

“There’s the possibility this man was killed.”

“What?” (Ilias)

“In the irst place, the alcohol he was drinking was something I
presented to him two days ago. He was drinking it for more than a
whole day, and there’s no sign of him having drank any other. He was
drinking yesterday too, but his footsteps were proper. Secondly, the
place where he fell. I don’t see anything he could trip on. It is not a place
where you would trip unless you have unsteady feet.”

“That… does bother me, but it is not like the possibility of him falling by
coincidence isn’t there, right?” (Ilias)

“Yeah, but the impact on his head was strong enough to kill him -to the
point where blood remained on the wall. Despite falling in such a grand
fashion, there were no injuries on his hand. Even though you would try
to protect your body by re lex if you are conscious.”

“…Got it. I will try to investigate a bit.” (Ilias)

Saying this, Ilias went to the place where the body of Gazen is stored
and began to investigate it. I watch from behind. Ilias eventually spoke
with a grim face.

“The bone on his neck is broken… This isn’t from hitting his head hard.
It was most likely snapped directly.” (Ilias)

“…I see. Got it.”

My guess is beginning to look more real. In that case, I must act.

I turned around and left the room. Ilias chased after me when she saw
this.

“Wait a moment. Where do you plan on going?” (Ilias)

“The castle. There’s something I want to consult with Marito now.”

“…And you won’t consult with me?” (Ilias)

I stopped my feet, turned my head back, and looked at Ilias. She is

looking straight at me.

I was silent for a moment and thought… about the people that we will
be facing here on, the existence of Ilias, and her position.

This kind of path doesn’t suit her. It is exactly because of this that I
should push her away.

But this is not to be left vague. I have to perform this with irm belief.

“It will turn into a musty conversation. I wouldn’t want you to get
involved in this as a knight.”

“I am already involved.” (Ilias)

“…I don’t want you to shoulder the burden of hiding things from
others.”

“If you are telling me to silently watch as you shoulder it, I refuse. Let
me shoulder it together with you.” (Ilias)

“…You will de initely regret it if you get involved.”

“I would rather have that than having you regret it alone. Let’s regret it
together.” (Ilias)

Damn it, are you a playboy? You answered immediately without

missing a beat.

If you do that… I can’t tear you away.

“Do you seriously think there’s that much worth in going so far? I
haven’t told you clearly yet, you know?”

“I am the one who decides how much you are worth to me. Don’t go
deciding for me.” (Ilias)

I scratch my head. No good. I need the itting resolve to have her give
up. The kind where I would never get involved with Ilias ever again.

Can I do that…? No…

“If you want to get involved, defeat me irst, is what I would like to say,
but… I feel like I would be murdered in an instant, so… no, wait, don’t
just go unsheathing your sword in a heartbeat. That was just a igure of
speech.”

“Muh, sorry. But how about giving up already?” (Ilias)

“That’s what I should be saying… Can’t be helped. I won’t be responsible

for whatever happens, okay?”

“It is okay. I will make you do so.” (Ilias)

“Can you please not get involved?!”

This is my mistake for moving emotionally. I am the one at fault.

I can’t take it back now that I have done it. At the very least, I can’t do
anything about it on my side.

If Marito learned about this and she was ordered by him not to, she
might have yielded, but I have no choice but to bring her with me right
now.

“Let’s go. We have to head there before Rakura is sent there.”

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

——

His state changed since the moment he saw the death of the man called
Gazen.

This is a familiar feeling. It resembles the atmosphere he gave off at

that time when he cornered Dokora.

However, this is even darker and thicker than what I felt before.

I investigated the corpse as he asked, and when I told him that the
chances Gazen might have been killed were high, he switched
completely.

He changed… no, I saw a side of him that he has been hiding from us
until now.

I had mistaken that his stance was heading our way from him being
together with me and Wolfe.

He has both. Both of his faces are him.

At the time with the bandit subjugation, due to my position as his

guardian, it has now become dif icult to hold the reins of this guy.

But the one that is holding his reins right now is His Majesty. I don’t
know where His Majesty is guiding him. But His Majesty is a king, not a
knight. I don’t know which face he is going to prioritize.

I must not leave him alone. That’s what my intuition as a knight told me
countless times when I was interacting with him.

That’s why those words ended up coming out from me.

“…And you won’t consult with me?” (Ilias)

He looked back at me. Yeah, it is those eyes. Those eyes are no good. I
don’t like them. Please don’t look at the world with eyes like that.

“It will turn into a musty conversation. I wouldn’t want you to get
involved in this as a knight.”

He threw those words at me in an attempt to distance me.

“I am already involved.” (Ilias)

I must not pull back. If I take distance from him here, I am sure I won’t
ever be able to get close to him anymore. That’s why I immediately
spoke out the words I thought.

I can tell he is annoyed. I must have already stepped over the boundary
that’s allowed.

“…I don’t want you to shoulder the burden of hiding things from
others.”

“If you are telling me to silently watch as you shoulder it, I refuse. Let
me shoulder it together with you.” (Ilias)

I am uneasy, not knowing whether our relationship will end.

“…You will de initely regret it if you get involved.”

“I would rather have that than having you regret it alone. Let’s regret it
together.” (Ilias)

I feel fear at the prospect of him turning his back on me. I feel like I
would end up giving up if he were to say any more words of rejection
towards me.
…But the nature of his words suddenly changed.

“Do you seriously think there’s that much worth in going so far? I
haven’t told you clearly yet, you know?”

Him trying to use my position as a weapon to tear me away is a

manifestation of his own weakness.

He is also swaying here. I must not falter. Push through with words.

“I am the one who decides how much you are worth to me. Don’t go
deciding for me.” (Ilias)

I can feel his poison going away. Aah, that’s a relief. He has returned to
his usual self. My igure is showing in his heart.

I unsheath my sword when he told me to try and defeat him. Aah, it

seems that was igurative speech.

Looks like he has given up on pushing me away. That’s a relief. I

managed to win against him… Since when did I think about it as a
match…? Muh.
 CHAPTER 31
NO, DEFINITELY FOR NOW

“And so, why is Lady Ratzel here?” (Marito)

The very irst thing Marito said was understandably not one that
welcomed Ilias.

He is the last barrier to keep Ilias from getting involved. I would like him
to try a bit here.

“She told me to let her get involved, so I brought her with me. She got
persistent and I failed to persuade her.”

“Even though it should be easy for you to push her away.” (Marito)

“Yeah, it is not like I can’t. But I chose to get her involved rather than
cutting off my connection with her.”

“That’s weak.” (Marito)

“I have no recollection of saying I am strong.”

Marito went ‘fumu’ and faces Ilias. His face isn’t the light one he directs
at me. It is the face a king shows a knight.

“Lady Ratzel, the problem we both are carrying is an extremely

problematic issue. If you get involved in it, Maya from the Yugura
Church you are close to, and your relationship with the members of the
Ragudo Division might crumble too. You will end up having to put your
relationship with him and the ones who you have been together with
until now on a balance and, at worst, you might end up losing both.”
(Marito)

“If that happens, it will simply mean that’s just how much I amounted
to.” (Ilias)

“It is not like this is weakness from having fallen in love. What makes
you step so deep in?” (Marito)

“…I don’t know. However, the resolve alone came out.” (Ilias)

“—I see. If you don’t even know the reason why, it won’t be possible to
argue.” (Marito)

Marito faced this way and sighed. Ah, his face is showing
disappointment.

“You are going to take responsibility.” (Marito)

“Seriously? Even though I was thinking about leaving it to the King-

sama.”

“Even if the reason why Lady Ratzel got involved isn’t clear, you are
certainly the reason behind it. You should re lect on the unreliable part
of yourself that she saw in you.” (Marito)

“It pains my ears… Well, ine. I will begin talking then. Ilias, if you want to
ask something, please raise your hand.”

“Got it.” (Ilias)

“First, I would like to do something about the possibility that Rakura

might get killed.”

A hand was raised immediately.

“That was fast, oi. I was surprised.”

“That topic came so out of nowhere, I was shocked too, you know?!”
(Ilias)

“Lady Ratzel hasn’t heard anything, so you have to take the proper steps
to explain.” (Marito)

“Right. Then, I will explain from a slightly earlier point.”

“Yeah, please.” (Ilias)

“Due to the Demon Lord believers in the Yugura Church—”

She immediately raised her hand.

“It hurts. Ilias, it hurts.”

“Do you want to use this opportunity to make fun of me? Is that it?”
(Ilias)

It can’t be helped, so I will explain. That said, Marito doesn’t have any
intentions of stopping this.

“If I have to explain it from a perspective where Ilias can understand it,
it would be… from the very beginning, huh. —Such a drag.”

“The words at the end may have been in a low voice, but I heard them
clearly, you know?” (Ilias)

“This is about the next day Dokora was subjugated. I retrieved the
parting gift he left together with Cara-jii. That’s the book Rakura was
searching for. It is the day when you were sitting alone at the
entranceway and getting all depressed.”

“From that way back…” (Ilias)

“The title was giving off bad vibes from the very beginning, so I gave it
to Lord Ragudo without reading it. But after that, Marito requested me
to decipher the book at the banquet. Because we didn’t want to get
discovered by Maya-san, who is a Yugura devotee that hates taboos, I at
irst was set as a court jester -reformed to a counselor candidate- and
ended up beginning to commute to the castle. This is recent.”

“Something like that happened… But to decipher a book of necromancy

is just…” (Ilias)

“At that time, we didn’t even know it was a book safekept by the Yugura
Church, but the chances it was being kept by a country were high. And
so, in order to investigate the dangers hidden in the book… is basically
how it went.”

“True. It can’t be ignored if other nations are involved.” (Ilias)

“At the time when we were about to begin the decoding, Rakura arrived
at Taizu. Thanks to her being so shockingly airheaded, we discovered
the one who possessed the book was Mejis. We couldn’t hide the book
forever, so we began deciphering the book.”

Let’s not mention the fact that I had a serious discussion with Marito
about how her super airheadedness might be a trap.

“So you were buying time by dealing with Rakura… No, wait, Rakura
should have the power to see through lies just like Maya.” (Ilias)

“I fooled her by using only the truth. Maya-san discovered the trick
thanks to that though.”

“Speaking of it as if it were so simple…” (Ilias)

“But Rakura reported to them honestly, so a higher-up from the Yugura

Church ordered Rakura to reveal the details of the book and ask the
nation to help out. Everything after that is basically what you already
know, Ilias.”

“So the reason why you were staying at night elsewhere was because of
the decoding, huh… But wait, why are you helping out in deciphering it?”
(Ilias)

When she mentioned this, Lord Ragudo took out the book in question
and placed it on top of the desk.

“That book is written in a language from Earth, in Japanese which is a

language from my homeland.”

“It is true… that it is a language I have not seen before.” (Ilias)

Ilias stopped talking for now and began to arrange things in her mind. I
proceed with the details together with Marito.

“Alright, I have arranged things for now. But, even with that, I still can’t
reach the point of the beginning…” (Ilias)

“Even if we ignore the deciphering of the book, it is certain that

information regarding necromancy is recorded in it. The objectives of
the Yugura Church are to make sure such a dangerous book is not found
and to clear the suspicions of Maya-san who reported about this. And, it
is the opinion of everyone here that we can’t leave such a dangerous
thing to an airhead like Rakura alone.”

“That’s… true. I can understand that feeling.” (Ilias)

The sad amount of trust Rakura has. It can even persuade Ilias!

“In other words, there’s a high chance that they used Rakura as bait, and
there’s different searchers in iltrated in Taizu. But there was no mention
of it when they requested cooperation the other day. The reason we
could think up with the assumption they are here is: the searchers are in
a position that must de initely be hidden. If we are to consider they are
people who can search with certainty, it is most likely the Anbus of
Mejis.”

“Right. If they are going to be retrieving the book in secret, they would
use them. So they were the ones who did that to the man in the
morning… Judging from their skills, the chances are high.” (Ilias)

Ilias seems to understand the situation, but this is where things get
musty.

“The one giving orders to Rakura is the archbishop of Mejis called Ukka.
And then, those orders to Rakura changed after she gave the report. In
other words, after receiving the report of Rakura, Archbishop Ukka
moved the decision to someone in a higher post than him.”

“If we are talking about someone higher than an archbishop, it would

be… the Pope Euparo, huh.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. It should be safe to assume that this Pope Euparo has
ordered Rakura to disclose the details of the book in order to not
worsen their relationship with Taizu.”

“No, wait, then the man this morning—” (Ilias)

“Yeah. The order of Pope Euparo came the day before Gazen was killed.
A murder happened after the top of the organization gave an order to
resolve things peacefully.”

“Something like that…” (Ilias)

“Gazen is a man that wanders around the city at night. He most likely
unluckily found the Anbus… and was killed to keep him silent. If they are
to respect the intentions of Pope Euparo, the Anbus in iltrated in the
country should have retreated at once. The reason they are using Anbus
is in order to slip through the eyes of Maya-san. Now that they have
disclosed things, there should be no need for that anymore.”

“And yet, they continued their in iltration, and ended the life of a citizen
on top of that…” (Ilias)

“What can be surmised from this is that there’s someone else giving the
orders to the Anbus -someone who would go against the intentions of
Pope Euparo despite being from the Yugura Church.”

“But the one who dispatched Rakura was Archbishop Ukka. Then,
doesn’t that mean the one who dispatched the Anbus was also
Archbishop Ukka?” (Ilias)

“No, it is most likely someone else who is connected to Archbishop

Ukka.”

“Why do you say that?” (Ilias)

“As I said before, the one who sent Rakura here was Archbishop Ukka, he
then told Pope Euparo who has a favorable opinion of Taizu, and seems
to be loyal to his orders. However, the one who is ordering the Anbus
seems to be slighting the intentions of Pope Euparo. There’s too much
of a difference in their modus operandi for them to be the same people.
It would be strange for Archbishop Ukka to not have withdrawn them in
his position. That’s why, even if Archbishop Ukka is the one giving out
the orders in foundation, it should be safe to assume that the dispatch
of the Anbus and communications to them is being done by a separate
entity.”

“What’s their objective?” (Ilias)

“Almost certainly the book. And so, who is the one who has the highest
chances of obtaining the book as of present?”

“That’s of course Rakura… I see, it is inally connected.” (Ilias)

“Good work. Feeling feverish?”

That’s right, the reason why the Anbus are going out of their way to
in iltrate the place isn’t to bring the book back to Mejis.

“Now then, we will be entering a slightly more dangerous topic now.”

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

“It should be safe to say the reason why the Anbus are aiming for the
book is because they know the contents of the book.”

“That’s what bothered me. Are the contents of it… not necromancy?”
(Ilias)

“We have deciphered most of the book even if just roughly. This book
isn’t about necromancy. It is a book about Demon Lords.”

“Demon Lords… The biggest of taboos, resurrection magic!” (Ilias)

Ilias understandably got lustered with the mention of Demon Lords.

“Yeah, but there wasn’t much information regarding the resurrection

magic. The contents were about one of the Demon Lords that was born
from resurrection magic, the Blue Demon Lord; their birth and their
observations.”

“Observations of the Demon Lord…?” (Ilias)

“I will explain the details to you on a later day. It means that this book is
riddled with important information about the Demon Lord.”

“I don’t really want to kno—no, it is nothing.” (Ilias)

“That could have served as an excuse to drive you away. Too bad. And so,
about this book, Pope Euparo and the others most likely haven’t
deciphered this. It is not the time to be using Rakura on an incident that
might entail information of the biggest taboo spreading after all.”

“Right. They would have either explained the situation of the

necromancy book from the very beginning to ask for help, or only used
the Anbus to investigate in secret.” (Ilias)

“But it is a book that was originally in Mejis. There’s a book that the
people of the Yugura Church know, and it is a certain number of people
that know the truth of the contents in that book which not even Pope
Euparo knows about. The existence of people who know in detail about
the circumstances of the Demon Lords in the Yugura Church surfaces.”

Ilias was taken aback as she nodded. I am feeling like drinking some
water right about now.

“So this is what you meant by the Demon Lord devotees?” (Ilias)

“I don’t know if they are devotees though. They ignored the orders of the
Pope, had the Anbus in iltrate Taizu, and are holding their breaths in
order to steal away the book related to the Demon Lord from Rakura.
They aren’t a decent bunch.”

“By the way, can I say something for a bit?” (Ilias)

“What is it?”

“The talk has gotten a bit complicated. Can you please summarize it for
me?” (Ilias)

“There’s someone in the Yugura Church that is moving the Anbus on

their own whim and we have to do something about them.”

“Alright, got it. You could have said so from the very beginning.” (Ilias)
“Give me back my effort to chew the information in a way so that you
could understand the details!”

If we didn’t know how dangerous the book is, the conjectures until now
would have simply been forceful assumptions. It is exactly because we
have deciphered the book that we can judge these conjectures are
correct.

The knowledge of the Anbus that I was taught from Anbu-kun, the dark
side of history that I read from the book; those points are telling me
this.

That there’s enemies I haven’t seen yet and that they are sharpening
their fangs as they hide in the shadows.

“And so, today is the day we plan on telling Rakura that the book was in
the treasury room and returning it. What do we do?” (Marito)

“If we return the book, it will fall under the jurisdiction of Mejis. There
shouldn’t be any issues in simply guarding Rakura though…”

“It might end up obscuring the existence of the Anbus that killed the
civilian.” (Marito)

“It wouldn’t be a good look for Mejis either.”

“Then, what do we do?” (Marito)

“It is not like I don’t have any plans, but… well, I feel like the success rate
will increase with Ilias here.”

“Me?” (Ilias)

I gathered the group and began telling them my ideas in a low volume.

“Fumu, I don’t mind, but is that okay with you?” (Marito)

“Yeah. To be honest, I am pretty pissed after a friend of mine was killed. I
have to avenge him at least.”

“I see. Got it. I will leave it to you.” (Marito)

“…”

“Ilias. Do you think you can do a dif icult job?”

“Don’t underestimate me. I will hold the sword if you so wish, and then, I
shall show you results that surpass your expectations.” (Ilias)

I am trying to live safely here though…

No, if I wish for true safety in this world, I have to do some preliminary
investment irst.

My body is weak, but luck has taken my side. An understanding king and
reliable knights are on my side. Aah, how blessed am I.

If I am so blessed, I have to answer them with that gratitude of mine.

I have to help them out in protecting a safe future for not only me but
the ones around me.

“Alright, that seals the deal then. I will expose their schemes.”

Now, let’s stand out for the sake of the future.

———

After that, I exited the castle, separated from Ilias, and called Rakura to a
plaza in the city.

“Counselor-sama, why the sudden call?” (Rakura)

“I was thinking about telling you where the book is. It is currently in the
treasury room of the castle.”

“Oh my! So it was in the castle just like you predicted, Counselor-sama!”
(Rakura)

Rakura jumped happily. Don’t make such a happy face.

Even if I was prepared for this, it still hurts my conscience.

“According to Lord Ragudo who is knowledgeable in that front, he said

there’s certainly information necessary to learn necromancy in it.”

“Ah, so you looked inside…” (Rakura)

“The language written inside of it is not a language of this world. It

hasn’t been deciphered in Mejis either, right?”

“Yeah, I have heard that. However, you apparently can learn about how
to use necromancy from the information in the illustrations.” (Rakura)

“Aah, there certainly were such illustrations there.”

“You must not learn it!” (Rakura)

This reaction towards forbidden magic; their hatred towards the

forbidden must be stronger the more you treasure the teachings of the
Yugura Church.

“I wouldn’t go out of my way to step in the wrong path.”

“…So, they will be returning the book, right?” (Rakura)

“Yeah, it is a book that Mejis was originally safekeeping. They might talk
about the administration of it, but they have no intention of claiming
ownership of the book.”
“That’s a relief!” (Rakura)

“However, there’s something I would like you to tell Archbishop Ukka

irst.”

“I don’t mind, but… what is it…?” (Rakura)

“Please tell him that there’s hope for Taizu to decipher the book. We
would like to share that information if you so wish.”

Rakura must not have understood those words for a moment there, she
froze.

But she slowly understood the meaning of it and the danger it entailed.

“That… must not be done! Knowledge of necromancy must not be

touched upon carelessly!”

“They wouldn’t have brought out a proposal like this if it were only
about knowledge of necromancy. There’s even more vicious taboos
written within that book. This was made certain when revising that
book.”

“Why does the Counselor-sama…” (Rakura)

“That’s the reason why I became a counselor candidate. I was hired by

Marito as someone who can decipher that language.”

“…It is… not a lie, huh.” (Rakura)

“Yeah. If the Yugura Church thinks that the knowledge inside that book is
only mere necromancy, they should take this offer -in order to prepare
yourself for even deeper taboos.”

“But…!” (Rakura)
It is easy to tell if you know her, but Rakura is truly worrying about me
here.

Yeah, it prickles. I have to inish this talk quickly.

“I have no intention of hearing your decision, Rakura. Just tell

Archbishop Ukka. If they refuse cooperation there, we will immediately
return the book.”

“Really?” (Rakura)

“We will have your answer at zero o’clock today. We will bring the book
regardless of the answer. I have discussed this with His Majesty already,
so there’s no need to worry about that part.”

“—I see. Understood. I will contact him at once.” (Rakura)

The clerics can see through lies, but if we turn that around, it also means
it is easy to gain their trust.

That’s why they don’t suspect you too deeply. They don’t distrust
whatever may be lying ahead of that thought.

“Yeah, but I want to tell Archbishop Ukka something else. That this
matter might in luence the standing of Pope Euparo.”

“…Okay.” (Rakura)

The usual optimism dimmed from the face of Rakura. There’s no doubt
she will do her job here.

Now then, let’s close the distance, Mastermind-san.

———

The urgent contact from Rakura was regarding a proposal from Taizu.
When I heard that proposal, I was on the verge of rejecting it.

It is true that the worth of the book would be even higher if this book
stored for countermeasures against necromancy had even worse
taboos written in it.

There’s a limit to things that are worse than necromancy. Within those,
resurrection magic which created the worst history is included in it.

Is it really okay for me to decide whether to use this chance to get ready
for it? No, it is not possible.

I troubled the Pope-sama the other day. I should consult with him.

I told Rakura that I would be making a decision by evening, and hung up

the call for now.

“I must report to the Pope-sama at on—”

“Ukka-sama, what’s the matter?”

I was called to a stop. This guy is always around me.

Hmm, who was he?

“Aah, right, you are Priest Raheight.” (Ukka)

“You are still young, so such a manner of speaking makes me worry,

Ukka-sama.” (Raheight)

True. Forgetting the name of someone doesn’t normally happen for me,
but I often forget his name.

I doubt I would forget the aesthetic face of Priest Raheight though.

If I am to remember people, it really gotta be cute ones like Rakura and
her curvaceous looks!

…Speaking of which, what was his family name? Oh well, let’s try to
remember it later.

“—No good, no good. I have something I have to hurry and tell the Pope-
sama about.” (Ukka)

“Oh, is it about the book Rakura is searching for?” (Raheight)

“You are perceptive… Well, lately, we have only been talking about that,
so you could say it can’t be helped though.” (Ukka)

Hm? Did I talk that much to him? I feel like I have forgotten something
important…

“Can you please tell me if it is okay?” (Raheight)

“No, this is something… well, it should be okay if it is you, huh.” (Ukka)

“Yeah, there might be something I might be able to notice.” (Raheight)

“Actually…” (Ukka)

I tell Raheight exactly what Rakura told me.

“I see. Well well.” (Raheight)

“Rough, right? That’s why I must tell the Pope-sama immediately.”

(Ukka)

“You are saying quite the weird thing, Ukka-sama.” (Raheight)

“What?” (Ukka)
Raheight chuckled. He laughs like a child. I don’t hate that kind of
laughing though.

“Haven’t you already told the Pope-sama about it, Ukka-sama?”

(Raheight)

“What are you—y-yeah, that’s true. And so, the decision of the Pope-
sama—” (Ukka)

“‘As if we can believe the nonsense of strangers. Discard the cooperation

and get the book back’ -is what the Pope-sama said, right?” (Raheight)

“—Right. That’s right. I must tell Rakura quickly.” (Ukka)

“Yeah, that’s why you were hurrying, right?” (Raheight)

“Y-Yeah, that’s right! Well then, I will be excusing myself, Rahe—” (Ukka)

Hm? What was his name? Uhm… wait, who was I speaking with just
now?

No no, there’s no one here. Hmm, am I going senile?

“Oops, this is not the time for this!” (Ukka)

———

The man called Raheight activates a crystal in the room.

The voice of a man was heard from the crystal not long after.

“Is there an extra order?”

“It has been decided that Rakura will be receiving the book today at
midnight.” (Raheight)
“Hoh, that’s impressive. Even though we haven’t been able to grasp the
location of the book yet.”

“The book was apparently in the castle.” (Raheight)

“What. So Taizu really was hiding it. So, when should we steal it?”

“I was thinking about doing that when she was returning, but let’s
change plans. Please kill Rakura and obtain the book when she gets it.
There’s apparently a negotiation with Taizu at that place. It will be a
good cover if we kill her and make it look like it was them, right?”
(Raheight)

“That’s horrible. But what about the negotiator?”

“You obviously kill them too. I don’t mind the eventuality of Rakura
coming out alive, but I won’t forgive you if you don’t kill that one. Please
bring their body back here.” (Raheight)

“I don’t know the circumstances and I don’t wanna know either. Got it. It
is okay to cut them in pieces to make it easier to carry, right?”

“Yeah, but make sure not to break the brain. As for anything else, you
can use it to play around with the animals on your way.” (Raheight)

“Only the head, then. Got it, got it. You are a peculiar one yourself.”

The call was hung. Raheight sighed.

“If I remember correctly, the helper is someone with black hair and black
eyes… Could it possibly be…? It would be interesting if he is an
Earthling.” (Raheight)

Raheight placed a hand on the crystal again and activated it.

A voice resonated again from the crystal, but it wasn’t from the man of
before.

“Raheight, huh. What’s the matter?”

“We have discovered where the book Dokora took is at. We are going to
be obtaining it tonight, so I am reporting this.” (Raheight)

“Do that for when you have actually obtained it.”

“There’s actually something else I wanted to report… Scarlet Demon

Lord-sama.” (Raheight)
 CHAPTER 32
ARE YOU READY FOR NOW?

It is soon going to be midnight. The place is a plaza in the city. There’s

already no people around and the ones living in the area are already
inside their dreams.

The illumination stones that were shining brighter than the evening sun
were trying to use all the mana that they saved in the day. Even so, their
faint light was enough to illuminate the shape of the plaza even in the
darkness.

That said, there’s no way I would be able to tell if there’s someone

hidden even if I were to look around though…

There’s 3 people in front of the statue of the Taizu king at the center of
the plaza: Ilias, Wolfe, and the instigator this time around.

It is okay to just completely read the move of the opponent, but it is not
like I have that much foresight and this is not that soft of a world.

However, I have narrowed down the options they can take and they
haven’t shown any signs of movement until now. Now all that’s left is
what Rakura will do…

“She is here.” (Ilias)

I reacted to the voice of Ilias and looked at where she was gazing at.

There was Rakura walking here, holding what looked like a lantern with
an illumination stone inside. Just in time. What a punctual girl.
I took out the book from the back before Rakura said anything.

“This is the book. Can you see the title?”

“…Yes.” (Rakura)

I open the page that’s bookmarked while at it. It is the page that has the
illustrations connected to the basics of necromancy. I show that to
Rakura.

“No doubts about the contents either, right? It would be troubling if you
were to say later that it is something else.”

“…True. I think there’s no mistake.” (Rakura)

“Well then, let’s hear your answer.”

“The response of Ukka-sama was no. He rejected your proposal and told
me to get the book back…” (Rakura)

“I see, it can’t be helped then. We shall return it.”

“—!… Why?” (Rakura)

Rakura’s expression is grim. It is not her usual gentle self.

“I don’t understand the point of your question.”

“I can tell that the proposal of Counselor-sama and returning the book
were said truthfully. Despite showing emotions towards the danger of
the book, how can you return the book without any hesitation?”
(Rakura)

There are times when Rakura would ask sharp questions. It is not
because she doesn’t read the atmosphere, but because she is asking
while reading it.
Even if she is normally airheaded, she must have an outstanding
intuition she honed through practice. She has the ability to detect the
essence of things. That’s the cleric in front of me.

The reason why she can’t reach the conclusion that we have already
inished deciphering the book despite that must be due to the kindness
of the person herself.

“Because Taizu has no intention of worsening their relationship with

Mejis or the Yugura Church by clinging onto that.”

“…”

I heard the sound of something from afar. The one who reacted the
fastest was Ilias.

“I heard something. I am going to go check it out for a bit.” (Ilias)

“Yeah, please do.”

Ilias headed in the direction where the sound was made. I walk towards
Rakura who has the book.

“I myself have a lot of things in mind. But it is not like everything will go
as one wishes, Rakura.”

“That’s true, but…” (Rakura)

“Don’t worry too much about it. Isn’t your priority to accomplish what
you have been ordered to by your superiors?”

Saying this, I tried to give Rakura the book. But the book slipped from
my hand and fell on the ground.

“Uwa, sorry.”
“Ah, no, it is okay.” (Rakura)

Rakura reacted to this and crouched to pick it up.

And that’s when things began.

———

We were hiding since before they gathered at the plaza. There’s 4 in

total with me and the other Anbus that move as my pawns.

(Now then, it is ine to kill them, but the bodyguard is an issue.)

There’s a merciless one that would move on their own and kill a
homeless person, but they will obey the bare minimum orders. They
would attack with just a single signal without pointless movements in
their coordination.

But the bodyguard of that guy is way too troublesome. Ilias Ratzel, one
of the top 5 knights in Taizu.

Most of all, she is the woman who defeated that Dokora, so she is
someone who we must be wary of no matter what.

Even if he only had one arm now, I doubt Dokora would fall behind a
normal person. I would like to avoid attacking her upfront.

The other female black wol kin isn’t that much of an issue. I have seen
her movements once, but she is basically a rookie with just high mana.

She is fast as a demi-human, but all the Anbus here can deal with her.

We wouldn’t lose in a one-on-one, and we would win instantly with

several. A wolf should have a good nose, but the equipment of an Anbu
can deceive even the senses of a beast.
As for the man… he is on the level of a civilian. We would be able to kill
him by just passing by him.

(Should I get a preemptive strike on the knight-sama and aim for the
man and Rakura at the same time?)

I would be able to get the man with that, but I don’t know about Rakura.

Rakura Salf is… well, a woman that’s rumored to be airheaded on a lot of

fronts. However, that’s not the case in actual combat. She is the real deal.

There’s devils which are outstandingly dangerous within the monsters,

and she has managed to completely defeat a high ranked one.

There are times when you will have to ight monsters as an Anbu, and
there was an instance when I had to ight a devil.

More than half of the members in my squad died at that time. If you can
defeat a high rank version of that on your own, I’ve got to be wary even
if she is an airhead.

If Ilias Ratzel and Rakura Salf join forces, we might even need to
consider retreat.

(In that case, we should be aiming for Rakura irst.)

I silently raised my hand and sent several signs with my ingers.

Anbus have been trained to distinguish their comrades accurately even

within the darkness. It goes without saying that they also have night
vision techniques too.

‘After the signal, One and Two will keep Ilias at bay, the remaining ones
will inish Rakura’.

That should do it. Rakura showed up while I was doing that.

I am grateful that one hand of hers is occupied by the lantern. If she
holds the book, both hands will be occupied.

The man and Rakura begin talking. I can see the book in question too. I
aim for the timing when she receives the book. I signal everyone to get
ready.

But that’s when a strange noise rang. The sound came from somewhere
slightly behind him. It is not from us. It is the sound of something falling
and bouncing.

I check for the source of the sound, but I can’t see anything suspicious in
the plaza. No, there’s movement.

Ilias Ratzel noticed that sound. She looked in that direction, and then
moved away from the place. This is an opportunity.

Sign change: ‘After the signal, One keeps Ilias at bay and the remaining
will inish Rakura’.

With distance between us, she shouldn’t be able to deal with a sudden
ambush. Even if she were to be careful, the only one she would be able
to protect with a quick reaction would be the man.

I will aim for the moment when the man gives her the book. Now, give it
to her!

The man presents the book to Rakura. But that’s when the book slipped
out from the man’s hand.

(What are you doing…?!)

Rakura bent down in order to pick up the book.

Her gaze moved to the ground. Her attention was directed completely at
the book too. We are extremely lucky here.
Last sign change: ‘After the signal, everyone go kill Rakura’.

And then, Rakura’s inger touched the book.

(—Now!)

After the signal, several shadows jump out from the darkness of the
night. Two of them throw projectiles at mid-range, and the remaining
one including me advance with certainty.

I close the distance to Rakura in an instant. The ones who managed to

react to this… only the black wol kin woman! The important Rakura still
hasn’t noticed. Yes!

I closed the distance to weapon range and swung it. The girl in front of
me—isn’t Rakura?!

The one in my vision isn’t Rakura but Ilias Ratzel who has already
unsheathed her weapon and swung it.

———

I honestly couldn’t follow with my eyes what was happening.

“Shishou!” (Wolfe)

The irst one to raise her voice was Wolfe, but things were already over
by then.

Something was sent lying with a thunderous sound and the

surroundings shook with the impact and a gale raged.

Rakura then hurriedly con irmed the surroundings, wondering what

happened. A certain someone too.
I understand the current situation now. We are already surrounded.
There’s around 4 knives on the ground. It is the same as the ones
Dokora used.

There were 5 in total, and 3 were coming at us. One of them avoided the
attack of Ilias in an instant and took distance.

But one of them had their body bisected by Ilias’s sword. Another one
had their blade destroyed by the shockwave, was sent lying around 100
meters away, and was smashed onto a wall.

They are most likely dead. She really shows no mercy.

“W-What’s going on?!” (Rakura)

Rakura raised her voice, lustered. Of course she would be if there’s a

corpse in front of you when you raise your head and there’s a bunch of
weird people around. I pull Rakura towards me before I explain.

“C-Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

“Rakura, deploy a barrier. Quick!”

“O-Okay!” (Rakura)

A barrier that covers the two of us up was deployed. Something bounced

off from the barrier at the same time as this happened; an extra knife.

It seems like the guy further away threw it towards Rakura. That’s
dangerous! But now we will be able to secure the safety of a certain
someone that could die in one hit.

“Seriously? I can’t believe this, oi!”

The man that avoided the attack began to laugh. Of course, no one here
has lowered their caution.
“You can stop an ambush from 5 people at the same time at that
distance? You are a monster.”

“If it were an ambush. But there’s no issue if I know when you will be
coming and your aim.” (Ilias)

That’s including the throwing knives they each have though.

She de lected all four knives, sent one of them lying, and sliced another
in half. I may be repeating what the other guy said, but she is a monster.

Move Ilias away from the place and have Rakura direct her attention to
the book. Even if they were to steal the book and try to kill us, there
would be no tastier moment than this one.

It is not like there’s no chance they will attack at a later date, but we are
talking about the guy giving orders to these bunch. They must have
considered the possibility that Rakura might be persuaded and accept
the deciphering of the book. If that were to happen, the only moment
they can attack us is this one.

If they didn’t come, I would have persuaded Rakura and destroyed the
position of the Mastermind-san though.

“Everything just now was an act? Moreover, you put all your chips into
protecting Rakura only. You had no intention of protecting your
comrades?”

“We are talking about the man that you could kill at any time and Rakura
who you would have trouble with if she were to move to the defensive.
It was a decision made after judging you would take the certain route of
everyone aiming for Rakura.” (Ilias)

You were not the one who said that though. That’s why you don’t have to
make a smug face, you know.
“Now, want to ight with your remaining 3?” (Ilias)

“3? No, no, there’s no way.”

The man that was smashed onto the wall began to move. Seriously, he
can still move?

“That was an impressive technique, but it can be dealt with if it is just a

physical shockwave.”

“It wasn’t a technique. I simply kicked you away because you were in the
way.” (Ilias)

You shouldn’t kick someone one hundred meters away for a reason like
that.

“As for the one there… he obviously died, huh. I would like necromancy
just like Dokora.”

The name of Dokora came out. It doesn’t seem like there’s any mistake
judging from the looks and weapon he is using.

“So these guys really are the Anbus of Mejis.”

“W-Wait a moment please! Why are the Anbus of Mejis trying to kill m
—” (Rakura)

“Obviously because they were ordered to -by the guy that is aiming to
retrieve the book.”

“Ukka-sama wouldn’t do something like—” (Rakura)

“It is not Archbishop Ukka. Someone else is making a move.”

“Who would…?” (Rakura)

After the man sent lying con irmed his footing, he came here with
wobbly movements.

“Can you move?”

“My ribs broke, but there’s no issue.”

There’s an issue, you idiot.

“Too shallow, huh.” (Ilias)

There’s no shallow or deep in a kick, you gorilla.

“Right, just in case, you kill that demi-human. The rest will go for the
knight-sama.”

The guy that looks like the leader directs his blade at Rakura.

“Maintain that barrier all you want. Once it is gone, that man will die
instantly.”

Even a complete novice like me can tell from his bloodlust that he is not
lying. I lack on every physical front, so even if Rakura could protect
herself, I can’t protect myself.

The battle is 4 vs 2; we are at a numbers disadvantage. That they still

decided to place the wounded one on Wolfe must mean that he judged
he would still be able to deal with her by doing that. In other words, all
the people here are at least stronger than Wolfe.

“Do you think you can stop me with just 3?” (Ilias)

“It may be impossible upfront, but it is night right now.”

The shadow of the Anbus crawled onto their bodies. That swallowed the
Anbus, and they hid in the darkness.
A voice rang from somewhere after that.

“I wanted to avoid the use of magic as much as possible, but it can’t be

helped. Get minced by an invisible blade and perish.”

Ilias suddenly took a defensive stance and sparks lew from her sword.

I couldn’t see the attack of the enemy at all. Rather than calling this
disappearing into the shadows, it is more like…

“Concealing magic!” (Ilias)

“I thought I had erased my killing intent too. I am impressed you

managed to block that. But that blade can increase by 3, you know?”

The battle begins.

Ilias swung her sword, but it doesn’t seem like she has cut anything. And
then, without being able to catch her breath, attacks assail Ilias.

Wolfe has already begun ighting too. Wolfe can’t ight back. She would
simply create openings if she swung her ists blindly.

Wolfe suddenly jumped as if reacting to something. And then, the faint

sound of slicing wind rang at the place she was standing on.

It seems like she can barely manage to avoid the attacks if she
concentrates fully. I was relieved for now. But I can’t relax here.

I check the knife that’s on the ground. The tip of the blade is wet. There’s
some sort of liquid smeared on it.

It should be safe to assume it is a poison with immediate effect, or a

paralyzing poison to assure the job is done.

There’s no doubt defeat would be certain if you were to get hit once.
“Counselor-sama, at this rate…!” (Rakura)

“…No, this is ine.”

“But isn’t this one-sided?!” (Rakura)

“It is okay, don’t worry.”

“Why can you speak truthfully with a face like that?!” (Rakura)

Aah, so that’s why Rakura was wary of me. It seems like I have a habit of
making an evil face when my thought process is twisted.

What a weak point. I really can’t do bad things on the regular.

I take a deep breath for now and calm down my heart. And then, I face
Rakura and speak.

“Rakura, the battle will be settled soon. Believe in me.”

I don’t know just how effective those words are. But Rakura should be
able to tell since she can see through lies. I am speaking from the heart
here.

The balance between the battles of Ilias and Wolfe were beginning to
crumble. The fastest one was Wolfe.

Wolfe was concentrating on evading, but she began ighting back

despite her small build.

———

“There’s no way an attack like that will hit.”

I evade without issues. But I internally think how it is praiseworthy that

she has the ability to grasp the location of an enemy she can’t see with
such precision.

The mana imbued in the ist of the girl may be crude, but its aggregate
amount surpasses the mana I have in every aspect. I wouldn’t come out
ine if it were to hit me directly.

But her lack of experience and lack of technique is pitiful. No matter

what kind of luck took her side, she wouldn’t be able to hit me.

That said, it is dif icult to attack her. You could say we both are in a
situation where we would die instantly if an attack hits.

But the mental burden must be completely different between me who

can see her movements, and her who can’t see them. The reality is that
the sweat lying from her was speaking luently about her fatigue.

There’s no need to get impatient. I shall corner her slowly. My wounds

should be able to heal in that time. The one who will bene it from taking
their time is me.

“Uuh, I am not hitting… No good.”

“I can put you out of your misery if you give up.”

“Yeah, I give up.”

“What, you are an obedient wolf.”

“No. It would be impossible for the current Wolfe to hit you normally. I
am giving up on that.”

Just what in the world is she saying? -is what I thought as I grew wary at
the change in the state of the girl.

The white hair was shining in the darkness of the night. That light
comes from mana. She is most likely knitting a massive amount of
mana.

Then, a big technique is coming, or is she going to use magic? But that’s
not a big deal. If I feel the formation of magic, I just have to take
distance.

She misses even with her small ists. If she is going to rely on a big
attack, she will be done for if I hit her in that opening.

“Alright.”

The method the girl took was to accumulate even more mana on her ist.

I don’t feel a single shred of a spell being formed. She is accumulating

mana single-mindedly. I could tell clearly already. Her ist was shining to
an abnormal degree.

I can only be amazed at how high her talent is. If I had that much mana in
me, I wouldn’t have ended up working below Hayde.

“You are going to rely on a big attack, huh. So shallow.”

“I will show you the technique Shishou taught me!”

The girl once again charged towards me who had slipped into the
darkness. She must be heading here because I ended up speaking.

She obviously can’t see me. The shine of her mana won’t break my
concealing magic.

The ist of the girl was stretching accurately towards me. But if I move a
little to the side from the light, it won’t hit me.

What will you do next? Her left shoulder moved. A punch with her left
ist this time, huh.
Strength entered the hand that’s holding the knife. If an opening
presents itself, I will inish her off with my blade.

I look at the left hand of the girl. Her hand is open. Is it a palm strike, or
does she plan on shooting mana? It is possible to avoid and
counterattack after ascertaining which one it is.

Her left hand is stretched to the front. I should avoid the direction
where she is stretching out just in case.

I move around towards her left. It was an even larger swing than I
thought. It will be the end the moment she inishes her swing.

“—?”

The next instant, I noticed that her left hand was advancing towards a
direction where no one was in.

But what I saw there was her right hand that’s still stretched out. —
Crap, her aim was her right hand?!

The left hand of the girl clashed onto her stretched right hand.

Both hands have mana that can’t be scoffed at, and they clash.

A lash dazzled my vision and a blow assailed my body.

———

The technique Wolfe used is honestly not a technique.

It is just a plain handclap. However, it is a handclap that has a ridiculous

amount of mana.

Wolfe’s mana is not just simply massive. It is extremely clear, and it has
the quality of easily resonating with other people.

This all stemmed from the time when Maya-san was giving us a lecture
about mana emission.

Wolfe learned how to gather mana in both hands and accumulated a

ridiculous amount of mana on both.

It would be bad to release it all at once, so we had her emit it slowly. But
a tragedy happened. A mosquito lew in front of Wolfe.

Wolfe re lexively defeated the mosquito with both hands. This

technique was born from that.

If I were to compare it to something, it would be like readying a water

balloon on the verge of bursting, and clapping your hands together with
all you had.

It will obviously make the accumulated mana discharge and spread into
the surroundings. Wolfe has a massive amount of mana inside of her, so
there isn’t much of an effect on her.

But the 3rd parties that are close to her are a different story. Yes, victim
here. The result is as you see.

“Agah…”
The concealing spell of the Anbu is gone. That’s not all. A huge amount of
mana suddenly assailed his whole body.

Every organ in his body is reacting. There’s no harm, but your whole
body will be in a state of shock.

It is a shock that can even seal the movements of someone with as much
mana as Ilias for an instant. The Anbu in front of her probably won’t be
able to move for a while just like a certain someone.

The eyes of Wolfe were directed at the Anbu. Her left leg moved to the
front. Her left leg spun in an axis and her right leg was raised high in the
sky.

There’s already a massive amount of mana in her leg. Aah, how pitiful.
The heel of Wolfe was swung down onto the head of the Anbu without
mercy.

“Wolfe wins!” (Wolfe)

She looked down at the Anbu that was smashed onto the ground and
stopped moving, and then Wolfe raised a cry of victory.

———

A lash entered my vision.

And then, I was shown the defeat of my comrade and ended up clicking
my tongue.

“You are losing against a weakling like that?”

I understand the trick behind that unre ined technique. There’s no need
to fear it. In the irst place, if she were to join here and use that
technique, she would also open the knight for an attack.
If one of us takes distance and throws a knife, it would be the end. The
two I am coordinating with have at least that much knowledge and
technique.

“You are calling Wolfe a weakling, huh. She is certainly rough around the
edges, but she is a girl that has barely learned how to ight in less than a
month.” (Ilias)

“I am scared of the future then. The future, that is!”

I threw a knife together with my words. It was obviously blocked.

If we managed to seal the movements of the black wol kin girl or use her
as a hostage, we could have shaken her mentally though…

“I am getting bored of this already. I am going in for the kill.” (Ilias)

“—?!”

My eyes made contact with hers suddenly. These eyes that should be
invisible. I take distance with everything I had with my survival instinct
kicking in. At the same time, the concealing spell of one of them was
gone.

A headless body falls onto the ground. The reason why the concealing
spell is gone is simple. You wouldn’t be able to maintain the spell if you
die.

But she was completely aware of our location despite not being able to
see us. She hasn’t used detection magic. Did she read our presence with
the wind or something?

“Tch, are you telling me you weren’t serious until now?”

“My attention was taken away by Wolfe and the others after all. It is also
in part because I was being wary about any other intruder.” (Ilias)
This is bad. This is not in a realm where we can compete on who is
superior. From the next move onwards, a death will happen at each
attempt at an attack.

Or more like, the guy that got his head severed was defending with his
knife. She sliced it right off with knife and all?!

“Man, we can’t win like this.”

“I have already gauged your skills. You are inferior to Dokora.” (Ilias)

“He was a level above others after all. He is trash on the point that he
betrayed the nation though.”

But she really got me there. I had no intention of defeating Ilias Ratzel
from the very beginning. Prioritize the man and then Rakura, and we
could have killed the black wol kin girl as an extra…

Due to the barrier of Rakura, we can’t target the man or Rakura. We have
failed with the black wol kin that could have been our key.

Can’t be helped. We should aim for the black wol kin with us two. The
knight-sama shouldn’t be able to move with a hostage. I send the signal,
and then, take a stance.

“Let’s prepare ourselves then!”

I throw a knife. It obviously got de lected. But my real aim was the
hidden knife. The blade isn’t metal but magic stone.

If she provides even a tiny bit of force… boom!

An explosion occurred. This would normally be a win for us, but it most
likely didn’t work on her.
I have my one other aim that is the black wol kin. I go for the book.
Fortunately, they haven’t picked up the book.

The knight-sama has read our presence, but it must be impossible for
the others.

I picked up the book. Alright. I check my comrade. He is going for the

black wol kin woman.

She still hasn’t been able to react due to the explosion.

This should turn the tides of—

“—Huh?”

I feel pain in one arm. And then, my comrade was torn in two all of a
sudden.

———

The concealing spell of the Anbu in front of me was undone. Looks like
he retrieved the book.

The remaining other attacked Wolfe. They most likely wanted to take
her as a hostage.

“You got greedy.”

“…So it was your doing.”

The Anbu in front of me was holding his shoulder while carrying the
book. It must hurt, his arm was blown off after all.

What was once the arm of the Anbu is on the ground, and there’s also a
familiar spear pierced.
The spear that has magic seal stone in it; the spear of Cara-jii.

I directed my gaze at the roof outside of the plaza and I faintly saw Cara-
jii waving his hand.

And there’s Lord Ragudo at the side of Wolfe with sword in hand.

“Salvet Ragudo… You even prepared the strongest knight of Taizu?”

“Effective as a pawn for an ambush, right?”

“Don’t joke around. We wouldn’t have challenged you in the irst place if
you had brought him out from the very beginning.”

“That’s why I didn’t. I edged it enough so that you wouldn’t drop out the
option of ighting.”

We had Cara-jii and Lord Ragudo hide themselves in a decently

detached place from the plaza beforehand.

That’s because they might end up running into the Anbus if they were to
hide in the plaza or be found by them.

This is basically how it went. After Rakura went to the plaza, Cara-jii will
be throwing a projectile after a certain period of time.

The aim is a bit further back from the statue at the plaza. For Cara-jii
who is called the God Spear, it must have been boring with the plaza
being such a broad target.

After that, we baited the Anbus, and had Wolfe and Ilias do battle.

I had Ilias concentrate on avoiding fatal attacks, and take her time to
make it look like she is having a tough battle.
Cara-jii will use that time to move to a point where he is within range. I
also left him the job to check whether there’s any other Anbus hiding. I
had Lord Ragudo approach the entrance of the plaza and had him on
standby.

The key this time around will be Wolfe. If we take Dokora as the base of
the Anbus of Mejis, Wolfe is the one who they won’t be wary of.

Ilias would end up having to ight alone if Wolfe wasn’t present. But they
are dealing with Ilias who defeated Dokora. If they had seen that their
chances of winning were low, they would have judged whether to
retrieve the book or not, and would have retreated.

But with Wolfe present, I left them the choice for battle. ‘We might be
able to defeat Wolfe; if we seal her movements, we might be able to use
her to threaten them; if we do, the chances we can deal with Ilias will be
higher’.

The result is that they took the option of keeping Ilias at bay while
aiming for Wolfe. Rakura -an actual combatant- not being able to move
in order to protect a civilian gave them motivation to act too.

“The miscalculation was that the irst guy Wolfe fought lost.”

“So you calculated that your comrade would lose? It is not like it was
certain we would go for the hostage option. What did you plan on doing
if we killed her?”

“You wouldn’t. You would kill her after you made use of her. It is because
you thought you had a chance for victory that you faced Ilias without
running away. That’s ‘the kind of thought process’ you have been etched,
right?”

Well, we had the strongest insurance called Lord Ragudo keeping an eye
on her the whole time though.
He managed to keep an eye on the invisible Anbus from the entrance of
the plaza, and kill them. Even if the timing was set, that wasn’t
something a normal human could pull off. Looks like it wasn’t a lie that
he is stronger than Ilias.

I had Cara-jii aim for the book. Told him to throw the spear the moment
the book moves. Cara-jii’s performance might fall short when compared
to Ilias and Lord Ragudo, but as a person living in modern Japan, this
high precision sniping power is easier to integrate in a plan.

“Heh, it seems like you really wanted to slaughter us all.”

“You killed a homeless man, right? This is payback.”

“Seriously? For something like that?”

“Yeah, you guys will be dying ‘for something like that’. By the way, who
was the one that killed him?”

“The one who lost pathetically. ‘Serves you right’, then?”

“I see, so you were the guy that added an extra something to the
corpse?”

“…You’ve got some scary eyes. Why is someone like you on the surface?”

“Don’t lump me in with you. I have not killed a person once. Not once.”

“You are. That makes you nastier, you know?”

Ilias was at some point by my side with sword ready. The others were
gathering here too.

“Please tell me. Who was the one that told you to aim for my life…?”
(Rakura)
“As if we would tell you, you stupid woman. Don’t look down on the
Anbu.”

“Figures. You wouldn’t spit it out even if threatened with necromancy.”

“And they wouldn’t talk leisurely like this!”

The man jumped and disappeared into the darkness again.

“As if I will let you!” (Ilias)

The sword of Ilias sliced the air. Blood lew at the same time.

“Too shallow?!” (Ilias)

“Not dead! But my body is still there. My body is lighter with one arm
less after all!”

The Anbu retreated just like that. It is an invisible man. It is hard to cut
him without being able to set the timing.

“Detection magic… no good. Magic seal stones have been scattered

around the plaza.” (Ilias)

“Fumu, got away, huh.” (Ragudo)

Lord Ragudo sighed and returned his sword to its scabbard. Rakura
shouted at that moment.

“Ah, the book! It has been taken away!” (Rakura)

“Right, that’s troubling.”

“…That’s a lie.” (Rakura)

“Wow, you really can see through lies.”

