Kays Translations

Chapter 146

“Are you sure about this, Rue?”

This wasn’t the round table, but a world of darkness.
It seemed to be a highly sealed space within the mental world, one that could only be entered when someone summoned another.

Here, in this world, I had called Rue so we could talk about our actions so far.

“To tell the truth… I wanted to stay with you forever. But doing that would mean keeping Shizuma sealed here. And you see, I also want to travel with Shizuma. Protecting Lindblum, serving the country… those were just afterthoughts. What I really wanted… was to be with Melt-chan and Shizuma both. Maybe it’s because of the story I’ve been burdened with. But that is my true feeling.”

“…I see. Don’t worry, Rue. I’ll make sure to find a way—for increasing the number of summons, and for giving them hearts.”

It was me who reminded this gentle Sword Saint of peace, and the warmth of family.
So I fully intended to take responsibility for that.

“Oh yes, you might have already heard, but Kokuri-san seems to have something to discuss with Shizuma. I think it would be odd to do it right away, but wasn’t your next plan to go and pick up the armor Melt-chan ordered? You should probably drop by after that.”

“Got it. I’ll act as Same first, then later I’ll switch back to my real body.”

“Hm… thinking without my selfishness, the one to prioritize might actually be Same. If you’re talking about housing a will.”

True enough.
In this country, Same was the one with an established position and influence.
If he stayed here, it would give me the freedom to move around elsewhere.
Fortunately, Same’s thoughts aligned most closely with mine, so there would be little sense of contradiction.

“Well, in any case, it’ll be once we get more cores, or find a way to bring a heart to the surface.”

“Yeah. Thanks for everything, Rue.”

The world of darkness gradually faded away, and I regained consciousness inside the hidden stone passageway.

“I thought about sprinting through this underground tunnel as Same, but… since I’m already passing through to the west, I might as well check the walls for any damage.”

The explosion earlier—when Isaka and the others escaped—might not have caused a collapse, but there could still be cracks or warping.
Well, that had been near the north gate, so honestly the eastern and western tunnels probably weren’t affected much.

So, walking at a brisk pace, I checked the walls as I went.
In the end, I found nothing unusual, and finally arrived at the tunnel exit near the marsh by the western highway.

“Phew… the exit here is inside that old giant hollow tree, huh? Someday animals or monsters are going to turn it into a den.”

Muttering about that, I crossed the marsh toward the road.
Snowmelt had advanced quite a lot—though not completely—and the marsh had mostly returned to its usual muddy state.

Still, it seemed that collection and subjugation requests in this area hadn’t yet resumed; I didn’t see any adventurers around.

I walked down the highway, snow lingering only a little along the roadside.
Tomorrow would already be March… If this were Japan, the calendar would say spring had already begun.
When spring came here, too, the flowers blooming everywhere would surely be beautiful.

“Izbel… I wonder what kind of town it is. When spring comes, I’d like to visit other towns too.”

With those hopes for the coming season, I returned at last to Lindblum.

“Wh-what the… the whole town is buzzing!?”

Coming back through the west gate meant passing through the streets near the adventurers’ quarter.
Naturally, that meant there were some restaurants along the way.

Now they were overflowing with customers, lively enough to rival the New Year’s Festival or even the Founding Festival.

“What on earth happened…?”

I stopped a group of adventurers walking by, explaining that I’d been away on an expedition and didn’t know what was going on in town. Then I asked them about the cause of all this excitement.

“Huh? I’ve seen you around before. You’re that terrifyingly strong adventurer, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah! Weren’t you the guy who wiped the floor with those three female adventurers around here once?”

“No one should be able to win against three at once. But you did, didn’t you?”

“Man, I was blown away when I saw that.”

Oh—it was that trio I hadn’t seen much of lately.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d actually talked with them.

“So, what’s going on?”

“Oh! Listen up! See, we’ve got this noble acquaintance, right? And what we heard is that a natural dungeon core has been brought into this country!”

“Apparently it’s not a hoax, either. The news is spreading from all sides, so everyone’s treating it as confirmed. And every trade and business is in full festival mode over it.”

“Can’t be helped, huh? Once spring hits, veggies will be growing everywhere, and wild plants too. That means harvest requests everywhere, food flooding the markets. Taverns will buy cheap, lower menu prices, and with the excitement drawing in guests from other nations too—it’s all good news!”

So it’s true—the fact about the dungeon core was already spreading among the people!
No wonder… deep down, everyone must have been anxious until now.

“I’m heading back to my home village in spring. If the fields return to life, I’ll take a guard job there.”

 “I’ve got to return to my hometown too, check on how things are.”

“You guys serious!? I’m from this town, you know! If you ditch me, I’ll never forgive you…”

They all looked so happy.
I thanked them for telling me, and headed back to my house.
Melt was probably already home too.

“…I wish I could have seen it live—Melt in makeup and a dress.”

