Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 67: The Silent One (7)
Mineha and Axe’s relationship—
And Axe’s long-standing conflict with his mother—
Somehow, we managed to resolve both.
Honestly, I can’t believe it actually worked.
Thinking back, Axe must have been looking for a reason to forgive his mother.
Deep down, he had always known the truth, but he just couldn’t accept it.
Of course he couldn’t.
It wasn’t something that could be easily rationalized.
But as he became an explorer, he gradually started to understand their way of life.
Still, whether it was his inferiority complex about relics or his past resentment,
He couldn’t bring himself to take that first step on his own.
However, there was still one thing that bothered me.
“Hey, can I ask you both something?”
“What is it?”
“What’s wrong, Wof? Oh—also, thanks. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve made the worst possible choice and ended up full of regrets.”
“I’m just glad you made the right choice. But, um… Axe, was your mother’s partner the one who saved you when you were kidnapped?”
“No, that was a friend of hers.”
“Then… her actual partner was?”
“My mother.”
Mineha placed her hands on her hips and gave me a flat stare.
“Wait, so your mother is a First-Class Explorer?!”
“That’s right. She’s still active, too.”
“She’s pretty famous. The Fairy Queen. Can’t believe she’s your mother, Mineha.”
“She’s my goal—the one I have to surpass. But honestly, Wof, how many times do I have to tell you? Even if you’re just aiming for a grade 5 explorer license as a day job, you should at least know the names of all the First-Class Explorers! And that goes double for a witch’s apprentice!”
“Ugh… Do I really need to know all of them…?”
“Yes! Especially you!”
“Wh-Why me?!”
“Well, setting that aside, knowledge is power for an explorer. As a witch’s apprentice, you should understand that.”
Both of them scolded me.
I have this bad habit of completely ignoring things I’m not interested in.
Even though that very ignorance had nearly gotten me killed before, I hadn’t learned my lesson.
But wait—why did she bring up the witch?
Now that I think about it, the witch was an explorer too, wasn’t she?
I’d never really questioned that before, but now…
Well, if I brought it up, they’d probably scold me again.
I’d just ask her myself when I got back.
I had quite a few things to discuss with the witch now.
“Wof. About this Relic Plate.”
“Yes. I’m giving it to you.”
“But why me? Why are you trying to give it to me?”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
Mineha added.
I hesitated before answering.
“I just thought… if Axe had a relic, maybe he and Mineha could talk openly about the past.”
After all, this whole situation had started because he didn’t have one.
If that issue disappeared—if Axe had a relic—then maybe…
That was the thought behind it.
That was the feeling that drove me.
Axe just blinked at me in shock.
“Wait… You seriously want me to use this just for that?”
“Do you even understand how valuable this thing is?!”
“Wof. This plate isn’t meant to be used for something like that.”
“Exactly. This isn’t something you use for something so trivial.”
Their reactions irritated me.
“I could never think of it as ‘just some thing’ or ‘just some trivial matter.’ Axe-san is realizing something important. Mineha-san is finding the courage to talk about her past. And the two of you are able to make amends. If using it can make that happen, then I have no regrets at all. So please, don’t call it ‘just some thing’ or ‘just some trivial matter’!”
I put too much emotion into my words.
Axe and Mineha exchanged looks, then turned back to me.
“You don’t get it, do you? It wasn’t the plate that made this happen—it was you, Wof.”
“Wof, it was because of you that I was able to talk.”
“But I—”
“Mineha and I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“I wouldn’t have known how to start. I probably never would have.”
“We needed someone. And that someone was you, Wof. If it hadn’t been you, it wouldn’t have worked. You cared about us enough to give up a plate like this just to help.”
“I… I was just meddling where I didn’t belong.”
“Maybe so.”
Axe laughed.
Mineha…
“Yeah. You are a busybody.”
“S-Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? Oh, right—I haven’t said it yet, have I?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Mineha jumped right in front of me—
“Thank you, Wof.”
—and smiled, a bright, bashful smile.
“Mineha…”
“Hmph. That’s all.”
She turned away with a huff.
She was embarrassed.
Her ears had turned red.
I felt embarrassed too.
Axe looked down at the plate in his hands.
“Wof. Are you really sure I can have this?”
“Yes. I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do.”
“Then take it, Axe.”
“Don’t you want it, Mineha?”
“Hmm… If I could choose what kind of relic I’d get, maybe. But if it’s completely random, then no thanks.”
“Wow, that was fast.”
“It’s not something I ever wanted that badly. Besides, I take pride in my own relic. Speaking of which… Woff, you once said that relics were nothing more than tools or techniques, right?”
“Yes. I still think that way.”
“That’s fine, I suppose. But you know… my mentor used to say the same thing.”
“She did?”
“…When you said it, I remembered something.”
Axe added, looking a little sheepish.
