Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 99: The Demon Lord’s Territory Troops and the Empire Troops Take a Break
“Thank you for your hard work, Thor-sama““““““““““
“The tea is ready.”
When I returned to the camp, the soldiers were resting by a fire they had made.
In one corner, Mabel and Agnis were waving their hands.
I wanted to take a break soon, so this was just perfect.
“I was able to talk with Duke Karon about the incident.”
I sat down near the campfire.
“As expected, it seems that high officials of the imperial capital are involved behind the beast summoning. The rest is a matter between His Majesty the Demon King, the Grand Duchy, and the Empire. My job ends here.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Lord Thor.”
“I want you to relax once you get back.”
“Thanks. I’d like to investigate the ‘Beast Nozerias’ if possible… but it looks like it will take some time before I get the materials. I’ll rest once I return.”
The imperial soldiers have started dismantling the “Beast Nozerias.”
The one we defeated with the ‘Meteor Modoki’ left only the claws, but this one’s head and torso were just cut cleanly in two, so it looks like we can gather quite a lot of materials.
I hope I can get some of these materials too.
“Duke Karon cut the legs of that beast with an ordinary magic sword, right…”
Even though his left arm is disabled, it seems he has no trouble hunting the beast.
He’s so strong, yet still intends to master the way of the sword. Because he thinks he’s still inexperienced, he’s not arrogant and is kind to others. That’s what kind of person he was.
I wish I could have talked with him more.
If only he weren’t a high-ranking noble of the Empire.
“I have to master alchemy so I don’t lose either.”
“No, Lord Thor, I think you’re doing enough already.”
“Do you think so?”
“When you made the ‘cleaning robot,’ you worked late into the night. If His Majesty the Demon King hadn’t said ‘No all-nighters,’ you probably would have kept working until morning, right?”
“If Mabel kept quiet about it.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Impossible, huh.”
“I have made it a rule not to lie to His Majesty the Demon King.”
“I’m not lying! I just want you to keep quiet!”
“What will you do if His Majesty the Demon King asks, ‘Is Thor getting proper sleep?’”
“I guess ‘Yes, he is (personal opinion)’ is fine. I read that in a hero world book.”
“You mentioned that before. In the hero world, the phrase ‘personal opinion’ is used a lot.”
“In the ‘mail-order catalog,’ it appears on every page.”
“It’s a strange world…”
“In that world, each hero is outrageously strong. So it probably means ‘This is the great hero’s personal opinion. It’s convincing.’”
“That’s very convincing…”
“So, regarding the report to His Majesty the Demon King—”
“I’ll say, ‘He is getting sleep (Lord Thor’s personal opinion).’”
“Please don’t say that His Majesty will come to check, okay?”
While we were talking about that, Agnis poured some tea for me.
She touched the hot kettle directly over the fire and poured steaming hot tea into my cup. Even using the ‘Health Promotion Pendant,’ Agnis has flame resistance.
This kind of scene has quietly become something I’m used to.
“After all, being with Mabel and Agnis is the most calming.”
I said as I took the cup of tea.
“No matter how good the offer is, there’s no way I’d leave everyone behind to go to the Grand Duchy—”
Ad
Clatter!
“Lord Thor, what did you just say!?”
“You were invited by the Empire… to the Grand Duchy!?”
“Yeah. Of course, I refused.”
I said to the standing Mabel and Agnis.
“Duke Karon asked me, ‘Would you teach alchemy at the Grand Duchy about ten days a year?’ Of course, I refused on the spot. Even though it’s an autonomous territory, the Grand Duchy is still part of the Empire. I have no intention of returning to that country.”
The tea tastes good.
Recently, Agnis has started making tea as well. She comes to the workshop and helps with the housework. Most of the time, she wears a maid outfit.
When those two are nearby, I feel very safe.
If I work too much, they stop me, and during work, they prepare things I can eat with one hand.
I’m really grateful to Mabel and Agnis.
I have no intention of going to the Grand Duchy and making those two worry.
I still have many things I want to do in the Demon King’s territory.
“‘…Haa’”
Mabel and Agnis sighed while holding their tea cups.
Ad
“Please don’t surprise me like that, Lord Thor.”
“I thought my heart might stop.”
“For now, I told them, ‘I have things I want to make in the Demon King’s territory, so I won’t leave the country until I finish them.’”
“Things you want to make?”
“Well, I haven’t completed all the items from the ‘mail-order catalog’ yet.”
“Do you intend to make all of them!?”
“My goal is to surpass the hero world. I want to make as many items as I can from that world.”
“…That’s amazing, Lord Thor.”
“…It’s a grand goal.”
“Even when I finish making them, that’s just the first stage. The second stage remains.”
“The second stage?”
