Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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TL Notes:
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Chapter 345


　After finishing my report to the Demon King, I decided to send the message to Hayate-san and Nagi-san of Hinomoto, whom I had talked with the Demon King about the day before, using the Foobird I had called over in advance.
　Rather than going to the lodging at the training grounds, I first headed to the lodging where Ururu-san, Ark-san, and the others were staying.

"Thanks for coming all the way here."
"Kuo"

　I gently stroked the neck of the blue bird resembling a pigeon, Foobird, which had come all the way here to me through our familiar contract, while letting it perch on my arm.

"Grrrrr...!!"
"What are you growling about? Nea?"

　I smiled wryly at Nea, who, in the form of an owl on my shoulder, was threatening Foobird.
　You’re still getting worked up over some strange sense of rivalry.

"That guy is gunning for my spot. Even now, his eyes are gleaming with the desire to take my place...! As a fellow bird, there is no way I’m going to lose!"
"You’re a vampire, right?"
"I’m an owl right now! Hoo hoo-hoo!!"

　Owls are birds of prey, though.
　Foobird also tilts its head in confusion, so I guess this is just Nea’s own assumption.

"I’m telling you, I don’t plan on getting any more familiars, okay."
"Eh, really?"
"It’s already hard enough with just you... Haaah."
"Are you forgetting that I’m the one who’s had it hard...?!! Look back at the past!! I’m the one who’s constantly been put through all sorts of trouble!!"

　When she puts it that way, I feel like that might be true.
　Ever since Nea became my familiar, she hasn’t really caused any problems, one way or another.
　If anything, I’ve been the one putting her through all sorts of trouble until now.
　...

"Then, let’s get along from now on, too!"
"Then, why don’t you make Vina your familiar to reduce my burden!?"
"Gladly!!"

　Vina-san, who had been standing silently nearby, immediately jumped at Nea’s sudden change of heart.
　Her actions were somewhat restricted by the Demon King’s magic, but unlike earlier, she now had a bright expression on her face.

"Ah, eh~to, Vina-san. That was just Nea joking, so... please, don’t take it seriously, okay?"
"Ah, yes... A-Areh? Is half-hearted kindness the most painful of all?"

　... So I guess that kind of response works, too.
　Having learned one way to deal with Vina-san, I took out the message from inside my clothes and placed it in the bag attached to the belt wrapped around Foobird’s body.

"That’s the letter to Hinomoto, right?"
"Yeah. We need Nagi-san’s help. If she’s here, she should be able to help us in terms of fighting strength, and for Shia’s sake, too."

　Hisago-san... We need Nagi-san’s help to do something about Shia.
　Perhaps, as the person closest to Hisago-san, she might be able to stabilize Shia’s mental state.

"Well then, I’m counting on you."
"Kwa!"

　The energetic Foobird flew from my arm to my shoulder, brushed my cheek with its blue wings, and then immediately took off into the sky with great force.

"You really were aiming for my spot all along, weren’t youuu!? You blue bird!!"
"Kwaaa!"

　Listening to Nea’s voice, I watched as Foobird rose high into the sky.
　The blue shadow that had flown up to a certain height suddenly accelerated at tremendous speed and disappeared into the distance.

"...Kannagi, huh? I don’t want to meet her."

　Vina-san, who had watched Foobird leave, suddenly muttered those words.

"...You know Nagi-san from back then?"
"Even among Devils, the Hero was a famous figure. We also recognized his attendant as a dangerous person."

　Well, that makes sense, considering she’s a Devil who was active during the time Hisago-san was still alive.

"Speaking of Kannagi, she’s a monster who can single-handedly mow down any army with her Foresight Magic and extraordinary physical abilities."
"Just like Usato."
"Who are you calling a monster? Who?"

　You definitely just lumped me together with her because we’re both monsters.
　I already knew from Nagi-san herself that she possessed exceptional physical abilities even among the beastmen, so it wasn’t anything to be surprised about.
　... Besides, I don’t consider myself so heartless that I would change my attitude toward her just because I learned what kind of battles she fought in the past.

"Oya, Usato-dono."
"Ah, Ark-san. And Kurumia-san, too."

　Oh, it seems Ark-san and Kurumia-san have returned.
　The two of them came over carrying baskets filled with ingredients, so I guess they went shopping.

"I’ve mostly been staying at the lodging lately, so I stopped by here to give you an update on how things have been."
"I see, so that’s what this was about."
"I’ve heard about Usato-dono’s achievements? too."


　As people who had been dispatched here, Ark-san and the others’ main duties were to guard Ururu-san and me, as well as report to the Kingdom on the current lives of the demons.
　For that purpose, they had spent the past month helping with work in the city and interacting with the demons.

"That person over there... If I remember correctly, she’s a member of Usato-dono’s squad, right?"
"Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Vina, Usato-san’s servant."

