Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 180: “A Conversation with The Ancestor”
“Then, I’ll make it so I can listen in too.”
I took out the Ultra-Compact Simple Storage and retrieved the Natural Volume Hairpiece.
It was the item I had previously used to hide elf ears and horns. It’s designed to transform using the magical power contained in magic stones.
Let’s try putting Ancestor-sama’s magic power into this magic stone.
“…Wau?”
“She said, ‘What’s going on? Looks like fun.'”
“You’ll see soon. Excuse me a moment.”
I touched the Natural Volume Hairpiece to Ancestor-sama.
Once it had absorbed enough magical power, I attached the hairpiece to my head and fastened it with a clip.
Wriggle, wriggle, wriggle…
The hairpiece began to move.
Reacting to Ancestor-sama’s magic, it transformed into something like a wolf’s fur—
“…But it didn’t become full animal ears.”
The hairpiece just turned into fluffy wolf fur.
I was hoping that by making the Natural Volume Hairpiece into animal ears, I might be able to hear Ancestor-sama’s voice like Mabel can.
But it didn’t form actual ears. The golden hair just extended to drape over my ears.
Wait a sec—? It sort of looks like floppy dog ears… maybe?
Well, let’s try it like this.
I borrowed the Woof-Meow Friendship Talk Pendant from Mabel, extended the chain to make it longer—
If Mabel and I brought our faces close together and wore the same pendant, then—
“With this, I might be able to understand what you’re saying. Please try speaking, Ancestor-sama.”
“How cute.” “She says, ‘You’re cute, Thor-sama'”
“Huh?”
Warm breath brushed my cheek.
Mabel’s eyes sparkled as she looked at my head.
Since we were sharing the same pendant, she was right up close.
Ancestor-sama was also staring at me intently. So was Erte-san.
Why is everyone so focused on my beast-like transformation…?
I mean, I’m not cute, okay?
The hair growing from the hairpiece just looks like floppy ears, that’s all?
“She said, ‘We have to show this to Her Majesty the Demon Lord’”—hey, Mabel. That’s totally unnecessary, okay?
Erte-san, no need to document this either. Reporting this to the Chancellor won’t accomplish anything, alright?
“Sorry for interrupting. Please continue.”
Pulling myself together, I spoke to Ancestor-sama.
Then Mabel and I sat down on the ground together.
It would be rude to look down on Ancestor-sama while listening.
“Which one do you want to hear first? The dragon bones? Or how to get out of the ‘Forest of Confusion’?”
Ancestor-sama replied.
It was a woman’s voice.
She sounded mature—like someone a bit older and wise.
“Then, could you please tell us your name first?”
“Oh my, that’s where you start, huh?”
“I’m Thor Canaan. This is Mabel. And the one in the back is Erte-san, a government official.”
“I know~ You all introduced yourselves properly.”
Wagging her tail, Ancestor-sama said:
“I am Karotia. I used to live in this land as a dragon’s familiar. You know dragons once lived on this continent, right? They got tired of being hunted by heroes and fled to the ends of the earth.”
“I know that.”
Once, dragons interacted normally with humans, demi-humans, and demons.
But heroes who came from another world became obsessed with the title “Dragon Slayer,” and began targeting dragons.
Hating that, the dragons left for distant lands.
“Karotia-san, you were that familiar?”
“I’m a descendant of that familiar~ The dragons had such powerful magic that even their familiars’ descendants became intelligent. And the dragons—concerned about the places they once lived—left their familiars behind here. Isn’t that amazing?”
“It really is.”
“Yes! It’s amazing!”
Mabel and I nodded.
Now that I think about it, the second Demon Lord once talked with Ancestor-sama and decided to coexist in this land.
I wonder if the Demon Lord at the time knew that Ancestor-sama was a dragon’s familiar.
He was a mysterious person in many ways… that second Demon Lord.
“The one who created the barrier in the ‘Forest of Confusion’ was the dragon I served.”
“Was it to protect the ‘dragon bones’… or maybe the dragon’s corpse?”
If there are bones, maybe the whole body is still there.
Maybe Ancestor-sama is living here to protect it.
It makes sense that Ancestor-sama and the others avoided contact with people in the Demon Lord’s territory to keep the existence of the dragon’s corpse a secret.
That could explain why Ancestor-sama rarely appeared.
When I said all this—
“Exactly. It was also to protect the remains. That’s why we lived in hiding.”
“I thought so.”
“But I do like everyone in the Demon Lord’s territory. I do—but I must fulfill my duty.”
