Volume 2 Chapter 2 The Capable Girl, Mel-chan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Three days later, at noon. The meeting spot with Mercedes was the fountain square in the heart of the city. I’d even gone so far as to reserve a table at a stylish cafe‑restaurant. Mercedes is a bit of a letdown as a person, but this was essentially a wining‑and‑dining play — a business lunch to make her feel good enough to spill the info I needed.
”Sorry to keep you waiting!”
”Oh ‑ hey.”
Dressed in a white frilled one‑piece, Mercedes was a stunning beauty, enough to make me lose my breath for a second. (I won’t tell her that, though; it’d go straight to her head.)
”I have a feeling you’re thinking something rude again,” Mercedes said, narrowing her eyes.
”It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
”Nice to meet you, Daisuke‑san. I’m Mel’s friend, Zofie,” the newcomer introduced herself. Zofie, introduced as Mercedes’s friend, was a beastman woman with a very composed aura. She was about 165 cm tall with a standard build, long indigo hair, and a respectable amount of “chest armor.” Judging by her vibe and physique, she didn’t seem to be part of the Knight Order.
I’d been terrified of what kind of eccentric personality a friend of Mercedes might have, but I was relieved to find she was a perfectly normal person.
”Nice to meet you. I’m Daisuke, an adventurer. You probably know, but I was summoned here along with the Heroes.”
”Yes, I’m aware,” Zofie replied with a soft sigh. “It must be so difficult for you. Truly…” (Hm? Did she hear something about me from Mercedes? I haven’t really had a “difficult” time yet, so is she referring to something one of the Hero Party members did?)
”Well, that’s enough for greetings! Let’s go!” Mercedes chirped.
”Wait, that’s the wrong way,” I said, grabbing her shoulder. “You don’t even know which restaurant it is, do you?” She really is a letdown.
Once we reached the shop and finished ordering, we spent some time in small talk, giving brief self‑introductions and discussing our current activities. Since Zofie was there, diving straight into the core topic would have been a bit too intense.
”I see, I see. So you want to know what the Hero Party is up to,” Mercedes said after a few bites.
”Yeah. We’re from the same place, after all. I’m curious about the status of the Demon King subjugation.”
If I told the honest truth, Mercedes would leak it to the Knights — and by extension, the core of the government — so I cooked up a plausible excuse. I wasn’t exactly lying.
”They’ve reached level 20, so they’re actually heading out on a journey tomorrow to tour the various kingdoms. Their Attendants will be going with them.”
”Huh? Why a journey?” I asked. I didn’t get why they’d bother traveling when there are Dungeons — spots where monsters spawn infinitely. (Why do something so inefficient?)
”There are several reasons, but the big one is a ‘Beacon of Hope¹.’ It applies a buff to the party members based on the expectations and favor of the people around them.”
”Huh, interesting.”
”Without that, defeating the Demon King would be nearly impossible. That’s one reason. Also, the neighboring Holy State of Sangster² is summoning the Hero’s group as ’emissaries of the gods.’ Our Kingdom of Maultasche³ has to demonstrate that we aren’t monopolizing the Hero Party for our own selfish gain.”
”Wait. After the Demon King is dead, the Hero Party is supposed to become nobles, right? Is that okay?”
”They’ll be treated as nobility with titles, honorary positions, and mansions, but they won’t be given land, political power, or any vital government roles. To be blunt, people call them ‘Pretend Nobles,’ ‘Nobles in Name Only,’ or even ‘Basically NEETs⁴.’ Some say it’s a better, more relaxed life that way.”
(NEETs. A past Hero must have brought that word here. The cultural pollution makes me want to bury my head in my hands.)
”Even if they’re just ‘Nobles in Name Only,’ as long as they’re part of the country, it seems like it would make other nations uneasy. Plus, if you let them go abroad, won’t they just be snatched up by someone else?”
”That first concern is unnecessary,” Mercedes explained. “It is an unwritten law of this world that a Hero must never be used for war — especially wars of aggression. It’s not just a human matter; in the past, such actions triggered ‘Divine Punishment⁵.’ No country will risk using them that way again. Furthermore, Heroes have different values than us and are incredibly popular with the masses. Taking them into the domestic political fold carelessly would just create a powder keg. The risk of absorbing them is greater than the reward. Even the Holy State, which treats them as ‘Emissaries of God,’ doesn’t want them meddling in politics.”
(If a Hero ever started a democratization movement, the ruling class would be finished.)
I was actually surprised she could explain it so logically. If she were always like this, she’d have a boyfriend in no time.
”There’s one more reason they have to be made nobles besides the reward: to prevent ‘unnecessary interference’ — or rather, tyranny — from other nobles. Following a massive incident in the past, it was decided that any Hero who slays a Demon King must be elevated to nobility to prevent a repeat of that tragedy.”
”What kind of incident?”
”It’s called the ‘Poisonous Count Castel Territory Incident⁶.’ Unlike the ‘Hero of Greed’ affair, it didn’t incur the wrath of the gods, but the body count was staggering. It happened about 320 years ago, involving the Count Castel family of the Abelard Dukedom and the Hero of that era — commonly known as the ‘Poison Hero’.”