“C-Counselor-sama, you are making an incredibly evil face.” (Rakura)

———

I have succeeded in my escape. Now all that’s left is escaping the

country. I have come to the outer walls to do exactly that.

The chances are high that they have gotten ahead of me and cut off my
path at the gates. My bleeding has stopped, but moving a fatigued body
really is burdensome. I would like to avoid any further battles.

“Having only one arm is rough. Dokora was escaping in this state?”

I retrieved the book, but I couldn’t kill the man or Rakura. But it is not
like it is over yet.

I still have methods to take advantage of openings. I can just poison

their food. I could manipulate people around and have them push the
blade on their necks for me instead.

Even if we couldn’t ful ill the order of killing them on the spot, there’s
still many ways to kill them. I have to regain my bearings irst in order
to accomplish this.

“The irst one will be the black wol kin woman. That man would make a
nice face if I killed that one after all. I will kill the people around him
next. Once your defenses are thinned, it will be your turn. You better
remember this…!”

When I approached the outer wall to a certain degree, I felt a mana wave
happen.

I know this reaction. It is when a speci ic mana has been detected by a

barrier.
I see, it is this book. Rakura had set up barriers in order to search for
this book.

I knew she set them up around the outer walls, but there’s no issue even
if I did get caught in it.

Rakura will detect it and the knights will come running, but I am
con ident I can climb over it by that time.

I will already be outside the city by the time they arrive. Let’s hurry and
climb it.

“Good grief, I would like to be given a bit of a break. —That said, with
Ilias Ratzel as my enemy, I won’t have much time. It is gonna be rough,
but I have to hurry.”

I can still climb fast even with one arm. With this—ah?

———

Found the miserable corpse of the Anbu at the outer side of the walls. Of
course you would end up like that if you were to be hit by such an attack.

Soon after we enacted the plan, we had Ilias head to where Maya-san
was.

It is in order to have her tell us about ‘the frequency of the mana wave
that is released upon the book being detected by a barrier’.

Maya-san also knows about Taizu helping out in searching for the book.
This was a ‘dif icult job’ for Ilias, but it is outstanding of her that she
somehow managed to do it.

The Anbus must know that Taizu is covered in barriers. They would
avoid the gates and choose the outer walls. That’s why I chose the plaza
which is in the center of the city.
Cause the distance to everywhere would be the same. Ilias can detect
that the book is inside the barrier through the mana wave emitted from
it. In other words, she can tell where the Anbu is.

We inished him with a projectile. Cara-jii may be precise, but due to the
distance, it was a rough one to perform. And so, we utilized Ilias who
boasted that she can reach.

Of course, the accuracy of Ilias is far below that of Cara-jii. And so, I had
her throw it with everything she had.

“She really is a muscle-brain gorilla.”

The result is that there’s now a giant hole on the outer wall that the
Anbu was climbing. It is not an attack that passes a needle in a hole. She
blew up the whole area where she discovered the enemy was.

Man, Marito is so open-hearted to allow such a plan, huh. I will leave the
clean up to him~.

The book was a bait just like Wolfe. I had Cara-jii aim at it, and I also had
countermeasures for the case when it got snatched away.

The book is… alright. Yup.

I asked Lord Ragudo to cast hardening magic on it, but I am glad it is

okay.

I thought he would undo it thinking it was unnecessary, but it was ine.

Ah, but the cover was torn a bit.

I checked the book together with the belongings of the Anbu, and I found
a crystal. It is an item that allows you to contact people at long range
through a secret technique of the Yugura Church. The Anbu-kun that
works as the bodyguard of Marito told me that.
It seems like they casted defensive magic on it, so it is okay.

After that, Cara-jii and the Ragudo Division gathered at the outer wall
and began to clean things up. Sorry, everyone, even though it is so late at
night…

And so, I head to the castle with crystal and book in hand. There’s still
the inishing touches left after all.

“Excuse me, Counselor-sama… Why are you sitting there and watching
that crystal?” (Rakura)

“Well, you will get it if you wait.”

Ilias, Marito, Lord Ragudo, and Rakura were all gathered in a room and
having a staring contest with the crystal. By the way, Wolfe is sleeping in
the neighboring room due to exhaustion.

No matter what the Anbu prioritized, they put escaping above

everything else. In that case, they shouldn’t have contacted them yet.

But it should be a good time to. They should be getting impatient here.

The crystal began to shine after a while. And then, a voice rang.

“Hayde, report.”

“So that Anbu’s name was Hayde, huh.”

“…Who could you be?”

“The man you ordered to be killed. Nice to meet you, Mastermind-san.”

 CHAPTER 33
DONE FOR NOW

“…I see. Hayde and the others failed, huh.”

“That’s right. It would be one thing if it had been just an assassination,

but blocking their escape route after setting a time and location came
to bite them.”

“They were simply an incompetent bunch that can’t perform their

mission.”

There doesn’t seem to be much unrest in the voice coming from the
crystal. It even sounds as if he is enjoying the situation right now.

Rakura was about to say something, but Lord Ragudo stopped her.

I exchanged glances with Marito and nodded. Now then, the

conversation begins.

“So, it seems like you were waiting for this call. Got any business?”

“Right. I was thinking about having a talk with you since there was the
chance, you see. I would be happy if you were to tag along if you’ve got
the time.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I myself ind it fortuitous that I have obtained the
opportunity to talk with you.”

“You tried to kill me though.”

“I told them to bring your head back, so I could still draw out
information even if you were dead.”

What a nasty personality. Are they going to put my brain in a jar like
some horror story?

“I don’t mind telling you if there’s anything you want to ask, you know?”

“Oh, is that okay? Don’t you have a variety of things you want to ask
too?”

“What I would like to prioritize is the name, I guess. I don’t mind a fake
name, so give me a name since I wouldn’t even be able to call you
comfortably.”

“Fumu, I will call myself Raheight then.” (Raheight)

I directed my gaze at Rakura, but she shook her head to the sides.
Looks like it is not an acquaintance of hers.

“I see. Looking forward to seeing you in the future, Raheight.”

“Yes, same here. But are you really not going to ask any questions?”
(Raheight)

“What should I ask? The fact that you took in Archbishop Ukka, and
dispatched Anbus of Mejis at the back of Rakura?”

“No no, that we are speaking here right now means you are already
aware of those points. For example… my identity, maybe?” (Raheight)

“Is there anything else aside from you being the dog of a Demon Lord?”

“…”
The person on the crystal call falls silent. The silence around gets
heavier.

“…I would like to hear how you reached such a conclusion.” (Raheight)

“It is simple. As you may have already guessed, we have deciphered

this book.”

Rakura showed a shocked face as she repeated my words. Speaking of

which, I was still deceiving her. It is a face I would be extremely amused
with if not for this situation, so I endure.

“Oh, is that so… What was written in it?” (Raheight)

“Don’t play dumb. It is because you know the contents of it that you
ordered the man that said can decipher it to be killed.”

“No no, it might have been a bluff.” (Raheight)

“Is it bad for your relationship to be discovered? Were you planning on

having the Demon Lord turn you into a demon or something?”

“What are you—” (Raheight)

“You are putting strength in your words. Show some composure,

Mastermind.”

Raheight is de initely showing anger right now. I can tell even through
the crystal.

“My intention isn’t to get you angry, so I will match you. About the
contents of the book, it is a memorandum of things regarding the 4th
Demon Lord that appeared in this world, the Blue Demon Lord. To be
more precise, it is an observation record of after the Blue Demon Lord
was created.”
That’s right, it is exactly as the title of this book: ‘Sample No. 4:
Research Record of the Blue Demon Lord’.

“Explaining it roughly, it is a recording of the person that resurrected a

former human and turned them into a Demon Lord, and then making
contact with that Demon Lord later. Moreover, it is kindly written that it
is the 4th one. Meaning that at least 4 of the Demon Lords were born
from the involvement of the same person.”

The irst thing that was written there was about the life of the person
before they became a Demon Lord. How they were born, how they
loved, and how they died.

It also has the analyzed data of the abilities and qualities of that person.

The one who created the Demon Lord had investigated the quality and
abilities of the people they were planning on making Demon Lords
from the very beginning. And they were even involved in their death.

“On top of that, there’s also the support from the people who were
reborn as Demon Lords too. The necromancy written here is a greatly
simpli ied version of resurrection magic that specializes in drawing
out the soul only. The Blue Demon Lord was apparently called the
Immortal Lord that ruled over the undead.”

That person gave the Demon Lords their knowledge and had them
clash against the world. And then, the worst history was born.

“There’s something called Shared Element within the abilities that

were given to them. It was given to the other Demon Lords as well. It
could create a Nether which served as their own territory and this
created a land where monsters are born.”

The Demon Lords would have their mana transmit in the air and dye
away the land. They would establish their own zone, would call that
place Nether, and they could wield their power to their fullest there.
The plants and animals in that area will all morph and turn into
creatures called monsters that bring harm to people.

“The second thing is the method to change a human into a demon.”

That’s right. Demons were originally humans that had their existence
repainted by the mana of the Demon Lord.

The reason this worked on them was because the Demon Lords were
originally humans. That must be why they were given a technique that
drags the ones close to them.

Humans can’t live long in the Nether. In order to bring in the comrades
they had in their past life, they had to change them into demons.

“Unfortunately, this book is simply a record, so even if there were

added explanations to necromancy, there were no other methods
written down. Well, you must already know this though.”

“…Looks like it was true that you have read it. So you really are an
Earthling?” (Raheight)

“That’s right. And you don’t seem to be one. Too bad.”

“I am impressed you can say that for sure.” (Raheight)

“The pronunciation of Earth is way too unique. It is way too obvious

that you learned of it through books.”

“I see. It can’t be helped then.” (Raheight)

“Now then, let’s bring out the reason why I called you the dog of a
Demon Lord. There’s a good deal of descriptions regarding the way of
life of a Demon Lord. There were also inconvenient points for the
Demon Lords. Rather than calling them weak points, they are more like
faults.”
For example; due to the special nature of the Demon Lord’s mana, it is
hard for them to be affected by the magic of others. It is hard for them
to receive healing magic.

In other words, if they get a deep wound, the only one who can heal
them is themselves.

“If it were just knowing the contents of the book, you would still be in
the gray. But you tried to steal it, so you are pitch black.”

“Is that so? I think the Yugura Church is also trying to recover it
though.” (Raheight)

“I am impressed you can say that so brazenly when you haven’t told
even the Pope.”

“Why can you be so certain I haven’t?” (Raheight)

“Because it would be obvious the Yugura Church would be a lot more

different in form if they knew you were trying to ‘resurrect the dead
Demon Lords’.”

“…So there really was that much written there.” (Raheight)

That’s right. A Demon Lord is a human that has been hit with
resurrection magic. A being that can be resurrected.

The Yugura Church is taking the stance that the Demon Lords might
appear again, but it didn’t look like they were certain they would
resurrect.

Even if they were deceived, there’s the danger that the contents of this
book will be spread to the whole world.

If the Pope were to know about this, he wouldn’t be messing up in such

a manner like letting Archbishop Ukka fail in selecting the personnel to
send.

“Who is it that doesn’t want this reality known? It goes without saying
that it would be the Demon Lords. Then, it wouldn’t be strange for me
to call you the dog of the Demon Lords when you are trying to steal the
book for the sake of your Demon Lord-sama, right?”

“But it still doesn’t click. Even if I am moving in a manner that would

bene it a Demon Lord, there are no points that connect me to them,
right?” (Raheight)

“You are the ones who took away the arm of Dokora, right?”

“The name of that person comes out here, huh.”

(Raheight)

“Everything stems from Dokora who was an Anbu of Mejis. Why did he
go as far as betraying his nation and stealing the book? What he did
brought you guys to the surface.”

“…Let’s hear it.” (Raheight)

“Dokora knew that the one who created the taboo called resurrection
magic was an Earthling. But Dokora couldn’t read the book. If he could,
the necromancy he used would be more advanced and condensed.”

If a smart person were to observe the illustrations in the book, they can
learn necromancy just like Dokora. But the notes written there have
even more advanced information.

A method to employ even higher undead.

“Then, how did Dokora learn of this? He heard from you guys as an
Anbu.”
When Dokora was spying on a suspicious individual, he made contact
with Raheight and the others, and obtained information.

Dokora learned of this importance and escaped. He stole the book that
would serve as a weapon for negotiation at that time.

“He probably heard you talking about the book. That’s why he stole the
book and escaped the country. If he knew of someone like you who can
control Archbishop Ukka and can order the Anbus, he wouldn’t be able
to stay in Mejis. After that, Dokora was turned into a wanted person.
Dokora most likely wanted to use the book to negotiate, but he couldn’t
read it. That’s why he simply learned a rough version of necromancy,
and lived as a bandit.”

The shadow of a Demon Lord had encroached into the nation he served
and believed. The book that he judged could become a weapon was
something he couldn’t handle.

The only people Dokora could trust were most likely the ones under his
ruling. Living his remaining years as a bandit, an earthling appeared,
and that’s why he entrusted that book in his dying breath -with faint
hope that I would be able to expose the schemes of the man beyond
this crystal.

“Dokora was truly outstanding as an Anbu. He noticed your existence

and relationship in the Yugura Church when you were hiding, and
successfully stole the book. Him becoming a criminal after that… is a
bit pitiful.”

“Right. I didn’t expect him to notice my identity after all.” (Raheight)

“But something convenient for you also happened. Thanks to him

having brought it out from the place where the Yugura Church had
sealed it in, one of your objectives got easier to accomplish after all.”
If he simply didn’t want others to learn about the secret of the book, he
could have let them retrieve it and seal it again. The reason he didn’t do
it was because Raheight himself was aiming for the book.

In iltrating the Yugura Church and obtaining the book was dif icult. But
Dokora managed to do that. This was dangerous but at the same time a
chance.

“It seems like there really are a lot of wise ones amongst Earthlings.”
(Raheight)

“Don’t say something you don’t even mean. You probably are internally
making fun of me for babbling out everything.”

“Oh, so you could tell. Information is a weapon. I can only call it foolish
for you to be talking all boastfully about what you have obtained.”
(Raheight)

“I am not trying to live intelligently; I am trying to live safely.”

“What’s the difference?” (Raheight)

“If I moved intelligently, I could become like you, Raheight. Use people,
reach the top by myself, and look down upon others. But you know, I
have seen a myriad of people who have lived like that. I am the one who
would rather refuse such a vomit-inducing life like that.”

“That’s harsh. Is it because it would hurt your conscience?” (Raheight)

“Of course it would. I am weak after all. Not only my body, but my heart,
my standing; everything is weak. That’s why I won’t aim too high. I am
ine with just being able to live peacefully in mind and body. But guys
like you are in the way of that, you see.”

A thunderous sound and angry voice resonate from deep within the
crystal. That wasn’t a sound made by Raheight.
“—Could it be…?” (Raheight)

“It could be. I guessed you were interfering with the coordination of
Archbishop Ukka and Pope Euparo in some sort of way. That’s why I
took a different method. I had Archbishop Maya secretly report to Pope
Euparo directly. While at it, we also told him ‘the guy that is leisurely
making contact with Taizu in this emergency is the mastermind’!”

The sound of a grand battle was transmitted to the crystal. The call was
cut off shortly after.

———

The one who jumped into the room was Archbishop Ukka. There were
several priests around him.

“How dare you trick me, you damn rat!” (Ukka)

“Oh, Ukka-sama, it seems like the hypnosis was undone judging from
your state.”

I tried to recast the suggestion with a smile, but there was no effect. So
they used a spell to resist mental interference beforehand, huh. Even if
he is an idiot, it is natural to make at least such countermeasures.

I have two escape routes. The corridor that Ukka and the others are
blocking and the window. But there’s already a barrier cast on the
window. It is possible to destroy it, but there’s no point if they get me in
that opening.

It should be ine to just break through from the front. He is the man
that’s said to be the weakest in strength within the Archbishops after
all. I have the advantage in a battle.

“There’s already nowhere to escape. I will have you stay put!” (Ukka)
“So you say, but isn’t there a handy path?”

I use magic. A spell that crystallizes mana and pierces. I set the point for
it to activate and have the crystal rise out from there.It is a spell that
can be used in one action and it has good power.

“Do you think something like that can hit?!” (Ukka)

Ukka predicted the place where the crystal that suddenly showed up in
this cramped place would appear. The other priests also avoid. Nice
re lexes, but that was a bad move.

I undo the crystals that appeared immediately and jump into the path
that they opened.

“Thanks for the courtesy. Bye.”

“Too soft!”

An impact assailed my body suddenly and my vision was facing

upwards. I see, there’s a magic circle drawn on the ceiling.

“Gravity magic… To think it would be set right above you.”

Pressure several hundreds of times stronger than normal assaulted my

body. I re lexively set a defensive spell. I managed to reduce the damage
on my body, but I can’t undo the pressure pushing onto my body. I was
sinking as my whole body was creating cracks on the ground.

“You are good for someone who is called the weakest Archbishop.”

“It is true that I am weak. My abilities and accomplishments may be

tri ling compared to other Archbishops.” (Ukka)

The face of Ukka is different from usual. This is… the eyes of the real
deal.
“—Even so, I am still an Archbishop.” (Ukka)

Ukka threw something. That’s… a magic seal stone. This is bad. If that
touches me, the defensive spell will be dispelled. When that happens, I
will end up having to take this gravity spell with my bare body.

Gravity magic is something that creates strong gravity with the magic
circle as the point of origin. Its effect is not gone even when a magic
seal stone gets close to the magic circle.

“That’s the end.” (Ukka)

“Not really.”

Crystals rise out from the ceiling. This spell can be activated easily by
setting the point of activation with your gaze or where you point at
with your inger. The ceiling was destroyed from the crystals and the
magic circle lost its formation.

I get up and take the thrown magic seal stone. The crystals on the
ceiling vanish due to the formation destruction domain of the magic
seal stone.

“Man, that was close.”

“No, I told you it is the end.” (Ukka)

My vision shook suddenly, the freedom of my body was taken away. A

sweet scent stimulated my nostrils. This is a hypnotic aroma, huh.

The priests around were forming their respective barriers. I should

throw away the stone here and deploy a barrier too.

I threw the rock with just a snap of my wrist. I should be able to deploy
a defensive wall against the hypnotic aroma.
“I already told you this is the end. Don’t make me say it three times, you
idiot.” (Ukka)

A barrier surrounding myself appeared. The barrier was hampered by

the magic seal stone and snapped back at me.

A barrier is originally something that is created with you as the center.

But Ukka has created a cubic barrier with him in the center and around
me who is in front of him.

The hypnotic aroma was taking away the freedom in my body. I have to
destroy the barrier and escape, but because of the magic seal stone
close to me…

“I see… So I am already done for?”

I take out a small knife from my pocket.

“Don’t think it can be destroyed with something like that.” (Ukka)

“No, it can be destroyed. Just like this.”

I place the knife on my neck and take one breath. This should be enough
to prepare myself.

“Well then, bye.”

I admitted my defeat, showed a smile at the victor, and moved my arm

horizontally in one go.

———

After that, according to the call of Mejis, Raheight judged it was

impossible to escape and offed himself.
They considered the possibility of a 3rd party retrieving his body, so
his corpse is apparently sealed under strict supervision.

I am surprised that the one who cornered him was Archbishop Ukka,
but it wasn’t for Rakura.

From what I heard, he is Rakura’s combat master. Like teacher like

student, huh.

His talent as an Archbishop is low compared to the others, but he is the

type to compensate with hard work and technique… It really brings out
a sense of familiarity.

That said, when it comes to schemes, it is as you can see. He is also the
one who will be made responsible on this occasion.

Archbishop Ukka was cast hypnotism magic by Raheight and was used
at his own convenience.

The reason why Raheight had control of the Anbus of Mejis was
because of the permit of Archbishop Ukka.

Even if he was hypnotized, he still messed up big. But there wasn’t

much blame directed at them from Taizu when they were the ones that
suffered the most, and he redeemed himself by cornering Raheight.

He will be put under the supervision of the other Archbishops for a

while, but they apparently won’t be persecuting him further than this.

If they were to drop him from his position of Archbishop when he is a

professional in raising money, it is clear that it would have a heavy
negative effect on the inancial affairs of the Yugura Church, so they
couldn’t punish him heavily.

Marito explained 90% of the book’s secret to Maya-san after the

suspicions were cleared. We report this to Pope Euparo. The result of
this was that Pope Euparo left Mejis and is currently heading to Taizu.

It is in order to have the person in the highest position of responsibility

apologize in person for this time’s incident, and also to get back the
book.

Rakura was given the order to stay on standby. She will most likely be
returning to Mejis at the same time as Pope Euparo.

“So this wraps things up, huh.”

“No no, if your hypothesis is correct, the one who sent Raheight to
Mejis is a Demon Lord or a relative of theirs, right?” (Marito)

My face turned sour at the words of Marito. Right, in the end, we still
haven’t solved the problem deep in. Are they preparing to resurrect the
Demon Lord? Or is the resurrected Demon Lord the one doing the
scheming here? There’s still threats in this world.

“Talk about that stuff with Pope Euparo. Because of that last part, it has
become an extremely delicate issue after all.”

“I want you to be the one to tell Pope Euparo though.” (Marito)

That’s right, the biggest issue about the book still remains. We still
haven’t told Maya-san, Rakura, and even Ilias about this yet.

Marito said he wanted to decide whether to tell the others after telling
Pope Euparo.

I share that opinion. This secret can overturn the world. I even feel like
it would be better to just bury it.

“I will be present, but you should be the one to tell him as the king. It is
way too heavy for me.”
“Ueh, I don’t mind making you the king.” (Marito)

“Now then, time to go. Thanks for the hospitality.”

We are done with our talk about the aftermath. I most likely won’t be
coming here for a while. The future may be worrisome, but I feel like I
will be able to spend a bit of time peacefully.

“No, I will have you come from tomorrow on too though?” (Marito)

“Why?”

“The decoding of the book is done, but we are still not done with you
telling me about the parallel world, right?” (Marito)

“That wasn’t a front for the decoding of the book?”

“What are you saying? We actually made some political measures,

right? The contract is obviously still in place.” (Marito)

“…Got it.”

There’s a lot of things I feel are inconvenient in this world. I need both
assets and power in order to recreate the culture I am used to on Earth.

Working with Marito will become the shortest shortcut to ful ill those
desires.

“But don’t bring out dangerous stuff, okay?!”

“Hahaha, ain’t we friends here?” (Marito)

“Don’t, okay?!”

I am heading to Maya-san’s place after that. I have to apologize to her

about putting distance from her because of Marito despite her helping
me out so much.

When I arrived at the church, she was in the middle of teaching Wolfe.

“Ah, Shishou!” (Wolfe)

“Ooh, it is impressive how you are always so dedicated.”

“Wolfe-chan is studying properly. Despite that, you are constantly

scheming with His Majesty, Boy.” (Maya)

“I came here to apologize because of that, so please don’t bear too

much of a grudge for it.”

“Even that Ilias came here to mislead things, you know? I would like
you to not be a bad in luence on the daughter of my friend.” (Maya)

“It is as you say…”

“Oh well, ine. I understand the circumstances, so I will give you a

passing mark just from the fact that you came here to apologize, Boy. It
seems like you are not just being a bad in luence to Ilias after all.”
(Maya)

“She seemed like her usual self though.”

“Her core has been really steadfast lately. She has been chasing the
shadow of her father until now, so I think it is a good change.” (Maya)

“Is that how it is…?”

“But! Ilias is the daughter of my close friend. I want to oversee the

correct growth of that girl. I would like you to understand that part.”
(Maya)

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good. Now, I will go prepare some tea.” (Maya)

Maya-san disappeared deeper in while smiling. Next is…

“I will be sitting by your side.”

“Yes, go ahead!” (Wolfe)

I sit by the side of Wolfe. She is studying the letters. She is already
better than me when it comes to the letters of this world. She is
growing into a smart and well-mannered girl.

“Wolfe, you can continue doing what you are doing while listening to
me.”

“Okay.” (Wolfe)

“First, I would like to apologize. I am sorry.”

“…Shishou, did you do something bad to Wolfe?” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, it is about using you as a bait that night.”

I used the readily available weak Wolfe in order to lead the battle
against the Anbus.

‘Fight with all you have. It is okay for you to lose. There’s a point in you
ighting. I will use that’ -Wolfe heard that explanation and accepted
without a single moment of hesitation.

Even though I decided to provide this girl that lived a harsh past a good
future, I ended up dragging her into this.

“There should have been other ways. But from the options I could think
of, this was the most effective one, so I used you. That’s no different
from the black wol kins.”
“Shishou is different. Because Shishou was angry.” (Wolfe)

“Angry, you say… Aah, that might be true.”

I knew Gazen for a short period of time, but I must have been worked
up in a lot of fronts because an acquaintance of mine was killed.

That’s why Ilias was worried about me when she saw through this
change, and stepped that deep in. I even used Wolfe without hesitation.

My mind is way too weak, and yet, the things I do are cunning. I am not
a decent person, yup.

“Shishou got angry for Wolfe’s sake. That’s the biggest treasure of
Wolfe. If Shishou is angry for the sake of someone, Wolfe wants to help
out too.” (Wolfe)

“…I see.”

I unconsciously pat the head of Wolfe. She had become a wonderful girl
a long time ago.

At the very least, she doesn’t have the weakness of a certain someone
who gets his emotions shaken the whole time.

“But if Shishou apologizes, Wolfe forgives you.” (Wolfe)

This is bad. When I am with Wolfe, my emotions get shaken to a higher

degree. I am on the verge of tears.

“Yeah, thanks. Also, good work. Being able to defeat an Anbu is

incredible, you know?”

“Ehehe!” (Wolfe)
“Right, I am thinking of growing small plants in the house. I also intend
to cultivate vegetables. Want to try raising them together with me,
Wolfe?”

“Yes, I want to!” (Wolfe)

“Nice answer.”

“But, uhm… the vegetables I don’t like…” (Wolfe)

“You might end up liking the things you hate if you help cultivate them.
Well, you might end up liking the things you already like more if you
raise them though.”

“Then, I will do my best in both!” (Wolfe)

Let’s try searching for the same book as the one Gazen had. I might be
able to learn what vegetables he planned on cultivating. I will offer
them to his grave next time. I feel like he would tell me to hand him
booze instead though.
 CHAPTER 34
IT HAS BECOME CRAMPED
FOR NOW

Man, it has been a while since I have felt so refreshed!

I stretch my hand towards the blue sky. I stretched heavily just like that
and yawned.

It is a rare walk alone while forgetting about stuff like the book and the
Demon Lords.

Ilias is doing her work as a knight and Wolfe is training at the castle.
Wolfe has already blended into this city. Not only that, she has even been
issued a transit permit for the castle.

The members of the Ragudo Division have also taken a liking to her, and
she gives energy to the training, so Lord Ragudo went out of his way to
issue that permit.

It is a lower grade than mine, but she is still a civilian. No, you could
even say it is favorable treatment to a point it is an exceptional case
within black wol kin.

According to the group of old men, she is apparently really worth

teaching with her techniques showing polish. She might eventually be
able to use a variety of weapons. How fearsome.

But I am sure Wolfe will be able to hold back that power. She is different
from Ilias.
“Anyways, this is good weather…”

“*Sob* *Sob*”

I sit on the bench readied at the plaza and bask in the sun. We had our
ight with the Anbus here before, but not a single trace of that remains.

The broken points have also been ixed cleanly. The power of magic is
incredible.

That’s right, magic, magic. When I came to this world, I was told my
mana was despairingly low, and not only using magic, I was told even
casting magic on me was impossible. Can’t I use some sort of magic
regardless?

Like, it is okay for the irst one to just be something like the ire of a
match. Mana is the same as stamina. If you continue using it, the
amount you recover and the total amount you have increases. In that
case, wouldn’t it grow to a decent degree depending on training?

If I get some mana, I could use magic circles or use the assistance of
catalysts to use large-scale spells.

But who will I get to instruct me? Ilias is out of the question. It seems
like Maya-san will soon be getting busy. The preparations for the festival
have begun after all.

There’s apparently a person that specializes in magic in the castle, so it

might be good to form a connection with them.

“Aah, what good weather…”

“*Sob* *Sob*”

Speaking of which, I haven’t been able to communicate with people

since coming to this world.
There’s a big gap between a king and the tavern of a city.

That said, going out of my way to increase the amount of relationships

where I would just exchange contacts and end it there or go through the
motions of inviting them to drinks as a formality is also, you know…

I don’t want to feel that stiffness in this world. There’s no need to feel it
after all.

Even so, I do miss the warmth of the average person. Is there a girl that I
can hang out with?

“Good weather. Man, it really is good weather…”

“*Sob* *Sob*”

“……”

“*Sob* *Sob*”

“Now then, let’s go eat lunch.”

“You are ignoring me completely?!”

My leg was grabbed tightly. The weight of one person was added to my
leg.

“Let go, Rakura. Today is a feel good day.”

“In that case, please don’t abandon this troubled soul here, Counselor-
sama!” (Rakura)

Rakura has been weeping for a while now. I obviously wanted to keep
ignoring her, but now that it has come to this, escaping would be too
much effort too. It is not like I don’t feel a bit bad either.

I deceived her a whole lot in the matter of the book and used her. Marito
and I apologized to her later on, but I should do a bit of a follow-up here.

By the way, I was in the end of icially appointed as a counselor

candidate, so her way of calling me hasn’t changed.

“Actually, I was driven away from the church of Maya-sama…” (Rakura)

“Don’t tell me when I haven’t asked. I see, so you were excommunicated

from the Yugura Church. My condolences.”

“It is not to that degree!” (Rakura)

“What. You were probably told to stay on standby until Pope Euparo
comes, but didn’t have a place to go, so you were being taken care of at
Maya-san’s place, but because it has gotten busy due to the harvest
festival’s preparation, you tried to help out, messed up a whole ton,
caused trouble, and ended up being a bother instead, so you were told to
leave, right?”

“You said that in one breath?! How can you tell?!” (Rakura)

“So I got it, huh.”

The church of Maya-san is currently illed to the brim with Yugura
Church people. A lot of people are coming and going as the harvest
festival approaches.

Rakura is clumsy everywhere aside from battles. She set barriers in the
book matter, so I thought she could do chores to a certain degree, but
when I asked Maya-san later, a normal cleric apparently would have
been able to set it in a tenth of the time. I am ashamed that I thought it
took an incredible deal of time.

Anyways, having Rakura help out would instead make them slower. I
heard a scream from inside the other day when I was heading to the
church to pick up Wolfe after all.

“Counselor-sama, please help me~.” (Rakura)

“What do you want me to do? I am not so skilled as to cure your

airheadedness, you know?”

“That part is ine! No, it is not though!” (Rakura)

“By the way, I won’t let you borrow our abode.”

“Why?! Aren’t we friends here, Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

“I am freeloading in the house of Ilias, you know. As if I can just increase

the freeloaders as I please!”

“Oh my!” (Rakura)

Rakura showed a face of surprise and embarrassment. I can pretty much

imagine what she will say after this.

“A man and a woman living under the same roof is just…!” (Rakura)

“There’s also Wolfe.”

“Carnage?!” (Rakura)

“Did you cast charm magic on yourself?”

“*Cough* That should not be! What would you do if a mistake were to
happen with those two, Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

“The only mistake that could happen is a murder from failing to hold
back enough. That goes the same if I were to cause a mistake.”

“…Well, that might be true. But those girls are barely 20, you know?!”
(Rakura)

“Tough apples, right?”

“No, I should keep an eye on you! I will protect those two from the
ulterior motives of Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

“You are the one with the ulterior motive. Just camp out obediently.”

“Sleeping under the night sky is lonely, you know?! It is scary, you
know?!” (Rakura)

“I have slept in the mountains, so I get you. But it will be a good

memory.”

“I don’t want to sleep on the bench of the plaza anymore!” (Rakura)

Since when were you by my side? Now that I look closely, there’s a mat
below the chair. Isn’t this girl a priestess? Maya-san is an Archbishop,
but isn’t it quite impressive that she drove away a priestess from a
church?

“It seems like you won’t listen, so let’s have Ilias reject you directly…”
It can’t be helped. Rakura seems to be awfully close to me, so any half-
baked persuasion will have the opposite effect.

Let her be thoroughly rejected by Ilias who has etched a bit of fear in
her.

“Fine.” (Ilias)

“Yaaay!” (Rakura)

“Don’t joke around!”

“Why are you getting angry?!” (Rakura)

We encountered Ilias who was having lunch at a stall in the market. The
result was an instant OK.

“Just imagine having a cleric be seen sleeping in the plaza. It could turn
into an issue with the Yugura Church. Also, there’s no way a knight can
just allow a woman to sleep under the cold night sky.” (Ilias)

“Listen here, just think about it calmly. There’s only 3 rooms.”

“Right.” (Ilias)

“Considering the mental state of the freeloaders, you wouldn’t be able to

provide the same room as the landlord, right?”

“That’s true. I can’t have Ilias-san go that far when I am going to be

under her care…” (Rakura)

“I don’t mind, but it certainly would be troubling if the other party is

withered by this.” (Ilias)

“Next, a man and woman in a room should be avoided, right?”

“Right. There’s no one you would be able to put a hand on, but it would
go against public morals.” (Ilias)

“In other words, you naturally won’t be able to give up 2 rooms.”

“Isn’t it okay to share the room with Wolfe?” (Ilias)

“Wolfe-chan wouldn’t mind it!” (Rakura)

“You idiot, what are you going to do if she infects her with her
airheadedness?!”

“Aren’t you cruel?!” (Rakura)

“…”

“Ilias-san?!” (Rakura)

It is on a level where even Ilias has to worry with a straight face. Well,
your muscle-headedness is also pretty serious too.

“Then, you sleep in the attic or something.” (Ilias)

“Alright, thanks for your care. I am taking Wolfe with me.”

“Wait, it was a joke. If we clear up the room that’s serving as storage, we

would have an open room, right?” (Ilias)

“There’s a lot of heavy stuff, so I won’t help.”

“What. You plan on making the owner of the house do the heavy labor
despite being a freeloader?” (Ilias)

“Hnguh.”

“Wolfe would help out without a complaint.” (Ilias)

“Hnguguh.”

“Hmhm, the tides have turned.” (Rakura)

Rakura puffed out her chest as if victorious. My caste rank in the abode
might lower at this rate. Maybe I really should consider changing my
residence? No, that would look like I am running from Rakura and I don’t
like that.

“I simply want to bring regret and despair to Rakura.”

“You are saying that from the heart!” (Rakura)

Ilias will be doing her knight work after this. I will bring Rakura to our
home—well, I can’t just go doing that.

In the 2nd loor storage room there’s things the parents of Ilias used
when they were alive aside from the big shelves. The storage room in
the 1st loor has other articles of theirs as well as sundries.

There’s spears, swords, armor, and other gear. She said she wanted to
carry those and arrange them.

From what she said, she apparently just randomly brought whatever
she had in her previous house when she vacated it, so she hasn’t even
organized them properly. She wants to use this opportunity to separate
them.

It is obviously going to be heavy work. I can slave away Rakura here, but
she is de initely going to mess up. We need muscle. And so, we are going
to go get Wolfe.

“Ah, Shishou.” (Wolfe)

“Sorry about bothering you while you are training, Wolfe.”

“No worries, we already inished a round!” (Wolfe)

“I see, I am sorry for bringing this out all of a sudden, but there’s sad
news.”

“Sad…” (Wolfe)

“Rakura is coming to our house.”

“What part of that is sad?!” (Rakura)

It is sad. The ratio of men and women is getting even more skewed. It is
going to get even more cramped now.

I would be happy if it were a harem, but I don’t even have a single one
with a relationship like that. No, even in a harem story, the man also
feels stiffened unless there’s quite the power balance.

“Rakura coming… is sad?” (Wolfe)

“That’s not true, Wolfe-chan! It is just the personality of Counselor-sama

being horrible!” (Rakura)

“If you go by that logic, Maya-san, who drove you away, also has a
horrible personality.”

“…Maya-sama is also a bit on the bad side too.” (Rakura)

“Wolfe likes Rakura. It is okay.” (Wolfe)

“What a good girl!” (Rakura)

“Rakura, it hurts.” (Wolfe)

Damn it, the generosity of Wolfe is on a whole other level after all. It
would be hard to drive her away with the violence of democracy, huh.
Looks like I have to give up. I tell Wolfe about sorting out the storage
room as we return.

“I am home~.” (Wolfe)

“I am home.”

“I am home!” (Rakura)

There’s already someone acting like an inhabitant. Even Wolfe was

reserved the irst day. But complaining about every little thing won’t get
us anywhere. Let’s inish this quickly.

“Well then, please carry the things I instruct you to the living room on
the 1st loor, Wolfe. There’s important stuff for Ilias, so carry them
carefully, okay?”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

“What should I do?” (Rakura)

“Nothing.”

“Cruel!” (Rakura)

“That wasn’t a joke. Carrying stuff like weapons and armor to the 1st
loor would be too heavy and dangerous for anyone aside from Wolfe.
We might be able to manage somehow if we two carry it, but I don’t
want to do it with you.”

“I was convinced for a moment there. So horrible!” (Rakura)

I ran the simulations a number of times in my head, but they all ended in
injuries. I feel bad for Wolfe, but I will leave the physical work to her.

“But not doing anything is a bit…” (Rakura)

“Then go take a bath. You have been sleeping out, right?”

“…You won’t peek?” (Rakura)

“Trust me. I endured your temptation and I will throw bugs at you.”

“Can you not?!” (Rakura)

And so, work began after successfully locking the dangerous Rakura up
in the bathroom.

The articles of her parents are mostly clothes, weapons, and armor, and
work tools intended for clerics. There’s also daily use items. They are
left around scattered to a certain degree, so let’s organize them as we
put them down.

“Wolfe, please gather the weapons and armor around the right corner of
the living room for now; the clothes shelves at the left; the daily use
items at the center -well, I will carry those ones.”

“Got it!” (Wolfe)

Now then, if we are going to do this, let’s do this quickly and thoroughly.
I roll up my sleeves and carry the tools to the entrance to make them
easier for Wolfe to transport them.

I did that alone before, but having someone else to help really makes it a
lot easier. Especially with Wolfe having learned mana strengthening. She
can carry heavy furniture without any issues.

I am so jealous. Even though it has been a daily battle against muscle

pain for me.

“Kyaaaa! B-Bug?! Curse you, Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

I heard a scream from the bathroom. Moreover, it seems like I am being
falsely accused. I could oppose her, but I can easily see that it won’t lead
to anything decent.

“Go help her, Wolfe. Also, explain to her that I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes! Shishou de initely has an alibi!” (Wolfe)

Where did you learn that word? Moreover, the way you say it sounds like
I am the culprit.

I just hope she comes back okay… is what I thought, but as I expected,
Wolfe must have been hugged by a drenched someone, she was wet here
and there.

“I am beyond impressed that she managed to get in our way even when
locked in the bathroom…”

Looks like it would be better to hurry. It might turn terrible if she were
to regroup with us and try to help out. It has been a while, but let’s get
serious.

“—Alright, we are done.”

“Done!” (Wolfe)

We safely inished carrying the things. Next is cleaning. That said, I did
some rough cleaning of the house before, so there’s no need for too
much effort here.

Rakura had come out from the bathroom and declared she could do at
least this much, so I decided to leave it to her.
She is most likely going to drop a bucket of water, and by the time she is
done, she will be all dirty. I ignored the screams I could hear from the
2nd loor, and clean away the dirt in the bathroom.

After that, I had Wolfe take a bath, and prepare some tea while ignoring
the sobbing coming from the 2nd loor.

“I am done, Shishou!” (Wolfe)

“Ooh, good work. I made some tea, so drink.”

“Thanks!” (Wolfe)

“I am done cleaning…” (Rakura)

“Ooh, we have left the bath as it is, so go take a bath once more.”

Even though Rakura took a bath once already, she was dirtier than
before she arrived here, so I pushed her into the bathroom.

“Don’t throw bugs in anymore, okay?!” (Rakura)

“I haven’t even done it once yet.”

I was wondering what to do next. There’s no bed yet, but let’s have her
give up on that for today. We can buy it at the company of Ban-san
tomorrow or something. She probably needs a variety of daily
essentials anyways.

In that case, Rakura doesn’t matter anymore. What’s left to do is how to

deal with the things lined up in the living room.

Wolfe is watching the daily items with interest. There’s a lot of things
that aristocrats use, so there must be a lot of rare stuff for Wolfe who
began her life as a commoner.
Ilias apparently lived in a pretty big house when she was young. But now
she is living like a monk on a pilgrimage. If we just judge it in training
alone, she would be in mountain hermit class.

I grab the smallest sword out of curiosity, but the weight it had really did
remind me of how out of place this is in daily life.

I tried to unsheathe it as a test, but it got stuck and I can’t draw it out
properly. I struggled for close to a minute and inally managed to draw it,
and managed to see its blade.

“—It is a good sword.”

I can tell even as a novice.

There’s not a single blemish in this maintained blade. Is it a ceremonial

sword that’s barely used in actual combat? It is simple, but the blade has
beautiful ornaments, and the polished blade was re lecting me as if it
were a mirror.

“That’s nostalgic. It is the sword that was given to my father by the

previous king.”

I was surprised by the voice of Ilias that came from my back and I was
on the verge of dropping the sword. But thanks to the weight of the
sword, it didn’t rampage in my hand.

“Don’t talk to me all of a sudden. It is dangerous.”

“I did call you though.” (Ilias)

“So I was entranced, huh. Welcome back, Ilias.”

“Yeah, I am home. But now that I look at them like this, there really was a
lot there.” (Ilias)
Ilias sighed at the many things lined up in the living room. At the very
least, it won’t be possible to have a proper meal like this.

“There are still memories attached to them even if we are to dispose of

them, right? What are you planning on doing?”

“It is vexing, but I do have to select which ones to keep to a certain

degree. I might end up wearing the clothes of my mother in the future
after all. I will store them after casting pesticide magic on them and…
my father’s clothes… you want them?” (Ilias)

“Right. They it me just right in terms of size. It also suits me in the

sense that they are not lashy.”

“My father was a strict knight after all. It would be nice if you were to
wear the clothes of my father and get in luenced by him.” (Ilias)

“Articles of the deceased that have such effects are called cursed.”

Who would wear clothes that would change your personality just from
wearing them? But thinking about it calmly, the suit of a salaryman does
serve as a sort of personality switch. Yup.

“You can choose whichever gear you so wish.” (Ilias)

“I don’t have the stamina to wear armor. I don’t have the strength to
swing a weapon either. This one should be enough.”

What I have equipped at my waist is my wooden partner that I picked up

in the forest before. Since I had the chance, I reworked it into a wooden
sword.

“That won’t even serve for training. It would break in one swing.” (Ilias)

“That’s ine. The other party would be stiffened if I had a sword

hanging.”
In Japan, your job evaluation would be hit just from carrying a wooden
sword around! The pedestrians would look at you with incredulous eyes
and take distance from you!

“It would be decently useful if you infused mana to it? Hmm, no, it would
still break in one hit, huh.” (Ilias)

“For now, I de initely won’t be lending you this partner of mine.”

“How about choosing a bit of a better life partner…? That’s practically a

child’s toy.” (Ilias)

Just as Ilias says, there are times when I would be treated like a child
carrying a wooden sword in this world, but I don’t care about that.

“This is in order to not forget my beginnings when I came to this world.

It is a weapon to ight against my own ego.”

“…I see. It can’t be helped then.” (Ilias)

This is the only weapon I can swing around. No matter how strong my
allies are, this is just how strong I am.

I must not forget that. I must not rely too much on my comrades. I am a
weakling in this world.

“I actually wanted to carry around the irst generation though…”

“I think the ashes still remain though. Want me to bring them from the
barracks?” (Ilias)

“I feel like it could be useful as fertilizer for the vegetables.”

Eat the vegetables that I grew using the ashes of my partner. It would
shock people if I were to tell them.
Anyways, we are done dealing with the clothes. We store the ceremonial
gear as they are. We ended up donating the gear we are not going to use
to the Ragudo Division. The professional tools of her mother will be
donated to Maya-san. As for the daily items, we entrusted them to the
irm, however, some of the things -especially the ones her parents used-
have been stored in the room of Ilias.

“I don’t mind you taking anything you want. The things would be
happier being used.” (Ilias)

“The clothes are enough. It would get bulky the time I leave if my
luggage increases.”

Moving alone is already a big chore. I plan on living the minimalist life in
this world. The treasure box where I am storing memorable things will
be making my luggage pretty bulky already, but let’s close my eyes in
that area.

“…You plan on leaving?” (Ilias)

“It is not like it will be immediately. If either of us marries and forms a

family, we can’t go living together. You are still in your early adulthood,
but I am at a good age already.”

Having an adult man living together with Ilias after she marries and has
a family would be questionable. The same goes the other way around.

“T-That’s true.” (Ilias)

“Also, if there’s no need to stay in the country, I think it would be a good

idea to go visit other countries.”

“Feeling dissatis ied with Taizu?” (Ilias)

“No. There’s only good people within the ones I know, and even the king
is treating me well. I doubt there will be such a good environment in
other countries.”

Someone who would provide me lodging conveniently, a store that will

provide me the food I like, an understanding merchant, a king that takes
me in; it is honestly way too good.

I doubt this is going to continue forever. I don’t know if this is just me

being too careful or because I am a worrywart —maybe both. The
scenery changes completely in modern Japan if you give it 10 years.

“Then why are you saying you want to leave the coun—” (Ilias)

“Because I want to search for a way to return to my world.”

I don’t think it is a bad idea to live in this world, but it is not like I have
given up on my world. I have inished deciphering the book, but there
wasn’t a single thing about a way to return to my world.

But an Earthling managed to create a resurrection spell which is a peak

in this world. It can’t be said that there’s no way to return to my world.

However, there isn’t any more information sleeping in Taizu. It might

come one day, but that’s questionable too.

“…Do you have friends and family on Earth?” (Ilias)

“I wonder. In terms of human relationships, this side might be better.”

“Despite that, you still want to search for a way to return to your
world?” (Ilias)

“I am enjoying this lifestyle. I also want to look after Wolfe and repay
you, Ilias. But I don’t know what will happen in the future. I might end up
missing the former convenience, and I might end up losing the
motivation to continue living in this world.

The reality is that this world doesn’t suit me. Even when I have come to
a fantasy world, it doesn’t change that I am a realist.

The people around me are all superhumans, and a single mishap might
end up in a fatal injury.

In modern Japan, such incidents can be wrapped up with just being an

accident. There’s also crimes like scams and thefts, but the legislative
administration works to a decent degree.

It is clear that the latter is the one that will allow me to protect myself
the most with the skills I have.
“It is not like I have a way of living I have decided on like you, Ilias. But I
might be able to see a path like that one day. Being able to have as many
options as possible for the sake of that time is a habit of mine on Earth.”

Going straight for your dreams and ambitions is ine. But it is not like
everyone has a set path. That’s why I prepare myself -so that I can be at
as much of an advantageous position when I have found the path I want
to walk in.

“Well, I won’t do something like forgetting to repay a debt or

irresponsibly throw things away and simply return. Leaving a bad
aftertaste isn’t a way to live safely after all.”

“That’s not what I am worried about. It is just…” (Ilias)

“What is it?”

“…Wolfe would be sad if you were to be gone.” (Ilias)

“Maybe. I would most likely be sad too. I would like to have her
experience even better meetings and events until then.”

Wolfe has grown attached to me. She might end up saying she wants to
come with me if I go back to my world.

That’s why I should have her mature and create a reason for her to
remain in this world. I will take at least that much of a responsibility.

“—What will you do when Wolfe wishes for you the most?” (Ilias)

“That would mean I still haven’t taught her about the world completely. I
will bring her around patiently. Of course, I won’t hand Wolfe over to a
useless bum though.”

I am most likely the number one of Wolfe. But the one who is closest in
age is Ilias. I am sure the two of them will be even closer to each other in
a not so far future.

When she gets used to human relations, she will most likely not only
learn about friendship but also love. When that happens, she will most
likely be able to ind an even better man.

“Haah… you really are like a father.” (Ilias)

“I am the older one here after all. I resolved myself to look after her.”

“I would like you to at least act in a way that its the clothes of my
father.” (Ilias)

“That will be hard. If I had met him personally, I might have been able to
mimic him though.”

After that we separated the remaining things and decided to dispose of

them at a later day, so we inished our work. Rakura still wanted to sleep
on a bed, so she ended up sleeping in Wolfe’s room.
 CHAPTER 35
LET’S THINK ABOUT WHAT TO
DO FOR NOW

“Lady Ratzel, today I will be giving you the mission to protect an

important person.”

Ilias and I were called by Marito, brought to his of ice room, and the
assignment of Ilias changed.

Protect an important person. You could say it is a job itting of a knight

that does patrols, but for fantasy knights, being in the standing of a
bodyguard really does sound cool.

“Me?” (Ilias)

“That’s right. You’ve proved yourself that your strength works even
against the Anbus of Mejis. There should be no issues in leaving it to
you.” (Marito)

True. This should be a good opportunity for Ilias to show her true
strength rather than her having to walk around patrolling the city.

But protecting an important person, huh. Who is it? I have a few

candidates, but considering the time, there’s no one that pops up on the
ly. In that case, it should be safe to assume a change has happened.

“Does that mean Pope Euparo has already arrived in Taizu?”

“No, he is most likely still within the Gahne territory. It is not like he is
coming alone. He is heading here with a decent amount of people, so he
will be taking time no matter what.” (Marito)

“Right. Then who is she going to protect?”

“You. You.” (Marito)

“What?”

Marito pointed at me. There’s no one around. Looks like he is talking

about me.

“Looks like you are not self-aware. Have you forgotten that you are an
important talent that can read the language of Earth?” (Marito)

“Aah.”

It is not like it has some sort of special effect, so I wasn’t too self-aware.
But being able to read important information for this world from books
is certainly invaluable.

It would be one thing if I had a specialized technique, but it feels weird

when I am being treated as an important person just from being able to
read Japanese.

“If this were to be known, the chances of people aiming for your life like
Raheight would be incredibly high. You de initely won’t be able to
protect yourself if targeted, right?” (Marito)

“No doubt about it.”

I don’t feel like I would be able to defeat any of the enemies we have
fought until now. If I had a gun… no, it would be impossible.

It might work for bandits, but we are talking about the residents of this
world. They probably would be able to avoid it after seeing it with their
eyes.
As for Ilias, she was caught in an explosion the other day, and didn’t have
a single injury. It might be possible if you use a sniper ri le and snipe her
at super long range, aiming for the opening of her mana enhancement,
but I feel like she would most likely deal with it.

“You conveniently live in the same house as Lady Ratzel. Don’t you think
it is best to give the bodyguard mission to her?” (Marito)

“It certainly is convenient.”

It is extremely logical reasoning. As a housemate and acquaintance, her

strength leaves no room for complaints. It would get even more
suffocating if there were other bodyguards after all.

Normally when it comes to protecting important people, they would

mostly be sitting in a big building. I don’t watch too many dramas where
SPs live and work in a private house.

But Ilias as my bodyguard, huh… Hmm.

“Ilias, huh…”

“Wait, are you dissatis ied with me?” (Ilias)

“If you have anyone speci ic in mind, I don’t mind switching the person,
but… aah, I won’t lend you Lord Ragudo, okay?” (Marito)

Of course it would be impossible to assign a knight captain to me. It

would actually be too much of an honor. Ilias had eyes as if she wanted
to say something, but let’s think about it honestly.

“I think Ilias is the best for the job though.”

“Fumu, then do you dislike having a female bodyguard?” (Marito)

This king really likes to step onto the landmine of Ilias. It is not like I
have no opinions regarding being protected by a girl, but it should be
okay to throw away my preconceptions on this in this world.

“That’s not it. I actually welcome a femenine person. Unfortunately, I

don’t feel any allure from Ilias.”

“Hooh.” (Marito)

I am being looked at with scary eyes. No, is she looking down on me? It
can’t be helped, I am a man.

“—Well, Ilias would be a great choice regardless of gender. But when it

comes to compatibility…”

“Compatibility, huh. Who do you personally think would have good

compatibility with you?” (Marito)

“Hmm, if I had to go by the knights I know… Cara-jii would be number

one.”