The golden wolf, Karotia-san, looked up at the distant sky and said:
“My master once said this: ‘If a hero shows up by my remains after I die and goes “Heh heh~ We’re the ones who took down this dragon!”—I’d be insanely pissed. So only let people you approve of approach my corpse.’”
““…Ahh…””
…That’s a very understandable reason.
“So that’s what the barrier was for…”
“That’s right~”
“But if that’s the case, isn’t it bad for us to go collect the ‘psychic resonance material’… or rather, the dragon bones?”
“Nope. That’s totally fine~”
“Are you sure?”
“The dragon left its body here partly to help the people living in this land. The management of that was entrusted to us.”
Karotia-san stared straight at me with her wolf eyes and said:
“Right now, new species of magical beasts and strange ‘items from another world’ are coming in. I realized I couldn’t just keep watching forever. That’s why I decided to approach you.”
“I see… so that’s the reason.”
“And you guys wouldn’t brag like, ‘I’m the one who killed the dragon,’ right?”
“Of course not. I don’t even have combat abilities—it’d be pointless.”
“Me neither… I wouldn’t dare say something so disrespectful.”
“Alright! Just as I thought—you’re exactly the kind of people I hoped for.”
“But… is it really okay for me to take the ‘dragon bones’? I mean, to you, they’re your master’s remains, right?”
“That’s true, but… yeah.”
Karotia-san, the golden wolf, shook her head.
“But I’ll allow it. Because you’re not using the ‘dragon bones’ for your own gain, right?”
“Well, item crafting is totally my hobby, though.”
“Even so, it’s for the sake of those who live in this land, right? After all, you two were dispatched by Her Majesty the Demon Lord.”
“That’s absolutely correct.”
I nodded.
“I’m a royal alchemist directly under the Demon Lord, and this material search has been approved by Her Majesty. The reason I want the ‘dragon bones’ is also for the sake of maintaining peace in the Demon Lord’s territory.”
Dragon bones—that is, psychic resonance materials—are needed to counter hard creatures.
In the Hero World, there exist powerful magical beasts like the Demonic Beast Gargarossa.
And in this world, there’s summoning magic.
We’re working to get it banned, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Someone could very well summon another hard creature again.
On top of that, strange smartphone-like “mystery items” have been sent over from the Hero World.
We still don’t know their purpose, but we need to prepare for them.
There’s even the possibility that stronger hard creatures could come from the other world.
That’s why I want to use psychic resonance materials to make items that can protect everyone in the Demon Lord’s territory.
—That’s what I explained to Karotia-san.
The golden wolf Karotia-san thought for a moment, then—
“If that’s the case, I’m sure even the dragon would understand.”
—She nodded firmly.
“We made a pact of coexistence with the second Demon Lord. That means we have to protect this land. And if you’re directly under Her Majesty the Demon Lord, then you’re certainly qualified. I’ll teach you how to get through the ‘Forest of Confusion.’”
“Thank you very much.”
I bowed my head to our ancestor.
When I return to the Demon Lord’s Castle, I’ll tell Rukie.
That ancestor rarely appears, but still deeply respects the Demon Lord.
They’re thinking about how to protect the Demon Lord’s domain—and lent their strength for that purpose.
I’m sure Rukie will be happy to hear it.
Actually, I’d love to introduce Karotia-san and Rukie to each other.
Maybe I could invite her to one of our “Simple Storage” tea parties. Would that be okay…?
“Well then, are you ready? I’ll explain how to get through the ‘Forest of Confusion.’”
And with that, the golden wolf Karotia-san slowly began to speak.
“First, let me explain the area where your sense of direction gets all messed up. That place uses the dragon’s residual magic to make the land’s magical energy swirl around. Once you step into that vortex, you can’t tell north from south or east from west, and your sense of direction goes haywire.”
“I see.”
“That’s how it is.”
“What if you had something that always pointed to the correct north, south, east, and west?”
“Is there such a thing?”
“There is.”
I took out the Health-Boosting Pendant.
Whoever carries this pendant also carries with them the true cardinal directions and their central point.
That’s why you don’t get lost inside the traffic cone formation.
It should work against the dragon’s barrier too.
“W-Wow. If you’ve got something like that, you won’t get lost at all.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’m shocked! The technology in the Demon Lord’s lands has advanced without me even noticing.”
“Yes. It’s all thanks to the brilliance of Demon Lord Rukie.”
—At the same time, in the Demon Lord’s Castle—
“Achoo!”
“What’s the matter, Your Majesty?”
“Ah, I just sneezed strangely. I wonder if someone is talking about me somewhere.”
“Could it be Thor-sama?”
