Volume 6 Chapter 116 Chaa’s Counterattack
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Char’s Counterattack
Char the butcher is out patrolling the fields outside the wall.
Thanks to what’s left from when this place was a fortress, Toyata Village still has real walls. These days──the villagers have been scavenging it for stone, using it as a quarry, the structure slowly shrinking. Even so, the wall is their pride. Near the main gate, the thing’s almost untouched, the old grandeur still looming there.
The lord, bless him, handed out asparagus crowns to all the villagers. Char, always greedy, didn’t stop at planting fields inside the wall. No, he broke ground outside too. The field? Shallow, just scratched up out of laziness, because farming, honestly, is a pain in the ass. No matter how much he yanked them up, the damn Wall Barley just kept coming back. His back hurt every day.
But even if you do a half-assed job, when spring comes, thick, sharp, green shoots break the surface. There you go: asparagus. The nobles eat it──a luxury for their gilded little tables.
They told him it’s best to spend the first year fattening up the crowns, not harvesting. Char didn’t give a shit. He picked them, hauled them off to sell in the Hero’s country and got himself a fat stack of coins. Even after handing half over to the lord, he made out big-time.
Once it gets like this, those green shoots just look like money. He’s out there all the time, checking, checking. If the quails peck at them, that’s a huge loss. But the worst… the absolute worst, are quails who wear clothes.
If nobody’s watching, maybe there’s bastards out there ready to swipe asparagus right out of someone else’s field. No, not maybe──there’s no doubt. Char himself, he’s got an eye out for any opening.
Looks like everyone’s got the same idea, because every field’s got people prowling, keeping watch.
”Those guys are after my field, for sure. This village is full of damn vultures. It’s fate──what they call the difference between the haves and the have-nots.”
Char bought a female slave for a huge sum──a smart one. Every night, she gives him “culture” lessons. He loves the fancy ways of saying things, just repeating them makes him feel like a big deal.
Words alone get him respect from his underlings, and even the rest of the villagers shoot him wary looks, so seems worth remembering a few.
* * *
A bell rings, distantly.
It’s not the Toyata Village bell. Sometimes, if the wind’s right, sound carries across the swamp from the Hero’s castle, towering over there. That bell’s sound is weird, harsh, gets under the skin──a sound for emergencies, unmistakable.
”What the hell’s that? Shit, that pain-in-the-ass Hero’s up to something again.”
During festivals and whatnot, you can just barely catch festive music drifting over, and every time, Char nearly goes nuts with envy.
Originally, that so-called “Hero” was just another useless loser drifting into the village. If Char hadn’t taken pity on the guy──he’d probably have died in a ditch somewhere right around here.
But with that one word “Hero” stuck on you, you can end up a king, while people ten times more capable stay villagers forever. The world’s unfair. Nonsense, the whole lot of it. Char feels disgusted with everything, all of a sudden.
”Hey! Big trouble! Monsters! The Demon King’s army is attacking!”
The village head comes barreling toward them. Across the canal, on the opposite bank──tons of black dots are wriggling around.
Is that… what’s wrong? Monsters? Demon King’s army? Char’s brilliant brain finally takes in the scene, puts it all together.
”All of those dots are the Demon King’s lot? That damn Hero, dragging more crap our way again.”
Char hurries after the village head. Goddamn, for an old guy, he’s fast. Char’s chest is burning, head swirling.
The others who’d been outside pass him easy──they’re long gone; he’s dragging his feet.
Chaa comes last to the village gate, just as the doors are about to slam shut. He does not, under any circumstances, intend to get shut out at a time like this.
He rolls himself inside, gasping, wheezing, just breathing for his life.
”All men, grab a spear and get on the outer wall! Women and kids, take shelter in my manor!!”
Moron. Only a fool would think about fighting that kind of army.
Chaa’s never lost a fight, but he’s always won with bravado, bluffing, and his brains. Get in their heads with words first, knock the fight out of them, and then pound them down when they’re too stunned to lift a hand. That’s the smart way to win.
But if it’s a fight with the Demon King’s army, that’s just kill or be killed, no talking, nothing. He could get hurt bad──or die. No way. He’s not doing that. Screw that.
”Don’t be stupid. Who cares about this village? I’m grabbing my woman and getting out of here.”
”What! You’re really gonna abandon the village!!”
”You saw it too, village head. You think we can win against those numbers?”
”And where do you think you’ll escape to, exactly?”
If it’s close by, there’s the Hero’s country. Fortress walls there make the royal capital look like a kid’s sandcastle, triple moats wrapped around everything.
No. That’s no good. If the Demon King’s army surrounds it, you won’t get out alive. And to owe that bastard Hero one? Not a chance.
Royal capital? Even worse. No money, no connections, you can’t survive there. Plus, everyone knows the Demon King targets the capital first. Only an idiot would run right to a battlefield.