The lexibility of Cara-jii is really high. His strength leaves nothing to

desire and he is also the easiest person to plan around.

That spear throw really is strong, yup. When thinking about a plan in my
mind, it feels great to have that one move that allows you to just end it
in one go from long range.

“Lord Domitorkofucon, huh. He certainly does seem to be compatible

with you. But he is currently in a position of responsibility.” (Marito)

“I see. Well, all the old men from the Ragudo Division are seasoned
veterans after all… Being in a position of control would be better than
protecting someone.”
“I could also pull a young knight from the Leano Division. Want to meet
them?” (Marito)

“No, if I am to go that far, it would be faster to go with Ilias who I know

the ability of.”

I can’t go inviting a knight that hates Ilias into her house.

“It is settled then. Lady Ratzel, this is a royal decree. Protect him.”
(Marito)

“…Yes, Your Majesty.” (Ilias)

That means I will be acting together with Ilias a lot more from now on.

Now that I think about it, there were a lot of times when Ilias and I
would miss each other. We are of different professions, so you could say
it can’t be helped, but it is convenient that we can communicate on the
regular.

This world has techniques for long distance communication, but as

expected from magic, it is on the level where it is treated as a secret
technique of the Yugura Church. It would be hard to integrate.

But Ilias inds fault in a lot of things after all… I probably will barely be
able to do bad things… I am talking about an unhygienic lifestyle, okay?
Ah, but it might be rough that I can’t go play around in the night city.

For now, I should tell the members of the Ragudo Division to take over
the patrolling duties of Ilias.

“Well then, let’s go to the place of the Ragudo Division too.”

“…Yeah.” (Ilias)
Oh, it seems like Ilias-san is in a bad mood. I understand you being
dissatis ied that the target for protection isn’t that desirable when it is
such a knightly job, but isn’t that a bit too blatant? I am not going to go
on about being professional, but maybe I should warn her about it later.

And so, we arrived at the training grounds of the Ragudo Division.

Everyone is energetically training with Wolfe included.

“Ooh, isn’t that the lad? Good work the other day.” (Cara)

Cara-jii spoke to us. Lord Ragudo called us with the pretext that it was in
order to talk about the criminals that tried to aim for the book the other
day. He is the only person who knows about the circumstances aside
from the high executives and Ilias.

That said, I felt bad that I ended up having him shoulder the secret when
I told him about the title of the book, but I have inally involved him too.

That he still joined with a smile was reassuring to an unbelievable

degree. According to the person himself ‘There might be trouble coming
even before dying, right? It comes with being a knight’.

“I simply thought of a plan. We managed to obtain results thanks to the

techniques that you and the others have polished until now.”

Fuafuafua! You are plenty great just from being able to understand that.
Did you come here today to train?” (Cara)

“No, actually, about Ilias—”

“Right, I haven’t had a proper bout lately. Can I request a match with you,
Cara-jii?” (Ilias)

“—I don’t mind, but… lad, come here for a bit.” (Cara)
I was forcefully pulled away by Cara-jii and took distance from Ilias. And
then, he whispered to me.

“Did something happen? Isn’t Ilias a bit bloodthirsty here?” (Cara)

“Actually, Mari—His Majesty ordered her to protect an important

person. It is as you see.”

Ilias was swinging her sword as warm-up. Being able to tell how
dangerous she is just from practice swings alone really is something.

“Fumu, you being able to read that book certainly does merit a
bodyguard. But I don’t think something like that would end up in this…
Did you talk about anything else?” (Cara)

“Not really… We did talk about Ilias being the right one for the job.”

“That should make her happy instead of angry though.” (Cara)

“Right? Ah, but when I was asked who else I would want instead, I said
you were the person that would be the most compatible with me.”

“…”

Ah, looks like that’s it. Cara-jii was making a baf led face. Cara-jii sighed
after that and continued.

“It is that… Being a bodyguard is a job to be proud of for a knight. Even if

she is the right one for the job, to be told that a different person would
have been better would make you dissatis ied.” (Cara)

“Seriously?”

We were simply talking about compatibility in personalities though. So

it was taken in that way, huh. Ah, but it is true that I feel like I was talking
about who I would prefer to partner with rather than about bodyguards.
“Good grief, these are some terrible sparks lying my way here… I will
try to calm it down somehow, but I am expecting to get treated to booze
sometime.” (Cara)

“I am sorry, please do.”

“Leave it to me. I have been praised here after all. Go ahead and watch
my performance!” (Cara)

Umu, Cara-jii really is reliable. And so, the match between Cara-jii and
Ilias has been decided. The people around also stopped their training
and have come to check things out.

Even within the Ragudo Division illed with veterans, Ilias is the 2nd
strongest one. But the gap between 2nd and 3rd is big, so I have heard
that she can’t train properly.

Even so, I know about the strength of Cara-jii. The bandit subjugation,
the battle dance that he showed in the black wol kin village, and his
work in the Anbu subjugation. Ilias may be a superhuman monster, but
his outstanding ability shouldn’t fall short to hers.

The reality is that Wolfe still hasn’t been able to get a hit despite having
achieved drastic growth.

The ight began while I was thinking about that.

“Hnn!” (Cara)

Cara-jii dashed.

He closed the distance and brought her right into his spear range with
incredible speed, and then, unleashed a thrust that was so fast my eyes
couldn’t pick it up. But Ilias blocked that thrust with her scabbard
without even taking a stance.
The speed of Cara-jii isn’t any lower than that of the time with the battle
dance he showed with the black wol kins. The sharpness is even higher
than that time.

“Oooh!”

A boisterous dance of attacks were being unleashed along with a roar.

Ilias was facing them all with precision. But she wasn’t moving a step
from her place. She is dealing with the spear with just the movements of
her hands alone.

Just how much hand-eye coordination does she have that she can block
the rain of invisible attacks? I can’t even begin to imagine.

“Do your best, Ilias! Kick the ass of Cara-jii!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe, where did you learn to talk like that? No, she is together with
these old men, so it can’t be helped, but let’s talk with her afterwards.

But it seems like Wolfe doesn’t see Cara-jii in that good of a light, and
she attacks him seriously in training. I have already cleared the
misunderstanding though…

The surroundings are cheering for both sides. Which side should I cheer
for?

…There’s no need to doubt here. How could I not cheer for Cara-jii who
is bravely facing a monster here?!

“Do your best, Cara-jii! You are not losing when it comes to speed!”

“…Hooh.” (Ilias)

Both sides suddenly stopped moving. No, they were made to stop.
Ilias was grabbing the spear with the open hand that wasn’t holding the
scabbard. Moreover, she is only using her thumb and index inger. A
sword grab with one hand.

Aren’t you looking like a Demon Lord there with that appearance you
are giving off, Ilias-san?

Cara-jii tried to move his spear, but it wasn’t budging at all. Or more like,
Cara-jii is loating. She is lifting Cara-jii along with the spear with the
sheer strength of her ingers.

“…Ooh, Jesus.”

Ilias threw Cara-jii into the air lightly. It was only a few seconds that
wouldn’t even be called a free fall after letting go. But even within that
time, she hit the top of the spear with the scabbard.

“Muoh?!” (Cara)

With his feet off the ground, all the impact of it will go to the person
himself. Cara-jii can mitigate the damage with the hardness of the spear
and his defensive skills, but it doesn’t go as far as killing the momentum.

Cara-jii was sent lying far to the back as a result. I remember the pitiful
sight of the Anbu that got sent lying before.

I direct my gaze at Cara-jii at the moment. He mitigated the fall after

spinning a few times, and at the end he stabbed the spear on the ground
to completely kill the force.

“What stupid strength. Makes Boruga look like a child.” (Cara)

Cara-jii raises his face.

There was Ilias already swinging down her scabbard—wait, since when?
There should have been 50 meters of distance between them. I didn’t
see her running there. It means she got there in one go.

Could it be that she began to burn in competitiveness when told she was
losing in speed?

“Nuoooo?!” (Cara)

Cara-jii quickly brought out his spear and took on the sword. Cracks ran
through the ground and bursted.

“C-Cara-jii?!”

I couldn’t see the surroundings because of the cloud of dust. Is Cara-jii

okay? I strain my eyes and wait for the cloud of dust to clear away.

A silhouette showed up inside the cloud of dust and it didn’t take long
for the two to show up.

Cara-jii managed to block the attack of Ilias. He managed to endure an

impact of that degree. But this is weird. Both sides are not moving. They
are not following with any attacks or ighting back.

“Thanks for the match.” (Ilias)

Ilias said this and undid her battle stance, and returned the scabbard to
her waist.

Cara-jii isn’t moving from his defensive stance. Wondering if it could be

possible, I ran towards him.

“A-Are you okay, Cara-jii?”

“…Fuh, my waist died.” (Cara)

There was Cara-jii whose waist had carried out its natural lifespan due
to the attack of the sword. Witnessing the sight of an old soldier
scattering really is something that brings pain to the heart.

“C-Cara-jiiiiii!!”

After that, Cara-jii was carried off to the medical ward on a stretcher. He
apparently will recover with healing magic, but the max HP of his waist
has apparently lowered.

I am sorry, Cara-jii. I will treat you to as much booze as you want next
time…

“Ilias, strong!” (Wolfe)

“I understand you being strong, but I would like you to show a bit more
care towards the elderly.”

“What are you saying? Cara-jii is a professional in battle. If I fought with

half-measures, I would have fallen into his ploy.” (Ilias)

“You could have used it as training for when you have fallen into the
pace of the enemy.”

She sliced apart the technique of Cara-jii with one strike of absolute
strength. It is way too pitiful that he couldn’t even display his seasoned
skills. Boru-jii was putting both hands together in prayer at the sight of
Cara-jii being carried away, you know?

“That way… you can’t uhm… prove which side is superior.” (Ilias)

I see, so that’s what it is, huh. I understand what Cara-jii wanted to say
now. Looks like I will need to clear the misunderstanding quickly.

“Are you bothered by the fact that I said Cara-jii is the one that’s most
compatible with me? What I meant with that was that he was the easiest
one to include into my strategies, you know?”
“…What do you mean by that?” (Ilias)

“You should be able to tell since you have seen it a couple of times, right?
I like strategies where logic its the pieces. Cara-jii’s role is clear and
stable. He is appealing as that one move to decide things at important
moments.”

“Then what about me?” (Ilias)

“You are super strong. An unfair move that tilts the tides of battle to
your advantage just from your presence alone.”

Cara-jii would be the spear or the knight in shogi. An important factor

that gets involved in the checkmate of the opponent after cornering
them.

On the other hand, Ilias is a combination of castle and bishop, freely

moving around the board. On top of that, if they step in, this unfair piece
will instead take the opponent’s piece.

“Are you praising me there?” (Ilias)

“You are without doubt the number one when it comes to reliability. I
don’t know the strength of Lord Ragudo, but you have shown me your
strength countless times, Ilias.”

“I-Is that so. But I felt like you were discontent with me though…” (Ilias)

“If it is just for protection, there’s no need to hesitate when it comes to

you, Ilias. But I was simply thinking about people that would be able to
assist in my actions in the future with the image I hold. Do you feel a
sense of accomplishment when you use a trump card that can defeat
your opponent one-sidedly in gambles?”

“Hmm, that’s…” (Ilias)

“Of course, when the future of the citizens is involved and the state of
the country is at risk, it wouldn’t be the time to choose the means.”

I at irst was thinking about doing things without Ilias… That’s that and
this is this.

“But if I rely on you for everything, I would be over relying on you, Ilias.
It might be okay to rely on you every now and then, but relying on you
the whole time will not be good for my sake if I am to live in this world.
It is not that you are bad, it is that you are way too good.”

“Uh, r-right. I certainly would want you to rely on me, but it wouldn’t
serve for your sake if you were to rely on me for everything…” (Ilias)

“I am already being spoiled rotten in our relationship as it is. If we end

up together on the regular, you would end up worrying too.”

I place a hand on the head of Ilias. She really is the type that doesn’t get
it unless told straight out. It is embarrassing, but I have to tell her or I
won’t be able to make it right with Cara-jii.

“Ilias, I don’t want to make you the reason why I ended up becoming
useless. I am sorry if that angered you in some way. My apologies.”

“…I see. No, me too… I will go apologize to Cara-jii.” (Ilias)

Saying this, Ilias went to the medical ward. Hmm, is it alright now?

“Wolfe, do you think how I said it just now was okay?”

Even if I understand the emotions on the surface, it is not like I can

understand their true feelings.

I feel like there have been many instances where we are not on the same
wavelength. I am wishing for a good relationship with her, but there
really must be a difference in what both of us seek from each other.
Thinking about it in that way, I end up wanting to ask a 3rd party.

“Hmm, serves Cara-jii right!” (Wolfe)

“Please reconcile with him already…”

“I will… consider it!” (Wolfe)

“Who taught you that… aah, I did.”

I use it the most when with Ilias. I should re lect on that. It is my way of
showing that I will be proceeding in a favorable way for me, but it is
actually a staple for when you are refusing something…

“Wolfe would like to be told something similar to what Shishou told

Ilias.” (Wolfe)

“Even if it is not to the point of Ilias, I also rely on you, Wolfe.”

“I want it to be the same.” (Wolfe)

Wolfe has grown too, and has begun to get ambitious. Ambitions
become motivation for the future. Wolfe having an ambition of her own
would be desirable.
If it were greed, it might end up blinding her of her surroundings and
could become a bad in luence to others, but in the stage of Wolfe, there’s
no need to give her a break yet. Let’s have her get as ambitious as she
wants for now.

“I see. It may not be possible immediately, but I am sure you will. Do

your best.”

“Yes!” (Wolfe)

“Ah, but don’t resort to violence, okay? Promise this to Shishou.”

“I will… consider it!” (Wolfe)

I am seriously beginning to wonder if she knows how that phrase is

used on Earth.

This is something I think about when interacting with Ilias, but she is
not too good at understanding others. No, it might simply be that a
certain someone is hard to understand though, but even with that.

Ilias lost her parents at a young age and there’s only older people in her
surroundings. She is hated by knights close to her age, and doesn’t have
something similar to a friend. Aah, no wonder she is bad at interacting
with others.

It is not like I have high interpersonal skills, but I can interact with
others in a way that doesn’t sour their mood -is what I want to believe.

I really should proceed with that plan. Prepare yourself, Ilias.

———

After parting with him, I went to check on the state of Cara-jii. Cara-jii
was lying on the bed, and there’s a magic stone on his back that releases
mana that softens pain.
The treatment is already done, but it is not like the pain is gone
completely. This is a measure for the sake of that.

“What, it is Ilias, huh. You didn’t go back together with the lad?” (Cara)

“No, I haven’t apologized to you properly, so I came back. I was spurred

on by my own personal feelings and ended up getting harsh on you… I
am sorry.” (Ilias)

“Fuafuafua! Judging from your state, the lad must have said something
to you. Don’t worry, I have heard the circumstances. If I were in your
spot, I would have done the same as a knight.” (Cara)

So that’s what they were whispering about at that time, huh. So Cara-jii
took on my challenge after knowing my feelings. He could have
reprimanded me with words. It really makes me feel just how shallow I
am.

“Don’t make such a tormented face. I am the one who lost and suffered,
you know? Do you want to steal my position as well?” (Cara)

“No, that’s not…” (Ilias)

“In my eyes, you being persistent about wanting to be evaluated highly

by that lad is a happy thing.” (Cara)

“Persistent… That might be true.” (Ilias)

I am certainly aware that I have been wanting to be relied on, wanting to

protect him, since the time I met him. I thought that I was inferior to
Cara-jii after being compared and couldn’t control myself.

“But for the lad to cheer for me at that time was quite the heartless
thing. I was on the verge of dying thanks to that.” (Cara)

“I apologize once again…” (Ilias)

I ended up getting heated up because his cheers were not directed at me
but Cara-jii. Even though it was a bout, I ended up acting in a way as if
stealing the position of the other party.

The epitome of immaturity. But why did I end up like that? I just can’t
understand.

“Judging from your state, it seems like you yourself don’t understand
why you are like this. I can tell you if you want to know.” (Cara)

“You know? Then, I would like to hear it.” (Ilias)

“Basically, it is love.” (Cara)

“Cara-jii, your waist gets broken often, but maybe it would get better
instead if it gets broken completely?” (Ilias)

“Wait, that was a joke. Don’t draw your sword!” (Cara)

Good grief. Even though I am seriously worrying here.

“I myself have a wife and children. I can tell love at the very least. What
you are holding for the lad is something else.” (Cara)

“And that is…?” (Ilias)

“Something close to aspiration. I am going to say this beforehand, but

what you are feeling right now isn’t the same as your admiration
towards your father as a knight. It is longing for something you don’t
have. That admiration towards wanting to become a knight like your
father is a stage you will be able to stand on eventually. But it is different
in the case of the lad. That’s different from a knight’s way of living on a
fundamental level.” (Cara)

“What I don’t have…” (Ilias)

“If necessary, he can even understand the heart of the wicked. He
wouldn’t be bothered about walking in that path. It is a different
strength from the mind of a knight.” (Cara)

That’s right. His way of living is really different from that of the knights
that I believe in. I at the very least wouldn’t think about walking on that
path. But he walks on that path without hesitation.

However, does that mean I hold admiration towards his way of living
that moves towards the inhumane?

“Don’t get con licted immediately. Your chivalric spirit is the real deal. I
assure you of that. It is not like you admire the inhumane. You simply
admire the resolve of being able to walk in that iendish path. You
admire how he can be on both sides.” (Cara)

“Can you please talk in an easier to understand way…?” (Ilias)

“Would you be able to walk the path of evil while holding fast on your
chivalric code?” (Cara)

“That’s… I wouldn’t be able to. There’s no way I would.” (Ilias)

“Right. If you did that, it wouldn’t be chivalry anymore after all. But that
lad understands the chivalric code and also the path of the inhumane.
He can do what you can’t. You felt a gap there and also admiration.”
(Cara)

I feared him advancing through the path of evil. It is because I

understood that, if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to return. But he
swings in the border of the two as if natural.

It is true that that’s something I wouldn’t be able to imitate even if I

wanted to. Are you telling me I feel something close to admiration
towards that…?
“Basically, doesn’t that mean you want to be acknowledged by that lad
that can easily do what you can’t?” (Cara)

“That’s… true. I think that’s the case.” (Ilias)

I want him to rely on me, I want him to think I am his number one; that
basically means I want him to acknowledge me.

It is because he can do what I can’t that I want to be acknowledged by

him.

“So, in the end, this stems from my inexperience?” (Ilias)

“Don’t be so pessimistic. I myself am also happy that the lad evaluates

me highly, you know? That’s why I seriously accepted a bout with you.”
(Cara)

“So even you thought that, Cara-jii.” (Ilias)

“It is not like the lad is the only one who can do what you yourself can’t.
Isn’t that the same for His Majesty, for example?” (Cara)

It is true that His Majesty is different from the knights that hold the
sword and ight; he guides the nation. That’s something I can’t do. That’s
why I was aware that being acknowledged by His Majesty was an
outstanding honor.

“You have only been facing knights after all. And then, that lad suddenly
appeared close to you. In your eyes, it is a standing that should be easy
to get acknowledgement from. It is natural to get greedy and put in
strength, and your current self isn’t a bad thing.” (Cara)

As someone who is still inexperienced, His Majesty is still a far

existence. I have heard that he acknowledges my strength, but it doesn’t
feel tangible. It will most likely be far in the future before he actually
acknowledges me in the true meaning of the word.
On the other hand, the feeling of wanting to be acknowledged by that
man is strong. It must be natural to concentrate more easily on the
closest objective instead of the furthest one.

“…You have my thanks. I have managed to arrange my mind in a variety

of ways.” (Ilias)

“But from what I can see, your relationship as a man and woman has
barely had any progress.” (Cara)

“Still saying that?” (Ilias)

“You are a beauty after all. It wouldn’t be strange for the lad to hold such
feelings though.” (Cara)

Unfortunately, there’s absolutely no signs of such. He is always treating

me like a violent person or telling me that I am a pain. He even treats the
pretty Wolfe as if he were her father… Muh, what’s that about this being
unfortunate?

“It seems he likes to act like an adult after all. People of my age must be
out of his strike zone.” (Ilias)

“In that case, it would be somewhere around the beauty of the Yugura
Church?” (Cara)

Rakura, huh. What’s his attitude towards Rakura? I feel like they do get
along well, but in terms of a relationship between a man and woman…
no, that’s not the way you would treat a woman.

Rakura tried to use charm magic on him at irst, but that was only for
the sake of drawing information from him… But you could say in a way
that they are close. No, but he disliked the idea of living together with
her from the bottom of his heart…

“It doesn’t look like he is treating her like a woman.” (Ilias)

“In that case, maybe someone older like Maya-san?” (Cara)

Maya’s age is closer to that of my mother. He put some distance between

her because of the matter of the book, but they did give off the
atmosphere that they got along with each other from the very
beginning.

The way he interacts with Maya is extremely gentle, and his tone is
polite. I see, so that’s how it was…

“It might be possible…” (Ilias)

“I see… Oh well, do your best.” (Cara)

“Do my best in what?” (Ilias)

“Y-You know, if the lad likes older women, then that means his
evaluation of you as a younger one must be pretty low.” (Cara)

“Muh, that’s true… I have had the handicap of gender, but this is the irst
time I have had a handicap of age.” (Ilias)

He is evaluating me properly, but his usual attitude towards me is cold.

In other words, it means that, huh.

The pieces are beginning to it. But now that I know, it makes me want
to test out a variety of things.

“Alright, I am getting motivated in a lot of ways.” (Ilias)

“Fumu, I feel like I have made you hold a fatal misunderstanding here,
but… oh well. However, you must not forget that the lad also admires
you. Don’t forget.” (Cara)

“What, really?” (Ilias)

“The reason you can’t run to the path of evil is because you hold
steadfast to the path of chivalry. Understand that that’s something the
lad can’t do.” (Cara)

“Is that how it works…?” (Ilias)

He is the same as me. We are attracted to the things each other doesn’t
have. Is it okay for me to think of it in that way?

“That said, in terms of the lad’s admiration towards a knight, I am above

you though. That part will depend on your hard work.” (Cara)

I can’t say anything against that one. Cara-jii is a seasoned knight and I
am an inexperienced knight.

“But you are a knight. Advance in your path with your chest held high.”
(Cara)

“Yeah, I got it.” (Ilias)

 CHAPTER 36
RAIN FOR NOW

“Now, it is morning!”

I was woken up from the door opening with force.

What happened? -there was no need to say that. I could tell that Ilias
had entered the room.

I get up while rubbing my sleepy eyes and face towards the direction
where the voice came from. What was shown clearly in my eyes really
was Ilias herself.

She would normally wake up later than me and would have a sleepy
face, but for some reason, she is full of energy today. By the way, she is
not in her pajamas but in full body armor.

“What, it hasn’t been long since the sky got bright. I don’t think there’s
any pressing matters though…”

“I will be working as your bodyguard from today on. In order to have a

clear grasp of the target I have to protect, I simply thought I had to
con irm your state from the moment you rise.” (Ilias)

Ilias was more con ident than normal. It resembles the excitement of a
high school student on their irst day of a school trip.

“Your stance of wanting to understand the actions of the person you

must guard is splendid, but is there anyone who would suddenly shift
the time they wake up?”
“…Ah.” (Ilias)

Don’t give me an ‘ah’. That said, if I go back to sleep here, it will be hard
to wake up at the usual time.

“It can’t be helped. I have woken up in a half-baked state here, so going

back to sleep isn’t really something I want to do. Let’s wake up early for
a change.”

I get up slowly as I con irm the state of my body. Since the time the
side-effect of the possession spell that Maya-san used on me to
understand the language of this world had been made clear, it has been
a daily habit of mine to do some light stretches as I con irm my state.

“……”

“……”

Even in the time when I was carefully stretching here, Ilias was
watching me intently. She said she was con irming my state, but can
you get a hint already?

“I would like to change my clothes.”

“I don’t mind.” (Ilias)

“Get out!”

After that, I had breakfast and took a break with tea. Right now there
are 3 people in the living room excluding Rakura. It seems like Rakura
is fast asleep because of her new bed.

Once we took a breather here, Ilias looked at me with a iery gaze.

“Now then, let’s study for the whole day in the house.”
“Yes, Shishou.” (Wolfe)

“Wait, why aren’t you going out?” (Ilias)

“Look out the window.”

The outside of the window is somewhat dark. On top of that, the sound
of the rain falling gently felt nice in my ears. I don’t feel like going out
without a reason on a day like this.

“What’s the issue?” (Ilias)

“I don’t want to get wet. That’s why I will take it easy in the house
today.”

“Wolfe doesn’t want to get wet either.” (Wolfe)

“You have been employed by His Majesty, right? How can you take a
break just because of rain?!” (Ilias)

“Marito has just told me to go meet him when I am free. I have been
given a bit of spending money, but it is on a commission basis, so it is
okay for me to take a break whenever I want.”

By the way, if the story is good, it is on the degree of pocket money; if it

is an idea that can be implemented in politics, I will be paid a itting
price for the idea. I am grateful that it comes with meals, but it is not to
the degree where I would like to go every day.

“If what you tell to His Majesty today gets included in the policies, it
could improve the livelihood of the citizens one day faster, you know?”
(Ilias)

“That would entail me going out in the rain, and if I end up getting a
cold for 3 days, it would slow down the improvement by 2 days, you
know? Marito has his own work to do. The one who will have his
burden increase if you forcefully put in more work is Marito.”

“Muh… but being inside the house the whole time on my irst day as a
bodyguard is just…” (Ilias)

“Don’t get so stiffened. If you were to defend me every day in such a

manner, it would just be tiring for both parties.”

“That’s true…” (Ilias)

Ilias was still not convinced. She normally lives a knightly life where she
just trains and patrols. It is not like I don’t understand her being excited
at a change in that.

But whether I will reciprocate that is a different story. It would even be

better to have her give up, telling her that this is how life works.

“Shishou, Wolfe wants to go to the castle.” (Wolfe)

“With this rain, training will be—right. Marito said it was okay to bring
you every now and then, so let’s go.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

“That’s how it is. Let’s go, Ilias.”

“Y-Yes!” (Ilias)

Wolfe went out of her way to read the atmosphere and is saying she
wants to go outside for the sake of Ilias. I can’t ignore the desire of two
people.

As a person who wants to live safely, I am weak to the results of

democracy, yup.
After I inished preparations, Rakura woke up at the time when we
were about to leave.

“Fuwaah, good morning everyo—” (Rakura)

“Alright, all units, run!”

“Wait a moment please!” (Rakura)

And so, we arrived at the of ice of Marito. Because we took our time
coming here, Marito was free by the time we arrived.

“So that’s why you came in a large group today. I wasn’t expecting even
Rakura to come though.” (Marito)

“Sorry. I was thinking about tying her up, but she resisted.”

“Please don’t exclude only me! Anyways, this is quite the splendid
of ice. The of ices of the Yugura Church Archbishops are all cold and
simple.” (Rakura)

“Aah, I have heard about that. The current Pope, Pope Euparo, prefers
simplicity and the others are apparently in luenced by this. This room
is used by the successive kings, and it feels somewhat big, but there’s
no need to go out of my way to reconstruct it into a smaller one.”
(Marito)

“Even so, it still feels cramped with 6 people.”

“It can’t be helped. Also, isn’t it 5?” (Rakura)

An invisible hand taps my shoulder. Speaking of which, I have to keep

silent about Anbu-kun. If it is Ilias, it might be acceptable, but it seems
like they want to keep it a secret to Rakura. I look around blatantly.
“Aah, speaking of which, Lord Ragudo is not here despite his usual
presence.”

“The reason he was always here was because it was a special period of
time. He is normally very busy and moving around here and there.”
(Marito)

“…The tone of King Marito is pretty casual towards Counselor-sama.”

(Rakura)

“He is one of my few friends after all. As long as it is not a formal

setting, I prefer this way of interaction.” (Marito)

I don’t mind that, but it is pretty troublesome as the person who has
their tone changed so often though. As for Rakura, I feel like she will
eventually mesh nicely.

That said, there’s no point chatting aimlessly here. The reason why I
came here today was in order to show my usual daily life to Ilias. Let’s
talk about the culture of Earth with Marito.

“I was reminded of this after seeing the rain, but do you people not try
to do weather forecasts?”

“By weather forecast, does it mean to read the weather beforehand,

and go around relaying this information? Even though the weather
changes at the whim of the world.” (Marito)

“You can’t change the weather, but it has an 80% success rate by
reading the movements of the clouds. You learn of it using a variety of
methods, and people would get ready for that weather. They also
predict the changes in temperature.”

“Fumu fumu. Even if you can get ready for the rain that comes
afterwards by looking at the rain clouds, I thought it wasn’t possible to
predict the weather of that day, but your side can, huh. It is true that if
you know the weather of the coming day, you can prepare beforehand.
You could consider it convenient.” (Marito)

“Arti icial satellites… right, they would set an unmanned watchtower at

the top of the clouds that would illustrate the low of the clouds, would
be observed on land, and they would predict the weather that will be
coming.”

“I don’t really understand the mechanism of that technique, but if you

can observe the movements of the clouds from above the skies, you
certainly would be able to predict the weather to a certain degree.”
(Marito)

The most they can do is make sound calls with a secret technique of the
Yugura Church. They do have something similar to fax, but the spread
of it will most likely be in the distant future.

But considering the possession spell of Maya-san, it might not be

impossible to replace it with magic. It is a system that lets you
translate perfectly in real time. This hasn’t been perfected even on
Earth.

“A lot of things are possible in the world of Counselor-sama, huh.”

(Rakura)

“The biggest reason would be that magic doesn’t exist. It hasn’t been
denied completely, but it hasn’t been proven. That’s how much
civilization has evolved in that state.”

“A world without magic, huh. Sounds inconvenient.” (Rakura)

“It is after ixing up those inconveniences that we now can do a variety

of things though.”

The fault of this world is that the nations are not researching magic
despite such a paranormal phenomenon existing.
Civilization has evolved with the development of war and medical
science. But with magic getting involved here, detailed research doesn’t
progress, and due to the existence of magic seal stones, its
development has hit a brake.

The frequency of wars is low and the competitiveness towards other

nations is calm. No wonder civilization is progressing at a slower rate.

The reason why the Yugura Church uses a special technique in magic
must be because they are aware that the Demon Lords might appear in
the future again.

“Right, 3 more people have come today. If you have questions about the
culture of the parallel world, go ahead and ask.” (Marito)

I see. Surprises like this can be used in such a fashion, huh. There might
be questions from unexpected directions.

I look at Ilias, Wolfe, and Rakura. The irst one to raise her hand was
Rakura.

“Counselor-sama has established cooking using salt which is a luxury

product in the Dog’s Bone, right? What’s the cuisine over there?”
(Rakura)

“Right, it is one of the big differences. On Earth, you can ly to any part
of the world within only 1 or 2 days. You can obtain pretty much any
ingredient you want if you try to. Due to this, the customs and culture
of foreign countries gets mixed and creates a peculiar change.”

“Fumu fumu, is Earth unexpectedly small?” (Rakura)

“I don’t know how big this world is, but Japan is the 60th in terms of
country size. Even with that, it is still several times bigger than the
Taizu territory, you know.”
“60th?!” (Rakura)

“There’s over 200 countries and it has a population of more than 7

billion.”

“Even though it is that big, it only takes 1 or 2 days…” (Rakura)

“If I had to explain it in terms of this world… it would be ships where

hundreds of people can get on and would ly every day. There’s also the
large sized ones that can allow for more than 2 thousand on board.”

“That’s quite the crazy scale!” (Rakura)

No, people being able to bring out speeds of 20 km/h and the horses
being on race horse level on average also makes the mobility in this
world weird. If we were to match the eras, this world would be the one
that’s more advanced by leaps and bounds.

“And so, our cuisine can usually utilize the ingredients of foreign
countries and can put in effort in developing together, so it progresses
fast. Any other questions?”

“Here!” (Wolfe)

“Wolfe, huh. What is it?”

“Are there places like the village of Wolfe?” (Wolfe)

That’s quite the harsh question she threw there. But that certainly is a
point of worry.

“First of all, there’s no demi-humans on Earth. However, depending on

the area, the difference between cold and hot is big. Due to this, their
skin would be white or black, and the difference is sparse compared to
this world. The discrimination towards others due to their skin color
was terrible in the past.”
“How is it now?” (Wolfe)

“Equal in formality. But it is not like the customs of the past have
disappeared completely. There’s a hard struggle for reformation as of
present.”

“Wow.” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, it is impressive. By the way, in terms of cultural development,

there’s areas that are similar to yours, Wolfe. Those tribes are
managing while protecting their own culture.”

“How about the place where you were born, Shishou?” (Wolfe)

“I was born in a country called Japan. The population is around 100

million, but there’s countrysides and cities. There’s no racial
discrimination, but there’s gender, age, and hierarchical discrimination
to a moderate degree. There’s no king, they decide the representative
through votes by the citizens, and those people would open a congress
where they would consult about the direction of the country.”

“That part is something I can’t get a grasp on.” (Marito)

You are a king after all. The population is still increasing, so there’s
probably not much leeway here.

“All citizens have compulsory education beginning from 6 years old for
a period of 9 years. After that, you can study for 3 years by your own
decision, 4 more years on top of that, and even more years in order to
hone your ield. If you have a certain degree of talent, you can aim for a
decent social status with effort and luck.”

“So you are not tied by your father’s occupation.” (Marito)

“There’s a side to it, but the tendency of parents deciding the life of the
child has decreased. As for any more detailed talk, let’s leave it for when
Wolfe has learned more about this country. Your understanding will be
faster if there’s something to compare.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

That said, I don’t want her to be poisoned by the common sense of

Earth. If she were to ind every single system in this country, her daily
life might end up getting stressful.

“I am the last one, huh. Fumu… How’s the military force in your world?”
(Ilias)

“Let me be straight. There’s no monster like you over there. If we go by

competency alone, there might be people close to you, but due to there
not being methods like mana strengthening, there’s a limit to how
much your body can achieve.”

“It is true that there would be things that would be rough to do without
mana strengthening. Then, if Taizu and your country were to ight,
would we be the ones overwhelming you?” (Ilias)

“It is an era where you normally don’t go to war because you want to, so
it would be a pretty special case, but… if Earth and this place were to
ight seriously, Marito would surrender completely in as much as 3
days.”

“Wa?! But according to you, your army wouldn’t be able to lift a inger
against our knights.” (Ilias)

“Right, but that can be circumvented. With people on the level of Ilias, it
would still be tough, but it would be possible to wipe out the normal
knights. Even if you continue to win, it is not like you would be able to
win the war, right?”

Ilias may be able to endure the bombardment of tanks, but it is not like
the others are as gorilla as her. Gun ire would be effective too, and it is
dif icult to deal with urban battles.

In that case, they can just ignore Ilias and settle things by carpet
bombing the place.

“That’s…” (Ilias)

“If the battle ield were to be pushed to the villages and the country as a
whole, it would be a competition of whether the heart of Marito breaks
or the people are gone.”

“There really wouldn’t be anything that can be done if the people were
to be shaven off by the numbers.” (Ilias)

“But Japan prioritizes peace. They only have a military force to protect
the country. The other countries are a lot more merciless though.”

As for whether the Japanese would allow an invasion, I would say it

would be rough in its current state. The public opinion would be harsh
if it came to a fantasy world.

“If it becomes possible to come and go from your world to our world
and vice versa, things would turn hectic.” (Ilias)

“This may just be wishful thinking, but Earth has a tendency to not
wish for war. As long as you don’t just pull a mass murder on Earth, it
should end peacefully. Fortunately, with the possession spell of Maya-
san, you can easily communicate with them in this manner.”

“I see. Meaning that if we can communicate, we could act in a way like

the relationship with Taizu and the black wol kins.” (Ilias)

I wanted to avoid that way of putting it because we are in front of the

king, but that’s right. Both sides are not barbarians, so it shouldn’t be
dif icult to show self-control if you can communicate.
The murder of cultures might happen, but Earth has had experiences
with that in history. In that case, there should be no issues; this is my
objective opinion.

But things would change depending on which country will become the
bridge. If it is Japan, it can proceed peacefully, but I don’t know about
the other countries…

“To summarize, the strength of the individuals is higher on a

fundamental level, but when it comes to power as a whole, Earth is
superior.”

“I somewhat can’t accept it, but… if you say so, that must be the case.”
(Ilias)

“I am a civilian, even so, you should be able to understand the strength

of their specialists if you have seen my results, right? Earth is a world
where there’s specialists even for criminal acts.”

“That’s… true.” (Ilias)

“Since there’s the opportunity, let’s just ask. In what area are you?”
(Marito)

“A civilian living in the city. I am just at the level where I can use my
brain to a decent degree.”

“Uheh, it is a hellhole of inhuman people.” (Marito)

“That’s what I should be saying.”

In terms of your ability to survive as an individual, it can’t even be

compared on a fundamental level. Earth might be able to win a war, but
they will without a doubt be traumatized.
“Let’s leave the dangerous talk here and dig out a number of things. I
was somewhat interested in that technique about relaying a picture
from a watchtower that showed in the weather talk. Can you explain in
as much detail as you can?” (Marito)

“If it is to a degree where you can agree with it, it would be better for
me to begin from the binary numbers, huh. It begins with a
combination of ones and zeros…”

That’s where I go into more detail. I began to explain while using

drawings on this part. It would be hard for the others to keep up aside
from the intelligent Marito. I will have them concentrate on listening
silently.

That said, Rakura began to sleep so I kicked her out.

Changing pictures into numbers, relay it into electric signals, have

them understand how they output it as a picture again, then it went as
deep as how this electric signal works, and by the time I was pretty
much done, a good amount of time had passed.

If I had prepared the documents beforehand for the presentation, it

would have been possible to shave off a few hours, but because
questions increased the further we went, it isn’t easy to prepare
perfectly.

On our way back, the rain had lost strength to the point where it would
question the existence of raincoats.

“In the end, we simply killed time in the safest place in the nation
though. How was it in your perspective, Ilias?”

“Now that you mention it, it certainly did feel more like surveillance
rather than bodyguarding… But I think I heard useful things. I
understand now why His Majesty wanted to hire you.” (Ilias)
“Just as Marito said, if it ends up being possible to come and go from
this world to Earth, I would immediately lose my post though.”

If you can call and ask stuff from a specialist, there would be no factor
the king would like from a civilian of an isekai. I wouldn’t have a knight
protecting me either.

When thinking about it like that, I would like to refrain a bit in the
development.

“But you are currently being useful at this moment and in this place.
That fact doesn’t change. Even if that happens in the future, His Majesty
wouldn’t forget his gratitude towards you.” (Ilias)

“…Right.”

“Hnn! Had a nice sleep! The talks of Counselor-sama have the power to
bring good sleep!” (Rakura)

“I won’t bring this one to the castle anymore. Or more like, in her
current state where she can’t even be given work in the church, doesn’t
that make her a completely jobless person?”

“Yeah… If the Pope-sama were to come, I could return to Mejis and go

back to monster hunting… I already don’t have enough for traveling
expenses!” (Rakura)

Rakura is apparently outstanding when it comes to battles. Her being a

priestess is proof of her achievements. The other parts are terrible, so
her skills must be quite the deal.

But there’s barely any harm from monsters in Taizu. Even if there are,
the knights stationed in the villages are enough.

In terms of of ice work, she is so bad to a degree where she would get
driven out from the church by the person with the highest position in
this country. If she had some sort of talent, it might be possible to
mediate something though…

Make use of her battle capabilities to serve as a training partner for the
knights? But it is hard to expect a salary from that. It would be a
mystery whether to call this a battle adviser.

An instructor that teaches the techniques of the Yugura Church… It

would be better to not spread techniques carelessly.

We really should ind the reason for the clumsiness of Rakura,

understand it properly, and ind a job for her that she can perform.

“Let’s think of a job that Rakura can do… I don’t smell pro it from this.”

“Counselor-sama, you can just maintain me though.” (Rakura)

“…Let’s sell her.”

“Serious eyes?!” (Rakura)

 CHAPTER 37
IT IS WIDE FOR NOW

I got time from Maya-san within her busy schedule, and we have
prepared a place for conversation.

“Now then, we will now begin today’s topic of discussion: how to ix the
airheadedness of Rakura.”

“Something as groundbreaking as that?!” (Maya)

“Maya-sama?!” (Rakura)

The members of today are formed by the members of the Ilias house
including Maya-san. That said, we had Wol ie read books, so it is
technically a discussion between 4 people.

“Rakura is not a complete airhead. She has her strong points. I am

thinking about analyzing Rakura with the usual.”

“By usual, do you mean understanding the other party?” (Ilias)

“That’s right. I plan on closing my eyes to the tragedies Rakura does

and just concentrate on her as a person as I search for the correct
method of implementation. The reason why I asked for time from
Maya-san was because I wanted a viewpoint from the Yugura Church.”

“I see, got it.” (Maya)

“I personally am ine with just being maintained by Counselor-sama

though.” (Rakura)
“Rakura, sit on your knees on top of the chair.”

Now then, let’s hear the personal history of Rakura irst.

Rakura Salf is a 25 year old single woman. She was picked up from an
orphanage managed by the Yugura Church in Mejis.

She likes to interact with others to a decent degree, but when the
relationship gets deeper, the other party begins to distance themselves
from her.

To be more precise, Rakura has been causing happenings since the

time in the orphanage, and she would mostly drag the people around
her in it.

That said, it is not like she would be ignored or would get bullied, so
she managed to hold a decent amount of personal relationships and
grow well.

After leaving the orphanage, she became a cleric under the service of
the Grand Church that’s the holy grounds of the Yugura Church. The
reason why she aimed to become a cleric is because a cleric once told
her that she had talent which ignited her interest.

But she wasn’t good with the minute jobs, and her ability for of ice
work was despairing. She was avoided by her coworkers and she is
always being scolded by her superiors, so she concentrated on real
combat training as if escaping from all that. She had already learned
most of the spells by that time.

The irst one to notice the ability of Rakura was Archbishop Ukka. He
saw her training, noticed how well she did, and took her in as a disciple.
That said, Archbishop Ukka is normally busy with creating connections
with others, so there was barely any direct tutelage from him.
‘Just do these basics’, ‘So you can do it now, huh. Then next is this one’, ‘I
am busy, I don’t have the time to watch your training… Right, practice
this’.

Rakura polished her skills with such random tutelage. And then, she
achieved outstanding results in her irst monster subjugation, and
climbed all the way to a priestess.

But she is completely hopeless in other things as usual, didn’t get

involved in other Archbishop groups, and is currently working as a
subordinate of Archbishop Ukka.

“Archbishop Ukka excels in interpersonal connections, but he lacks in

the other aspects. But he has raised them all to the bare minimum
standards through effort. Him being able to stay as an Archbishop
despite everything being on average human level is proof of his hard
work.” (Maya)

“So the superior of Rakura is a specialized type just like her, huh.
Moreover, he is not airheaded like Rakura.”

“Right. But when he gets overcon ident, he often messes up, which
resembles her.” (Maya)

Getting overcon ident easily despite being a hard worker is pretty

peculiar. Is it corruption after learning the taste of success? Rakura
hasn’t even tasted success yet she is like this though.

“And so, did you manage to analyze Rakura, boy?” (Maya)

I look at Rakura. She collapsed on the ground because of her legs going
numb from sitting on her knees.

“Yeah, to a moderate degree. Putting it in a bad way, Rakura can’t deal

with a lot of things; putting it in a good way, she is the type who can
concentrate to the limit in one thing.”
It is close to the cases of ADHD. When it goes to the level where it poses
complications, it is a medical condition that could affect your
communication skills, but Rakura is on the level of your average
person. It is most likely something similar but not the same.

If anything, I would say the shape of her talent is special. It is the result
of her being able to capitalize on it in her life.

“There’s several types of work even if we wrap it up as a whole as work.

I have noticed that when Rakura is faced with a constant change in jobs,
she can’t maintain her concentration.”

When I left Rakura to do the clean up at the time she came to Ilias’s
house, she screamed a number of times. This is because things
happened in the middle of her work, but those screams had a certain
rhythm to them.

Sweeping, wiping, dealing with the tools; whenever she would switch
jobs, her concentration would cut off, and troubles would happen. But
the respective processes were done properly. When I checked the
room, it was cleaned up pretty thoroughly.

Other cases would be when she is concentrating so much in her meals

at Dog Bone, she wouldn’t be able to control herself with the alcohol.

“The way of teaching from Archbishop Ukka was effective too. He didn’t
make her do several things at the same time. He would have her master
one thing irst before moving to the next. That’s why Rakura managed
to obtain several spells in a short period of time and her technique in
battle is high.”

“Right, but with that logic, wouldn’t it be strange for her to excel in
combat? In battle, you don’t only have to take several actions at the
same time aside from doing simple tasks.” (Maya)
“That’s the part where we can see that Rakura is growing properly.
Rakura continued doing her simple training and has learned how to do
a variety of things as naturally as moving her limbs. In other words, she
reached a point where she can concentrate in the single process called
battle.”

If she were bad in her training, Rakura would have caused a big tragedy
in combat as well, recognizing the several techniques as individual
combinations. But Rakura, who escaped from her catastrophic of ice
work experience, concentrated on training only, and obtained each and
every process perfectly.

And then, Archbishop Ukka’s random single shots were a perfect it for
her too. As a result, a single process was dropped to a single motion,
and it was now possible to concentrate in a battle by mixing those
motions into a single process.

“This is just an assumption, but if you were to make Rakura switch

between attack and support in the middle of battle, she would
immediately self-destruct. There were probably no such instructions in
her campaigns. I think that’s why Rakura managed to concentrate
solely in battle and obtained more results than others.”

“I see. Then, if we give work to Rakura with that in mind…” (Maya)

“Yes, if you give her simple single processes, she should be able to
operate more effectively than other people.”

Maya-san crossed her arms and thought. She must have thought of
something, so she brought out sewing tools. I look at the things in
detail and there’s also embroidery tools.

“If what you say is true, boy, it is okay to just have her concentrate on
just one thing, right? Rakura, try this out for a while.” (Maya)
She said this and gave Rakura the embroidery set and a sketch. Uo,
what’s with this complicated construction?

“Ah, the Grand Church, right?! So I have to make this, right?” (Rakura)

Rakura immediately begins working. She dropped the tools to the

ground from the moment she passed the string through the needle, but
she was progressing in her work silently after beginning the work.

No, not only that. She is fast… an abnormal speed. She was slow at irst,
but the string is now swimming through the cloth with a speed as if she
was doing this with a sewing machine. Or more like, she is not even
looking at the drawing anymore. A splendid embroidery exactly like the
drawing was inished.

“Done!” (Rakura)

“…I see. That’s impressive.” (Maya)

“She has the downside of not being able to do normal jobs, but
depending on how she is managed, I think she would be able to pull off
the work of several people.”

However, it doesn’t change the fact that Rakura is still airheaded. This
is not in the sense of skills, but…

“With this, I think I will be able to think of work for Rakura.” (Maya)

“Really?! Ah, but if Counselor-sama could maintain me as it is… *Peek*.”

(Rakura)

This girl has been corrupted mentally. Not only does she have
decreased concentration, she is also short-circuited and prefers the
easy route.
Due to this, she would use charm magic because it is the easier choice
despite her being aware she doesn’t like it, and in the search for the
book, she barely gave her own opinion. This alone I can’t protect.
Especially when in front of Wol ie.

“Ilias, from today on, collect rent and payment for food expenses. I will
pay for Wol ie’s share. Kick out whoever can’t pay.”

“No way, Counselor-sama! You are not going to support me?! Even
though we are friends!” (Rakura)

“Shut up. Even if we were married, I would have you pay rent and living
expenses!”

“No way! If we got married, at least the rent…!” (Rakura)

And so, Rakura is now getting work from the church again. But Maya-
san refused to take Rakura in, thus, the airheaded cleric will be staying
at the house of Ilias.

My guess is that Maya-san drove her away because she felt how Rakura
is mentally scum.

“I see. I did feel an unhealthy presence from Rakura, but it was that,
huh.” (Marito)

We told Marito about the circumstances of Rakura as we took a break

from the isekai learning. Marito must have faintly felt Rakura’s
corrupted side as well.

“I was curious about how the words you directed at her were
somewhat harsh, you see. I thought at irst that it was just because you
were as close to her as Lady Ratzel, but I felt a bit of brashness from
your treatment of her.” (Marito)
“Speaking of which… his treatment certainly resembled mine, but I did
think it was somewhat different…” (Ilias)

“Is that so? I was not aware.”

Now that I think about it, my informal way of speaking towards Rakura
began from the point when I felt her useless self.

I must have felt it instinctively. My sensor of people seems to still be

working.

“At any rate, this is a good place.”

Marito said that it would be suffocating to just stay in a room the whole
time, so we are currently having a walk in the garden inside the castle.
Its size leaves nothing to be desired and it is maintained to a pristine
degree. A place that really reminds me that I am in a western world.

“Right? It is the garden I am proud of. You can tell the techniques of the
artisans even with the eyes of a novice, right?” (Marito)

“Yeah, it resembles the large-scale garden that western—the west

continents on Earth prefer. I have seen gardens at a world class level,
but this one doesn’t lose to them.”

“Right? Right? Ah, but with that way of putting it, does that mean you
don’t see this type of garden in your country?” (Marito)

“Yeah, in Japan, gardens mostly have a quiet and simple aesthetic

rather than being showy. It may feel too simple and lacking, but there’s
a lot of depth. It makes you feel the beauty in simplicity.”

“It is not like it is ine as long as it is extravagant. Is it like how there’s

its own lair in the seasons where lowers don’t bloom?” (Marito)
“That’s a good way to put it. I am sure you would sigh in admiration if
you were to see it.”

It really is only after seeing it for yourself that you can tell the greatness
of rock gardens rather than explaining it in words.

I have seen how the patterns of rock gardens are made in the media,
but I should have learned about them more properly. I don’t think I
would be able to replicate it in one go, but I might have been able to at
least convey the feeling.

“There’s also things called bonsais that are small trees you grow in
pots. Recreating the trees on the ields with small pots is a thing that
has a lot of depth as entertainment when you are old.”

“That sounds fun. Can you do it even indoors?” (Marito)

“I think it is okay as long as the sunlight can come in… Aah, mana can
serve as a source of nutrition in this world, so you could substitute it
with that.”

“I see. Raising plants by giving them your own mana does sound
interesting. There’s rare plants in the forest that the black wol kins live
in. Maybe I should get some next time.” (Marito)

“Growing them might be dif icult with a difference in environment

though. Aah, speaking of splendid plants, the trees in the Black Demon
Lord Killing Mountain were especially beautiful. The trees that were as
if made from crystals were shining beautifully in the night.”

“I have heard the stories of it, but I am a bit apprehensive about trying
to get them. It is a mountain of death that none have come back alive
from. If I were to make knights go get it, my reputation as a king might
lower.” (Marito)
A mountain where a slime one-sidedly consumes the ones with mana.
Sending people to get plants from there equals a mission with
casualties. It reminds me of the 5 impossible tasks of Kaguya-hime.

For people with no mana, the threat of it lowers to a certain degree, but
I wouldn’t want to go. The only one who would match this condition
would be children, but if he were a king that would make them go on a
life threatening adventure, the country wouldn’t live long.

“But I would like to see it at least once. It was a wonderful sight, right?!”
(Marito)

“Yeah, it was the irst thing I saw in this world, but it was such an
illusory place it made me realize it was a parallel world.”

Marito was really jealous of me. The one watching us silently as we had
a lively conversation about plants was Ilias. I can tell at a glance that
there’s a discrepancy in excitement.

“You seem to be bored, Ilias.”

“No, I can tell that you two are having fun. It is just that I can’t really
relate too much.” (Ilias)

“Even if you can’t tell the greatness of trees, Lady Ratzel, there should
at least have been times when you would admire lowers, right?”
(Marito)

“No, uhm… ah, there are times when my eyes would be drawn to
weapons and I would admire them!” (Ilias)

Silence overtook the place for a while. When me and Marito looked at
each other’s faces, he had a sad expression. I am most likely making the
same face.

“Different strokes for different folks…”

“Right…” (Marito)

“?”

