Chapter 422 – The Night Visitor
“Verily, to reclaim that land… and without the loss of a single soul… Truly, you and your companions are wondrous, Young man.”
“Hehehe, well, I am Ragann-Man, after all.”
“But it’s a shame we didn’t get to battle the boss, Hakuki. I was so looking forward to taking him down with my and Big brother’s ultimate combo.”
“Yeah. I wanted to show off my special combo with Brother.”
After eating our fill of the feast and enjoying ourselves, me, Espie, Slayer, and Mr. Chieftain moved a little away from the crowd. There, we chatted while sipping our drinks.
“I see, so it was… Yet had he been present, none can say how the tide would have turned. That Hakuki is said to be monstrously mighty, is he not? More than a dozen winters have passed since those days……”
“That’s true. We have no idea how strong he is now. Besides, it seems he still has some nasty items……”
“Yeah… It seems so. The legacy of the Ancients, huh……”
We managed to get their land back. We couldn’t save Uncle Ben, but we managed to pull through without any casualties.
For now, we’re savoring this victory while also discussing what comes next.
“Hey, Mr. Chieftain. Is there anything else dangerous in those ruins? I have the Master Key, but……. Hakuki didn’t seem interested in getting any more involved with Japone, but he did mention something about giving the King a ‘toy’……”
“Huh? Young man, is that so? Toy…… no, not a toy……”
To be honest, Hakuki’s allies —the ogres and those ‘Demon Wrath’ guys—weren’t weak by any means, but as long as we didn’t let our guard down, I didn’t feel like we’d lose.
That’s why, rather than the Ogre army, the threat from now on will be……
“Well…… relics capable of overturning continents or the very world itself would be too much to hope for, I wager… Such things must surely have perished when the Great Demon King Tre’ainar brought ruin upon Shiznautmy…… Moreover, the age wherein I dwelt was the very Genesis era… Yet those ruins run deep with mysteries…… Heavy machinery, robots —no, iron golems—and many more besides…… Still, without one who knows of their ‘manner of use,’ they are but lifeless husks, so I deem there is little cause for fear.”
There’s nothing to be worried about, Mr. Chieftain said.
But I couldn’t simply nod in agreement.
The reason is……
“What if Hakuki figured out how to use them? That’d be bad, right?”
“That could prove perilous indeed. The level of civilization upon the Surface World and in the Demon Realm alike—yea, across the entire world—might be utterly transformed. Yet without a true Ancient or one possessed of such lore at his side, it would be impossible. In that sense, should I myself ever fall under sway… then it would be dire indeed. Pray, should aught befall me, come to my aid once more, Young man.”
If there really was someone by Hakuki’s side, it would undoubtedly be a much tougher battle than fighting an army of powerful ogres. I felt a little dejected.
“Hmm~…… But you see, Big brother.”
“If that’s the case… fighting Hakuki is going to be pretty tough……”
And Espie and Slayer seemed to feel the same way as me, and they both had wry smiles on their faces.
“Huh? Why?”
Mr. Chieftain, who didn’t understand the meaning, tilted his head.
That may be true…… But……
“It’ll definitely be tough, but don’t worry about it.”
I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but I put on a smile anyway.
“No matter who’s with Hakuki…… Master and I are definitely stronger. And no matter what power Hakuki wields…… Espie and Slayer are definitely tougher! So, there’s no problem with just us ‘four’!”
“Big brother!”
“Brother!”
“Hmm? Four……? You speak not of me, surely? Master? What means you?”
Mr. Chieftain turned a little pale, but don’t worry. I wasn’t talking about him.
And Espie and Slayer, who fully understood the meaning of my words, nodded and laughed carefreely like they did when they were kids.
“Anyway, starting tomorrow, we’ve got a mountain of stuff to deal with again.”
“That’s right. The Imperial Investigation Team and the Demon Realm Investigation Team that were captured…… Well, that’s beside the point. The real issue is the Japone girls snatched for tax collection.”
“Yes. Saving them was fine… but just sending them back to Japone’s capital like that… Well, the ogre tax squad’s been wiped out now.”
“We must needs hold counsel with Mikado, Koujiro, and Lord Outei, and discern how the royal armies of Japone shall act… nay, how Japone itself shall move from the morrow onward.”
To be honest, I’d prefer to avoid getting deeply involved in Japone’s internal turmoil.
But, that doesn’t mean we can just completely ignore it either. And above all, Shinobu is involved too……
“Hmm?”
That was when it happened.
“…… Who is it?”
“It’s not Amicus… and… somehow……”
“It feels ominous… Um, seriously, who is that?”
Sensing a strange presence, we stood up.
For a moment, I thought maybe a big-breasted cat was hiding, listening intently, but it didn’t feel like that…… this is……
“A flute?”
“What? The flute… it’s imbued with magic power.”
“Hmph, clever little thing… I don’t like it. Who is it?”
“Ah, that sound is most perilous!”
Suddenly, the sound of a flute echoed through the air.
And……
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you… I just came to take care of some business……”
“Huh!?”
“But, impressive… Not even flinching at the sound of my flute…… I’d be easily killed if attacked by people like you. That guy is really terrible… When I get back, maybe I should crush that eye that was starting to regenerate again?”
At that moment, she appeared from the dark night forest.
Along with a chilling flute melody that made you instinctively cover your ears……
“You are……?”
“Good evening, Earth. As promised, I’ve come to reclaim the magic crystal.”
This girl… my former classmate, who had infiltrated the Empire as a spy for Paripi……
“…… Coman ……”
Honestly, this girl showed up… and I have no idea how to react.
Sads Translates 