Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Vol 4 Chapter 3

Volume 4 Chapter 3, “It’s Decided. I Will Sing So the Swords Will Stop.”

 

 

——– The Village of Wintering, in the Forest

Clang! Cling!

The Hero: “…!”

Clink! Clang!

The Hero: “Agh!”

The Female Paladin: “…”

Clink! Clink!

The Hero: “Curse of Lightning! Falling Thunder! Oooooohhhh! Lightning Destruction!”

Clink! Clink!

The Hero: “Haah… Hahh…”

The Female Paladin: “Oi, Hero.”

The Hero: “Eh? Ah. Female Paladin.”

The Female Paladin: “You’re working too hard. You’re looking a bit pale, in fact.”

The Hero: “That’s not true. I’m rehabilitating.”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Hero: “I need to work even harder.”

The Female Paladin: “Hero.”

The Hero: “Eh?”

The Female Paladin: “It’s alright, so come over here.”

The Hero: “It hurts. What’s this!”

The Female Paladin: “Training is forbidden from now on.”

The Hero: “You can’t just say that.”

The Female Paladin: “Watch me.”

The Hero: “What…”

The Female Paladin smiles.

The Hero: “But there’s nothing else worth doing.”

The Female Paladin: “Stop saying that.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “It’s not like you became the Hero solely because of your combat ability.”

The Hero: “I know. It’s because I received divine sanction from the Holy Spirit of Light, right?”

The Female Paladin: “That is not correct either.”

The Hero: “It isn’t?”

The Female Paladin: “Well… I don’t know either.”

Gra.s.s rustling.

 

———– The Village of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters

The Hero: “It’s become huge.”

The Female Paladin: “We’ve had a few renovations done. I’m back!”

Female Chevalier: “Welcome back, Grandmaster, Hero.”

The Hero: “Thanks.”

The Female Paladin: “Is the bath ready?”

The Hero: “Owww. Let me go, my ear hurts.”

The Female Paladin: “No way.”

The Hero: “Aren’t you embarra.s.sed by this?”

Female Chevalier: “Please proceed to the Crystal Gardens.”

The Female Paladin: “Thank you. Let’s go.”

The Hero: “Hey, hey, wait.”

The Female Paladin: “I can’t wait.”

Female Chevalier: “Victory and Valour, Grandmaster.”

 

———– The Village of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters, the Crystal Gardens

Door opens.

The Hero: “Wow.”

The Female Paladin: “What?”

The Hero: “What a splendid bath.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s really a greenhouse, we use it to experiment on warm climate crops.”

The Hero: “I see. ”

The Female Paladin: “Is this your first time?”

The Hero: “Yes. I mean, I’ve heard of it.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s a real moneysucker though.  I built this thing upon the instructions of the Demon King, , but its operational costs are getting ridiculous.”

The Hero: “I suppose that’s true.”

The Female Paladin: “Alright, here we are.”

The Hero: “Hmm?”

The Female Paladin: “It’s a bath. Part of the hot water that heats the room can also be used as a bath. You want to sweat it out, right?”

The Hero: “Yeah, thank you.”

The Female Paladin: “Undress.”

The Hero: “I will! Alone. So don’t come over! You pervert!”

The Female Paladin: “How rude. I never said we would get inside together.”

The Hero: “Then what do you want?”

The Female Paladin: “I’ll just wash your back.”

The Hero: “—!”

The Female Paladin: “It’s fine. Wear a towel over your waist.”

The Hero: “Even so!”

The Female Paladin: “Right, so undress.”

The Hero: “I got it, I’ll undress! Face that way.”

The Female Paladin: “Being straightforward sure is better.”

The Hero: “I feel like I got defeated really easily.”

The Female Paladin: “Are you done?”

The Hero: “Not yet.”

The Female Paladin: “Mmmm.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “Are you done?”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “Right. Sit here.”

The Hero: “Like this?”

The Female Paladin: “I’m going to pour hot water on you now. If it’s too hot just tell me.”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “—”

Splash.

The Hero: “Ahhh, it’s hot.”

The Female Paladin: “Does it feel good?”

The Hero: “Yep!”

Splash.

The Female Paladin: “It’s unfortunate we can’t do this in the winter.”

The Hero: “Why not? Surely this would be fantastic in the winter.”