Being in the presence of Ilias who is tilting her head, I decided in my

heart to teach Wol ie the beauty of nature.

“I will be switching the subject here, but you are at an age where it
should be good to form a family. Are you interested in marriage
interviews?” (Marito)

“That’s really sudden. But can’t that be said for you too, Marito?”

Rather, considering the necessity of an heir, he should be the one who

should be the most hurried out of everyone here.

“Right, I am told the same by my surroundings the whole time. But

there hasn’t been a girl to my liking, you see.” (Marito)

“Are marriage interviews trending?”

“I talk with ladies from noble families when I show up at banquets

every now and then. But I still haven’t encountered a girl that has made
me go ‘aah, she is the one’.” (Marito)

“Speaking of which, in the history of Earth, polygamy was allowed

around this era, but in the modern era, it is full of countries that have
forbidden bigamy. How is it in this world?”

“Polygamy is not really against the law. A king having several wives is
something necessary in order to secure an heir. I am being told to ready
at least a 3rd queen. There’s powerful nobles that would have several
wives too. That said, it is mostly monogamous.” (Marito)

Being hurried to get 1 is already a pain, and yet, he is being pushed for
3. It must be rough.
“By the way, do you have a sibling from a different mother?”

“Yeah, my father had 3 queens, and I was the irst prince. The remaining
2 only gave birth to women, so I have around 4 little sisters.” (Marito)

“Looks like there was no quarreling about who will be inheriting then.”

“Right. Father thought it was divine providence that I was the only man
that was born, and he easily passed the throne to me and retired. It was
also in part because I suited the role of king regardless of my gender
though. There were barely any issues surfacing from this.” (Marito)

The irst prince was outstanding and the other heirs were solely
women. Of course he became a king with barely any opposition.

“I have not met a single one until now though. Have they already
married off?”

“Aah, my father and the queens are living in a detached house inside
the castle grounds. My little sisters have either married someone they
liked or became adventurers, leaving the country.” (Marito)

“Became an adventurer?”

“We considered a political marriage too, but there weren’t any tasty
countries, and the nice ones either had old kings or way too young
princes to make it viable. And so, the result was for them to choose
what they wanted if they were going to stay in the country.” (Marito)

Considering the normal customs of royalty, this is quite the

unprecedented generous offer. That must be why there aren’t many
grievances. But in that case, there’s not enough insurance for when
something happens to Marito. I can understand why his surroundings
are hurrying him.
“I will be returning to the topic here, but want to participate in the
banquets too? I feel like I won’t be able to handle it mentally if I
continue the lifeless marriage interviews alone all the time.” (Marito)

“Daughters of nobles, huh. Sounds like there would be a lot of well

mannered girls.”

“On the front. But they would normally have a plot or two ripening, or
wouldn’t know how the outside world works at all. I honestly don’t
know about falling in love with them.” (Marito)

Girls interacting with Marito at such locations are normally women

aiming for the position of queen, or are secluded daughters made to
participate by the will of their parents.

There’s the possibility that there would be girls like Rakura who would
show up for the food and drinks, but that doesn’t count.

“When you put it like that, it is not too motivating. There’s most likely
no person that you could put a hand on thoughtlessly after all.”

“There’s a lot of beautiful ladies, so it would be a sight for sore eyes.”

(Marito)

“Hmm.”

If that’s the case, I wouldn’t really mind if it is just tagging along. Even if
it is just a formality, it is possible it could serve to heal the heart.

“But His Majesty, he likes girls older than him rather than younger, so I
think it will be hard.” (Ilias)

“Eh, really?” (Marito)

Ilias suddenly came in with that statement. I was dumbfounded for a

moment, but clapped back.
“Ilias, what’s that all of a sudden? Don’t go instilling weird
misunderstandings on Marito.”

“…Is that not the case? This is the conclusion I came to after watching
you though.” (Ilias)

“Please tell me the steps you took to reach that conclusion.”

“By seeing the attitude you take when interacting with women, I
concluded that you like older women like Maya.” (Ilias)

“I will of course act with respect towards older people. If asked whether
Maya is within my strike zone, I would say she is, but it doesn’t mean I
like older people. I am the type with a wide strike zone.”

“What…?” (Ilias)

Ilias showed a surprised face.

So you were seriously thinking that? Also, Marito, don’t try to endure a
laugh here.

“But looking at the attitude you take when interacting with women—”
(Ilias)

“I have decided to look after Wol ie after all, so I have simply decided to
not look at her with those eyes. Rakura has a nice outward appearance,
but her insides are terrible, so I treat her like that.”

“W-What about me?” (Ilias)

“You are a muscle-head, so you are close to Rakura. Aah, but I like your
looks.”

“I-Is that so.” (Ilias)

“In the irst place, at the time when I decided to take care of Wol ie, I
talked about how I wouldn’t be able to control myself if she were to
sneak into my bed.”

It was the same for when Saira made the clothes for Wolfie. Clothes with
a lot of exposed skin makes me nervous. Especially when I am used to
the armored appearance of Ilias. I can relax with Ilias in that sense.

“…Speaking of which, that’s true.” (Ilias)

“Well, I am not looking at you with lecherous eyes, so don’t worry. In the
irst place, you don’t like being treated as a woman, right? I was trying
to be considerate in that front too, you know -in the beginning.”

“In the beginning, you say… What about now?” (Ilias)

“I think you are the type of person that would solve everything with
brute force regardless of gender. I have at least kept a footnote in my
mind that you are a woman, I guess.”

“Mugugu…” (Ilias)

When I heard about the environment of Ilias at irst, I was avoiding

treating her like a woman. That’s the truth. But after seeing her mowing
down bandits and forests, the only thing that surfaced in my mind was
‘She is a gorilla’.

I can still recognize her as a beautiful woman even after purging out
those memories of mine completely though… Also, Marito, just how
long are you going to be laughing for?

“I see, I see. So that’s why you show no dissatisfaction with your

current standing despite Lady Ratzel being a woman. This is amusing.”
(Marito)
“Laughing your ill here. I have read you mostly, you know? You are
probably plotting to have me form a family and tying me down in Taizu,
right?”

“Of course. Now that we know the contents of the book, there’s no
reason for you to stay in Taizu. However, I think that Taizu needs you. I
will assist you if there’s something you want.” (Marito)

“I won’t be leaving immediately.”

“For now, that is. But I wonder what will happen after the talk with Pope
Euparo? You might go to Mejis in order to ind a way to return to your
world, right?” (Marito)

That’s possible. There’s a chance there’s other books left by Earthlings

in Mejis. There might be a method to return to my world there.

“I wouldn’t mind helping you out in returning to your world as an end

goal, but we are talking about you here. I feel like I need to tie you up to
a certain degree or you might end up disappearing somewhere. But it is
true that it would be sad for me to do marriage interviews alone. It is
not like you hate meeting new people. It should be okay to tag along
with me, right?” (Marito)

“Yeah… but it doesn’t sit right with me.”

“If aristocratic women are not to your liking, what kind of girl do you
prefer? If it is Lady Ratzel, I will give you my blessings though.” (Marito)

“Your Majesty?!” (Ilias)

“That wouldn’t be bad, but let Ilias be a knight.”

“That’s true. Sorry sorry.” (Marito)

What Ilias is aiming for is to become a knight like her father. Being
made to resign at this timing by the top of this country would be
horrible.

But Marito is telling me he wants me without shying away. Who knows

what kind of woman he will make me tie the knot with if he stays
holding the lead. But I have to think about the eyes around me, so I can’t
take too drastic a measure. I will have to think of a plan.

“Alright, Marito, how about we set fair conditions for both sides?”

“Fumu, let’s hear it.” (Marito)

“If you are trying to make me form a family, I will also ind you a queen
candidate. That makes it fair.”

“Basically, every time I recommend you to a woman, you will be

recommending one to me?” (Marito)

“Yeah. If I get hit as pleased with your resources as a king, I wouldn’t be

able to do anything after all.”

Becoming the wife of Marito would mean entering the winning leagues
as the queen. But I am just your regular otherworlder. I would like to
avoid mass producing women that are used for the sake of tying down
a man like that.

That said, it is not like I am completely uninterested or have no

expectations from it. If the numbers are limited, I have to see through it
properly that she is an appropriate woman. Marito will most likely
analyze my likes too.

“If you are attacking with numbers, I can also ight with numbers. So
you are telling me to ind a woman itting for you to tie you down in a
way that doesn’t burden you, huh. As for me, I would be able to meet
women that you are seriously trying to recommend to me. It would also
become a competition of who has the better eye for people… I see. This
is nice.” (Marito)

Judging from the personality of Marito, I am sure he wishes for changes

in his daily life. While at it, it also serves as an excuse for me to escape.
‘He told me that he would be inding me a suitable woman. I will wait
for that!’ -something like that.

This is how weird rules were made between me and Marito. We

decided on the speci ics and promised to not rely on underhanded
means.

We then left the castle and on our way back, Ilias complained as usual in
a bad mood.

“I can’t believe it… Dragging His Majesty in a weird game of yours…”

(Ilias)

“It is for the sake of both of us. It is also for the sake of the women that
will get dragged into it too.”

“I can’t say I respect that when you are dragging them into a
competition.” (Ilias)

“Don’t say that. With that current state of Marito, it wouldn’t have been
strange for him to give you a royal decree that would force you to
marry me, you know?”

“That’s… I can’t deny it… but…” (Ilias)

“That goes for other women too. Getting pushed to a man like this by
the pressure of the king would be extremely unpleasant. If we are
introducing partners, we have to properly think about the other party’s
standing. I plan on inding a partner that Marito will accept, so there’s
no issues.”
It is not only Ilias. Even if I can deceive myself into accepting the path I
want to walk on being twisted by the rampage of Marito, regrets would
stick in the near future.

Marito is a king, but he is not a samaritan. He seriously would think of

any means for the sake of the nation.

“Right…” (Ilias)

“If it is women that Marito has thought of with me in mind when

introducing them, I do want to meet them.”

“With you in mind, huh… This may be a curt question to ask, but what’s
your type of woman?” (Ilias)

“Who knows. I like cute and pretty girls like a normal person, but I don’t
have any particular likes. I have fallen in love with a variety of women
in the past, so I can’t draw anything conclusive.”

“It really does sound like your strike zone is wide.” (Ilias)

“You only know when you have fallen in love when that time comes. I
don’t want to squander such a meeting by pushing my own sel ish
ideals.”

“I see. That’s an answer that its you.” (Ilias)

Ilias laughed as if baf led. If she were to relax a bit more like that, it
would be easier to think of her as a woman, but let’s just leave it as a
personal trait of hers.

“As for your preferred type of man, would it be a knight like your
father?”

“I would ind it preferable, but it is more like an ideal out of admiration.

I don’t know if I would fall in love even if I were to meet a person like
that.” (Ilias)

“I feel like you would direct your sword at him instead.”

“You… no, that might be true.” (Ilias)

Regardless of gender, I would like to continue having this kind of

relationship with Ilias. However, without the violence, please.
 CHAPTER 38
OVERDOING IT IS NOT GOOD
FOR NOW

The visitor that suddenly appeared after breakfast. The one who
showed up with a big luggage and ragged breath was the waitress of
Dog Bone, Saira.

“Good morning, Onii-san!” (Saira)

“It is Saira.” (Wolfe)

“Ooh, you are here.” (Ilias)

Saira was looking at the surroundings with interest and ragged breath.
Of course she would be excited if she had been called to the house of the
person she admires, Ilias.

“That’s quite the luggage you’ve got there. What’s going on?” (Ilias)

“Aah, I have brought the clothes that you requested the other day, Ilias.”
(Saira)

“M-Mine?” (Ilias)

We asked to have clothes be made for Ilias when Wolfe’s clothes were
made for the irst time, but Saira was having a hard time making clothes
that she was satis ied with. Or more like, her motivation to create had
gone through the roof. It was a repeat of making and remaking.
That said, she readied a few sets of clothes for Wolfe in that time too. It
has gone pretty cheaply despite being order-made.

“I went to hang out at her house the other day to hear about her
progress from the other day, but it had gotten pretty hectic. I invited her
here, telling her to bring them over once.”

“Is that so… And so it ended up with this many?” (Ilias)

“No, this isn’t even 10% of it.”

“What…?” (Ilias)

“I have brought the clothes I have made for the sake of Ilias-sama after
careful selection!” (Saria)

“That’s how it is. We can’t accept them all, so try them out quickly and
choose from them.”

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

And so, the two headed to the room of Ilias. Rakura muttered while
watching and drinking tea.

“You have such a cute tailor-san, huh. I would like clothes too,
Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

“I see, do your best. I will at least think about haggling for you.”

“Wolfe would like a few more too.” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, we gotta increase the amount of possessions you have. Tell me

more and more things you want. I will buy whatever I can buy you.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)
“So cruel!” (Rakura)

Rakura is in the same cleric clothes every day. Those are her work
clothes, but it is a comfortable robe, so it works for casual clothes too. Is
that ine for you, cleric?

It also apparently saves the trouble of choosing clothes. A sad reason.

In that sense, it is a similar situation to Wolfe’s, but I actually had Saira

ready a number of the sets aside from the same clothes she had. She can
make them fast when it is Wolfe, but when it is Ilias, she apparently
takes time.

Saira is still in training. If it is Rakura who has good proportions and is

pretty, Saira could make one or two out its using her as a model, but… I
don’t want her to take such an easy route. Let’s stealthily arrange things
with Saira.

“Tadaah!”

It seems like, from the many clothes that were carried over, Ilias chose
one; Ilias and Saira came down. Yeah, who is that?

“Ilias, that looks pre—”

“Oh my, oh my!” (Rakura)

There were a lot of clothes within the out its of Ilias that are like those
for men, but the ones Saira brought were completely designed with
femininity in mind. Just the skirt alone made me do a double-take.

But this is really different from the usual gorilla image I have of her with
armor on. The luffy cardigan gives me a soft impression.

“Does it… look weird?” (Ilias)

“I think it looks good -to the point it makes it hard to believe you are a
knight.”

“Is that a praise?” (Ilias)

“Yeah, you give off a different vibe from usual, but such clothes it you
well too, huh.”

“I see. Thanks.” (Ilias)

“Well then, let’s have you go out like that.”

“Huh?!” (Ilias)

“It is after actually having the person wear those clothes and checking
how it goes that their imagination will be stirred. And so, I was thinking
about you going out in those clothes today for the sake of Saira.”

“Wait wait, I have been entrusted with the mission to protect you by His
Majesty.” (Ilias)

Ilias complained. And that’s when a new visitor came in. I have been
waiting.

“Lad, are you he—who is this stunner?”

“C-Cara-jii?!” (Ilias)

“I have called a substitute. It was pretty obvious that you would still
complain about not wanting to go out after all.”

“You…” (Ilias)

“Fuafuafua! Isn’t that ine, Ilias? It wouldn’t hurt to wear the clothes your
mother likes every once in a while.” (Cara)
“You are not gonna say that you are dissatis ied with Cara-jii being your
substitute despite simply being on standby at the house, right? If you go
that far, I could call Lord Ragudo though.”

“Stop that! You de initely must not!” (Ilias)

And so, with a sincere persuasion, Ilias and Saira will be going around the
city together. A pair of the same age. It should go well considering the
personalities of the two.

“Fuuh!”

“Lad, it is rough for me…” (Cara)

“Wolfe, don’t be so on guard with Cara-jii…”

“Counselor-sama, I wanted to go play too.” (Rakura)

I have to do something about the relationship between Cara-jii and

Wolfe already. Rakura doesn’t matter.

And so, it is inally time to unveil the item that I prepared secretly.

“It would be boring to stay in the house, right? I have prepared a bit of a
side-show.”

———

I walk around the city together with Saira. It is not only the market,
clothes stores, shoe stores, and stores I normally wouldn’t go to but
Saira knew well. I didn’t expect there would be so much difference in our
range of actions even though we are of the same age.
Even so, the eyes in the surroundings bother me. Is there anything
weird? No, it wouldn’t be strange for them to mistake me for someone
else in this appearance. I have no choice but to take it that way.

This is for the sake of Saira. This isn’t something I can’t bear if I just
think of it like that.

“Fuuh, we have gone to pretty much all the places I wanted to! My
creation desire is also going strong! Ilias-sama, shall we have a short
break?” (Saira)

“Aah, right.” (Ilias)

We sit at a bench in the plaza and take a break. Good grief, his
mysterious assertiveness is troubling. Can’t he use a bit of that to polish
himself?

He is lazily escaping from studying and training, different from Wolfe. It

is because he is like that that he is still relying on the possession spell of
Maya.

I have been given the opportunity to become his bodyguard. Should I

lead him to a slightly more proper lifestyle? But if I am too strict, he
might end up escaping in a sly manner. Thinking about it like that, the
future prospects look bleak. A sigh leaked out from me.

“U-Uhm, Ilias-sama, are you bored?” (Saira)

“Aah, sorry. The sigh just now was directed at him. He has been escaping
from training and often doesn’t show up since way before, but to think
he was doing stuff like this.” (Ilias)

“Onii-san has been coming often to check how it is going. And also a lot
of other things!” (Saira)
That ‘other things’ bothers me… He hasn’t put a hand on her, right? No,
Saira is a cute city girl. I also feel like his attitude towards her is
comparatively gentle.

But if she likes him, it wouldn’t be bad? No, I don’t really like it, so there’s
no doubt it would be bad.

“The other day, he introduced my clothes to Ban-san—uhm, a famous

merchant in this city, and arranged a request to make clothes for the
black wol kins aside from Wolfe!” (Saira)

You can now see black wol kins here and there in this city. I thought the
fashion sense of them was similar to that of the clothes made for Wolfe,
but could it be that they were made by Saira?

“The clothes of Wolfe were nice. Were the clothes you made for the black
wol kins also good?” (Ilias)

“Yes! All of the black wol kins liked them a lot, and I got gifts in return!”
(Saria)

Saying this, Saira showed me the necklace she had on. It does feel
simple, but the brilliant minerals are eye-catching.

“That’s impressive. They are still getting used to this city. They should
still be groping around in their attempts at negotiation.” (Ilias)

“And and! My results were acknowledged, and I have been accepted as a

disciple in a clothes store that Ban-san manages!”

I have heard about Saira. She would normally work at Dog’s Bone as a
waitress, and would make clothes in her free days for self-study. She
wants to open a store in the future, so she wants to learn the techniques
for the sake of that.
But an artisan normally only takes a disciple when they want them to
succeed their store in the future. There wasn’t anyone who wanted to
take in Saira who might become a future business rival.

But she is taking long strides towards her objective. A person from the
same age as me is certainly advancing towards the path she has chosen.

“You are impressive, Saira.” (Ilias)

“Feh?” (Saira)

“I have been training the whole time since childhood in order to become
a knight like my father. I learned swordsmanship and became a knight in
that instance, but it has been stagnant since then. But you are
progressing steadily. I honestly admire you as someone your age.” (Ilias)

“T-That’s not true! Your strength is top 5 even in Taizu, Ilias-sama! You
are simply young right now, but when your strength is recognized, I am
sure you can even become a knight captain!” (Saira)

“It is embarrassing, but it has been a repeat of training and patrolling

since becoming a knight. It is only recently that I managed to get
achievements. But that wasn’t my own strength either.” (Ilias)

“If you put it like that, I myself was also given the opportunity by Onii-
san! We are the same!” (Saira)

Really? Saira was given the opportunity, but it was her own skills that
allowed her to take it into her hands. In my case, it was an achievement
that came from the cooperation of many people.

I feel like Saira, who managed to do it because he was there, is different

from me who wouldn’t have been able to do it without him there.

“Muh, that face is saying you don’t think that’s the case! The speed in
which we progress may be different, but the strength you have gained is
the real deal! You yourself denying that effort is wrong! I myself may be
doing well in my path, but my technique is still not there yet. If you look
down on yourself, Ilias-sama, I would be even lower, you know?!” (Saira)

“That’s not—no, I am sorry. I forgot that I have been told that excessive
humility can bring discomfort to others.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. I know the strength of Ilias-sama and admire it!” (Saira)

It is rare to see someone acknowledge me to this degree in such a

straightforward manner. He rarely said that out loud, and the people of
the Ragudo Division acknowledged me, but few would tell me that to my
face.

Compared to that, Saira told me clearly what she thought. I am a bit

embarrassed by this, but it doesn’t feel bad. Looks like I am weak to
compliments. Let’s be careful.

But enjoying it for a bit should be okay.

“…I see. So that means we both respect each other.” (Ilias)

“T-That would be the case!” (Saira)

“Then we are equal in standing. I would like you to stop calling me in

such a stiff manner. Please call me Ilias without the -sama, Saira.” (Ilias)

“Eh, no, uhm…” (Saira)

“What? Are you saying you really are different from me?” (Ilias)

Uuh, that way of putting it sounds like Onii-san…” (Saira)

Now that I think about it, putting it in such a mean manner is not like
me. If I had to pinpoint an in luence, it would be him. Let’s make it his
fault. Thinking about it like that makes it unexpectedly easier to use
such mean methods.

“That might be true. But it is something that would be dif icult for me to
say if it were the usual me. I shall make use of it. Also, you are beginning
to loosen up your way of speaking too, Saira.” (Ilias)

“That’s, uhm… then… Ilias. Is that okay?” (Saira)

“Yeah, I would be happy if we were to get along from here on.” (Ilias)

“—Yeah, I may be inexperienced, but I look forward to being with you!”

(Saira)

It is only at this age that I inally get a female friend from the same age.
Even if the paths we take are different, we yearn for our dreams, and
continue to polish ourselves. We might be similar in that way.

“I would like to go shopping together with Wolfe-chan too!” (Saira)

“Right, that girl would be happy about that.” (Ilias)

Wolfe is beginning to get used to this city too. I am sure she will get
close with that girl too.

The irst step I have not taken until now wasn’t that big of a deal. What I
lack right now might come into sight by taking a step into paths like this
one.

Did he send me off because he understood this would happen? If that’s

the case, I have to thank him. There will be the eyes of others as soon as
we return, so it would be embarrassing. I will thank him when we are
alone.

I bid farewell to Saira just like that and left. She apparently has to work
at Dog’s Bone at night. She now has more time to spend on her own path
that there’s more employees but, even with that, it is not easy with daily
expenses and all that.

Let’s cheer for her effort with such things included. I should be able to
cheer for her just like she did for me.

But what do we do about the remaining large amount of clothes? Saira

said she wanted me to wear them since she made them for my sake. I
feel like it is going to be taking a lot of space. Also, I don’t really want to
put it in the chest drawers that have chainmails.

Let’s buy a new one when he is free. That should do.

It is late now, but once I return home, it might be a good idea to go to

Dog’s Bone with everyone.

“I am back, everyo—” (Ilias)

That place had become a battle ield where many corpses lay about.

———

It all began from the desire to ix the relationship between Cara-jii and
Wolfe after having invited Cara-jii to the house. Their common point is
training. Thinking that their relationship wouldn’t get better like this no
matter how much time passed, I readied a game that everyone could
play together.

What was spread on top of the table was a board game I am deeply
familiar with from Earth. You advance depending on the number of the
dice, would earn money, and aim for the goal after going through a
variety of events.

That’s right, it is the life game. My monomania of ranking up my partner

from a wooden stick to a wooden sword had been collected in this game.
A super big map with many branching points. The amount of events you
can pull from the event point are over a 100. On top of that, there’s also
item cards to obstruct your opponent. It widens the strategy.

A large-scale game that allows you to go from a countryside farmer all

the way to king.

In our irst run, they were able to understand the fun of the game while
getting somewhat stuck because I had to explain the rules, and it ended
amicably. But that’s where Rakura said something unnecessary.

“How about we give a punishment to the one that ends up last?”

(Rakura)

The one who immediately agreed was Wolfe. Because of that, Cara-jii
couldn’t disagree too strongly and the rule was added. And so, the one in
last place will be punished.

However, if it were to be applied, I doubt there will be a proper

punishment if Wolfe ends up being 1st and Cara-jii ends up 4th, or
Rakura ends up 1st and I end up 4th.

And so, we decided to announce what will be the punishment we give

for when we are 1st place before the game begins.

If we do that, the punishment Wolfe thinks up could end up hitting her

Shishou, so I thought a punishment that’s too heavy wouldn’t be
happening. But Wolfe was merciless… and Rakura too.

When I heard the punishment Wolfe proposed, I doubted my ears. I was

also on the verge of regretting how I educated her, feeling like I messed
up somewhere. That said, if we are considering that she was simply
thinking purely about a punishment, you could say it is just like Wolfe.

Wolfe trusted that I would be able to avoid 4th place; Rakura had the
troublesome way of thinking that anyone is ine since she is not the one
doing her own punishment.

Everyone’s motivation rose as a result. What was bad about that?

What’s bad is that I added items to obstruct others.

That’s how they began to pull each other’s legs. Rakura was targeting me
the whole time and Wolfe was always persistently targeting Cara-jii. As
for the two men, they were reading the atmosphere and trying to
maintain the balance.

As for the important result… The strongest one in this game was Wolfe.
How to say it, it felt like she could control the results of the dice.

The one in 2nd place was the creator. I have all the data in my head, so I
am the one with the widest array of strategies. It is also in great part
because I was keeping 2nd or 3rd place so that I didn’t aggro the others.

3rd place was Cara-jii, the normal player. Rakura self-destructed by

going the gambling route.

The punishments I gave out were at most ‘play the next game on an air
chair’ or ‘become the chair of the 1st place on the next game’ which hurt
no one.

But the damage from Wolfe getting 1st was terrible and Rakura received
the full brunt of it. It was so horrible that I will omit it all. If I had to give
an example, it would be ‘eating charcoal’.

Rakura was suffering one-sidedly. Even with that, Wolfe was still
merciless, and Cara-jii inally ended up falling prey to the punishment.

Wolfe looked happy from seeing Cara-jii falling into a critical state, but
the gamble of Rakura hit dead on. Wolfe got a direct hit from the most
dangerous punishment and ended up in a critical state too.
I thought that would be the end of it, but the 3 of them colluded together
at the very end and announced the same punishment. I was trying to not
agro them by maintaining 2nd and 3rd, but the creator couldn’t
maintain the aggro management at the end with no punishments, got
caught up in a 3v1, and inally fell.

The other 3 were also downed from the accumulated damage of the
punishments they got. The life game closed its curtains with no
survivors.

Aah, I thought there would be no opportunity for me to have a taste of

sin… *Snif le*

“What are you all doing…?” (Ilias)

That’s when Ilias came back.

Everyone got scolded.

But it seems like Wolfe and Cara-jii began getting along a bit better since
that day. The life game became a traumatic experience for Wolfe and
Rakura, so it has been sealed.
 CHAPTER 39
THE WEIGHT ON MY
SHOULDERS HAS BEEN
LIFTED FOR NOW

Pope Euparo has inally arrived.

Of course, the otherworlder that was involved with the book was forced
to be present too. It is in order to prove that I can read the book. It
would just trouble the other party if I were to say I don’t want my face
to be remembered, so it can’t be helped.

By the way, there was no call for Rakura’s presence. The ones on
standby at the guest room are Marito and Lord Ragudo who know
about the situation. There’s Ilias as my bodyguard and also Anbu-kun
who can’t be seen for a total of 5 people.

After being made to wait for a while, 3 men and 1 woman entered the
room. I could tell from the appearance of one of them that he is without
a doubt Pope Euparo.

I would say he is around 60 years old and has the face of an

openhearted person.

The man by his side has the same archbishop necklace that Maya-san
has. He has a small mustache that gives off charm. That’s most likely
Archbishop Ukka.

I don’t know about the other two, so I wait for the talk to begin.
And so the self-introductions began. I really did guess the 2 correctly.
The last man was the bodyguard of the Pope, and is a Holy Knight
Captain from Mejis called Yox. He looks like he is in his 30s, but I feel
the same aura as Lord Ragudo aside from the fact that he is young.

The only woman there is Lilisa. A quiet beauty and the caretaker of the
Pope.

“Now then, we have inished our self-introductions. Let’s begin our

talk.”

“First things irst, I would like to apologize for our ineptitude.”

(Euparo)

Pope Euparo apologizes for the matter this time around. He had
Archbishop Ukka lower his head as well, and apologized for causing
trouble to the nation.

Marito forgave him completely. The reason Archbishop Ukka targeted

us was because of Raheight who had evil intentions. He does bear
responsibility for being taken advantage of by Raheight. But it is
exactly because Archbishop Ukka was the one utilized that an airhead
like Rakura was sent, and ended up with their existence being exposed.

Yox didn’t say a word the whole time, but Lilisa added complementary
information after the words of Pope Euparo.

After inishing the apologies, Marito brought out the book in question,
and returned it to Pope Euparo.

“The ones who have read and con irmed the contents of the book from
our side are me and Lord Ragudo, and this man who can read it. In
regards to the contents, two of the knights from Lord Ragudo’s division
and the girl. We have also told the cleric from your side.” (Marito)
“I have heard reports of that. You must be the traveler that came from a
parallel world, right?” (Euparo)

The eyes of Pope Euparo were directed at me.

Maya-san also has eyes that can see through people, but these are on a
whole other level. I feel like my whole body will be stripped naked if he
continues watching me. It is embarrassing, yup.

“I am sorry, but can you please hold my hand? By feeling the mana
lowing in your body directly, I can feel just how that person has lived
their life. I would like to con irm with my own hands just what kind of
person you are, person from a parallel world.” (Euparo)

“Yeah, I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

I give him my hand.

Pope Euparo holds that hand gently. That hand not only had warmth. It
feels as if something hot was moving around my whole body.

“—I see, I get it now. You are a coward. You fear all events, and so you
try to understand them in order to be ready for them. Earth must be a
place where you easily encounter people with evil intentions.”
(Euparo)

“…Yeah, it is as you say.”

Looks like he is the real deal.

Rather, you can tell that much? The top of a religious organization
really isn’t just for show.

“However, it was due to your cowardice that the malady lodged in our
country was discovered. I would like to show my deep appreciation for
this. We will do anything within our power.” (Euparo)
“I am ine with just not being faulted for reading the book. Also, if you
aren’t returning to Mejis at once, please go visit the graves of the ones
that lost their lives in this incident. We wouldn’t have moved without
his death after all.”

“Yeah, I promise. But it must have been rude to suddenly call you a
coward. My apologies.” (Euparo)

“It is the truth, so don’t worry.”

He is far more of a character than I anticipated. I even feel bad about

being overly wary. I am feeling apprehensive about pushing even more
truths onto him.

“Right. Archbishop Ukka apparently contributed greatly in trapping

Raheight. Thank you very much.”

“Don’t thank me. I simply cleaned up my own mess.” (Ukka)

Archbishop Ukka averted his gaze as if feeling bad. Even so, his actions
could warrant him an MVP in the Mejis side.

“Ukka-sama was worrying the whole time on his way to Taizu.” (Lilisa)

“Lilisa, don’t say unnecessary things!” (Ukka)

“Oh my, my apologies.” (Lilisa)

After lowering her head without looking apologetic, Lilisa showed a

smile at me… Hm?

“Lilisa-san, was it? Have we met before?”

“No, this is my irst time coming to Taizu, so this would be the irst
time I meet you.” (Lilisa)
“Right. Sorry for the weird question.”

…I might need to test this out. I take out the book and resume the topic
with Pope Euparo.

“By the way, I have heard the gist of this book from the transmission. I
have also heard that you had information that must be told personally.
Can you please tell me in detail about that part?” (Euparo)

“Yes, but before that… can I please do a little payback from before?”

“Fumu? I don’t really mind, but… do you have that kind of specialty?”
(Euparo)

“Something similar. You could say it is one of my few specialties… Since

there’s the opportunity, I would like the others to tag along too.”

Archbishop Ukka tilts his head; Lilisa laughs with an ‘oh my’; Yox
doesn’t show much of a reaction.

“It is a method to measure just how con ident you are of yourself. First,
please recite what I am about to say Pope-sama. ‘I am Pope Euparo’.”

“‘I am Pope Euparo’, is that good enough?” (Euparo)

“Yeah, thanks. It is probably hard to understand the meaning with just

this, so… the next is Archbishop Ukka. ‘I am Pope Euparo’.”

“‘I-I am Pope Euparo’.” (Ukka)

“Next, ‘I am Archbishop Ukka’.”

“‘’I am Archbishop Ukka’…I ended up hesitating in the irst one.” (Ukka)

“Yes, but you may have already gotten it somewhat. You can recite your
own name and position even if it is on the spot. It is a method that
allows you to measure your con idence towards the truth by mixing
truth and lies.”

“I see. I kind of understand.” (Euparo)

“Then, next is Yox-san. ‘I am Pope Euparo’.”

“‘I am Pope Euparo’.” (Yox)

“Next is ‘I am Archbishop Ukka’.”

“‘I am Archbishop Ukka’.” (Yox)

“Lastly, ‘I am the Holy Knight Captain of Mejis, Yox’.”

“‘I am the Holy Knight Captain of Mejis, Yox’.” (Yox)

Yox said everything without a single missed beat. Obviously, if I explain

the concept of it, there’s not much need to get lustered.

“When it comes to a knight captain, the changes are so small it is hard

to read… Now then, the last one is Lilisa-san.”

“Yes, go ahead.” (Lilisa)

“‘I am Pope Euparo’.”

“‘I am Pope Euparo’.” (Lilisa)

“Next, ‘I am Archbishop Ukka’.”

“‘I am Archbishop Ukka’.” (Lilisa)

“Next, ‘I am the Holy Knight Captain of Mejis, Yox’.”

“‘I am the Holy Knight Captain of Mejis, Yox’.” (Lilisa)

“Lastly, ‘I am Raheight’.”

“…”

The air around us got strained in an instant. The one who drew her
sword instantly was Ilias, followed by Yox. Pope Euparo and Archbishop
Ukka took distance from Lilisa too.

The person herself is not breaking her smile, but her mouth is not
moving.

“So you can’t say it. Figures. Pope Euparo and Archbishop Ukka can see
through lies. In other words, they can also see through truths.”

“…Since when did you notice?”

Lilisa… no, Raheight’s smile turned even more arti icial and creepy.

“I was not certain. However, when I heard you were cornered by

Archbishop Ukka and killed yourself, I wondered if you really were
someone who would give up your life that easily. I simply tried to be
careful here. You knew about the contents of the book, but not the
details. If you heard that there’s even more secrets to it, I simply
thought you would want to know about them and try to make contact
with us. That’s why I have been wary about all the people I have met for
the irst time since then.”

“That’s a weak reasoning to notice I was hiding as Lilisa. It is true that,

with the possibility that the details of the book will be spoken here, the
chances of me appearing would be higher. However, you doubted me…
no, Lilisa, without hesitation. I would like to know the reason for that.”
(Raheight)

“Aah, I told you about how this is one of my few specialties, right? I am
good at gauging my distance between people. I was measuring the
distance between us preemptively while listening to the conversation
of Marito. The one that felt off within those people was you.”

“Felt off, huh. The 3 people here completely believed I was Lilisa.”
(Raheight)

“You showed me a smile when teasing Archbishop Ukka. That’s how I

felt our distance with eye measurement.”

“That’s just being well-mannered.” (Raheight)

“The distance you chose to take for the Pope-sama was ‘not too close,
but not hostile’. You also took an action as if gauging me. Archbishop
Ukka showed a certain degree of pressure towards me due to this. An
angry subordinate following up after a superior isn’t rare. But even
though your superior is trying to interact in a careful manner, the
caretaker that should understand her superior was acting in such a
familiar manner. Isn’t that too unnatural?”

“…I see. It seems like I unknowingly got satisfaction from having met
you. And that ended up showing strongly in my attitude.” (Raheight)

“Also, I threw you a question once, right? ‘Have I met you before?’. That
was a way of responding that tried to tiptoe around not telling a lie
while deceiving the target. That’s why I decided to con irm it.”

It goes without saying, but it is the method I used with Maya-san and
Rakura. A line-up of calculated truths to deceive the clerics that can see
through lies. It is because I myself use this method that it feels so
familiar.

“Color me impressed. As expected of an Earthling.” (Raheight)

“You bastard! What happened to Lilisa?!” (Ukka)

“Oh, can’t you tell with one look, Ukka-sama? This body is without
doubt that of Lilisa. The knife that sliced my neck had enough mana to
tear away my soul from my body just once. That’s how I escaped with
only my soul. However, you need to prepare a destination for the soul
beforehand in this ritual and you can’t set several, so it is not like you
can use it countless times. Just for your information, I have already
prepared for the next one, so there’s no need to wound this body
pointlessly.” (Raheight)

What a convenient spell. So if you can’t escape physically, escape with

just your soul? It is true that you would be able to escape even from the
control of necromancy with that.

But throwing away your own body without hesitation should require
quite the courage.

“Magic that interferes with the soul is taboo. To think you have put
your hands to such boundaries already.” (Euparo)

“I wanted to hear more if possible, but it seems like any more would be
impossible. However, I managed to see you with my own eyes. Let’s call
that rewarding enough.” (Raheight)

Raheight was looking at me amused. Can you please stop looking at me

as if you have found a good rival? I am a civilian here, you know?

“Now then, it is regrettable, but let’s meet again at another occasion.”

(Raheight)

Saying this, Raheight vomited blood and collapsed. Archbishop Ukka

immediately rushed to her and con irmed her state.

“Looks like she had a blade shaped magic stone in her mouth. We must
treat her at once!” (Ukka)
And so, he rushed out of the room in order to contact the members of
the Yugura Church on standby outside. The other clerics entered the
room without delay and took the body of Lilisa away.

“To think he would trick us not once but twice… My deepest apologies,
king of Taizu!” (Euparo)

Pope Euparo lowered his head deeply at Marito. They have brought a
thief all the way to the king of a nation. Of course they have no choice
but to apologize.

“It is just that Raheight was sly. Right now you have to worry about the
body and heart of the girl.” (Marito)

“I am deeply thankful for your consideration.” (Euparo)

After that, just in case, we checked the people in the place and the ones
on standby outside. It was only after several hours that we were inally
back on our seats.

“He understandably wouldn’t take refuge nearby. Just in case, I have

briefed the situation to the people near the sealed corpse at Mejis too.”
(Euparo)

Regaining his own body would be the fastest way. That said, he
wouldn’t do something so imprudent. However, we can’t deny the
possibility he is once again posing as a member of the Yugura Church.
They are apparently going to be busy with countermeasures against
Raheight for the near future.

What a pain in the ass that guy is. I would like to see the face of his boss
-don’t want to meet them though.

Marito took control of the place again and returned the topic to the
book.
“Well then, let’s resume the topic of conversation… I would like to tell
this solely to Pope Euparo irst to deliberate on it. Everyone here,
please leave the room aside from the ones who know. Lord Ratzel.”
(Marito)

“…Yes.” (Ragudo)

Marito had Ilias leave the room irst. Seeing this, Pope Euparo had
Archbishop Ukka and Yox leave the room.

“From here on, he will be the one doing the explaining. Please do.”
(Marito)

“Okay. —Then, I will explain with this book open.”

I opened the book in a way so that Pope Euparo could see it and do a
rough explanation of the details that we have deciphered. By doing an
explanation of the illustrations, Pope Euparo realized once again that I
can read the book.

“That’s the contents of the book. What I have explained until now is just
as we have relayed before.”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any room to doubt the contents of the
book. It is certainly true that, if we were to proceed exactly as
deciphered, we would be able to use even more advanced necromancy.
The credibility of the Demon Lord resurrecting has increased. But
that’s not all, right?” (Euparo)

“Yes. The issue is on the last page.”

I opened the last page.

What was written there wasn’t related to the title of the book.

There’s just a simple scribble.

“It doesn’t look that serious though.” (Euparo)

“What’s written here is: ‘That concludes the summary of the

investigation results’. And then, the last words. What’s written here is
the name of the book’s author.”

“Author… The person who created the resurrection magic and gave
birth to the Demon Lord…?!” (Euparo)

“The name of the author is: Yugura Nariya. The name of the hero that
defeated the Demon Lords and was the founder of the Yugura Church.”

Pope Euparo was speechless. Understandably so.

That’s because the name of the one who defeated the Demon Lords and
saved the world is the same as the one who created the resurrection
magic and Demon Lords.

Pope Euparo continued silent for a while and eventually spoke with a
heavy tone.

“What do you think? Do you think Yugura… the hero created the Demon
Lords?” (Euparo)

“I consider there to be a 30% chance.”

“…Can you please tell me the basis of that?” (Euparo)

“First of all, the one who wrote this book is an Earthling. There’s an
Earthling here with you. How’s my mana?”

“—Your mana is awfully low. It is on the level of an infant or lower.”

(Euparo)

“That’s right. Earth has no concept of magic. Mana hasn’t even been
discovered. The writing in this book is from around 100 years ago.
Even if there’s a difference in the low of time between worlds, that
person coming here was just 100 years ago. Magic didn’t exist in that
era either. That said, there might be differences of mana between
individuals, but even so, I doubt that Yugura Nariya has an outstanding
amount of mana. I would have to question whether someone like that
can defeat a Demon Lord.”

Even if Yugura Nariya were to be from a temple where they might have
mana, or were to be raised in a shrine or from the occult. Would he still
have enough mana to match the mana of the talented people in this
world? If there was someone like that in the past, it shouldn’t be
strange for such a person to be found in the modern era too.

“It is true that you don’t seem to be suitable for battle, but there’s the
possibility that it isn’t the same for the author of this book.” (Euparo)

“No, the people of this world are extremely strong. They are used to
ighting with their bodies strengthened by mana. That alone creates a
heaven and earth difference. Even if his mana were to increase from
coming here and he began to train, I doubt he would grow to a degree
where he would be called a hero.”

“Then, what is it?” (Euparo)

“Hero Yugura wasn’t the real name of the person who defeated the
Demon Lords. Maybe a resident of this world took the name of this
Yugura Nariya who was the author of this book and had a relationship
with him.”

This is what makes the most sense for me. The Earthling Yugura Nariya
thought out the resurrection magic and created Demon Lords. And
then, someone related to him called himself Yugura, and defeated the
Demon Lord. That has a lot of a higher chance to be the case.

I have a number of hypotheses regarding the background, but I feel

some sort of regret in it.
“However, there’s a strong chance that the hero and the one who
created the Demon Lords have some sort of connection. That’s why we
chose to only speak about this to you, Pope-sama, and have you decide
what to do.”

“You have pushed an unbelievable reality here onto me… What do you
want me to do…?” (Euparo)

Pope Euparo was troubled. He has been pushed the reality that Yugura,
who saved the world and left his teachings, had created the biggest of
taboos or is related to them.

Either of them is a troubling reality as the top of the religion that holds
the teachings of Yugura.

Marito placed a hand on top of the shoulder of Pope Euparo.

“Taizu won’t be publicizing this. Or rather, we can’t. Taizu has the most
Yugura Church believers. We can’t cause unnecessary chaos. I want you
to take your time and discuss this with people you trust.” (Marito)

“…Yeah, I should go back and consult with the others.” (Euparo)

And in this way, Pope Euparo was burdened with an issue that could
open a hole in his stomach from the stress. As for me, I am relieved that
I inally managed to relay this secret.

That said, after bringing this matter in question to Mejis, it is not like it
isn’t possible that there will be a development where they go: ‘This
must be hidden. We must dispose of anyone who knows!’. No matter
how great the virtue of Pope Euparo, that doesn’t make his
surroundings the same after all.
 CHAPTER 40
I WILL TEACH YOU FOR NOW

At a certain guest room in the castle, there’s him, His Majesty, Wolfe, and
me. His Majesty is reading the data of the parallel world culture he
brought.

Wolfe and him were sitting with a table in between, and were playing a
game of knights as a break. According to him, this is a game that
resembles a game called ‘chess’ in his world, so it piqued his curiosity. I
taught the rules to the two just a few moments ago and they have had
several matches already.

“Speaking of which, Marito, what happened with Pope Euparo in the

end?”

“He is apparently going to be staying in the country for a while. There’s

a harvest festival organized by the Yugura Church happening soon,
right? He apparently plans on participating in that.” (Marito)

“Well, they came with a decent amount of people. Talk about the Pope
having come to Taizu has most likely spread. If he were to leave without
doing anything, that would instead direct suspicions. It should be safe to
assume he came here with that intention in the irst place.”

“The Pope and the Archbishop are apparently going to be borrowing the
church as their lodging. Even though Maya must have it rough too.”
(Marito)

“Maya-san might have known that from the beginning. That could have
been the reason why she drove Rakura away.”
Even though they were both doing their respective things, I am
impressed they can talk about other things while at it. I can’t see the
game board from here, but he seems to be making moves at quite the
fast pace.

“Ah, right. I heard that Archbishop Ukka doesn’t have memories of the
time he spoke with Raheight because of the brainwashing magic, but
can’t you salvage—draw them out by using magic that tinkers with the
mind?”

“There’s spells that allow you to read memories, so it might be worth a

try. But I have heard that those kinds of spells press a heavy burden on
the target. It is pretty much like torture.” (Marito)

“Archbishop Ukka feels indebted towards us. If we try to convince him

while shaking him in that front, he will most likely yield.”

“Wait a moment. Is there any need to go that far to obtain the

information?” (Ilias)

I unintentionally ended up getting in their conversation. I remember the

apology of Archbishop Ukka coming from the bottom of his heart. Is
there really a need to bring pain close to torture on him?

“Who knows. But it is true that the one who made contact with Raheight
the most was Archbishop Ukka. He would be the one with the highest
chances of obtaining some sort of information.”

“With such wishful thinking alone…” (Ilias)

“It is not only one person who will be suffering if they were to get the
better of us, you know? For now, please tell him we would like him to
contact us if he were to remember something. There’s a difference in
weight between a civilian asking and a king asking after all.”
“Got it. We will also try to ind a way to search through his memories
with the least amount of pain as possible.” (Marito)

He has changed slightly since meeting Raheight. His attitude towards us

hasn’t changed, but I can see grief in his expression at the times when he
doesn’t say anything. He saw through the plans of Raheight not only
once but twice. It should be ine for him to relax a bit more.

“Wolfe, isn’t that a checkmate?”

“Uhm, yes. Wolfe wins!” (Wolfe)

“I lost again, huh. You are strong.”

“What. You have more losses than wins? How many matches is it now?”
(Ilias)

“10 games, 10 losses.”

“…What?” (Ilias)

This game is used as training for strategies too, and you are stronger
the more intelligent you are. Wolfe is a hard worker, but I don’t think he
would be losing this much with his intelligence though…

“Were you holding back?” (Ilias)

“No, I was going at full power. I am simply losing continuously.”

“But…” (Ilias)

Could it be that Wolfe has more talent than imagined in this game? Can’t
really discard that possibility. But Wolfe is also a complete beginner, so
the conditions on both sides should be the same.

“Then, Wolfe, please let Ilias play with me. Ilias, let’s have a match.”
“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

I sat where Wolfe was sitting and arranged the pieces. I have played this
game a number of times to tag along with others. I am not that strong,
but I have no intention of losing to a newcomer. I should be able to
gauge his strength to a certain degree too.

“By the way, Ilias, were you angry when I was called a coward by Pope
Euparo? Lord Ragudo told me afterwards.”

He began talking to me as he opened the board. He is quickly

responding the moment I make my move. I barely see any hesitation in
his actions… but…

“Uh, that’s… true.” (Ilias)

“No wonder he apologized. He is the top of the Yugura Church. Don’t go

threatening for a statement or two.”

“But you are not a coward. You stepped at the forefront in the battle
against the bandits and the Anbus.” (Ilias)

“It is because the ones protecting me were strong. I normally wouldn’t

do stuff like that even if asked”

I am happy to be told that. But this and that are different stories. He has
certainly created results. Wouldn’t you get pissed off if you are told you
accomplished them because you are a coward?

“There’s no need to be so humble. You have gotten results. That’s why I

evaluate your skills highly. That goes for His Majesty too.” (Ilias)

“Skills, huh. Just saying, but the things Marito evaluates highly are
different from yours.”

“What do you mean by that?” (Ilias)

Saying this, he stopped his playing hand, grabbed a pen and parchment,
and began to write something. And then, he gave it to His Majesty who
was watching from the back. He began playing again after that.

“Fumu fumu, I see.” (Marito)

“That said, words are probably not enough to understand. Now then,
this is troubling, but I am even more troubled here.”

His moves are extremely straightforward attacks. It feels as if a newbie

has just learned about how the pieces move and is just attacking for the
sake of it. It doesn’t seem like he is thinking about the positioning of the
pieces either.

“Are you playing seriously?” (Ilias)

“Yeah, I am the type that’s not good with brain stuff on this front, you
see. I can’t read dozens of moves ahead.”

“But you—” (Ilias)

A sound suddenly rang from outside the room. A loud sound.

His Majesty showed himself outside and spoke to a soldier.

“What happened?” (Marito)

“A decoration armor suddenly fell… Was the base unstable?”

Looks like it wasn’t anything big. I relax. Now then, the match should be
settled in just a bit—

“…Eh?”

My thoughts stopped for an instant when I saw the board. No matter

how you see it, I am the one being checkmated. I was wondering what
happened here, but there’s only one answer.

“Did you mess with the board with the sound just now?!” (Ilias)

“Did someone see that?… Wolfe, you don’t need to raise your hand.”

“Isn’t that cheating?!” (Ilias)

“I would like you to think of the person you use. Good grief.” (Marito)

His Majesty burned the parchment he was given while going ‘good grief’
by using magic. So that’s how it is. He gave instructions to His Majesty
using the parchment and made His Majesty make the noise. I don’t know
the method, but it is something that His Majesty would be able to do.
And so, I was cautious as a bodyguard, and the moment I moved my
gaze, he messed with the pieces.

“Basically, those are the methods I use. If I were to ight on the same
conditions fair and square, I only have enough skills to certainly lose.
Your strength is the type that allows you to win 100 ights out of 100,
Ilias. However, my style is one where I win the ight that I want to win. It
doesn’t work twice and it isn’t something to be praised for.”

It is true that once you know about the switching of pieces, I will
obviously be wary once we have another match. Not only that, I would
continue being on guard for any other cheating.

“Marito and Pope Euparo acknowledge me while understanding this.

They are impressed that I have done this well despite me lacking the
strength.”

“Your unconventional methods especially so.” (Marito)

“Thanks for that. However, Lord Ragudo might tell me something if you
were to imitate me too much, so advance properly on the principles of
royalty.”
“Of course.” (Marito)

“…”

He displayed it right in front of my eyes. He is basically telling me that

the methods he takes are not proper and shouldn’t be respected.

“Don’t make such a complicated expression. I am simply winning with

methods that are forgiven because of the opponent. I am aware that
they are horrible methods. Even you Ilias, if you were to use unfair
means in a duel to win, would you be happy if you were praised for
that?”

“That’s… you have a point.” (Ilias)

“That said, I can somewhat accept being praised for my stance of not
using whatever means in order to win. I get somewhat happy on that
part, so allow me to indulge.”

I get what he wants to say. He is telling me not to evaluate him

excessively highly, that he doesn’t have that strength. Even so, he
doesn’t mind being praised for working hard and getting results.

“I understand what you are saying here. However, the results you got
are things that knights can’t achieve. What kind of power was the main
cause of this?” (Ilias)

Strength is not just about brute physical power. If he isn’t sagacious,

how is he winning those results?

“I am good at living or something like that.”

“Good at… living, huh. I see.” (Ilias)

I can strangely understand when he puts it like that. Can’t use the sword,
doesn’t have magic, and no knowledge either. Even with that, he
understood his current situation, and acted accordingly. The method I
didn’t choose as someone who gained the strengths that I lacked with
hard work. He is a master in that path.

“As for how much of a coward I am, it would feel suffocating being kept
an eye on every day, so I was thinking about telling Marito I didn’t need
you to guard me, Ilias. However, I told him I didn’t want to remove my
bodyguard since the matter of Raheight and wanted to eliminate that
threat as fast as possible. I’m a terminal case, right?”

“Fufu, that might be true. Wait, suffocating?” (Ilias)

You are not a maiden, so you shouldn’t worry about that. Even so, that
talk about His Majesty and Pope Euparo understanding that side of him
properly when evaluating him highly feels a bit like they got ahead of me
and it does feel somewhat frustrating.

