◆ Kingdom of Kashiram, Hans’s House ◆
“I see, you’re heading to the Kingdom of Avangarde today… Please come visit again sometime.”
“Yeah, take care, Tatarka and Rama.”
It feels like I’ve been in this country for quite a long time. At first, I struggled to adapt to its unique atmosphere, but now I find myself growing fond of it. The bustling streets lined with noisy shops and the exorbitant costs of passive travel have all become cherished memories.
Hans’s workshop has not only returned to its former glory but has expanded to two or three times its original size, which surprised me. The rounded exterior remains unchanged, but everything looks much cleaner, and now several people can work simultaneously alongside Hans. However, knowing Hans’s personality, he probably won’t take on any apprentices besides Tatarka, and he likely dislikes such assistance, but I wonder how it really is.
“My father seems busy with work…”
“Pfft, that man distracts himself with work because he finds farewells hard. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ah…”
Since Rama said it, I believe her. I wanted to express my gratitude, but I figured he would just respond brusquely, and if he’s not around, maybe it’s for the best. Still, it feels right to say at least a few words.
“Hans! Thank you for reworking the Disballade!”
I called out with all my might towards the workshop. Of course, there was no response, but he should have definitely heard me. Alright, that should do it.
“I can never repay the favor to Rua and Kurinka…”
“Oh, no need for thanks. Right, Lua-chan?”
“Exactly, we didn’t do it for that reason.”
“But you two are Adventurers, so I can’t let it go without some form of payment… This super-sized lunch box doesn’t even come close to being a proper thank you…”
“Super-sized!”
Kurinka leaped towards the enormous lunch box that was big enough to be cradled in both arms. I couldn’t help but wonder what was inside. Why does she have such a massive lunch box? It seemed freshly made, as a savory aroma wafted from the netted box.
“Lua-chan, let’s go! We should eat this somewhere! It’s almost lunchtime, right?”
“But we just woke up…”
As we left the town, Kurinka transformed into a dragon at an unprecedented speed and offered her back to me. In other words, I was to hold the lunch box and climb on. It wasn’t heavy, but if I accidentally dropped it from the sky, I could be cursed for life. The responsibility felt overwhelming, and I almost considered walking instead.
“Goodbye!”
The two waved us off as we took to the skies, gradually becoming smaller in the distance. Gazing at the Kashiram Royal Palace and the sprawling Royal Capital around it, I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me.
“Lua-chan, look over there!”
A strong figure stood atop the palace’s round roof. The sun illuminated his dark skin as he confidently pointed his thumb in our direction. The Battle King was smiling and waving us off. Not only that, but the soldiers gathering in the palace courtyard saluted us in unison. However, Weiss was simply looking up at us.
Even without words, I could feel their gratitude. It was a chaotic country, but I hoped that something had changed for the better because of us.
“It was quite a peculiar country, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t have a good impression at first, but neither the King nor Weiss are bad people. If there’s another chance…”
“I hope it will be peaceful when we come back next time.”
As the King said, there are still many threats looming over this world. The Neo Demon Lord Army, the Comet Wolf Brigade. I’m also curious about the mysterious Phantom. And just like the recent issues with the Matere Trading Company and the slaves, there are many people suffering in unreasonable conditions. I don’t think I can solve all of that, but someday, surely.
“I hope I can do what I want to do soon. Then I want to travel around the world. There are still so many countries we don’t know about, and things we need to learn. Did you know? There are places where it snows or rains all year round. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Really? Why does it keep falling?”
“I don’t know, but that place has a unique climate, and the people living there have adapted to it.”
“Rain is one thing, but snow sounds wonderful. I’ve never seen snow…”
“Me neither. Maybe we can go see it together someday.”
As we enjoyed our lighthearted conversation while soaring through the sky, I scanned the distant landscape for a calm spot to eat our lunch box. However, all I could see were mountains, with no signs of habitation.
