Chapter 434 – They Knew Nothing
“Wait a minute, Hakuki! Earth… you’re saying Earth has met you before? What does that mean?”
“Hakuki! What did you do to Earth! At first, I thought it was Jamdi’el, but… wait, could it be that Earth was able to use the Great Demon King Tre’ainar’s technique because of you!?”
Hiro and Mamu spoke up when they learned that Hakuki, their former nemesis of the Six Supremacy, had come into contact with Earth in a place unknown to them.
Not only the Jamdi’el incident at Cacretale, but now Hakuki too.
And if that were true… then for Hiro and Mamu, did Hakuki have a hand in everything that happened during that fateful tournament match that changed their entire destiny?
However, Hakuki looked surprised at their words.
“Wot’s this… it’s been bleedin’ months since that grand match, an’ you lot still ain’t twigged a single bleedin’ thing, ‘ave ya……”
“Wh, what?”
“I didn’t get it neither, see. Not just the Breakthrough—how the bloody ‘ell that little sod managed to pull off the Great Demon Spiral too. Even Jamdi’el couldn’t swing that one. Mind, one possible explanation did pop into me noggin the other day when we ‘ad a bit of a chinwag……”
“The other day?! Hey, wait! What’s going on? Explain yourself! What did you do when you met our son? What did you talk about? What happened? Is Earth okay!?”
Even though their magic and movements were sealed, both Hiro and Mamu raised their voices with such fury that they seemed ready to bite through iron bars to break free.
Even though Earth himself rejected them, he was still their irreplaceable, beloved son.
“Hehehahaha, Don’t you fret. Safe an’ sound? More than that—Earth Lagann’s grown even bigger’n ever, ain’t he? Right this minute he’s probably off in Japone cookin’ up some brand-new legend. What with Espie, Koujiro, an’ even Mikado joinin’ in. Norja an’ Paripi might be a right bad influence on ‘is education, mind, but it’s turnin’ into a right laugh.”
“”…… Huh?””
“‘An’ on top o’ that, we’ve got ourselves a little wager goin’. One day Earth Lagann’s gonna square up to me proper, an’ if—big if, mind—if I end up gettin’ licked… then I’ll be signin’ on as ‘is lackey! Fuhahaha! How’s that for a laugh, eh?”
“”Eh… ah… huh?””
Hakuki chuckled, remembering. Over a decade had passed since the Great Demon King Tre’ainar died, and Hakuki himself hadn’t encountered anything that made him laugh so uncontrollably.
The day he met Earth, the day they reunited, and the people gathered around him. All of it thrilled Hakuki.
However, Hiro and Mamu, hearing this for the very first time, were completely dumbfounded, a stark contrast to their earlier selves.
“N, no, what? E, Espie… what? Now, Koujiro, Mikado, and Japone? N, no, no, then what? Norja …… What? And besides, Paripi? Huh? Pa, Paripi of the Six Supremacy? That guy died over fifteen years ago!”
“A, and, if you lose to Earth, you’ll become his lackey…… What? What? Huh?”
Every piece of information Hakki had just spouted involved figures completely beyond Hiro and Mamu’s comprehension. The two gaped at each other repeatedly, utterly dumbfounded.
Then, seeing their expressions, Hakuki’s previously cheerful mood shifted abruptly. His expression turned……
“Blimey… you two… you really don’t know a bleedin’ thing, do ya…? You genuinely ain’t got the foggiest… If anythin’, I’m the one what’s shocked. With the state Earth Lagann’s in now … and you two ain’t had the slightest thing to do with it… you’re completely out of the loop, ain’tcha?”
“Ugh!??”
“Which means… Hahahahaha! Stone the crows! You ain’t ‘eard a peep from that Espie, ‘ave ya? The one we reckon knows the whole bleedin’ story! An’ she’s meant to be yer comrade-in-arms, one o’ the Seven Heroes alongside ya!”
“Espie…… knows?”
“Too right. That lass knows the lot, she does. ‘Cos over a decade ago, she was already… heheh… bloody hilarious, innit… and downright pitiful.”
It was beyond surprise or bewilderment; Hakuki’s expression now held something bordering on pity.
Their comrades, the Seven Heroes, who have already left their mark on history, and their archenemies, the Six Supremacy.
Such figures were operating without their knowledge, and at the center of it all was their own son.
And they knew nothing of the situation, the reasons, the circumstances, or even what had happened and what was to come.
“W, we’re…completely… out of the loop……”
“Earth…… you…… What the heck is going on……”
Hakuki’s words “out of the loop” cut like a blade that pierced their hearts most deeply. Neither Hiro nor Mamu could utter a single word of rebuttal, and they simply slumped, defeated.
They had regretted their actions in that tournament match to the point of death.
Even after catching up to him once in Cacretale, they had misjudged the extent of Earth’s growth, which far exceeded their expectations, and they ultimately failed to capture him.
Even so, they kept chasing him without giving up. Yet, they were held back like this, and during that time, Earth had stepped further into a world unknown to them.
The shock and frustration of Hiro and Mamu, who were reminded once again that they knew absolutely nothing from start to finish, was greater than ever before.
“Boss, excuse me for interrupting ya! I’m here ta deliver a message!”
In the dungeon, where the atmosphere was heavy, an ogre rushed in.
“Don’t matter. Wot is it?”
“Aye. It’s that ‘Umashika’ of Japone…… asking what the deal is with the Tax Enforcement Unit suddenly abandoning their posts, retreating, and on top of that, letting Mikado and the prisoners escape?”
“Ah, that business… We’ve kitted ’em out with every weapon they could need, yet still they whinge. Never mind. Leave ’em to it. I’ve lost interest meself. But don’t slack on keepin’ tabs on wot’s ‘appenin’. Even if I ain’t got no use for this ‘Umashika’, I’m always keen on how Japone’s fate plays out, every step o’ the way.”
Hakuki nodded after receiving the report. It was a complaint from Umashika of Japone.
Although it was expected, he sighed and said, “Blimey.”
However……
“Also …….”
“There’s more?”
His subordinate’s report wasn’t finished.
“Yes, from Shitnei…… saying something like… tomorrow there’s going ta be something interesting, so ya better clear ya schedule or something.”
“What’s that? From Shitnei? Tomorrow? What’re they on about?”
“Dunno, boss… they said it’s a surprise, something ta look forward to…….”
It was a message from Shitnei. That part alone was unexpected even for Hakuki, so he frowned, unsure what it meant.
However, what Hakuki didn’t understand was naturally unclear to these two as well……
“Japone…… Umashika, is that the king? Prisoners? …… Granpa Mikado…? Did he escape?”
“And besides, Japone… is Earth there right now……”
It was all too confusing. But Hiro and Mamu looked up again, wondering if their son might be involved somehow.
Sads Translates 