Kays Translations

1-3 Humanoid Guest

　Peaks covered with white silver icecaps filled both ends of my field of view.

　I had been to the mountain several times, but I was struck by the fact  I didn't feel the signs of life as unnatural in spite of the fact that nature was spreading as it should. The tribe living at the foot of the mountain may have had a distant cause, but as I'm not an activist for environmental conservation, I'm not pursuing it.

　The tribe had built a huge settlement that couldn't be described as quiet, just beyond the coniferous forest that hid the foothills.

"So, what should I do in the end?"

　A loud sneeze followed the end of his sentence. The wind that blew down from the top of the mountain from time to time wasn't chilly enough to turn water into ice but was still very chilly.

　The owner of this village is one of the most belligerent races, the demon race.

　They are born with steel skin, physical strength several times greater than that of humans, and their most distinctive feature is the horns of various sizes that extend from their heads. In other words, the rest of their appearance is generally the same as humans.

　They continue to follow customs that embody the saying, "A sound mind resides only in a sound body," and judging by their values, strength is justice and a good cause.

　Therefore, there's not a day that goes by without the word "battle" being inscribed in their daily lives. They challenge and are challenged, take pride in their own prowess, praise the skills of their opponents, and continue to train their bodies and minds while spitting blood and sipping mud.

　What would happen if such a race welcomed another race, even a strong one, to their village?

"Half of me wants you to stop those children. The other half, I think you'll understand when you meet."

　No matter how many times I demanded an explanation, the client kept repeating things that didn't make sense, and I followed her lead deeper into the reddish-brown dirt streets.

　Even though it was daytime, the deserted atmosphere of the houses gave me the creeps.

"There's no sign of anything, It's like a ruin......."

"They're either away on business or simply asleep. Other than that, I'd say they're probably out watching a match."

　Their battle madness is here to stay.

　I was slightly elated to be confronted with something for which such people require my assistance, and rushed to deny it inwardly.

"Here. It's just around the corner."

　For the first time, the guide on my head did something guide-like, but when I got this close, I could get a rough idea of what was going on by the flow of magic.

　The number of people in the room. The atmosphere of the place. The red magic power of the demons that folded powerfully.

　And a hint of magic power that was as clear as white dew. Perhaps the owner of the magic is the drifter who came to this village.

　As I turned the corner, I saw the scene that I had imagined. No actually, everything about the scene was beyond my imagination.

"Get up!　You can still do it!　Come on!"

"You're not like this right! Go for it like you're willing to die!"

"............"

　Is this what you call a hot atmosphere?

　Even before I turned the corner, I heard loud cheers. The ones I could hear were barely audible, and many of them were bellowing incomprehensibly. The muscular spectators were pushing and shoving each other, gesticulating and expressing themselves with all their might.

　It was unbearably hot. When I looked at Marie as if to ask for help, I saw an icy, iron-faced girl with an uncomfortable scowl on her face.

"..... Lise, sorry. I'm not a fan of your kind."

"I'm not a demon, I'm just a bird. Don't put us all together."

   She's quite adamant on being a pet huh.

　Marie, who had been walking away from us, still kept her distance and showed her resignation. Whenever there was a meaningless shout, her face would tighten up in various places, indicating that she wasn't very good at this. I felt bad, but it was a good thing I brought her along, cause I didn't think I could stand this atmosphere alone.

"So we just have to wait for this fight to end?"

"Right. You don't want to get in there, so I'll take a look from above."

　Immediately afterwards, a muffled bass sound, similar to the shaking of the earth, echoed in the area. A huge demon hovered in the air, flying over Lise's fluttering head. Marie, standing at the point of the fall, bitterly lowered her luggage.

　Once again, there was a muffled sound. The man twice her size was lying helplessly in the palm of her hand.

"He's out cold.

　Marie flipped her wrist as if nothing had happened. A group of men rushed over and carried the man's body.

As I followed his back with my gaze, I saw several demons lying under the eaves of a nearby house, who must have been hit in the same way.

"Sage!"

　When my name was called, I turned around. The person who appeared through the waves of spectators was a demon with a rather slender physique.

　It was Lise who reacted faster than the man who was called. She squealed in the air and swooped down to the shoulder of the man who appeared. It seems that she was still conscious of being a pet.

"Thanks for the errand, Lise.

This man, whose dark orange-yellow eyes shone as he pet Liese, is a demon named Keith who is a young assistant to the chieftan.