“Yeah. After ‘functional beauty,’ I want to master ‘aesthetic beauty.’”
Items from the Hero’s World pursue “functional beauty.”
Of course, that in itself is appealing, but I think it’s just not enough.
“I used to think that ‘functional beauty’ was enough. But my thinking changed after coming to the Demon Lord’s Domain. I met people like Mabel, Her Majesty the Demon Lord, and Agnis—people in whom I could feel the divine beauty of creation.”
Ad
““…Huh?””
“Of course, I don’t think I can create something as beautiful as Mabel, Her Majesty, or Agnis… but I think it’s worth the challenge. If someone like me, a different species, can find Mabel and Agnis beautiful, then it means there’s a kind of universal beauty in this world. As an alchemist, I want to pursue that—wait, huh?”
“…Jeez! Thor-sama!?”
“…Please don’t say things like that with such a serious face!”
I got scolded.
Strange. I was being completely honest, though.
“So, by pursuing both functional and aesthetic beauty… I want to create something that brings happiness to everyone, as a token of gratitude to Mabel, Agnis, and Her Majesty. An item that makes people happy by functioning well, but also makes them happy just by looking at it. Something like that.”
Learn from the Hero’s World, learn from the people of the Demon Lord’s Domain, and ultimately, create an amazing magical item that brings happiness to everyone.
That is my goal now.
For that to happen, the Demon Lord’s Domain… at least the area near the border with the Empire, needs to be at peace. That’s why I gave my full cooperation to the magical beast investigation this time.
“…Thor-sama.”
When I looked over, Mabel’s cheeks were flushed—and she was staring intently at me.
“When we get back to the workshop, we need to have a talk.”
“A talk?”
“Yes. With Soleil the fairy and the others included, there are things I want you to understand, Thor-sama.”
“…O-okay.”
Mabel’s expression was as serious as it gets.
As for Agnis… yeah. She had turned her back on me.
“Alright. When we get back, let’s talk slowly.”
But before that, there’s something I want to jot down.
The spell inscribed on the metal plate the “Cleaning Robot” brought back from the fortress—I need to copy that down neatly.
I did take quick notes before handing the plate to Mr. Isaac, but I want to write it down properly while the memory’s still fresh.
That might be the key to a new item.
Once I’ve had a rest, I’ll try making a prototype and show it to Erte.
Lately, I’ve only been making combat items.
But right now, I’m itching to make household goods.
Mabel will probably wait while I jot this down.
“Alright, let’s go home. To our workshop.”
“Yes, Thor-sama!”
“Agnis also has something she wants to discuss with Thor-sama!”
And with that, the magical beast investigation came to an end—
And we returned to the Demon Lord’s Domain
—Meanwhile, on the Empire’s side—
“Princess Liana should go to the town of Nosa.”
After the meeting ended, Archduke Kharon said this.
It was while everyone was tending the fire and having a meal before departing.
“I’ll have my adjutant Nona accompany you. Once the break is over, go see your sister and discuss things with her.”
“Discuss?”
“How to win over that alchemist’s heart.”
“—Gah, cough, cough!!”
The tea she had been drinking went down the wrong way.
Princess Liana clutched her mouth and coughed violently.
“W-why are we even talking about something like that, Your Grace!?”
“When I spoke with that alchemist earlier, I got a strong impression. He’s not someone you can just leave alone.”
“…You really think so?”
Ad
“Indeed. He seems to care only about alchemical research. If that’s the case, and if you have feelings for him, then you should act in a way that makes those feelings clear.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that.
Liana had only just realized her feelings herself.
She wasn’t even sure if what she was feeling was love, or if it was admiration born of respect.
It felt more like the latter.
Thor Canaan had saved her.
He understood her.
Liana admired his strength and his empathy. Maybe that’s all it was.
More than anything, she wasn’t confident in her own feelings.
To Liana, such emotions had always felt… distant, unrelated to her.
That’s why she couldn’t attend the meeting just now.
She didn’t know what would happen if she saw Thor Canaan’s face up close.
What if someone noticed her heart pounding?
What if she got so flustered she said something ridiculous?
What if her hair was a mess from the battle? What if she was still spattered with beast blood? What if her clothes were in disarray and she looked terrible…?
All those thoughts swirled in her head, and she simply couldn’t go.
“But… asking me to act on it already…”
“Well, that’s why you should talk to your sister. I’ll provide a carriage and soldiers for your escort. While you travel to the town, you can think about what you want to say.”
“Why are you… going this far for me, Your Grace?”
“Helping the young is an old man’s duty.”
Archduke Kharon gave a firm nod.
“I have no children. Of course, those I have adopted as heirs to the Grand Duchy are also precious to me. But I also hold Princess Liana dear as a blood relative.”
