Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 42: The Summoner’s Struggles
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“Ah! Huff… huff…!”
In a tent set up a short distance from the battlefield between Admos and the Demon Kingdom, Nara suddenly jolted awake.
“Huff… huff!”
Breathing heavily, Nara clenched his fists tightly and muttered through gritted teeth.
“Damn it!”
It was as if he was trying to shake off the remnants of a dream that had just haunted him.
After calming down a bit, Nara began reflecting on the battle earlier that day.
The sudden announcement of an attack by the Demon Kingdom had caught everyone off guard.
Nara had assumed his primary opponent would eventually be Kenta, the previous summoned person. The idea of suddenly having to face the invading demons was entirely unexpected.
What’s more, the Demon Kingdom’s target seemed to be him.
When Nara learned of this, he was torn.
The demons were after him.
Yet, he wasn’t confident in his combat abilities and would have preferred leaving the fighting to Admos soldiers.
But asking others to risk their lives for him felt wrong.
Wouldn’t it be better if he went to the battlefield himself?
But… still… no…
After much deliberation, Nara eventually had no choice but to comply with the king’s suggestion.
The king had proposed that it would be beneficial for Nara to gain real combat experience before confronting Kenta. After all, there was no need to hold back against demons, right?
Though hesitant, Nara agreed that the suggestion had some merit and decided to step onto the battlefield to gain practical experience.
He did, but…
“I thought demons would look more like monsters… but they’re completely human-like…”
Nara muttered as he stared intently at his own hands.
Today’s battle had been his first real combat.
He had undergone training and thought he was prepared—or so he had believed.
His first opponent had been a demon whose appearance was almost indistinguishable from his own.
For a moment, Nara hesitated. Then, the demon attacked him with magic, clearly intent on killing him.
Given that the Demon Kingdom’s objective was to eliminate Nara, the attack made sense.
But for Nara, it was the first time he had faced such genuine killing intent.
Not only was there intent, but the demon had also taken actual action to end his life.
The realization that someone was trying to kill him filled Nara with fear. Yet, begging for mercy wouldn’t work, as the demon’s goal was his death.
Half in desperation, Nara managed to strike down the demon with his sword.
On paper, it seemed like Nara had won his first battle.
But this was a battlefield.
To “win” in battle meant that someone had to die.
Looking at the lifeless face of the demon he had just killed, at his blood-stained sword, and at his own bloodied hands… Nara vomited.
This wasn’t a video game.
It was a real battlefield.
Understanding that fact shook Nara to his core, and he vomited violently.
The soldiers of Admos nearby rushed to his aid, alarmed at his condition.
The reason Nara had woken up so suddenly just now was that those harrowing memories had flashed through his mind in his dreams.
“‘Easier to gain combat experience against demons,’ my ass… The people of this world are insane.”
Nara had heard about the existence of humans and demons in this world.
The demons were, in the end, just people with slight differences in appearance from humans.
Yet, he was forced to fight them and take their lives.
Even if he wanted to refuse, the enemy wouldn’t wait for him.
As a result, even after vomiting violently, the demon onslaught did not stop, and Nara was forced to return to the battlefield.
How many demons had he slain today alone?
The sensation of taking the lives of demons—of humans—with his own hands refused to leave him.
“Damn it… damn it all!”
Shouting loudly once more, Nara pulled a blanket over his head, desperately trying to fall asleep.
But lying directly on the ground with only a blanket and no mattress made it nearly impossible to rest. Whenever he was close to falling asleep, memories of his first battle would flash back, keeping him from getting any meaningful rest. Morning came, and he had hardly slept.
Yet the demons cared nothing for Nara’s circumstances.
Dodging the magic raining down on him, he closed in on the enemy. To avoid being killed, he had to kill them first.
The lack of sleep caused his body to weaken.
The act of taking lives on the battlefield slowly but surely eroded his spirit.
And all of this continued without Nara even realizing it himself.
After several days of such battles, the situation finally reached a tipping point. The damage inflicted on the Demon Kingdom became too significant to ignore, and they began to retreat.
At first, Nara watched the retreating demon army in a daze. But when he finally grasped that they had been driven away, he collapsed to the ground on the spot.
Ad
Thus, Nara’s first campaign ended in victory for Admos.
Despite being his first battle, Nara achieved remarkable results, earning high praise from the Admos soldiers.
Looking at it purely from a results perspective, his debut on the battlefield could be called a resounding success.
But for Nara, it was anything but that.
“I can’t… I can’t get rid of the smell of blood…”
After the demon army retreated, Nara finally had the chance to bathe and relax. Yet no matter how many times he scrubbed and washed, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the smell of blood clung to him.
This only further eroded his already fragile spirit.
A few days after the demon forces retreated, Nara and the others returned triumphantly to the royal capital of Admos.
The true reason for the demon invasion had not been disclosed to the public, so Nara and his companions, having repelled the demons, were treated as heroes.
Yet, despite the adulation of the people, Nara’s heart remained clouded.
Returning to the royal castle, weighed down by his gloom despite the cheers of the crowd, Nara was greeted enthusiastically by Evangeline.
“Oh, Mitsuhiko-sama! I’m so relieved you’re safe!”
Evangeline embraced him tightly. Nara did not push her away.
At that moment, any feelings of embarrassment about being seen by others didn’t even arise. He simply found solace in her warm, soft embrace.
“Yeah… I’m back, Eva.”
Ad
Evangeline quickly pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his face, her expression one of surprise.
“Y-you just called me Eva…”
“Oh… sorry. That was overly familiar, wasn’t it?”
Nara’s apology prompted Evangeline to shake her head vigorously.
“No, no! I’m happy! So happy! Mitsuhiko-sama has finally… finally opened his heart to me!”
With that, she hugged him again.
While inwardly apologizing, knowing that he simply craved human warmth at that moment, Nara couldn’t help but feel drawn to Evangeline, who so earnestly sought to comfort him.
It was in this moment that another voice called out to him.
“Oh, welcome back, Nara-kun. That must’ve been tough.”
The voice belonged to Ota, utterly unprepared for real combat in every conceivable way.
Today, as usual, his cheeks were slightly flushed, likely from a recent bath.
Looking at Ota, a dark, bitter emotion began to rise in Nara’s heart.
“…Yeah, it was tough. So, when are you going to see some real action?”
Nara’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, but Ota merely laughed it off.
“Well, I don’t think my magic is ready for the battlefield just yet.”
Nara had risked his life and endured sensations he never wanted to experience again, and yet Ota seemed so carefree.
Why was he the only one who had to go through such suffering?
That thought grew and grew within Nara.
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. But just watch. One day, I’ll be able to use amazing magic, you’ll see,”
Ota said with a grin before casually heading back to his room.
Watching his retreating figure, Nara muttered bitterly.
“…I seriously doubt that day will ever come.”
Beside him, Evangeline was also visibly fuming, echoing Nara’s frustration.
“Exactly! How can there be such a difference between two summoned individuals? He should at least try to learn from Mitsuhiko-sama!”
Seeing Evangeline so openly angry on his behalf, Nara suddenly found her endearing.
“Eva…”
“Hm? Yes?”
Eva, suddenly addressed by name, tilted her head and looked into Nara’s eyes, startled.
This was because there was a passionate intensity in Nara’s gaze as he looked at her.
“I’m in no position to criticize Ota…”
“…Huh?”
Confused by his words, Eva froze as Nara wrapped her tightly in his arms.
“Ah…”
“Right now… I want you so badly, Eva.”
“!? W-wait… um… that’s…”
Nara’s sudden, fervent confession left Evangeline completely frozen.
She had always dreamed of eventually deepening her relationship with him.
But she was a princess, raised with strict teachings that premarital relations were absolutely forbidden.
However, the legendary summoned hero, Nara, was now passionately desiring her.
What should she do? What could she do?
Her conflicted feelings swirled, but in the end, Evangeline gave a small nod.
The two then entered Nara’s room together, staying there until morning.
This event soon reached the ears of the king.
Upon receiving the report, the King of Admos summoned Nara immediately, seeing this as an opportunity.
Ad
Nara, fully aware that he had “tainted” the king’s daughter, nervously went to meet him, bracing himself for the worst.
But the king’s words were unexpected.
“Oh, Lord Nara. I’ve heard of your incredible achievements. You’ve done very well indeed.”
“Y-yes…”
“With your experience in real combat, it seems the time has come. What do you think? Shall we move on to your true purpose here?”
“True purpose…”
Hearing this, Nara’s thoughts snapped into focus.
Until yesterday, his mind had been consumed by the fight with the demons. But he was summoned here to defeat the previous summoned hero, Kenta.
Realizing this, Nara thought about how defeating Kenta could not only fulfill his mission but also secure recognition for his relationship with Evangeline.
“I understand. I’ll head to the former summoned hero soon.”
The king nodded, seemingly pleased with the response.
“Good. Once your preparations are complete, you may set off. I will arrange the preparations and provide you with a guide.”
“Yes.”
And so, the decision was made for Nara to confront Kenta.
As Nara bowed and left the room, the king watched him with a gaze filled with disdain.
“…That savage from another world dared to defile my daughter… I had thought to give him more time to grow, but… he will pay for this disgrace with his life.”
The king smirked, his lips curling into a sneer.
“Take down Maya, no matter the cost. Even if it means taking each other out.”
His muttered words were heard by no one.