“Thor went to the elf village. The elves there are very proud and don’t easily open their hearts to others. Even Thor must be nervous. He wouldn’t have time to be talking about me.”
“That’s true. Even Thor-sama…”
“Right. Even Thor wouldn’t be doing that.”
““………””
The Demon Lord Rukie and Chancellor Kelve exchanged glances.
—Thor’s point of view—
“Next is the ‘invisible wall that pushes you back when you try to move forward.’ But you can get through it if you take on the form of an animal. A wolf, dog, or cat will do. Then, if you follow my instructions and make sounds like ‘woof woof’ or ‘meow meow,’ you’ll be able to pass.”
“What a mysterious trap.”
“It’s meant to stop heroes from entering. I don’t get close to heroes, and heroes wouldn’t turn into animals, would they? There are legends of them turning into dragons or monsters, though.”
“That’s true.”
“In other words, it’s like a double lock.”
“What about the elf who previously found the ‘dragon bones’?”
“They probably panicked from exhaustion and ended up acting like an animal. Then, by randomly saying ‘woof woof’ or ‘meow meow,’ they accidentally made it through.”
““…I see.””
According to the elf legend, the youth who entered the forest had a terrible experience.
That must be why they reverted to a wild state out of fatigue…
Well, it seems they made it back to the village safely, so it’s fine.
“You guys… if Mabel stays in her current form and imitates me, you should be able to pass. With luck, at least!”
“Understood. Then let’s raise our chances. Mabel, please.”
“Yes, Thor-sama.”
Mabel pulled up the hood of her Imitation Pajamas.
She turned into a silver wolf.
“How’s this?”
“I’m sure that’ll work!!”
She was shocked.
Of course, anyone would be surprised to see a beautiful elf girl suddenly turn into a wolf.
“I can’t believe it. To think that after the dragon of this land passed, the people would gain such powers…”
“It’s all thanks to Demon Lord Rukie Evergard.”
—At the same time, in the Demon Lord’s Castle—
“Achoo! Aaaahchoo! Heeekchoo!”
“Your Majesty, perhaps you’ve caught a cold after all? Shall I prepare some medicine?”
“N-No, I don’t feel unwell. What is this, I wonder?”
“If only Thor-sama were here—he might understand.”
“Come to think of it, he seems to have grown quite close to the ‘Ancestor.’”
“The wise native of the northern lands… We’ve tried contacting them several times ourselves, but…”
“Yet we have established communication, haven’t we?”
“Yes. A pact of coexistence was made with the second Demon Lord.”
“Research on the ‘Ancestor’ is a topic of interest among the Demon Lord’s scholars too.”
“I just hope Thor isn’t doing anything strange with the ‘Ancestor.’”
“He might be.”
“You think so?”
“Do you think he isn’t?”
“I do not.”
“But Thor is well-mannered. If he’s dealing with the native people of the north, he’ll definitely show proper respect. Of that, I’m sure.”
So saying, Demon Lord Rukie looked out the window—toward the northwestern sky, where Thor was believed to be.
“I wonder what that boy is up to now… I hope he’s not doing anything strange. No, then again, it’s hard to imagine Thor not doing something strange… A-Anyway, as long as he’s safe and composed, that’s enough for me… But it’s Thor, after all…”
—Thor’s Point of View—
“Achoo!”
“Ah! Thor-sama, do you have a cold?”
“No, I’m fine. Maybe someone’s talking about me…?”
“Could it be Her Majesty the Demon Lord?”
“Her Majesty is busy. I don’t think she has time to talk about me.”
I took a deep breath and looked at Karotia-san, the ‘ancestor’.
“Sorry for interrupting. Are there any other traps?”
“There’s also a place that becomes pitch dark when you get close, and it causes mental instability.”
“I see. It uses dark magic to confuse the mind. Dragons are powerful beings, so humans and demi-humans would be overwhelmed by their presence. That lingering magical power of the dragon was used to create a barrier with a strong intimidation effect.”
“I don’t really understand the difficult stuff, but probably, yeah. You’re amazing.”
“I’m an alchemist, after all.”
“That ‘Darkness Barrier’ can’t be passed through while holding a weapon. Also… seasoned fighters end up intimidating themselves. The more experienced someone is in battle, the more they stay alert in the dark and prepare for ambushes. That killing intent then reflects back at them.”
“The more combat experience one has, the harder it is to get through.”
“Exactly. Then, combined with the other traps—like the ‘repelling wall’ and the ‘direction-confusing trap’—intruders are driven out of the forest.”
As expected of a dragon. They really thought up some impressive traps.