Everyone in the mental world had been going wild about it…
Well, I already knew how grown-up Melt looked when she calmed down, so in a way it wasn’t surprising.
But even so, there had to be a limit…

She really was beautiful though.

Looking forward just a little to seeing Melt again, I returned at last to my beloved home.

“No! This is all going to be a shrimp pond! We’re not turning it into a bath!”

“Aw, come on! At least one outdoor bath, Melt-kun! Look, look—there are already plenty of ponds for the shrimp, right? Just this one area here, we can make into a tub…”

“No way! If hot water accidentally mixed in, the shrimp would all die!”

…Melt and Shuris-san were bickering while covered in mud, over in a corner of the garden.

…Strange. Just yesterday, both of them had been the center of attention at the banquet, looking like absolute goddesses…

“What are you two doing…?”

“Ah! Same, welcome back!!!”

Melt broke off from her work and ran up to me.

Mm… seeing her up close like this again, she really is adorable.

She hugged me happily, and I caught her, spinning in place to soften the momentum.

“Melt, that’s not very ladylike. I heard you were such a refined young lady yesterday, the star of the banquet.”

“Really? …Was I being noticed? But a bunch of strange people kept coming up to me.”

Ah, yes. The ones who got escorted away by the men in black suits.

“Hey there, welcome back, Same-san.”

“Shuris-san, it’s been a while.”

This time, Shuris-san came toward me too.

For some reason, though, she spread her arms wide—like she was waiting for something.

“I’m a lady, you know. I won’t be the one jumping into your arms. Now, you go ahead and dive into mine.”

“Well then, I’ll take you up on that…”

“W-wait, I was joking!”

“Hahaha.”

If she thinks she can keep teasing me forever, she’s gravely mistaken.
And besides, I don’t have the courage to actually throw myself into her chest.

“In any case, welcome back, Same-san. You’d left town, I suppose, because of the recent announcement?”

“That’s right. It’s not my intention to stand out any more than I already have. But it would’ve been bad if none of the people involved were present at that announcement either, and I wasn’t about to put Melt out front. So I asked the Captain, who happened to be in town on other business, to handle it.”

“Rue-dono, huh. Honestly, he’s someone whose depths I couldn’t quite gauge. A different kind of intimidating than Silent-san.”

“Eh? That’s not true! Rue is a kind grandpa!”

Haha, well, I do agree he’s a kind grandpa.
But… I’ve seen what’s inside his heart in the spirit world. Rue still clings, if only a little, to his strength.

Or maybe it was because he couldn’t forgive that arrogant “strongest warrior” Schweigen and his condescending words.

For Rue, who seeks peace and to protect tranquility, Schweigen is the ultimate opposite.
Not just Rue—everyone has some sort of grudge against Schweigen’s “profession.”
And after that scene, it’s clear he harbors dangerous ideas in this world too.

…He’s a presence I’d prefer to remain sealed away inside me forever. Even so, to erase him completely—I still hesitate.

“So then, what exactly were you two doing?”

“I was tending to the shrimp ponds. Then Awawa-san came to play, and since I thought you’d be back today, I told her I wanted to wait here.”

“That’s how it was. But when I saw so many ponds had been made, I thought—why not build a bath too? Unfortunately, I couldn’t get her to agree.”

“No way! The bathwater would drain out and kill the little creatures in the stream! I need the shrimp to spread downstream too, you know!”

“Urgh… if you put it that way… the stream is small, so I guess it really wouldn’t work…”

Her love for baths is the real deal, huh…

“Please be satisfied with our household bath, Shuris-san.”

“Oh, really!? Actually, I thought there might be a chance I’d get to bathe, so I brought my bath set with me. In that case, I’ll gladly take you up on the offer.”

“Got it. I’ll go make preparations.”

“Fufufu, I’m thrilled… After all, taking a bath in a different setting always gets my heart racing.”

So, I set about preparing a bath for her.
…If she came here specifically to wait for me, then she must have something she wants to talk about.

Later, after finishing with the ponds, Melt and I sat in the living room waiting for Shuris-san to finish bathing.

Then, Melt suddenly remembered something—

“Oh! I forgot! Same, Same! That dress I wore yesterday—I bought it from Kokuri-chan! Just in case something ever happens!”

“Ooh! Then next time, I definitely want to see you wearing it again.”

“Sure! If there’s ever another special occasion, let’s go together.”

Something new to look forward to.

“That reminds me, tomorrow maybe we should look for a request headed toward Izbel? Since we’re going there to pick up the armor anyway, we could take on some escort job.”

“Ah, right! I completely forgot about the armor! When we get there, I’ll show you around town too!”

As we were setting plans for the future, I heard the bath’s door open and close.

Sounds like she’s coming out soon. I should get some drinks ready.

“Melt, should I make us something to drink?”

“Oh, yes! Then cola! I’ll make the ice.”

While preparing the cola, I remembered. I’d brought a lot of fruit liquors and syrups from Melt’s family home.

