Chapter 418 First Day of the ‘Grand Market’ (Part VIII)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Gargantua’s POV)
”So, how long do you plan to stay in Raetia?”
Toldo offered to take care of Hernando and Esperanza’s katana.
He received the katana from them and asked me while handing it to his granddaughter Aluda.
”Hmm. I haven’t decided yet. The purpose of this journey is to meet Shinji and Megumi’s son.”
”Oh, really? Even a skilled person like you is interested?”
Toldo stroked his beard and smiled.
The truth is, I want to meet our guardian deity, Lady Lilith, but I can’t say that out loud.
That said, it is true that I want to meet a boy named Hiroya for that purpose.
Also, I’ve become interested after hearing about the Purple Flame Demon Princess.
(I told Shinji and Milia the same…)
”That kid is definitely the best swordsman among the adventurers in Raetia.”
”What’s wrong, Lord Toldo?”
He’s praising Hiroya, but I noticed a shadow on his face and couldn’t help but ask.
”No… Recently, I’ve seen ‘hesitation’ in his sword. I worry that he might be struggling to grow.”
”I heard he’s 11. Isn’t this the time for him to be growing?”
”That’s true… I fear that the burden he carries might be too heavy for him.”
Toldo’s story was what I heard from Shinji and Milia.
The Demon King defeated by Elberhardt and others was reborn as ‘Koichi’ after ‘Seven Lives, One Revenge’ and was raised as the eldest son of the O’Brian family by Shinji and Megumi.
”Two years ago, Koichi, his girlfriend, and his mother Megumi were kidnapped by Azradelius. ──Three years. It seems he need to defeat Azradelius and rescue them by then.”
”I heard that from Shinji and Milia. But… is the rescue entrusted to their son Hiroya? And the deadline is…”
”Ah, even from my perspective, that’s quite a heavy burden.”
Toldo sips the tea brought by his granddaughter Eluda with a solemn expression.
”One more year, huh. That’s definitely too much for an 11-year-old boy──ah… thank you.”
I also accept the tea offered by Eluda, thanking her.
”It’s actually about ten months. But Hiro will be fine. Plus, everyone in the clan is here. With everyone from ‘Famière’ working together, we will definitely rescue Mr. Koichi and the others.”
Eluda holds the tray to her chest and makes a fist with her left hand.
”Well, if you’re okay with it… could you give him some training?”
Receiving Toldo’s serious gaze, I quietly nod.
* * *
”In the afternoon, I’ll leave the shop to my granddaughters and take care of your katana. ──I’ll deliver them tomorrow afternoon, but… which inn are you staying at?”
”I’m being taken care of at the ‘Famière’ clan’s mansion. …It’s almost lunchtime, so I must return.”
Looking at the magic clock hanging on the shop wall, it’s just before noon.
Hernando, Esperanza, and I stand up from our seats.
”What? Then shall we go together?”
”?”
I stare at Toldo, who also stands up, asking, “What do you mean?”
”Meluda and the others are also members of ‘Famière’. And Grandpa has settled there as the ‘contract blacksmith’.”
A granddaughter named Meluda comes out from behind the counter.
”Don’t say lonely things. I’m also a member of the clan.”
”Is that so?”
Meluda turns her gaze away from Toldo, hands behind her back.
”T-That a master like Lord Toldo…”
”A clan from the countryside…”
Even Hernando and Esperanza are surprised.
”It’s somehow so comfortable here. The place… and the people… right?”
Saying this, Toldo walked toward the entrance of the shop.
I could understand.
Certainly, those people and the mansion were a pleasant space.
”Plus… the food is the best.”
”””Ah…”””
Yeah.
We 3 strongly agreed on that.
With a sign saying ‘Taking Lunch Break’ at the shop front, Toldo and the others took us in a carriage toward the clan’s mansion.
* * *
”Hernando…”
”Ah, Esperanza, this clan… more than I imagined…”
Back at the mansion for lunch, it seemed all the clan members gathered at that table, whispering between Esperanza and Hernando.
(Yeah. Did they notice too?)
The unity of the clan members could be inferred from the scene at that table.
And, as someone who handles a sword, I might not know the level of ‘magician’, but just looking at the swordsmen in this clan, it’s clear they’re quite skilled.
Like the first ones I met, Asuka and Shinobu, the Amazoness Fighter Simona, Gieze who inherited Hiroya’s swordsmanship, and Dorothy, who has mastered martial arts despite being an elf.
To my eyes, they are top-class melee fighters.
Moreover, it seems Toldo’s granddaughters are also participating as a tank and power-type vanguards, and Asuka’s husband, a man named Gorge, who seems gentle, is a rank B Fighter.
”More than I imagined, this is ‘paradise’.”
”No doubt about it.”
…It seems my attendants were evaluating this clan from a completely different perspective.
Astonished, I brought the soup to my mouth and glanced at Shinji’s son, Hiroya, sitting across from me.
(He looks like an ordinary boy. However, the maturity and charm I sense from him… what is it?)
Is he really Shinji’s son, well-known as a playboy?
No, but I feel there’s something beyond that.
* * *
”Ah, he’s a reincarnator. His soul is that of an adult.”
After lunch, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with the Purple Flame Demon Princess (or rather, her split-off entity) in her room in the mansion.
”I see. So that’s the reason behind that atmosphere.”
”Be careful of his charm, Gargantua. Even our Lady Lilith is captivated by it.”
”Where is Lady Lilith now?”
I leaned forward eagerly, asking the question.
The young girl before me, the Purple Flame Demon Princess, gently gestured with her hands, signaling me to calm down.
”Well, Lady Lilith, or rather, her main body is still trapped deep within the Welnia Labyrinth. A fragment of her power resides within the Yamikirimaru, which Hiroya possesses.”
”Oh… I see…”
’A fragment of her power.’ Hearing this, I straightened myself in my chair. Perhaps noticing my sudden change in demeanor, the Purple Flame Demon Princess laughed and spoke to me.
”Don’t be so disheartened. It may be a fragment, but it’s the power of Lady Lilith herself.”
”An Oni-kin swordsman, huh? It’s been a long time…”
A beautiful voice spoke from behind me.
* * *
”Lady… Lilith…?”
I stood up and turned around, kneeling on the spot.
Her powerful and divine presence was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even lift my head.
”Don’t be so formal. Look up at me.”
At her words, I cautiously raised my head and gazed upon her divine face.
There stood a beautiful woman, smiling gently as she looked at me.
”I, I am Gargantua, chieftain of the Oni-kin. My name is Gargantua Barurasa Antia.”
”You Himuka folks and you Oni-kin have gone through a lot, haven’t you?”
Lady Lilith placed her hand on my cheek.
(Ah, I would do anything for her…)
Is it a soul inherited from the ancestor?
I can even see that my heart is filled with joy.
”Our mission, our long-held dream, is to free the captured Lady Lilith. And it remains… unfulfilled.”
I take Lady Lilith’s outstretched hand, and with her guidance, I stand up.
”I will definitely save Lady Lilith from the depths of the Great Labyrinth.”
Lady Lilith nods gently at my determined words.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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