”That nickname sounds ominous…”
”No, he was only called that because he had an aptitude for poison magic. Back then, after the Demon King was defeated, the Hero Party was usually just given a medal of honor. That Hero successfully finished his quest, married a woman from this world, and was supposedly living a happy life.”
”That’s a total death flag.”
”Flag? I don’t quite follow, but I’ll continue. While the Hero was traveling with his wife, they stayed in the capital of the Castel domain. One day, while the Hero was out on a quest, Count Castel kidnapped his wife. It seems the Count had a history of such crimes; he likely possessed evil‑aligned Titles. His goal was to use the wife as a hostage to turn the Hero into his personal pawn.”
”If he was strong enough to kill a Demon King, couldn’t he have just taken her back by force?”
”The Count hid her at first. And because of the massive gap in social status between a Hero and a Count, a forced rescue would have meant a life as a fugitive. It’s said that, at that point, the Hero wanted to avoid involving innocent bystanders.”
”I guess that makes sense.”
”With his wife held hostage, the Hero was forced to obey the Count’s whims. Even as the ‘Poison Hero,’ he could use detoxification, so his tasks ranged from brewing high‑level anti‑venoms to assassinating political rivals. When he finally returned to the Count after finishing a certain job, he found his wife… a hollow shell of her former self. She had been pumped so full of aphrodisiacs and narcotics that her original personality was gone. She couldn’t even recognize her own husband.”
”Why would he do that to a hostage…? Actually, why is the info so vague?”
”Almost everyone involved died, so even later investigations couldn’t pin down the exact truth. We don’t know the ‘why.’ The Hero embraced his unrecognizable wife and poisoned her himself so she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. He left only a single phrase — ’Even if the rain stops, it won’t end’ — and carried her remains away.”
”What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
”The Count and his men didn’t understand it either. But shortly after, a heavy rain began to fall over the entire Castel domain. The skin of the guards and the commoners who touched the rain began to sear and slough off. Eventually, the poison reached their vitals, and they died in absolute agony. Everyone realized then that it was a poisonous downpour summoned by the Hero. They tried to find him, but the rain lasted for three days. At that point, the Count was still alive.”
”Based on the Hero’s words, that wasn’t the end, was it?”
”No. When the rain finally stopped, they drew water from the river flowing from outside the borders. But soon, the death toll began to rise again. The Poison Hero had cast a powerful, lingering poison magic on the upper reaches of the river — and he’d made the poison slow‑acting. In the end, almost everyone in the capital including the Count perished. It remains the incident with the highest casualties ever linked to a Hero.”
”That Poison Hero was terrifying…”
”The rest of the Hero Party found out and protested the Grand Duke fiercely. They involved the friends and families of the deceased commoners in daily protests, and the movement swelled into a massive uprising. Since you can’t stop a Hero Party by force, Duke Abelard immediately stripped the Count’s house of its status. Even the few family members who survived because they were out of the territory were executed by association. The prevention measures announced then were ‘Making the Hero Party Nobility’ and ‘Mandatory Title and Skill checks for Nobles multiple times a year.’ This is now global law.”
”I see… I get why they’re made nobles now, but man, what a depressing story. I understand the Title checks, but checking Skills too? And several times a year? That’s pretty frequent.”
”It is. It was a truly harrowing tragedy. But if someone has ‘Disguise’ or ‘Concealment’ at Skill Level 5 or higher, a basic Appraisal Stone⁷ can’t see their evil‑aligned Titles. If a noble with an aptitude for those skills used enough MP Potions, they could hit Level 5 within a year. So, we check Titles — and the Skills while we’re at it.”
”Makes sense.”
”Back to the Hero Party — the other reason for the journey is that they need to get used to traveling before the final battle. If they get too used to narrow dungeons, they won’t be able to handle other environments. We don’t know where the Demon King will appear, so they have to be ready for anything.”
”Got it. I understand the situation. Keep me posted on this stuff periodically, okay?”
”Since you’re from the same place, I don’t mind. The Demon King’s defeat is a matter of global importance, so the Hero Party’s movements aren’t exactly classified.”
I understood why they were leaving. Mercedes really is a “can‑do” girl when she sets her mind to it.
”Subjugating the Demon King sounds like a nightmare. Originally, all of us — myself included — were supposed to live lives that had nothing to do with monsters or life‑or‑death struggles.”
”You’re right about that…” Zofie said, her eyes downcast. It looked like she had something on her mind.
”Zofie‑san, did something happen regarding me… or one of my countrymen?”
”Yes. Actually, Yuko‑san…”
”Yuko? Oh, right, she became a Civil Servant apprentice, didn’t she?”
I’d completely forgotten about her. Right, she was there. She didn’t want to be an adventurer, so she went into civil service. I’d basically scrubbed her from my memory because I didn’t want to see her.
”I am also a Civil Servant. We have different bosses, but we’re in the same department. She… doesn’t seem to be adjusting to the life at all. We aren’t suited for combat, but since we work at the castle, our lives aren’t in danger and we have a bit of a comfortable lifestyle. If we’re lucky, we might catch a noble’s eye — and while we can’t be wives, we can become concubines. It’s a very blessed position, so to speak.”