Cara-jii said so before. He envies others for what he doesn’t have just
like how I envy him. If they get too ahead of me, his gaze might not reach
me anymore.

Fortunately, I am the one that has been assigned as his bodyguard. I am

most likely going to continue being his bodyguard even after the matter
of Raheight is over. I would like him to evaluate me highly no matter
what by then.

◇◇

My distance with Ilias feels close lately. It feels like she is the one closing
the distance by half a step.

This is after the matter with Cara-jii, so it is probably safe to assume it

is a sort of approach… Let’s just say it is a good thing for her to become
proactive.
The one I am more worried about is Wolfe. I feel like I haven’t done
anything Shishou-like recently. The unfair technique of just before was
something I did to make them wary that ‘there’s people who use those
kinds of methods’, but it wouldn’t be good for her education if she were
to imitate that.

She has begun to say her own opinion compared to the beginning, and
she has even begun to act teasingly to some… Let’s forget about the life
game. Anyways, isn’t there a need to have her learn something? Hmm,
what should I do?

“And so, Wolfe, I would like to do something Shishou-like. Do you want

me to do something?”

We are lazing about at home anyways. If I am going to be making time

for Wolfe, let’s hear the wishes of Wolfe. This is a great idea from me.

“I don’t know what brought this, but there’s something I want to learn
from Shishou!” (Wolfe)

“Hooh, that’s a good spirit. Tell me.”

“I would like to learn how to deceive people!” (Wolfe)

“…”

Aah, yup. Ilias, don’t look at me with those eyes. I am about to get used
to them. That said, I can’t go against Wolfe’s super hopeful eyes. I should
provide her with a nice lecture here.

“Right. It is not all about tricking, but I shall teach you with actual
examples. Ilias, Rakura, please sit at the opposite end -by the side of
Wolfe.”

The 4 of us sit around the table. Leaving aside Ilias who tries to always
be close to me, Rakura is tagging along out of amusement. This is
convenient.

“Wolfe, watch the two. You two, here.”

Saying this, I gave them a pen and paper.

“Please write a number from 1 to 9 that you like. Once you have, lip it
down. After that, I will try to pinpoint it with questions.”

“You can do something like that?” (Ilias)

“Hmhm, I won’t fall for your tricks so easily, Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

The two inished writing the number and lipped the paper down.
There’s somewhat of a difference in the numbers of this world, but they
are basically treated the same. Easy to write and have a simple shape by
design.

“In that case, there’s no need for questions. Ilias is 1 and Rakura is 7.”

I lip the pages. They were the same numbers as I stated.

“There was no question though?!” (Rakura)

“Guessing it with questions was a trick in itself. I was actually

concentrating on your hands to see what number you were writing. If
they were numbers that resembled the writing of another, or if your
writing were small, I was thinking about narrowing it down with
questions. You two wrote your number big and easy to understand.”

“Uh, so that wouldn’t make it a lie…” (Rakura)

“Direct the attention of the other party somewhere else. That’s the
fastest way to catch your enemy off-guard. In battle, if you attack an
opponent with a different method from the one they predicted, it will be
more effective, but it would be even more effective if you have them
distracted somewhere else, right?”

“I see.” (Ilias)

That said, even if I succeeded in distracting Ilias, my attack wouldn’t

reach. It doesn’t work if the gap is too big. You’ve gotta choose your
methods too in order to catch your enemy off-guard in battle, but you
also need the bare minimum strength in order to defeat them. I of
course don’t have that!

“Next would be to steal the judgment of the other party. You could make
them angry with provocations or acting, or give them a sense of
superiority, but the one I personally recommend is to convince them.
The moment people stop thinking is at the time when their thoughts
have been obstructed or they are done thinking. That said, the dif iculty
changes too much depending on the person you are trying to obstruct.”

There’s types of convincing. Convince them that they have completely

read you, convince them that their own actions were correct, etc. The
effect of the latter one is big. That’s because the thing that you can trust
the most is the information you have chosen to believe.

“However, it is hard for this kind of strategies to work on people you

have just met. It is because you don’t know how to convince your target.
That’s why you have to obtain as much information as you can and
understand the way your opponent thinks, so that your success rate
increases.”

“Ooh.” (Wolfe)

“However, the warning here would be to not sympathize with them even
if you understand them. You will feel apprehensive to trick people you
sympathize with after all.”
“I do get it, but is this something that’s okay to be teaching Wolfe…?”
(Ilias)

“She still lacks the discerning eye to use it, so it would be dif icult. But I
think it is good to know that there’s the possibility the enemy is
observing us in that manner.”

There’s a difference in threats between people. If it is just someone who

spreads evil, you can mostly just take distance. However, there’s no
more troubling existence than one that directs evil intentions at you
while understanding you. That said, if I keep her on guard too much in
that front, she might end up doubting people, so it is a hard line to tread.

“If possible, I would like her to have eyes that can see through lies like
Maya-san and Rakura. Even if it is impossible against skilled ones, it
should be effective against most.”

“Counselor-sama almost always slips by and does evil stuff though.”

(Rakura)

“You may have it rough, but it is fun to trick you.”

“Can you not?!” (Rakura)

Let’s wrap it up.

“Wolfe, tricking the opponent won’t work over and over. If it inally
succeeds once after careful preparation, that’s great. However, it works
the whole time on people who have obtained their power through
training like Ilias and Rakura. I won’t tell you not to use it ever, but try to
polish yourself when you can. That increases the array of choices you
have. Especially you Wolfe, you are talented. It would be a waste to not
use what you have.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)
Alright. With this, the potentially harmful lecture has been wrapped up
nicely.

“Right, while at it, want me to tell you about the strategies of the famous
people on Earth?”

“That’s a topic of interest for me too.” (Ilias)

“I feel like it would send me to sleep…” (Rakura)

“Don’t prepare a pillow. First… I really should begin from the Three
Kingdoms.”

“Please do, Shishou!” (Wolfe)

I am sure other people will tell Wolfe about stories of this world.
However, there’s only one person who can tell her stories from Earth.
Let’s tell her a lot of things. There should be a lot of things Wolfe can
learn from this. Let’s talk to her to a degree where she will think of me as
a good Shishou when she eventually travels by herself.

By the way, there’s no punchline. Me doing something to Rakura who

began interrupting us with her sleep talk in the middle of it is of no
importance.

“It is of importance!” (Rakura)

◇◇

A certain tavern in Mejis where adventurers gathered. They were

praising each other’s monster hunting today as well, and were drinking
and being swallowed by alcohol as they made noise. The noisy
adventurers would join in on each other’s tables and mingle. However,
there was one table that had no one as if it didn’t exist, as if it couldn’t be
perceived.
“The barrier to drive away people really is convenient as always~. Not
being able to order is a downside though.”

The woman spoke languidly.

Her attire is one that has an awful lot of exposed skin, but what drew the
eye the most was the giant saw shaped sword at her back. There’s dark
red spots of rust here and there on the row of fangs that were like the
closed mouth of a crocodile.

“Even if you could be seen, there’s no one who would come asking for
what you want to order while you are carrying a weapon like that, you
blockhead! Here, munch on some dried meat.”

The one who gave dried meat to the woman was a man with a toned
body. This one was wearing something that looked like a full body
rubber tights and armor on top of that that protects the vitals. The
gauntlets he has equipped on both hands had a peculiar form; with a
design like that of the head of a black dragon.

“Oh well, better than nothing, I guess~? Thanks, Pa-chan!”

“Stop with the Pa-chan, I am going to kick your ass! At least say that
with a bit more love.”

“Okay~.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, you waste of air! Here, booze to wash it
down your throat.”

The one remaining man was just sitting on the chair and looking
endlessly at the ceiling of the tavern. There’s a whole ton of chains
wrapped around his dangling arms to the point where you can’t even
see his skin.
“Girista, Pashuro, Ekdoik, don’t you people stand out too much unless a
barrier to ward off people is set?”

A boy wearing a hood showed up. He looks like he is around 10 years

old, but his bearing isn’t any different from that of an adult.

“Oh my, could that be Raheight? You have turned cute~.” (Girista)

“My former body has been sealed by the Yugura Church after all. I have
moved my soul to a different body with the use of Possession and
Necromancy, but that was discovered too. For now, I went with a body
that would be hard to discover.” (Raheight)

“I am gonna die from laughter with how good of a joke that is, you
numbskull! Here, chair, can you sit?” (Pashuro)

“Thanks. Now then, the reason why I have gathered you all who
comparatively do dangerous underground work often within the
adventurers is obviously because of a dangerous request.” (Raheight)

“Dangerous, huh~. Are you going to ask us to kill the Pope or

something~?” (Girista)

“Close. The one I want you to kill is the man that has appeared by the
side of the Pope recently. I don’t think you would even need a single
breath to kill the man himself, but the bodyguard is troublesome. She is
a knight that could be counted in the top 5 of Taizu.” (Raheight)

Saying this, he spread two parchments on the table. What was drawn
there were the faces of Ilias Ratzel and the man that came from Earth.

“Heeh, she is strong despite being a woman~! The same as me~!”

(Girista)

“By top 5 in Taizu, does that mean you want us to go to Taizu, you piece
of shit?! When should we have him dead?” (Pashuro)
“As soon as possible. Right right, Pope Euparo is also staying in Taizu
right now. You can try killing him too once you are done with that.”
(Raheight)

“Really~?! I guess I will try~!” (Girista)

The woman called Girista stood up and drew the sword she had at her
back. The footing of Girista began to creak the moment she lifted it. It
must be because the weight of the sword is more than what it looks. The
burden on the loor around both of her legs was way too much.

“It seems like my compatibility with this person is bad, so I will leave it
to everyone who has pure brute power.” (Raheight)

“Don’t push it onto us just because you can’t do it, you numbskull! I have
certainly received your request. Leave it to me.” (Pashuro)

“Yes, I will leave it to you.” (Raheight)

Raheight, in the appearance of a boy, smiled. That smile of his was

similar to the one in his previous form, and gave off an eerie arti icial
feeling.
 CHAPTER 41
TREASURE FOR NOW

The cheerfulness of the city has changed in time quite a bit. It will soon
be the harvest festival. The citizens have begun preparations
themselves for this occasion. The Harvest Festival that prays for a safe
harvest. It won’t only be the capital, the villages around will also be
beginning festivities at the same time, and there were a lot of villagers
who were coming over to buy tools for the festival.

The Yugura Church members are super busy. That’s because they are in
charge of managing the Harvest Festivals from all the villages too. That
said, the burden here hasn’t really increased. If I had to point out
anything, it would be that: because the teacher of Wolfe, Maya-san, is
under heavy work, Wolfe has a lot of free time.

Marito has to prepare for the Harvest Festival himself, so the isekai
learning will be pausing for a while. Rakura has brought a whole ton of
tools to the house and has been made to do side-jobs. It is apparently
to make tools used for the festival and stuff like that. Also, it is only the
parts that take time. Since I would feel bad about getting in her way, I
exited the house and wandered around.

“But she shrewdly requested a souvenir… Well, she is working hard, so

she should get a reward for it.”

“Right, and you seem to be quite free.” (Ilias)

“The place of Marito and the place of Maya-san are really busy. Same for
Ban-san. I can’t just laze about in Dog’s Bone from the very morning. Of
course I wouldn’t have anything to do.”
“There’s a word called training, you see.” (Ilias)

“Alright, Wolfe. Let’s buy something for Wolfe who is working hard
normally.”

“Really?!” (Wolfe)

I ignore Ilias who tried to call me to a stop with an ‘oi’ and pet the head
of Wolfe.

We are going to be buying a souvenir for Rakura, so it wouldn’t feel

right unless we also buy something for Wolfe too.

“The things in Wolfe’s room are the clothes made by Saira and the
books we borrowed after all. It isn’t bad to increase the amount of
personal possessions you have.”

“Didn’t you say something about luggage piling up or something like

that before?” (Ilias)

“My policy is to not carry too much stuff around, so that’s ine. Even so,
I still have a lot more things in my room than Wolfe, you know?”

Mostly a whole ton of parchment, pens, and a bit of clothes. There’s also
my treasure container, my partner, and the carving knife that I bought
secretly. I have class changed my wooden stick partner to a wooden
sword, and have made dice to use for the life game we played. Yeah, it is
still not much despite that.

“Also, we need to have her learn about indulging a bit. I will hear most
of your sel ishness, Wolfe.”

“Is it my imagination that your treatment towards her is extremely

different from mine and Rakura’s?” (Ilias)
“It is not. There’s the need to teach Wolfe about a lot of things. It is not
only about the way of living and readiness. She also needs to learn
about how to rely on others and indulge in them. Even if it is not
necessary for the future Wolfe, there will surely be people who will be
relying on Wolfe or indulge in her kindness. If she doesn’t know about
the meaning of that at that time, she will end up only thinking of them
as a nuisance.”

Normal children would indulge on their parents, say sel ish stuff, be
accepted, rejected, pampered, scolded, laugh, cry, and grow. And then,
she has to have a grasp of what kind of emotions are directed towards
her by others in the future.

However, Wolfe has none of those. There was a lot of time where there
was nothing, so her way of interacting with others is lacking. Even if
she has great people like Maya-san, Ilias, and the Ragudo Division, she
can’t learn weakness from them.

If she touches upon their prime and serene lifestyle, she wouldn’t think
of indulging in them. The reality is that Wolfe is industrious and
diligent. But that just means she has only been able to grow in that
manner.

I want Wolfe to have a lot of experiences. And then, create an ideal self
from those. By the way, Ilias has been in a normal household since
childhood, but her life has tilted to one side after that. Due to this, I
tried having her get along with Saira who is of her age, and it seems to
have gone well.

“Then, wouldn’t Rakura be the perfect one to teach her?” (Ilias)

“I feel like Wolfe will end up imitating that if she gets involved too
much. I would like to make her a teacher by example from a distance.”

I want her to grow freely, but I don’t want her to become the disciple of
a person with a personality like Rakura. Even so, she might end up
relying on her, and I can only see a tragedy unfolding. It should be okay,
right? Right?

“Shouldn’t you also be made a teacher by example in a sense too?”

(Ilias)

“Please don’t lump a person that’s good at making a living and a useless
bum. Now then, Wolfe, tell me what you want.”

“Uhm, hmmm… Okay, I have decided!” (Wolfe)

By the way, this is also for the sake of learning about Wolfe. By seeing
what Wolfe wants, I can tell who she has been in luenced by the most.

“I want a weapon!” (Wolfe)

“Your in luence, Ilias!”

“Me?!” (Ilias)

“Wolfe would like a weapon like Shishou’s.” (Wolfe)

“So it was me…”

Now that she mentions it, she has basically performed solely with her
strength in mana emission. If she were to battle, it might be ine for her
to have a proper weapon.

That said, this partner (AKA wooden sword) would be lacking for
Wolfe. If she were to pour in enough mana, she would be able to expect
enough destructive power, but the weapon would break at each
instance. I of course can’t give her this one.

“Speaking of which, I think you have tested a variety of weapons in the

Ragudo Division. What weapon did you like?”
“…I don’t know.” (Wolfe)

“She could use all weapons basically on the same level after all.” (Ilias)

Fumu, I was told Wolfe is a jack-of-all-trades, but it was on that level?

She is good at barehanded battles and she can use most weapons.
Having her learn a wide array would be an option, but in battle, a jack-
of-all-trades is also a master of none. It wouldn’t hurt to spread out
once she grows to the level of Ilias, but it would be better for her to
concentrate on one thing irst.

“Let’s check out a weapon store irst. If you see the actual stuff, there’s
the possibility you will ind what you want. If not, you can ask a
specialist.”

“Right. I have not gone recently, but I was thinking it was about time to
repair my scabbard. I will guide you.” (Ilias)

The place she guided us to was a single shop at the outskirts of the city.
The run-down atmosphere that an expert would like made my childish
mind of a modern Japanese excited.

“Toruid, are you there?” (Ilias)

Ilias went inside and called someone. When I peeked inside, I ended up
letting my voice out. What entered my eyes were countless weapons.
Most of them were swords and spears, but there’s also stuff like
hammers, knives, sickles and chains. There’s dust accumulated on the
shelves, but all the weapons lined up seem to be maintained daily, they
are the very de inition of brand new.

While I was watching this, an old man around 70 years old wearing
crumpled tattered clothes showed up. Uooh, it is that. He is
unassuming, but the feeling of him being a super skilled blacksmith is
unbelievable.
“What, isn’t that Ratzel-jochan <young lady>? Here I was wondering I
hadn’t seen you recently. Did your sword inally croak?” (Toruid)

“Unfortunately for you, the swords you make are tough. I was thinking
about asking you to repair my scabbard today.” (Ilias)

“Let’s see, show it to me… You…! You…! A scabbard ain’t a blunt

weapon, ya know?!” (Toruid)

Ah, an incredibly reasonable person.

There hasn’t been a single person who has touched on the matter that
Ilias is defeating her opponents with her scabbard. The scabbard of a
katana is used as a proper weapon in Japan too, but it seems like -at the
very least- that wasn’t the intention of the maker of Ilias’s sword.

“Even if you tell me that, it gets stuck sometimes when I try to

unsheathe it. That’s why the amount of times I have swung it as it is has
increased.” (Ilias)

“Of course you wouldn’t be able to draw it with how bent the thing is!…
What? You have company?” (Toruid)

“Yeah, I have come with some company to choose a weapon that might
it her. This one is Wolfe. Wolfe, this is Toruid.” (Ilias)

“I am Wolfe. Nice to meet you.” (Wolfe)

“Hooh, a demi-human, huh. —That’s some impressive amount of mana.

Even though her training seems shallow, she is in the same lane as you.
In comparison, what’s that young man over there? He is so weak he
might die tomorrow.” (Toruid)

“I am con ident in my weakness.”

“That’s hearty of you. By the way, are you going to choose a weapon
too, Nii-chan?” (Toruid)

“No, this is enough for me.”

I say this and show him the wooden sword of my own creation. If I have
my partner, I don’t need a weapon.

“No, since we have the opportunity here, how about buying one? Even a
cheap one has good quality, you know?” (Ilias)

“It suits my stature, so it is okay.”

“Hmm, it is true that, with your body, you wouldn’t be able to use the
weapons here properly. I have oil that’s used to maintain wooden
products, so check that out.” (Toruid)

“Really? That would be great.”

Even if it is a wooden sword, it needs to be maintained. There’s nothing

resembling varnish on the market, and I was even thinking about
ordering it from Ban-san. Just you wait, partner, I will give you the
brilliance called polish!

“You are a blacksmith, so how about recommending weapons…?” (Ilias)

“That wooden sword suits that Nii-chan. He has readied a weapon

itting for him after understanding his own strength. The only thing for
me to do is to provide him with the tools.” (Toruid)

“I am happy that you are praising me here, but honestly speaking,

swinging this one is also tiring.”

“Get the muscle for that at least. You should at least be able to swing it if
your arm moves even if you ain’t got the talent.” (Toruid)
He is got a point. I really should train to a certain degree, huh.

And so, with this and that, Ilias and Toruid-san headed to the work
space deeper in. The sound of hammering could be heard soon after.

Let’s try it inside the store—no no, we have to ind the weapon of
Wolfe.

Wolfe was checking the weapons without the need of being told. She is
holding them in her hand and waving them lightly to check the
sensation.

“Make sure not to hit the other weapons and shelves.”

“Yes, Shishou.” (Wolfe)

Weapons are out of my expertise. If I were to go with my personal bias,

I even think what suits her the best are her ists. However, that’s
because the scenarios where Wolfe performed were with her bare ists.

When she was against the Anbu, it was simply because the strategy
worked, but the difference in technique was overwhelming. Wolfe
would have de initely lost if she had been swinging a weapon she
wasn’t used to. Thinking about it like that, wouldn’t bare ists have the
higher overall potential as the easier one to control mana with?

But Wolfe wants a weapon. I would feel bad about telling her bare ists
would be better now that we have come this far. No, wait. Right, if it is
that weapon…

I took out a parchment from my pocket and began to draw the design at
once.

“Good grief. The scabbard is different from a sword in that the

unreinforced parts are soft. I am telling ya to pipe it down on the
abuse.” (Toruid)
“But it is great when I need to hold back my killing power. I have no
choice but to use it when needed.” (Ilias)

I am impressed that you can say that. How can you say that when you
blew away the body of a giant man with the scabbard on?

“If you say so, then I will make a separate scabbard for you. Using a tool
in a way that’s not intended will only hurt it after all. And so, how about
the white one? Did you ind a good weapon?” (Toruid)

“Hmm, I don’t know which one would be good.” (Wolfe)

“Figures. I can tell by looking at your body. Your body can easily adapt
to whichever weapon, but lipping that around, it also means no
weapon suits you. Of course you wouldn’t be able to ind a weapon like
that.” (Toruid)

“Uuh… Shishou, please choose one for me. I would be okay with the
weapon Shishou chooses.” (Wolfe)

Wolfe pleaded here with a troubled face. This is a choice that will
decide your own style. I want to tell her to choose on her own, but
there’s also the objective of having Wolfe indulge.

“Well, it really would end up like that, huh. Toruid-san, just to consult a
bit, but please look at this.”

What I showed him is the parchment of before. Toruid-san furrowed

his brows a bit and groaned.

“I see. That style of ighting, huh. It certainly does sound interesting,

but… with this design, the strength would be rough. Here it could go
like this, and this…” (Toruid)

He grabbed a pen and began to write on the design.

Looks like the blood of a crafter has been a stirred up. Now that it has
come to this, we began to consult with each other regardless of age.
Looks like Toruid-san also has his heart moved by the creation of
weapons like this.

“By the way, this may be a boorish question, but how much would it
cost?”

“I personally don’t know how well it will go since this is my irst time
with a weapon of this working. I will take the cost of materials and
labor, but… for the rest of the costs, let’s shave it off as a learning
experience. Around this much?” (Toruid)

The price written in the parchment was pretty high. It is one notch
more expensive than the good ones lined up around here. That said, it
is not a price I can’t pay with the money I have currently if I decide to
economize for the meantime.

“Alright, then, I will be counting on you.”

“Immediate answer, huh. You are loved, white one.” (Toruid)

“…Shishou, is that okay?” (Wolfe)

Wolfe is looking at my face with a worried expression. So she noticed

that the price was high, huh. She has properly learned the importance
of money after all.

“If it wasn’t a price I couldn’t pay, I would have refused.”

“Then, it is decided. White one, I will be taking the measurements of

your body a bit. Come with me.” (Toruid)

“O-Okay.” (Wolfe)

“By the way, how much time will it take?”

“Regardless of the Harvest Festival, I am pretty free, so I can start
working from today. I will inish it by tomorrow evening.” (Toruid)

And so, Wolfe equipped the inished weapon the next day. Seeing the
weapon, Ilias also nodded in understanding.

“I see. Gauntlets, huh.” (Ilias)

Gauntlets; to put it broadly, it is a combination of armor on the hand

and arm. The gauntlets are several kilograms of iron, so strike attacks
are not lacking at all with it equipped. There’s ighting techniques with
gauntlets in western history, and it also existed as a weapon.

The gauntlet made for Wolfe is of course to use as a weapon, but it is

made to double as armor too. There’s several metal plates set there to a
degree that doesn’t obstruct the mobility of the elbow. By combining
plain solid metal and elastic and lexible metal, it mitigates the impact
that’s transferred to the arm when defending as much as possible.
There’s also rare metal that makes it easier to pour mana inside the
layers, so it is easier to receive the bene its of mana strengthening.

It is not on the level of a shield, but it is made in a way so that it is

suitable to de lect rather than receive attacks. The ist part is also made
in a way so that it protects the ist from impact, but in order to not drop
the lexibility of the ingers, there’s no metal used in the palm. Normally
when you are holding a sword, you would make a ring shaped metal
around the thumb at the time when receiving attacks to block, but she
is only going to be tightening her ists, so it was deemed unnecessary
and removed. In exchange, we used cloth that’s easy for mana to travel
through, and so she can still use the cat deception she used before.

This gauntlet that allows the usage of your hands makes it possible to
do rock-paper-scissors and even use chopsticks. It is equipment that
excels in hand-to-hand combat.
“Wolfe’s dashing speed and attack power are high, but hand-to-hand
combat carries heavy burden to the body. If it goes as far as Rakura’s
barrier, she wouldn’t be able to punch seriously with bare hands. But
she should be able to attack as much as she wishes with this.”

An especially big protector is furnished around the ist, but there’s a

proper reason for this. I have also requested a set of similar iron boots
and knee guards while at it.

“I wanted to have specialized armor around your body if possible, but

that can be solved with what’s already there.”

“…”

Wolfe tried moving her ingers, hitting her ists together; she was really
interested in her new weapon.

“White one, I will give you this before you test out your weapon.”
(Toruid)

Toruid-san said this and gave Wolfe a stack of parchment.

“What’s… this?” (Wolfe)

“This is an instruction manual for how it works which Nii-chan and I

thought of together. There’s a lot of things written down here like how
to use this gauntlet. Be sure to read this one thoroughly, okay?”
(Toruid)

“O-Okay!” (Wolfe)

After that, it was reading time for a bit, and then we went to the
barracks to test out the gauntlet. The result was great. It is a bit too
complicated to master it, but I am sure Wolfe will be able to in no time.
That night, Wolfe shut inside her room soon after eating dinner and
showering. I was curious and listened-in outside her room, and it
seemed like she was giving maintenance to her equipment while
humming. I am glad to hear she has taken a liking to it. Let’s not get in
her way.

“Counselor-sama, buy me something nice too!” (Rakura)

“Shut up. Didn’t I buy you nice booze at Dog’s Bone?!”

The reaction of Rakura was within expectations. Even though I had

Gozu get a nice beverage cause of this, this girl… By the way, we bought
alcohol the other day, so we are drinking among the adults. The tension
is somewhat high thanks to this.

“I would like something that can remain! Ah, how about a ring? I would
like a ring that its in my ring inger~. Peek.” (Rakura)

“If it is a collar and chain to tie you up to your workplace, I can even
make it extra special.”

“So cruel! At least make it a necklace!” (Rakura)

“Calm down, Rakura. In the irst place, those kinds of presents are to
convey your gratitude. He has been looking after you the whole time,
you know?” (Ilias)

“That’s true, but I think there might be a chance Counselor-sama will

buy it!” (Rakura)

“None. I used quite a lot of money in the irst place, so I have no money
to use for you!”

“Then, it is okay once you save up, right?!” (Rakura)

“I won’t give you a present as long as I don’t feel indebted to you!”

“Isn’t it okay to give me something as a celebration for moving in or as
friendship!” (Rakura)

“I want you to leave and, if it is to break off relations, I might consider

it.”

“Uwaaaaan! Ilias-saaan! Counselor-sama is cooooold!” (Rakura)

I can’t take this drunkard anymore.

What came up when I thought of something accessible that she would

be happy about, alcohol came up, but I am present progressively
regretting my decision. For now, I don’t want to let her be the only one
drinking, so my pace increased naturally too.

“It shouldn’t be dif icult to make him feel indebted. By the way, with
that logic, wouldn’t it be okay to give me a present? I am always
welcome to presents at any moment any time, you know? Or more like,
give me one.” (Ilias)

“T-This one’s also drunk!”

The slovenly night of the adults passed. Within all that tumult, Wolfe
wasn’t bothered by it and was sleeping peacefully while hugging the
gauntlet.
 CHAPTER 42
THIS IS BAD FOR NOW

The Harvest Festival is inally beginning in the capital of Taizu.

The Harvest Festival takes place for 3 days in the capital. The opening
ceremony is performed at the grand plaza on the irst day. After that,
carry the tools to the villages, celebrate the abundant harvest this year,
and pray for next year’s good harvest.

The villages apparently celebrate the Harvest Festival on the day of

their prayers. And then, on the last day, they inish moving through all
the villages, gather all the tools used to the capital, and burn them down
to wrap it up. The capital is boisterous all those days.

The opening ceremony performed the irst day has already ended, and
the city is getting lively with the food stalls and the side-shows. The
amount of normal street stalls have dropped sharply compared to usual
and the amount of characteristic street stalls have increased.

Of course, there’s also stalls where you can play that come in hand with
festivals. Ring toss, knife throwing, smash a hard fruit, dog racing, and
swordsmanship lectures from the knights. Even with a different culture,
the desire to enjoy festivals is no different in this world too.

As such, it would be a waste to not enjoy it. I decided to go around

randomly with Ilias and Wolfe.

Rakura has no work on the Harvest Festival itself. Or more like, she
would instead be a hindrance if she were to be made to do work. There’s
not that many monotone jobs that are readily available. In that case, it
would be better to just leave her be outside. And so, in order to have her
not come back because she has too much free time, the Yugura Church
gave her pocket money. Because of this, Rakura is apparently enjoying
this festival alone.

She will most likely come here once she dries up her pocket money, so
we must enjoy the festival before then. That’s how it should have been
but…

“What have you been reading for a while now?” (Ilias)

“The scooping of Archbishop Ukka’s memories has apparently inished. I

got a preliminary memo. Also a list of wanted people I requested
separately.”

There’s a lot of visitors in Taizu as of present. There’s merchants who

have opened stalls to match the Harvest Festival, hobbyists and
adventurers that have come to enjoy the festival. With so many new
faces, it is impossible to say the job of the gatekeepers is perfect.

If Raheight is aiming to get the book and directs evil intentions at us, it
wouldn’t be strange for him to utilize this kind of event to cause
something. The reality is that, from what I can read in the preliminary
memo regarding the memories of Archbishop Ukka, Raheight seems to
be the type that likes to act in a pretty attentive manner. Would
frequently make contact with Archbishop Ukka and tried to obtain new
information the whole time.

It is clear that he isn’t the type to sleep and wait for good fortune to
come to him. In that case, there’s the possibility he has already made his
next move. And so, the information I had them prepare after
considering the possibilities is this one. The information of wanted
adventurers that have a strong bad reputation from the neighboring
countries.

Now that he has been defeated by Archbishop Ukka in battle with his
main body, I doubt the battle strength of Raheight is that high. This is
not because I look down on Archbishop Ukka, but what I have surmised
with what Rakura has told me.

Archbishop Ukka excels in technique, but he apparently lacks talent

compared to other Archbishops. Rakura is apparently higher in terms of
actual combat alone.

In other words, even if I were to evaluate the strength of Raheight, it

would be around the level of Rakura. If he is the type that uses his head
rather than ight, that is enough, but let’s leave that aside for now.

Raheight is currently using a body that’s not his. In other words, his
battle power has dropped drastically, and he shouldn’t be able to act
directly. In that case, it is certain he will be using people. The next thing
to consider is what kind of people he will be using.

The Anbus of Mejis have already entered the inspection of the Yugura
Church. It should be dif icult for him to pull out new people from there.
In the irst place, the chances of a tactical person using the same method
they lost with is low. Of course, he might try to stab at that opening in
my way of thinking, but the effort he would need to muster in order to
get the Anbus in his hand again is unbelievably high and the
effectiveness is low. He will most likely drop it from his choices because
he can easily imagine this.

Then, how about using Anbus from other countries aside from Mejis?
The chances of that are low too. Mejis has already communicated to the
neighboring countries that there’s people trying to control the Anbus. It
has been hidden that this is related to dogs of the Demon Lords, but
they have been told that they specialize in brainwashing magic and are
trying to cause trouble between the nations.

You would normally ignore the warnings of a neighboring country, but

the one relaying this is Mejis. The country where the head church of the
Yugura Church is located at and the religion where there’s the most
believers in from those countries. If they are countries who approve of
the Yugura Church, they should be able to see the danger and be wary to
a certain degree.

With that in mind, the ones that have the most likely chance of
becoming pawns of Raheight are adventurers or criminals. However, if it
is just on the level of bandits and thieves, it wouldn’t even be worth
considering.

Assassins with experience in actual combat would be preferable, but

that would be pretty much the same as Anbus. If he is going to be
attacking from a different direction, he would be choosing adventurers,
moreover, strong ones. However, I doubt proper adventurers would
obey a ishy man like Raheight.

There’s the possibility that he can make them his pawns with
brainwashing magic, but there’s magic seal stones set at the gates of
Taizu, so if they were to enter from the gates, the brainwashing magic
would be undone. They managed to in iltrate this place once, so they
should be able to know at least that much. In other words, he will go for
people that can be controlled with money or status, adventurers that
are known for their bad reputation. And so, I have gotten wanted
posters in order to notice when such people will enter this country.

“But there really are people with quite the bad reputation in any world.”

“Even if we call them adventurers, there’s a variety of them after all.

There may be heroic people that have been appointed by the nation, but
there’s also ones that have fallen all the way to criminals and are chased
after by the nation.” (Ilias)

What was drawn on the wanted posters are the faces of those people
and what foul acts they have committed. They have not been made
wanted by the nation in itself, but they have been judged as dangerous
by the Adventurer Guild and several of them have been banned. People
who have killed a lot of people due to how hot-blooded they are, people
who have caused a lot of damage because of con licts in their shares,
there’s some who had con lict with their requester and blackmailed
them, some even murdered them.

That said, there’s currently the Archbishop Ukka who defeated Raheight,
Pope Euparo, and Rakura in this country and he knows they are strong.
It wouldn’t be strange for him to know about my bodyguard Ilias with
what happened that day. In that case, I can exclude pretty much all the
ones that have bad reputation but have no strength.

Of course, there might be adventurers of the strategic type like

Raheight, so I try to not take those out from the candidates when they
smell like that type.

“Oh, this adventurer looks impressive. She uses a giant sword far her
size despite being a woman and is a bloodthirsty battle junkie. She
defeats the most monsters in large scale monster subjugations from the
very frontlines, but she loses control and attacks other adventurers as
well. Most adventurers including the ones that came in to stop her
became casualties… Why are they leaving such a dangerous person like
that?”

I can easily imagine that the battles against the monsters that you can’t
communicate with are intense. It most likely places more burden in the
heart of the adventurers than war. But no matter how you see this, the
rampage of this person is not the type where she went mad. It should be
safe to assume that she is a lunatic that caused such a massacre while
aware.

I would like to think that he wouldn’t send such a lunatic to a big stage
like this one, but I can’t really say there’s no possibility of encountering
her eventually.

“Her name is Girista. She has burning red hair and has a big claw tattoo
on her right eye. Has sharp teeth and a saw blade greatsword. Someone
you would be able to tell instantly if you met her in the city—”
This is rough. What’s rough? It is exactly as I put it. There’s a woman
that can be identi ied at a glance right in my vision. Burning red hair, big
claw tattoo at her right eye, sharp teeth, and carrying a saw bladed
greatsword.

If this were Japan, I would laugh and say ‘is that the cosplay of a popular
character? Haha’, but it doesn’t seem like that’s how it is going to ly
here. After babbling about it, they immediately pick up the lag; that’s
not the fad anymore. Please give me a break.

“Why did you suddenly stop—” (Ilias)

It seems like Ilias saw her. No matter how you look at her, she matches
the Girista that’s drawn in the wanted poster. She is striding along the
festival in broad daylight.

—Calm down. Calm down. That woman may be Girista, but I can’t deny
the possibility that she might be just a tourist. She is not an assassin
sent by Raheight, she could just be your regular criminal—ah, no good.
She made an extremely good face the moment our eyes met. We both
were staring at her, of course she would notice.

Girista, who was watching the stalls carefreely, began to walk this way.

“Ilias, it would be bad if she were to rampage here, right? Where do you
think would be a good place?”

“If possible, outside the gates, but… the plaza is being used as a battle
dance performance space by the knights.” (Ilias)

“We can’t ignore her completely.”

“Obviously. It is fortunate that she is directing her bloodthirst at us. She

will most likely catch up immediately if we move.” (Ilias)
We should face her in a place with as few people as possible. Ilias only
has one body. Even if she can do a lot, there’s a limit to the amount of
things she can do at the same time.

“Alright, please carry me, Wolfe. Let’s head to the plaza through the
roofs.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

It has been a while since a woman has carried me on her shoulders.

Wolfe jumped right then and reached the roof. Ilias still hasn’t moved,
her intention being to be one tempo late.

As for Girista… wait, what? She still hasn’t approached us, and yet, she
held her sword at her back and took a stance.

She is still looking at me and smiling. Could it be that her attacks can still
reach at this dista—no, that’s not it!

“Ilias, stop her! She is aiming for the people passing by!”

“Aha!”

Girista swung her greatsword in the middle of the main street with a
loud shout. A giant clashing sound echoed in the surroundings. The
people by the side of Girista were sent lying with that shockwave.
However, it is not like they were cut. It was stopped by the sword of Ilias.

Ilias must have noticed it too. She made a powerful dash that pushed the
people away and rushed in without hesitation to avoid the worst result.

“You aim for innocents without hesitation, you iend?!” (Ilias)

“Cause you know~, you were the ones who tried to run away, right~?
Knight-sama who protects the people~.” (Girista)
Girista followed the attack by swinging down. The vibrations traveled
once again to the surroundings together with a thunderous sound. The
people around inally understood the danger after the second
shockwave and began to grow noisy.

“Everyone, run away! If you get caught, you will die instantly!” (Ilias)

The people around began to scatter as the voice of Ilias rang. A mass
panic happened. Even so, it was imperative to have the people around
take distance.

The people who were pushed away by Ilias understood the situation
and began to move away. However, the people that were sent lying by
the irst shockwave were late in escaping. They are away from the range
of the greatsword, but they are scattered about. Ilias can’t move from
her place. If she does, they will immediately end up in the range of the
greatsword.

“Shishou, what should we do?!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe was worried about their state and spoke to me. Even Ilias would
have a hard time ighting if there’s people remaining around. But is it
possible to evacuate them all?

The people who were suddenly pushed away were slowly getting up and
began to evacuate. But there were some who were knocked to the
ground and couldn’t move properly because of the damage. Should I
request the people evacuating to help out the ones left? No, their own
safety is their utmost priority. There wouldn’t be anyone who would
follow those orders even if they were told to.

“…Wolfe, let’s get close.”

“But—” (Wolfe)
“They made this much of a ruckus. The other knights should be on their
way. We are buying time until then.”

“…Okay.” (Wolfe)

Wolfe jumped down the roof and we got to the side of Ilias. Their swords
grinded against each other several times already and both of their
swords stopped. This woman can compete against Ilias in physical
strength?!

“You idiot! Why are you not running away when you have the chance?!”
(Ilias)

“Oh my~, you came to me~? I am so happy~!” (Girista)

“You have begun a crazed battle in broad daylight. You must be Girista,
right?”

“Yes~, that’s exactly right, I am Girista-chan~! So you know me~?”

(Girista)

Even though Girista is in a struggle right now, it looks like she still has
leeway in her. I don’t think Ilias is losing here, but she can’t move as she
pleases.

Now that I look closely, the legs of Ilias were sunk on the ground. What
unbelievable sword pressure. No, judging from the thunderous sound of
before, it must have quite the weight. Let’s have Wolfe put me down for
now.

“Raheight really sent one dangerous fellow.”

“Oh my, oh my oh my, what are you talking about~?” (Girista)

“Don’t act dumb. Raheight declared war the other day.”

“Oh my, really? I heard nothing about that though~. Raheight is so
distant~.” (Girista)

“It is obviously a lie, you idiot! To think you would be caught in such a
bluff. You were careless.”

A shout suddenly rang from the back of Girista. I don’t know since when
he was there, but there’s an adventurer-looking man that’s clearly
strong. He has his whole body covered in black tight it clothes and had
lightweight armor on top of it. Is it the same kind of weapon as Wolfe?
The gauntlet that has a black dragon design is eye-catching.

“Ahaa~, did I get deceived~? So horrible~.” (Girista)

“Do you think that damn chicken Raheight would do something like
that?! But that was a good trick against Girista. You’ve got my praise for
that.”

What’s with this guy? Just when I was thinking he was talking sharply, he
switched to the expression of a docile young man. I feel like this is not
an issue of being emotionally unstable.

“Sorry, Pu~-chan~.” (Girista)

“Don’t lengthen it weirdly! I’m gonna sew up your mouth! Just call me
Pashuro already.”

If I remember correctly, there was a name like that in the list… Here.
Pashuro, the disciple of the Holy Fist Gradona and a candidate to be the
successor, but he was exiled after killing many fellow disciples. After
that he became an adventurer and a mercenary to earn a living.

He is certainly strong, but he is quite the whimsical person. He has

killed comrades and requesters countless times, and once it came out to
light, he has been active as a resident of the underground.
This guy is not a decent person either.

But a lunatic and a whimsical person. Raheight really threw me people I

have a bad af inity against. Or more like, the enemy’s reinforcement
arrived, but ours hasn’t?!

“Right right, if you are waiting for the arrival of the other knights, it is
pointless~.” (Girista)

“What?” (Ilias)

“We have set a barrier that wards people off~. Don’t chase the ones that
leave, wards off the ones that come; it is that kind of barrier.” (Girista)

I con irm the state of the surroundings. Now that she mentions it,
despite making so much of a ruckus, the surroundings are way too
quiet. We can’t even hear the voices of the people that were running
away in panic just a few moments ago. In that case, we have no choice
but to do something in our current situation.

There’s currently 5 people 10 meters around Ilias and Girista; civilians

who can’t move. Girista’s weapon has abnormal weight. On top of that,
she doesn’t lose in a match of strength against Ilias. I should assume she
is either on the same level as Gidou in his undead state or even more
than that. It shouldn’t be that much of a desirable situation for Ilias. She
wouldn’t want Girista to swing her sword much. It is a distance where
the civilians would be dealt damage just from the shockwave. If she
takes too long, Pashuro would begin moving too.

“Ilias, create distance!”

“I can’t. If I free her, it will threaten the people around—” (Ilias)

“I am not telling you to take distance, I am telling you to create it!”

“—I see!” (Ilias)

Ilias pushed away Girista’s greatsword. Girista will be able to swing her
greatsword again like this.

But…

“For now, you move away!” (Ilias)

Girista was sent lying back with the kick of Ilias. Girista immediately
spun once in the air and stabbed the greatsword on the ground with the
same movements as Cara-jii showed before to kill the momentum.

“That hurt~. You are one cruel knight for kicking the stomach of a
woman~.” (Girista)

“Yeah, sorry about that. But there’s no need to kick you anymore!” (Ilias)

It was Ilias who came to Girista this time around. With their location
being moved, the shockwaves from their sword clashes were not
reaching the civilians. She can inally ight properly now. But Girista is
taking on the attacks of the now mobile Ilias. It should be safe to assume
that she is stronger than the Anbus she fought before and is on the level
of Dokora who was the leader of the bandits.

“Oh my, how can this be~? You are stronger than me~.” (Girista)

But it seems like Ilias is superior when it comes to their potential. She is
blocking the attacks of Ilias, but hasn’t been able to ight back.
However…

“Don’t forget about my existence, brat. Don’t go complaining that 2 vs 1

is underhanded.”

The gauntlet of Pashuro was rammed onto Ilias from the back of Girista.
Ilias managed to block that attack, but she ended up getting pushed
back.
Girista didn’t let that moment escape and closed in.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to be forgotten either~.” (Girista)

“Right back at you!”

The kick of Wolfe smashed onto Girista who had raised her greatsword.
Girista was sent lying back again. It seems like she was caught
completely off-guard this time around and couldn’t mitigate the fall. She
took the full brunt of the ground.

“Oh my, oh my oh my, a cute puppy has jumped in~.” (Girista)

Girista stood up slowly. Languidly like a zombie, as if she has leisure.

“Pashuro, I am not good at looking after animals. Can I leave that one to
you?” (Girista)

“Don’t go choosing my prey for me, you trash! It will be lacking, but ine.”
(Pashuro)

Girista zeroed in on Ilias and Pashuro on Wolfe.

Ilias is ine but I am worried about Wolfe. She should concentrate on not
being defeated rather than defeating him to buy time, and wait for Ilias
to inish on her side.

“Wolfe, I won’t tell you to not go for the win, but refrain from reckless
aggression. Gauge the skills of your opponent properly.”

“Yes!” (Wolfe)

Pashuro de lected the charging attack of Wolfe with his gauntlet.

That clash became the signal for Ilias and Girista to resume their battle.
Ilias was cornering Girista with strength and speed just like before.
“I won’t be able to win in an upfront clash. Then, how about this?”
(Girista)

Girista takes half a step back while de lecting the sword. She removed
herself from the range of her sword. But Ilias doesn’t plan on staying put.
She tried to close the distance immediately.

“Thanks for the meal!” (Girista)

The greatsword suddenly opened up. The saw shaped greatsword had
opened up like the mouth of a crocodile.

Ilias made a sudden stop and jumped backwards. The fangs coming in
from up and down clamped on empty air, and the jaws were making
intense sounds.

“—A type of demonic sword, huh.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. This sword is said to have been used by demons~. It loves
to drink blood, tear meat, and crunch on bones.” (Girista)

The sword of Girista began to move like it was alive. And then, the giant
mouth opened up again.

“Now! Now! Now! Now! Let’s dance and eat the incredibly tasty-looking
knight!” (Girista)

Girista swung around the biting greatsword. The sword’s movements

that repeated the motions of opening and closing were completely
random. When it is swung down with its mouth closing, it turned into a
slash coming from both sides.

If it opens its mouth while swinging it diagonally upwards, it switches to

an attack that assails the leg and head at the same time. If you are in
between them, you get crunched, and it is dif icult to avoid since the
combination of swinging and biting makes the attacks completely
erratic. If she focuses on attacks, she can pull off a wide variety of
attacks at the same time.

Of course, if the sword switches in form erratically, it should be dif icult

to defend with it too. But Ilias managed to properly block the returning
blade of Girista. She is familiar with the erratic movements of the
sword.

“What a hassle of a weapon. Not only is it hard to de lect, it even eats the
mana of people.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. The bites of this child eat the mana around as well -even if
the attack doesn’t hit.” (Girista)

How can that be? If that’s true, just ighting in that fashion is already
shaving away on the mana and stamina at quite the speed.

I can’t tell how much mana has been stolen away from Ilias from her
expression. But the fact that she can feel it being stolen must mean that
she is at least getting 1% taken away from her.

I move my gaze to Wolfe wondering if she is ine on her side.

“She is so weak I ain’t even getting motivated to try! I do acknowledge

the amount of mana you have, but everything else is inadequate at best.”
(Pashuro)

Wolfe was attacking often, but they were all avoided or defended.
There’s way too much of a difference in skill just like the time when she
ights the Ragudo Division. What’s fortunate here is that her opponent
hasn’t gotten serious yet. He hasn’t fought back once yet.
I just hope Ilias can manage to break out from her deadlock by the time
he is assessing the situation.

“I am bored. Die already, you weakling!” (Pashuro)

Pashuro suddenly accelerated and his ist was swung down. Wolfe
reacted to it and defended, but she couldn’t kill all the power. She was
sent lying and was smashed on the wall.

“Wolfe!”

But Wolfe immediately sprung out from the wall and jumped towards
Pashuro.

“By the way, you don’t think the partner of Girista, who is a demonic
sword user, is just using your regular gauntlet, right? Burn, beast!”
(Pashuro)

Both arms of Pashuro were wrapped in black ire. The moment the
counter ire ist reached Wolfe, she lipped directly to the side. Wolfe
switched the trajectory of her lunge with mana emission.

If she hadn’t, the battle would have been decided then. Massive black
lames were covering the place where Wolfe had charged from, reaching
all the way to the wall, swallowing the wall into a black blaze.

“A stone wall is burning…?!”

“The ire these gauntlets create burn things, but they are not actual ire.
It is mana that has the special trait of laring up the mana of the target!”
(Pashuro)

Thanks for the kind explanation. But that’s bad. Basically, it is mana that
burns mana. That ire ignited the mana that Wolfe used to avoid and
burned instantly.
Just thinking about the possibility of Wolfe being hit directly by that
when she is a mass of mana makes my body shiver. It might be possible
to tear it away the moment it is ignited by using mana emission, but it
would be like blowing away ire by using the pressure of kerosene. If not
handled properly, you would end up creating a bigger ire.

Not only is there a difference in skills, he even has a sure-kill ire. No

matter how favorably I see it, Wolfe is at a disadvantage. However, if I
were to enter the battle, I would straight up become a dead-weight. If it
is as he says, I wouldn’t be ignited since I don’t have mana, but the air
and ground around burns easily too, so physical combat doesn’t work in
the irst place.

What I can do right now is understand Girista and Pashuro as much as

possible and ind a way to overcome this. But the enemies are illogical.
They are trying to kill us with unreasonable violence. It is questionable
whether those types are within the grounds of reasoning.

But this is not the time to be spitting such weakness. I should do as

much as I can regardless of how little it may be. Damn it, the chains
wrapped around my body are heavy… Chains are heavy? No wait, why
are chains—

“Gua?!”

I suddenly felt intense pressure in my body and I loated.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the situation with how sudden it was.
What happened? Get a grasp of my current state.

—My body is currently being constricted by chains. I am being hung

upside down from a building’s roof. I look up. There’s a man staring off
into space while mumbling. The chains stretching out from both of his
arms are tying me up.
Even when he is using a length that is enough to wrap around an adult
man, there’s chains wrapped around both of the arms of this man to the
point where not a peek of his skin could be seen from them.

“Shishou!” (Wolfe)

“There were still more?!” (Ilias)

“Of course there are. Pashuro and I can’t set a barrier to ward people
away after all. Nice job, Ekdoik.” (Girista)

I was careless. I was way too engrossed in the strength of the enemies, I
wasn’t considering their numbers. Girista and Pashuro are considerable
threats even by themselves. I mistook this as this being all now that
those two appeared.

My body is being constricted by chains that feel sentient.

“Gugah…!”

This is bad. My consciousness is leaving me.

If these guys are here under the orders of Raheight, their objective
should be either the book or the person that can decipher it.

In other words, if I lose consciousness here, the chances of me waking

up again are really low. By the time my thoughts reached that
conclusion… my consciousness had already faded away completely…
 CHAPTER 43
SHOW ME FOR NOW

**Reminder: Nameless sometimes switches his irst person pronoun.

I in italic = Watashi

I in bold = Ore

———

I regain consciousness from the pain in my body.

Aah, this feeling is nostalgic. I haven’t had muscle pain recently and it
has been peaceful days. Now then, I have to con irm my current
situation.

I open my eyes.

Looks like I have been made to lie inside a building. There’s barely any
light coming in from outside, and it is a dark, dirty, and dusty room. It
doesn’t feel like someone lives here.

It is most likely a vacant room.

Hayde and the other Mejis Anbus were using a house with no owner
after all.

My body is… being restrained by ropes instead of chains. I don’t think I

can use my arms and legs.

This is where my memories get clearer.

Just when the battle with Girista and Pashuro had begun, I was
constricted by chains by a man that appeared all of a sudden.

What did Girista say? Ekdo… right, Ekdoik. I dropped the wanted
posters when I got caught, so I can’t check it. Or more like, I am tied up
so I can’t do anything though.

However, from within those 3, he seemed to be the most out of it and

reeked of danger. Considering that, me being alive is a miracle.

With the appearance of a 3rd one, if Girista and Pashuro intended to

bring harm to me, I would be dead by now. On top of that, even if I lost
consciousness, I doubt they would undo my bindings just because of it.

There may have been a discussion after that, and the 3 must have
escaped from Ilias and Wolfe. I don’t think the two lost… I don’t want to
think so.

I would like to try an escape, but the restraints are not budging one inch.
I try struggling to test it out, but it is to a degree where I can somewhat
get my body up. I might be able to call for help if I were to scream here,
but… let’s not for now. There’s a high chance they are in a range where
they can hear my voice.

While I was doing that, the 3 from before opened the door and entered.

“Oh my, you are awake? I was thinking about getting an arm of yours as
good morning. Too bad.” (Girista)

“Is there no woman in this world who wakes people up gently?”

“You are pretty high-and-mighty for caught trash, brat! You’ve got balls.”
(Pashuro)

“I would like to ask if it is allowed of caught trash, but weren’t you guys
told by Raheight to kill me?”
“That’s right. That’s why we will pro~perly murder you~.” (Girista)

“The reason is simple. It is to use you.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik opens his mouth. What, so you can speak.

Wait, Girista and Pashuro are also super shocked by this.