”I heard from some other village’s guys, if we head to the Larse Empire, we’ll be safe. Supposedly there’s handouts along the way, rations stations where they give out food for free.”
Whenever he stops off in a village to buy meat, Chaa always makes his rounds at the tavern to dig for info. Most of his pitiful profits disappear into drinks, but when you’re a real merchant, knowledge is your weapon and your lifeline.
He got this intel that way too──the money spent wasn’t wasted after all.
”Nah, nothing’s that sweet. Gotta be a trap. Definitely a trap.”
The village head brushes it all off, his instincts screaming it’s impossible. Easy offers always hide a trap. That’s how that man sees the world.
”We’re sticking with Chaa the boss. Think I heard a similar rumor somewhere too. Good timing, let’s kiss this dump of a village goodbye.”
”Give us the horses and wagons, won’t be needing them, will you? We’ll even take the kids and women and keep them safe. All your money, food, weapons too──hand ’em over. That’s the fee for our protection. If the village burns and your grandkids make it out, then your life wasn’t a total waste, huh?”
”You ungrateful rats! This is your village──you were born here, raised here!”
”Yeah, the same village that’s done nothing but squeeze us dry. Half the folks left with the new Hero and you still don’t get it? Nobody trusts you, old man.”
”Ghh!”
They go for his weak spot with no mercy. The village head falls silent.
”Hey, run away with us if you want. In a mess like this, even his Lordship probably won’t get mad.”
”I… I can’t leave. I have to stay. Fine. Take the wagons, but you look after the kids.”
”See? Now that’s the smart move.”
With the village head’s almost full answer in his pocket, Chaa hurries home. What’s he bringing? His money, and his slaves.
”Women’ll turn on you in a snap, but a slave under your thumb never will. That’s my real treasure right there.”
Translator’s notes:
- 「チャー」→ “Chaa” is a name, not just a sound here.
- 「村長」→ “village head” is used instead of “Sonchou” to keep it natural; literally means “the chief” or “mayor” of a village.
- 「勇者」→ “Hero” here refers to the typical RPG/fantasy trope of a chosen hero.
- 「魔王軍」→ The Demon King’s army; classic villain army led by the ‘Demon King’ trope in Japanese fantasy.
- 「ラース帝国」→ “Larse Empire;” the country mentioned as a possible safe haven.
- References to “his Lordship”/”領主様” and social ranks follow the power-dynamic and levels of address in the Japanese original.
- The dynamic between Chaa, the villagers, and the head is all about pecking orders, debts, and this village’s raw peasant politics──nobody likes each other much, and nobody hides it.*T/N: Just letting you know, everyone basically thinks the other side are idiots except when they want something.*
The two beauties he’d snapped up cheap from the slave dealer──couldn’t trade them for anything, no way, his treasures, nobody else’s.
Actually? He was played for a fool by those sly bitches pretending to be meek──but Chaa didn’t notice. Good for him. Happy that way.
He bursts into the overdecorated bedroom, decked out way above his station. Pisses him off to think this precious house is about to get looted by the Demon King’s lot, but what can you do.
Only the smart ones know when to cut their losses. Damn it! It’s all that damn Hero’s fault, every last bit!
”Hey, you two. We’re getting out of the village. The Demon King’s army is coming.”
”Demon King’s… army?”
Hina, lying on the bed. Hyla snuggled up right next to her. Hina hasn’t looked good lately──so it’s been Hyla doing all the Chaa-handling.
Hina always looks so apologetic, makes it real easy for Chaa to act like the perfect, kind master.
Tearing into a woman’s body, beast drive and all, that’s fine──but there’s this other thing, being nice to a beauty and getting thanked for it. That’s good in another way. Plus, being gentle with Hina means Hyla goes the extra mile to please him.
They’re slaves, he could just order them. But where’s the fun in that? Chaa’s a connoisseur, he appreciates the difference.
”It’s alright. Don’t be scared. No matter what, I’ll protect you both, you hear me?”
”Sir Chaa, please, save yourself. Leave us behind.”
Chaa’s hamming it up, cool as possible. Totally not the reaction he was expecting though.
”Hyla, you go with Sir Chaa. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Chaa doesn’t get it. What’re they going on about? Hate walking that much?
”What’s up? You sick? Been looking off lately, but don’t worry. I swiped a carriage off the village head. Got you covered.”
He gently lifts up Hina, who looks pale as death.
”The carriage isn’t the problem. I’m carrying your child, Sir Chaa.”
”My kid? Say what!!”
Chaa is struck dumb. He’d heard you needed a crazy amount of (luck)運*T/N: Unusual supernatural fortune, not just ‘good luck’.* to get a slave pregnant. Special secret potions too, supposedly.