Anyone would prepare for an ambush if suddenly surrounded by darkness.
And then their killing intent would reflect back at them?
This is definitely a trap that stronger people are more likely to fall into.
“What about someone with no combat experience, who can’t use weapons or magic?”
“If they can handle the anxiety of the darkness, they might be able to pass through?”
“What if, due to some circumstances, they couldn’t use magic until six months ago?”
“Same thing. They’d still feel the dragon’s intimidation, but their own killing intent wouldn’t come back at them.”
“I see.”
Mabel and I exchanged glances and nodded.
As long as we’re careful of the darkness and the intimidation effect, we should be able to make it through.
The condition of not holding weapons should be fine too.
What I have in the ‘Ultra-Compact Portable Storage’ are non-lethal items like ‘personal alarms’ and ‘laser pointers.’
By the way, the ‘Meteor Arrow’ is an important item, so I left it in the ‘portable storage’ at the Demon Lord’s Castle.
No problem there.
“I believe you two can make it through the ‘Forest of Confusion.’”
‘Ancestor’ nodded.
“Actually, I wonder if you even needed my advice at all.”
“That’s not true.”
“You think so?”
“It’s because of your advice that I can confidently send Mabel off.”
“Yes! Now I can give Thor-sama the ‘Mental Resonance Material’!”
“I see.”
Suddenly, Karotia-san—the golden wolf—looked up at the sky and sighed.
“Perhaps… the dragon who was once my master was waiting for people like you.”
“People like us?”
“Yes. Someone who would use his bones for a just purpose, and a Demon Lord who truly trusts that person. Because it’s you two, I decided to guide you through the ‘Forest of Confusion.’ The current Demon Lord must be a truly noble person.”
“Yes. Her Majesty Rukie Evergard is the finest ruler.”
“I respect Her Majesty as well!”
“I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I, Erte, also swear loyalty to Her Majesty the Demon Lord!”
Mabel, Erte-san, and I answered together.
Then… we heard voices near the house.
Looking over, we saw the elf elder and his guards watching from a distance as I spoke with the ‘ancestor.’ They seemed quite surprised.
Well… I guess anyone would be shocked to see a human casually conversing with the ‘ancestor.’
Of course, they couldn’t understand the words of the ‘ancestor.’
But they must have noticed we were talking about Rukie, because—
“I don’t quite understand, but I too believe Her Majesty the Demon Lord is worthy of our loyalty. She defeated a new species of magical beast and protected this domain!”
“Y-Yes, exactly, Elder!”
“Elves may be known for being difficult, but we have never forgotten our loyalty to Her Majesty!”
“Her Majesty Rukie the Demon Lord is our sovereign!”
—The elves also began to praise Rukie.
That’s a good thing.
Rukie is always doing her best.
That’s why I want to support her too.
Speaking of which… I wonder how Rukie’s doing.
She’s probably hard at work right now.
I hope she’s not pushing herself too hard—
—At the same time, in the Demon Lord’s Castle—
“Achoo! Ah-choo! …Achoo!”
“Y-Your Majesty, perhaps you should get some rest…?”
“I don’t feel unwell… but, well, the work has reached a stopping point. I suppose I shall take a short nap.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll leave things to you for now.”
Saying this to Chancellor Kelve, Demon Lord Rukie left the throne.
She returned to her room and entered her bedroom.
“I feel a bit off today. I wonder what’s causing it…”
Alone, Rukie changed into her nightwear and sat on her bed.
She wasn’t exactly feeling sick.
But somehow, she couldn’t settle down. She kept sneezing.
Could someone really be talking about her?
“Well, sneezing because someone is gossiping about you is just a superstition.”
If sneezing truly came from being talked about, then Rukie would never stop sneezing—her citizens talk about the Demon Lord all the time.
But—
“…If the one talking about me… is someone special, then maybe I would sneeze.”
Rukie hugged her pillow and murmured.
Then, gently, she lay down and closed her eyes.
(Maybe I’m feeling off because I’ve been overworking myself.)
(Or maybe… because Thor isn’t here.)
(Ever since I talked with Thor at the mausoleum of the former Demon Lords, my heart feels warm… and unsettled.)
(…Or maybe… it’s because of the ‘modified body pillow’ I once transformed into Thor’s form, and since he forgot about it, I’ve kept it and sleep with it like it’s mine. It’s reverted to a normal pillow, but some of Thor’s magic power remains… could that be creating a mysterious connection…)
I’ll ask Thor when he gets back.
No… if I ask him, he’ll know I’ve been keeping the body pillow and sleeping with it. And Thor would probably say something like, “Let’s run an experiment on the residual magical power”… That would totally ruin the mood…
“…Come back soon, Thor.”
Hugging the body pillow that once looked like Thor, Demon Lord Rukie enjoyed a peaceful nap.
── From Thor’s point of view ──
“I’ll be heading to the ‘Forest of Confusion’ tomorrow.”
“Please be really careful, Mabel.”
“Karotia-san will be guarding me too, so I’ll be fine.”
“Wau wau!”
Karotia-san, the golden wolf, nodded beside Mabel.
Mabel nodded at her voice and gently stroked Karotia-san’s back.
Thanks to the “Woof-Meow Friendly Talk Pendant,” they seem to have really hit it off.
“Since we’re both girls, I’ll take full responsibility for guiding Mabel-san~”
Those were the words that floated on the pendant.
By the way, the “Woof-Meow Friendly Talk Pendant” is currently in Mabel’s possession.
She’ll be using it for a while.
“I trust Karotia-san. But… I think it might be better to have a bit more protection.”
“Shall I ask the Elder?”
“No, this is an important mission, so I think someone close to her would be better.”
Also, if a villager from the elf village acted as a guard, Mabel would probably be nervous.
And I want to keep as much information about the Forest of Confusion hidden as possible.
So, it’s better to have someone she’s comfortable with accompany her.
That’s why—
“…At times like this, I really wish the winged fairies, the Pixies, were around.”
I said this, speaking toward the forest.
“The Pixies are so reliable. I’d be totally at ease leaving Mabel with them.”
“Thor-sama? Why are you talking while looking outside the village…?”
“Hmm, it’s a problem. I sent Lune to the Demon Lord’s castle, and the hidden Pixies went with her. There’s no one perfect left around here. Pixies would be ideal guards though… What should I do? I wonder if anyone’s nearby…”
Rustle, rustle.
The trees near the village swayed.
“Pixies are great at hide-and-seek, so I thought maybe they might’ve secretly followed us… Guess I imagined it…”
Rustle, rustle rustle.
“They’re not here, huh. That’s too bad.”
Rustle rustle rustle. Flap flap flap flap!!
“Oh well. The always cheerful, cute, hardworking, dependable, and trustworthy Pixies aren’t here, huh. Can’t be helped. I’ll just accept that it wasn’t meant to be this time—”
““““We’re here────!!””””
From between the trees, the Pixies suddenly flew out all at once.
Just as I expected.
When I sent Lune off to the Demon Lord’s castle earlier, the hidden Pixies went along with her.
I was sure there were still some left behind.
“We figured this might happen! Yes! That’s why we secretly followed you!”
“We’re fired up! Our hearts are ablaze after hearing the Alchemist-sama’s feelings!”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“Nyaaan, nyaan nya-nya-nyaan nyaaan!”
The one greeting shyly is the Earth Pixie.
The one puffing out her chest and full of motivation is the Fire Pixie.
The one whispering into my ear is the Water Pixie.
And the Wind Pixie… she’s already wearing the “Cat Costume Pajamas.” She probably doesn’t understand what’s going on and is just copying Mabel for fun… Or maybe she instinctively knew the pajamas would be necessary. That’s incredible…
““““We, the Four Pixie Guardians, are here to serve!””””
“So, Karotia-san, may I have these girls accompany you as well?”
“Y-Yes, of course, but… what? They were here? Even my nose didn’t notice them?”
“Thor-sama, you can sense the presence of Pixies…?”
“I’ve never seen anyone handle Pixies this well. Alchemist-sama, I dare say it’s not an exaggeration to call you the Pixie Master…”
Even the Ancestor, Mabel, and Erte-san were all surprised.
But being called “Pixie Master” is going too far. I’m not using them or anything. I wasn’t reading their presence.
I just felt like they might be around… and while worrying about Mabel, the thought occurred to me to try calling them.
“Well then, let’s start preparing for tomorrow.”
“Yes, Thor-sama!”
““““Understood~!””””
“Wau wau!”
“…It’s strange. I should know the Demon Lord’s territory better than anyone… yet when I’m with Alchemist-sama, it keeps revealing new sides of itself. I wonder… is this the kind of feeling Uncle Kelve always had…?”
And so, the Forest of Confusion Investigation Squad, made up of Mabel, Ancestor, and the Pixies, was formed—
Together, we created an investigation plan and began preparing the necessary items—
Erte-san and I headed back to the Demon Lord’s castle to report on the mysterious items—
And the next day, praying for each other’s safety, we each set off into action.