”Right, I see.”
The concubine thing probably highlights a difference in our values, but a stable job without the risk of death is a massive win in this world.
”But Yuko‑san doesn’t seem to see it that way. She’s always venting her frustrations. I don’t know what her old life was like, but from our perspective, she just sounds ungrateful. Because of that — it’s sad, but she’s becoming an outcast among the other officials. She’s totally isolated.”
Well, there are always people like that. The Working Women Party was complaining about not having makeup, and the “Saint” Mizuki from the JK Party was causing slave‑related drama.
”If this keeps up, or gets worse… I’m afraid she might be fired.”
”Hmm. I don’t know what I can do, but I’ll keep an eye out and talk to her if I see her. Since I’m from the same place, maybe I can understand her better, and she can blow off some steam. Tell her ‘I’ll at least listen to her gripes’.”
(I don’t actually want to hear her gripes, but if I leave her alone, she’s on a one‑way trip to being fired and dying in a ditch. I don’t like her at all — I’d rather stay away — but Zofie‑san is a wonderful person for worrying about her. I guess I’ll deal with Yuko for Zofie‑san’s sake. I can put up with a little.)
”Really?! Thank you so much!”
”No, no, you don’t need to thank me, Zofie‑san.”
”Wait… is it just me, or are you treating me and Zofie totally differently?” Mercedes pouted.
”Well, Zofie‑san is a lovely, mature woman.”
”What kind of reason is that?! I’m also a pure and lovely girl‑knight overflowing with mature charm!”
Mercedes stood up and puffed out her chest. That right there is the problem.
”You aren’t supposed to say that yourself.”
”Then you should praise me, Daisuke‑san!”
”Yeah, yeah. You’re just full of mature charm, aren’t you?”
”So low‑effort! Come on, you can do better than that!”
She was starting to get a little teary‑eyed as we messed around. It’d be cruel to tease her too much, so I guess I’ll give her a real compliment for once.
”As a knight, your combat skills are high, and you stay on top of the info we need. Plus, like when you mediated that trouble at the Guild, your situational judgment is solid. You’re still young; I think you’ll make a great wife someday.”
”Uh… I’m happy you praised me, but I have no intention of marrying you, Daisuke‑san, so… sorry,” Mercedes said, suddenly backing away.
”I wasn’t asking!”
Why the hell is she acting repulsed?! This is what I get for actually being nice.
”Hehe. You two really are close,” Zofie said, finally laughing.
I guess it all worked out.
—
Summary:
Daisuke meets with Mercedes and her friend Zofie to gather intelligence on the Hero Party. He learns about the ‘Beacon of Hope’ skill and the tragic ‘Poison Hero’ incident that shaped the world’s laws regarding Heroes and nobility. Zofie also asks Daisuke to check on Yuko, a fellow summon who is struggling as a Civil Servant.
—
Trivia:
- Heroes are forbidden from wars of aggression due to the threat of Divine Punishment.
- Nobles are subject to mandatory Skill and Title checks multiple times a year.
- The ‘Poison Hero’ incident happened roughly 320 years ago in the Abelard Dukedom.
- Civil Servants are considered a ‘blessed position’ because they are safe and can potentially become concubines to nobles
—
Character Insight:
Mercedes shows a surprisingly logical side when explaining political matters, while Daisuke displays a trace of compassion by agreeing to help Yuko for Zofie’s sake, despite his personal dislike for her.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the term ‘NEET’ to show how past summoned Heroes have influenced the local language and culture.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Mercedes – Brown semi‑long hair, thick chest armor, and a self‑styled ‘pure maiden‑knight’ look, now in a white frilled one‑piece. A high‑spirited Royal Knight of the Maultasche Kingdom, she mediates, teaches shield techniques, leads the party, despises goblins and orcs, and seeks a boyfriend. Intelligent, elite in combat and destruction magic, she knows guild mechanics and sees dungeons as divine trials.
• Zofie – A beastman woman and a Civil Servant. Friend of Mercedes. She is approximately 165cm tall with long indigo hair and a standard build.
• Yuko – Civil Servant class. Assigned the Civil Servant class with high Intelligence. Araya’s former workplace colleague. A woman in her late twenties/early thirties who recently became a mother. Described by Araya as having a parasitic attitude toward men. She recently lost her child in her original world and seeks a non-combat role at the castle to avoid taking lives. About 160cm with a standard build. Hair in a half-up style. Thin chest armor. Speaks politely enough, but her motivation is basically non-existent.
• Aya – A 165 cm‑tall, slender alchemist with long hair and a flat chest, dressed without chest armor, is serious and straight‑laced, a diligent member of the Working Women Party; in the protagonist’s delusions she appears as his lover.
• Mizuki – A 165 cm tall, standard‑built girl with long hair, wearing modest chest armor and speaking politely. Reincarnated as a Saint‑class high‑school student, she is deeply moral and emotional, bravely confronts slave abuse despite legal risks, and earns respect by defending the vulnerable.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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