Kays Translations

Just another Isekai Lover~

Chapter 119: “Talking to Mabel.”

──From Thor’s Point of View──

Mabel was waiting for me in the room.

She was sitting in a chair by the window, absentmindedly looking outside until I returned.

The two cups placed on the table were probably her usual habit.

There was no steam coming from the teapot. The water had gone cold.

Mabel must have returned to her room and prepared the tea right away.

Somehow, I understood her feelings.

When you’re upset, doing the usual things helps you calm down.


“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mabel.”

“Yes, Thor-sama.”

When I spoke, Mabel looked at me and sighed with relief.

I sat down on the chair opposite her and poured hot water from the teapot.

Mabel said, “I’ll reheat it,” but I didn’t mind.

It was normal for Mabel to prepare tea for me while I was working.

When I was alone, I found it bothersome to use tea leaves, so drinking just hot water was normal too.

Just as she acted normally, I would do the same.

I thought that would also reassure Mabel.

“Thank you for the tea.”

“Oh, Thor-sama…”

“I’ll make some kind of item to keep it warm soon.”

I said.

“That way, Mabel won’t have to bother reheating the water, right?”

“That won’t do.”

“Huh?”

“Preparing tea for Thor-sama is one of my pleasures.”

Mabel smiled with a troubled look.

“If there was an item to keep it warm, I’d lose that pleasure. That can’t happen, Thor-sama.”

“I see.”

“That’s right.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Then Mabel went to the kitchen again to get freshly boiled water.

She made new tea, and we drank tea as usual.

After relaxing like that for a while──

“Well then, could I talk to you about Archduke Kharon?”

“Yes, Thor-sama.”

Mabel nodded, so I took out the voice recorder.

But Mabel placed her hand over mine and said,

“May I make one request?”

“Sure.”

“If possible, rather than the voice recorder’s recording, could you tell me about the Empire’s Archduke in your own words, Thor-sama?”

Still holding my hand, Mabel said.

“I somehow understand that what I’m about to hear is related to my grandmother.”

“That’s amazing, Mabel.”

“When you returned from the town of Nosa, Thor-sama, you were the first to say to me, ‘I have something to tell you.’ And looking at your face now, I can tell you’re worried about me.”

“Do I really show it that much on my face?”

“No, it’s just that I like looking at your face, Thor-sama.”

Mabel smiled gently and said,

“Thanks to that, I think I’ve come to understand your expression when you say, ‘I’ll go to bed early today,’ but stay up all night.”

“That’s why there’s a teapot outside my room at such times…”

“Yes.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful not to let you read me next time.”

“Please don’t make it harder.”

We exchanged smiles.

Then Mabel became serious──

“Because of that, I also understand how worried you are now, Thor-sama.”

──She whispered as she stared intently at me.

“If those words come from you, I think I can accept whatever the story is. No matter what kind of person my grandmother was, or for whatever reason she was driven out of the Empire…”

“I understand, Mabel.”

I nodded.

I told Rukie too, but the reason we are to hear Archduke Kharon’s story is because of me.

I have the responsibility to convey it to Mabel in a way she can accept.

If she wants me to tell it in my own words, then that’s what I will do.

I remember the story perfectly.

I heard Archduke Kharon’s story twice: once directly, and once when I played the voice recorder in front of Rukie.

I have also carefully thought about how to convey that to Mabel.

“Well then, I’ll start the story, Mabel.”

“Yes, Thor-sama.”

And so, I decided to tell Mabel about her grandmother in my own words.

More than ten minutes later, I finished the story.

I stumbled occasionally but think I conveyed it accurately.

While I was speaking, Mabel listened quietly.

With her hands resting on her lap, without moving a muscle.

After I finished speaking, I said,

“My conclusion after hearing this story is this: No matter what happens, I will protect Mabel.”

I added that much more.

Mabel had said, “I want you to tell me in your own words.”

So, I decided to share my thoughts as well.