　I deeply regretted not sending the hopeless masochist of a Devil beside me back to the lodging before coming here.
　Who’s the servant here, huh? I never agreed to that. And why are you wearing such a satisfied smile?

"Vina-san"
"Yes!"
"Guh, ugh...!!"

　I can only see a future where scolding her will just make her happy.
　I can predict it even without Foresight Magic...!!
　And she even knows exactly what she’s saying!

"...Ah, I see. So it’s like that again, Usato-dono."
"Yes..."
"You really understand Usato well. You wouldn’t have travelled together all this time for nothing."

　Nea was impressed by Ark-san’s amazing ability to read the situation and understand what was going on.
　For me, just having someone understand was a huge relief.

"Is it the same situation as with Nea?"
"I can’t say. ...Please figure it out yourself."
"...I wish you the best"
"Thank you...!!"

　Ark-san really is too reliable...!
　I couldn’t help but be moved by Ark-san, the master of consideration, who had immediately figured out the relationship between Vina and me.

"Ark-kun!? Don’t just come to your own conclusion!"
"Kurumia...!! This is classified information...!! It’s something we can’t carelessly talk about...!!"
"Isn’t it strange for you to say that when you’re the one who figured it out!? From an outsider’s perspective, it just looks like Usato-dono has created a demon who calls herself his servant!?"
"Things are more complicated than that...!!"
"I-I don’t get it!"

　However, it seemed that I had only confused Kurumia-san, who knew nothing about the situation.
　It couldn’t be helped, but Vina-san was technically classified information, so I couldn’t just talk about her carelessly.
　After all, she was a Devil from a hostile faction we were currently fighting...!

"Kurumia-san. Vina-san is a dangerous person in many ways, so you shouldn’t take what she says or does too seriously."
"Eh, is she like Suzune-sama?"
"Senpai is cuter."
"..."

　Kurumia-san looked at Vina-san as if she were looking at an extremely dangerous person.
　Seeing Vina-san blush under that gaze, Kurumia-san seemed to realize something as well.

"Well, um... good luck."
"Thank you...!!"

　Once again, I find myself being cheered on.
　Having traveled with Senpai as her attendant to deliver the letter, Kurumia-san understood just how wild she could be.

"Please do your best, Goshujin-sama."
"Nea. I’m going back to the Demon King."
"Hmm? Did you forget something?"

　No, I just made a decision.

"I’m going to ask if it’s possible to make a scroll that can bring Vina-san out and put her away whenever I want."
"I’m sorry! I got carried away! I-I don’t want to be sealed away either!!"

　Seeing my smiling face, which only looked like a smile on the surface, Vina-san desperately tried to stop me as her face turned pale.
　It was a joke... Well, it was a joke, but I wanted her to understand that this was an option I could resort to if things got really bad.

●
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

　Since today was technically a day off, I had Vina-san return to the lodging after we finished our business.
　Still, I couldn’t help but feel that things had changed a lot since just yesterday.
　The Demon King’s power, Shia, and Vina-san, who had turned out to be a Devil.
　Rather than having fewer things to do from here on, they had piled up into a mountain, and it was enough to make me feel discouraged. But I had decided to handle all of it myself, including everything that came with it.

"Nea, you can go back to the lodging too."
"Since I have a valuable book I got here, I think I’ll spend today engrossed in reading it."
"Is it something I can read too?"
"I’ll lend it to you later. You should stop pushing yourself so hard all the time and take a break once in a while, too."

　After seeing Nea, still in her owl form, fly into an open window on the second floor of the lodging, I stretched where I stood and took a light, deep breath.

"... Maybe I’ll walk around the city for a bit"

　I usually run everywhere, so I figured it might be nice to walk for once and take in the city streets.
　I went back to my room for a moment and hung the Healing Squad uniform I had been wearing when I went to see the Demon King on the wall, then headed straight out into the city.

"Whoa!"
"He’s walking?!"
"First time I've ever seen him walk..."

　So, as you can imagine, the demons I pass by are extremely surprised to see me, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem like they have any hostility toward me.
　... The buildings and the lively atmosphere of the city have visibly grown more prosperous over the past month.
　When I think that this scenery might not have existed if the final battle with the Demon King had ended differently, it gives me an unsettling chill.

"Someone! Could you give me a hand for a moment?!"
"Hn?"

　As I walked through the city, feeling deeply moved, I heard someone calling out.
　Looking over, I saw that a cart loaded with what looked like supplies had gotten stuck in a groove in the ground and could no longer move.
　Near the cart, I spotted a demon man holding the reins of a horse, along with Gref-san, who was holding some documents in his hand.

"Gref-san!"
"Hn? Oh, Usato."
"Did the wheel get stuck in the groove?"
"Yeah... It’s loaded with supplies, including food and other things. I want to get it delivered as soon as possible, but it’s gotten itself well and truly stuck."

　Judging from the size of the cart and the supplies it was carrying, it was probably meant to be delivered to a fairly large area.
　... Alright.
　For now, I grabbed the edge of the cart on the side where the wheel was stuck with both hands.

