Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu
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TL Notes:
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Chapter 309
The banquet was truly exhausting.
When Lucas-sama and Harold-sama were exchanging heated arguments with smiles on their faces, I felt like I was barely alive.
Since I was away from the scene, I couldn't hear much of the conversation clearly, but it was probably about me.
After things had settled down, I went to greet Norn-sama, who seemed to have had the hardest time this time.
Seeing her up close, the cloudiness in her eyes was as bad as when Karon-san went berserk, so after getting permission, I cast a healing spell as part of the handshake.
After that, I was approached by the other representatives too... but somehow, I felt more exhausted than I usually do after training.
"Amako is going back home with Nagi-san for a while, right?"
"Mm"
A day had passed since the banquet ended.
As representatives from each nation returned home after concluding their talks, I came to see off Amako, who was accompanying Hayate-san and the others back to Hinomoto.
On the ship docked at the harbor, Amako, who was standing beside Nagi-san, nodded in response to my words.
"I should go punish Mom soon."
"What do you mean...?"
"She's been wandering around town on a whim and causing trouble for Hayate-san, so I'm going to scold her as her daughter."
Ah, Hayate-san had his struggles too, didn't he.
Well, if it means she can see Amako again after so long, Kanoko-san will probably be happy.
"Is Usato heading for the Demon King's territory?"
"Areh, you know about that?"
"No, I just heard there's talk about it. So I figured if anyone gets chosen, it'd probably be Usato."
"Correct. But try not to spread it around too much."
"Got it."
Well, it's not like I'm going there anytime soon.
At the earliest, it'll be about two weeks later, so I'll have plenty of time when I get back.
"Please enjoy your long-awaited trip back to your hometown, Nagi-san."
"..."
"Nagi-san?"
I tried calling out to Nagi, but for some reason, she seemed spaced out.
Thinking it was unusual for her, I called out again, and she snapped back to reality immediately.
"Are you okay?"
"Eh? Ah, yeah, sorry. I wasn't listening."
"...Is there something that's bothering you?"
I can hardly imagine this person spacing out.
Convinced of this, I asked.
"...About that demon that got killed, you know. I just can't help wondering who actually killed him..."
"Well, the only thing that could kill a demon was Hisago-san's light magic-based system strengthening... that's what we were told. Maybe he——"
"No, that's impossible. Absolutely impossible, Usato."
As I tried to say he might still be alive, Nagi-san flatly denied it.
"Hisago's technique could probably do it. His system strengthening can even make an adversary's life energy his own. ...But that guy's stubborn, always gloomy, an old man, and he's the kind of creep who'd eat bugs if they were edible..."
"Kannagi, centuries' worth of complaints are spilling out."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
Somehow, I felt a sense of familiarity with these angry words of dissatisfaction.
After all, I've been told something similar by Nack and Amako before...
"But no matter how rotten he gets, deep down he's still a good soul. Besides, he told me to look toward the future... I think he himself never intended to live long."
"Is, that so?"
He never intended to live long, huh?
Having seen his past revealed by the Demon King, I can't help but wonder what became of him afterward... But considering his fate after Nagi-san was sealed away, leaving him utterly alone...
"He really is an annoying guy...! That old man...!!"
"Yeah..."
I was stunned by Nagi-san's words, her eyes turning menacing.
"Because, if I hadn't been sealed away, I would've celebrated my older sister's engagement...!! When I woke up, this happened!? Seeing my older sister all small like this, I was totally confused!?"
"Small? Did you just say small? Hey? Kannagi?"
"I never imagined that she was my older sister’s descendant...! Plus, my techniques still exist, and that troublesome Demon King has revived, and on top of that, besides the me who woke up, there’s another soul that seems like another version of me... It was all just too much, I was completely overwhelmed and confused...!!"
T-That sounds pretty rough.
I step between Amako and Nagi-san, who radiate a tense atmosphere, and give a wry smile.
"...Sorry, I lost my cool..."
"I understand what Nagi-san went through. I don't mind."
"I mind."
Amako, who holds grudges with a smooth demeanor.
"The only thing I can say for certain is that I can't imagine Hisago still being alive in this era. That's precisely why it's so baffling..."
"You mean there might have been other ways to destroy the demon besides Hisago-san's magic...?"
"That's possible too. ...Well, there's no point dwelling on it now. Let's leave that sort of thing to Falga-sama and the Demon King."
That's true.
Both Falga-sama and the Demon King are clever, after all...
"About Hinomoto, are you really looking forward to it, Nagi-san?"
"I think it's changed quite a bit though. Hahaha."
It must be a place full of memories for Nagi-san too.
"For now, I think I'll take Kannagi to Rinka's family home. I'll show her the statue of Kannagi there."
"Seriously, don't do that!? I'll die of embarrassment, you know!"
