Kays Translations

Chapter 118: “Extra Story: Thor and Rukie Analyze an Ancient Documents”

This time, Thor and Rukie seem to be deciphering a certain ancient document…

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“Hey, Thor.”

“Yes? What is it, Rukie-sama?”

“The other day’s ‘Reversi’ was interesting.”

“Yes, it got really heated.”

“Why are you speaking in broken sentences?”

“Various reasons.”

Because in front of Mabel and Agnis, ‘Reversi’ is a forbidden topic.

Only when Rukie comes, they take it out from the ‘Simple Storage’ to play.

“So then. I also wanted to ask if there are any other games from the Hero World.”

“Games from the Hero World?”

“Are there any interesting ones?”

“Hm, what kind would you like?”

“After all, something fitting for a king would be good.”

Rukie said this and puffed out her chest.

“I have the responsibility to lead the people as their lord. So, I think a smart game featuring a lord would be good.”

“Right. I think I saw a game related to a king in some paper I found the other day.”

It was something found in a corner of the storage.

A torn piece of a book, with the text almost faded.

No photos or illustrations either.

I saved it just in case, but until I find the rest, there’s no use for it.

“Hmm. Interesting. What kind of game is it?”

“It was an introduction to a game called ‘Shogi’.”

I believe it said ‘for beginners’ or something like that.

Only a small part can be read.

Because it’s like an ancient document, I thought to investigate it when I have time.

“Understood. Then, could you tell me about this ‘Shogi’?”

But Rukie seemed eager.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she nodded repeatedly.

“If we investigate together, we might figure out how to play.”

“But we only know fragmented information, you know? Also, I’ve only seen the title so far.”

“Deciphering the ancient document and investigating how to play the game sounds fun too.”

Saying that, Rukie smiled slyly and asked,

“Thor, do you dislike those kinds of things?”

“No, I love them.”

Of course.

Using ancient documents from the Hero World to figure out how to play a game sounds like a lot of fun.

“I usually read well-preserved books like ‘mail-order catalogs.’ Sometimes it’s nice to research the culture of the Hero World from fragmented ancient documents.”

“Agreed. Let’s try investigating this ‘Shogi’ together through trial and error.”

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

I took out the saved paper from the ‘Ultra-Compact Simple Storage.’

It’s old paper. Worn in many places, with some parts torn.

The written characters were faded and very hard to read.

Compared to the ‘mail-order catalog,’ its preservation state is terrible.

…No, it’s the opposite. The ‘mail-order catalog’ is preserved way too well.

This might be what a real ancient document looks like.

As an alchemist, I’ll try to decipher it somehow.

“Um, so ‘Shogi’ is—”

“Yeah. ‘Shogi’ is?”

While listening to Rukie’s voice, I strained my eyes at the ancient document.

…Alright, I managed to read it.

The Hero World’s Shogi is, um—

“Shogi is a game where you ‘strip the king naked and corner him until there is no escape.’”

“—cough cough—”

“Whoa! Rukie-sama, are you okay!?”

“I-I’m fine… cough cough.”

Rukie almost spat out the tea she was drinking.

After managing to hold it back, Rukie said,

“You mean a king like me!? A king ruling a country, stripped naked and cornered!? Does it really say that!?”

“…It does.”

The text is faded, but it’s definitely written there.

“At the position of —, strip — and corner the king naked until there is no escape.”

No matter how many times I read it, it doesn’t change.

It seems Shogi is that kind of game.

“Is it really a game where you strip a king of a country and corner him? Isn’t that just your wish, Thor?”

“Do you think I would do such a thing?”

“You stripped my mask and robe, right?”

“That was an accident. I wouldn’t do that in a game.”

“Right… stripping a king naked isn’t a joke. You’d have to take responsibility for that.”

Rukie sighed.

“Did such a thing really exist in the Hero World? And as a game, no less? What an unpredictable world…”

“Ah, but maybe ‘stripped naked’ is a mistake.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Here it says, ‘There are cases where the king is left with only one piece.’ So it seems it’s okay to still be wearing underwear.”

“That’s not reassuring at all!!”

“…Right?”

“Anyway, what’s with just ‘one piece of underwear’!? Which is it!? Top or bottom!?”

“Um, it says, ‘In such cases, generally the first player is the bottom, and the second player is the top.’ So basically, the player who attacks first wears one piece on the lower body, and the player who attacks second wears one piece on the upper body.”

“You play the game dressed like that!?”

