Chapter 432 – My Name Is…
“Okay, Espie! Slayer! Let’s ruuuuuun! “
“Un! No problem! I’ve got the dango too!”
“Seriously, we entered the country openly, yet we have to flee when leaving……”
With both the citizens and the Samurai acting far from normal, more like a festival in full swing, we decided to seize an opportunity and escape.
Getting surrounded any further would just be a pain.
“Wha, oh, ooh…….”
“Oh, Shinobu’s brother, you and your friends are coming too!”
“Ah, th, thank you!”
While we’re at it, we called out to Fuuma and his companions, Iga and Kouga, who are technically wanted men right now, hoping they would be able to blend into the chaos.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
“Oh, the God of Go!”
“W, wait! You… what’s your name……!”
“Wait, Onii-san! At least tell us your name!”
We could hear voices calling out to us from behind, but there was no way we were going to stop just because of that.
“Aaaaaaaargh! We let even Fuuma and the others get away, I say! W, wait, come to think of it, what are we even supposed to do!?”
And it seemed they had finally remembered the important matter they had completely forgotten.
But it was too late now.
Even if the ninjas started chasing us now, they wouldn’t be able to catch us.
Fuuma and the others are top-tier ninja warriors themselves, and with this much distance between them and the enemy, there was no chance they’d be caught.
“Kuhaha, no way~…… that was quite the bizarre experience, but we managed to get away somehow.”
We ran and leapt across the rooftops of Japone. Looking back to make sure no one was catching up with us, we laughed.
“Ahahaha, for sure, for sure~. Glad you’re okay too, Shinobu dear’s big brother and friends ♪?”
“Yeah. We didn’t really plan on causing a ruckus today either, so it’s good we could help without it turning into a fight. Besides, it was kind of fun in its own way.”
Espie and Slayer laughed together as they clutched a bag full of dango.
Fuuma and the others looked dumbfounded at us for a moment, then snapped to attention while running and spoke up.
“Well… we owe you for saving us… I never imagined you would be in Japone……”
“Yeah, talk about fate. I have… mixed feelings about you, though……”
“Huh…… Hmm……”
When I said that with a bit of spite, Fuuma’s face darkened.
He knew what I was referring to.
In other words, “that incident” was something that weighed on him as well……
“I know… it’s about that ogre… right?”
This meant that he, too, felt guilty about that matter.
“Big brother, by ogre…… you mean …….”
“Yeah… but… it’s okay now.”
Well, there’s no point in bringing it up now.
Given Shinobu’s situation, I’ll stop bringing it up too.
“So, Shinobu’s brother……”
“Fuuma is fine. …Um, if you and Shinobu…well… get marri—”
“Oh, don’t expect me to call you ‘Brother’ or anything.”
“…… I, I see……”
He looked a little disappointed…… Well, it’s certainly a possibility, so it’s not really a “what are you talking about” situation.
Still, right now, there are more important matters……
“So, you all came back to Japone because of Mr. Outei, Mrs. Kagerou and the others, as well as Koujiro and Granpa Mikado, right?”
“Huh!? H, how……”
“How do I know? Well, our friends are currently hiding your parents, Koujiro, Granpa Mikado, and their comrades, along with Shinobu and the others. A lot has been happening these past few days…”
“Huh!?”
“And the reason the three of us came to the capital today was to play around… and also to gather information, but we were lucky.”
“What…… such things were happening while we were unaware…”
“Yeah. Anyway, I’ll tell you all about it later. Everyone’s safe, so relax.”
Yeah, it’s not something I can explain while running.
A lot had happened.
“I see…… Then that’s fine…… as long as Father, Mother, Shinobu, Lord Kojiro, and Lord Mikado are all safe… Shinobu must have had many complicated feelings about the ‘Makura’… but as long as you are by her side……”
And Fuuma didn’t press for all the details right then. For now, just knowing his family was safe was enough. He let out a sigh of relief.
“You saved them all?”
“Huh? Well… I don’t know… A lot of coincidences lined up… It wasn’t like I did it all by myself……”
“Is that so? But still, somehow…… I feel it was because you were there that everyone was safe… I don’t know why, but I just feel it… and that means I owe you another debt of gratitude…”
“That’s not true.”
It’s a bit embarrassing, and I really didn’t handle it all by myself.
Especially since Espie and Slayer were there, also Mr. Chieftain and the elves had cooperated.
“That’s right…… after we met the other day… I ended up forgetting to ask you… something important…”
“Hmm?”
“Your name…… what is it?”
And then, at that moment, I realized something that I had been too slow to realize.
Come to think of it, I never introduced myself to Fuuma and the others, did I?
“Hahahaha, what’s the matter~, Big brother? You haven’t even introduced yourself to your potential future brother-in-law~?”
“Hahaha, but putting off noticing something important like that… that’s just like you, Brother… You were like that with us too, after all.”
Espie and Slayer laughed at our exchange, recalling past events.
It was true. Back then, the two who were with me called me “brother” so there was no need to say my name, and when I was with Norja, I used “Ragaan-Man”.
I only introduced myself as “Earth Lagann” during the battle with Gouda.