The Female Paladin: “If we tried doing this in the winter, with all the snow around, the water would freeze too quickly.”

The Hero: “Yeah, that’s true.”

Splash.

The Female Paladin: “…You could stay here.”

The Hero: “Sorry?”

The Female Paladin: “Nothing.” Scrub, scrub.

The Hero: “What’s that?”

The Female Paladin: “It’s a soft brush. Made from pig bristles.”

The Hero: “It feels great.”

The Female Paladin: “Doesn’t it? I love using it too.”

The Hero: “I see.”

Splash.

The Female Paladin: “—♪” Scrub.

The Hero: “You seem to have really good technique. Are you very experienced at this?”

The Female Paladin: “I suppose all knights are very experienced at brus.h.i.+ng.”

The Hero: “Is that so?”

The Female Paladin: “Is there anywhere that itches?”

The Hero: “Behind my ear.”

The Female Paladin: “Alright.”

The Hero: “Oooooh.”

The Female Paladin: “Even animals who can speak are easy to deal with in this manner.”

The Hero: “What? I didn’t understand what you just said.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s just an inside joke.”

Splash.

The Hero: “Ohhhh.”

The Female Paladin: “Did it get in your ear? I’m sorry.”

The Hero: “It’s okay.”

The Female Paladin: “Now for your hands. Pa.s.s me your right hand.”

The Hero: “Okay. Here you go.”

The Female Paladin: “—♪”

The Hero: “Umm.”

The Female Paladin: “What is it?”

The Hero: “Well, it’s really nothing, but…”

The Female Paladin: “What a strange person.”

The Hero: “…It’s not strange.”

The Female Paladin: “?”

The Hero: “It’s so ticklis.h.!.+”

The Female Paladin: “You’re a man, right? Endure it.”

The Hero: “Even men have some things they can’t endure.”

The Female Paladin: “Just a bit more.”

The Hero: “Oooooh.”

The Female Paladin: “You’re completely red.”

The Hero: “You’re fully clothed, so you don’t understand.”

The Female Paladin: “?”

The Hero: “It’s hot. Water.”

The Female Paladin: “Got it.”

Splash.

The Hero: “Ahhh…”

The Female Paladin: “Now for your left hand.”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

Brush brush.

The Female Paladin: “I think you work yourself too hard.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “I really want to help you, and you should know I like you. I’m the same as the Demon King, then.”

The Hero: “Ehh…”

The Female Paladin: “Why are you turning red?”

The Hero: “What a sudden thing to say…”

The Female Paladin: “Oh, right. This is my first time saying it straight to your face. But I like you. But that’s why I pledged my sword to you in the first place.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “It’s no use clamming up.”

The Hero: “Umm, I’m sorry.”

The Female Paladin: “No. It’s fine. I understand if it’ll take you some time.”

The Hero: “…?”

The Female Paladin: “You are really powerful. If we were to fight, I’d probably be crushed by you, right? But, because of that, I believe there are limits to how much better you can become by just training.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “By limits, I mean that no matter how good you become at this aspect, it no longer contributes to you winning your opponent. You’re already the strongest. However, you need to become stronger at liking yourself.”

The Hero: “…I couldn’t possibly just do that.”

The Female Paladin: “Yes, you can.”

The Hero: “…”

Splash.

The Female Paladin: “I believe you definitely can.”

The Hero: “Really?”

The Female Paladin: “The Hero I travelled around with was a very kind person, but you’re a much, much nicer person right now.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “Despite all the troubles and all the pain you hold close to yourself, you’ve become great… But if only you could let go of them, you could become even better.”

The Hero: “That would be nice.”

The Female Paladin: “Alright, let’s wash off.”

Splash.

The Hero: “Is it over?”

The Female Paladin: “Nope. Get into the tub.”

The Hero: “The tub?”

The Female Paladin: “It’s this big wooden bucket. I’ll pour hot water in it, and it’ll go right up to your shoulders. This is quite like your samurai training, is it not?”

The Hero: “Indeed. Well, I suppose if it’s for samurai training.”

The Female Paladin: “By cooking your body, you can steel your spirit.”

The Hero: “Spirit… That’s exactly what I like.”

The Female Paladin: “And don’t do that thing where you count to hundred and then jump out.”

 

——- The Moors near the Plains of Scilla

Stomp stomp stomp.