And… mixed in with those, a strange, unidentified bottle.

“…I need to examine that too.”

As I worked on the cola, I thought to myself.
Hmm, the syrup is running low.

Alright, I’ll add a little lemon syrup into the cola syrup this time.

“There, done. Melt, the ice please.”

“Okay! One, two… three. Huh? It smells different than usual.”

“The cola syrup was running low, so I mixed in some lemon syrup.”

“What!? Then we need to make a new batch right away!”

“Yeah, I’ll prepare some later.”

At that, Melt pouted and insisted, “No, now!”—but right now, I had to hear what Shuris-san wanted to say.

…Do we still have enough ingredients? I might need to buy more spices soon.

“Phew! I’m out! Ahh, that was wonderful. To sit in warm water while gazing out at the snowy forest… Don’t you think that’s quite the luxury?”

“Indeed, being able to enjoy a snow-view bath at home is pretty extravagant. Here, Shuris-san. Our household’s post-bath specialty drink.”

“Oh? What is this? I only know of black drinks like coffee…”

I handed her a glass of cola (lemon-flavored) as her skin still glowed faintly from the bath.

For the record, Melt and I had lemonade soda.

“Awawa-san, that’s the last glass! Drink it slowly and savor it—it’s super delicious!”

“Mhm, then I must drink it with the utmost care. Well then…”

…Melt, are you glaring just a little resentfully, or is that my imagination?

gulp gulp 

“Haaah! This is good! The effervescence like champagne, the refreshing yet faintly spiced flavor… there may be nothing better than this for a warmed body!”

“Right?! I’ll make more syrup later~”

“Hmmm… I wonder if they’d serve this at the public baths…”

“Hard to say. The one who came up with the syrup did submit the recipe to the Cook’s Guild, so I think it’ll spread to the public eventually.”

“I see… then I’ll wait and look forward to it.”

Shuris-san sat down with a satisfied expression, looking relaxed.

…She’s really attractive. Fresh from the bath, she looked downright sensual.

I sometimes forget because she’s so friendly, but… I also saw her at the banquet—in the spirit world.

Seriously, a beauty. An absolute knockout. Both sisters are just way out of the ordinary. Even a nobleman would hesitate to approach someone like that.

“So, Shuris-san, you had business with me, right?”

“Mm, yes, that’s right. Hm… but… well… how do I put this…”

She looked troubled, like the words were hard to say.

“I know you try not to stand out too much, Same-san, so it feels selfish to ask… but the truth is, soon we, the Glory Knights, are planning to temporarily move our base of operations to Dungeon Island. You know, the last natural dungeon in this country?”

“The Adventurer’s Guild’s clan is moving there?”

“Yes. And… if possible, I was hoping you could come along as well. Personally, it would really help me.”

“And by that, you mean…?”

“…Honestly, I’d be lonely. This is our first time moving our base. I thought maybe, if I had a friend with me, I’d feel okay.”

Wha—! For her to ask something so shyly like that…!

But! Unfortunately, I already have plans!

“I’m sorry… but starting tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Izbel with Melt…”

“I-I see… Well, it was a sudden request, so I didn’t think it would work out. Izbel, huh… This is actually the perfect time for that.”

“Perfect, as in?”

“Well, there’s the blacksmithing contest. Nicknamed the KajiCon. It’s a yearly festival where even unknown smiths, if they perform well, can get scouted by big clans, nobles, knight orders, or merchant guilds. Isn’t that why you’re going?”

“No, we’re going to pick up the armor Melt ordered… but that does sound interesting.”

Ohhh… that really does sound fun. If there are good items, I might as well buy some.

After all… I’m filthy rich.

“You should definitely check it out. Since you’ll likely stay for a while, I recommend making a lodging contract.”

“But that would mean it’ll take me longer to get to where you’re going, Shuris-san.”

“Haha, no worries. I was just being a little selfish. I wanted to test whether, if I leaned on you, Same-san, you’d go out of your way for me. After all, apparently I’m quite beautiful. Not long ago, Kokuri told me, ‘If you plead with someone, most men would immediately say yes.’”

Kokuri-san, why would you tell her something like that…

…Though to be fair, if I didn’t already have plans, I would have said yes!

“Well then, that’s the end of it! Sorry for the strange request. Really, don’t worry about it. Just… hmm, if you do end up coming to the island, maybe I’ll look forward to a souvenir from Izbel?”

“Ahaha… don’t get your hopes up.”

And with that, while still warm from the bath, Shuris-san took her leave.

Man… it’s a secret that my heart actually skipped a beat for a moment.

Hearing “I’d be lonely” from a flushed, glowing face like that—ugh…!

“Same, should we go to the island first?”

“No, we’ll go to Izbel.”

“I think Awawa-san might really be lonely, though…”

“Hmm… maybe. But what I’m more curious about is why they suddenly decided to move their base.”

Could it be… something unsettling is happening in the dungeon?

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter