Chapter 440 – It’s a Shame He’s the Hero’s Son, After All
〔Oh, nice to meet you. Name’s ‘Karui’! I’m 13 years old attending the Cacretale School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! And, I serve as a sister of the church at times, a straight neat and tidy maiden!!〕
〔…… Amae ……〕
Earth awoke in an unfamiliar land. It was a closed, isolated nation called Cacretale.
Those who knew the name of the place were surprised that Earth was there—a place usually difficult to reach—and furthermore……
〔In three months’ time… a tournament will be held in this country. The ‘Arcane True Zenith Fighting Competition’………… I will ask thee participate in said tournament and win the championship. Until then, thou will not leave this country. Well, I have taken numerous measures to prevent thy escape, but… the winning privilege of the championship is an ‘enormous treasure’. And, a ‘Supplementary prize’. Well, the winner will receive the supplementary prize as well. Only I and my church as overseers the tournament are aware of it…. something amazing…. a tremendous honor…. do look forward to it and give it thy all.〕
He was apprehended by the High Priestess of the local church and presented with conditions he couldn’t make sense of.
Earth was bewildered.
However, military personnel and bounty hunters who recognized the High Priestess’ true identity at a glance were astonished.
“Your Majesty! Th, that woman…”
“Yes. I had received a report from Phianse as well…… the Six Supremacy…… Jamdi’el……”
Solja, the Emperor, had also been briefed on Cacretale and Jamdi’el.
Yet, seeing the current form of his arch-rival for the first time in over a decade stirred up a flood of emotions, leaving him feeling conflicted.
Above all, if Earth was truly under “that Jamdi’el “, it was impossible not to worry, and at the same time, he suspected there might be some connection to the events of that nightmarish Imperial Tournament.
And there are many people who knew Jamdi’el, the world-famous bounty head.
“Hey, hey, that Jamdi’el from the Demon King Army… does this mean…?”
“Ah! So that brat was involved with the remnants of the Demon King Army after all!”
“And speaking of Cacretale……”
“Ah, it’s that isolated nation! So that’s where they were hiding…”
“Hey, what do His Majesty the Emperor, Lord Hiro, and Lady Mamu know about this…?”
Naturally, the people of the Imperial City reacted instantly, raising their voices in bewilderment.
“I knew it! That guy was a total scoundrel!”
“That good-for-nothing has finally abandoned the pride of his heroic lineage and sold his soul to the devil!”
“To be the son of a hero and act like that—what a shameless wretch!”
It seemed that everything they had seen at that Imperial Tournament, and all the suspicions they had harbored, were indeed true.
The moment that thought crossed their minds, angry insults directed at Earth—who was not even present—rained down from all corners of the Imperial City.
And there was no one to defend him.
〔If you’re going to win the tournament in three months… do you mean you’re going to beat José?〕
Regardless of the feelings of the citizens of the Imperial City, the footage of Earth’s performance at Cacretale continued to play on the screen.
Yet, every time something appeared on screen, the residents raised their voices in protest.
〔That’s right. I’m going to knock them all down… whoever they are.〕
Even at the sight of Earth showing enthusiasm for a tournament held among humans personally trained by the legendary Six Supremacy, Jamdi’el, the residents protested……
“Tch, look what he’s saying.”
“I bet he’ll resort to that cowardly power again! Just like that time!”
“Or maybe he’ll use a demonic ritual or some other illegal, forbidden magic…….”
“Maybe. After all, Jamdi’el —one of the world’s worst criminals—is there.”
From the start, their perception of “Earth Lagann” was rooted in the fixed idea that he was “the hero’s son, yet a disappointment.”.
This was because there were brilliant geniuses like Phianse, Rebal, and Fu—children of heroes who lived up to their lineage.
In comparison, Earth, the son of Hiiro and Maam—who should have had the most blessed lineage of all and had the highest expectations placed on him—was viewed negatively as someone who “betrayed their expectations.
On top of that, there were the events of the Graduation Match.
Furthermore……
〔Oh, Magical Squat, 230 Power! No, that’s a big one! Are you really a beginner?〕
〔Impressive… Magical DeadLift is also 210 power… No, he’s a frightening lad.〕
〔Oh. He’s no match for Machio, but he’s talented!〕
There stood Earth, having his physical abilities measured at Cacretale.
Most people were seeing this measurement method for the first time, but by watching, they could vaguely understand what was being measured.
〔What!? You can even do Magical Vision training!?〕
〔Si… Sixty times!?〕
〔Oh, no way!〕
〔See here, it’s undisputed! Amazing!〕
Earth, projected onto the sky, keeps racking up “impressive results” one after another……
〔Hmm, five seconds still remain, yet… 62 times… well, it’s about right……〕
〔Huh!?〕
While Earth’s record is clearly a “good score” judging by the reactions of the Kakureteru members, it’s not the top score.
〔Speed, oh, that’s good…… I’m confident in my speed!〕
〔Hmm, I see…… oh, by the way, Karui. Is it wise to be so carefree? Should thou not be in school by now?〕
〔…… Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I, I forgotーーー!!?? S, so late!!! Ah, I’m going, I am going!!〕
No matter how well he performs, he could never be “the best” in power, speed, or any other area.
That was Earth, and that was the exact assessment everyone in the Imperial City had held of him up until now.
Ultimately, he’s just a talented student.
Therefore, the “Imperial City Citizens” who witnessed the scene all said in unison, “See, I told you so,” with expressions of disbelief as if they had known all along, and some even mocked Earth.
However, that was only true within the Depaltia Empire.
In fact, in Cacretale……
“Aaaah! I’m on there! Th, th, that’s so embarrassing!”
“High Priestess! Older brother’s there too! And Amae!”
Gathered on the beach, before they knew it, everyone was sitting down, gazing up at the sky for a viewing session.
Those who spotted themselves, like Karui and Amae, were excited and delighted.
“Wow… even though it was just the other day, it feels kind of nostalgic, doesn’t it? That’s right, Earth was like that at first too—impressive, but no match for Machio and the others…that was the image I had of him, right?”
“As Tsukshi said, back then, I probably thought of Earth Lagann as… talented, but not someone to be afraid of… that’s how I might have seen him. Though, of course, he wasn’t just that.”
Tsukshi and Machio were smiling nostalgically, and with a hint of joy.
And it wasn’t just the two of them.
“Oh, Ora! That’s exactly it!”
“Yeah, we know…what Earth did after that…… no, ‘what he has been doing’.”
“We followed that Earth, didn’t we!”
“Really…… it all started back then……”
Everyone in Cacretale knew.
“Yeah! Mr. Earth was amazing, wasn’t he ~”
“Yeah, he was a local sensation for a while, day in and day out…”
“Yeah. Ah… that’s right…”
The first time they met Earth. And how Earth has spent his time since then.
“At this point in time, Earth… it might not have been long after he disappeared from our sight following the tournament……”
“Even back then, Earth was already far stronger than I was…but……”
“Yeah. This is where it really begins.”
“…… Little man.”
And for Phianse and others who followed Earth’s trail, what they had to witness was exactly what lay ahead.
How would Earth, at this point, spend his days from now on in the face of this outcome?
Everyone would find out with wide-eyed astonishment……
…All except for one person.
“Gwaaaaaaaaaaaah, nooooooo, this is so embarrassing! Wait, is this seriously just broadcasting my entire private life?! What the hell is going on, hey! Paripiiiiiii!!! This is your doing, isn’t it? You bastaaaaaard!!”
In the Elven Settlement, Earth raged with his face bright red, completely overcome by embarrassment.
The shame of his past self—and his behavior back then—being shown not only to people other than himself, but to an unspecified large audience, was unbearable.
In fact, it wasn’t just an unspecified large audience—it was being broadcast simultaneously to the whole world, but……
“Ugh, will you be quiet, Big brother!”
“That’s right, Brother! Back then was the most frustrating time for us—we wanted to go pick you up but couldn’t… We have to see the record of how you grew back then!”
But the ones trying to calm Earth, who was making such a fuss, were Espie and Slayer……
“The past of Sir Earth… Ahh—ahh! How wondrous… how truly wondrous!”
“The days between Honey being taken away from me and our reunion… I suppose Kron-san will also make an appearance, but what a stroke of luck this is.”
“Ooooh~ Check that out! Jamdi’el’s, like, makin’ a full appearance, whoa~”
“Uh~mm…… I had heard about it in the report, but……”
“Oh, that one seems lively as well, doesn’t he♪ Now then, son-in-law, sit still. We want to watch!”
Furthermore, he was being held down by Amicus, Shinobu, and everyone else.
They couldn’t focus, so they needed him to stay still.
Yes, everyone just wants to see this normally.
“I don’t wanna… having everything seen is so embarrassing……… that Paripi bastard……”
“Hmph, that Paripi……”
At this moment, Tre’ainar could only laugh in exasperation at Earth—the only person in the world feeling shame and muttering curses at Paripi.
In any case, once the records of the past have begun to play, it can no longer be stopped.
Sads Translates 