“That’s why I’m thinking of putting a cover on the ‘Water Spirit Stone Pendant.’ So that no one can tell what the stone inside is, and also, I want it to be able to fight back if something bad touches it. Of course, only if you’re okay with it, Mabel.”

“…………”

“If, by some chance, you get kidnapped, Mabel, I’ll use the ‘cleaning robot’ to search to the ends of the earth for you. I’ll leave you with a ‘security buzzer,’ and I’ll also have you carry some other defensive items. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. You have to be happy, Mabel.”

“…………”

“Mabel, you’re important to me… I can’t put it into words well, but you’re like family. So, I’d be in trouble if you weren’t by my side. And anyway, I already know the Empire isn’t exactly trustworthy. I can’t hand over someone important to me—to the Empire. That’s why—”

“…Thor-sama.”

Huh? Mabel froze.

Her violet eyes were wide open, and she was trembling slightly.

…This is bad. I said too much.

That’s right. Mabel had just heard about her grandmother and must be shaken.

And yet, I… ended up talking too much about my own thoughts.

I guess I was shaken too.

About Mabel’s grandmother. About the civil war that caused her to leave the country. About my grandfather, who wasn’t able to get involved.

A lot of information hit me all at once.

I was worried about what Mabel would think of it all and wanted to calm her down… and I ended up saying too much.

Everything I said was truly what I believe, and not a single word of it was a lie, but…

“A-anyway, that’s how I feel.”

With that, I wrapped up what I had to say.

“Sorry. You must be shaken too about your grandmother, but I just kept rambling on one-sidedly.”

“No.”

Mabel shook her head vigorously from side to side.

“I’m very happy. Thor-sama.”

“…I-I see.”

Somehow… I feel incredibly embarrassed.

I said the same thing in front of Rukie and Kelve, but it feels totally different saying it in front of Mabel.

Reflexively, I glanced at the ‘voice recorder’ on the table.

…Wait, I didn’t accidentally record that, did I?

If I had to hear myself say those words with my own ears… I’d have no choice but to bury my head under the blankets and sulk. Is it okay? The ‘voice recorder’… yeah. It’s not on. Good.

“When you’ve calmed down, just let me know what you think about all this.”

I cleared my throat and shifted the topic.

“You need some time to calm down too, right? I’m sure Rukie-sama and Kelve will give you that much time.”

“Yes… you’re right. I do have a lot on my mind, but…”

Mabel’s cheeks turned bright red. She looked down slightly, holding her cheek.

And then—

“…After hearing Thor-sama’s words, all those worries just vanished.”

She looked up and declared that.

Mabel placed a hand on her chest, over her maid uniform, and took a deep breath.

She adjusted her collar and ribbon, and ran her fingers through her silver hair.

Then, Mabel looked straight at me.

“Thor-sama, your words have completely erased all of my fears and doubts. If you say you’ll ‘definitely protect me,’ then I’ll believe you. So—”

Saying that, Mabel reached behind her neck.

With a click, she undid the clasp—and placed the ‘Water Spirit Stone Pendant’ on the table.

“This is for you, Thor-sama. Please use it as a material for alchemy.”

“No, that’s not okay.”

“Why not?”

“That was your grandmother’s, right? A treasured item passed down through the generations?”

“Yes. That’s why—I want to give it to you, Thor-sama, since you said I’m family.”

Mabel said.

She looked serious.

She gently guided my hand to the pendant, wrapping the magical silver mithril chain around it.

“My grandmother, my parents—they are my family. And you, Thor-sama, are also family. So I’m just passing on a family heirloom to another family member. See? There’s absolutely no problem, right?”

“Well, I guess… that may be true, but…”

Mabel wanted to give me the ‘Water Spirit Stone Pendant.’

But I want to modify it and have Mabel carry it.

So—

“For now, how about I just hold onto it temporarily?”

“Hold onto it…?”

“Yeah. I was going to modify it so the identity of the stone is hidden anyway.”