”Look at me go! That’s Sir Chaa, the stallion. Not like that sorry Hero. We’re not even in the same league!! The manly league! You did it, Hina! You two are my treasure!”
Chaa’s floating, high as anything. The two women? Crying together in each other’s arms.
”Thank you, I’m happy. You’re really that glad?”
Chaa used to laugh in the face of women’s tears.
Best way to survive: ditch Hina, the deadweight, and escape with just Hyla. Optimal solution.
But weirdly… suddenly, his precious life? Doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
If it’s for this child coming into the world, he could die for that. So this… this is being a father?
”Alright then, forget running. I’ll stand and fight, protect what’s mine. The Demon King’s army won’t take a damn thing from me. I’m the village’s toughest bastard, the Hero King’s own teacher! I’ll kick their asses myself.”
That rush, the sense that nothing’s impossible.
He could die for the unborn child. Deep inside, something in Chaa is screaming that.
To pass on your blood means you get to live forever. So there’s nothing left to be afraid of.
”Leave the manor to me. I’ll defend this place to the last.”
Hyla grips the broken broom handle. Must’ve messed around with swordplay sometime, she kind of pulls it off.
”No, listen, if you guys are safe, I couldn’t care less about this house. Don’t push yourself. Don’t get hurt. Once it’s all over we’re gonna live happily ever after. Become a real family.”
The 3 of them hold on to each other shoulder to shoulder, crying. Chaa cried with them too. Cried from the pit of his stomach, howled, like his whole heart was coming out.
”You’re late, aniki.” *T/N: aniki – literally “big brother,” but can also be used among gang types as “boss” or “the big guy,” depending on context, sometimes both at once.*
”So that’s all the evacuees? There’s a hell of a lot.”
More than 20 kids crowded at the gate.
”And the women and old folks?”
”The young women are staying to fight for the village. The old folks said they’ll die here.”
The lackeys look pissed. Figures, they probably had some real scummy plans. Trash, the lot of them.
”No time. You take the brats and go, now. If you make it near the Wolf Forest the Demon King won’t chase you further.”
”Wolves, huh, that sounds rough too. But with aniki here we’ll be fine?”
Of course that’s bullshit. Chaa’d last one bite, dead on the spot.
”I’m not going. I’m gonna fight to protect the village.”
”No way, aniki. Did you eat something weird?”
”You guys guard the brats, got it? You’re all from Toyata Village, right? Show them you’re the kind of youngsters who can step up when it counts.”
”Yeah, I guess so. We talk big, but when it’s go time, we pull through more than you’d think.”
”Hell yeah──alright, let’s run like hell, kids! Show ’em that Toyata guts!”
A few minutes ago, these same guys had been thinking of selling the kids to the slavers, but now, caught up in the mood, some spark of decency starts showing.
Chaa sends them off with a crooked grin.
”What wind has blown them ’round like this?”
The village head, having just parted with his granddaughter in tears, peers into Chaa’s face, suspicious.
”They’re idiots. Live in the moment, you know? One minute, up for any crime, the next, if you stroke their ego they’ll rush off to do good deeds. Might get bored halfway and go back to being thugs. Fifty-50 shot, really. Wanna bet on it?”
”That a losing bet, I’d say.”
”Keep talking. Now open the armory and hand over the best weapon you’ve got. I’ll protect this village, no matter what.”
’A state of emergency has been declared. All military personnel, move to alert level 3. Residents, evacuate by neighborhood groupings in order to the royal castle…’
Shea’s voice booms from the speaker mounted on the watchtower.
”A calm voice, puts people at ease. She’s grown up so much. Impressive. Looks like we won’t be needed for a while yet. For now, anyway.”
=============
[ERROR]
=============
“`json
{
”Char”: “A butcher and villager of Toyata Village; known for his greed and cunning; purchases a female slave for ‘culture’ lessons; plans to escape with his slaves during an attack by the Demon King’s army.”,
”Toyata Village”: “A village with real walls, once a fortress; known for its asparagus fields; home to Char and the village head.”,
”Hero’s country”: “A neighboring country with a powerful castle and fortress walls; Char sells asparagus there and envies the Hero’s success.”,
”Demon King’s army”: “A classic villain army led by the Demon King; attacks Toyata Village, prompting an evacuation.”,
”Larse Empire”: “A possible safe haven mentioned by Chaa; rumored to have rations stations offering free food.”,
”Hina”: “One of Char’s female slaves; she is pregnant with Char’s child and expresses gratitude for his protection.”,
”Hyla”: “Char’s other female slave; she is described as sly and meek; she supports Hina and Chaa.”,
”Wolf Forest”: “A forest near Toyata Village; the Demon King’s army is unlikely to pursue evacuees beyond this point.”,
”Shea”: “A calm and impressive voice heard from a speaker; likely a resident of the royal castle, providing evacuation instructions.”
}
“`
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply