Volume 6 Chapter 83 Reunion
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Why is Ms. Nina here? Is there a dwarf teleportation gate nearby? I wonder aloud, my heart racing.
The fact that Advanced Spirit Exceneca is with her means my whereabouts were completely exposed, right? I think nervously.
It’s not like I’ve been cheating, so there’s no need to be nervous, but my heart won’t stop pounding, I admit to myself.
I hope they aren’t gossiping about things that aren’t true, I worry.
No, that’s not what matters right now. Ms. Nina and the others are caught up in a battle. I need to help first! I push the boat to full speed.
Ms. Shirakaba is a paladin with cheat-level defense, I note. Combined with Tizzy’s healing magic, it’s like having an impenetrable fortress. The firepower of the Advanced Spirit is worth hundreds of magicians; it’s a dream collaboration.
”Huh? Is Ms. Claire also here?” I ask myself. “Ms. Ant is here too.” Looking just at combat strength, Ms. Nina’s safety seems assured, I think.
Still, numbers matter in a fight. The wild Antfolk and the mercenaries are in a tense standoff. Which side is everyone on? I wonder.
I’ll reach them in a few minutes. But every second feels painfully slow. My heart is pounding. Is it the excitement before battle, or guilt from the perceived cheating? No, it wasn’t cheating. What kind of person doesn’t trust themselves? I tell myself firmly. There’s not a cloud in my heart; I’ll act with confidence. Seriously, I’m so nervous, I confess.
I take a deep breath to calm down. I’ll make a cool entrance with fully armored El by my side, I decide.
”Oh, and El is my wife too,” I add silently. “Wow, from Ms. Nina’s perspective, I must look like an outrageous womanizer, right? How did it end up like this? Maybe it’s the result of my daily actions piling up…”
”Oh, at this speed, I might not be able to stop,” I realize suddenly.
I hurriedly ease off the accelerator. No, it’s no good! I won’t make it in time! The boat can’t stop suddenly! We’re going to crash into the dock! I panic.
I steer away from the shore. As I make a wide turn to slow down, everyone is staring, wondering what’s going on; it’s pretty embarrassing, I admit.
If I get hit by arrows, I’d be taken out easily. In this situation, where it’s unclear who the enemy is, it was lucky no one has attacked me, I think with relief.
Ms. Nina in armor on Ms. Claire looks dignified! She’s stepping in between the Antfolk army and the mercenary unit… is she trying to mediate? It seems like the situation is on the brink of a clash, I observe.
If both sides’ strength is nearly equal, the mercenaries won’t want to fight. Their bodies, weapons, and armor are their capital. Sponsors are typically stingy, so if a sword is damaged, they end up operating at a loss due to repair costs, I reason.
The issue lies with the Antfolk’s situation. Did they come to rescue their friends who were kidnapped for slave hunting, or are they angry about their territory being invaded? There must be some reason for them to attack a human town or street. If mishandled, they might fight until wiped out.
This river serves as the boundary between the human world and the land beyond, so such troubles may not be uncommon, I reflect.
Now, the rubber boat has finally settled down. Let’s approach the shore slowly and normally. Come to think of it, aside from Ms. Shirakaba, I don’t know anyone who uses a motorboat. If I act confidently, they probably won’t think I’ve made a mistake, I conclude.
Landing gracefully with El, I quickly tie the mooring line to a stake.
Everyone around is focused on us. The impact of the giant is indeed impressive. With the magnificent horns on the helmet, I stand out even more. I must admit, it’s a design I admire, I confess.
Alright, for now, the first stage is a success, I think.
”Sir Hero?” Ms. Nina is the first to speak to me. I’m happy.
Upon hearing “Hero,” the mercenaries exchanged glances, and the Antfolk showed visible wariness. “Well, that makes sense,” I think. The summoned Hero is typically seen as an ally of humans.
It’s annoying, especially in an emergency. They don’t know a meteor is about to fall, so I can’t blame them.
”Both sides, sheathe your swords! This is not the time for fighting!” I shout as authoritatively as possible. Did it work? I wonder.
”If it’s Sir Hero, then you’re on our side. The Anti-Demon Alliance is moving! Let’s exterminate the ants!” one mercenary calls out fiercely.
”We came to take back our captured comrades,” replies a leader on the Antfolk side.
The one who seems to be the highest-ranking on both sides explains succinctly. I see. This was within the realm of expectations.
Those foolish slave traders hired mercenaries and stepped into Antfolk territory. It’s troublesome that they committed a taboo, thinking they could push the cleanup onto the Anti-Demon Alliance.
”Don’t get it twisted! Antfolk are not monsters. Therefore, the Anti-Demon Alliance will not act,” I scold them in a tone reminiscent of a high-ranking official, shouting with authority. They will definitely misunderstand. But I’m just stating a general principle. It’s their fault for misunderstanding.
Now the Antfolk surged forward, and the mercenaries turned pale.
”That’s outrageous! If the main force of the Antfolk crosses the river, this town will be ravaged! Help us!” a mercenary pleads.
”Of course, we won’t let that happen!!” I shout firmly.
”Return the captured Antfolk before any damage occurs. And capture the slave traders who incited you. They are spies from Totoana,” I impulsively declare. I have no proof, but it’s not a lie. Well, Larse’s side is probably pulling similar tricks too.
Some of the mercenaries tried to escape, but they were quickly captured by the surrounding mercenaries. Most of the mercenaries are locals. They have some sense of patriotism.
”Don’t let the slave traders escape. If we don’t return the Antfolk to their group, it will become a serious matter,” I keep provoking them with my deception skills.
The tide has turned. Hunting spies is quite rewarding. If the spies are wealthy, there’s plenty to plunder, and on top of that, you get praised by the country.
The slave merchant will probably face worse than death, but as a sacrifice to calm the Antfolk’s anger, he’s just right.
* * *
”What a brilliant move, so brilliant that I feel like I’ve been outwitted by a fox. Is it true that the slave merchant is a spy?” Ms. Shirakaba asks without even a proper greeting.
”Well, fighting isn’t just about using physical strength,” I reply.
I was surprised myself that my scam skill was this strong.
More importantly, it’s Ms. Nina!
Ms. Nina is wearing mysterious armor she obtained at Puppeteer’s Tower. Her face is hard to see due to the helmet, but she looks extremely dignified and beautiful.
”Sir Hero, this person seems to have an important message,” Ms. Nina says in an extremely polite way.
Oh no! She’s definitely very angry!!
The one who had business with me was Exceneca. Why is she out of Valley of Trials again? I had planned to introduce her to Ms. Nina one by one.
”Lady Uno has been kidnapped,” Exceneca announces.
Huh? That’s definitely a big incident.
But Dragon Uno is one of the strongest beings in this world. If anyone could kidnap her, it would probably be another dragon like Schulz, right? But no, he can’t beat Uno.
Does this mean… a Demon King? I wonder.
”The enemy is just a human. Well, a king of a nation, but ordinarily, a weakling who shouldn’t be worth mentioning…” Exceneca says quietly.
Perhaps because she underestimated them for being a weakling, she fell into the trap.
It seems she was lured out by an adventurer she was close with, and then restrained with an item that sealed the dragon’s strength.
”That’s not like Uno,” I mutter.
”It seems she had an inkling this would happen,” Exceneca adds.
A human would probably avoid danger if they had a premonition. Perhaps it’s the way of dragons to deliberately dive into danger to fulfill their premonitions.
”Premonitions are fickle. My own premonition was a bit off too,” Exceneca admits.
Can Exceneca also foresee the future?
In the future she glimpsed, it seems that Ms. Nina would dramatically rush to my rescue in my moment of crisis.
I sided with the Antfolk, and then was beaten up by the mercenaries. My luck, my life, somehow changed somewhere.
I was half a day late? Well, the result turned out fine, I think.
”So, where is Uno being held?” I ask.
”Ah, I have a fairly detailed map,” Tizzy replies.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tizzy. She’s become incredibly beautiful. She was already pretty before, but now she has this noble charm… Oh no, Ms. Nina is watching.
Well, Tizzy and Princess Auroora are cousins, so if Tizzy is beautiful, that means Ms. Nina is beautiful too… but right now, I need to focus on rescuing Uno, not making excuses.
It’s a pretty detailed map. This is military secret-level stuff in this world. Where did it come from?
”This is it! The king of the Kauidor Kingdom is the main culprit who abducted Lady Uno,” Exceneca announces.
The river at the border serves as a good landmark. Is it landmark-like? When cross-referencing with the Editorskill map…
The territory of the Kauidor Kingdom almost overlaps with the hazard map for meteorite falls. What does this mean? There’s no way this is just a coincidence.
I understand; it’s not coincidence, is it? It seems to be divine punishment for the foolish king who senselessly abducted the dragon.
Wait a minute; the meteorite’s landing site was originally somewhere else. It was in a densely populated area, so due to the Curse of the Sky, it was randomly moved to a remote mountain.
I did it. To save many people, I made the decision to drop a meteorite on a small number of innocent people. No, I didn’t make such a decision; I just ended up moving things around and landed in what seemed to be the best place.
Because of me, innocent people from the Kauidor Kingdom are suffering. Even though I’m hastily heading there, trying to reduce the number of victims… there was sin. The king is to blame, but if we think of it as divine punishment, it’s rather a normal development.
What is divine will?
The consequences of my accidental actions cannot be divine will. No, perhaps I am being manipulated by the hands of the gods.
Whether humans follow or defy divine will, we ultimately reach a future intended by the gods. It’s starting to feel somewhat futile to try.
No, that’s not it. I’ve heard that the gods of this world sometimes fight among themselves.
They wage wars involving humans, much like the Trojan War. Unlike the gods of the Greek Shea myth, the gods here do not die, so only the humans who act as pawns perish.
If the gods can see the future, then why engage in absurd battles? This suggests that even the gods are unsure of the war’s outcome.
As Exceneca said, prophecy isn’t perfect. At least, the gods of this world are not omniscient and omnipotent.
That’s right; it’s a problem because we think of them as gods. If we consider the gods of this world to be an even more advanced existence than Advanced spirits, it makes sense.
Just as Uno and the others were eagerly peeping at my actions, they must be observing the human world for enjoyment.
What do the gods want from me after setting up everything to this extent?
* * *
Imagine a curious child observing ants in a terrarium. They might throw in some sugar and delight in watching the ants carry it back to their nest.
What if the ants show no interest in the sugar? The child might poke the ants with a stick to guide them to the sugar.
But if the ants still don’t behave as expected? The child might throw a tantrum and dispose of the entire terrarium.
In other words, my course of action should be to keep the observer entertained.
Whether it be tragedy or comedy, as long as it’s interesting, it doesn’t matter. I do sense a somewhat sadistic tendency, though.
In that case, just leaving it to the Great Temple might be a bad move. The actions of those involved in religion must be quite monotonous for the gods.
The reason they specifically target me, an otherworlder, is probably because I take unexpected actions, which must be refreshing.
Fortunately, or rather, it’s strange to say, I’ve been watched by spirits, so in a way, I’m used to being observed. The difficulty has only increased a few levels.
Basically, nothing changes. Trying to aim for high ratings suddenly would make it feel like a setup, which would be counterproductive.
Besides, if I get a high score, the hurdles for the future will only get higher. Ideally, it’s best to barely pass with a low score, but unlike Uno and the others, I can’t see the gods’ reactions.
* * *
While I was engaged in an information battle in my mind, the Antfolk and mercenary alliance attacked the slave traders and rescued the captives.
The ringleader of the traders was indeed a spy for Totoana. When confronted by a high-ranking official from the Anti-Magic Alliance, he immediately confessed. I wonder if the “important person” they were referring to is me? I wouldn’t want to be misunderstood.
The captured Antfolk had already been forced to drink the enslavement orb, so I made them skill-sealing rings. Since my skills have improved, the crafting itself takes no more than ten seconds. The cooldown time is also just a few dozen seconds. It’s not like I’m annealing them.
I explained that while the subjugation skill could be nullified, other skills would also become unusable, and they said that was fine.
They said they could defeat humans without using skills. The Antfolk around here are naturally strong, but they seem to be a race with little connection to skills or magic.
They thanked me, so they don’t seem like unreasonable people. There shouldn’t be much damage around here, but I’ll warn them to be cautious about earthquakes.
The tricky part is warning the humans. Since the only building likely to collapse is the church’s tower, I guess I just need to tell them not to get too close on the day.
Even if they ask me why, I won’t answer. I gave a meaningful glance, and the priests of the Cardinal faction seemed to interpret it in their own way.
Well, clearing people out for a few hours isn’t really a big disadvantage for the priests either.
It’s better not to explain everything; they’ll figure it out on their own, and things will go more smoothly. I’ve really grown up.
* * *
I wonder how the gods saw this whole commotion? Maybe a little farce? It probably wasn’t that interesting, but it’s still the opening act.
The climax will be when we head to the Kingdom of Kaidoll or whatever it’s called. The gods probably know that much… or at least, I hope they do.
Let’s head out before the gods get bored.
”It’s quite a different ship~desuwa, isn’t it?” Ms. Nina said, clearly angry. I want to make excuses, but I’ll hold back. The gods are watching.
If they saw a lover’s quarrel, the gods would surely be angry.
”Anyway, everyone get on. We’ll catch up on everything while traveling by ship,” I said.
Even if I just store Ms. Claire in the magic bag, it would free up some space, but I still want to hear her story, so I’ll pack her carefully and have her board the boat.
First, load Ms. Claire and El, the two big ones, onto the boat, then each slip into the available space.
I thought military rubber boats were unnecessarily large, but in the end, they turned out just right. Could it be that even that was divine orchestration? I want to believe that Earth has its own gods.
The others except Ms. Shirakaba were surprised by the engine noise, and they were speechless at the boat’s sudden speed for a while.
Well, you get used to this kind of thing pretty quickly, though.
”I have many questions I want to ask, but first, could you introduce that person?” Ms. Nina asked.
That person? Are you talking about El? Ms. Nina was grinning and angry.
Normally, this is supposed to be a touching reunion scene, right? In a Hollywood movie, it’s the kind of moment where they hug tightly or kiss naturally to confirm their love──that kind of scene.
By the way, even my mother’s reunion was quite cold, not emotional at all. Am I not loved very much after all?
”El is the wife of the third son, a new bride,” El said enthusiastically, realizing they were asking about her.
Uh-oh──suddenly a bombshell! There was no time to prepare a cover story. El’s bad at lying, and it probably would have been obvious right away anyway. So, was being honest the right choice?
El is speaking in Cyclopean, but Ms. Shirakaba, the Summon Hero, can probably understand it. The advanced spirit Exceneca too.
And Ms. Nina is a language enthusiast. Maybe she figured it out just now?
Strange silence. Only the sound of the outboard motor echoes across the river.
Huh? Does Ms. Nina not have any particular reaction?
I’m afraid of being scolded by Ms. Nina, but not getting scolded is even more frightening──it feels like she’s lost her patience with me. The love flags that weren’t built much to begin with have now been shattered completely.
* * *
Having risked my life to return, isn’t it absurd that this was all just my own solo battle?
Somehow, I’ve stopped caring about the gods or the meteors. Let’s quickly finish helping people and get this over with.
Notes:
• Ms. Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Exceneca – Lady Uno’s butler girl
• Shirakaba – A paladin who seems to be a skilled fighter. He’s introduced as someone with a strong defense and healing abilities.
• Tizzy – Claims to be Duke’s daughter, a noble with advanced magic skills. MC and Ms. Shirakaba lover.
• Ms. Claire – 22-year-old centaur attendant to Joa, with a chestnut horse body and wavy hair. Level 18 mounted archer. Recently enslaved, retains her own will. Her bow skills are sealed due to subservience. Bought by the protagonist as a companion, alongside Joa
• Ms. Ant – Level 20 ant soldier, over 2 meters tall in armor. Named by the protagonist due to lack of a previous name. Wields a huge battle axe, large round shield, and throwing axes. Seasoned warrior capable of taking down sub-dragons. Ms. Hóa’s prized secret treasure. Borrowed by the protagonist as a trial during his time in the royal capital
• El – She is a giant woman, appeared as Saburou’s captor, living alone in a large tent, skilled in hunting and cooking, proposes marriage to Saburou.
• Schulz – A male dragon who collects human women and holds the rank of Duke within the Anti-Magic Alliance.
• Kauidor – A kingdom, appeared as the main culprit, a target for rescue. A nation with a dragon-blooded royal line, seeking to marry Uno, a potential threat.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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