Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu
TL Notes:
My family is facing an unexpected financial challenge. If you are in generous mood. Please support us.
We would be forever grateful for any contribution, big or small, to help us overcome this difficult time. Thank you
Chapter 322
After breakfast, we decided to head to the residential district where Gref-san was staying after a short wait.
Only Hannah-san, who serves as my assistant, would accompany me. Nea would remain at the lodgings with Ururu-san.
She seemed quite concerned about the matter of System Degradation and intended to investigate it.
"Haa, what are you planning to do by coming to the demon residential area?"
"I'm going to meet an acquaintance from the demon race. Gref-san, the guardian of Keira, we met yesterday."
She must have told him about me, but first, I need to apologize for hiding my true identity.
More than that, I think it's a bit much to talk as if I'm planning to cause trouble.
"That's the place."
Looking in the direction Hannah-san pointed, I could see a row of buildings.
As I walked down the street, drawing the attention of the surrounding demons, I spotted two familiar children playing at the edge of the road.
"Roze, Ram?"
Perhaps noticing my voice, the demon boy and girl, Roze and Ram, looked my way.
For a moment, they tilted their heads, but then their expressions brightened instantly, and they ran toward me.
"Usato-nii-chan!"
"You recognized me?"
"Mm! Big sis told us!"
"Your appearance hasn't changed much, so I recognized you right away!"
They're smiling more than before.
Feeling happy about that fact, I crouch down to meet their gaze.
"Are Gref-san and Keira here?"
"Mm! They're at home!"
"They were super restless!"
At home, huh?
Just as I was about to ask them to show me where it was, Roze and Ram's gazes suddenly shifted to Hannah-san beside me.
"Who?"
“Who~?”
The two of them quickly hid behind me from the unfamiliar woman.
As I found their actions rather endearing, I noticed Hannah-san beside me, still smiling but with a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"...No, why am I the one being wary while you're completely relaxed around Usato-kun? It's incredibly infuriating."
"Now, now, I've met them before."
"Hey, this guy is super scary, you know."
"Oi"
She's giving a pretty bad impression of me?!
Hannah-san's cheerful words made Roze and Ram tilt their heads.
"He's not scary."
"He helped Uncle Gref, didn't he?"
"...Usato-kun, did you brainwash them with healing magic or something?"
......
"Roze, Ram. This person has a pretty nasty personality, so be careful, okay?"
"Ah!? I'm sorry!? I'll apologize!? Being disliked by a little kid is just too much of a shock for me!"
What do you mean, brainwashing with healing magic?
That's more like your specialty, since you possess illusion magic.
"Well then, could you show us the way to your house right away?"
"Sure! Let's go, Ram!"
"Mm!"
I followed the two of them as they ran off energetically.
It didn't seem to be that far away, and soon I was led to the front of a brand-new house made of black brick.
Looking closer, I could clearly see it was built using materials from the Demon King's castle. Just then, I noticed a demon girl named Keira standing in front of the house.
"Ah, Usato-san! Roze, Ram, did you bring them here?"
"Mm!"
"He came to see Uncle Gref."
Keira stroked their heads and then turned her gaze to me and Hannah-san.
"Well, we've been waiting. Gref is inside, so please come in."
"Mm, sorry to intrude."
"I know it's kind of late to say this, but am I way out of place here?"
You're the one who followed me here...
Smiling wryly at Hannah-san, who looked slightly uncomfortable, I stepped inside the house at Keira and the others' urging.
"Uncle Gref! Usato-nii-chan's here!"
"He's here!"
"Oh, he really came."
From the back of the house, a middle-aged demon man, Gref-san, came out.
Seeing me without my demon disguise, he looked slightly surprised before smiling awkwardly.
"I'd heard about it, but I never imagined you'd actually be human. Seeing you in person is nothing short of surprising."
"I'm sorry for deceiving you..."
"No, I'm not blaming you. Come on in."
I was invited into the living room.
Then Ram and Roze, who had accompanied me, started tugging at the hem of my uniform.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Hey, let's play?"
"Let's play!"
"Hey, Usato-san is about to talk with Gref now."
Before I could say I'd play with them after the talk, Hannah-san stepped forward with a sigh.
"I'll look after them for you. Please go ahead and talk, Usato-kun."