『Fufufu…… how amusing.』
「Hmm? Tre’ainar?」
At that moment, Tre’ainar beside me chuckled amusedly too.
『After all that you have accomplished in the past era, only a handful recognized you as ‘Earth Lagann’…… Even in that Elven Settlement, no one, save the chieftain and Lal, knew your true name.』
「Y, you’re right…….」
『And now that I think about it, in both Cacretale and the Heavenly Realm, you were involved in major events…… However… both the Heavenly Realm and Cacretale are closed-off nations where information is rarely released…… Therefore, the wider world remains unaware of your exploits as Earth Lagann……』
「Hmm? Well…… that makes sense……」
I didn’t quite grasp what was so strange about Tre’ainar’s words.
But……
『Since you fled the Empire…… you have lived incredibly eventful days…… you fought Shinobu and the other ninja warriors, battled the Ogre Aka, and in Cantidan, you clashed with underworld figures and the outlaw Bro…… In Cacretale, you faced Machio and other fierce warriors in the tournament and won…… in the Heavenly Realm, you waged an all-out war against a Kingdom…… then, you were sent to the past and wreaked havoc…… fufufu, and as for the Six Supremacy, you fought against Jamdi’el, Paripi, Norja, and Gouda…… The formidable foes you have overcome, though from different eras, are in no way inferior to the achievements of the Seven Heroes……』
「Wh, what is this… are you trying to flatter me to death? …But yeah, looking back, it really is pretty insane……」
『Right? And yet…fufufufu, your name has actually not spread that far across the world yet. With a few exceptions, that is…』
「Ah……」
I realized it upon being told.
Yes, I’ve definitely survived some insane battles up until now. I can say that with confidence.
I even fought against some of my father’s former rivals, and I’m proud to say I was able to hold my own against them…well, Tre’ainar helped out, though.
But, due to various reasons, my name is not well known around the world.
So even though something like today happened, no one knows who I am……
“Kuhahaha!”
“””!?”””
That’s certainly true. I couldn’t help but laugh.
「Geez…… I ran away from home vowing to surpass my father’s achievements and be acknowledged as Earth Lagann…… But even after all that I’ve done, I don’t think my name is that well-known…」
『Fufufu, you likely have yet to even be featured in the newspapers.』
「Ah…… Even though I’ve done so much… I guess I still have a long way to go?」
『Indeed. The road ahead is long.』
Even after doing all that, there’s still more to do?
It’s so absurd that all I can do is laugh.
「Well then, looks like I’ll need to keep training under you for a while longer, Master ♪.」
『Hmph. That means there is still so much more to teach you~~. So soooo much more~.』
We talk like that in our minds, laughing together.
But “What’s your name?”
Soon, no one will ask me that question anymore.
Because it won’t even be necessary to ask my name.
I won’t even need to declare myself as “Earth Lagann”, to let others know who I am…… because I’ll become so famous that I’ll surpass even the Great Hero Hiro. My face and name will be known the world over, regardless of race.
“…… Ah, Big brother! You two are having a secret chat right now, aren’t you?! What are you talking about? You’re grinning like that, it’s so unfair!”
“Exactly! You can’t just have secret talks and leave us out!”
“””?”””
Seeing my expression, Espie and Slayer seemed to have realized, and the two of them ran towards me with sour looks on their faces.
They figured it out, huh. Well, Fuuma and the others are left confused.
“Now, now. I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Mmm~, you promise? Does Tre’ainar get it too ~?”
“Honestly, Brother doesn’t belong to just you, Tre’ainar. Got that?”
『…… Hmph……』
The two of them whispered to me from either side, and Tre’ainar gave a wry smile.
That’s right…… From now on, these two will also be joining us on our journey……
“It’s fine. He gets it. Besides, he’s in a good mood right now. I mean, I let him enjoy playing Go to his heart’s content.”
『Hmm…… well, tis true that I thoroughly amused myself today…』
“Ahahahaha, that’s right. But I was surprised~, I had no idea he was that strong at Go…… Hey, by the way, Tre’ainar, do you have any other amazing skills or hobbies?”
“That’s true. We only came to Japone for a bit of fun, and it turned into such a big fuss… Well, it was fun, but… hehe, I wonder if we’ll have more adventures like that from now on?”
More? From now on?
Espie and Slayer’s words made me laugh again……
“Kuhahaha, what are you talking about? This is just the beginning, isn’t it?”
“”?””
“Me, Espie, Slayer, and Tre’ainar…… Our adventures in this era? It’s only the first day, you know?”
Will there be more? Of course there will be.
From now on? Forever and ever.
“Ahahaha, that’s right! From now on, there’ll be tons more days just like today!”
“Hehehehe, if this happens everywhere we go, it’ll be too much fun for my heart to handle. But man, I can’t wait!”
Understanding what I meant, Espie and Slayer nodded happily.
“Yeah. There’s still more to come.”
『Indeed. From now on, and forever.』
――End――
TL’s Note
…of Part 8. End of Part 8, in case some explanation was needed. Earth’s Legends grows even greater. I’m grateful to have you along for the ride, enjoying this with me. I’m going to take a one-week break and then return with Part 9. In the meantime, check out my other translations. See you all soon.
Sads Translates 