“Also, it says ‘At the end of the game it is “resignation”’ — in other words, it ends by surrendering.”

“Surrender? Surrender what?”

“At that point, the king only has underwear left…”

“You have to throw the last piece to show you lost!? In the end, doesn’t that mean you’re completely naked!!”

Rukie turned bright red and raised her voice.

“Cornering the king of a nation until he’s down to his underwear, and ending by making him throw off even that… What kind of game is this!! What on earth are the people of the hero’s world thinking──!!”

“I really don’t understand it either.”

“And yet, aren’t your eyes shining while you say that?”

“…They’re not shining. Really.”

“Anyway! I take back what I said earlier! I will not play such a game! Absolutely not!”

“I understand how you feel.”

I nodded.

“But I don’t think this ‘Shogi’ is the kind of game where you strip Rukie-sama naked.”

“Is—is that so?”

“If you read it carefully, you’ll understand. No matter how much it’s the hero’s world, they wouldn’t strip the king of a nation like Rukie-sama—no, sorry. I’m not imagining that. No need to turn bright red!”

The books from the hero’s world are dangerous.

If you don’t read the contents carefully, you’ll get a terrible misunderstanding.

I almost imagined cornering the Demon Lord Rukie completely naked with no escape… no, I almost did.

What an outrageous trap. Seriously.

That aside.

“When they say ‘king’ here, I think they don’t mean an actual king or emperor, but something symbolizing that.”

I said.

Rukie tilted her head.

I continued.

“Think about it carefully. No matter how heroic they are, they wouldn’t strip bare the king who rules a country, nor corner him until he has nowhere to run, right?”

“…Indeed.”

Rukie nodded.

“If they did such a thing, it wouldn’t just be a game. Therefore, the ‘king’ mentioned here is not a real king but ‘something symbolizing a king.’”

“Exactly. After all, this is just a game.”

“…I see.”

“Are you relieved now?”

“Indeed.”

Rukie smiled with a shy look.

“No, it was embarrassing. Saying ‘strip the king naked’ unsettled me. Right. No matter how many heroes from another world, they wouldn’t do that much.”

“Yes, Rukie-sama.”

“Then, Thor, what do you think this ‘Shogi’ in the hero’s world is? What kind of game do you read from this ancient manuscript?”

“I think ‘Shogi’ is a game where heroes train to resist the authority of kings.”

I said.

Rukie put her hand on her chin and pretended to ponder, then,

“I see! So that’s what it meant!”

She clapped her hands lightly in agreement.

As expected of Rukie. She understands quickly.

It seems she understood what I wanted to say.

“Rukie-sama, you know, don’t you? Among the heroes who came from another world, there were some who paid no heed to the authority of the kings and nobles of this world.”

“Yes, I know. They reportedly spoke to the kings and emperors who summoned them as if they were friends.”

“They were the same with nobles, too. Of course, most heroes were polite.”

“Some even said things like, ‘Hey, you’re the king, huh?’”

“There are records that the surrounding nobles were horrified.”

“Because they were like that, they might have been able to face the first Demon Lord without fear.”

By the way, the emperors and nobles of that time treated the heroes with respect.

Even if there were rude heroes, they didn’t reprimand them.

That was because the heroes possessed tremendous power, and their strength was necessary to oppose the Demon Lord.

‘The emperors and nobles accepted that their authority didn’t work on the heroes because the heroes came from such a different world. It can’t be helped.’

The emperors and nobles at that time seemed to have accepted it that way.

“Are you saying the reason heroes did not fear the emperor’s authority lies in this ‘Shogi’?”

Rukie said that with a confident smile.

I nodded,

“Yes. I believe the heroes trained with this ‘Shogi’ to resist and withstand the authority of kings.”

“Training, huh. So the ‘king stripped bare’ isn’t an actual king, but ‘something symbolizing a king,’ right?”

“Exactly as you say, Rukie-sama.”

When you think about it, it’s obvious.

You can’t strip a real king naked and corner him.

That means what is used in this ‘Shogi’ is something symbolizing a king.

Something so that heroes won’t be intimidated by the authority of emperors, kings, and nobles.

That means──

“From this ancient manuscript, I interpret that ‘Shogi’ is not a game where you strip the actual king of a country naked, but a game where heroes take each other as ‘kings’ and play a kind of tag.”

“Hmm! That’s convincing!”

Rukie slapped her knee and nodded.