Mercenary Scout: “This is bad.”

Stomp stomp stomp.

Mercenary Archer: “What is it?”

Mercenary Scout: “The Crusaders are moving in our direction with a whole unit of those musket guys.”

Mercenary Archer: “How many?”

Mercenary Scout: “Their ranks are quite wide and I can’t be sure. But seeing as how one platoon has about 20-50 men, I would say there are quite a few of them. It looks like they’ve caught on to our attempt to escape with all the saltpetre.”

Mercenary Archer: “There aren’t any refugees that look like this, I suppose.”

Resourceful Young Man: “This is bad! Let’s run!”

Mercenary Survivor: “We can’t do that.”

Small Mercenary: “That’s right. We can’t run.”

Young Mercenary nods.

Resourceful Young Man: “Why not? The enemy has those fire spitting sticks! They’re going to kill us all!”

Mercenary Survivor: “We are no longer mercenaries.”

Small Mercenary: “Yeah.”

Resourceful Young Man: “What are you saying! You are mercenaries!”

Mercenary Survivor: “Based on the promises of our Chief, and the contract from that n.o.bleman, we are now brave knights of the Kingdom of Winter and the Kingdom of White Night.”

Small Mercenary: “That’s right. And knights don’t run away.”

Resourceful Young Man: “What stupid things you say! Aren’t you going to run away?! That guy may be a n.o.bleman, but he’s plenty quick on his feet too!”

Mercenary Survivor: “You’re not a knight, so go ahead and run away.”

Small Mercenary: “Indeed.”

Young Mercenary: “They’re still some distance away. You can make it if you run now.”

Mercenary Archer: “How far away are they?”

Mercenary Scout: “We’ve probably got another day or two.”

Resourceful Young Man: “Then…”

Mercenary Survivor: “So, what should we do?”

Small Mercenary: “…”

Young Mercenary: “Should we sally out and fight or should we stay and defend this fortress?”

Mercenary Archer: “We’ll have to strike while the enemy is still disorganised.”

Mercenary Survivor: “But judging by their numbers, this is not a strike we can effectively carry out.”

Small Mercenary: “We’ll think about it when the time comes, in the meantime, we just need to fight while singing our hearts out.”

Resourceful Young Man: “Don’t be stupid. This is just foolish. This will be your third consecutive fight. Are you all out of your minds?!”

Small Mercenary: “Don’t call the Chief a fool.”

Resourceful Young Man: “He is! He’s a fool! To fight in such a place does n.o.body any good, you’ll all just get slaughtered like dogs. That’s very uncool for knights. So stop being such fools and let’s get out of here, alright?”

Mercenary Survivor: “Knights don’t run away.”

Resourceful Young Man: “What exactly are you protecting? The Kingdom of White Night doesn’t exist anymore. You’re fighting without any real objectives!”

Young Mercenary: “…”

Mercenary Archer: “That’s why I said, if we let the enemy seize what we’ve got, it’ll be really troublesome!”

Mercenary Survivor: “That’s right. There’s a reason why the n.o.bleman wanted this hidden away. This saltpetre has got something to do with the mystery of that fire spitting cylinder.”

Resourceful Young Man: “Yes, it probably does, so…”

Mercenary Survivor: “That’s why we can’t let them have it.”

Small Mercenary: “Exactly.”

Young Mercenary: “We really have to fight.”

Rustling.

Mercenary Archer: “Who is it!”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “It’s me.”

Elder Sister Maid smiles.

Resourceful Young Man: “It’s you! You came back!… Who is this?”

Mercenary Survivor: “n.o.bleman!”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “That was my intention from the start. Sorry to have to meet you in such a place.”

Small Mercenary: “No, this is work after all.”

Young Mercenary nods.

Mercenary Archer: “We’re being chased by the Crusaders. They’ve clearly got their eyes on the stuff, but even with all the carriages, we’re going to have a hard time moving this stuff.”

Mercenary Survivor: “Even if we move, they’ll catch up to us from behind for sure.”

Resourceful Young Man: “That’s why I told you to run. Please, convince them to run away.”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “What do you think? Second Chief?”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Small Mercenary: “Second?”

Young Mercenary: “?”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “Yes, it would be really troublesome for this unit to operate without a leader. So after intensive searching, I present to you… your new Chief.”