“That’s a surprise. You could speak normally?” (Girista)

“I was so surprised I was on the verge of killing you, trash! That’s quite
the rare occurrence.” (Pashuro)

“I have no intention of speaking on any occasion aside from ones that I

judge necessary. I simply have no intention of getting along with
lunatics like you guys. Now then, Earthling, just as Girista said, the
request we got from Raheight was to murder you. But we were also told
we can freely choose our targets aside from that.” (Ekdoik)

“…So a hostage, huh.”

Because Earthlings are rare, it should be safe to assume I have decent

worth as a hostage even if I don’t like it.

That said, I am grateful for someone like Ekdoik. It would be tiring to

have a conversation with people like Girista and Pashuro after all.

“That’s right. For Girista, it is to settle her ight with Ilias Ratzel; for
Pashuro, it is to draw out Pope Euparo.” (Ekdoik)

“So, Ekdoik, was it? What about you?”

“Kill Rakura Salf. I will use you for the sake of that.” (Ekdoik)

The unexpected Rakura here. What did you do now? If a stupid reason
pops up in this scenario, I can only exclaim to read the atmosphere.
“I can somewhat understand the objectives of Girista and Pashuro, but I
want to know the reason you direct killing intent towards Rakura. Can
you tell me if possible?”

“Revenge for mine father.” (Ekdoik)

Okay, I understand even less now. She doesn’t look like someone who
would kill people though. She is of course strong. But is Rakura the type
that would choose to kill for the sake of living?… No, there’s one
possibility.

“Were you raised by a devil?”

“—No wonder Raheight is wary of you. I was a baby sacri ice offered to
mine father by a certain village. Mine father who was a literal devil took
the path of raising me instead of eating me. For the simple reason that
he wanted to see me destroy the village that offered me.” (Ekdoik)

I see, that’s a devilish way of thinking. But despite being raised by

someone like that, he is still avenging him, huh. He is talking all
obediently here, but can I get a bit more info on him?

I feel like Ekdoik is strongly prioritizing his own objective here. The
people here are the type with aligned objectives rather than them
obeying Raheight. In that case, this is not a mind battle with Raheight,
but a conversation with the 3 in front of me. The necessary opener in
order to bring out words from him are…

“It doesn’t look like you were raised with love. In that case, is it to
restore your honor?”

“That’s right. Father didn’t love me due to me being human. Even so, he
was far better than the ones who sacri iced a baby for their own safety.
The reason I am still alive is due to the training of mine father. However,
mine respected father was killed by the inexperienced cleric, Rakura
Salf. The honor of mine father was wounded from this. His evaluation
from humans plummeted along with his evaluation from devils.”
(Ekdoik)

“So that’s the reason you kidnapped me. You wanted to create a reason
to ight Rakura fair and square.”

“That time Rakura Salf appeared after destroying the barrier. I wanted
to settle things at that time, but other matters were in the way. That
brings us to the present. Rejoice, Earthling, we will let you live until we
have drawn them in and killed them.” (Ekdoik)

“I am so happy tears are gushing out.”

I pretty much understand the low of events that happened while I was
unconscious. Soon after I lost consciousness, Rakura destroyed the
warding barrier and intruded. Many knights must have followed after
once they heard the ruckus. The 3 began to escape after that, managed
to, and hid inside a vacant house.

“Don’t worry. We will pro~perly kill you. What kind of death would you
like? Sliced down, crunched, or want to ascend from on top of the bed?”
(Girista)

“Ah, the last one please.”

I would of course take the last one if asked to choose.

Also, if I can decide my way of dying, I can secure my safety in the time it
takes to settle things.

“…Pfthahahahahahaha! You are an honest boy.” (Girista)

“Ain’t ya honest, you brat. But having hope is ine.” (Pashuro)

“By the way, Ekdoik, it is ine to not kill this boy immediately, but can’t
we saw off his legs so that he doesn’t escape?” (Girista)
She places a greatsword in front of my eyes. That sword moving
restlessly really gives that bio feel. Stop that please.

“This one is a frail creature. He will die if you cut his legs off.” (Ekdoik)

“It is alright~. Despite appearances, I am super good with hemostasis

magic.” (Girista)

That’s not really unexpected though. She is an adventurer and it is also

useful for her sadistic hobbies. That said, I would hate having my legs
chopped off. My heart would break. I don’t see the other two trying to
stop her. This won’t do. Now that it has come to this, it can’t be helped. I
would rather face pain but retain all my limbs.

I tilt my body forcefully and fall towards the greatsword. The

greatsword didn’t twitch one bit, but my body got caught on the fangs of
the sword and my shoulder was injured. It hurts a lot. The fangs were
sharper than I thought. Not only my skin, a bit of meat might have been
torn out too. Blood trails down from my shoulder. It wet my clothes and
dripped to the ground.

“Oh my, oh my, what are you doing?” (Girista)

“Uooh, that hurts… I was just thinking about having you show me your
hemostasis magic if you are so good at it, you see. I wouldn’t like that
being a lie after all.”

“You are a worrywart. A wound like that, see? Just as—oh?” (Girista)

Girista used some sort of spell on my shoulder, but there was no change
in the wound. The blood is not stopping at all. I am glad I tested it out.

“What, you are useless, you trash. What’s the matter? That’s not like
you.” (Pashuro)
“I have low mana by constitution. I can’t get the bene its of healing
magic that increases healing capabilities. I had to prove it before I got
bled to death.”

“—Girista, this guy doesn’t have much power. I checked his clothes too,
but the only weapon he had was that wooden sword over there and he
doesn’t have the strength to undo the restraints by himself. What we
have now should suf ice.” (Ekdoik)

“Too bad. I thought he would cry in a nice voice.” (Girista)

Haha, scary, scary. So scary my cold sweat ain’t stopping, seriously.

These guys would de initely not hesitate when they say they are going
to do something after all.

The yakuza and ma ia might de initely do something like that if

necessary, but the only ones who would do that for entertainment are
those who are crazier even among those.

It is impossible to escape and there’s not much I can do right now.

However, the possibility isn’t zero. Ilias and the others will be making
their moves too. I will do what I can in the meantime.

I have obtained a certain degree of relief after learning about the

objective of their last member Ekdoik. His way of speaking, his anger
towards Rakura, his eloquence despite not speaking to even his
comrades…

I have also managed to see the sides of Girista and Pashuro that are
outside of battle. Yeah, these guys are pretty crazy compared to the sane
ones out there. The more I learn, the more pronounced their
abnormality is.

But being able to learn about them means it is possible to comprehend

them. In that case, what I have to do doesn’t change. It is simply that my
position is a bit dangerous, but there’s no obstacles.
“…Oh my, you can make eyes like that too, huh.” (Girista)

“—If you ind it unpleasant, can you please re lect on yourself a bit
more? I just naturally end up resembling the people around me by trade,
you see.”

“That’s not it. I like those eyes.” (Girista)

“Yeah, I’m sure you do.”

“You are one creepy brat, damn it! I can understand why Raheight wants
to kill you.” (Pashuro)

It seems like they have begun to show reactions to my change. But I

have now gotten my target. Allow me to aim at you.

“Don’t say something so dangerous. I am simply a weakling. A very very

weak being that any one of you could kill easily.”

———

He has been abducted.

What unbelievable carelessness despite having been left with the job of
guarding him.

The 3rd enemy that appeared suddenly captured him and was on the
verge of being killed. But their hands stopped abruptly. It is because
Rakura destroyed the warding barrier and showed up.
According to her, she used all her money and was searching for him, so
she went to the place that she felt had a strange presence, and a ruckus
happened. When she hurriedly headed there, she saw knights who
couldn’t get close. Noticing and detecting the presence of a warding
barrier from this, she destroyed the barrier.

When Rakura appeared, the one other man, Ekdoik, directed strong
killing intent towards Rakura. I thought an immediate battle couldn’t be
avoided, but many knights began to gather in the location. The 3 of them
began to escape the place after judging the situation was not favorable.

It seems like they had magic seal stones, so we couldn’t chase after them
with detection magic, and that leads us to the present. Ekdoik said:
‘Interruptions came in, so we will contact you at a later time’. He is most
likely being left alive as a hostage, but…

“You are not at fault, Ilias-san. They had higher numbers, so it can’t be
helped. Ah, if you include Counselor-sama, you would be equal in
numbers, but he is more like a deadweight though.” (Rakura)

“Rakura, no bad-mouthing Shishou!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe hasn’t been sitting for a while now. She has been wandering
around restlessly, and is showing anger and tension.

“Uuh, sorry. At any rate, why did that chain man-san direct such killing
intent towards me? I don’t remember doing anything to be hated that
much though… Hmm.” (Rakura)

It is true that the presence I felt from Ekdoik was the type of someone
who lived in the underground world. I can’t think of any connections
Rakura would have with her acting on the surface world.

“They are criminals. It is most likely something about capturing an

associate of theirs.” (Ilias)
“I have only fought with people in training. I have done a decent amount
of monster and devil subjugations though.” (Rakura)

“Anyways, Rakura showing up there was a saving. That Ekdoik man was
without doubt about to kill him. With you showing up there, his target
switched to you, and with the knights showing up, they took him alive
and left the place to reset the situation.” (Ilias)

“I am happy that I managed to save the life of Counselor-sama, but I

can’t be happy from the bottom of my heart…” (Rakura)

I felt strong desire from Ekdoik. He most likely wants to put an end to
Rakura with his own hands. That goes for Girista too. The chances of
them challenging us to a rematch are high.

“But this is worrying. They didn’t look like reasonable people… Even if
the chances of Counselor-sama being okay are high, is he okay…?”
(Rakura)

I don’t know about that.

They are lowlifes that would even drag unrelated innocent people in the
middle of the city without hesitation. Would they treat him with
decency as a hostage? They will most likely do atrocious things like
cutting his limbs so he can’t escape without feeling one shred of
remorse.

Bad thoughts entered my mind and strength accumulated in my ist. If

he wakes up soon, he might be able to manage somehow though…

“Ilias-sama, a letter like this appeared at the feet of the gatekeepers in

the gate!”

The one who came in was a sentry. There’s always sentries at the gates.
If they were going to contact us, the possibilities were there that they
would come there. But judging from his state, it would be better to
assume there has been no more progress than that.

I receive the letter and open it.

{At the time when the day changes, we will be waiting at the plaza of the
west rampart for these 3: Rakura Salf, Ilias Ratzel, and Euparo Rosareo.
Your only companion allowed is the white demi-human. The moment we
feel the presence of anyone aside from the aforementioned, the hostage
will be killed on the spot.}

Ekdoik was the one who called for Rakura, the one who called for me
was Girista, as for Pope Euparo, it would be Pashuro or an order from
Raheight. As for why Wolfe was allowed to come… must be Pashuro. It is
as if saying ‘come if you want to settle matters’.

“There’s no issue with us, but the call for Pope Euparo…” (Ilias)

It has already been told to His Majesty that he has been captured. His
Majesty has ordered us to stay on standby at the same place. It is a
decision after judging that the chances would be higher for them to
want a rematch against us. That thought hit on the mark.

However, Pope Euparo is not here. Not only that, he is not in the capital
of Taizu. He has gone out to accompany the transport of the tools for the
Harvest Festival for each village. Even if we sent a quick horse to explain
the situation to have him come, I doubt he would be able to make it in
time.

“I will send a fast horse, but for the rest, there’s no choice but to have
only Lady Ratzel and the others go.”

“Your Majesty!” (Ilias)

His Majesty showed up. His face isn’t looking calm.

Of course it wouldn’t be. That man is a useful talent and also a friend for
His Majesty. Even when I knew that, I…

“Leave the regrets and contemplations for later. They should have also
taken into account that we will be going there to con irm his safety.
They are not the only ones who would be troubling if they were to move
without thinking about the means.” (Marito)

That’s where His Majesty instructed us in the actions we should take.

“Lady Ratzel, now that things have turned out like this, there’s no choice
but to have you take responsibility and ight to the end. I would like to
ask for your assistance too, Rakura of the Yugura Church. The enemies
may be humans in form, but their insides are nastier than even
monsters.” (Marito)

“Understood. I will do my best to save Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

Rakura already intends to ight. She immediately decided to risk her life
for him. This is not the time to be morti ied here. I must do my best to
save him.

“Wolfe, you stay. The one who allowed you to come is most likely
Pashuro, but his strength is quite the thing. He is above Girista in terms
of technique.” (Ilias)

“I don’t wanna. Wolfe is coming too!” (Wolfe)

“But—” (Ilias)

“If Ilias were told not to go, would you not go?” (Wolfe)

“…The enemy is strong. I don’t have the con idence I will be able to
protect you, Wolfe.” (Ilias)
“You don’t need to protect me. We are going there to protect Shishou.
That’s all!” (Wolfe)

Resolved eyes. I have not been able to persuade anyone with eyes like
those.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he is Wolfe’s everything. He

provided Wolfe with her present and future. It is not only for his sake,
Wolfe has decided to ight for her own sake as well. There’s no method
to not have her regret not coming.

“They are not enemies that you can win against with conventional
means. Let’s think up a way to win.” (Ilias)

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

“That can be applied to you too, Lady Ratzel. Even if you can win with
conventional means in battle, you will need to break through an
unfavorable situation. If the pride of a knight is going to get in the way,
you will need the resolve to throw that away.” (Marito)

“…Yes, in this moment alone, I will think of saving him as my utmost

priority.” (Ilias)

I couldn’t protect him as a knight. This is not the time to worry about
pride. I must think about saving him above everything else… But there’s
something that bothers me even more.

He had a similar atmosphere as Dokora when he was talking to him. If

he were to make contact with those lunatics, and he tries to
comprehend them, will he end up being dyed in their color?

If possible, I want him to be safe and wrap things up peacefully.

We inished con irming our equipment and headed to the designated

location.
 CHAPTER 44
I DON’T UNDERSTAND DUELS
FOR NOW

I don’t remember when my feelings for the world faded. But it is not
that far in the past that I wouldn’t be able to scoop it out from my
memories. There was most likely no such day.

It was shaved away, bit by bit, as its worth was being destroyed. No, the
worth of the world hasn’t changed. What changed was my perception of
worth in the world.

There are times when my heart would lutter at a beautiful scenery I

would like to see again; there are times when I would want to eat tasty
food again and keep it in mind; times when I would want to meet
wonderful people again. I know the worth of the world, understand it.

And yet, why does it look so faded? Is it because I learned of the

ugliness of the world? Is it because I tasted its fearsomeness? Because I
entrusted my body to the darkness? No, if that were the case, I wouldn’t
have the sense of worth to acknowledge the good things.

It is most likely something more simple than that. I have simply grown
tired of going between stuff like light and darkness, or good and bad.

There’s people who are more blessed than me, people who are more
unfortunate than me, people more outstanding, people inferior; a
whole lot of variety.
I perform by gauging and comprehending the changes brought by this
combination of various elements that differ with time and occasion. Of
course I would get tired.

Getting heated, getting involved, becoming obstinate; I can lose vitality

by just momentary triggers. That’s why I seek the lifestyle of easygoing
and thoroughly enjoying the relaxing moments.

I would like you to not stomp on my small wish. I just want to live safely.

I am ine with just choosing in moderation, acting in moderation, being

moved emotionally in moderation, and being satis ied in moderation. If
you are going to get in the way of that…

———

There’s a number of plazas in Taizu. The biggest one is the plaza in the
middle, but the other plazas are also loved by the citizens, and have
their own histories as places to rest in.

This plaza would originally be a place that’s lively with performances

for the Harvest Festival. However, right now, there’s barely any life in it.

The place was vacated immediately after it was designated. A fake

reason was given to the citizens and the people in the neighboring
residences have been evacuated as well. There’s no people around the
plaza anymore.

There’s knights on standby at a decently further location. They will

de initely seize this place if any eventualities happen. However, it will
happen when that man and us lose our lives.

The ones here are me, Wolfe, and Rakura; a total of 3 people. Pope
Euparo couldn’t arrive in time. First, we should avoid any harm to him
that might stem from this.
“It is the agreed time! How about showing up if you are there?!” (Ilias)

“Oh my, oh my oh my, isn’t there fewer people than we asked for?”
(Girista)

Girista and Pashuro show up.

I don’t see him and Ekdoik yet.

“So you are ignoring my designation, you trash?! That you are breaking
your word must mean that, right?” (Pashuro)

“Pope Euparo has been going around the villages at the borders of the
country since morning. He was not in a situation where he could
feasibly arrive in time. If you want to call him, you should have at least
done your homework.” (Ilias)

“Oh my, Pashuro, they have discovered how unprepared we are.”

(Girista)

“It is because you began it thoughtlessly! If you lip that around, it also
means that Pope Euparo is outside without any proper protection.”
(Pashuro)

“Right. We can go kill the Pope-sama after we inish here.” (Girista)

“Don’t chew on my prey, you idiot! But well, my one other prey seems to
have come, so let’s enjoy that one.” (Pashuro)

“Where’s Shishou?!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe shouted at Pashuro with anger seeping out, but the two are not
the type who would falter at that.

“Sorry about that. I couldn’t endure it since he looked at me with such

nice eyes. Here, you can smell the scent of his blood, right?” (Girista)
Girista directed her greatsword here.

We must not get swallowed in anger. It is true that there’s fresh traces
of blood, but there’s only a bit. I doubt it is fatal, and it might not even
be his blood in the irst place.

But Wolfe must have been able to tell that blood was from him. She
tried to jump in as if shot forward, but Rakura stopped her.

“Aah, geez, Wolfe-chan! You must not get caught on such cheap
provocation!” (Rakura)

“That’s right, Wolfe. Calm down.”

“?! Shishou!” (Wolfe)

He showed up.

That’s a relief. He is okay.

His shoulder is bandaged, but there doesn’t seem to be anything off

anywhere else. He doesn’t seem to be restrained either.

I sigh in relief.

That said, Ekdoik at his back is directing an incredible amount of

bloodlust, so I can’t afford to look away.

“Ekdoik! Why did you undo his restraints, you idiot?! There’s no bene it
in leaving him free, right?!” (Pashuro)

“Isn’t that obvious? What you seek in this place is con lict. You wouldn’t
want them to use the hostage as an excuse that they couldn’t ight
seriously, right? We can just kill him if he tries to escape.” (Ekdoik)
“You have a point there. I want to enjoy a serious battle to the death
with Ilias, so there’s no need for such shackles.” (Girista)

“If he tries to escape, Pashuro, burn him with your lames. It would
de initely get him, and even if he was protected, you would be able to
defeat one of them.” (Ekdoik)

“Don’t blame me if your prey gets caught in that and dies, you
numbskull! That’s how it is, so stay put there and watch.” (Pashuro)

“Yeah, that was my intention from the very beginning.”

It doesn’t change the fact that he is in a dangerous position. If he tried

to escape, it would simply increase the danger of their target switching
to him.

However, it should be safe to assume that he managed to handle his

side properly.

“I have set a warding barrier in the surroundings. There won’t be

interruptions in our duels.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik raised both arms up and swung them down. When he did, the
many chains slid down from his arms and spread on the ground.

“Now, Rakura Salf, killer of mine father! Let’s have you die for the sake
of his honor!” (Ekdoik)

“…Uhm, Ekdoik-san, I have no experience killing a person though.”

(Rakura)

Rakura can’t read the atmosphere at all. No, she probably doesn’t want
to accept that statement just now with no recollection of it.

“Rakura, it seems this guy was raised by a devil that you subjugated in
the past.”
“What?! So that’s why I felt the unpleasant sensation characteristic of
the inhuman on Ekdoik-san.” (Rakura)

Being raised by a devil. Is that possible? But if that’s the case, he

certainly would have a grudge on Rakura who does devil hunting. That
said, he managed to get something like that out of him too?

“That’s right, the Great Devil that you defeated that day, Beglagud, is the
father that raised me! The honor of mine father was tarnished by being
defeated by you who was known for being completely useless in
everything aside from ighting despite being a priestess! I will be
regaining that honor here!” (Ekdoik)

“That’s such a cruel way of putting it!” (Rakura)

I understand how his blood could boil if the bitter enemy of his father is
Rakura. Just imagining how I would feel if I were in a similar position as
his, I end up pitying him a bit.

“Excuse me, I would like to ask one more thing while at it. Is that okay?”
(Rakura)

“What?” (Ekdoik)

“What kind of devil was that Great Devil Beglagud? It may be shameful
to admit, but all the devils I have defeated until now were pretty much
the same.” (Rakura)

“…I have decided. I will kill you in all the most horrible ways I can
imagine!” (Ekdoik)

“Why?!” (Rakura)

What expertise in provocation.

It would be impressive if it was on purpose, but it was most likely just
her being airheaded.

The face of Ekdoik turned even more serious.

“Ekdoik, bring retribution to that unaware idiot!”

“Even Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

He seems to be the same as always. Even though it is at a time like

this… I am a bit less tense now, but I must get into gear here.

The moment I thought of this, Ekdoik attacked Rakura. The chains on

the ground jumped at Rakura as if they were sentient. But the barrier
Rakura deployed blocked the assault of the chains.

Girista and Pashuro moved at the same time too. Both are types that
specialize in wide range attacks. We must avoid a free-for-all ight no
matter what.

I jump in before Girista moves!

“So passionate. I am happy!” (Girista)

“Sorry to ruin it for you when you are happy, but no playing around!”
(Ilias)

The sparks of battle have been ignited.

———

Ilias and Girista, Wolfe and Pashuro, Rakura and Ekdoik. I knew Pope
Euparo wouldn’t be able to come, so this is the exact development I
predicted.
For Ilias, I will just believe in her. I don’t have a clear grasp of Rakura’s
strength. This is my irst time seeing the battle style of Ekdoik, so the
only thing I can do is pray.

The issue is Wolfe. The strength of Pashuro is the real deal. It should be
safe to say he is stronger than the Anbus we defeated before. There’s
no doubt she won’t be able to win with conventional means. It is either
to wait for Ilias to join in or form a plan.

Wolfe is the one attacking and Pashuro is kindly de lecting the attacks
as he sometimes mixes some feints in.

Wolfe is usually training against opponents stronger than her, so she

tends to not aim for big attacks. She goes for the higher number of
attacks as she slowly rams up her engine. The only times she would aim
for a one-hit reversal are when she has been cornered or hard pressed.

On the other hand, Pashuro is observing at irst and shifting to attack

with a certain mindset. The difference in power is evident, but it is a
style that matches. What’s left is how much potential Wolfe can bring
out, but the preparations are set. I will ready advices for any unexpected
instance and just wait.

———

“Now, I will scrape you off and eat you up!” (Girista)

After clashing with Girista a few times, she unleashed the power of her
demonic sword not that long after -the greatsword that opens and
closes like the mouth of an animal. Even when I avoid its attack, it eats
the mana in the surroundings.

The amount of mana scraped off is only around 1% each time, but
tagging along with her in a drawn out battle would be a bad plan -is
what you would normally think, but things just don’t go as you want.
Girista would sometimes show openings in the middle of the clashes.
But those openings must not be taken, they are traps. The strength to
swing around a greatsword, her way of acting dyed in madness, despite
all that, she has contradicting carefulness to her. She would make
openings herself and, by drawing her opponent in with that, she
ascertains a counter.

If they don’t attack, she can exhaust her enemy slowly. She is not a swift
ighter but an endurance one. I obviously won’t be able to win if I don’t
go on the offensive. There’s also the matter of Wolfe.

Then what should I do? Not take advantage of the openings she
presents me, but the ones I make myself. I move around Girista and
keep her at bay with minute attacks.

“That greatsword is pretty big, but what’s even more abnormal is its
weight. Its relative weight is far heavier than that of iron.” (Ilias)

“That’s right, this is super heavy~.” (Girista)

“Right. You wouldn’t even be able to lift it without increasing your

strength with mana strengthening. And in order to swing it, you would
need suitable footing.” (Ilias)

“And what of i—?!” (Girista)

The body of Girista sinks -in the literal sense of the word. Her footing is
currently not earth but sand.

“A type of earth magic. Will you be able to hold your ground on sand
with that body weight?” (Ilias)

“What a sly trick.” (Girista)

“Not that different from making openings on purpose!” (Ilias)

I step in from ground that has good footing and unleash an attack.

Girista tried to swing her sword, but her legs were caught on the sand
and lost her balance. She stabbed the greatsword on the ground in
order to forcefully get back on her feet.

I have sealed her sword with this. I won’t give her the time to take it
out. I jump in at once and swing down my sword.

“Got you!” (Ilias)

“I did!” (Girista)

The greatsword suddenly moved intensely. And then, the greatsword

twisted perpendicularly and opened up. The demonic sword had
changed shape into one where it had both sides opened up and waiting
for me.

Despite giving that dogged impression like scissors, it actually has

lexibility that lets it be twisted freely. It can face the opponent as it
wills. That is the true form of this demonic sword.

I can’t kill my momentum anymore. The demonic sword regained its

sturdiness and closed its jaws.

“Too bad.” (Girista)

“Right back at you.”

“—?!” (Girista)

The movement of the demonic sword has stopped. I am ine.

I didn’t expect it could change into a soft body, so she did get me when
it comes to inding an opening on me. But her making it hard again was
a mistake.
I used the scabbard I threw at the jaws of the demonic sword as a
holding bar and stopped its movements. The steel scabbard is steadily
bending. Good grief… I am going to be scolded by Toruid again.

I look at Girista. This is the irst time she shows a lustered expression.

I now know the preliminary motions to turn it soft and how long it
takes for the change.

“You—” (Girista)

“Too slow.” (Ilias)

One swing; it took one swing to send both arms of Girista lying in the
air.

———

Rakura and Ekdoik was a battle between spear and shield. Ekdoik could
freely control the chains of unknown length and slam them. In contrast,
Rakura defended with her barriers.

It is a relentless barrage of chains from all directions, but he couldn’t

break through the barrier.

“Uhm, how about we stop? I have no intention of killing a person…”

(Rakura)

“I am the son of a devil. That should be enough of a reason to ight,

cleric!” (Ekdoik)

“Even if you tell me that, you are a human.” (Rakura)

“—!” (Ekdoik)
The attacks were increasing in intensity. Ekdoik was getting more and
more frenzied. Every word of Rakura was touching the nerves of
Ekdoik.

Is this woman doing it on purpose?

But this really does accentuate the importance of af inity. Wide area
attacks that don’t allow evasion, each attack has the power to easily
gouge out the ground. If a civilian were to be caught in it, they would be
turned into minced meat in an instant.

If Ekdoik was the one ighting Wolfe, she would have lost a long time
ago.

“Ueeen, Counselor-sama! This person isn’t listening to me~!” (Rakura)

“Just ight him…”

“It has always been against monsters and devils, you know?! I can’t hold
back!” (Rakura)

“You bastard…!” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik’s chains make a shape in the air. The chains changed into a giant
axe that looked like it could slice a house in two.

“Die crushed!” (Ekdoik)

“Geez, that’s dangerous!” (Rakura)

Rakura undid her barrier and raised a hand towards the axe. The swung
down axe stopped right before it hit.

Now that I look closely, there’s a barrier deployed around the axe and it
is hampering its movements.
“This is what you do to dangerous weapons!” (Rakura)

Rakura turned her hand and countless lines of varying sizes and lengths
appeared inside the barrier. And then, she closed her hand.

When she did, the lines changed to lat surfaces. The barrier turned into
countless blocks, their surfaces sliding on each other, and spreading in
midair. I felt as if I was shown a body severing magic on a transparent
box with no tricks.

Rakura made a barrier to seal the movements of the target, divided the
barrier on top of that, and even divided the target. The giant axe was
made from several chains entwined together. She sliced it apart in
countless pieces.

Many severed chains fell on the ground as the barrier was released. I
see, she would be able to kill most living beings if she were to use that.

The downside would be that the barrier protecting her would have to
be deployed long range for an instant which has a time lag.

It would be hard to capture an enemy that moves fast. But if the enemy
is overcon ident or giant, it is very effective. However, that just now
was a technique that has a high chance to defeat a irst time enemy.

Her using it to get rid of Ekdoik’s weapon was a mistake.

“Now, please give up. Your weapon has already broken!” (Rakura)

“Broken? Where?” (Ekdoik)

The chain that Ekdoik was holding began moving and wrapped around
the chains that were scattered around.

Just when I thought the chains had turned liquid, they returned to the
shape of chains again. Not only that. They should have been chains that
covered his arm at irst. But what about the chains now? They have
clearly increased. Their amount is enough to ill up a house in chains.
Are those chains the same as the demonic sword of Girista in that they
are out of human rationale?

“Oh my, that’s convenient.” (Rakura)

“These chains are mine anger, mine grudge! In inite chains that won’t
ever be exhausted!” (Ekdoik)

Waves of attacks assault Rakura again. Rakura deployed a barrier in an

instant and concentrated on defending.

“Uuh, Counselor-sama, do something! If possible, switch with me!”

(Rakura)

“If I approached even one step into that, I would die!”

“Then, a hint! Anything’s ine!” (Rakura)

Rakura looks at Ekdoik as a human. She has resolved herself to not kill
people. She is against even injuring them -despite being exposed to
killing intent.

You could say that’s just like a cleric, but she should at least have a spell
that can incapaci—no, the fact that she hasn’t done training against
humans means that the techniques Rakura has are all deadly ones? All
the spells of Rakura are top tier. Its power is on a whole other level.
They all hold the risk of killing Ekdoik. That’s why she can’t attack.

“If you can’t defeat him with the attacks you have, use other attacks to
defeat him!”

“Eh?!… Ilias-san!” (Rakura)

“Don’t rely on your other comrades!”

“What do you want me to do?!” (Rakura)

The waves of chains were swallowing the barrier itself. They gouged
out the earth and it is now swallowing it from all directions.

“Run out of mana and be crushed to death!” (Ekdoik)

“Uwaaan! It is all wriggly like a centipeeeede!!” (Rakura)

…Alright, ignore her. Once Ilias is freed up, she will help Wolfe, and once
I have leeway after, I will help her out.

It is the same as before. If her barrier is gone, she will be assailed with
instant death attacks. She might be able to manage somehow if she
shoots magic right when the barrier is undone, but if she shoots inside
the barrier, she herself will be in danger and if her motions are one
instant late, she will die without doubt.

“Ah, but if it is not a bug, it is not scary. Ei!” (Rakura)

The chains were blown off and wreck scatters. The gale reaches all the
way here. Is it some sort of wind magic?… She did that without
hesitation…

“Even though you said it wasn’t possible for you when it was a bug…”

“If I were to blow away insects, their juices would ly!” (Rakura)

“That was your reason?”

But Rakura will be able to move again with this. Even so, the attacks of
Ekdoik are not stopping. The chains have been regenerated again.

“As if I will let you end it! I will teach you the weight of my anger, over
and over and over and over!” (Ekdoik)
“I have understood it plenty enough already! Uuuh, what should I… ah,
right.” (Rakura)

Rakura activates magic. A strange haze showed up around the legs.

“Die!” (Ekdoik)

“Don’t wanna!” (Rakura)

Rakura jumps. Rakura, who should have low physical ability, jumped
high in the sky.

“Jumping magic, huh! As if I will let you escape!” (Ekdoik)

The chains immediately stretched in the air and attacked Rakura.

Rakura jumped in the air countless times and avoided the ierce attacks
of the chains. That’s so nice. It looks handy.

Anyways, the reason why she is not using the barrier is most likely
because she noticed my advice. The moment I noticed her intention,
Rakura was right above Ekdoik and was completely surrounded.

“Now, there’s nowhere to run anymore!” (Ekdoik)

“There’s still somewhere!” (Rakura)

Rakura used wind magic to create an escape even higher and escaped
far into the sky with jumping magic. However, the linked chains chased
after Rakura immediately and stretched.

“It is pointless no matter where you run!” (Ekdoik)

“No, this should be about enough.” (Rakura)

The moment the chains stretching from right below her were about to
touch her, they were blocked by a barrier. Rakura landed on that barrier.
“Another barrier?! Stop with just protecting yourself!” (Ekdoik)

“Don’t wanna! Also, it is not like this barrier is protecting me.” (Rakura)

“Wha—” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik noticed the current situation. The barrier that Rakura made
isn’t one that protects her surroundings. It is a rectangular barrier
standing vertically that’s surrounding the chains of Ekdoik.

“You think that has imprisoned them?! No matter how irm it is, if I just
attack until your mana runs out—” (Ekdoik)

“Your chains have increased in mass by quite a lot compared to normal

because they have absorbed a large amount of mana, right?” (Rakura)

The rectangular barrier had horizontal lines appear one after the other.
It is the same technique that cut off the chains in axe shape.

“No matter how much I cut your chains, they will regenerate by
injecting mana from your hand. But lipping that around, that means
the chains you are not touching are just plain chains, right?” (Rakura)

The lines turned into lat surfaces, and sliced the chains stretching
vertically one after the other. And then, the barrier was undone only on
the severed side, creating a container of sorts.

“Wa?!” (Ekdoik)

“It takes around a few seconds to regenerate them by injecting mana.

However, it is possible to drop these large quantities of chains on you
with just a few seconds!” (Rakura)

“R-Rakura Saaaaaaaaaalf!” (Ekdoik)

He won’t be able to evade to the sides. It would be impossible to defend
himself properly with his shortened chains either.

A rain of chains that have increased enmasse swallowed Ekdoik along

with his screams.

“It was from you that I learned feelings were heavy… Counselor-sama! I
have done it just as you advised!” (Rakura)

“No, didn’t that kill him?”

“…S-Self-destructs don’t count! It is not my fault!” (Rakura)

It wasn’t from a desire to not kill. She was just trash that didn’t want to
dirty her own hands. Give me back my feelings of respect.

Ekdoik had been buried in chains, but he must have either died or lost
consciousness. The increased chains were visibly shrinking. What
remained were chains of a decent length and the unmoving collapsed
Ekdoik. Rakura has safely won.

How about the others?

I directed my gaze at Ilias. It was just at the time when Girista’s arms
were lying off. Looks like she has managed to get an advantage.

I directed my gaze at Wolfe, but there’s no change in the situation.

However, there’s a change in the surroundings, so basically… it is
coming.

“Kaaah, a whole bunch of useless trash! Can’t be helped. I will defeat the
remaining ones by myself. Playtime is over, demi-human!” (Pashuro)

Black ire appeared in both arms of Pashuro. Special ire that ignites
the mana of the target. Looks like Pashuro is getting serious too.
His whimsical switch lies in external factors. The conditions can be
whatever. However, he will switch his mood when there’s big changes
in his surroundings.

With the defeat of Ekdoik and the heavy injury of Girista happening at
the same time, his mood switch was lipped.

Wolfe’s state… isn’t bad. It seems like she has warmed up quite a bit.
The shine in her hair is steadily getting strong. The mana inside of her
is gaining vigor and is over lowing. She should be able to utilize that
technique to an effective degree like this. The battle is still 50/50.
 CHAPTER 45
THE NATURAL THING TO DO
FOR NOW

My intention was to lop off her head, but it ended up with just slicing off
both of her arms because she let go of her sword by re lex and avoided.

Girista managed to escape from the bad footing spot now that she had
let go of her weapon and was light.

“Oh my, oh my, you’ve got me. I guess I have to be grateful I at least have
my head attached.” (Girista)

“Looks like you still have leisure. However, you can’t hold a weapon with
the state of your arms. Or could it be that you have a way to regenerate
your arms like Ekdoik does with his chains?” (Ilias)

“I can treat my arms, but it takes time and I need to wash the fallen
arms. But that would be dif icult here.” (Girista)

I can tell how high level Girista’s healing magic is just by seeing how
there’s not a single drop of blood falling and her wound being closed
already.

“I can stick it back, but I can’t touch the sword anymore. I am ine with
this being my defeat. I will be struggling if you tell me you want my life
though.” (Girista)

Her ighting spirit certainly is gone now. Should I inish her off? But
Pashuro is inally beginning to get serious.
Girista specializes in defense to begin with. Even without her arms, it
should be safe to assume that she can buy time even without her arms.
My time being wasted here would lead to risking the life of Wol ie.
Fortunately, Rakura has gone to protect him. In that case, it should be
possible to react even if they were to pull any tricks.

“Do as you please if you want to run away. If you do anything weird, I will
inish you off immediately.” (Ilias)

“I will be watching. Well, if it looks like Pashuro will lose too, I will run
away though.” (Girista)

I leave Girista and head to where Wol ie and Pashuro are ighting.

———

Wol ie was attacking one-sidedly until now, but right now she is being
pushed back completely. Of course she would be. The ire clad around
Pashuro has the ability to ignite the mana of others.

Receiving the attacks of Pashuro or even defending against the arms

clad in ire would ignite Wol ie. On top of that, he has poured a certain
degree of mana on both arms in order to harden them.

Wol ie has low pro iciency, so she is maintaining a high degree of

hardness by forcefully outputting large amounts of mana. However, that
is instead increasing the risk here. It is basically like ighting while
pouring kerosene all over your body.

Even so, if she were to reduce the mana and push it back, her physical
specs and defense will drop sharply and she will be beaten to death with
pure physical violence.

The reason why she can avoid the attacks of Pashuro who has switched
to the offensive is because Wol ie is in good condition. Wol ie is in top
gear right now due to the initial battle.
In terms of mana strengthening, Wol ie’s is superior to that of Pashuro.
If we are talking plainly of physical strength, she would be second only
to Ilias in this plaza. With such high specs revved up from time along
with her polished concentration, if she were to move to evasion, the
results are as you see.

“Don’t jump around like a damn ly, you weakling! Even I get bored if it is
one-sided.” (Pashuro)

“I see. We will go on the offense then.”

Pashuro blocks the attack of Ilias who jumped in.

Despite that attack having come completely from behind him, he still
managed to block it without issues.

“What, did Girista give up? That bitch! You must really like to shit on
your chivalry by jumping into a duel!” (Pashuro)

“Say whatever you want. There’s no words that can injure me when it
comes from lowlifes who use a hostage as bait to drag others into their
affairs!” (Ilias)

Pashuro jumped back to avoid the following attack. The sword of Ilias
caught ire because it got blocked with the black ire.

“—Hmph.” (Ilias)

But Ilias waved away the black ire with a swing of her sword.

“Waah, Ilias-san is so skilled. She gathered all the mana she was pouring
on her sword onto the tip and stopped the encroachment of the black
ire.” (Rakura)

“Thanks for the explanation, Rakura. Seems like Ilias has a good grasp of
that ire’s special trait.”
In that case, Wol ie should also… is what I want to say, but the weapons
of Wol ie are gauntlets. It would be dif icult to wave it off. On top of that,
that was a feat that was made possible because of the mastery of Ilias. If
the perceptive Wol ie wants to try out something like that on her irst
try, it would be better for it to be with a long weapon like a spear.

“Well, I don’t care if it is 1 or 3 though. It is a good handicap for trash.”

(Pashuro)

Pashuro provokes them with a beckon. That composed face of his didn’t
change even in front of Ilias.

Ilias attacked without a response.

Pashuro avoided that, but the one who jumped in from behind Ilias was
Wol ie.

“You think that’s gonna catch me off-guard, you idiot? Burn.” (Pashuro)

Wol ie blocked the gauntlet clad in black ire with her gauntlet and
immediately retreated. The ists that you would think were ignited
didn’t have ire on them.

“Playing tricks, you trash! The technique of that knight there, huh.”
(Pashuro)

“Setting barriers is not exclusive to Rakura.” (Ilias)

Ilias set a barrier on the surface of Wol ie’s gauntlets. Barriers are a
mass of mana. It will burn up if they touch the black ire, but it will lose
its destination if it is undone. A one-and-done barrier. It won’t be
possible to set the barrier again if Ilias and Wol ie don’t make contact, so
the amount of moves they have to make have certainly increased.

“I will jump in. Wol ie, you avoid any counterattacks as you try to get
accurate hits in.” (Ilias)
“Okay!” (Wol ie)

It is an extempore tag team, but these two know each other’s

movements well. Pashuro is not looking as leisurely as before…

It should be about time.

I observe Pashuro as I ready both arms.

“—Now.”

I clap both hands.

But no one reacted to the sound. However, change occurred in the battle.

“Now then, how’s this? Burn already, weaklings!” (Pashuro)

Pashuro stomps the ground. When he did, his surroundings lared up

with black ire. Ilias and Wol ie take distance on the moment and avoid
it. However, the kick of Pashuro that came out from the black ire landed
on Ilias.

“Guh?!” (Ilias)

She must have had a barrier on herself as well. She caught ire for a
moment, but the ire disappeared. That said, the difference in defensive
power between this and Rakura’s is like heaven and earth. It is originally
used so you don’t breathe in poisonous mist, so you can’t expect much
battle effectiveness from it.

The battle style of Pashuro has changed at this point. From a ist style
that used his gauntlets to one that specializes on legs. It is less than the
black ire appearing in his arms, but the threat it poses isn’t lower.

Pashuro followed up his attack on Ilias immediately. Ilias is being

pushed back with the many leg techniques being unleashed on her one
after the other.

“Where did the energy of before go, ain’t this too one-sided, woman?!”
(Pashuro)

“—! Don’t look down on me!” (Ilias)

The moment she defended against the 10th kick, Ilias began to retaliate.
Looks like she has begun to adapt to Pashuro’s new style… but it is not
as easy as that, huh.

I clap both hands.

“—Ilias, move back!” (Wol ie)

“Don’t look down on you?! Nah, you are all the way down. Die, you
blockhead idiot!” (Pashuro)

Pashuro threw a ist onto Ilias. It is not a distance that can reach her, but
Ilias must have felt something from the warning of Wol ie, she quickly
took distance.

Black ire was shot at the place Ilias was an instant after. From punches,
to kicks, and now even a switch to long ranged attacks.

“Uwaah, he is so multi-purpose, that Pa-something-san.” (Rakura)

“Pashuro. But he really is a troublesome one.”

The battle is growing in intensity.

Pashuro and Ilias were having exchanges while Wol ie aimed for
openings. But no effective method is showing up. They can’t create one.

The battle sense of Ilias is certainly high. In just a few trades, she got
used to the movements of Pashuro, and has switched from defense to
offense. However, when Ilias tries to concentrate on the attack, Pashuro
switches his way of ighting completely.

Just when you think he is controlling the ire and shooting it out like a
pyromancer, he would create a sword of ire and come at you like a
knight. Just when she got used to the ire sword, he created ire claws on
both hands and went at her with a new martial style. He is not always
switching to new styles. He would at times return to styles he has
shown before and the pattern couldn’t be read.

“The basic strength of Pashuro is a threat in itself, but the biggest

problem he poses is his whimsical nature. He is not maintaining the
same style and is changing them on a whim. It is a tough opponent to
deal with for Ilias and Wol ie who increase their gear as they observe
the ighting style of the opponent.”

“Right. By the way, Counselor-sama, why have you been clapping over
and over for a wh—” (Rakura)

“Rakura, barrier on the front only!”

“Yes!” (Rakura)

Black ire lew here the moment Rakura deployed the barrier.

“Oi, you are being noisy, you damn brat! Don’t go doing unnecessary
stuff when you are not ighting.” (Pashuro)

“Of course he would get angry if you were to go clap clap and distract
him. Uwaa, the barrier is burning?!” (Rakura)

Looks like he read what I am trying to do. Of course he would notice if I

do it over and over, but… it should be enough.

“—Ilias, careful!” (Wol ie)

“Yeah!” (Ilias)

The attack method of Pashuro changed after the warning of Wol ie.

“You are noisy, you piece of shit! Getting stupid knowledge!” (Pashuro)

The composure has disappeared from the face of Pashuro. Wol ie

already understands the sign of when Pashuro switches.

Me clapping was so Wol ie and Ilias noticed.

Pashuro is an incredibly whimsical person who changes tone, style, and

even moods. However, he has habits right before switching.

For the change in mood, it is a change in the conditions of the

surroundings; the defeat of Ekdoik and Girista were just that. The
change in tones is when he takes a breath or cuts off his words.

The change in battle style also has its own signs. This one alone is hard
to feel on the surface. However, I am done with my observations.
Reading the atmosphere of the other party isn’t so dif icult compared to
reading their mind.

Even so, telling them out loud would be dangerous. My re lexes are slow
so it could cause confusion. Thus, the hand claps.

I have been imprinting that into Wol ie and Ilias unconsciously. The
moment I feel a sign of change, I clap my hands. And then, the
movements of Pashuro change.

By repeating this, Wol ie managed to observe carefully the moment

Pashuro switches. The concentration of Wol ie is top gear right now. She
has trained countless times to ind answers in such situations.

“Hah!” (Wol ie)

“You are in the way, you weakling! Buzzing around…!” (Pashuro)

The frequency in which Wol ie participated in the attacks is steadily

increasing. Now that she has seen through the attack methods and the
switches, the chances of an accident drop drastically.

With Wol ie’s moves increasing, Ilias obviously gets more freedom in
movement too.

“Just… burn already, you brat!” (Pashuro)

“Won’t let you!” (Wol ie)

The moment Pashuro switched from kicks to ists, the leg sweep of
Wol ie hit. He regained his balance soon after, but her attacks are
beginning to connect.

Looks like she not only learned the switch of styles, but can predict
some of the styles that will be coming.

The ighting style of Pashuro is one that switches freely, itting a

whimsical person. However, the downside is also his whimsical nature.
Changing on whim means there are times when he doesn’t feel it. In
other words, Pashuro can’t do actions that go against his whims.

When he is on the whim of using ists, he will use ists; when he is on the
whim of using kicks, he has to use kicks. Even if you can freely switch
your hand in rock-paper-scissors, there’s no point if they can predict
what you will put out beforehand.

Pashuro understands this, but he can’t change. If he tries to force that

change…

“What’s the matter?! Such unenergetic attacks won’t hit!” (Ilias)

“Damn it!” (Pashuro)

His body and mind won’t match anymore, and he won’t be able to make
attacks with high ef iciency.

Now that it has reached this point, Wol ie can aim for that technique.
The risk is high, but it is one with high decisive power.

“This will… decide it!” (Wol ie)

Wol ie pushes out her right ist she held aloft, but Pashuro avoided it by
shifting his body slightly to the left.

“As if a large swing like that will hit. Don’t get ahead of yourself you
shitty—” (Pashuro)

A dull sound rang.

The body of Pashuro spun in the air and bounced on the ground as if he
had been hit with a full power attack.

“…It hit!” (Wol ie)

“Nicely done, Wol ie!” (Ilias)

The gauntlets of Wol ie showed their true meaning.

The protectors around the ist are not for protection but propulsors.

I was already aware of the explosive power of Wol ie’s mana in the
battle against the Anbus. By directing that explosive power into a
speci ic direction, she changed it into propulsion power.

Wol ie purposely threw a large swing with her right ist and had Pashuro
avoid to the inside. And then, she exploded the mana accumulated in the
gauntlet, ejecting vast amounts of mana from the propulsion openings,
and the right ist changed trajectory as if sprung.
This technique carries huge risks. If this attack were to be avoided,
Wol ie’s stance would be broken heavily.

If she throws a full power attack from the correct stance, her body can
react to the next action. However, an attack from an unstable form has
nowhere to get a hold of. She even tripped lashily and injured her
shoulder lightly at the time when she tested it out.

She might be able to control it if she lowers the output, but if she does
that, it would just be a normal hook you switched trajectories of. It is
when it is a second high speed straight after fully stretching your arm
that gives it the surprise factor and its power.

Pashuro mitigated the fall and got up. However, he soon fell on his
knees.

“Damn it! To think a demi-human would get the better of me…!”

(Pashuro)

“The match has been set, Pashuro. You shouldn’t be ine after receiving
that attack just now.” (Ilias)

Just as Ilias said, his legs can’t stop shaking. He got a full power hit on his
head. One hit is more than enough. Pashuro probably can’t even stand
up.

“Don’t joke around! As if I would accept defeat after an injury of this

degree…!” (Pashuro)

Pashuro stood up as he gritted his teeth. However, it is clear to the eye

that he is extremely weakened.

He will be able to move after a while, but in his current state, releasing
the black ire would most likely be the most he could muster.
“Oh my, oh my, that’s pathetic. Can’t you just honestly admit your loss?”
(Girista)

“Shut up, Girista! In the irst place, it is because you are useless trash
that things ended up like this…! You get up too already Ekdoik, you
incompetent idiot!” (Pashuro)

When I looked over there, Ekdoik slowly got up. But the shower of
chains he took with his whole body was even more damage than
Pashuro. He is most likely the most injured out of the group.

“Give up. Even if it is not fatal, with those wounds, it is impossible for
you people to ight.” (Ilias)

“Shut up, you numbskull! Don’t talk as if you’ve won with that high and
mighty gaze, you bitch!” (Pashuro)

Pashuro shoots out black ire. But he probably couldn’t aim properly, it
lew off without hitting anyone.

“I see, it can’t be helped then. Let’s settle this.” (Ilias)

Ilias readies her sword.

The battle will most de initely be settled with the next attack.

“—Aah, I am bored already. I will end this as you wish!”

Suddenly, black ire bursted around my surroundings. My body is

covered in ire. It is pretty hot. However, it is not like I am actually being
burned. Must have intentionally held back. Well, obviously.

Pashuro did something to my clothes on the way here. So it was for this.

“Shishou?!” (Wol ie)

“Counselor-sama?! There was no such sign… Could it be that they had it
set from the very beginning?!” (Rakura)

“That’s right! Don’t move, you pieces of trash! If you make a single move,
I will turn that man into cinders with my black ire.” (Pashuro)

“You are going to stoop even lower, you lowlife!” (Ilias)

“Don’t provoke me that much. It took me a lot to hold back and not kill
him. Ekdoik, you can move, right?! Come here!” (Pashuro)

Ekdoik unsteadily approached Pashuro as he observed the situation.

“What do you plan on doing, Pashuro?” (Ekdoik)

“Any more battle would be rough, so I will be running away. But that
would be insuf icient, right?! These guys came here prepared to die in
order to save that man. Then, it should be ine for one or two of them to
die, right?!” (Pashuro)

“…”

“Right, I will kill that white brat this time! That’s why, kill Ilias Ratzel. If
they resist, that man is cinders!” (Pashuro)

“There’s pretty much no trust towards us. Even if we told them it is in

exchange for the life of that man, I doubt they are the type who would
just let themselves be killed.” (Ekdoik)

“No issues! I know that woman is the bodyguard of the man. A knight-
sama would be able to throw away something like their lives, right?!”
(Pashuro)

Ilias closed her eyes vexed.

A face that says she might seriously accept if they were to say it is in
exchange for my life.

“Pashuro-san, do you not have pride as the strong?!” (Rakura)

“A cleric preaching, huh. That pisses me off, you numbskull! If you are so
serious about your opinion, then let’s have you die irst. Ekdoik,
accomplish your objective irst! Now, show me that pride of the strong
you preach about!” (Pashuro)

Throwing the sparks onto Rakura as well? That’s way too convenient.

If it were just running away, the life of a single hostage might suf ice, but
you are greedying for the win.

Man, I can only laugh at that.

“—Guh?!”

Pashuro doesn’t understand what happened to himself yet. The reason

why he vomited blood, the meaning of the chains piercing through his
chest, or the worth of the organs that are skewered at the tip of them.

However, he is not an idiot who doesn’t know anything. He should be

able to notice soon -the reality that he has been fatally injured by the
chains of Ekdoik.

The ire covering me disappeared weakly as if synchronized with the

lames of his life.

“Ekdo… ik… What… are you…” (Pashuro)

“It all went just as that man said. What a pathetic man you are.” (Ekdoik)

Giving someone a present on their way to hell is what a villain does, but
he is the type of person that would take others as hostage. Let’s leave
regrets on him at least.

“Rakura, would you be able to extinguish the ire here completely now?”

“Eh, ah, yes, eh?!” (Rakura)

I have Rakura clear the remaining ire. His last struggle is gone now.

I walked towards Ekdoik and Pashuro who went on his knees again.
There’s no need to get too close, just enough for my voice to reach.

“You wouldn’t like to die without knowing, right? Allow me to explain,

Pashuro. Ekdoik betrayed you guys. I set it up so that would be the case.”

“You… there were no signs of…” (Pashuro)

“Yeah, Ekdoik was your ally just before -until the moment you got
greedy and asked to kill Rakura, that is.”