So that’s why his attitude toward relics had suddenly softened.
If it was something his mother had said, of course it would change the way he thought about it.
That was just like him.
“My mentor once told me—‘Relics are no different from useful tools or techniques. But what really matters is how you use them…And whether or not you can treasure them.’”
“How you use them… and whether you can treasure them…”
Something about that struck me.
“I’m not saying you have to worship relics or hold them in reverence. Everyone has their own views, and I wouldn’t deny yours. But Woff, if you really think relics are just tools or techniques…Then I want you to take care of them. Because that’s just common sense. You take care of your knife—you sharpen it, polish it, keep it in good condition, right?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“That’s because it’s important to you, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Then your relics are no different. Don’t hate them. Treasure them.”
“………………”
I went completely blank.
White, empty—tabula rasa.
I understood that this blankness was my heart.
“…………”
And within this pure white emptiness, I saw a path.
No—it was the first time a path had formed.
A road of light, guiding me forward.
I see. So that’s how it was all along.
“Mineha.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
“…Hmph.”
She turned away indifferently.
Axe let out a small chuckle.
“Good for you, Wof.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Alright. I’ll decide what to do after consulting with the others.”
“Understood.”
“Though honestly, I already know my answer.”
“Axe?”
“Hey! Enough chit-chat! Let’s get moving.”
“Yeah.”
“Right!”
We moved forward. Not everything had been solved,
But the biggest concern had been put to rest.
And I—
For the first time, had a path to follow.
A road of light carved into my once-empty heart.
I looked up. Above me stretched a vast blue sky.
So, of course—my heart felt as clear as the sky above.
It must have been the same for them, too.
The atmosphere had changed.
Our exploration was progressing smoothly.
Two Days Later
“Wh-What is this place…?”
“Outside?”
“…Is it really?”
We had arrived at a massive hall.
That alone was surprising, but—
What truly shocked us was the blue sky above.
When we looked up, we didn’t see a ceiling.
We saw a wide, open blue sky, with clouds drifting naturally.
And yet, this wasn’t the surface.
There was no logical way that descending a long staircase would lead us back to the surface.
“I’ve heard of dungeons like this before, ones that look like the outdoors.”
“Yes, but seeing it in person is quite astonishing. This isn’t the real sky, is it?”
“Wait, it’s not real?”
“No. They say a Legendary-class artifact is embedded in the ceiling, projecting an image of the real sky.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that too.”
“…A projection?”
Like a kind of projection mapping, maybe?
But this was far too realistic to be a mere illusion.
“That massive temple over there… should we check it out?”
Standing before us was a gigantic white temple.
Majestic beyond words.
“Of course.”
“Yeah!”
It was truly a monumental sight.
A place that must have once been awe-inspiring.
But now, it lay in ruins, its former grandeur reduced to faded memories.
A great stone road led up to the temple, wide enough for multiple carriages to travel side by side.
Flanking this road were dozens of towering columns, though most had crumbled, shattered into fragments.
Stone statues lined the path as well, though many were heavily damaged.
But these ruins weren’t caused by monsters.
When had this place existed?
Which era had it belonged to?
For some reason, dungeons had a way of bringing forth remnants of lost civilizations.
“…………”
I was reminded of that abandoned village in the forest.
But there was something about this Grand Temple…
The architecture… it had a distinct Greek feel to it.
Those columns in particular—it felt like something straight out of ancient Greece.
Though, considering human architecture often follows similar patterns, perhaps it wasn’t too unusual.
When I first arrived in Hydrangea,
I had thought it looked like some European tourist town.
As we walked, we spotted a cluster of white buildings nearby.
“A temple district, huh? And quite a large one at that.”
“There’s bound to be treasure here.”
“…And if it’s another item that’s too dangerous to handle?”
“Axe, don’t be so insensitive.”
“Sorry.”
“Seriously, don’t you want gold and treasure?”
“That’s a little materialistic, don’t you think?”
“I want it. Wof, you do too, right?”
“I’m not particularly interested.”
“Ugh, you guys have no sense of adventure.”
…That sounds less like a dream, and more like greed to me.
“If I had to say, I’d want a knife.”
“Practical.”
“A gold knife? A silver knife?”
“Preferably just a good knife that’s actually useful.”
Yes, I wanted a knife.
I liked my current one, but having a backup wouldn’t hurt.
No… that’s not it.
I wanted an OOPArt knife.
One that was compatible with [Vanish].
“How boring. But hey, if there’s treasure, maybe…”
“Hey, look over there!”
“What? …Smoke?”
“Smoke!?”
Far to the southeast, a single column of smoke rose into the sky.
A fire?
No—if it were a fire, we’d see much more burning.
Someone was there.
Dungeons don’t produce things like campfires.
Which meant—there were explorers here.
Which meant—
We ran.