Small Mercenary: “Eh? But… she’s a girl.”

Young Mercenary: “Is this some kind of joke.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, it has been requested that I become your leader.”

Small Mercenary: “We have only one Chief.”

Mercenary Archer: “Even without the Chief, we can still go on.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I understand the situation. However, for the purposes of communication and representation with the Kingdom of Ice, you will require a certain personage. Think of myself as a figurehead, if you will.”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “So in the meantime, this girl is my recommendation. Please do not take offence by it.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Small Mercenary: “We’ll leave you to it then.”

Young Mercenary: “…”

Mercenary Archer: “More importantly, what are we going to do about the upcoming fight?”

Resourceful Young Man: “Run away!”

Mercenary Survivor: “Why don’t we let our Chief decide that?”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “Why not?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Firstly, I have no intention of actually becoming your Chief. — You can just call me the Subst.i.tute. It is my hope that a proper Chief will be selected from within your ranks. Moreover, I am terrible at fighting. All I know are the basics of swinging a sword around, and I’ve never commanded anyone before.”

Mercenary Archer: “Then you’re completely useless.”

Mercenary Survivor: “What’s the point of having her as a commander?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Because I am a civilian… I believe that you knights will protect the people here.”

Small Mercenary: “Eh?”

Young Mercenary: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Secondly, I will be able to offer you my expertise in areas other than fighting. And I will require your protection to achieve that. There is a place I need to go, and for that, I must be protected.”

Small Mercenary: “I don’t get it.”

Young Mercenary: “…”

Mercenary Archer: “Is your head alright, n.o.bleman?”

Disciple n.o.bleman: “Yes. I guarantee it. Since this person is like a sister to me, I personally guarantee that she is good. She may have some strange ideas, but if you see them through to their fruition, we will be able to achieve something spectacular. That is the result of those who are taught by our teacher. Please take care of her.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Please.”

Small Mercenary: “Even if you were to say such a thing…”

Mercenary Archer: “So just tell us, do we fight or do we run? If you want to run, we will never recognise you.”

Resourceful Young Man: “If you don’t run you will die!”

Elder Sister Maid: “Why are those the only options?”

Mercenary Archer: “…Huh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “We could run while fighting. Or we could not run, but still not fight. You need to open up your imagination a bit.”

Young Mercenary: “Hmm?”

Mercenary Archer: “What are you saying?”

Elder Sister Maid: “We’ve got a lot more options that just running or fighting.”

 

————- The Human World, the Polar Continent, a Frozen Wasteland

Scout of Light: “There are no people within sight.”

Soldier of Light: “We can’t see very far anyway. It’s too white, so our eyes hurt too.”

Musketeer of Light: “That’s right. We’ll have to leave it to you.”

Marine of Light: “Heh. That’s fine too, I suppose.”

Scout of the Light: “It’s a lot less cold and less snowy than I expected.”

Soldier of Light: “It’s just that the ground below us is frozen.”

Musketeer of Light: “Do we continue advancing into this frozen land?”

Marine of Light: “Of course.”

Scout of Light: “It goes up to 150km even.”

Musketeer of Light: “However, it seems like the road used by merchants is close to here.”

Marine of Light: “It’s a priority to find it.”

Scout of Light: “What do we do if we come across any merchants?”

Soldier of Light: “We’re here on a secret military mission. They can’t be allowed to know about us.”

Musketeer of Light: “Man, it’s been a really long time since I last had a hot bowl of meat soup.”

 

——- The Kingdom of Mist, the Capital City, a Deserted Market

Wind blows…

Coughing Boy: “Sir… Sir… Spare a slice of bread for a poor boy…”

Thin Citizen: “…”

Coughing Boy: “Sir… Sir… Ahem. Ahem. Please… I haven’t eaten in four days…”

Middle Aged Woman: “My my! You’re covered in boils. Don’t come any closer!”

Coughing Boy: “Ahem, ahem. Please… Please…”

Wind blows…

Thin Citizen: “How about five new silver pieces?”

Travelling Merchant: “That will get you half a sack, sir.”

Thin Citizen: “What’s with this price! I’ve got six children to feed, you know.”

Travelling Merchant: “I’ve also got children of my own I need to feed.”

Wind blows…

Sundry Merchant: “Come! Come! I’ve got all kinds of beans, from mung beans to peas! Come get your beans!”