"Hannah-san?"
"I don't know the details of your situation, so I can't really join in anyway."
...Maybe she's surprisingly fond of children?
No, calling it surprising is probably rude.
I let Hannah-san handle Ram and Roze while I sat facing Gref-san, with Keira beside me.
"How's your leg?"
"Perfectly fine. Actually, I was surprised when I took off the bandage afterward and found not a single scratch. Then I heard a healing mage appeared in this city, so I wondered if maybe..."
It was a pretty serious injury, so I'm glad it has healed completely.
"Like I said before, I'm not blaming you at all. If anything, I'm grateful."
"No, that's..."
"Not just for healing my injury, but for saving Keira. Since then, her dark magic hasn't gone out of control again."
His straightforward words of thanks made me feel a little awkward.
"But how did you disguise yourself as a demon? I had no clue."
"Ah, that involves another dark mage who isn't here."
I briefly explain about Ferum.
Though he looked utterly baffled by the assimilation part, he nodded with interest once he understood I’d merely taken on a demon’s appearance.
"My true magic is healing magic, while dark magic feels more like that kid's magic."
"...I never imagined the healing mage of Lingle Kingdom would be you. You're quite famous here, after all."
"I-Is that in a bad way...?"
"No, I can't say that for sure."
Well, I was always targeted, even being called a devil and targeted on the battlefield.
"I often hear soldiers talk about the terrible things you've done to them, but not a single one mentions you killing their comrades."
"Well, I usually just knocked them out with my fists."
I was prepared to do it, but I never actually went through with it.
Or rather, since saving lives is my priority, it was more efficient to just knock out any obstacles in front of me quickly.
"So, the fear isn't about life-threatening danger... Ah, just think of it like encountering ghosts or devils."
"Well, that's complicated in its own way... Ahaha."
I smile wryly at Gref-san's words.
I really need to do something about this whole devil situation.
I was scared of being quietly worshipped in the morning.
"Come to think of it, how long have you been here, Gref-san?"
"About a month now. I was thinking about Ram and Roze, figuring it was about time to settle down somewhere proper. Right then, the residential area opened up, so we moved in."
So it was pretty recent, huh?
"I'm glad I was able to find a job so quickly. Well, there's always a labor shortage around here."
"What do you do, Gref-san?"
"Office work that uses my experience traveling the Demon King’s territory. Figuring out where to supply goods, how many people it’ll take, and how long it’ll take. Surprisingly few people know the geography of the Demon King’s territory well, so I’m pretty useful."
"I see..."
You've been entrusted with an important job.
Distributing supplies like food sent from other countries, including the Kingdom of Lingle, must be quite a task.
"How long will you be here?"
"About two months. During that time, I'll be following the Demon King's orders and training the expedition team that will be sent into the monster's realm."
"Hmm? I thought the expedition teams were under Koga-sama's direct command. Is that not the case?"
"He asked me to take charge of their training."
Recruitment will begin soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of people turn up.
"Eh, Keira. Is it true that he is acquainted with Koga-sama?"
"Mm. They seemed like they'd get along just fine."
"So that was also true..."
I've been surprising people left and right lately.
I'd better get used to shocking people while I still can.
"I see. So it's a long-term stay."
"That's the plan."
It might seem long, but considering what I have to do, it might still be short.
Well, since this is my first assignment, I might end up back in the Demon King's territory soon enough.
"U-Uhm."
"What's wrong, Keira?"
"Can I ... have you take a look at my magic again?"
Keira spoke hesitantly.
Take a look at her magic?
Ferum isn't here now, but maybe I can teach her something, too.
"Yeah, I don't mind. Although I might have to prioritize the training of the expedition team members..."
"I'll go there too when that happens."
"You seem very motivated..."
Could this girl have what it takes to be a Rescue Squad member?
The motivated look in Keira's eyes gives me the same feeling I had with Nack.
"A-And! My dark magic has changed a bit since last time."
"Changed?"
"It's a little different from Ferum-san's, but I can do similar things now!"
Different but similar?
Is it a variation of dark magic? Since dark magic itself is such a mysterious type of magic, I should check on this later.
●
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
My conversation with Gref-san lasted about an hour.
We just talked about each other's current situations and positions, but I think it was a fun time for me too.