I was certain Ilias could win against Girista. Wol ie would buy time, Ilias
would join, and by utilizing the habits of Pashuro, there was enough
chance of winning.

The uncertain factor was the battle between Ekdoik and Rakura.

Also, depending on how strong the whimsical nature of Pashuro is, I

knew that he would do whatever is necessary in order to win when he
has lost. That’s why I planted a seed on Ekdoik -the seed of rebellion.

“Ekdoik, victory for you is to protect the honor of your father. Being raised
by your father and obtaining power, if you were to win one on one against
Rakura, you will certainly be able to regain that honor. However, learn
that you would be able to protect that honor even more if you were to lose.”

“What do you mean by that?” (Ekdoik)

“If you win, what you will prove is how good the education of your father
was. But in order to prove the strength of your father, you would have to
go for a different method. It is to bring up Rakura. If you manage to raise
Rakura to an existence that would be natural for a devil like your father to
lose, you would be able to protect his honor in a irmer manner. Even the
Demon Lords have lost to the Hero, after all.”

“Do you think I will give up on my revenge just for that?” (Ekdoik)

“No, that’s why you can ight with everything you have, fair and square.
However, you should rethink how to act when you have lost. Also, one more
warning. There will be a case where the honor of your father will drop to
rock bottom. Do you know when that is?”

“There’s no way that can be the case. I can prove the greatness of mine
father if I win.” (Ekdoik)

“That’s only in the case when you win with your own strength. But what if
Rakura were to lose to you in a way where she doesn’t resist? Would you be
able to call that a victory? No, you wouldn’t. On top of that, if it were
obtained by using a hostage, just what would that prove from the guy who
scavenged such a victory?”

“…Are you telling me to free you?” (Ekdoik)

“No, you need a hostage for the sake of ighting Rakura. You are not wrong.
However, what about the others? Especially the whimsical Pashuro.
There’s the possibility he will thoroughly use the hostage in order to win.
Then, imagine this. Pashuro used the hostage and you managed to one-
sidedly kill Rakura. Now, what would the world think of you… of your
father if they were to learn of this?”

“……”

“I have no intention of running away. But if you undo my restraints, I

promise that I will be a complete spectator on your battle against Rakura.
If you win, that’s ine. Even if you lose, we can avoid being used by Pashuro.
No issues with that, right?”

“Yeah, got it.” (Ekdoik)

“However, if something were to happen despite that, I won’t be able to do

anything. Remember that if something were to happen that would
trample you and your father’s honor, you will be the only one who can
eliminate that threat.”

“Why go through such lengths?” (Ekdoik)

“Regardless of whether it is blind justice or dyeing oneself in evil, it is the

nature of humans to want to cheer for the ones that can be reasoned with,
Ekdoik. Your desire to protect the honor of your father is correct, and
regardless of shape, it should be achieved. That desire shouldn’t be dirtied.
You should protect the worth you hold in yourself with your own hands.”

Ekdoik’s anger towards the killer of his father, Rakura, wasn’t because
she took her family away.

He has been raised to hate the humans that threw him away. But the
devil that taught him this was defeated by Rakura. Ekdoik had lost sight
of what was right at that point.

Not wanting to believe that everything he gained until now was

worthless, he sought for the rightness of his father. However, the voices
around were cold -that there’s no worth on the devil that lost to
someone incapable like Rakura.

If the worth of his father is gone, the worth of himself until now would
be gone too. That’s why he decided to get revenge on Rakura.

However, this is also in part to gauge the worth of Rakura. And so, I
prepared an escape path for him, so that it is okay to evaluate Rakura
there. If Ekdoik can acknowledge Rakura, he will be able to move
forward. There’s no need to block the other paths. You will feel more
relieved when you have more choices after all.

And then, at the end, I imprinted a view on the existence that could ruin
everything.

Ekdoik lost to Rakura. He had no choice but to acknowledge her at this

point. However, what would happen if he killed Rakura without any
dif iculties after that.

It would turn Ekdoik’s past -its worth- to zero. That’s why it is the
natural result that Ekdoik betrayed Pashuro here once he took
desperate measures.

“Too bad, Pashuro. If Ekdoik had no honor, the one in this state would be
someone else. Whimsical people are not to be trusted, you see. You
know, I am a bit of a whimsical person myself. Just give up and think of
this as having lost because of my disgust for my own kind.”

“Don’t put me… in the same level… as you…! You are… you are…!”
(Pashuro)

“Aah, but your whimsical nature was… how to say it… easy to
understand.”
 CHAPTER 46
IT HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED TO
ME FOR NOW

Pashuro eventually collapsed on the ground and breathed his last. It is

impressive how, even though his heart was taken out, he still managed
to live for this long though.

Girista has lost both arms, and Ekdoik is injured in his whole body and
he seems to be barely managing to stand here. Well, most of all, these
two have completely lost their will to ight.

Now then, let’s put the inishing touches. Ilias came back to her senses
and ran my way, and I also approached her.

“Just what in the world happe—mgh.” (Ilias)

I ignored Ilias who was about to say something, sandwich both of her
cheeks, and stare at her.

“W-What are you…” (Ilias)

Stare at her.

Look at her eyes, pupils, and continue staring even deeper in.

“…”

I take a deep breath and exhale. —Alright, this should be enough of a

change of mood. I want to end this in a neutral mindset after all.
“Now then, Girista and Ekdoik. Is it okay to assume that you two don’t
intend to ight anymore?”

“…Right, my motivation is kind of completely gone. Pashuro threw cold

water on it after all.” (Girista)

“The knights must be encircling the place by now. If you are going to
run away, aim for the time when we join up with them.”

“Wa, what are you—” (Ilias)

“However, I would like you to accept the conditions I am about to put

out even if it is just a verbal promise. If you can’t, I won’t stop Ilias.”

Ekdoik and Girista looked at each other’s faces and looked over here
again.

“Let’s hear your conditions.” (Ekdoik)

“The irst one is to not be a threat to us anymore. I can trust Ekdoik

because of the previous instance, but we have to deal with your battle
mania somehow, Girista.”

“That part is ine. Even if I heal my arms, it would take time for me to be
able to wave my greatsword like I have done until now~.” (Girista)

“Once your arms heal and you can swing your weapon again, and you
bare your fangs once more, we won’t be able to ignore you. There’s the
chance you will learn some other ighting style after all.”

“I get it. I won’t put a hand on you in the future.” (Girista)

“Girista, stop that. It will end the negotiation.”

That’s my trade. There’s no way I would fall for it.

“…I won’t be a threat. That ine with you now?” (Girista)

“Yeah, thanks. The second one is to break off connections with

Raheight.”

“No issues with that. We have failed, so we are not in a position to show
ourselves in front of him.” (Girista)

“If I can achieve my objective, I will accept the condition.” (Ekdoik)

With this, we have reconciliation with Ekdoik and Girista even if just on
the surface. It is not clear whether these two will keep their promise,
but we have made a promise.

Judging from how Rakura is not interjecting, it must mean that they are
agreeing truthfully here. Meaning that we have secured safety with that
just now. Depending on what happens in the future, they might go
against their promise. There’s no need to hesitate when that happens.

“Wait a moment! Do you understand what you are doing here?!” (Ilias)

Ilias interjected when we were proceeding.

“What, you ask? I am simply letting them go. Girista simply wanted to
have a deathmatch with a strong person, and Ekdoik was planning on
restoring the honor of his father. They are both matters that can be
solved, right?”

“But they kidnapped you and tried to kill you, you know?!” (Ilias)

“Yeah, that’s why there shouldn’t be an issue if I make the decision to let
them go, right?”

“That’s…” (Ilias)
“The objective of Pashuro was the rebellion against the authority.
That’s why he designated Pope Euparo. He could have affected the
surroundings, so I had him eliminated.”

“Isn’t the killing desire of Girista the same? There might be more
casualties in places we don’t see!” (Ilias)

It is easy to imagine that. That said, when you go that far, I can only say
that’s none of my busi—no, no, looks like I still haven’t switched
completely. I smack my face and switch.

“Girista, how long will it take for both of your arms to heal?”

“Right. If it is just attaching them, it wouldn’t take long, but if it is the

same as before… more than a month.” (Girista)

“Then please endure killing people in that time. I will ind a way to hold
down that impulse of yours. If it doesn’t seem like you can, Ilias, you put
an end to her.”

“Fine by me. I can endure a bit if you promise me a rematch. But can
you trust me?” (Girista)

“Yeah, I can.”

“…I see, then I will do my best to keep the promise~.” (Girista)

Ilias directed her gaze at Rakura. She nodded profusely.

“Now then, let’s disperse. If we talk for too long, who knows when the
knights will come pouring in.”

This is how this matter was wrapped up.

Pashuro died, and Girista and Ekdoik escaped. The gauntlets Pashuro
had on and the greatsword of Girista she left behind were transported
to the castle.

The knights chased after the escapees, but they couldn’t get their
whereabouts. They couldn’t catch the people who lived in the darkness.
There were some unsettling rumors going around, but the Harvest
Festival resumed, and we safely reached the last day.

Marito called for us after that, and we are currently in the guest room.
The other ones that were called are Ilias, Rakura, Pope Euparo, and
Archbishop Ukka.

We explained what happened there.

“That damn Raheight. To think he would aim for the Pope-sama as if he

were an afterthought!” (Ukka)

“Don’t make a ruckus, Ukka. But it is great that the harm was kept to a
minimum. Pashuro was the disciple of the Holy Fist Gradona. I am
impressed you managed to come out ine.” (Euparo)

This is the pattern where there’s going to be some sort of crazy

backstory added afterwards. He actually managed to ight on even
grounds against Ilias, so I won’t be surprised.

“But why did you let the other two escape? The chances of them
becoming enemies again is higher.” (Euparo)

“Judging from the personality of Raheight, he won’t be sending the

same people twice. At the very least, we have dealt with them as the
assassins of Raheight. The other reason would be in order to get
information.”

I say this and look at Archbishop Ukka.

“W-Want something from me?” (Ukka)

“I am grateful for your cooperation in scooping out information,
Archbishop Ukka. There was no important information per se, but it
has served in learning of Raheight. I have let those two escape for a
similar reason. Those two were not controlled. They were facing
Raheight in their natural state, so we should be able to peek at a
different side from him.”

His way when he interacts with a brainwashed target, the way he

usually interacts; by learning those differences, we will be able to get a
more three dimensional view of Raheight.

Of course, making direct contact with him is the fastest shortcut, but it
should be safe to assume that Raheight won’t be showing himself in
front of us personally.

“That might be true, but I don’t think they will spit out that information
honestly though.” (Euparo)

“There’s no issue there. I plan on meeting with Ekdoik at a lair of the

bandits at a later date to exchange information. The condition to
cooperate is to do something about Rakura though.”

“Me?!” (Rakura)

That’s where I tell them about the objective of Ekdoik.

Ekdoik had been raised by a devil. He hated the humans that threw him
away and admired the devil who raised him. With Rakura having
defeated that father of his, he directed his attention at Rakura.
However, Rakura is normally airheaded, so she is evaluated lowly, and
that irritates him.

She not only has a low evaluation among humans but devils too. Due to
him being the son of a devil that lost to someone like that, his self-
respect was in tatters.
“And so, we just have to improve the reputation of Rakura.”

“But… isn’t that an extremely dif icult thing to achieve?” (Euparo)

“Pope-sama?!” (Rakura)

“Yeah, honestly, it is on the level where I want to puke.”

“Counselor-sama?!” (Rakura)

“But it is not like there’s no avenue. The reputation of Rakura within

the humans is in a realm that can’t be done anything about, but the
story is different if it is within the devils. She just has to show that she
is a threatening existence to the devils after all.”

Actually, the biggest reason why I accepted this proposal of Ekdoik was
because I learned of the strength of Rakura.

The result was that Ekdoik couldn’t deal a single scratch on Rakura and
lost. On top of that, it was after she was complaining so much about
‘not wanting to kill’ so she was holding back. His internal evaluation of
Rakura must have increased by quite a lot with that. Honestly, it is on
the level where it might be ine to just raise that one to the extreme.

“Fumu, so it is ine to just send Rakura to the Nether.” (Euparo)

“That’s not ine!” (Rakura)

“I would like you to do that, but it should be ine to just send her to the
frontlines where she can show her true strength. Or rather, why is it
that you have been moving her away from the frontlines when she has
shown so much results in subjugating devils?”

I threw the natural question at them.

The battle prowess of Rakura is actually being evaluated highly. If all
her other points are useless, she is basically asking to be used in the
frontlines.

The one who can answer this is most likely Archbishop Ukka who is her
direct superior.

“About that, it is because when awarding her the medals for her
achievements, she strongly requested to be away from the frontlines…”
(Ukka)

“…”

Everyone looks at Rakura with judging gazes.

“No uhm… the food in the frontlines is not tasty and there’s no
bathtubs, you know. The beds are also hard and it is unhygienic…”
(Rakura)

“At least talk about the fear and emptiness of battle or something like
that.”

“Ah, let’s go with that.” (Rakura)

“…”

She has been crushing her own chance to show her potential for the
sake of her own peace.

But it must be true that it is harsh on the frontlines. You are exposed to
danger and can’t even lead a satisfying lifestyle. Couldn’t you say
Rakura is quite the big deal for only thinking about the quality of life
there?

“Alright, I will entrust Rakura to you. I am sure you will be able to

reform her!” (Euparo)
“Wait, the one with the highest responsibility shouldn’t be pushing the
problem to others and running away!”

If Pope Euparo says that, no one in the Yugura Church can go against it.
That’s not fair.

I did expect to get involved to a certain degree, but it would be

troubling if you throw the whole life of someone to me.

“No, I am not running away. We couldn’t put Rakura to full use. I am now
sure that you will be able to guide her into becoming a wonderful
cleric! I have decided to convince myself of that!” (Euparo)

“You are spilling out your real thoughts at the end!”

“Now then, I will leave the future of Rakura to you under the orders of
the Pope.” (Euparo)

No fair. No, I do understand how he feels, but that’s not fair.

It is so horrible that he is using his authority in such a blatant manner.

How can you stand above others like that?!

“Wait, please wait, Pope-sama! Rakura is not an object. She has the
right to choose her path!”

Now that it has come to this, I will latch onto the rights of Rakura and
stick her to the side of the Pope! It should be possible. Turn your gears
full power!

“Fumu, you have a point. Then, let’s ask the person herself. Rakura, I
shall respect your will above everything else. Where would you want to
stay from here on?” (Euparo)

“Me…?” (Rakura)
“Just for your information, if you are left to me, I will be merciless. Don’t
think you will be able to lead the same lifestyle as you have until now.”

“Uuh, in that case, the Pope-sama would be better…” (Rakura)

“By the way, I plan on sending you straight to the Nether by today.”
(Euparo)

“To the Counselor-sama please!” (Rakura)

“Not fair! No, isn’t it horrible for the Pope to throw a threat?!”

“Threat? What are you saying? Isn’t that the best way to make use of
her abilities to the fullest? Didn’t you say just now that you wanted to
do that?” (Euparo)

“T-Then, here too.”

“You would need the permission of Mejis in order to enter the Nether
that is connected to the territory of Mejis. There’s no way we would
permit you to push a young one with a bright future to their death,
right?” (Euparo)

“Can you please remember what you said just before?!”

If I say this, he says that. In order to face this person, I need to make
proper preparations. I can’t win against him with adlib. We have way
too much of a difference in social status.

Anything goes for his side, but there’s a limit to what I can do.

“It is not only because I want to push a problematic person to you. I

have also heard from Archbishop Maya. You apparently found a job for
Rakura.” (Euparo)

“That’s…”
“Even though it was a given after being told, we couldn’t notice it. Due
to this, we have been burying the talent of Rakura and wasting it. Our
heads are way too hard. That’s why I thought from the bottom of my
heart that I wanted to entrust her to you with your lexible mind.”
(Euparo)

If you tell me that, I can’t say anythi—I obviously have a lot to say back!
Why are you trying to wrap it up nicely? Now that it has come to this, I
shall debate to the end.

“That’s how it is, so I would like you to ask him for my stead too, King of
Taizu. For the sake of an amicable relationship between Taizu and Mejis
too.” (Euparo)

“If you put it like that… I am sorry, my friend.” (Marito)

“Et tu, Marito?!”

Being faced with the power of the Pope and the King, there’s no way the
complaints of a commoner will be effective. Rakura Salf has become a
resident of the Ilias house in name and reality.

———

Due to the decision of the Pope-sama, I am now going to be polishing

myself under the guidance of the Counselor-sama.

That said, they are horrible people, pushing the custody of someone
else like a hot potato.

I am aware that I am just eating my just desserts and that I am being

seen as a troublesome person.

Even so, anyone would dislike being treated like that.

Counselor-sama was returning dejected after having been talked into
submission by the Pope-sama and King Marito.

“Haaah…”

“Counselor-sama, please don’t sigh that much. I am the one who is

being treated the worst here after all!” (Rakura)

Even if I say this, I am sure of what he will be saying next. ‘You just dug
yourself into that one though’, ‘I have been caught in the cross ire here’
or something like that.

“Think about how I feel as the one who will be shouldering your life.
You are the second after Wolfe, you know?!”

Oh, that wasn’t it. Even though the words of the Counselor-sama are
normally ones I can predict, he would sometimes come out with things
that I can’t predict like this one.

The way Counselor-sama dotes on Wolfe-chan is something I am really

jealous of. It is in part because Wolfe-chan has earnest loyalty towards
Counselor-sama, but it is most likely not only that.

“If you treated me like Wolfe-chan, I would also be more motivated

though…” (Rakura)

I said something I didn’t really mean. Changing my lazy nature isn’t that
easy to do. I have barely changed in these 20 years after all.

“As if I would treat you the same. Wolfe is Wolfe and Rakura is Rakura.
In the irst place, your personality wouldn’t change that easily!”

His point exactly.

I want to live freely and in comfort. When I think about too many
things, I always end up causing terrible things, and cause trouble to my
surroundings.

If I am going to be doing proper work, devil hunting would be a lot more

relaxing. Well, devil hunting doesn’t hold a candle compared to just
living a lazy lifestyle though.

“If you think I can’t change, you should just give up and accept it… It is
impossible to reform me.” (Rakura)

“Listen here. Even if your core doesn’t change, your environment can.
We create a method that can make the best of you even as you are.”

“Isn’t that a lot of work?!” (Rakura)

“That’s why I am sighing here. I know the dif iculties awaiting me after
all.”

…This is it. Why is it that Counselor-sama doesn’t give up on me? Even

though he should have noticed my true self a long time ago.

I normally try to act decent, but I have stopped doing even that recently.
And yet, he would just make a displeased face but doesn’t abandon me
in the end.

“It is okay to not go through so much work for someone like me. I also
just want to take it easy.” (Rakura)

“I will throw you away when I have to. The only reason I don’t do it right
now is because there’s still a way.”

“So you would throw me away if that doesn’t work either, right? That’s
rough for me too as someone that has to tag along with it.” (Rakura)

“No need to be so negative about yourself. Even if you haven’t changed,

the eyes around you have changed bit by bit, right?”
That’s simply because you are moving me in a way that’s useful after
understanding me. It is true that, even if it is a hassle that work is going
my way now, I am also a bit happy about it…

“Even so, I think there’s a limit. I feel like it would be impossible to

reach a point Ekdoik-san is satis ied with.” (Rakura)

I have apparently killed the devil that raised him. I have almost no
regrets about it. I at most feel ‘So that’s how it was. It was at a bad time’.

It seems like he is angry that I am not worthy of being the killer of his
father. That’s seriously a pain.

According to Counselor-sama, he would be satis ied if I became

famous, but I have barely changed.

I am a lazy cleric; this won’t change. I won’t become serious and it is not
like I will become a hero.

“There will be no end to the hardships with how you are right now. But
humans are not immutable. Even if you don’t change, if the eyes around
change, even the small developments internally will provide
proportional developments to the outside too.”

“I don’t think I will change though.” (Rakura)

“I will tag along until you do.”

…Geez, can’t be helped.

I can’t deny it with him having shown results. Also, if he tells me that
with honesty, someone like me can’t push him away.

I don’t plan on changing, but I will at least do my best in tagging along

with it.
“Does that mean you will be looking after me for life?” (Rakura)

“If nothing works, I will modify you physically. What would you prefer
for an arm: a claw or a sword?”

“I don’t want a change like that!” (Rakura)

He is foul mouthed and treats me horribly, but I don’t know of a place

that’s this comfortable despite me being myself. That’s why let’s be
under the care of this person in the meantime.
 CHAPTER 47
THE NEXT MOVE FOR NOW

A few days later, we went to one of the bandit lair remains with the
usual 3. There’s a bit of distance between the capital of Taizu and here,
it is the place that has already been checked and has the most things
left behind.

It is the best place to stealthily live in and it is the place where the
attacker the other day, Ekdoik, is currently hiding in.

“So you are here, Rakura Salf!” (Ekdoik)

“Can you please stop shouting as if I am the killer of your parents every
time we meet?” (Rakura)

“You are!” (Ekdoik)

“We don’t have time. Want to draw a portrait of her or something next
time? If you do, you might feel a bit more attached…”

“…Fine!” (Ekdoik)

“It is okay?” (Ilias)

Even if Ekdoik does feel disgust, there’s already no bloodthirst and it

took away the poison of Ilias. Well, from just the fact that it is
bloodthirst towards Rakura, it was destined to not last long.

For now, we give him the ingredients we brought and direct my

attention at the surroundings. There’s chains placed here and there. I
don’t know whether it is a trap or just decoration.

“Ekdoik, Pope Euparo has entrusted me to look after Rakura. It must be

good news for you.”

“Hooh, in other words, you can increase her reputation under your
direction!” (Ekdoik)

“That said, I won’t be sending her to the battle ield or something like
that immediately though.”

“Waah, as expected of Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

“Muh… But that way my objective can’t be ful illed!” (Ekdoik)

“Now, calm down. You should know if you are the assassin of Raheight,
right? There’s the possibility he will send even more assassins.
Stronger ones than even Pashuro.”

“True. It does sound like she would be hitting even bigger targets if she
is close to you.” (Ekdoik)

“In the irst place, there’s the shadow of the Demon Lord on Raheight.
There’s no bigger shot than that.”

“Really?!” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik couldn’t hide his surprise. Even though he knew I was an

Earthling, it seems like he barely knew anything about the identity of
Raheight.

I decided to compare information with each other to understand the

current situation.

Ekdoik was raised by a devil that used the scar of the Demon Lords in
contact with the Mejis territory, the Nether, as his base. There’s several
places called the Nether. The one in contact with the Mejis territory is
named exactly as it is: the Mejis Nether.

Devils are different from demons who were originally humans. They
were born purely in the Nether, and are a race that has high intelligence
within the living beings. They have learned the common language of
humanity that was most likely transmitted to them by the demons and
are strongly cautious of humans.

Them being called devils sounds pretty dangerous, but wouldn’t they
technically be pure demons?

Their characteristic traits are that they live long and have no need to
mate. Due to this, there’s a lot of them who pride themselves in their
individual strength. The newborn devils like to increase their strength
and position, and spend all their time in battle, but once they reach a
certain standing, they begin to settle down in their own turf, and lead a
leisurely life.

And then, after their turf becomes a certain size, they begin to draw in
other devils into their rule. When the number of devils following them
reaches a certain point, they will begin to be called Great Devils.

There weren’t many who were called Great Devils in the past. The
reason behind this is because of the Demon Lords that created the
Nethers. There’s no other ones than the Demon Lords to rule them
after all.

Depending on the Nether, there’s areas that are ruled by demons, but
Hero Yugura defeated the Demon Lord that created the Mejis Nether at
a pretty early stage, so contact with the demons that were their
subordinates has been lost too.

The father of Ekdoik was the Great Devil Beglagud who ruled over 30%
of the Mejis Nether. He was cruel and had outstanding power, with
many in luential devils under his rule. He also had a strong interest in
humans. He has attacked human settlements in the past, and has
caused a great deal of harm.

“Of course he would be subjugated.”

“—I won’t disagree with that. He attacked humans for the sake of
superiority, raised the sacri ice they offered, and tried to have him
attack them after all. But I hold no pity towards humans who offer a
baby for the sake of self-protection.” (Ekdoik)

“Wouldn’t you have been able to live peacefully if that threat hadn’t
existed to begin with.”

“Stop the ‘if’ talk there. We would both just wear ourselves out.”
(Ekdoik)

With all of that being said, Ekdoik is the grown form of the baby that
was offered as a sacri ice by the village that feared the attack of the
devils. Beglagud didn’t eat him and entertained himself by raising him
to the fullest. It is truly the whim of the devil.

Ekdoik grew steadily while warped and, inally, he tried to enact his
revenge towards the village that sacri iced him. In all of that, the clerics
dispatched by Mejis attacked with a bizarre invasion. It goes without
saying that Rakura was also part of that cleric party.

The original objective was apparently to subjugate the demons close to

the border of the human realm and the Nether. But they ended up
making contact with a subordinate devil of Beglagud, battled, and the
devil ran away after being half dead. They ended up in the den of devils
after chasing them.

Normally, that could only be called careless, but their enemy was bad.
Rakura defeated a massive amount of devils there. Beglagud was
caught up in that as if it had been an afterthought.
“Was there no difference?”

“Even if you ask me that… They were a group of abnormal looking

beings with high mana and faintly humanoid which is a trait of devils,
so…” (Rakura)

“Ekdoik, did Begladud not have any de ining traits in his body?”

“…”

It is a different race from humans. They wouldn’t have readily available

differences like the garments for humans. The ones that survived were
the devils that were in other bases and Ekdoik.

The territory Beglagud ruled had returned to a lawless zone, and there
are apparently many devils ighting for the territory even now. Looks
like the amount of devils Rakura has subjugated is indirectly increasing
even now.

Normally, the evaluation of Rakura should have spread within the

devils as a fearsome being that defeated the Great Devil Beglagud. But
with the accounts of the devils that in iltrated the human realm to
investigate Rakura, things turned complicated.

Rakura’s usual uselessness and her evaluation within the human realm
had come to light. After learning about this, the devils began to think
‘maybe Beglagud wasn’t really that big of a deal if he was killed
instantly by a dunce like that?’, and the other Great Devils began calling
Beglagud pathetic and unsightly.

The result was that Ekdoik lost his place. He took advantage of being
human and lived in the human realm as an adventurer, moving his
living place.

“Just how much of a troublemaker were you?”

“I was just acting normally though…” (Rakura)

“Even Pope Euparo knows about you despite being someone you
shouldn’t be too connected with.”

“I have not messed up in front of the Pope-sama… At most, I would say

it was when I broke the barrier of the Grand Church through a small
mistake in the middle of a ceremony.” (Rakura)

“I don’t really get it, but what I do understand is that you messed up big
time.”

If the ramparts of Taizu were to collapse due to a mistake, Marito would

obviously keep an eye on her. Rather, I am actually impressed that she
can stay a priestess after causing something that big.

Let’s go back to the main topic.

Ekdoik could skillfully use inhuman techniques, so he became a

prominent igure within the adventurers in a short span of time. But
Ekdoik hated human contact, so the people he got involved with were
the ones living in the darkness at most.

After continuing such interactions, he made contact with Raheight.

Raheight noticed that the battle techniques of Ekdoik were taught by a

devil, and not long after making contact with him, he even managed to
investigate that he had been raised by the Great Devil Beglagud.

“The possibility would be that he has a devil acquaintance in the Mejis

Nether.”

“Right. He is an unknown existence. It should be safe to assume that he

is pulling the strings from various places.” (Ekdoik)
There wasn’t much new information from Ekdoik regarding Raheight.
He at most was warned that I am an Earthling who is said to have
created the taboos.

In terms of new information, it would be that he is currently moving as

a young man. There’s the possibility he can quickly switch to a new
body once the current one is inconvenient for him, so it is not like this
info is that useful. I also share the information I have of Raheight with
him.

“The existence of the Demon Lords is famous within the devils too.
However, I have not heard talk of their resurrection. The Great Devils
might be carrying secrets like that though…” (Ekdoik)

“So you were not told about it despite being raised by Beglagud.”
(Rakura)

“It is your fault he died, you know!” (Ekdoik)

“But there’s barely any information about how Raheight is connected

to the Demon Lords. Ilias, what kind of being was the Demon Lord that
created the Mejis Nether?”

“They created the largest scar in the world called the Mejis Nether and
is the irst Demon Lord to be defeated by Hero Yugura, the Purple
Demon Lord.” (Ilias)

“This is the irst time I have heard of that Demon Lord. The one who
created the Nether lying ahead of the Black Demon Lord Killer
Mountain of Taizu was the Black Demon Lord?”

“No, the one who created the Taizu Nether was the Green Demon Lord.”
(Ilias)

“Why did the Black Demon Lord die there?”

“It is unknown. The Black Demon Lord was suspected to be the
strongest, but their origins were shrouded in complete mystery.” (Ilias)

That said, Mejis is purple and Taizu is green, huh… In that case, Gahne is
red?

Amethyst, turquoise, garnet; they are all associated with gem colors.

The reality is that Taizu uses turquoise as their motif. The clothes of
the Yugura Church have the purple color in them. I can’t deny the
possibility that that kind of knowledge has been mixed in the
establishment of the countries.

No, wait…

“Ekdoik, I would like to ask about the appearance of Raheight when you
met him recently.”

“I told you he was a young boy.” (Ekdoik)

“Not their physical appearance. I would like to know about his

accessories and the color of his clothes.”

“They were clean white clothes. As for accessories… he was wearing a

scarlet necklace.” (Ekdoik)

This is worth con irming with Archbishop Ukka.

That’s good and all, but where did the other ruf ian go?

“Speaking of which, what happened with Girista?”

“Girista inished treating her arms and headed to Gahne. Her face is
now known in the capital of Taizu and she said the other villages were
too rural, it was uncomfortable for her.” (Ekdoik)
The of icial statement given was that two people rampaged around
Taizu, kidnapped someone, and attempted murder. They are being seen
as dangerous as adventurers too, but with them rampaging in the
capital so brazenly, of course they would be wanted people now.

But calling Taizu the countryside, huh. It is true that it is surrounded by

mountains and forests, and there’s only villages. I feel like the capital of
Taizu is decently developed, but I would like to check the other
countries too one day.

“She said that she would appear in front of me after she can ight once
again. That’s all she left as a message.” (Ekdoik)

“I see. Looks like we will have to make preparations for when that time
comes.”

I then noticed the gaze of Ekdoik move to Wolfe. By the way, Wolfe has
been directing a wary gaze at Ekdoik the whole time.

“What’s the matter? Bothered by the gaze of Wolfe?”

“—Rather than her gaze, I am curious about the amount of mana she
has. I have seen demi-humans in other countries, so I don’t think of
them as unusual, however, this is the irst time I see this amount of
mana.” (Ekdoik)

“Your daily life has been with devils after all. Is it really that
impressive?”

“The mana you are born with and the mana you increase with training
has differences. Ilias Ratzel has an abnormal amount of mana, but I can
see traces of outstanding training in it. However, Wolfe, was it? Despite
having equal amounts, her mana is barely trained.” (Ekdoik)

What’s trained mana? Does it look like muscles? If I could see

something like that, Ilias would look even more of a gorilla, so I would
like to refrain from that.

“Wolfe apparently has so much internal mana it would normally

over low after all. She hasn’t gone out of her way to do training to
increase her mana.”

“Figures. But isn’t it a waste to not do actual training despite having

that much mana?” (Ekdoik)

“We have taught her mana emission and mana strengthening though.”

“Really? I didn’t feel any skill aside from her body movements.”
(Ekdoik)

Saying this, he lengthened his own chain by around 1 meter, cut it off,
and threw it to Wolfe. Wolfe avoided that.

“…No, that wasn’t an attack. Don’t worry. Try this out.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik poured mana into the remaining chain and made it move like a
snake.

Wolfe observed the fallen chain with suspicion and poked it to con irm
the sensation. And then, she tried pouring mana into it as told.

When she did, the chains began to tremble violently left and right. It is
striking as if it found its parent’s killer.

“Who was the one who taught her how to control mana?” (Ekdoik)

“It was me.” (Ilias)

Ilias speaks out.

No, I don’t think that’s a scene where you come out proudly.
“There’s a limit to extreme… Even devils use it more delicately…”
(Ekdoik)

“I taught Wolfe from the basics. The irst thing to do is to exert oneself,
right?” (Ilias)

“…I will give you that chain, so use it for training. It is a special one
weaved with my mana. You can do a variety of things depending on the
way you pour the mana into it.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik moved the chain of the same length freely. The size of the rings
and the length, even increasing or decreasing the volume. Change the
color to rainbow, clad it with ire, wet it with water, tinge it with
electricity; Wolfe was watching all of this with a serious expression.

Judging from her waving tail, she must be excited.

“Muuh, how skillful.” (Ilias)

“Even though you can do so many things, you didn’t use those in the
ight against Rakura.”

“I maintained the hardness to its maximum, made it so it melts the

lesh and bones of the one it touches, and poured it deadly poison and
curses inside of it for my strongest attack though…” (Ekdoik)

“It was super dangerous?!”

“There’s no need to inject complicated elements to it. If you can move it

like your limbs, the width of use should increase. I wouldn’t mind
instructing you, but I am a wanted person, you see.” (Ekdoik)

“…Thanks, Ekdoik.” (Wolfe)

Ooh, Wolfe thanked him.

Looks like she managed to get along with him faster than Cara-jii. Or
more like, Cara-jii hasn’t gotten a thank you from her yet. I should take
this as Ekdoik overcoming him.

“There’s no need to thank me. I am simply here thanks to this guy

letting me live.” (Ekdoik)

“Even so, a thanks is a thanks.” (Wolfe)

“…I see. I shall accept it then.” (Ekdoik)

“I also did my best to not kill you, Ekdoik-san.” (Rakura)

“Shut up. You are an enemy.” (Ekdoik)

“So cruel!” (Rakura)

There’s a lot of people who want to teach Wolfe. There’s the members
of the Ragudo Division, and even the knights that discriminate against
Ilias because she is a woman. Everyone must feel it is a waste for
visibly obvious talent to just be buried.

On our way back, Wolfe tested out the chain Ekdoik gave her in a
variety of ways. It at irst was moving everywhere as if it wanted to run
away at full speed, but after a while, it began to move like a dying snake.
Looks like she quickly learned how to hold back and control it.

“This is hard…” (Wolfe)

“If you could do anything in just a day of work, there would be no

hardships in the world. Hard work doesn’t always bear fruit, but what
you have accumulated will remain. Do your best without getting
impatient.”

“Okay!” (Wolfe)
“By the way, Wolfe-chan, can I try that out too?” (Rakura)

“Yeah, here.” (Wolfe)

Rakura holds the chain. When she did, the chain began to move labbily,
and eventually began to move as Rakura willed. On top of that, the
shape of the rings began to change steadily.

“You need to get the hang of it quite a lot, but this does seem like it is
good for training.” (Rakura)

“Ooh, you are amazing, Rakura.” (Wolfe)

Looks like the opinion of Wolfe towards Rakura has improved.

When it comes to using magic, Rakura is an expert over lowing with

talent. Training like this is most likely right in her alley.

The one who was provoked by this was Ilias-san.

“Can I try it out too?” (Ilias)

“Okay.” (Wolfe)

Ilias grabbed the chain and poured mana. The chains showed drastic
movements like the irst time Wolfe did it.

“Muh, this is hard to use… But if I do this… Hmph!” (Ilias)

When she did, the chains expanded in an instant, made a strange

scream, and exploded into pieces.

The air freezes.

Wolfe is trembling.
“…Ilias, go get one more!”

“S-Sorry!” (Ilias)

Ilias immediately turned back and came back with around 10 more to
have spares. Maybe it might be an unexpectedly good idea to have
Ekdoik as a teacher. Ilias can work for high level mana strengthening,
but I am seriously worried about whether she can teach Wolfe the
concept of holding back.

By the way, I tried my best to see if an otherworlder can control the

chains too, but it didn’t move an inch. So sad.

Pope Euparo and the others returned to Mejis after a few days. They
originally planned on returning at once after the Harvest Festival was
over, but they apparently found a place to eat that they liked, and
remained there, inding it hard to leave.

Just from the fact that it was Rakura who introduced it to them, I can
pretty much imagine where it was. Gozu probably didn’t even imagine
that the Pope would be on the verge of becoming a frequent customer.

Ekdoik will be hiding in Taizu for the near future and Rakura will be
keeping an eye on him. He can’t come into the capital, so he is living a
survivor life in the mountains and forests of Taizu.

I felt bad leaving him bored doing nothing, so I gave him the map of
Dokora and requested him to search for resources. I have been
providing him with food and daily necessities as a reward.

He is an adventurer that, not only wild beasts, even your average

criminal wouldn’t be able to handle. He should be quali ied enough for
the job.

The remaining problem would be Raheight. Pope Euparo brought the

book back, so he might put his hand on Mejis, but he might target us
again.

The information advantage we have over Raheight is that we know that

the Demon Lords will be resurrecting. Also the fact that the one who
created the Demon Lords is someone related to Hero Yugura.

Honestly speaking, it is weak as a weapon. It would be pretty much

useless to use this to corner Raheight. However, I have formed a
hypothesis with what I heard from Archbishop Ukka. I won’t be able to
welcome a peaceful daily life if we are always on the receiving end. We
need to move on the offensive.

“And so, I would like to head to Gahne.”

“I would like you to explain it to me in a bit more thorough manner

though.”

Marito answered calmly to the topic I suddenly threw at him. It is

completely different from Ilias.

“According to the memories of Archbishop Ukka, Raheight had a bright

red bracelet as an accessory. After that, Raheight has made contact with
Pashuro and the others in the form of a young boy. He had a scarlet
necklace at that time. If Raheight is a Demon Lord worshiper, wouldn’t
it be possible that he is wearing the color that represents the name of
the Demon Lord? -is the guess I have.”

“So you think the one behind Raheight is the Scarlet Demon Lord. And
so, you want to investigate Gahne where the Scarlet Demon Lord has
shown up before.” (Marito)

The Scarlet Demon Lord; the Demon Lord that’s said to have strength
second to the Black Demon Lord and appeared in Gahne. Had an
intense battle with Hero Yugura and apparently lost by a narrow
margin.

“Even if I say investigate, I am still troubled from where I should begin

though.”

“Isn’t there the possibility that Raheight simply likes the scarlet color?
Or maybe it might be a necessary magic stone to move his soul.”
(Marito)

“I can’t deny the latter, but the former is not possible. His type wouldn’t
go for lashy red colors.”

The magic that Raheight used formed a transparent crystal. If he likes

red to the point of wearing it on his body, the chances would be high
that his likes should be showing in his magic as well. There’s no color
he would consciously favor. Colorless is what its him the most.

“Fumu, then I will send our Anbus irst. If we feel any anomalies, I will
make preparations for you to make an of icial visit to Gahne. How
about that?” (Marito)

“I feel like that’s roundabout, but I can’t complain if they are going to be
doing the preliminary investigation. Let’s do that.”

The cooperation of Gahne would be necessary in order to investigate

the place. If there’s the recommendation of the neighboring country’s
king of Taizu, the range of things we can do will be wider.

Of course, there’s the risk that Raheight will discover us if he is

connected with the higher-ups of Gahne, but that would be easy to read
in its own way.

“I will be sending you as people of Taizu. You won’t be able to stay for
long, so make the investigation quick, okay?” (Marito)
“You don’t need to try to tie me down that blatantly. I won’t switch sides
so easily.”

“No, no, you don’t know. There’s the possibility the Gahne king will take
a liking to you.” (Marito)

“You are the only one with such peculiar tastes. Right, a month should
be enough.”

That’s how Taizu Anbus were sent to Gahne.

The crime rates have decreased drastically with the new king taking
the throne in Gahne. I would like Marito to learn about how he rules.

I don’t know if we will be able to ind suspicious shadows in a country

like that. But I would like to ind a trigger that will allow us to break
through this situation…
 CHAPTER 48
A GIFT FOR NOW

I have gotten used to this of ice room after becoming a king. But since
the time he began to come here, his absence makes it feel lonely.

Right now the only one here is Lord Ragudo aside from my bodyguard. I
am used to this combination as well, but it feels incomplete and empty.

“And so, will you be sending him to Gahne?” (Ragudo)

“We are talking about him here. Even if we were to tell him there was
nothing, he would still go on his own. I at least managed to get some
preparation time.” (Marito)

I personally wouldn’t want him to leave the country. His existence is

still needed in Taizu. However, he is an assertive coward. He most likely
won’t be able to rest at peace if he doesn’t settle the matter with
Raheight himself.

What I can do on my side is to dispatch him as a member of the country,

and set a period of stay for him. That way I can keep him under watch
on the pretext of guarding him.

“Gahne, huh… Even if we don’t wait for the investigation result of the
Anbus, it is still a nation I can only describe as bizarre.” (Ragudo)

“Right. Even with just their movements these recent years, they have
achieved drastic changes. The shadow of Raheight being present isn’t
clear yet, but there are a mountain of factors to draw his interest.”
(Marito)
Gahne is a neighboring country of Taizu that possesses vast plains as
their territory. Knights are the core of Taizu, the clergy of the Yugura
Church are the core of Mejis; the equal to these in Gahne would be their
army.

Gahne is not different from Taizu in that the king holds the power, but
Gahne has a conscription law. The young ones that reach a certain age
will be made to train as soldiers, and then be returned to their normal
lives. In emergencies, the populace will take up arms, and will train in
order to be combat ready.

It is because of their vast open ields, the production of food entering

the top of the world, and their high population that they can take such
political measures.

Taizu would hold incomparable toughness if it comes to the quality of

the soldiers. However, there’s a difference of more than ten times in
terms of numbers.

The scale of their Adventurer Guilds are varied as well as their races.
You could say that that country has good af inity with him since he
prefers tactics that take on roles over individual power. When you
consider that, Gahne has a lot more appealing points than Taizu.

We are above in terms of the beauty of nature, but the place he lived in
wasn’t the countryside but an area where civilization was advanced.

When thinking about it in that way, there’s way too few factors to keep
him in this country. I really should have him marry a woman from this
country to create a foundation that makes it hard for him to move.

But he got the better of me and I can’t use the method of bringing him
down with numbers. In the irst place, if there were a woman he inds
itting for me, I would like to put them as candidates too. It was an
amusing proposal, so I ended up accepting without thinking too much. I
still regret it a bit even now.
“No, wait. If this match lasts for a long time, he can’t leave the country
easily.” (Marito)

“Your Majesty, that would trouble us too.” (Ragudo)

That method of cutting my own lesh may be forgiven by him, but the
others wouldn’t. I don’t want to send him to other countries. If the other
countries learn of his origins, and learn of his own qualities, I am sure
they would want him.

He said he is an ordinary person, but in our world he is unique. In the

irst place, where would you ind a civilian getting chased around by
the subordinate of a Demon Lord?

“Lord Ragudo, do you have any good ideas?” (Marito)

“A way to keep him in this country…? Marriage may do the job. How
about Lady Ratzel?” (Ragudo)

“I have already had that conversation a long time ago with him, and it
ended in failure.” (Marito)

“Fumu, it would be dif icult as long as we don’t know his taste.”

(Ragudo)

“As if it would be so easy to know the tastes of a man that switches his
personality on the drop of a hat. I can only think of a peerless beauty
with outstanding personality.” (Marito)

In terms of good appearance alone, the level is really high in his

surroundings. But with him not taking a liking to any of them, what he
prioritizes is most likely the inside.

“But if you face him earnestly, he won’t be able to ignore your feelings,
right, Your Majesty?” (Ragudo)
“He hates interference to a terrible degree. I would like to avoid
pushing it too much.” (Marito)

I have really gotten drawn by a troublesome person. A sigh leaked out

from me. Why is he a man? Such a pain. I would have married him in a
heartbeat if he were a woman.

“But it can’t be helped if I can’t think of any method. Let’s just request it
of him sincerely as a friend.” (Marito)

What I can do would be to pull no punches in helping him eliminate the

threat of Raheight. If I take into account his dutiful personality of
paying back debts, I should be getting him indebted as much as
possible.

———

Today I am currently in the middle of walking inside the castle with

Ilias.

I have been going to Marito’s place every day, but he seems to be busy
today, so I couldn’t meet him. We have come all the way to the castle, so
we are wandering around.

Marito said he would send Anbus to Gahne to check changes, but I

honestly feel like that’s just to buy time. It would most likely be
troubling for Marito since he would like to keep valuable talents in his
country, but I am not so heartless as to cut off my connection to a
person that has been helping me out.

It is true that migrating wouldn’t be that complicated of a thing. But I

would have to prepare a place with the food of my liking similar to that
of Dog’s Bone, and a nice to live house like the one of Ilias.

That goes for my human relations too. It is not like the relationships I
have formed in this place will disappear completely, but living in a
different country would obviously create a rift between us. The reset of
those things as a person who doesn’t like to communicate with people
is rough.

In the irst place, I have even begun to grow attached to this country. I
would need quite a lot of courage and resolve to throw those away.
Even if Gahne is an advanced civilization that leaves Japan in the dust, I
probably wouldn’t feel like abandoning Taizu and living there.

Well, I should switch my feelings here and think about my objectives in

Gahne.

It won’t be long before I head to Gahne. I will most likely be staying

there for around a month. If I am going to be exploring, I will have to do
it ef iciently.

“What’s the matter? You are making a brooding face there.” (Ilias)

“Kinda. Actually, after consulting with Marito, I have decided to go to

Gahne.”

“I see, to Gahne—no, wait, I heard nothing about that!” (Ilias)

She grabbed my collar and shook me. Man, that’s nostalgic. I am dying.
Even if I have gotten used to it mentally, it won’t lessen the physical
threat of having a gorilla grab my collar and shaking me.

“Wait. Stop the habit of trying to question someone with violence!”

“Your sudden statements are at fault! At least take the proper steps
irst!” (Ilias)

“I want to hurry to the conclusion. Anyways, I felt the need to head to

Gahne in order to chase after the traces of Raheight.”
I tell her about how I had Marito investigate the current situation of
Gahne irst, and then I will be going to investigate there after.

“Is there a need for you yourself to corner Raheight? I am sure His
Majesty would do his best to protect you.” (Ilias)

“How to put it… it is as if you found a centipede—a poisonous insect in

your house. You wouldn’t be able to sleep in peace until you have dealt
with it, right? I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace unless I do it myself…
or something like that.”

“I understand the feeling, but I don’t know about treating your

opponent like an insect.” (Ilias)

Point taken. But this is the most understandable way I can put it in
daily life comparisons.

“But even if you suddenly tell me that you will be leaving the country…”
(Ilias)

“Let me ix the misunderstanding irst. Marito will either be applying

for an of icial stay as a resident of Taizu, or it will be a stay as an
individual. The former one would be around 1 month, the latter would
be at most around half a year, I guess. I will be back by then.”

“I-I see. But can’t you explain in a way that doesn’t bring about
misunderstandings?” (Ilias)

“If you had asked for an explanation without coming at me like an

earthquake, a misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened.”

“Mgh…” (Ilias)

That said, as long as I have that habit of speaking out the conclusion
irst, there’s still room for improvement, yup. I teased her while
understanding that fault lies in me too, but let’s keep that a secret.
“The problem would be who I should leave to look after Rakura and
Wolfe. It would be rough to look after them with just you, right, Ilias?”

“That’s true—wait, you plan on going alone?!” (Ilias)

“Obviously. You are a knight of this country and Wolfe is currently in the
middle of learning. Pope Euparo left me to look after Rakura, but I can’t
just bring her in my investigation of Gahne.”

“…Are you aware of how weak you are?” (Ilias)

That’s a horrible way to respond. A normal man would have his heart
broken here.

“If I am going to be staying there as an of icial of Taizu, bodyguards will

most likely be assigned to me, so there’s no issue. If not, I will be alone,
but if I need a bodyguard, I can hire an adventurer there.”

“If I request of His Majesty, I could have him assign me as your

bodyguard—” (Ilias)

Ilias choked on her words. That’s because she can’t say for sure. I know
the reason for that.

“You have inally noticed after getting that far, huh. There’s no
assurance that Marito will be assigning you as a bodyguard any more
than this.”

Ilias was assigned to protect me after the threat of Raheight was made
clear. However, she failed. Even if it was against 3, she had her attention
taken protecting the people around, leading her target of protection to
be kidnapped and used as a tool for extortion.

The result is that I came out ine, but her evaluation was most likely not
good. Even so, it is not like the actions of Ilias were wrong. When
Girista tried to attack the people around, I was the one who urged her
to stop her. At the very least, there wouldn’t have been anyone who
would be able to make the decision of letting all the citizens there die.

Marito and Lord Ragudo might not have hesitated, but I am a young
man with a strong sense of justice, you see. By the way, her bodyguard
mission has not been taken back as of present, but she hasn’t been
given permission to enter the room where Marito is. Ilias should be
able to tell that Marito is angry at her with just that much.

“…Right. He is kind with just there being no blame.” (Ilias)

“I personally would ind it reassuring if you were to come, Ilias. I would

need to convince Marito for that.”

Convincing Marito is one dif icult endeavor. He is showing me a super

friendly attitude, but he is actually a man that doesn’t back off when he
doesn’t want to.

Of course, with the standing of Ilias, it would end with just the irst
refusal. There’s not even room for negotiation between a king and a
mere knight. The only one with a chance would be me who is being
treated as a friend.

“Fortunately, Marito has requested time from me. I plan on doing

everything I can until then. But don’t hold any expectations.”

“…Yeah, got it.” (Ilias)

Ilias looks really down here.

She has only been doing patrol work until now, so she hasn’t failed in
work with responsibility. It would be one thing if it were the frustration
of being discriminated against as a woman, but her own achievements
didn’t bear fruit here. The shock of this not being the fault of others but
her own must be big.
If I can get a bodyguard, it would of course be great if it were Ilias. I can
trust in her skills and I am close to her. She certainly did show naive
sides in her decision making as a bodyguard, but she has no Taizu
citizens she has to protect at Gahne. There’s no possibility for her to
make the same mistake.

I wouldn’t like to part from her while she is feeling down. I want to do
something for her.

“—Want to check the garden?”

The garden is a good place for a change of mood. It makes sense Marito
would be so proud of that place, your heart calms just by being there.
Ilias doesn’t have the habit of appreciating lowers, but it should serve
as a diversion.

—That’s good and all, but I am hungry. Let’s go get some light food irst.

We showed ourselves at the kitchen of the castle. There’s a lot of staff

members working busily today. It is not only food for the king. They
have to prepare meals for the knights working in the castle, the high
of icials, and the sentries.

Food is brought out for us when we come to the castle, but in the case
when we come at a weird time, we would show up at the kitchen like
this to get some simple scraps. Thanks to that, I am pretty close to the
old man in the kitchen.

“Old man, I have come again.”

“Ooh, the young man His Majesty likes, huh. Woah, the one by your side,
ain’t that Lady Ratzel?”

“Yeah, sorry for intruding.” (Ilias)

“No, no, are you hungry too, Lady Ratzel? Since there’s the opportunity,
I will cook up something for you.”

“No, I—” (Ilias)

“Just tag along since you are here already. It would be tasteless to just
eat alone and have you stare, right?”

“…Got it. I will only eat a bit.” (Ilias)

The cooking here is obviously tasty. They barely use salt, so it doesn’t
pack too much of a punch, but their cooking technique is quite the
thing to behold.

We place the simple meal on the tray and move to the backyard. It is a
palace where the staff members would take breaks in, but there’s
currently no one here and it is silent. It is not a garden made to be seen
by people, but even though it is small, the lower beds are taken care of,
and it soothes the heart of the people who see them.

“It is small compared to the garden of Marito, but this has its own
lavor.”

“…Yeah.” (Ilias)

It doesn’t seem like her mind is here. There wasn’t much effect even
when I brought her to the garden of Marito.

If I were a warrior, I could accompany her for some distraction, but my

body wouldn’t last with Ilias as my opponent. The ones who can
accompany Ilias would be Lord Ragudo and the other Knight Captains,
but because of the situation, it is hard to invite them.

If Ilias were the average girl like Saira, I would know a few ways to
entertain her, but… right, let’s ask Saira.
“Huff, huff, fuuh.”