Middle Aged Woman: “How much is one sack of peas?”

Sundry Merchant: “Three silver pieces.”

Middle Aged Woman: “That’s really expensive.”

Sundry Merchant: “In times like this, everything is expensive. I’ve got no choice. Are you buying?”

Middle Aged Woman: “Ah… One sack then. Give me the nicest ones, please. It’s to help some sick people recuperate.”

Sundry Merchant: “Ehh.”

Middle Aged Woman: “How troublesome. Oh, it’s already evening.”

Sundry Merchant: “Yeah.”

Middle Aged Woman: “Why aren’t the churchbells ringing?”

Sundry Merchant: “Don’t you know?”

Middle Aged Woman: “What about?”

Thin Citizen: “Oh, you’re talking about the churchbells?”

Sundry Merchant: “The churchbells have been melted down for copper.”

Middle Aged Woman: “Melted down?”

Sundry Merchant: “Yeah, by the Church. It is the will of the Holy Spirit; at times like this, every single weapon counts, and the copper gained from those churchbells will be used to kill some Demons.”

Middle Aged Woman: “Demons… I haven’t even seen them before.”

Thin Citizen: “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten my fill, I hope the Spirit can bestow such blessings upon us again.”

 

—– The Kingdom of Copper, a Farm

Thin Old Man: “…”

Starving Serf: “I’m hungry…”

Female Serf: “Why can’t we eat barley and wheat even in the autumn?”

Supervisor: “They’ve been dispatched to the soldiers at the front.”

Thin Old Man: “There aren’t any soldiers in this village.”

Starving Serf: “Then how are we supposed to get the energy to plant wheat in the summer?”

Female Serf: “If we don’t, we’ll starve in the spring.”

Supervisor: “Alright, get to work.”

Thin Old Man: “Heh…”

Starving Serf: “I’ve got no energy.”

Female Serf: “Yeah… We’re way too depressed.”

Supervisor: “Hmm?”

Female Serf: “Cremation* ash.”

Supervisor: “Yeah. They’re burning down the hut to the South. There’s a family there who’s caught the boils.”

Thin Old Man: “Smallpox…”

Starving Serf: “How scary.”

Female Serf: “Let’s leave this topic. We never know when we might suddenly catch it as well.”

Supervisor: “It’s true. My son caught it too.”

Starving Serf: “Speaking of which, there’s nothing to do except wait until the whole village gets wiped out.”

One-Handed Serf: “No, that’s not exactly true.”

Starving Serf: “Eh?”

One-Handed Serf: “Before I lost my arm, I spent quite a lot of my time travelling. In my travels, I’ve heard that the Kingdom of Reeds has a medicine for the boils.”

Female Serf: “Medicine?… So it’s curable?! The boils?!”

Supervisor: “Really? I’ve never heard anything like this before!”

One-Handed Serf: “If this information were to spread, all the serfs would run away. But it’s true. Well, it’s not so much an herb or anything, and it doesn’t actually cure it. Moreover, people who have contracted smallpox are being taken care of by the people of the Holy Order.”

Thin Old Man: “Medicine…”

Starving Serf: “The Holy Order looks after them? For real?!”

One-Handed Serf: “For people like us with no families, no one will even look for us until we die.”

Female Serf: “…”

Supervisor: “The Kingdom of Reeds? That’s very far. Why don’t they share their medicine with us?”

Starving Serf: “It’s medicine. What does it have to do with soldiers or trade or whatever, why do the n.o.blemen not help us?”

Thin Old Man: “…How true… Sigh. How pitiful we are, oh merciful Spirit…”

 

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-————————-

Explanation

Cremation: In Buddhist tradition, both burial and cremation are permissible. In fact, Buddha himself was cremated. In the Christian faith, it has been forbidden to cremate bodies, only to bury them, until recently. The Holy Church of Light cremates its dead.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

———- Somewhere in the Holy Empire, a Secret Metalworks

Clang! Clang!

Labourer: “Agh! Agh!”

Floor Supervisor: “What’s wrong! The stove is slowing down! Bring more charcoal over!”

Clang! Clang!

Floor Supervisor: “Get the fire going!”

Clang! Clang!

Master Craftsman: “What is it?”