I intend to apply a sort of disguise to the “Water Spirit Stone Pendant.”

I can quickly create a cover to obstruct appraisal.

After that, how about returning it to Mabel?

Whether to make it shared property or not will be decided after that.

When I said that──

“Understood. Then, let’s do it that way.”

“Yeah. Then, that’s settled.”

“Thor-sama.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for talking about my grandmother.”

Mabel stood up and bowed deeply toward me.

“Thanks to your words, Thor-sama… I feel like I was able to confirm that my ancestors are things of the distant past.”

“Distant past?”

“Yes. Because my place is here.”

Softly, Mabel’s both hands wrapped around mine.

“My place is here. Even if my grandmother was a noble of the Empire, and even if my ancestors were kings of a country… Mabel Refrain’s place is here.”

“…Mabel.”

“Before Thor-sama came, I felt like I was floating without my feet on the ground.”

With a gentle smile, Mabel continued.

“When I was young, I couldn’t use magic… so I could no longer stay in the Elf village. After that, I ended up working at the Demon Lord’s castle. Thanks to that, I became close to Her Majesty and Agnis-sama… But there was a difference in status with Her Majesty, and I became estranged from Agnis-sama because of previous incidents…”

I knew about that.

Because the previous Demon Lord died young, Rukie had to become the Demon Lord.

For that reason, she wore the “Recognition Inhibition” mask and robe, hiding her true form and acting as the Demon Lord.

As a result, Rukie was unable to keep a close relationship with Mabel.

When Agnis’s fire magic awakened, she accidentally burned Mabel.

Mabel didn’t mind, but Agnis had been troubled by it.

That was resolved after the “Health Promotion Pendant” was completed.

Mabel became close again with Rukie and Agnis after I arrived.

Until then, Mabel had just lived as a maid at the Demon Lord’s castle.

“I wasn’t dissatisfied with life at the Demon Lord’s castle. But… I also felt a certain uncertainty, like I didn’t really know my own place.”

Mabel kept speaking.

Still holding my hand, as if offering a prayer.

“But after meeting Thor-sama, I found my place.”

Mabel looked straight at me and said that.

“Thor-sama is an amazing alchemist, someone who connects people to each other. I am glad to have helped with that—to have become one of the ‘connections’.”

“Me… connecting people?”

“Thor-sama was the first to help me. Then, by noticing Her Majesty the Demon Lord’s troubles, you connected me and Her Majesty. After that, you connected Agnis-sama, the fairy pixies, the Empire’s princess and Archduke. That’s how Thor-sama has connected people to each other.”

Is that so?

I just made what I wanted to make.

When I said that, Mabel smiled again.

“I think Thor-sama is naturally the kind of person who can do that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Because Thor-sama is such a person, I serve you… and feel joy in it. I found my place by connecting with Thor-sama, and now I’m very happy, you know?”

“I see.”

“Therefore, even knowing about my grandmother, I won’t waver.”

Mabel placed her overlapping hands—on her chest—

“My place is here. No matter the past, Mabel Refrain is in the Demon Lord’s territory, by Thor-sama’s side. I can’t say it well, but… the reason I don’t waver is thanks to Thor-sama.”

“I also think it was good that when I came to the Demon Lord’s territory, it was Mabel who came to meet me.”

After being exiled from the Empire, I was exhausted from the long journey.

The soldiers who accompanied me were no good, and honestly, I thought about running away.

But Mabel came.

With a gentle smile that put me at ease, she welcomed me politely.

She was completely different from the people of the Empire.

In that country, strength was everything, and people were afraid of those stronger than themselves.

But Mabel did not regard me with suspicion at all.

And Mabel entrusted me—the first time we met—with the precious “Water Spirit Stone Pendant.”

By fixing it, I gained confidence as an alchemist. Mabel is a benefactor to me. On top of that, since coming to the Demon Lord’s territory, she has been helping me continuously, and is still by my side like this.

