Chapter 48: Nara’s Resolve
“By the way, you didn’t mention earlier how you and Meileen managed to regroup with Maya,” Nara asked after we confirmed the route to Admos Castle and took a breather.
“Now that you mention it, I didn’t talk about that. Meileen, is it okay if I share?”
Since I needed to explain about Meileen as well, I called out to her for permission, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Meileen?”
“Yes?”
When I called out, her voice came from the kitchen.
Curious, I stepped into the kitchen and found Meileen nursing Leon, who had woken up without me noticing.
“What’s up?”
Meileen asked, still focused on Leon.
“Ah, Nara wants to hear about what happened afterward. I need to talk about you too, so I was wondering if I could.”
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
As she said this, Meileen continued to gaze at Leon, her expression completely unfazed.
It was about being ousted from the throne of the Demon Tribe Nation, but she seemed to have no lingering attachments.
“Got it. Then let me continue…”
“Maya? What—” Thud! “Gah!? My eyes, my eyes!!”
As Nara tried to enter the kitchen, I instinctively blinded him.
Nara writhed on the floor like a certain colonel, clearly in pain from the sudden attack.
After rolling around for a while, he seemed to have taken quite a hit and was slow to get back up.
I had no choice but to use Healing Magic to restore his sight.
“Ah… finally starting to see again…”
Nara groaned as he sluggishly stood up.
Ivern’s face twisted in disbelief as he looked at Nara.
“You’re at a level where you needed Healing Magic?”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, but… the tears just won’t stop!”
Though Nara’s eyes were open, tears streamed down his face.
Well, it was his eyes after all.
“Still, you’re healed, right?”
“I can see, but… why did you blind me in the first place?”
“Meileen was nursing Leon.”
“…I’m really sorry about that.”
Just moments ago, Nara had been glaring at me with resentment, but upon hearing my explanation, he bowed his head sincerely.
“Be careful, there’s another infant in this house.”
“That’s right. If Yulia were to be seen in such a situation, I wouldn’t stay quiet either—” Screech! “Aira! Don’t bite my nipple!!” “Forget you heard that.”
“Ah, yes!”
Yulia’s impeccable timing never ceased to amaze me.
Recently, Aira had been teething and often bit Yulia’s nipple while nursing.
Each time, that scream echoed throughout the house.
“So, about how Meileen and I regrouped?”
“…How can you talk about that after all this?”
“That’s just how it is in a house with kids.”
“Is that so…? Then please, tell me.”
With Nara now ready to listen, I began recounting my reunion with Ivern.
Once the queen of the Demon Tribe Nation, Meileen had lost her throne due to her brother’s rebellion.
At that time, Mona had secretly helped Meileen escape.
And shortly after, she had reunited with me, who was wanted and fleeing for my life.
“Wow… that’s seriously dramatic.”
“Right? We both ended up thinking it was fate. We became close that very day.”
“Ah, I get that. When I returned from the battlefield, Eva was so kind to me, and I fell for her.”
“Yeah, after a life-or-death battle, those feelings can arise.”
Nara and Ivern were both engaged in my story.
“Well, that’s how I started traveling with Meileen. We wandered around until we finally settled here.”
“Oh, what about you, Ivern?”
“This guy? He used to be an explorer. The townsfolk asked him to get rid of me, a wanted man who had taken up residence here.”
Upon hearing this, Nara’s face turned to one of utter shock.
“Seriously…? How did you not get killed?”
“Honestly, it was a close call. If I hadn’t listened to Kenta’s story, I probably would have been killed. In fact, every bounty hunter who came here before me has gone missing.”
“…Seriously, you really dodged a bullet.”
“You’re in the same boat, Nara. You’re living on borrowed time.”
As I said this, Nara took a step back from me.
“If you had attacked me without hesitation, I would have killed you without a second thought. But you lost your fighting spirit when you saw my face, right?”
“Well… at that time, I didn’t sense any hostility from Maya. Since we’re from the same hometown, I thought maybe you weren’t as bad as people say.”
“Oh, that intuition is important. That’s why people in this world are so hopeless.”
It’s true; they’re all fools.
They think they’re the most important, the most correct, and they refuse to change that mindset.
Thus, they can’t fathom the feelings of others.
“By the way, can I ask you something, Nara?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“There was another person summoned this time, right? What happened to them?”
As soon as I asked, Nara’s expression soured.
“That guy? He’s hopeless. He says he’s not suited for the sword and wants to practice magic… but you know, Maya, there’s no one in the Human Tribe who can teach magic.”
“I totally get that. So what is he doing?”
“…He invites women to his room every day. Apparently, he’s learned some minor magic, so he’s probably playing at being a harem protagonist.”
Wow, that’s pretty pathetic.
Could he be one of those types?
The kind who thinks, “I was a nerd back home, but now I’m popular in this fantasy world”?
“Seriously? So we don’t need to worry about him?”
“Probably not. He can’t do anything even if we leave him alone. Honestly, he might be abandoned soon.”
“Well, if he’s inviting women to his room every day… but how did he even get permission for that? Are those maids from the castle? That’s way too generous.”
“They’re not from the castle. They’re from a brothel.”
“A professional, huh?”
So the kingdom is funding that.
I don’t discriminate against that kind of business, but one person is risking their life in battle while another is indulging in frivolities.
It’s truly a disgrace.
It turns out, the foolishness isn’t limited to just the people in this world.
“If he doesn’t produce results soon, he might be cut loose.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Of course. The only reason he hasn’t been dealt with is probably because of you, Nara.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You’ve grown more than expected. So they might think he has potential too. But if you betray Admos and come here?”
“…The deadweight will be cut.”
“Exactly. What will you do? Are you going to stop running?”
After I said this, Nara thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“No. After hearing Maya’s story, I can’t trust the royalty of this world. I’ve sensed that kind of vibe in various places… So, I’ll learn from Maya. I don’t care about this world anymore.”
Seeing Nara declare this, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Ha! Hahaha! That’s great, Nara! You’re the best!”
“Uh, thanks.”
“Well, I don’t know if we should dispose of him… what was his name again?”
“Oh, Ota. Ota Yuto.”
“Ota, huh? I don’t know if we should get rid of him or just let him go, but if we do, he might be summoned again.”
When I said this, Nara’s face turned to one of sheer astonishment.
“Wait, does that mean someone else will be summoned again…?”
“Right? You can’t let that happen.”
We can’t allow such reckless actions to continue.
So I said, “If Admos makes a move, let’s interfere. I actually wanted to destroy that magic circle before escaping, but I didn’t have the time.”
When I said this, Nara grinned.
“Sounds good. We wouldn’t be punished for doing that.”
I really like this side of Nara, his easygoing nature.
As the two summoners plotted their scheme, Ivern let out a huge sigh.
“Seriously… you look so alive when you’re scheming.”
“That sounds bad, Ivern. This is a holy war for us summoners!”
“That’s so intense!”
As we got caught up in this strange vibe, Ivern sighed once more.
“Isn’t this just petty harassment…?”
You could say that too.