Craftsman: “No, we’ve reached the limit of our charcoal stocks…”

Master Craftsman: “What? Where are the accounts!”

Accounting Officer: “Guild Master, here I am.”

Master Craftsman: “We don’t have enough charcoal!”

Accounting Officer: “Well, we got as much charcoal as the permit allowed.”

Master Craftsman: “Really?”

Craftsman: “At the pace we’re consuming, we’ve cleared our entire stockpile.”

Experienced Craftsman: “To begin with, stockpiling charcoal requires more s.p.a.ce than stockpiling ores, so at full production, we only have enough for about a week.”

Accounting Officer: “I see. Ahh, it’s hot.”

Master Craftsman: “Then we’ll need to find new merchants.”

Accounting Officer: “That’s going to be a bit challenging.”

Master Craftsman: “Hmm?”

Accounting Officer: “Following several days of compet.i.tive charcoal buying, the price has gone up immensely. It is presently three times the price than it was last week. In addition, our stocks were bought in summer, but we’re halfway through autumn right now. Every village throughout the continent is trying to stockpile charcoal so they can tide through the rough winter, so it won’t be an easy matter to get any more…”

Master Craftsman: “But that means we won’t be able to meet the production quota for muskets and gunpowder set by his Royal Highness. Ummm. That’s right! What about the strategy we were talking about before? Have we managed to get c.o.ke from the coal?”

Experienced Craftsman: “Didn’t you tell us to reject all that? You said it would affect our relations.h.i.+p with the Forestry Guild.”

Master Craftsman: “But right now, circ.u.mstances have changed. We can’t continue with just charcoal. It’s a new method we can’t rely on, but it’s worth a try.”

Experienced Craftsman: “In that case, we can give it a shot… I hear we now need extensive permits for the Kingdom of Dunes and the Kingdom of Cliffs to obtain coal from their mines.”

Master Craftsman: “What do you mean?”

Experienced Craftsman: “The merchants have been pus.h.i.+ng up the prices aggressively, I hear.”

Master Craftsman: “Why! But before that, why didn’t we stop them!”

Experienced Craftsman: “Don’t you remember? You made the decision to stop pursuing the coal matter. We don’t buy anything, but we still have to pay for it, why would we maintain such an expensive contract?”

Accounting Officer: “Well, well.”

Craftsman: “In that case, we have no choice but to buy charcoal. How about those countries with rich stockpiles? We represent his Royal Highness the Crown Prince Marshal after all. Surely that’ll be enough to make the n.o.blemen and feudal lords give up their charcoal.”

Accounting Officer: “That might actually work out.”

Master Craftsman: “Alright! Then I’ll write a letter right away. Accounting Officer, we’ll need you to negotiate with them. Form a consortium and request for charcoal from the neighbouring countries.”

Craftsman: “Yeah, we’ve had great results from the Kingdom of Elm with regards to their forestry.”

Experienced Craftsman: “We can definitely make good steel with the charcoal from the Kingdom of Elm!”

Accounting Officer: “I’ll see what we can do.”

Walks off.

Master Craftsman: “How about the flintlocks?”

Experienced Craftsman: “The craftsmans.h.i.+p involved in making one of those is much, much higher; at present we can only manage 50 pieces a month on our production line.”

Master Craftsman: “Right, let’s get this month’s production to the docks for s.h.i.+pping!”

 

————- The Demon World, the Borders, Silver Sand River

Flas.h.!.+

The Demon King: “Alright, here we are.”

The Chief Maid: “Yes, your Majesty.”

The Hero: “Is this the correct place?”

The Demon King: “Yep, it’s exactly it. It’s not far from here.”

The Chief Maid: “You can return now, Hero.”

The Hero: “Really?”

The Demon King: “I’m sorry. It’s something of a secret, after all.”

The Hero: “The Library, right?”

The Chief Maid: “Yes.”

The Demon King: “Entry to the repository of our Tribe is forbidden to people from our Tribes.”

The Chief Maid: “Well, is this alright? I suppose it’s good for you to acc.u.mulate experience by entering the room of a young maiden.”

The Hero: “Is it such a wonderful place?”

The Demon King: “Ah—It’s nothing really.”

The Chief Maid: “It’s just filled with books.”

The Hero: “Really.”

The Demon King: “We won’t be able to communicate inside, so I’ll set an appropriate rendezvous.”

