Kays Translations

Chapter 162: “Go on a Date with Mabel”

After that, Mabel and I went into town.

“It’s my first time taking a walk in a human town.”

Mabel’s eyes were sparkling.

This was the main street of Nosa Town.

Around us, many street stalls were lined up.

What they were selling were mostly food items like vegetables and meat.

Occasionally, there were also miscellaneous goods and accessories.

Compared to the trading post on the border, things here seemed to be cheaper.

“…As expected, it’s quite different from the Demon Lord’s territory.”

“…Yeah. Looks like the Reisenga Domain has more variety though.”

When I said that, Mabel tilted her head.

“That’s true, but… I feel like the human world’s market is very ‘uniform’ somehow.”

“Uniform?”

“Yes. Like everything feels coordinated… or like everyone is the same… Sorry, I can’t explain it very well.”

“No, I kind of get what you mean.”

The trading post on the border had all sorts of races.

Humans, elves, minotaurs, lizardmen, dwarves.

That place was truly a melting pot of races.

“But in this town’s market, there are only humans. I guess that’s what you meant by ‘uniform,’ huh?”

“A-Amazing, Thor-sama! You understood exactly what I was trying to say!”

Mabel nodded over and over again, looking deeply moved.

“When I look at this market, I kind of understand why humans are afraid of demi-humans and demons. If someone of another race were here, they’d really stand out. Even I feel a bit uneasy being here hiding my true identity…”

“I know how you feel. I felt something similar in the Imperial Capital.”

“You too, Thor-sama?”

“Back in the capital, I was always surrounded by noblemen with strong combat abilities…”

To someone like me with no combat ability, the imperial nobles were like a different species altogether.

They probably saw me as an anomaly too.

My father and the imperial nobles couldn’t tolerate such an anomaly.

That’s probably why they chose to exile me.

“Anyway, that’s why I feel more at ease in the Demon Lord’s territory. Just like you, Mabel.”

“Thor-sama and I are… the same…”

“But if you’re feeling anxious, we can go back to the inn.”

“No. I want to go.”

Mabel clenched her fist tightly.

“Since we came all this way, I want to walk through a human town with you, Thor-sama!”

“Got it. Then, to make sure we don’t get separated…”

Before I knew it, I had taken Mabel’s hand.

Mabel looked at me with her big eyes.

Then—she placed her hand over mine and gently squeezed back.

Her white, slender fingers were trembling slightly.

So, we interlaced our fingers, so that trembling would stop.

“W-Well then, let’s go.”

“Y-Yes, Thor-sama.”

We began walking toward the market.

Thanks to the “Partial Concealment Hairpiece,” Mabel’s elf ears were hidden.

She was wearing a hood too—probably because she still felt uneasy.

To match her, I wore a hood as well. It was a common traveler’s look, so we shouldn’t stand out.

At our feet was the white cat, Soleil.

Soleil, who had been waiting at the entrance of the market, ran up my body and clung to my free arm.

While holding Mabel’s hand with my right hand, I cradled Soleil in my left.

Both my hands were full, but I didn’t have any combat ability anyway.

So having Soleil nearby was actually safer.

Also, in a nearby tree, there were red, blue, and yellow owls—Pixie disguise fairies.

It looked like they were guarding us.

“Look, Thor-sama! That candy looks delicious!”

Mabel pointed to one of the stalls.

At the storefront, amber-colored baked sweets were lined up.

“That’s a specialty sweet from Nosa Town.”

“Meow~”

Soleil the cat and I nodded together.

That was the treat served when we visited Princess Sophia.

I’ve had it before too.

“Mabel, have you never tried it?”

“N-No. I wonder what it tastes like?”

“It’s sweet and delicious. A bit tricky to eat though—”

“…The texture is crisp and crunchy. The dough is kneaded with honey, but I think it would be better if there were a bit more of it. The sweets from the Demon Lord’s—er, I mean, my homeland are more refined. Also, when you bite into it, the crumbs fall everywhere, which makes it hard to eat… meow~!”

Soleil whispered near our ears.

Not forgetting to add “meow~” so the lady at the stall wouldn’t get suspicious. Classic Soleil.

“Let’s buy some to take back as snacks for everyone.”

“Good idea.”

“Meow~” “Hoo hoo hoo!”

Mabel paid for the sweets and received them.

She tightened her grip on our joined hands. She seemed nervous.