“Heroes boast incredible strength, but emperors and kings also possess authority corresponding to their status. Whether born with it or trained, that is also a form of power.”

“But heroes may have strength, but they do not have authority.”

“They said, ‘We are from another world and are not kings.’”

“Yet heroes paid no heed to the authority of emperors and nobles. The reason is──”

“Because in Shogi they corner something symbolizing a king—in other words, they trained not to fear royal authority.”

Rukie crossed her arms and let out a breath as if impressed.

Then, she looked toward me and said,

“But Thor, I have a question.”

“Please, Rukie-sama.”

“If ‘shogi’ is training to transcend the authority of the king, then there shouldn’t be a need to strip off clothes, right? Wouldn’t it be enough to just pretend to cut the king with a sword or pretend to neutralize him with martial arts? Why bother… um, stripping him completely naked?”

“That’s exactly what I think is the important part of this game.”

The reason I considered shogi as a “game that nullifies the authority of the king” was that.

“The reason the summoned heroes didn’t fear the emperor or the nobles—that secret lies in ‘stripping the king naked,’ I believe.”

“…I see.”

“Emperors and kings dress themselves with crowns and luxurious clothes. Also, many people serve them.”

“…Hmm. That’s true.”

Rukie sighed.

“I am also such a king. As a demon lord, I always hide my appearance with the mask and robe of ‘cognitive inhibition,’ thereby wearing my authority.”

“That’s different for you, Rukie-sama.”

“Why!?”

“Because you are always trying to break out of your shell. You stand on the front lines against the beasts as a demon lord to protect everyone as a king, right? You gain confidence through that and ultimately intend to remove the mask and robe of ‘cognitive inhibition,’ don’t you?”

“…Uh.”

“Also, those who brandish authority don’t say they are ‘wearing authority.’ Such people think they themselves are the authority and that wielding authority is natural. But Rukie-sama separates herself from authority.”

“…Hmm.”

“I think Rukie-sama is a fine lord who doesn’t get drunk on authority—”

“You! You’re impossible—!”

pat pat, pat!

“W-why are you hitting the table, Rukie-sama?”

“Why can you say such embarrassing things with a straight face! Geez!”

“No, I was just saying what I thought.”

“That’s exactly the problem! Honestly…”

Rukie stopped patting the table and said,

“I interrupted your story. So, what was the rest of ‘emperors and kings dress themselves with crowns and luxurious clothes’?”

“Well, then…”

I thought for a moment and said,

“I think the person who plays the king in ‘shogi’ is imagined to be dressed just like the real king.”

“That might be true.”

“In that case, the opponent would peel off that clothing.”

“In the end, the king is stripped completely naked… hmm. Could it be!?”

“Yes. Whether king or emperor, inside they are just a human, demi-human, or demon. By stripping them naked—that is, back to their birth state—the heroes confirm that kings are equal beings to themselves. That is the purpose of ‘shogi.’”

Probably something like this:

When ‘shogi’ starts, the heroes begin chasing the dressed-up ‘king.’

The fleeing king is adorned with luxurious clothes and a crown.

There are likely guards around the king, maybe infantry, spearmen, or cavalry.

The hero eliminates these guards and strips the king’s clothes off.

The hero corners the king until he is left wearing only underwear.

With no place to run, the king throws the last piece of clothing to the hero, admits defeat, and the game ends.

Then, the hero who chased the king down to just underwear and finally naked will understand:

Even a king or emperor inside—born as they are—is no different from an ordinary human, demi-human, or demon.

Inside, they are the same as ordinary people.

What makes them kings is the luxurious clothing, their subordinates, and their power.

Of course, there are kings like Rukie who have governing ability and trust from all, but within ‘shogi’ that is excluded. They become just a symbol of a king.

That’s because ‘shogi’ is a ritual game for heroes to resist the authority of kings and emperors.

“Presumably, the heroes willingly took turns playing the king or the one chasing the king. This paper even says ‘Sometimes the king escapes alone.’ Only a hero can escape from a hero.”

I continued my explanation.

“By fully taking on the role of king, heroes can feel what it’s like to be a king. By stripping off the king’s clothes, they confirm that the king is just a human, demi-human, or demon. Because they repeated such games, heroes were not afraid of emperors or nobles.”

“That’s understandable.”

Before I knew it, Rukie was slouched back in her chair, staring blankly into the air.

“A game to resist the authority of the king—that is ‘shogi,’ huh.”

“That is only a hypothesis.”