“Thank you very much, Your Grace.”
“Moreover, it’s better to take action sooner rather than later—for the sake of that alchemist, as well.”
“For Thor Canaan-sama, you mean?”
“Indeed. There are those in this world who become so engrossed in mastering their path that they fail to notice the goodwill of others. Such people remain single forever, causing those around them no end of worry.”
“Oh? Your Grace, why are you introducing yourself to Princess Liana?”
“—Gaho, gahoh, gehon, gehon!”
“Ah! Your Grace!”
The deputy, Nona, who had brought a refill of tea, spoke up, causing Archduke Kharon to start coughing.
With a look of exasperation, Nona patted the Archduke’s back as she said,
“P-Pardon me. It just slipped out…”
“Nona, you really are something.”
“But, Your Grace, we—your subordinates—have always been scolded by your relatives. That you’re still single is our fault for not doing our jobs properly, they say. I’ve only served you for eight years, but even my mother, who served you before me, told me the same.”
“I do feel sorry for you all.”
“Then please, do find a partner soon.”
“It’s too late to worry about it now.”
Finally calming down, Archduke Kharon wore a troubled expression.
“Besides, someone like me, obsessed with swordsmanship, would hardly attract any woman of sound mind. I know my limits. I can’t bear to make someone suffer by marrying them now.”
“…Sigh.”
Nona let out a long sigh.
Her eyes were kind, as if she had given up on something, as she gazed at the Archduke’s back.
Seeing this, Liana felt as if she understood Nona’s feelings.
She also understood the meaning behind the Archduke’s advice to “act quickly.”
“I understand your advice, Your Grace.”
“I see.”
“You’re saying I should act quickly, correct, Your Grace?”
“Indeed.”
“I should act quickly, correct, Nona-sama?”
“Now why are you asking Nona? And Nona, why are you nodding so enthusiastically?”
“Understood. In that case, Your Grace, I have a request.”
Liana spoke with firm resolve.
“About the ‘wager.’ As a reward for delivering a serious blow to the magical beast, you said you would share the Empire’s secrets. I would like Alchemist Thor Canaan-sama to be present at that time.”
“…Hmm.”
“You said that the details of the incident would be reported to the Demon Lord’s territory. But the past of the Empire is a different matter. It would be understandable if you were hesitant to share that with someone from the Demon Lord’s side. However—”
“If it’s someone who was once a noble of the Empire, it wouldn’t be so difficult, is that it?”
“It might not be ideal to tell someone from another country about the Empire’s secrets, but…”
“No, I don’t mind. It’s a matter that concerns him as well.”
A strange feeling crept in.
For some reason, a chill ran down her spine.
“Before we fought the magical beast, I mentioned this: that when I was still a child, the Empire lost something it should never have lost.”
“Y-Yes.”
“It involved powerful individuals of the time. High-ranking nobles, warriors, magicians—and even a Sword Saint.”
“The Sword Saint before you, Your Grace…”
Liana’s eyes widened as she recalled the name—or rather, the surname—of that person.
She remembered the names of all past Sword Saints.
And among them, only one had any relation to Thor Canaan.
Sword Saint Void Regus.
A duke from her great-grandfather’s time who had served as Sword Saint.
He was also Thor Canaan’s grandfather.
“Well, it’s not that long of a story, nor is it a particularly entertaining one.”
Sword Saint Kharon shrugged.
“Very well. I shall send word so that in the town of Nosa, a meeting may be arranged with myself, Princess Liana, Princess Sophia, and Thor Canaan. Nona, make the arrangements.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Before that, we must deal with the fortress commander, Geralt Zelger. A troublesome task, but necessary.”
So saying, Archduke Kharon stood up.
The break was over.
Now, Liana and the Archduke’s forces would head for the fortress. There, they would interrogate the perpetrator behind the magical beast summoning and extract all the information they could about the incident. After that, they would proceed to the town of Nosa, where she would likely reunite with her sister, Sophia.
(There’s so much I want to tell Sister… But now, there are things I can’t tell her, too…)
Liana shook her head, driving away the thoughts that surfaced.
First, she had to focus on her duties.
She could see her sister after that.
First, she had to bring the magical beast summoning incident to a close. Then she would meet her sister—and introduce her to Thor Canaan. Then she would hear the Archduke reveal the Empire’s hidden truths. After that—
(—After that, what will I do?)
Nothing had been decided yet.
Would she continue to swing her sword on her brother’s command, as the “Holy Sword Princess”?
Or—
“Let’s go, Your Grace.”
—Still carrying her uncertainty, Liana began walking toward the carriage.
And thus, Princess Liana and Archduke Kharon each began to move toward their respective destinations.