"I’ll lift it, so get the horse moving."
"Eh!? C-can you do that!? I think it’s pretty heavy!"
"Ready, set, go!!"

　I put strength into both arms and lifted the rear wheel in one go.
　Careful not to let the swaying cargo fall to the ground, I looked toward the person holding the reins. They stared at me with their mouth hanging open, then came to their senses and moved the horse forward.

"I've called someone over—wait, areh...?"
"No way, he’s lifting it all by himself?"
"Are humans really that strong...? I had no idea."

　I have to do my best for the people waiting for these supplies...!
　After moving the wheel over the groove and lowering it onto the flat road, I made sure once again that none of the cargo had fallen over before turning back to Gref-san.

"It should be able to be delivered now."
"...How should I put this...? No matter how many times I tell myself not to be surprised by you, you always easily exceed my expectations."
"I may not look like it, but I've been working out."

　I'm not the kind of person who would struggle with something as light as a cart at this point in my life.
　It’s not like I run around with Blurin on my back for nothing, after all.

"Ha-haha, thanks. You really helped me out."

　Gref-san took another look at the cargo, watched the cart leave, and then looked back at me.

"What brings you out today? It’s unusual to see you walking."
"Training is off today, so I thought I’d take a walk around the city too."
"Come to think of it, Keira had the day off too. She was playing around with her magic power at home, looking bored."

　I wonder if she was practicing Magic Power Circulation?
　As I walked alongside Gref-san, who would naturally be heading back to work, we talked about how things had been going for each of us.

"How is life here?"
"I think it’s a good place, just like the cities I’ve seen before, full of people."
"Haha, if that’s what you say, then I suppose it must be true."

　Even if the place and the races are different, I think a city takes the same shape when people gather together.
　This is definitely a city where people just like ordinary humans live.

"I was worried about what would happen after the Demon King’s army lost, but... I’m glad things seem to be heading in a good direction."
"To be honest, I'm relieved too."

　To be honest, I never imagined that this much aid would be provided at this point.
　It could be said that this was possible because we gained a certain degree of understanding from other countries during the meeting the other day, but another reason may be that the Devils who barged into the meeting were recognized by people from other countries as a clear threat greater than the demons.
　I can’t forgive those Devils who play with the corpses of the dead, but when it comes to that, I can’t help but have mixed feelings that I’m glad they barged in...

"I was thinking about settling down somewhere soon anyway."
"For Keira and the others?"
"That’s right. ...No, Keira seems like she’ll become independent soon, so I mean Rose and Ram. They’re still young."
"Isn’t it still a little early for her to become independent?"

　Keira should be around the same age as Nack, though.

"I’m only acting as her father, after all. Once she finds something she wants to do, all I can do is support her."
"Something she wants to do...?"
"Yeah, so..."
"Gref!"

　Just then, I heard a voice calling out to Gref-san from above.
　When I looked toward the voice, I saw Keira flying toward us through the sky, wearing a black cloak.
　When she noticed me standing beside Gref-san, she smiled and waved at me.

"Ah, Usato-san!"
"It's been a day, hasn't it."

　I raised my hand slightly in greeting as well, and after landing on the ground, Keira took something resembling a square box out of her dark magic cloak.

"Gref, you forgot your lunch."
"Oh, sorry about that."

　It seemed she had come to deliver Gref-san’s lunch.

"...I should probably get back to work soon. Usato, thanks for your help earlier."
"No problem. If you ever need help with heavy lifting, just ask me anytime. I’ll do whatever I can."
"With that kind of strength, you could probably handle anything. Haha."

　After joking like that, he left me and Keira and entered a nearby building, presumably his workplace.

"Well then, shall we go?"
"Hn? Aren’t you going back?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"

　I wondered why she tilted her head like that.
　Well, I didn’t mind strolling around the city like this anyway.

"Ah, speaking of which..."
"Hn?"
"I saw Koga-san and Senri-sama on my way here."

　Koga and Senri-sama?
　It wasn’t such a surprising combination anymore, but I wondered if they were playing tag again?

"It looked like they were having some kind of mock battle using magic."
"He~e, the two of them"
"It looked dangerous to get close, so I watched them from a distance."
"It looked dangerous to get close...?"

　Wait, are the people around them okay?
　Both of them tend to lose sight of their surroundings when they get focused on fighting, so shouldn’t I go check on them just in case?

"Keira, could you show me the way?"
"Yes!"

　A little surprised by Keira’s incredibly cheerful reply, I walked toward the place where Koga and Senri-sama were apparently engaged in a fierce battle.
　... Putting that aside, I wonder if Helena-san, Senri-sama’s attendant, is doing okay?
　I hope she hasn’t collapsed from stomach pain.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
A slice-of-life chapter in the Demon King’s city (or something like that).
Ark-san is already used to Usato, so he quickly figured out what was going on.