It was her first time shopping in the human world, after all.

To encourage her, I squeezed her hand back.

And each time, she responded. Squeeze, squeeze.

“…Both of our hands are full now.”

“…Yeah.”

“…When your hands are full, it’s kind of dangerous.”

“…There might be pickpockets, after all.”

We both looked at our joined hands.

“Hey now, for a town in the frontier, this place is actually really safe.”

Suddenly, the lady at the stall spoke up.

“It wasn’t always like this though. Ever since Sophia-sama arrived, it’s become a much safer town.”

“Really?”

“Just look. You’ll see ‘patrollers’ all around town, right?”

Now that she mentioned it, there really were soldiers standing at the street corners.

They were the “Omawarisan Unit” led by Captain Isaac.

“The ‘Omawarisan Units’ are stationed all around the town. Recently, there are even ‘Lady Omawarisan’. If something happens, they’ll respond right away.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a child being kidnapped once…”

That was back when I came with Agnis.

I happened to witness a child being taken away, so I stopped it using the “security buzzer.”

Back then, I thought this was a town with pretty bad public safety.

“That’s right. After that incident, Sir Isaac Omawarisan established something called a ‘Hashutsujo’.”

“A ‘Hashutsujo’… like in the Hero’s World?”

“We commoners don’t really know, but apparently so.”

A “Hashutsujo” is a place in the Hero’s World where the “Omawarisan” reside.

So Isaac-san decided to establish one in the town of Nosa too, huh?

Upon closer inspection, there’s a sign behind the Omawarisan unit that reads “12th Hashutsujo.”

According to the lady at the shop, there are similar signs all over the town.

If you’re in trouble, just go to a place with that sign… that’s what she told us.

We thanked her and started walking.

We temporarily put the baked sweets into the “Ultra-Compact Portable Storage,” and then, after rejoining hands—

“Omawarisaan!”

A voice rang out.

For a moment, I thought I had accidentally triggered the “security buzzer” when opening the Ultra-Compact Portable Storage—but that wasn’t it.

Looking across the street, I saw children waving at the Omawarisan unit.

The soldiers gave a wry smile and waved back at the kids.

That made them happy, and children started gathering around the Hashutsujo sign.

I see. So the Omawarisan are popular in this town…

“This town is amazing.”

“Yes. It really is a safe place.”

“That too, but… in the human world, it’s rare to see soldiers who aren’t arrogant.”

“Is that so?”

“In the Empire, ‘strength’ is the highest priority. A lot of people look down on commoners who don’t have much combat power.”

Even the guards in the imperial capital were arrogant.

Even if there was a fight or robbery, you’d hesitate to call them.

It was like, ‘You dare bother us with something so trivial?!’

But in this town, the Omawarisan have blended naturally with the townspeople.

The children aren’t afraid of the soldiers either.

A town like this is rare in the human world.

“I guess this is proof of Princess Sophia’s leadership abilities.”

“Yes, she’s truly an outstanding person.”

Mabel, as if suddenly realizing something, said:

“But in this town, it’s kind of hard to use the ‘security buzzer’. If we use it, the Omawarisan unit will come right away.”

“…I think Princess Sophia and Isaac-san probably took that into account too.”

“Huh?”

“If someone shouts ‘Omawarisaan’, the soldiers react immediately. In other words, they can respond right away if a crime occurs. And if the voice comes from a security buzzer, they’ll know there’s someone from the Demon Lord’s territory. They can even pinpoint our location.”

“T-that’s true. That makes sense…”

“I think that’s part of why the soldiers are trained to respond to the call of ‘Omawarisaan’.”

“P-Princess Sophia is really amazing…”

“I wish she could become the leader of the Empire.”

Princess Sophia is well-liked. She has the abilities needed to lead people.

She understands weakness.

She can empathize with the weak, and she doesn’t cling to strength.

I believe that if Princess Sophia ruled the Empire, she would turn it into a kind nation.

Not one that blindly seeks strength or aims to expand its territory.

But one where everyone can live peacefully and safely.

“But for now, it’s enough that she’s the lord of the town of Nosa.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Thanks to that, I can walk through the town like this with you, Mabel.”

“…Yes.”

“Nyaa~n.”

“Sorry, you too, Soleil.”

“Nya, nya~n.”

It was a little before noon.

We were strolling slowly down the main street of the town.