Therefore──

“…I’m not used to this kind of thing, so I can’t say it well, but…”

I squeezed Mabel’s hand in return.

When I did, Mabel gently squeezed back.

We intertwined our fingers and held hands, and then—

“Um… looking forward to everything from now on, Mabel.”

“Yes. I look forward to it as well, Thor-sama.”

Somehow, I felt incredibly embarrassed.

Even though having tea and talking with Mabel was something we always did.

“I feel really lucky to have met you and Rukie-sama. Before I came to the Demon Lord’s domain… there was no one I would’ve called ‘family.’”

“…Thor-sama, you always say those kinds of things with a straight face.”

“Well, Rukie-sama might get mad if I called her ‘family.’”

“Would she really?”

“Of course she would. She’s the ruler of a nation.”

“…Hmm. So that’s your take on it.”

Mabel put her hand to her chin in a thoughtful gesture.

Then she looked at me and said—

“In that case, I should assist in some way… Hmm.”

“Assist?”

“Oh, just talking to myself. More importantly, Thor-sama, let’s talk about the Hero.”

“About the Hero?”

“It’s just a hunch, but I feel like there’s something we can learn from the Hero’s story. For example… if someone in the Hero’s world wanted to say ‘Please become my family,’ how would they do it?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

After the Hero drove away the Demon Lord’s army, they immediately returned to their own world.

No one in this world became part of the Hero’s family. At least, not officially.

“If you’re interested, I’ll look into it. Maybe there’s something in the ‘mail-order catalog’ that could give us a clue.”

“Please do, Thor-sama.”

Saying that, Mabel bowed her head to me.

After that, we leisurely continued drinking tea.

I had learned about Mabel’s grandmother, but in the end, nothing really changed.

Only one thing was added to my top priorities: protecting Mabel.

And I was able to confirm that Mabel and I both considered each other family.

If anything had changed, that was about it.

But the danger still remains.

The Empire… they’ll do anything for ‘strength’ and ‘power.’

I need to come up with countermeasures.

I’ll put a cover on the “Water Spirit Stone Pendant”… and I should think of other ways to protect Mabel. First, I’ll make an “IC Instant Cast Recorder” just for her.

And then—

“Excuse me. Are Thor-sama and Mabel present?”

Suddenly, from the hallway, I heard the voice of Chancellor Kelve.

“Ah, yes. We’re here. Mabel and I are together.”

“I’ll open the door now.”

“…No, there’s no need. Please stay as you are.”

Through the door, Chancellor Kelve spoke.

“There’s something I need to tell Thor-sama. Once Mabel has calmed down, please come to my room.”

“Understood.”

“I’m already calm.”

“………Huh?”

That was Kelve’s voice.

“Could it be that Thor-sama hasn’t told her yet?”

“No, I have.”

“You’re referring to the matter of my grandmother being related to the Imperial Marquis Misra family, correct? I’ve already been informed.”

“…Th-that’s right. It’s quite a serious matter, though… is Mabel really calm about it?”

“Yes. Thor-sama told me something truly wonderful, and that—”

“Hey now, Mabel. You can’t go telling others that.”

“But I want to brag about it.”

“Resist the urge.”

“Understood. If Thor-sama says so.”

“………………She really is calm, it seems.”

Thunk—something hard hit the door.

Then Kelve said—

“Th-then, in that case, it would be best if the two of you spoke with Her Majesty. Once preparations are complete, I’ll summon you. Could you come to the audience hall?”

“Got it.”

“Please let Her Majesty know we will be there.”

“Understood. Mabel truly is… calm. To hear such a major revelation and not become distressed… Just how exactly did Thor-sama explain it…?”

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

A while later, Kelve came again to summon us.

He said that if Mabel was composed, it would be best to settle the matter today.

And so, Mabel and I met with Demon Lord Rukie in the audience hall—

“I shall give this to the two of you. A gift to celebrate your engagement… Take it.”

—With those words, Rukie offered us an ornately decorated box.

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