After that, I went to call Hannah-san, who was looking after Ram and Roze, but——
"And so it was that the tale of the terrifying, terrifying healing wizard..."
"Amazing!"
"Usato-nii-chan is so strong!"
"Ugh, they've been brainwashed that much...!"
For now, I punished Hannah-san, who'd been telling my devilish stories in a fairy-tale style, with a Healing Flick on the forehead.
For some reason, Ram and Roze started looking at me with envy.
"I can't accept it."
"What exactly?"
"The fact that someone like you is popular with children."
Still saying it?
After leaving Gref-san's house, Hannah-san and I headed back the way we came to return to our lodgings.
I gave her a sidelong glance as she sulked, cheeks puffed out.
"What do you think I am..."
"A devilish...monster?"
"You won’t even call me human...?"
That's a pretty harsh review.
I couldn't help but slump my shoulders when suddenly I noticed a commotion up ahead on the street.
Someone's running this way at full speed?
"Uooooooh!!"
"Koga...?"
Koga, looking incredibly flustered, came running toward me as if fleeing from something.
The moment he spotted me, he stopped right in front of me as if seizing his chance.
"U-Usato! Perfect timing!!"
"What's wrong Koga?"
"Actually——"
"You were being chased by Senri-sama, running for your life, yet you look like you're being cornered by some mysterious tracking ability!!"
"And you're smiling more refreshingly than ever...! Ah, that's exactly right...!"
What other reason could there possibly be?
Then, as if arriving late, the Second Princess of Nirvarna Kingdom, Senri-sama, appears.
She too, stops right in front of me, having sprinted at full speed in a manner unbecoming of a princess.
"Fu, ufufufu... I caught up to you! Koga-san!!"
"I-I beat you!! So give up, okay?"
"? Why would I have to give up just because I lost to you? I don't understand?"
Wow, never would've guessed that line came from someone who'd taken down every single suitor in an engagement duel.
Cornered, Koga suddenly slipped behind me and thrust me forward before Senri-sama.
"Hey, look, there's Usato! Is this one acceptable?"
"I am not the sort of woman to cast aside the gentleman of my affections for another."
"That's completely different from what you did yesterday!!"
Seems she's completely locked onto Koga now.
By the way, didn't he just try to use me as a scapegoat?
Ignoring my confusion, Koga pointed a finger at Senri-sama.
"I-I don't like you!!"
"Then I just need to make you like me, right?"
"No good, she's too strong!?"
... Aren't they a surprisingly good match?
Senri-sama's forcefulness has something in common with Koga's.
"Leave this to me, Koga."
"U-Usato..."
"I'll put an end to this mess."
Giving Koga a thumbs-up over my shoulder, I turn back to face forward.
......
I'll pretend to support Koga while actually assisting Senri-sama!!
"Honestly, you two. Stop having your silly lovers' quarrel right in front of me."
Senri-sama, who had been standing before me, placed a hand on her cheek as if embarrassed when I said that with a troubled look.
"Eh? Saying something like that, like we're having a lovers' quarrel... It's too soon for that!"
"O-Oi, this... Is this okay? I can trust you, right? Oi!?"
Ignoring Koga, who grabbed my shoulder, I continued.
"They say ‘hate is just another form of love,’ and Koga's just not being honest with himself."
"So that ‘I don't like you’ earlier meant that...?!"
"You bast*rd, that's what it meant!? D*mmit, if this is how it is——"
"Hannah-san!!"
Hannah-san, who instantly read my intentions, slammed an illusion spell into Koga's head with such speed that it seemed she had already prepared it beforehand.
Koga, who had tried to flee, went limp with his eyes rolled back.
"The effect is weak, but I showed him an illusion of escaping this place."
"Nice...!"
"I don't dislike that side of you. In fact, I rather like it."
Feeling like I'd connected with Hannah-san for just this one moment, I turned back to Senri-sama.
"Senri-sama, they say the more you fight, the closer you are, but you need to choose the time and place carefully."
"The more you fight, the closer you are...?"
That's a pretty ridiculous otherworldly proverb.
I couldn't let that mistake stand, so I corrected it and made sure not to cause a scene.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Author's Notes:
Usato and Hannah were strangely in sync in the oddest ways.
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