The Hero: “Appropriate?”

The Demon King: “I fear I may have to spend three days in there for research. I predict my researching skills are enough to achieve this.”

The Hero: “Hmm.”

The Demon King: “If I finish early, then I’ll spend some time walking around this area, so just look around for me. If I’m not here on the third day, come back on the fifth day.”

The Chief Maid: “That’s good.”

The Hero: “Understood. What are you researching?”

The Demon King: “Metallurgy and engineering. Right now we’re tied up in production issues.”

The Hero: “So there are things even you don’t know about?”

The Demon King: “Many, many things. This isn’t my field of speciality. I can’t bring the books with me, so it’s not like I have the information everywhere I go. To shape the metal to such precise specifications will surely require a higher level of technology than we have now…”

The Hero: “Is that alright?”

The Demon King: “The situation is as such. We won’t be able to control the spread of technology once we release it, and the world is not exactly ready for the sort of impact this may have. I suppose it’s best that we don’t spread the technology. To begin with, the next crucial advancement in nuts and bolts has not even begun.”

The Hero: “I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’ll leave it to you.”

The Demon King: “Take care of things while I’m gone.”

The Hero: “Got it!”

The Chief Maid: “Then let’s go, your Majesty.”

The Hero: “Got it! Chief Maid, you too!”

The Demon King: “Bye bye.”

Flas.h.!.+

 

———- The Holy Crusaders, Reserve Camp

Strum ♪ Strum ♪

Disciple Bard: “White hawthorn, roses singing in the wild.

Violets which sparkle in the dead of the night — ♪

Flowers, which bloom as summer pays a visit.

With the sweet blue of anise.

The ancient king listens and learns — ♪

Under the light of the moon, the moths are singing.

In the forest of spirits

Your voice opens the doors of magic.

Lonely is the chest

That with sweet warm blood wilts — ♪ “

Auxiliary of Light: “What a nice song.”

Spearman of Light: “It was somehow pleasing, yet sad at the same time.”

Strum ♪ Strum ♪

Disciple Bard: “It’s a song from my hometown.”

Auxiliary of Light: “Is that so?”

Spearman of Light: “That was very nice, Miss Bard.”

Disciple Bard: “Yes?”

Spearman of Light: “If we just continue at this rate, we’ll cross the ma.s.sive hole and be on our way to the Demon World. It sure would be heartwarming if you could come along with us, Miss Bard…”

Disciple Bard: “Well, if I can lighten the burden of war.”

Auxiliary of Light: “…”

Spearman of Light: “If you come with us, you’ll probably get caught by the commanders though.”

Disciple Bard: “I’ll just run away then.”

Spearman of Light: “Don’t say such things!”

Auxiliary of Light: “That’s right. It’s not something you should take lightly.”

Disciple Bard: “I have no intention to play around.”

Auxilary of Light: “Why…”

Disciple Bard: “I am completely serious about singing.”

Auxilary of Light: “…”

Disciple Bard: “You guys train to swing your hundreds of swords, I sing to stop these hundreds of swords.”

Auxiliary of Light: “That’s…”

Disciple Bard: “It’s decided.”

Strum ♪ Strum ♪

Spearman of Light: “Miss Bard.”

Disciple Bard: “It’s decided. Just like how I came here on my two feet, I will return home singing.”

 

———- The Village of Wintering, the Kitchen

The Hero: “Tadaa!”

The Hero: “Now it’s Hero cooking time! Without the Demon King, I’m all alone! Everybody! Applause!”

Silence.

The Hero: “First! Slice bread.”

Slice, slice.

The Hero: “It’s a bit lopsided, but that’s fine too.”

The Hero: “Now add cheese, sprinkle some salt, and sandwich it in between!”

The Hero: “Cheese bread is ready! It’s so easy!”

Flop.

The Hero: “…It’s a bit squishy.”

Squish.

The Hero: “It’s salty, but that’s fine! What’s the next recipe! That Chief Maid didn’t teach me enough?!”

The Female Paladin: “Well, would you like an honest review?”

The Hero: “Eh?! How long have you been here?!”

The Female Paladin: “Since you said that it was so easy.”

The Hero: “…It failed.”

The Female Paladin: “Alright.” Holds hand.

The Hero: “…Uhh.”