I said.

“This is just what I read from fragmented old documents. Other sources might say something different.”

“For example?”

“Well… a board game like ‘Reversi’.”

“If that’s the case, ‘stripping the king naked’ wouldn’t make sense, right?”

“Exactly. But if this old document can be fully deciphered, maybe we’ll know the truth.”

“Until then, Thor’s hypothesis will be the established theory in the demon lord’s domain.”

“‘Shogi is a game where heroes take turns playing the king and chasing each other.’”

“‘And at the end, they strip each other’s clothes off and leave each other completely naked.’”

““……Phew.””

Rukie and I both sighed.

After a short pause—

“……I’m glad I wasn’t born in the Hero’s era.”

Rukie muttered that with a bitter smile.

“If I had been born in that time, as a member of the demon race… I might have been chased around wearing nothing but my underwear. No, I probably would’ve been stripped completely naked in no time.”

“…”

“…Hey, Thor.”

“Yes, Rukie-sama?”

“…You imagined it just now, didn’t you?”

“…………I did not.”

“Look me in the eyes and say that.”

“Putting that aside, heroes are really scary, aren’t they?”

“Don’t put it aside. Though I do agree, heroes are terrifying.”

“Right?”

“They even trained themselves to resist authority so they wouldn’t be intimidated by emperors or kings.”

“You mean training to avoid status effects like ‘Fear’, right?”

“The purpose… was likely to prevent their strength from dulling due to status effects.”

“That makes sense. I think heroes were thorough in eliminating anything that might hinder their ‘strength.'”

“A hero’s… desire for strength truly knows no bounds…”

Heroes from another world are truly terrifying beings.

I mean, who in their right mind thinks, “Let’s chase someone playing the role of the king around until they’re naked.”

Of course, I assume whoever played the role of the king agreed to it, but still.

But looking at it from another angle, it shows just how necessary such training was for heroes.

It’s understandable.

If they encountered Demon Lord Rukie without any training, her beauty and aura would overwhelm them, and they’d never be able to draw their sword. In that sense, you could say the heroes were afraid of the demon king’s authority.

“What are you thinking about, Thor?”

“You said earlier, Rukie-sama, that if you’d been born in that era, you’d be down to your underwear—but I don’t think that would’ve happened…”

“Oh?”

“As I said before, Rukie-sama, you possess a dignity that surpasses status and rank. You also have powerful dark magic, and beauty hidden behind your mask.”

“……Y-Yes.”

“That’s why, even heroes would understand that you’re someone noble. I don’t think they’d dare touch you carelessly. I understand that you are someone of that high standing as well. And if a hero did try anything… I’d handle it with some sort of magic item—”

“……Hmm.”

As I spoke, Rukie seemed lost in thought.

We talked a bit more after that, but she remained somewhat distracted—

And so, the conversation for that day came to an end.

—That night, in Rukie’s room—

“Thank you for coming, Mabel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Did you need something?”

“There is something I wish to ask you.”

Rukie cleared her throat with a soft cough.

“Am I… a difficult person to approach?”

“…Pardon?”

“Well, I understand that, as the Demon Lord, I might be hard to approach. But even when I take off my mask and robe that obscure recognition… Do you think people who know my true face still find it hard to come close to me?”

“Well, Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the Demon Realm.”

“That’s true. But… sometimes I wish my friends would treat me with more familiarity.”

“I understand.”

“I thought you would, Mabel.”

“Your Majesty is also a young woman. Wanting those close to you to be a little more affectionate… is not unreasonable.”

“Exactly. So, there’s this thing from the Hero’s world called ‘shogi’…”

“‘Shogi’? What sort of thing is that?”

“Yes. It’s something played in the Hero’s world… A game that seems to transcend differences in status—and perhaps even race…”

“Transcend status and race!? W-What kind of thing is that—”

“I-I mean… It strips away all pretenses and—(whisper whisper)”

“Y-Your Majesty, that’s a bit much—(whisper whisper)”

“I know! I’m just saying, those kinds of things exist!”

“I-I see. Then perhaps I could… (whisper whisper)”

“N-No, that would be too… (whisper whisper whisper)”

“(whisper whisper whisper)”

“(whisper whisper whisper whisper whisper…)”

And thus—

Demon Lord Rukie and Mabel held a secretive discussion about the otherworldly concept of “shogi.”

Whether or not Shogi (Provisional) will ever be implemented in this world…

That remains a mystery to all.

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