Our hands remained joined the whole time.

The reason we weren’t talking much was because we felt a bit shy.

But just being able to walk like this together felt like enough—that’s what it felt like.

After that, we continued looking around the market.

We stopped at stalls to check out food for lunch.

We looked at accessories, and I almost accidentally used “Appraisal Identification” on some materials.

We bought three ribbons (for Mabel, Rukie, and Agnis).

We bought some slightly withered fruit, sat under a tree, and munched on it.

As we spent time like that—

“Hoo-hoo. It is I, Lune.”

The black owl Lune came flying toward us.

“I have come to deliver letters.”

“Thanks, Lune. Want some fruit?”

“I would be delighted. Ah, Soleil, your mouth is covered in juice, you know?”

“Nyaan. Nya-nyaan.”

“Pretending to be a cat won’t work. There’s a water source over there—I’ll wash you up.”

“Nyaa~n—!”

As I listened to their voices growing distant, I picked up the letters.

There were three of them.

One of them was from Rukie.

Rukie gave me an official order: “Agree to the exchange of the mysterious box and the information on weapons from another world.”

It was an official document stating that the Demon Lord had agreed to the exchange.

The remaining two letters were from Kelve-san.

They were about the idea of sending fake letters to prevent the Empire from performing a hero summoning.

I thought I had asked Rukie to handle it, but I guess Kelve-san ended up taking charge?

Kelve-san’s conclusion was simple.

—We should use a fake letter to warn about the dangers of “hard creatures.”

In other words, just honestly write that “there are magical beasts in the hero’s world that we can’t defeat.”

…Yeah, that really is the only option.

The Empire already understands the threat of spider-type magical beasts like Magical Beast Gargarossa, and scorpion-types like Magical Beast Nozelius. The best approach is to emphasize the danger.

As expected of Kelve-san. A precise point.

But… why is the handwriting all messed up? It looks like he wrote this while being jolted around in a carriage—the letters are completely distorted. And the sentence cuts off halfway.

So, what does the other letter say… huh?

“…What is this? This is a really weird letter.”

“What does it say?”

“Mabel, you read it too.”

“Ah, yes. Um… it says things like ‘Feels like I’m about to explode,’ ‘My head is a mess,’ and ‘What even is common sense…?’”

“What could that mean…?”

“I don’t know. But since it’s from Chancellor Kelve, I’m sure it has some deep meaning.”

“Could it be… he wants us to combine the two letters?”

Chancellor Kelve gave us an amazing idea back during the ‘cleaning robot’ competition too.

Back then, he gave us a sketch that was the epitome of simplicity—just a round shape.

That hint led to the creation of the spherical cleaning robot.

If this time has a similar kind of meaning behind it—

“When we get back, I’ll try making a ‘fake letter’ based on Kelve-san’s idea. Will you help me check it, Mabel?”

“Yes, I’ll help.”

“Thanks. Then, let’s go home.”

We held hands and headed for the inn.

It feels like I’ve been with Mabel like this all day today.

The incident isn’t over yet, and we still have to negotiate with Princess Sophia and Prince Ricardo—but for now, this is enough.

Just being able to walk around town like this with her is more than enough.

“Since we bought so many things, let’s make lunch when we get back.”

Mabel smiled while still holding my hand.

“Also, um… please teach me more about how to walk in a human town. Ah, but you have work, right, Thor-sama? So, after you’re done with that, could you teach me?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to.”

“And I want Thor-sama to take a nap too. I’m sure you stayed up last night making the ‘Vibration Wood Hammer’ and the ‘Low-Frequency Belt,’ didn’t you? So please rest. In the evening, Agnis-sama will come back, so we can make dinner together… and then, and then…”

“You don’t have to rush, Mabel.”

Before I knew it, Mabel’s cheeks had turned bright red.

“We’re going to be together all the time. So there’s no need to hurry.”

“Y-Yes!”

Mabel nodded.

Then suddenly, as if she realized the meaning of the words… she held her cheeks and said,

“Eh, Thor-sama… does that mean…”

“W-Well, okay then! Let’s head back. Soleil, Lune, all you little winged fairies—let’s go home!”

“Meow!”

“““Hoo-hoo it is~!”””

And just like that, Mabel and I finished our walk around the town safely—

I sipped the tea Mabel had made for me while finishing up the “fake letter”—

And we spent a peaceful afternoon together.

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