Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 23: The Word “Stalker” Didn’t Exist
It had been a while since Yulia came to live in my house.
Meyleen’s morning sickness had subsided, and her belly had grown quite large.
Yulia still had some morning sickness, but according to Bennett, she was doing very well.
Everything was going smoothly, until one day, Ivern came by to check on Yulia and spoke to me with a grave expression.
—
“There’s someone snooping around about me in town?”
“Yeah. Apparently, someone was trying to figure out what you’ve been buying.”
“A stalker?”
“Sto… what?”
Oh, I see.
This world doesn’t have the word “stalker.”
“It’s a word from my original world. It means someone who obsessively fixates on someone they like in a creepy way.”
When I briefly explained what a stalker was, Ivern shuddered for a moment as if he understood.
“Yeah, that does sound terrifying… but it doesn’t feel like that. It’s more like someone was sneaking behind me while I was shopping.”
Apparently, Ivern hadn’t noticed it himself—others had told him about it.
“What’s with that? You should’ve noticed something like that yourself.”
When I said that, Ivern looked annoyed.
“Unlike you, I’m a human with weak magic power! There’s no way I can use detection magic!”
“But in exchange you guys have excellent physical abilities, right? Couldn’t you sharpen your hearing or something?”
Ad
“…That’s a blind spot.”
Seriously.
Humans excel in physical capabilities, meaning they can enhance things like hearing and vision.
But their basic mindset tends to focus on brute strength.
“So? How long have you been followed?”
When I asked, Ivern made a complicated face.
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
“What the heck is that?”
“I can’t help it. The one who noticed it was a fellow explorer, but they said the stalker was hiding pretty skillfully. It was just by chance they noticed.”
“Which means it might be a spy from another country.”
Ad
A spy, huh.
“Mona.”
“Yes.”
When I called Mona, who had been taking care of Meyleen and Yulia, she came to my side.
Mona used to be part of the Demon Nation’s intelligence division.
I decided to check with her to see if there had been any such movements.
“Has the Demon Nation’s intelligence division been investigating Ivern’s actions in town?”
“No. To be honest, the Demon Nation has been focusing on rebuilding its system. During that time, the intelligence division was monitoring whether the human nations might attack us. We had no resources to spare for investigating Kenta-san’s activities.”
“Got it. So, we can rule out the Demon Nation. Thanks, you can go back now.”
“Yes. Excuse me.”
After a polite bow, Mona returned to Meyleen and Yulia.
As I watched her walk away, Ivern muttered.
“So that means it’s a human nation targeting you…”
“By the way, did you only notice this recently?”
“Yeah.”
“Then we can rule out Weimar too.”
“So it’s another nation…”
The idea that spies from another country had infiltrated left Ivern looking grim.
But honestly…
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Huh?”
This kind of thing happened all the time, so I shrugged it off. But that only made Ivern look even more irritated.
“It’s nothing new. This place has been an open secret for a while now. There’s been others snooping around before.”
“Well, yeah… But come to think of it, what happened to those guys? I haven’t seen them in a while, so I was thinking it’s been a long time since this happened.”
“…Who knows?”
If I told the truth, I figured Ivern might be horrified, so I dodged the question.
But Ivern seemed to pick up on it anyway.
“You’ve got that nasty grin… You’re going to say they’re buried somewhere around here, aren’t you?”
“What? Don’t be stupid. If I did that, bugs would show up.”
“…Fine, I get it. I don’t need to know more.”
Ad
“Really? Don’t you want confirmation?”
“I DON’T! Don’t say it! Don’t you dare say it!”
Was it a joke? I thought so at first, but seeing Ivern desperately covering his ears, I decided not to tell him the truth.
“So? You came all the way here to report this to me—are you worried about me or something?”
I said this with a smirk, but Ivern responded with a straight face.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Yulia’s here, isn’t she? Even if nothing happens to you, what if something happens to her?”
“Oh, so you’re worried about Yulia, not me?”
“And Meyleen too.”
“What about me?”
“…Ha.”
When I asked if he wasn’t worried about me, he snorted.
“That’s just rude.”
“No, it’s not. Seriously, is there anyone in this world who could actually hurt you?”
“Who knows?”
Ad
I honestly didn’t know.
At least, I hadn’t met anyone like that yet.
“Would someone like you even need anyone to worry about them?”
“Probably not.”
“See?”
I couldn’t argue with that and ended up agreeing with him.
—
“Anyway, if they were watching my shopping, that means they probably saw me buying maternity and baby supplies. I hate to say it, but you never know what the upper echelons of the human nations might do. It’s better to be cautious.”
He had a point. The rulers and leaders in this world were all scumbags.
If they found out there were pregnant women here…
“…Given the precedent set by Weimar, it’s likely.”
“Exactly.”
Damn it. Ever since that princess from Weimar showed up, nothing but trouble had followed.
Maybe I should’ve blown up not just the younger princess but the entire royal castle when I had the chance.
“Well, it might be too late now, but I’ll be careful on my end. You should step up your vigilance too.”
“Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.”
After that, Ivern spent some time with Yulia and then left.
Now, about being vigilant—if anyone tampers with the barrier, I’ll get a notification, so I’ll know immediately.
The only concern is when I go to pick up Bennett-san. But unlike Ivern, I can use detection magic, so I’m always on high alert when entering the town.
After all, I’ve got a bounty on my head.
Well, that’s about it.
Despite Ivern’s warning, I continued my usual routine without much change.
Then, one day, the barrier reacted.
And not just once—there were multiple breaches.
“Oh, come on. What are the gate guards doing?”
Stopping intruders is literally their job, so I used detection magic to check the situation…
“Well, well.”
There wasn’t a single trace of anyone at the forest entrance.
“Sigh… This is turning into a pain.”
It seemed like the intruders had decided to use more forceful methods. I couldn’t just ignore it, so I headed to where the barrier had been triggered.
When I arrived, I saw something deeply unpleasant.
“…So that’s how they’re playing it, huh?”
What I saw was Bennett-san tied up with a knife held to her neck.
And Ivern, surrounded by several knights, swords pointed at him, being forced to act as their guide.