Just when I was thinking, a young maid was carrying a whole ton of
gardening tools. Looks like she is someone who tends this backyard.

“Wawawa?! Lady Ratzel?! Also, uhm…”

“—A counselor candidate.”

I have actually become a counselor candidate. This may be a bit too

late, but isn’t counselor < 尚 書 (Shousho)> a bit too old of a word?
Rakura has gotten used to calling me a counselor though. I learned
about how this word was used in China in a book when I was living in
Japan. <TLN: It means minister in Chinese and somewhat of a secretary
in Japanese. It is such a complicated word, most translations leave it as
just candidate and shousho is completely gone, lol.>

Maybe due to this, there’s terms that are not used nowadays being
used here and there in the possession spell of Maya-san. There won’t be
any issues once I learn the language of this world, but it is taking time
to learn.

Right, if I am going to Gahne, I have to think of a way to maintain the

possession spell. If Marito points that out, it will be more dif icult to go
to Gahne.

“Uhm, then should I call you Counselor Candidate-sama…”

“If you do, I would end up having to call you Backyard Maid-san. It is not
like my post was added to me, so you don’t need to be so formal.”

“Ahaha, then, can I call you Onii-san?”

A maid calling me Onii-san, huh. I feel like it doesn’t match the supply
and demand, but it is not bad. There’s a lot of old men that call me Nii-
chan, so let’s accept this as increasing the female rate.
“Okay. Then what about you, Backyard Maid-san?”

“My name is Ruko. I am inexperienced, but I am serving as an errand

girl in this castle.” (Ruko)

I would say she is a bit older than Ilias, somewhere around the same
age as Rakura and Marito. But I feel like it has been a while since I have
met a girly girl.

Ilias, Rakura, Girista, Lilisa —was Raheight on the inside, so let’s forget
about that one.

“You are an errand girl, and yet, you are tending the backyard?”

“I am being allowed to do this as a hobby of mine in my break time. I

like gardening and I raise lowers at my house too. This place had
nothing and it felt lonely after all…” (Ruko)

“I can tell you have done a thorough job here even with my untrained
eyes. You like it and your skills are not bad. You could just look after the
garden of Mari—His Majesty.”

“Not at all! That garden is beloved by His Majesty and the top artisans
of Taizu are taking care of it!” (Ruko)

Speaking of which, I think he did say that. Well, we are talking about
Marito who likes gardening. He wouldn’t leave the garden he is so
proud of to someone just because they are somewhat good.

“But don’t you long for a garden like that?”

“Of course. There are times when I would even have dreams about
getting involved in a part of it.” (Ruko)

Even if she is not as passionate as Saira, it isn’t bad to see someone

holding aspirations. Just how many years has she spent in order to
obtain this much skill while spending the free times of her days? Her
choice of lowers and their positioning; she has placed care for them to
look beautiful when people are taking a break to watch them.

Even though it should be a lot of work to take care of a different type of

lower in the same lower bed. It falls short compared to that
extravagant garden, but this has its own charm.

“This is perfect to watch when you are on a break. Is it okay if I come

every now and then to check it out?”

“Of course. Do you like gardening too, Onii-san?” (Ruko)

“It is just the preference of a novice. It is not to the point of being good
at it. I am raising vegetables in a small planter at home.”

“That’s nice! I am mainly lowers, but I would sometimes raise

vegetables too!” (Ruko)

“If there were a maid doing her best raising vegetables at your age, I
would be telling His Majesty to raise your salary.”

“Ahaha, you are a brave one, Onii-san.” (Ruko)

I had a full blown conversation with Ruko, but Ilias barely joined in.
Even though they are of close age… Doesn’t she want to get—it can’t be
helped in her current mood, huh.

Ruko must have noticed the state of Ilias, she is actively trying to not
throw the conversation at her. But she really must be bothered by it.
She asked me in a whisper.

“Excuse me, Onii-san, why is Lady Ratzel feeling so down?” (Ruko)

“She made a certain mistake and has betrayed the expectations of

someone. She is feeling down because of that.”
“That’s why… She must be a delicate one.” (Ruko)

“In a sense. Right, do you know what kind of lowers to give a person
like that?”

It is not bribing, but it might not be bad to bring a gift of sorts in my

negotiation with Marito. I am sure he would bite immediately if I were
to tell him I am staying permanently, but I would like to avoid such
heavy things.

“Let’s see… hmm. If you give me time, I will prepare them for you…
What kind of person are they?” (Ruko)

Should I bring out the name of Marito here? She might end up refusing
saying that it is too much of an honor. But if she is going to go through
the trouble of preparing it, I would like to provide the proper
information.

“—Someone like His Majesty. By the way, they like gardening too.”

“Oh my. In that case, a potted plant might do the job.” (Ruko)

“Aah, he did say he wanted to keep a plant in his room.”

With this and that, we managed to ready a nice gift. I doubt he is going
to have a change of heart from just a single gift, but there should be a
little relaxation effect from this.

“Ah, it is already this late! My break time will be over!” (Ruko)

“I ended up taking your time. I had free time here, so I will help out.”

“Thank you very much, Onii-san!” (Ruko)

We both inished the tending, and after carrying back the tools to the
storehouse, we bid farewell to Ruko.
That said, Ilias would normally help out at least. She must be resisting
quite a lot here. Would it have been better if I hadn’t told her? But I will
be doing my preparations to leave for Gahne sooner or later.

Hide everything and convince Marito by the appointed day… That

might have been an option, but Ilias hates to be kept in the dark. I
would like her to learn a bit of the free way of life of Rakura… Never
mind, I wouldn’t want that.
 CHAPTER 49
SCHEMING FOR NOW

I am aware of my own dejected mood, and I am being way too moody

unlike a knight which brings me down even more.

My irst job as a bodyguard. I was con ident that they wouldn’t get the
better of me with my strength. The reality was that I had a winning
chance against Girista, Ekdoik, and Pashuro if it were solely on battle
power.

But what was the result? I couldn’t protect him despite that being my
one job. I did win a 1 on 1 against Girista, but I had a hard time against
Pashuro, and Wolfe settled the ight with the granted knowledge of that
man.

And then, when that man was once again exposed to danger, I couldn’t
do anything and he himself settled things. I thought he would be ine if
it was him, but that wasn’t the case. He stepped into the thoughts of
Pashuro and the others in order to get out of that situation.

The depth compared to the time when he fought Dokora was different.
He even looked like he was a whole other person entirely. If that was his
form when I met him by chance, I can say for sure that I wouldn’t have
welcomed him in the country.

Seeing his face when he was talking with Pashuro who was on the verge
of death, I even thought it was already too late. But he managed to
return by his own power. That muddiness had returned to its previous
light in the time he was making eye contact with me.
He must have used my way of life as a landmark to return from the
deep darkness in him. But that also means that he was sunk so deeply
that he couldn’t have returned without my presence.

Lunatics that would kill their surroundings without hesitation; he

probably would have been able to manage something while captured
by doing anything regardless of means. But I couldn’t ful ill my mission
to protect him as a knight, and I couldn’t even achieve my own personal
objective of not letting him walk the wrong path.

Also, I was once again reminded by him of the reality I tried to not think
about. The anger of His Majesty at that time was the real deal. He
directed anger at me so strong that it made even me falter despite
being far superior to him in physical strength.

There’s no guarantee His Majesty will assign me as his bodyguard

again when he heads to Gahne. I may be able to continue right now
temporarily, but it most likely won’t last long.

While I was worrying about this, we inished our meals, bringing us to

the present. I feel like he was talking to someone, but who was it…?

“—Let’s go back.”

“Y-Yeah…” (Ilias)

Looks like I have dampened his mood too. I feel even more bad now.

We meet a familiar face as we head to the exit of the castle.

“Oh, isn’t that Lady Ratzel?”

“…Lord Leano.” (Ilias)

The Leano Division that leads the most knights, and their Knight
Captain, Lord Leano. The top of the people that don’t think fondly of my
position.

“And the one by your side is… oh, it is you!” (Leano)

The expression of Lord Leano changed suddenly. Just where did his
disgruntled face towards me even go? He is making a face as if he just
met his best friend.

“It has been a while, Lord Leano. This is the irst time we meet in the
castle.”

“You said it. Even though I have told you to come meet me whenever,
you haven’t shown yourself once. What a cold man.” (Leano)

“His Majesty is the priority when I come to the castle after all.”

“I can’t say anything against that response. I was thinking about taking
care of you if you didn’t have a place to go to, and yet, you managed to
get right by the bosom of His Majesty. You really are one man that can’t
be underestimated. It seems like my eyes didn’t deceive me though.”
(Leano)

Lord Leano is laughing while talking with him.

I couldn’t follow this unexpected development.

His irst meeting with Lord Leano should have been in the barracks,
when the irst meeting for the bandit subjugation was held.

At that time, Lord Leano was directing a belittling gaze and tone at
him…

“What’s with that dumbstruck face you have there, Lady Ratzel? I heard
about it, you know. Even though you were left with the job of protecting
him, you allowed him to get kidnapped by outlaws.” (Leano)
“—!”

Aah, there’s no way he wouldn’t know. Girista rampaged at such a

public place after all. It must have gotten to other knight divisions too.

There’s no way he would let that topic pass by when he hates me.

“So stupid. Even if it is true that you failed, you safely rescued him.
What are they thinking about despite you having redeemed yourself?
Do they think you have already become a perfect knight or something?”
(Leano)

“…Eh?” (Ilias)

“I have heard about how you wanted to protect the citizens. You are not
telling me that those people should have died, right?” (Leano)

“N-No way!!” (Ilias)

“Then, stand tall. You managed to ix your mistake while protecting the
people as the chivalric code deems. Seeking more than that in your
standing would be presumptuous!” (Leano)

This… is Lord Leano encouraging me here? But it only sounds as if he is

insulting me. It is the very picture of a knight instructing a novice.

“Good grief. With such a tight isted bodyguard with you, it is hard to
invite you to a meal. Let’s ind a different occasion to have a lengthy
talk. See you later.” (Leano)

Lord Leano smiled at him at the end and left.

He saw that and sighed before turning my way.

“Surprised?”
“Y-Yeah. How you are close to Lord Leano and those words just now…”
(Ilias)

“It is not really that weird though. Lord Leano is that kind of person to
begin with.”

“No, but… you remember that time too, right?” (Ilias)

There’s no way he doesn’t remember. He was the one who planned

countermeasures after hearing about how I was being looked down by
the other knight divisions.

“It is true that Lord Leano doesn’t think positively of you.”

“Then why…? No, I am not in a position to ask you about how you are
close to Lord Leano though…” (Ilias)

“Ilias, it is the undeniable truth that you are being hated by the other
knight divisions. But do you think every single one of them hates you
for the same reason?”

“…What do you mean?” (Ilias)

Their reason for hating me… isn’t it because I am a woman? No, there
should be no mistake in that. The reality is that they would always say
‘even though you are a woman’.

He scratched his head and continued speaking.

“The reason why Lord Leano hates you is because a woman is in the
highly respected Ragudo Division.”

“…So because I am a woman.” (Ilias)

“I am saying Lord Leano would have treated someone the same even if
it wasn’t you, Ilias. The Ragudo Division was the ideal knight division
Lord Leano aimed for when he was trying to become a knight. Lord
Leano respects the knight divisions that have kept on since time
immemorial; putting it in a bad way, he is a person trapped in the old
thinking.”

“…I see.” (Ilias)

Lord Leano himself would be the one to know that. Did he hear that
from him?

“What’s in the heart of Lord Leano isn’t male superiority, but the idea of
‘the man for the right job’. He wants to keep the historical form of
generations.

A newcomer girl showed up there, so he is simply feeling awkward. It is

because you tried to take everyone under your lead while ignoring the
other Knight Captains that he tried to steal your position. As if saying
‘it is too presumptuous of a woman to gather the venerable knight
divisions and try to command them!’.”

“But isn’t that the same for the others?” (Ilias)

“Lord Fohl is self-interest. You apparently defeated him in front of his

subordinates.”

Now that he mentions it, something like that might have happened. He
challenged me, saying something like ‘I will be your opponent for a bit’. I
just fought with everything I had like usual… I did get a hit on him at
that time if I remember correctly.

“He was thinking about testing out a new face, and yet, was shamed in
front of his subordinates. Of course he would hold a grudge on you
regardless of gender.”

“But it was an of icial match, so holding back is…” (Ilias)

“I am not expecting you to read the atmosphere in those kinds of
scenarios. However, understand the results of it. Men are creatures that
care a lot about face.”

“Mumuuh.” (Ilias)

“There’s a lot of other things. Some who had their beloved weapons
broken in duels against you; ones told by their cherished little sisters
the person they admire isn’t their brother who is a knight but Lady
Ratzel; people who had their names spoken wrong and got that
nickname set in stone; people who don’t really have any grudge
towards Lady Ratzel, but are riding the mood…”

He was speaking out one reason after the other.

I was being hated by so many varied reasons? This is shocking in a lot

of meanings. Or more like, isn’t there stuff unrelated to me mixed in
there?

“Yours is not the same as the united persecution of Wolfe. There’s a

variety of reasons why someone hates others. However, you being a
woman is being used as the front. But it is not like it is all simply that. It
is because the numbers have increased too much that they began
looking the same to you.”

“But when did you do all this…?” (Ilias)

“At the ceremony, there was a guy that clicked his tongue at you, you
see. I investigated a variety of things while I was checking the details of
that person.”

“Since then…?” (Ilias)

“Don’t worry. I have already made the noble that clicked his tongue
regret it, so just act as if you don’t know.”
He was doing something like that in the shadows… Well, let’s just
believe that he has done it within reason.

“Even though you told me to change the anger to power, you were
punching back…? What do I do with you?” (Ilias)

“It would only make things more complicated if you were to do the
punching with anger clouding you. But here, a friend of mine was made
fun of. Gotta get a hit or two in, right?”

He made a mischievous smile. I really don’t know what to do with this

guy. However, learning that he sees me as a friend and that he moved
for my sake… isn’t bad.

“But… I was being hated by so many varied reasons…?” (Ilias)

“That’s a given. You didn’t make any friends since childhood,

concentrated the whole time in training, didn’t learn how to form
human relations, and didn’t spare a glance to your surroundings.
Despite that, your skills were high and would take the position of
others, pulling so many eyes.”

Stabbed right to the heart.

Now that he mentions it, it is not like they hated me from the very
beginning. But I have lived my life prioritizing polishing myself rather
than my relationships with others. Trying to become a better knight…
No, it is obvious that I would be hated if I did as I pleased without
looking at others.

Was I missing something crucial as a person as I aimed to become a

good knight?

“You lost your parents at a young age and continued polishing yourself
while there was still no leeway in your heart. There’s no need to blame
yourself at this point. But it is different now. You even managed to get a
friend, right? You can just learn a variety of things without getting
impatient.”

“—Right. I have gotten a friend like you. It might be better for me to

look at others more.” (Ilias)

“…Aah, no, I was referring to Saira.”

“…You called me a friend though!” (Ilias)

“Did I?”

“You did! Is there any inconvenience or is it embarrassing to be my

friend?!” (Ilias)

“It is just embarrassing to be told that to the face. Think about it with
common sense.”

I certainly did mess up. But it is not like that’s the end of everything. If I
keep worrying about everything, I might not only fail to get them back
but link them to even more failures. It may be dif icult to switch
completely here, but I can’t progress if I don’t face forward.

“Good grief… Anyways, let me show my gratitude. Thank y—Mgh.”

(Ilias)

He covered my mouth with his hand. If you do that, I can’t talk, you
know.

“No need to thank me. I am the one being helped out and I am in the
middle of paying you back. It is not like I have paid you back completely
yet. If you want to thank me, do so when I have inished. If you thank me
at each instance I help you, I wouldn’t be able to pay you back
completely.”
“…You are worried about the smallest of things. It is not like it would
lessen anything just from thanking you.” (Ilias)

“It does. Thanking is also a veritable way to pay back a debt after all.”

“—Seriously, men are creatures that care a lot about face, huh.” (Ilias)

If he wants me to do that, I will do so. Let’s keep this feeling of

appreciation for when he has been satis ied… But when that time
comes, will a single thank you be enough? Am I not already being
completely indebted here? I-Is it okay?

———

It is ine that her mood seems to have improved to a certain degree

with the arrival of Lord Leano. But I got lustered when she noticed that
I had deepened my connections with other knight divisions.

It is not like I doubt the personality of Ilias, but there really is an

awkward feeling to learning that I am getting friendly with people that
don’t think fondly of her and harass her.

Ilias wraps it all in the same mantle. It would be troubling if she were to
see my friendship with her and my friendship with Lord Leano as the
same.

As someone who likes deep but narrow personal relationships,

creating widespread personal relationships unexpectedly has a lot of
hardships. Also, trouble comes walking to you when your face is spread
wide -just like now.

“You are the Counselor Candidate that frequently meets His Majesty,
right?”

“Well, yeah, that’s right.”

The one in front of me is the daughter of a Taizu noble. Her name is… if
I ever meet her again, I will try to memorize it.

I was called to the residence of the noble, and when I asked what their
business was…

“I would like you to arrange it so that I am tied with His Majesty.”

And well, it is a request smeared with self-interest. Can’t really say

much myself as someone who is using my closeness with Marito to
expand my connections with the knights though.

“His Majesty is a really late-bloomer. Even when he shows himself at

banquets, he wouldn’t try to meet a girl in particular.”

I have heard that’s because he simply didn’t ind any girls he was
interested in.

“I am from a distinguished family, cultured and elegant, and have been

polished to be worthy of His Majesty. That’s right, I am the one who
should become the princess of His Majesty!”

I would like you to share 10% of that con idence you have to Ilias who
is on standby outside the room. Also, about half to Rakura. I think that
would make them into nice and graceful ladies.

“If it is you who His Majesty has taken a liking to and speaks to him on
the daily, you should be able to arrange a moment for the two of us to
be alone.”

“I think I would be able to.”

“Then, please do. As soon as possible.”

She is not caring about my own convenience at all.

“I didn’t say I accepted.”

“No, you can’t refuse. You have a peasant friend that is learning
tailoring, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know that she has been practicing at a tailor that is under the
in luence of my house?”

“That’s a irst.”

“Do you want to crush the future of your friend?”

This is one con ident lady. Quite the straight threat. It wouldn’t be
strange for a store that makes high class clothing to have deep
connections with nobles.

Even if Saira is driven away from her current place, a new place could
be provided to her if we rely on Ban-san. But Saira said the place she
had right now was a good one. It would be a pain if it were to be stirred
up by the ones above. Also, I would not like Saira to suffer like that.

She may look pretty enough to make it understandable how she would
be con ident about it, but the fate of people who have deluded
themselves to be the chosen ones is sad.

First of all, the fact that she has mistook my relationship with Marito
already makes her completely hopeless. She probably doesn’t even
have an inkling of a thought that the king is friends with a commoner. I
feel like it would be effective just by pointing that out, but… it would be
a pain to just stimulate her blindly.

“It can’t be helped. Then, I will try to arrange for you and His Majesty to
have dinner today alone.”
If you are coming at me as such, I will answer in kind. I feel bad for
Marito, but I will be using that agreement we had before.

I was called that night soon after.

The noble daughter is not making too good of a face. Of course she
wouldn’t. There’s no way Marito would be able to get along with a girl
she doesn’t even like after suddenly being arranged to have a meal with
her. She can’t come out strongly with a king, so it is natural that she
would fail an arranged date without any plans.

“Judging from your look, it doesn’t seem like it was a good result.”

“No, it is just the irst time, so it is natural that His Majesty is not
receptive yet! I will have you continue moving for me!”

“—Sadly to say, I can’t.”

“What did you just say?”

“Young lady, have you thought about why a commoner like me can
recommend someone else to have dinner with His Majesty?”

“That’s—what are you trying to say here?!”

It seems like she does have the ability to feel a bad atmosphere. It
would be a lot of work to make someone understand if they are
completely insensitive after all.

“I have made a number of agreements with His Majesty. ‘We will

de initely meet the girl that we are recommended to’; this is the irst
one. That’s how much His Majesty trusts me.”

“In that case, a second and third should be—!”

“This will spread. When that happens, people like you will show up.
That’s where the second one comes. ‘People who try to take advantage
of this agreement will be judged as people who bring harm to Marito
Taizu’. There’s no next time for you.”

“Wa?! That’s obviously a lie!!”

I take out a single parchment from my pocket.

The details of the agreement I mentioned before were written there. At

the place for the signature, there’s the name of Marito and a seal which
only royalty can use. There’s no way you wouldn’t know about it if you
are a noble.

“It would be a bother for His Majesty too if the same girl were to be
persistently pushed at him. Therefore, we have made these
agreements.”

“No way…”

“His Majesty and I are trying to ind a good partner for each other, you
see. However, a 3rd party would be a hindrance if we want to perform
this smoothly.”

As per the agreement between me and His Majesty, the prerequisite is

to meet the girl you are introducing. It wouldn’t d be fair for me if he
won’t meet them because he is busy. However, if others were to learn
about this, there will be more people who would want to make contact
with Marito.

Especially ones who will try to threaten a commoner like me with a

weak standing. This is the special measure implemented for the sake of
that.

Putting it bluntly, it is the agreement of ‘we won’t forgive anyone who

tries to take advantage of our friendship’.
“You were the one who threatened me irst here, so I omitted this
explanation. However, it has properly been applied, so don’t worry. Aah,
it is not like we will do something at once. This is not a trap set to make
the women into criminals, but a prevention for second timers.”

“…”

If others knew about these agreements, the only ones who would try to
use this would be women who are sure they would be able to seduce
Marito, or assassins. Of course, there’s a way too competent Anbu-kun
by the side of Marito, so there’s no issue with the latter. As for the
former, if the irst one fails, they wouldn’t have the courage to keep on.

If they try to cling on despite that, Marito will simply get rid of them as
a nuisance.

By the way, when it is the opposite, if Marito tries to persistently

introduce me to the same woman, it is written that I will be cutting off
my relations with him.

As for other conditions, there’s also that we can only introduce them to
1 a week, and we can only add more when we both have an interest.

Next would be: ‘Let’s not try to poke at the holes of the agreements,
okay?’. We both agreed immediately to this.

I most likely won’t be meeting this noble lady again. And so, there won’t
be a chance to remember your name.

The next day, I had a conversation with Marito at his of ice.

“Man, it has been a while since I have seen a woman that conceited.
Speaking of which, I think I have seen her a number of times at
banquets.” (Marito)
“I did think you would at least remember her since she has a good face.
That said, sorry to trouble you.”

“‘It is a miss, but meet her please’ -that one made me laugh though. She
hasn’t done anything unnecessary to you, right? I personally ind it
unforgivable with just the fact that she threatened you with your friend
though.” (Marito)

“Forgive the irst attempt of an ignorant recluse. It must have been a

good learning experience. Ah, right. I brought this today.”

Saying this, I bring out the gift wrapped in cloth. The bribe—I mean, the
thing mentioned before. How’s this?

“I was curious about it, but what is it?” (Marito)

“As an apology for the troubles. If you don’t like it, I will take it back with
me. I personally like it after all.”

“Let’s see, let’s see…” (Marito)

Marito unwrapped it and let out his voice in surprise.

It is the potted plant that I requested Ruko to prepare. It is a foliage

plant that looks like a pachira. It is an interior decoration that goes for
warmth more than lashiness.

“This is… quite the rare one.” (Marito)

“Really? I requested this from an acquaintance and she readied it for

me in a day or two.”

“So you say, but this is something that rarely goes around the market,
you know? Aah, but you might be able to ind it in the Black Wol kin
forest, so maybe there? But can I raise it?” (Marito)
“Aah, we considered that possibility, so we readied a manual on how to
raise it.”

I see. When Ruko told me she would prepare an instruction manual, I

wondered if there was the need to go that far, but I can understand the
need of it if it is a rare one.

But that instruction manual, I checked it out and it was written in

extreme detail. I am still young and I wanted a monocle for it, you
know? Would he want to raise something like this?

“They are very well informed… But from what I have read, as long as I
am careful about where I place it and its environment, it looks like I will
be able to raise it in my spare time. I shall leave it in my room.” (Marito)

“Isn’t your of ice ine?”

“No, I would like to leave these ones in a place where I want to calm
myself. But this is a really good present. I am truly happy!” (Marito)

He is so excited that I wouldn’t be able to believe humans if this is an

act. Marito seems to like it a lot. Looks like Ruko’s eye is pretty good…
Fumu.

“Marito, I have used my turn for an introduction. Is there any lady you
want to introduce to me as of now?”

“Unfortunately, I am still unable to get a grasp of your likes at all. I am

thinking about introducing you to my unknown little sister or
something, but she is not in the country. Can you wait until I catch her?”
(Marito)

“A woman that would be tiring to be together with would be troubling.

Well then, maybe I should participate with you at the next banquet.”
“Really? I am actually having it rough with the ratio of women being so
high. It would be a great help if you were to come.” (Marito)

It is something that I brought up because he said he didn’t like

participating in such banquets. My participation must be a happy
proposal. Even if we have our agreement, Marito is pretty much forced
to search for a marriage partner. I would like to reduce his stress.

“But that won’t change the fact that you will be surrounded though.”

“Yeah. Can you let me borrow Wolfe-chan?” (Marito)

Marito would be able to relax more if he is together with a girl I have

prepared.

The personnel selection of Wolfe is not bad either. It is far from a

romance target and she is a familiar face for us both. We could also use
the excuse that it is an interaction with the black wol kins.

“It is too soon for Wolfe. But I can bring someone who will not tire
Marito.”

“Really? If they are as docile as a borrowed cat, I won’t complain.”

(Marito)

“I am sure they will be pretty docile.”

“Aren’t you making a scheming face?” (Marito)

“Don’t worry. I was just thinking about the shocked face of the person.”

I want to think this mischievous side of me is because I am in front of

Marito, yup.
 CHAPTER 50
IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED FOR
NOW

At the day of the banquet, I wore the formal clothes I haven’t worn in a
while, and am inside a shaking carriage.

That said, I thought I wouldn’t have any opportunity to go to a banquet

for the upper class in this world.

A lot of my facial muscles have stiffened because I have been living a

relaxed life lately. Will I be able to make my outside smile?

I massage my own face.

My companion looked at my state in worry and spoke to me.

“Uhm, Onii-san, these kinds of events really are a bit…”

“What are you saying, Ruko? You work at the castle, so you should know
about etiquette more than me. That dress also suits you a lot. You look
pretty.”

The person I invited was Ruko.

She helped me out with the potted plant matter, so I invited her to the
banquet. It is by no means because she was a convenient choice…
probably.

“But I don’t know if I can talk properly with the nobles…” (Ruko)
“It is okay. The person that you prepared the potted plant for is also
coming. He was really happy about it, and most of all, he likes gardening
like you. If you feel suffocated, you can talk with that person about the
potted plant. If that doesn’t work, just enjoy the food and the drinks.”

“Oh, your friend will be there too, Onii-san? I heard he is similar to His
Majesty, but what other things can you tell me about him?” (Ruko)

Even if you ask me what other things, he is the king himself. Well, ine.

“Let’s see. He is normally really level-headed, but he would interact with

me casually and take a childish attitude.”

“Ahaha, that sounds like a really amusing person. I think I will be able to
relax if that’s the case.” (Ruko)

It will most likely be impossible, but that’s ine.

Since I had the opportunity here, I asked her to teach me about etiquette
in events like this as we headed to the venue which is the estate of a
noble.

This is a bit of an aside, but the ones who are chosen to hold banquets
are those who have no daughters, or even if they have, they are already
married or already have a set partner. It is because they don’t want them
to prepare a location that favors their own daughter.

Turning that around, it also means that there are a lot of nobles like this
who are desperately cheering on for Marito’s queen search. In other
words, they have properly gathered participants, but I think a one on
one marriage interview would suit Marito better personality-wise, yup.

We arrived at our destination while I was thinking that. The carriage

stopped at the gate and it was time to get off. I get off irst in order to
con irm the venue.
Marito was already waiting there.

He ran happily over here when he noticed me. I don’t know about
making a king wait outside the gate. The butler at the entrance is frozen
stiff from nervousness.

“Heya there, friend. It would be too lonely to go in alone, you see. I was
waiting with a vigilant eye.” (Marito)

“I am impressed that you can say that when you come to events like this
one often.”

“That can’t be helped. This is the irst banquet I can take it easy in. Fresh
expetiences really are good. It is to the point where I am giddy even in a
suffocating banquet.”

I understand that feeling. The feeling of being able to come with a friend
to a super formal event that has a lot of hassles.

Speaking of which, is he doing well? He was one of my few friends in

Japan. The last time I met him was when I visited him at the hospital
because he was stabbed from a love affair.

After a light chat, a voice rang from the carriage.

“Excuse me, Onii-san. Can I get down now too?” (Ruko)

“Aah, sorry, sorry. It is okay. I ended up chatting here.”

Ruko got down while worrying about her footing. It seems like she is
having a hard time with the long skirt of the dress she is not used to
wearing. She apparently tripped several times when she changed at
Ban-san’s place.

Even if she is learning etiquette, this is the irst time she is participating
in this type of out it, so it can’t be helped.
“Uhm, you must be the acquaintance of Onii-san, my name is Ruko—”

Ruko must have been relieved because I was talking with him in a
relaxed manner and the other party was also speaking in a casual
manner, she walked here while worrying about her feet and did her
greetings, but once she saw his face, she froze.

“…O-O-O-Onii-san?” (Ruko)

Ruko turned crankily here while sounding like a broken robot. Looks
like she knows the face of the king. But I love faces like this, yup.

“Hey, friend, could it possibly be that?” (Marito)

“Sorry, Marito. If I had mentioned your name, she was most likely going
to run away, so I didn’t.”

“Onii-san?! I-Isn’t that H-H-His Majesty?!” (Ruko)

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you he is like His Majesty?”

“It is His Majesty in the lesh!” (Ruko)

Pointing at His Majesty and shouting is pretty comedic to look at. She
moved back quickly and lowered her head deeply at Marito.

“M-My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. Even if unaware, I have been

rude—” (Ruko)

“Aah, it is okay. You can be informal he—well, can’t really do that, but it
was out of a teasing heart. I shall ignore it.” (Marito)

“That’s right, Ruko. Your body won’t last if you are so stiff, you know?
You will be spending your time with Marito in today’s banquet after all.”

“……”
She is frozen with an incredible face. But this is a normal reaction. The
attitude of Marito towards me is way too frank, so my sense has gone
awry, but he is a king and, if you were to be impolite, it is on the level
where you might not even be able to live in the country anymore.

Seeing Ruko frozen, Marito crossed his arms with a baf led face and
whispered to me.

“It is true that I could spend a day peacefully with a girl like this, but…
there’s a limit, right? I don’t know about being together with a statue.”
(Marito)

“That depends on your ability. I thought she would be a perfect

conversation partner though.”

Marito glanced at Ruko. Ruko is confused and isn’t moving an inch.

“No, I don’t think speech is even possible. We would barely have any
topics in common like this.” (Marito)

“Really? She is the girl that made the potted plant though.”

“—Say that sooner.” (Marito)

Marito turned around and walks over to Ruko. He then gently held the
hand of Ruko and smiled at her.

“So you are the one that made that potted plant? I was thinking I wanted
to meet you once!” (Marito)

“Eh, uh, aah?! Onii-san?!” (Ruko)

Looks like she has noticed that the potted plant she prepared was sent
to His Majesty. I give her a thumbs up to show her she is right.
“That was a wonderful gift. I have thanked my friend who gave it to me,
but I would like to thank you too.” (Marito)

“No, uhm…” (Ruko)

“Right, right, I read the instruction manual for the potted plant and there
were a few points that I was curious about…” (Marito)

Marito’s tone was the usual, but his vigor is almost the same he directs
at me. Ruko seems to be confused by the energy of Marito as she tries to
be polite.

“Marito, don’t just run it all out at the entrance.”

“Aah, right. It would be rude to make you stand in the cold night. Then,
let’s continue our talk inside.” (Marito)

Ruko was pulled by the hand and dragged in. I feel like she asked me for
help there, but it must have been the wind. It should be okay to leave
them to themselves.

“…By the way, get down already, Ilias.”

After I said that, the sound of awkward footsteps were made as Ilias
came down. It is a banquet, so Ilias has also changed clothes.

Maybe she is shy here, she didn’t say a single word in the carriage. It
seems like she didn’t have the courage to show up in front of Marito
either, but it looks like she has inally resolved herself.

“What a guy you are… I feel bad for Ruko…” (Ilias)

Looks like she gave up on caring after witnessing the exchange of

Marito and Ruko.
“I thought they were the perfect combination when considering my
gratitude towards Ruko and the change of pace of Marito.”

“If I were in her position, I would feel like my life is sapped away.” (Ilias)

“Wouldn’t it be more relaxing for you?”

“So you say, but this is my irst time in an out it like this…” (Ilias)

The casual clothes that Saira made were not bad, but fancy out its like
this don’t look bad on Ilias either. It actually looks good.

“It suits you. You normally are in an attire that reeks of countryside
knight, so this is fresh.”

“I see, thanks. I now know well just how you think of me normally.” (Ilias)

Ilias answered with a smile that made me feel like something cold ran
down my spine.

But lo-and-behold, Ilias has a sword at her waist fastened tightly with a
holder. I feel like the dress is inclined here… Isn’t the fabric screaming in
pain?

“Why are you carrying around a sword on a dress?”

“I can’t help the out it, but I am still your bodyguard, you know? Not
carrying my sword would be the last thing to do. It might come to notice
by His Majesty, right?” (Ilias)

I can’t really say anything back if she tells me that. But she stands out
like a sore thumb.

“Give it to me. I will carry it.”

“But…” (Ilias)
“There should be no issue as long as I am always close to you on the off-
chance you need to draw it out, right?”

“Yeah, but…” (Ilias)

“Who do you think is the one that has to reimburse that dress if it were
to tear?”

There’s no way Ilias would have a dress like this one. There might be a
dress of her mom if she were to look for it, but the size of Ilias’s mom is
apparently different from hers. And so, this is also a rented one from
Ban-san.

“Nuuh… It can’t be helped.” (Ilias)

I received her sword after she said this.

Heavy!

Aren’t western swords 3 kilograms at most?!

“Why is this one so heavy?! This is not on the level of the density of iron
being above the norm! Is this made out of pure gold?!”

“Normal steel can’t keep up with my full power, you see. It is made from
extremely rare ores. It is the most expensive thing in my house.” (Ilias)

No matter how I measure it, this is close to 10 kilograms. Even though I

would have trouble swinging around even a 2 kilogram dumbbell. This
gorilla swings this thing around wildly. Moreover, depending on the
occasion, even with one arm.

Anyways, your pants would slide down if you were to have something
like this on your waist. The dress of Ilias really did well. I put the holder
around my shoulder instead of my waist and carry it on my back.
I explain the situation to the butler-san and we enter. Coming into a
banquet while carrying a sword around like an adventurer is damn
embarrassing!

A lot may have happened at the entrance, but the banquet proceeded
without any issues. The nobles were somewhat lustered at irst by a
person carrying a sword being here, but I am used to formalities. I went
around having light chats and moving to the next one.

It is a banquet where Marito is participating, so the girls were not

showing much interest here, but I managed to get acquainted with their
parents.

As for Marito, young women were coming one after the other like the
popular guy he is. But he is bringing Ruko around the whole time, so he
isn’t continuing the conversations for too long. As such exchanges went
on for a while, the ones around must have noticed the intention of
Marito here. The amount of people forcefully approaching had
decreased.

It seems like they are currently having a lively talk about gardening.
Ruko was all stiff from confusion and nervousness, but when it comes to
talking about her hobbies, she can talk to Marito with a fun expression.
With this, she won’t be coming later to complain—she will, but I doubt it
will be too much.

But with the dressed up Ilias as my bodyguard, I can’t actively approach

women. I should have considered this. Let’s just enjoy a break with Ilias
rather than new meetings.

“Hm? Musical instruments?”

I directed my gaze at the direction where the melody came from and a
small orchestra showed up. They are making preparations for a musical
performance.
The butlers were clearing up the tables at the center and, in just a few
minutes, changed into a dance loor. And then, the banquet switched to a
ball with the appearance of the conductor.

The people around began to dance with their respective partners. The
elegant scenery you would only see on television was unfolding in front
of my eyes. I am honestly feeling the desire to join in. However, reality is
a cruel mistress.

“…Hey, I don’t think there’s even the need to ask, but… you can’t dance,
right?”

“Yeah, I remember learning when I was a child, but I have completely

forgotten how to already. What about you?” (Ilias)

“My only memory of it was with a drink in hand and imitating the people
around.”

“Figures. That’s just like you.” (Ilias)

Most of the young ones around are in the middle of dancing; we two
who can’t dance were standing there. Even Marito has brought Ruko out
there to dance.

It has been a while since I have felt so left out. I rarely go to dance
parties after all.

“But I didn’t expect that not dancing would instead make us stand out.”

“Yeah.” (Ilias)

“…Let’s learn next time.”

“Yeah…” (Ilias)

The two country bumpkins made a sad resolution.

With this and that going on, the banquet ended. The last part had a sad
conclusion, but the food was decently good and I enjoyed the drinks
plenty enough.

Most of the noble ladies lowed over to Marito, but it was a sight for the
sore eyes. Ilias in a dress wasn’t bad either. On our way back in the
carriage, I basked in the afterglow silently—

“Onii-san, you are so cruel!”

Or not.

She really got angry here. By the way, Marito went back satis ied.
Obviously. He didn’t have to be tied down by women for a long time, and
managed to enjoy a talk about his hobbies after all.

Ruko seemed to be having fun in the middle to a certain degree, but she
is currently venting her anger on the culprit from having been set up.
Ilias was watching this with a smile. No lifeboat.

By the way, Marito knew who Ruko was. It seems like he remembered
that he had seen her somewhere. That said, he probably didn’t imagine
that he would be dancing with a maid working at the castle.

Ruko suffered there, but it wasn’t all bad for her heart. She managed to
properly keep up with the gardening maniac Marito, so he took a liking
to her, and she can now take instructions from an artisan that works on
the garden.

It is most likely still far from the day where she can work on that garden
herself, but her dream is closer to being a reality. If you think about that,
I don’t know about being criticized this much. Shouldn’t it be okay to
forgive the person who arranged a variety of things here?

“That’s that, this is this!” (Ruko)

It didn’t work.

Looks like it was fatal that I got exposed enjoying watching the lustered
Ruko. I was rained on with scolding, gratitude, and scolding again for a
weird carrot and stick charade on our way back.

The next day, Marito welcomed me with a beaming face.

“That’s one hateful smile.”

“This is the irst time I have been told that by someone I welcomed with
a smile. Anything bad happened?” (Marito)

“Ruko scolded my ears out. Thanks to that, I dreamed of being scolded

too.”

“Hahahaha! Can only say that you dug yourself into that one. But thanks
to you, I managed to meet a good girl.” (Marito)

“Right on. Even though Ruko has now taken one step closer to her
dream of working in gardening…”

“Hm? You didn’t present her to me as a queen candidate?” (Marito)

“Eh?… Aah, now that you mention it, that’s how it worked.”

Now that I think about it, presenting a girl to Marito came with that
implication. I myself just wanted to pay back Ruko for her work of
making Marito happy, and made it so she can get a good position from
Marito.

“But Ruko is a maid working in this castle. I don’t think the people
around would forgive that.”

“As if I care. I don’t remember being given a list of restrictions for the
candidates.” (Marito)
“Obviously. It is basically a silent agreement of sorts after all. Or more
like, have you taken a liking to Ruko as a girl?”

That’s the point I am curious about. It is not like there’s no noble ladies
out there who enjoy gardening.

“She has ambition but doesn’t have the intention of using people; she
has a dream and doesn’t forget to put a lot of effort in making it a reality;
her education and etiquette is higher than the minimum; when talking
about my hobbies, she is not only not taken aback by this, but has
knowledge that defeats me; about her appearance, she can shine plenty
enough if dressed up and her smile when she talks gleefully is extremely
bright; her lustered face is especially enticing. What part would I
complain about?” (Marito)

So aside from her birth, she is full of plusses for Marito, huh. —Let’s
hope the last one wasn’t the deciding factor. I don’t want a country
where a king like that sits on the throne.

“That said, she might have become a queen candidate, but I feel like
Ruko herself might run away from the pressure.”

“That’s true. But that can be solved if I win her over properly, right?”
(Marito)

Marito said, full of con idence. Just how much con idence do you have?
Who died and made you king? Yeah, that one doesn’t work here.

“But she is unexpectedly scary when she gets angry. Don’t corner her too
much, okay?”

“She is not you. I won’t give her the leeway to get angry.” (Marito)

Oh my, who is this handsome prince?… The king.

Just what kind of shoujo manga story will Ruko be living after this? I am
a bit curious, but poking at it carelessly would be dangerous.

“For now, I leave her to you. What happens after is not on me.”

“I know. But to think you would beat me to it.” (Marito)

You are the one that beat me to it though. Aah, no, he is talking about the
agreement, huh.

“That was an agreement made because I didn’t like being tied down by
forceful methods, not a competition of who readies an appropriate
partner irst.”

“I thought of it as a competition internally. This is vexing.” (Marito)

“You… Right, if you lose, let’s have you listen to a request of mine.”

“Of course. I don’t mind hearing a request of yours regardless of wins or

losses though.” (Marito)

The love of my friend is heavy. Well, that will eventually be lowing over
to Ruko, so I don’t mind.

“Can you forgive Ilias?”

“…”

Yeah, his expression turned into that of a king in one go. It really was no
mistake that there wouldn’t have been any room for negotiation if not in
a circumstance like this one.

“I am impressed you can forgive Lady Ratzel. Even though she

prioritized the lives of others over yourself and exposed you to danger.”
(Marito)
“I am the one who made her ight to protect the people around to begin
with. The reason why I got caught was because I forgot to factor the
possibility of a 3rd one and ended up isolated. I properly took
responsibility for that one, you know.”

“Lady Ratzel barely did anything fruitful there despite that though. Are
you aware of that?” (Marito)

Well, it is true that the best scenario would have been for Ilias to defeat
Girista though. If I were asked who from those 3 were stronger, I would
have said either Ekdoik or Pashuro. The difference in compatibility
showed up strongly for Ekdoik, and he completely lost to Rakura, but
Pashuro had a hard time ighting Ilias with his full power.

Wolfe was the one to settle the battle at the end, but it wouldn’t have
been possible to defeat Pashuro without Ilias.

“If Ilias wasn’t the biggest contributor, I may have not come to ask you to
forgive her. Well, there’s no assurance I would be standing here alive in
that case though.”

“Big words. Well, if that had happened, Lady Ratzel wouldn’t even be a
knight anymore by now.” (Marito)

That goes for you too. You are saying quite the scary thing as if nothing.
You had her protect a glass character that would die instantly, and if she
fails, her whole life goes downhill. There’s a limit to being merciless.

“But I wouldn’t want a bodyguard who would throw away the lives of
others without hesitation. If you are going to be assigning a person like
that as my bodyguard, I would rather go alone to Gahne.”

“You say such naive things despite having torn apart the enemies from
the inside. How about having a bit more of a core?” (Marito)

“I do have a core. The crooked core of wanting to live safely.”

This won’t change even if the world does. Even if it is a normal lifestyle,
even if I burn in a sense of justice, even if my ideals were to be dyed by
lunatics, I don’t plan on changing that. Rather, it is something that I must
not change at this point.

“…Haah, got it. Lady Ratzel will continue as a bodyguard for the near
future. However, I will prepare one more bodyguard for when you go to
Gahne. No complaints there, right?” (Marito)

“That’s good enough of a compromise. By the way, who are you planning
on assigning?”

“I will think of it until the appointed day. Leaving aside their skills, I plan
on readying someone who will protect you above anything else.”
(Marito)

Looks like he still holds a grudge despite having forgiven her. Let’s just
hold hopes for Ilias in that front.

“Lady Ratzel, come in!” (Marito)

Ilias entered the of ice a while after the call of Marito.

She doesn’t have a dejected face, but I could tell that she is nervous.

“You must have heard that just now. Your bodyguard mission continues
on, however, there’s no next time. Thus, face this with the chivalric code
you hold as a core at stake!” (Marito)

“—Yes!” (Ilias)

“The pressure on me is rough if the life of Ilias is at stake though.”

“If you think so, then please tread with utmost care yourself. How
worried do you think I was when I heard that you were kidnapped?”
(Marito)
“…Sorry.”

I was pushed back by the serious eyes of Marito and apologized

honestly. At times like this, I feel something of a different realm from the
pressure of knights and lunatics.

It reminds me of how Marito is also a monster in his own right in this

world. The knights must have it rough being directed such pressure on
the regular.

“Now then, let’s get right into it. There was a report regarding Gahne.
The result was ‘Nothing off’.” (Marito)

“I see. But with how the conversation went before, it sounded like it was
ine for me to go to Gahne though.”

If there was anything off in Gahne, Marito was supposed to of icially

allow me to head to Gahne, so there being nothing off was unexpected.

“Even if there’s nothing off, Gahne in itself is unique in a lot of areas.

There being nothing off simply means that there are no changes in the
ruling since the king of Gahne changed.” (Marito)

The king of Gahne changed a few years ago. So it is a ‘nothing off’ in the
sense that there’s no issues. If I think about it too deeply, I feel like I will
have a Gestaltzerfall, so let’s not. <if a subject reads or hears the same
term over and over, that term ceases to have any meaning.>

“So you planned on giving your permission from the very beginning.”

“You would have headed to Gahne regardless, right? In that case, I would
choose the method that can chain you.” (Marito)

This guy really says things outright. Well, I don’t mind at this point.

“So have you already begun negotiations there?”

“I have already inished negotiations with the king of Gahne. You will be
staying for a long period of time in Gahne as a talented individual that
wants to learn there. I have gotten permission for you to enter most
facilities. He said that he doesn’t mind you checking the military affairs
documents as much as you want.” (Marito)

“That’s quite the great welcoming.”

Hiding the information about military affairs if you are from the same
rank is a matter of fact. If they are allowing it with open arms must
mean that there wouldn’t be any issues even if they are disclosed, and
no worries in being imitated. That’s just how much con idence they
have in their own nation.

But Marito is fast. To think he had already negotiated with the king from
the very beginning.

“That’s how it is, so I will ask you to inspect Gahne aside from pursuing
the matter of Raheight. That way you can hide your main intention,
right?” (Marito)

“You say it like an afterthought… It is not like I am that in the know of

rulings though.”

“I will be assigning you someone with a head for such areas as your
extra bodyguard.” (Marito)

That would help.

Even if you ask me to investigate the greatness of a neighboring

country, I feel like I would only have enough vocabulary to say ‘it was
amazing!’. Ilias may be knowledgeable in military, but… I feel like she
would only be giving musclehead comments like ‘I could defeat them’.

“I won’t stop you from chasing the traces of Raheight, however, don’t go
too deeply. I am even prepared to provide knights if you need power.
Rely on our power, my friend.” (Marito)

“Yeah. If Raheight is walking in front of my eyes, I will have Ilias cut him
down, but I will rely a whole ton on you on the other fronts, my friend.”

And in this way, the preparations to investigate Gahne are done thanks
to the help of Marito.

The beginning of all this was a single book. By tracing that book, we
have located the truth buried deep in that darkness.

What awaits even further beyond are most likely truths that surpass
that. I don’t want to get involved in it, but it is not like my peaceful life
won’t be threatened any further even if I half-ass it here.

I really don’t want to, but let’s work hard for the sake of world peace, or
maybe, for the sake of a happy lifestyle that ful ills the peace in my
heart.

———

There’s no one here who knows correctly where this place is.

It is a special space that was created by the Black Demon Lord that had
the Almighty power.

There’s a giant round table set. There’s no chairs, and 8 crystals of 8

different colors were spaced equally around it.

The colors that were shining from those were: gold, blue, green, purple,
colorless, and crimson. The black and white crystals alone had lost their
shine and were quiet.

“The book in question has been sealed in Mejis again. End of the report.”
A heavy voice echoed from the crimson crystal. It is the voice of the
Crimson Demon Lord that was linked to Raheight.

“So you couldn’t steal the book in the end… Even though it is the book
that has things written about me… Aah, so embarrassing… I want to
die…”

The clear voice like that of ice as if it could fade at any moment echoed
from the blue crystal.

“That brat, Raheight, was it? It is because Crimson doesn’t turn him into
a demon already. Crimson really doesn’t know how to handle his people.”

The amused and teasing voice echoed from the gold crystal.

“Gold, you shouldn’t say that. Demons are beings that become your next
successor, you know? You have to be super discreet, tease them, and
dangle it on them until they can’t endure it anymore.”

The bewitching voice echoed from the purple crystal. The colorless and
blue crystals were shining, but they maintained silence.

“The mistake of Raheight doesn’t matter. It is a simple matter of, if

there’s no result, there’s no reward. If his desire continues, he will
eventually bring about results. However, I heard a bit of an interesting
report.” (Crimson)

“Fumu, what is it?” (Gold)

“I have been told that someone who can decipher the book in question
has shown up. Also that he is someone that comes from the same planet
as Yugura.” (Crimson)

Silence took over the place for a while.

It is a round table with no faces, but the emotions swirling around were
varied. If there was a 3rd party there, they would have been on the verge
of going crazy from the chaotic atmosphere.

“That means… my everything has… Aah, I want to die…” (Blue)

“It is certainly true that it is rude to read the secrets of a maiden, right?”
(Purple)

“This one doesn’t know how naked Yugura described ya all, but it is
important for the time when it is known that ya can resurrect even
when defeated.” (Gold)

“Yugura was an attentive one after all. It might be written.” (Purple)

“Even if that’s the case, the ones who currently know about this are only
Taizu and Mejis. We just have to move if they move. There’s no
weaklings here who would give out excuses like their bodies are dull
and can’t move, right?” (Crimson)

“This one isn’t good at manual labor though… I don’t mind it for the ‘Day
of Strife’, but this one doesn’t want to stand on the frontlines.” (Gold)

“Gold is noticeably weaker after all. You were defeated by Yugura in one
hit, right?” (Purple)

“Umu, if it is in terms of running away, I have con idence that this one
would be following right after the Black of Almighty.” (Gold)

“Stop the stupid self-deprecation, Yellow of Ruling.” (Crimson)

“It is Gold! This one has told ya to stop with the Yellow! Good grief,
Yugura doesn’t know my likes!” (Gold)

“Is that the end of your talk, Crimson?”

A clear voice resonated from the green crystal. That voice silenced the
noise around in an instant.

“What, ya were awake, Green?” (Gold)

“Of course I would speak if I ind your noisiness to be displeasing while I

am dozing off. If there’s nothing else to report, inish this already. Or do
you want me to inish it?” (Green)

“…That’s all.” (Crimson)

The shine from the crimson crystal disappeared. The blue and purple
disappear following that.

“How scary. The only ones who can threaten the Demon Lords are Black
and Green.” (Gold)

“…”

“What, Green? There’s no need for ya to stay till the very end. Just leave
the job for the last one to this one who follows after Black. Ya can just
continue enjoying your sleep.” (Gold)

There’s no knowing how those words were taken, but the shine of the
green crystal disappeared too.

“Scary, scary. No matter what this one says, Green would ind it
displeasing after all. Can’t even smooth things over like that.” (Gold)

Silence took over the place. The only crystal emitting a voice was the
gold one.

“Hey, Colorless, ya can speak every now and then too, ya know?” (Gold)

Gold speaks to the colorless crystal that’s still shining. But the colorless
crystal silently erased its shine without saying anything.
“Muuh… Did this one say something to be hated over? All Demon Lords
are hard to please as always. That said, a resident of the same planet as
Yugura, huh. I am really curious. I heard he is in Taizu, but… won’t he
visit my place in Gahne? Nfufufu!” (Gold)

The gold crystal also stopped shining after an amused laugh. There were
no lights shining in the space anymore. The round table was swallowed
by the darkness and only silence remained.

Just when the otherworlder from Earth had discovered the existence of
the Demon Lords, the Demon Lords were also made aware of his
presence.

The 2nd Arc is over.

The stage of the 3rd Arc will be taking place in the neighboring country
of Gahne.