"Hahaha"
Come to think of it, there was a bronze statue of Nagi-san.
From her perspective, having a statue made of herself must be quite a complicated feeling.
"Seeing off Amako and Kannagi, maybe?"
"Hayate-san, Rinka."
"Yahoo, Usato."
As I was talking with the two of them, Hayate-san and Rinka arrived at the scene.
Hayate-san gave Rinka, who was running toward us with a cheerful look on her face, a warm smile.
"Well, we did run into some trouble, but I'm glad we managed to wrap up the talks safely like this."
"It was quite a tough meeting for both sides, wasn't it..."
"Hahaha..."
As the leader of the beastkin tribe, he came here for this meeting.
With all the prejudice and discrimination around him, it must have been mentally tough too.
"I wasn't at the meeting, but Usato was amazing, right!"
"Not to that extent."
"That's definitely a lie!"
"Why are you so sure...?"
What's more, Rinka told me with a smile that it was a lie.
Is that it? Are you talking about when he invented the Healing Cannon, the technique that became the basis for Healing Flying Fist?
Does this kid still think I unleashed a fist pressure...?
"Kuh, Pure Rinka's words resonate deeper than those malicious remarks from the mascots...!!"
"I think the problem lies with you, Usato, for saying that."
"Shut up...!"
While responding to Amako's quick-witted retort, I faced Hayate-san, who was smiling wryly.
"...Are you leaving soon?"
"Yeah. What about you?"
"I'm heading out after this too. Another two days on the same ship as the Demon King, hahaha."
"T-That sounds rough..."
That person seems to have adopted a defiant attitude since the battle ended.
He enjoys toying with me.
"That person has such a terrible personality, you know? He definitely thinks of me as some kind of toy or something."
"Watching Usato act, I can tell he seems to be having fun."
"Oops, are you a demon king too?"
I never thought Amako would agree with him.
As I slumped my shoulders in disappointment, the ship carrying Amako and the others sounded its whistle.
"Time's up."
"Yeah"
"I'm glad I got to see you again."
I nodded at Hayate-san's words.
He, Nagi-san, Amako, and Rinka boarded the ship.
"See you later, Usato."
"Bye!"
I wave goodbye to Amako and Rinka as I see them off.
As the boat carrying Hayate-san and the others moves across the lake toward the opposite shore, I leave the spot and head toward my own boat.
The dock itself isn't that far away, so I walk at a leisurely pace. As I do, I notice three figures heading in the same direction as me.
"...Areh? Leona-san, Karon-san?"
Of the three people walking, two were Leona-san and Karon-san.
Leona-san is planning to accompany us on the return boat... I wonder if Karon-san come to see us off?
"Oh, Usato. I was just about to come see you off."
"Ah, thank you. Etto, and who is that person?"
The other person looked to be around Leona and Karon’s age, with striking flaxen hair and a gentle, easygoing air.
Karon introduced the woman behind him to me.
"This is my wife, Milfa. She heard you were here and insisted on meeting you, so I brought her along to see you off."
"Nice to meet you, Usato-kun."
"Ah, nice to meet you, I'm Usato. I see, so you're Karon-san's..."
I'd heard about her, but she really is beautiful.
I hurriedly returned the greeting, and Karon-san flashed a bright smile.
"No need to be so formal. This guy was originally a knight like me and Leona, so she's pretty fier——"
With a gentle smile on her face, Milfa-san turned around and delivered a palm strike that landed directly on Karon-san's stomach.
Ah, so that's what they mean when they say he's under her thumb...
"Karon, I told you, didn't I? He saved your life, so I want to say hello properly."
"O-Oh, my bad."
Milfa-san spoke to the groaning Karon-san.
Since she's a knight like Leona-san and Karon-san, she must be incredibly skilled too.
That palm strike earlier was truly impressive.
"They're the same as always..."
"So it's nothing unusual, huh?"
"Yeah"
I call out to Leona-san, who is sighing in exasperation at the exchange between the two.
She nodded with a wry smile.
"I suppose this is what it means to be close, even with moments like this."
"Haha..."
"But seeing it up close all the time does get on my nerves, I must say."
"..."
I felt like I caught a glimpse of Leona-san's true feelings, almost as if she hadn't meant to reveal them.
I'd better let that pass...
Then, as if she had finished talking, Milfa-san turned towards me and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for your help when Karon lost his mind. Thanks to you, my husband is still alive and here..."
"No, not at all..."
To my astonishment, Milfa-san continued speaking.
"I was surprised that he was more ordinary than I’d imagined. Honestly, Karon and Leona always exaggerate so much..."
"I-I get that a lot... By the way, what did Leona-san say?"
"Usato?!"
I noticed Leona-san's shoulders flinch and asked her.
"She said she can’t take her eyes off you because you always do something unexpected."