With no other choice, we decided to land in a grassy clearing in the wild. The sight of the grass swaying in the wind was soothing. It seemed there were no monsters around, so I opened the lunch box in a suitable spot. Inside were familiar dishes like roast beef rolls and fried chicken, and even the Kashiram specialty, Chicken Spice Rice, was neatly arranged. Despite being slightly cold, it was made to be delicious even when not fresh, providing satisfaction comparable to dining at a restaurant.
“Shin, do you want some?”
“Nom!”
“Hey! Mind your manners!”
“Munch munch munch.”
“Kurinka being polite is… surprising.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Shin, who had been silently clinging to my back since then, was someone I should probably interrogate now that I knew he was part of the Demon Lord Army, but I ended up doing nothing. Shin didn’t hide away either; he boldly showed himself in front of us.
Normally, he should have been captured for following us as a messenger of the Demon Lord Army, but for some reason, I felt no sense of danger. In fact, watching him munch on rice like a squirrel, with grains stuck around his mouth, made me feel oddly attached to him.
“Hey, Shin, you mentioned the Four Heavenly Kings of the Neo Demon Lord Army. Are there really three more like you?”
“Of course! There are four of us, so it’s only natural. You shouldn’t even have to ask that.”
His tone seemed to mock me, which was somewhat irritating. After licking the rice grains off his fingers, Shin stared intently at my face.
“What?”
“Demon Races have some kind of special power… an ability. It’s neither a skill nor magic.”
“Oh, so Demon Races are amazing, huh?”
“Humans can’t even compare; that’s what it means to be a Demon Race.”
“Do Demon Races hate humans?”
“On the contrary, we seek to take control of the surface and change things. The resentment of being driven to the brink of extinction by humans will never fade!”
Before I knew it, the contents of the lunch box were nearly devoured by Shin and Kurinka. I wasn’t that hungry anyway, so it didn’t really matter. I could go for days without eating if I wanted, but I didn’t want to do that.
“…Don’t you want to get along with humans?”
“Can humans coexist with the bugs that infest their kitchens?”
“Bugs… you mean the black ones?”
“See? Coexistence is a farce. No matter how nice you put it, we are different races; our powers, cultures, and ways of thinking are all worlds apart, like humans and bugs.”
“I wonder about that…”
“And one more thing.”
After swallowing the last piece of fried chicken, Shin wiped his mouth. Upon closer inspection, it seemed he had used Kurinka’s robe, which earned him a fierce scolding. Out of fear, he dove back into the lunch box, only poking his head out when I finally managed to coax him.
“I don’t think Eerlich is dead.”
“Huh? But he melted!”
“Eerlich can not only transform into others but also create his own doppelganger. He’s always been cautious and never shows his true form.”
“What a troublesome guy.”
“Especially the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, Aboro. He is the strongest Demon Race warrior in history. Even all Twelve Demon Generals combined would be treated like children by him, and he could potentially rival the Demon Lord himself. No matter how formidable you are, Lua, if you underestimate a Demon Race, you’ll regret it.”
“Isn’t it a bit harsh to call me a monster?”
The way he licked the sauce off his mouth was infuriatingly cute. Yet, I couldn’t help but find him endearing.
“Coexistence is a farce, huh? Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible.”
“I can say it is!”
“But we’re able to talk like this with you, a Demon Race.”
“Ugh!?”
Kurinka hurriedly shoved a bottle into Shin’s mouth as he choked on something. It was so rough that it didn’t seem kind at all, and water spilled from his mouth as he struggled.
“Ha… ha…”
“Don’t panic.”
“It’s your fault for saying weird things!”
“Weird things? What do you mean?”
“WEIRD THINGS!”
He seemed to be stubbornly refusing to answer anything inconvenient. As the gentle breeze blew, I noticed Shin had begun to snore softly in the lunch box. It was so comfortable that I felt sleepy too and unconsciously leaned against Kurinka.
“Ah, sorry…”
“It’s fine. Let’s take a little nap.”
“Is that okay? Well, I can wake up quickly if a strange monster comes…”
“Then we can rest easy!”
“Mmm…”
I was caught off guard by Kurinka, who pressed her lips against mine with a boldness that came from her sense of security. Of course, I was much stronger than her, and if I wanted to, I could easily pull away. But for some reason, this situation, where I was completely at her mercy, felt oddly comforting. Her ample chest pressed against me, and soon I found myself enveloped in her embrace. The soft, enveloping sensation was simply irresistible.
Our tongues intertwined, our bodies pressed closely together, and the only sound that reached my ears was the rustling of the grass and trees swaying in the wind. In this moment, there was no one else around but us.
“Mmm…”
“Ah… mmm.”
Kurinka’s delicate white hand rested just below my back, sending shivers through my entire body with an indescribable sensation, accompanied by a vague sense of guilt. Even though no one was there to judge us, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were doing something wrong.
“Kurinka, Shin is going to wake up…”
“It’s fine, he’s completely asleep.”
“If we get caught here, who knows what they’ll say…”
Though I said that, I was already lost in the pleasure of Kurinka’s touch. I realized that my chest was small. I had always thought that being larger would only hinder me in battle, but Kurinka couldn’t enjoy this sensation like I was. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I were a little bigger. But how could I make that happen?
“W-wait! That tickles…”
As Kurinka moved her lips to other parts of my body, we playfully resisted each other. When we were children, we used to run around and play in nature like this, but now we were doing something entirely different. Instead of tiring ourselves out from running and falling asleep in a meadow, we were exhausting ourselves in this new kind of play. Lying on the grass, holding hands, we decided to rest for a bit.
After a short nap, we would head towards the Kingdom of Avangarde and prepare for what lay ahead. The Great Garnis Glacier was said to be a treacherous area with a Danger Level exceeding 100, where survival time was only twenty seconds. We needed to stay focused. And beyond that…
“It’s such a quiet and nice place… I’d love to build a house here and live a leisurely life.”
“It feels somewhat close to Ikana Village, doesn’t it?”
“Ikana Village… We really are all alone now, aren’t we? No family, no friends… everyone is gone.”
“Are you lonely? Well, I guess you would be. I sometimes miss them too.”
“But thanks to Lua-chan, I’m okay. It feels like we’re family…”
“Eh…?”
“I’m sorry, that was a weird thing to say. But… when I watched my mom and dad when I was little, I thought I’d like to be a beautiful bride someday. And then, I imagined building a house and living happily together, having children… No, maybe that’s a bit strange.”
“It’s not strange at all. That’s Kurinka’s dream, right?”
“But we’re both girls…”
“Ehh?”
Kurinka turned as red as a tomato, her eyes tightly shut. Perhaps she was so embarrassed that she covered her mouth with her hand for a while.
“Do you think we could become a family?”
“Eh? But we…”
“I don’t really know, but if we build a house and live happily together, wouldn’t that make us a family? We could start that now, right?”
“Lua-chan, what are you saying?!”
Is this what they call being tongue-tied? But she didn’t seem to dislike it at all; in fact, she looked like she wanted it. I couldn’t understand why Kurinka hesitated, and I was just expressing my honest feelings. Because…
“I love Kurinka, so we could get married, right?”
“…!”
“Let’s build a house and live together someday?”
“…Yeah.”
We had already told each other that we loved one another, so this wasn’t anything new. Marriage is simply something that people who love each other do, so why shouldn’t we? No one could complain about it.
“Maybe I should express my feelings more clearly?”
“Eh, Lua-chan, what do you mean by that?”
“Like this!”
This time, I pressed my lips against Kurinka’s in return. Caught off guard, Kurinka surrendered to my embrace. The way she shivered slightly was incredibly cute. I gently stroked her beautiful blonde hair and pulled her head closer to my chest.
“Shall we… get married?”
After Kurinka shyly responded, a strange wave of drowsiness washed over me, as if to celebrate our deep slumber. A soft breeze swept through, enveloping us in its warmth.
◆ Shin Report ◆
I’m wide awake, what’s up with that?
What are you two doing, this, this, this?
What do you mean “what’s going to happen”?
I can’t wake up, that’s all.
After letting my guard down around this Shin,
You’re looking down on this Shin, who is a demon, aren’t you?
I can talk, you know?
Hmph, well, still…
The chicken was delicious, so I’ll let it slide for today.
Eh, marriage?
◆ Kashiram Royal Palace, Dungeon ◆
“W-what is that?!”
I couldn’t see clearly what it was. In this already dark dungeon, I could barely make out a shabby thin blanket, a makeshift bed, and a wooden box for relieving oneself. Yet, this figure emanated a presence far more unusual than those meager items. It appeared silently from behind the iron bars, right where I was.
A stout man with a black silhouette, towering over me by more than a head. I recognized that physical feature. Back when I was a street vendor, he had been next to me, running a weapon stall. All the weapons he displayed were black, black, black. I thought he might be selling some peculiar decor, but it seemed he was trying to sell weapons.
Naturally, such oddities wouldn’t sell. While I was steadily increasing my sales, not a single weapon of his had sold. Yet, he never took a day off, selling the same weapons in the same spot. He didn’t seem to be disheartened by his lack of sales; instead, he hunched over, staring at the bizarre weapons he was trying to sell. I had looked down on him. But one day, the man, who had been silent, suddenly stood up and muttered something. His body was larger than I had expected, and even though I had only seen that moment, it left a lasting impression.
“There is no greed here.”
I almost laughed as I watched the man walk away, dejected. He blamed the passersby for the reason his weapons didn’t sell. Even now, as I am called the great weapon merchant, I still remember him. He is a pitiful loser. Even after losing in battle, he continues to believe he is right. A man who will shift the blame until he dies. I have always despised such people and had no desire to associate with them.
How many months have passed since then? Why is he here now? How did he get here?
“Long time no see, Matere.”
We had never met before. Even back then, we hadn’t exchanged a single word. Yet, he remembers me. The way the black shadow swayed slightly from side to side reminded me of a ghost.
“It seems you’ve risen quite a bit since then. As a fellow weapon merchant, I’m truly delighted.”
“I-I don’t know you!”
“No, you know me very well. The pitying look you gave me, as if you were looking at a leftover slave, pierced right through me.”
“Is this revenge?! How ridiculous!”
“You’ve risen to the point of being called the great weapon merchant; it’s quite impressive. But…”
Even when he got close enough for me to see his nose, I still couldn’t see his face. Only his eyes glowed roundly, resembling a true ghost. However, the stench of rotten breath was unmistakable.
“Your weapons are incredibly dull.”
Even though there was no further retreat, my feet continued to slide across the stone floor. My breath quickened, and sweat poured down my face. I wanted to say something, but only air passed through my throat.
“When one gains great power, they expose their true desires. Power realizes all desires. Your weapons lack the allure to stir those desires.”
“W-what of it? Does that mean your weapons have such allure?”
“They do, which is why I am here.”
It was as if the black shadow was layered upon itself. One, two, three. Each swayed separately from side to side, further confirming that he was not human.
“What do you want from me…?”
“Of course, I want you to die.”
“What kind of madness is this?!”
“I despise people like you. Those who only accept their own beliefs while denying others. You trample the weak and look down on them. And the resentment of those who have been trampled will surely be transformed… into this.”
“W-wait! Don’t come any closer!”
The shadows multiplied, surrounding me. And they kept multiplying.
“As a phantom.”
As a blade pierced my mouth, the moment I felt the searing pain and lost consciousness, I recalled the sense of superiority and satisfaction I felt when I established the Matere Trading Company, the thrill of owning my first shop, and the days of being a street vendor, where I had to fight to survive. I was.
“This world will eventually become like this.”
As my consciousness sank into a dark abyss, I remembered that I too had once been weak.