"Keith. It's been a long time since I've seen you, and this is quite an urgent call."

"I'm sorry. But it's a problem we'll have to rely on you to resolve.".

"What? What's going on?"

　Whether it was the incessant cheering that deafened him or that he just pretended not to hear, Keith ignored the question and turned on his heel.

　The crowd, which had stepped aside to clear the way, was buzzing around us, casting curious glances my way.

　I couldn't care less, I thought as I followed Keith, and for some reason Marie followed close behind. It seems that we both don't want to be alone.

"Are you the last one?"

　At the end of the open crowd, from behind Keith's back, I heard the voice of a cheerful sounding girl.

"No. It's not me, but I'm willing to let the curtain fall."

"You're very confident, aren't you? I'm sorry, but until I see him, I'm not going to--"

　Keith grabbed me by the shoulders and exposed me in front of the resolute girl, without any introduction.

　Immediately after, a dry metallic sound echoed in the small space. The girl leaped from the ground, not even glancing at the sword that had been dropped with a shrill scream.

　Even the way she ran up to me and stopped in front of me showed a certain elegance that was impossible to miss from this distance. There she was, Princess Christia, who I had just been monitoring in the human world the other day. I thought she didn't recognize me when pretended I was a human drifter but I guess that wasn't true and now though I'm aware that I'm not in top form, I could no longer avoid the situation. As I was blaming myself for the thoughts that had now begun to take hold, the princess opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

"Sage-sama...... is it?"

"Uh...... yeah."

　I'm sure I don't have the kind of name that would be given an honorific title by royalty, but the momentum got the better of me and I quickly responded. She didn't say anything more, but she just stared right at me. Maybe it's just my imagination, but her eyes seem to be moistening, and I'm sweating like crazy.

　As I felt Marie's piercing gaze on my back, Chris took something out of the bag on her waist and put it on her palm. In an ornate box, there was a familiar piece of precious metal.

"I was wondering if you were looking for this..."

　My hesitation turned into shock in less than a second. I ran my hands all over my body, but couldn't feel what I was looking for under my fingertips.

"My necklace......?"

　It was easy to imagine the expression on my face, as if I was losing blood. It was only when I received it that I realized I had lost it, a sign of holy knighthood given to me by the king.

　I grabbed Chris's palm, who handed it to me to thank her. I tried to thank her, but for some reason, she didn't release my hand for a long time.

"I don't mean it as a reward, but may I ask  one thing?"

"What?　Uh......."

　She came at me with a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears. I averted my gaze and looked for a helping hand, but Keith was called away by another demon and buried in the crowd. As for Marie, she came up to me without a sound and poked me in the back with her fingertips. I'm the one who wants to cry.

"I can't?"

　Chris, who was also holding my other hand, leaned closer to me. When I leaned my upper body backwards, Marie pushed me back. There didn't seem to be any physical escape left, so I gave up and turned to Chris.

"I understand. If there's anything I can do, I'll give you a reasonable reward."

　Chris wiped her reddish eyelids with a clear smile that seemed to be the color of her own magic power. As for Marie, she was still clinging to my sleeve, as if holding the reins. It seems I can't be too optimistic.

　But rather than that, I can't imagine what she would ask of me. Thinking about what would happen if I was asked to become a follower, I pictured the wind magic chanting team in my head.

　Chris literally cut off Sage's wandering thoughts. She picked up the sword she had dropped and thrust the tip at Sage.

" Since the heavens have brought us together again, let me see what you can do!"

　The crowd was suddenly buzzing.

　In contrast, Seiji's reaction was very slight. He twitched his eyebrows and gestured to Marie, who gently held out his sword from the side. While he was upset at his dashed expectations, he seemed to be happy to have a sword pointed at him, and didn't seem to have the right to call others battle maniacs.

"Can I use magic?"

"Yes. As you wish, Sage-sama."

"...... Okay. Anytime."

　A purple magic circle appeared in the air, tracing the movement of his lifted fingers.

　The only person who would have noticed the subtle change in Seiji's expression would have been Marie, who was watching the exchange from diagonally behind like an attendant. His eyes that flashed after a slight hesitation, were the same color as when he had come up with a crazy idea.

.

　After unloading her luggage, Marie prepared herself as if she was preparing for something. A demon walked by her, breathing hard.

"Did something happen?"

　Seiji looked at Chris, who was still holding her sword, and took his stance. But then a figure grabbed him by the shoulder with great force.

"Sage......!"

It was Keith. His dark skin had turned pale enough to be seen at a glance. His outstretched arm peeled weakly away from Sage's shoulder as he turned around to look back at him.

"The mine. The chief is ......."

"Calm down. What's wrong, what's going on?"

"......There's Chaos."

　Chris, who had sensed something strange and was coming closer felt a terrible chill and stopped in her tracks.

　 Was because her instincts had sensed the meaning of the words that she had never heard before, or maybe she was pressured by the murderous air that Sage instantly unleashed when he heard them. Either way, it seemed that the long awaited match had been forcibly interrupted.

"Where is it? Are there any others who failed to escape?"

"In the second ...... tunnel, the chief is.....alone "

　Grabbed by the shoulder, Keith's eyes lost so much color that it was a wonder he could keep them in focus.

　From the point of view of Chris and the humans, demons were classified as demon beasts or monsters. A race that was willing to challenge Chris, who was superior to them, using only their bodies, and would probably be the first in line to a fight, tried to flee before the enemy.

"Don't worry. I'll bring him back. You just reassure everyone."

　Sage turned around and saw Marie standing in his line of sight, as if she had been waiting. They crossed their gazes and smiled.

"Sorry, I have to go."

"Yes. See you later.

　Accepting the proffered sword, Sage turned his back to them and left with the wind. Chris, who could only watch the hurriedly changing scene helplessly, was met with a smile from Marie, who looked back at her.

"It's been a while, princess Chris. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"No. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to repay you, even though you helped me and my men. By the way, what's going on?"

"There's something I need to ask you first before I can answer your question."

What?"

　The color of Marie's eyes, which had sunk to a deep red, was reflected in Chris's eyes as she asked back.

"Have you come to bring Sage back to humanity?"

"That's ......."

　Chris swallowed the words she was about to say when she heard a voice and felt a sense of pressure that seemed to block her answer. Chris, who had dominated the demon tribe, was surprisingly overwhelmed by a girl who was about half the size of the demons.

"As the representative of a nation, I affirm it. But..."

"But ......?"

"As for me personally, I will give priority to his wishes."

"Even if the reason is unacceptable?"

　The end of Marie's words, which she had been spinning indifferently until then, trembled. Chris suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders forcefully.

"Sage-sama is not the kind of person who would do meaningless things"

"With all due respect, that's not trust, that's just blind faith."

"If I didn't have blind faith, I wouldn't have come to this place alone, would I?"

　It was a clear answer that denied the anxious voice that seemed to be searching for an answer a few moments ago.

　Chris's hands, which were supposed to be on her shoulders, were suddenly grasping both of Marie's hands tightly, and her eyes, which were almost turned away, were glowing with happiness.

　Marie's mouth, which was half open when she was suddenly confronted, revealed a satisfied smile.

"..... Hmmm. You really like Sage don't you?"

"Yes, of course. He's the sword master I've been aiming for for years."

　Marie can't use magic. Therefore, she could not sense the atmosphere of a place by the flow of magic power. Even so, there was no doubt that the knight in front of her was speaking from the heart.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to test you, but that was a bit mean."

" Test? was it because of that thing you called 'chaos'.....?"

"Yes. It's the cause of the disturbance and one of the reasons why Sage has not returned to the human world. For more information, please ask......"

　Marie swallowed her voice as she started to say, "After it's done".

　Chris's sword, which was hanging at her waist, was shaking and making a clattering sound. The fear of the unknown, which Chris was probably not even aware of, was certainly flickering under her calm expression. The only things that shone brightly were her eyes, and she was looking straight at Marie.

"...... Let's talk about the details after we talk about Sage."

"Huh?"

"I think we both have personal stories that we don't know. It'd be a good opportunity."

　Telling her immediately would only make her vague fears more concrete. In that case, it would be more constructive to ease her tension, even if only a little.

"......By all means, please!"

　Marie's decision to bring up Sage's name was generally correct. Chris's hand was warm as she squeezed hers again, and she could see the results of her curiosity overriding her fear.

　However, If she hadn't been such a person, she wouldn't have been able to boldly come to this place.

"Well, shall we go, Princess Chris?"

"Yes. Oh, um, ......."

　Marie dropped her luggage on the ground, picked up the edge of her skirt, and bowed gracefully.

"I'm Rosemary. Please call me Marie."

"It's Christia. Those closest to me call me Chris, so please do".

　They chuckled and began to walk, their long gold and silver hair tossing in the air as if to add color to the desolate landscape.

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