"Leona-san, I’m kinda sorry..."
"N-No, that's not what I meant! Hey, Milfa!"
"Fufufu, sorry about that."
She was just worried about me, normally...
Appearances always deceive, and lately it's gotten completely out of hand, like a monster, a beast, an ogre, or even a devil or devil-slayer.
Since we were heading to the same place, I decided to head to the dock with Karon and the others.
"Things are going to get tough from here on out, Usato."
"...You know about it?"
"Yeah, from Falga-sama. Being dispatched to the Demon King’s territory must be quite a challenge."
"You're being sent to a pretty crazy place..."
As Karon-san and Milfa-san said, it's certainly a difficult place.
I will be sent to a location that was enemy territory just half a year ago.
I'm sure there will be many problems to overcome.
"Personally, I'm a bit worried they might be scared of me."
"I know your character well. You'll handle it just fine."
"Thank you"
I see, so Karon-san doesn't know.
Well, yeah... If he doesn't know, that's fine. It's not like it's worth going out of my way to tell him.
"Ah..."
"...Leona? What's wrong? You look like you've figured something out."
"N-No, it's nothing."
It seems Leona-san has figured out why people might be afraid of me.
Half of it is the Demon King's fault, and the other half is my own doing, but the demons recognise me as a devil and fear me.
The Demon King finds it amusing, but for me, I just want to clear up this misunderstanding as soon as possible.
"Well, I'm also the vice-commander of the Ringle Kingdom's Rescue Squad. Wherever I'm sent, I intend to carry out my duties as a member of the Rescue Squad."
"Hahaha, that's the spirit."
Karon-san gave my back a light pat and smiled brightly at me.
Finally, we arrive at the boat we will board to return.
In front of the ship, I saw Ferum and... senpai, who for some reason, has Nea in owl form on her head.
"Usato, you've finally arrived."
"Ah, oi~! Usato-ku~n!"
Waving back at senpai, who waved at me, I arrived at the spot just as Nea, who had been perched on senpai's head, jumped onto my shoulder.
"You're late."
"Sorry, sorry. I got caught up in a long conversation."
As I apologized to Nea, Ferum spoke up next.
"Did Amako depart safely?"
"Yeah, Nagi-san is there too, so I don't think there's anything to worry about."
"Your luggage is already loaded."
"Eh, really? Thank you, Ferum."
"...Watching this exchange, you can tell he's not your average kid, in a good way. Chatting so comfortably with a little owl and a demon child..."
"Right?"
"Why are you so proud of that...?"
While answering Ferum, I introduced Karon-san and his wife, Milfa-san, to senpai and others.
Senpai seemed surprised that Milfa-san was Karon-san's wife.
"Well, it's about time we depart."
After letting Senpai and the others board the ship first, I was saying my goodbyes to Karon-san and Milfa-san.
Karon-san placed a hand on my shoulder, wearing a kind smile.
"Be careful."
"Next time, when things have calmed down, come visit Mialak."
"Yes"
I nodded to Karon-san and Milfa-san.
Seeing me nod, Karon-san spoke to Leona-san, who was standing next to me.
"Alright, Leona, I'm counting on you for the rest, okay."
"I don't need to be told. You, on the other hand, better make sure no one finds out you're sneaking off with your subordinates to drink behind Milfa's back."
"If you hadn't blurted it out right in front of her, I could've kept it a secret!"
"Karon?"
"Whoa, are you mad?!"
The sight of the imposing Karon-san cowering before Milfa-san made me smile wryly.
Next time, I want to come to Mialak without any mission or purpose.
Thinking this from the bottom of my heart, I bid farewell to Karon-san and Milfa-san once more, then boarded the ship alongside Leona-san.
"This meeting was tough."
"Yes, it really was. I never thought I'd end up being called a devil slayer."
"...I don't think the word “slayer” suits you, though..."
"Eh?"
With the cityscape of Mialak receding into the distance, she smiles gently.
"You are a person who can save others. Some may mock you as someone who lacks resolve and can't even kill their enemies... but that's not true. Having seen you so far, I am convinced that this is exactly where your strength lies."
"...Thank you, Leona-san."
I engraved Leona-san's words deep within my heart and gazed out at the lake's surface from the ship.
My strength, huh.
I hadn't been particularly aware of it, but strangely enough, I found myself convinced.
"Even in the Demon King's territory, I'll have to do my best..."
I don't know what the future holds.
Perhaps, like when I faced the Demon King, I might be forced to make a choice.
But even so, I thought to myself that I hope I can continue moving forward without compromising myself.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Author's Notes:
Kannagi still holds a grudge over being sealed away by surprise, and if she were to ever meet Hisago again, she would beat him to a pulp.
This concludes Arc 13.
After updating a few side stories, we will move on to Arc 14 [Demon King's Territory Arc].
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