The Female Paladin: “Did I surprise you?… Well, I suppose I shouldn’t touch you so suddenly. That’s to be expected.”

The Hero: “You’ve been acting strange for quite some time.”

The Female Paladin: “That’s not true, I’m very normal.”

The Hero: “That calmness is most strange.”

The Female Paladin: “I brought this with me, so should I make it?”

The Hero: “…Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s meat stew with bacon and cabbages.”

The Hero: “Ohh!”

The Female Paladin: “Is there still a fire going?”

The Hero: “No… The Chief Maid told me not to start any fires.”

The Female Paladin: “Are you a kid!”

The Hero: “No, I’ve been trying my best! My very best! Dammit!”

The Female Paladin: “You really act like a kid sometimes.”

The Hero: “I want to eat some hot food.”

The Female Paladin: “Well… Make me a small flame on your hand.”

The Hero: “Spell of Flame!”

The Female Paladin: “Now hold this flask and hang on for a bit.”

Whistling—

The Hero: “Wow, what a great smell!”

The Female Paladin: “Because I’m boiling it with red wine. I’m not as good as the Little Maid Sister, but it’s probably not that bad, right?”

The Hero: “No, no. Thank you so much.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s done. Shall we eat?”

Clunk.

The Hero: “Ohhh!” Slurp, slurp.

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Hero: “You’re not eating?”

The Female Paladin: “I ate in the Headquarters already.”

The Hero: “Really… This is good.”

The Female Paladin: “Are you happy with it?”

The Hero: “I am.”

The Female Paladin: (I see… So a girl in the world still needs to rely on her cooking to get the guy’s heart… I seem to have forgotten to simple things the last time.)

The Hero: “…I’m full.”

The Female Paladin: “You sure ate a lot.”

The Hero: “They didn’t leave me anything to start a fire with, huh.”

The Female Paladin: “You’ve got fire magic for that, so don’t worry.”

The Hero: “Yeah, I guess so.”

The Female Paladin: “Here, I’ll write you the recipe.”

The Hero: “Eh?”

The Female Paladin: “The Chief Maid left you some food and recipes, didn’t she?”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “I guess I’ll prepare them for you while they’re gone.”

The Hero: “Is that alright?”

The Female Paladin: “Don’t hesitate right now.”

The Hero: “Okay. Here they are.”

The Female Paladin: “…Bread and water. Cheese sandwich and water. Cabbage, bread and water. Sliced ham, bread and water. Buy more bread. Bread, ham and water. Cheese sandwich and water…”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “…This is worse than a Paladin’s combat rations.”

The Hero sobs.

The Female Paladin: “Don’t cry, Hero?!”

The Hero: “It’s tragic, isn’t it? Isn’t it?!”

The Female Paladin: “You could call it tragic… It’s completely just bread and water.”

The Hero: “It’s their plan to bully me.”

The Female Paladin: “Is that so?”

The Hero: “If I’m looking after the place, I should just have all my meals at an inn, right!”

The Female Paladin: “Well, that’s true, I suppose…”

The Hero: “I’m sure the Chief Maid still bears a grudge against me continuously having dinner with the Demon King at the inn that last time.”

The Female Paladin: “Really?”

The Hero: “Definitely.”

The Female Paladin: “I see…”

The Hero: “That’s why, please make some things for me.”

The Female Paladin: “Well, that’s alright, but please don’t expect my culinary skills to be anything wonderful.”

The Hero: “Oh! Anything is fine as long as it’s not a cheese sandwich…”

The Female Paladin: (He must be really lonely…)

The Hero: “All done!”

The Female Paladin: “Alright, take a break and then we can do some sword practice.”

The Hero: “Eh?”

The Female Paladin: “It’s your payment for the food. Or are you afraid of some exercise?”

The Hero: “I really don’t mind.”

The Female Paladin: “We can go brush the horses after that too.”

 

———- The Village of Wintering, the Demon King’s Manor, the Hero’s Room

Door opens.

The Hero: “Ahhh.”

Throws things around.

The Hero: “Nope, not this… Where did I put it?”

s.h.i.+ng.

The Hero: “Blades and armour are really troublesome to prepare.”

Clang! Clang!

“Hey!”

The Hero: “Oh, it’s the Female Paladin. Over here! What is it?”

Door opens.

The Female Paladin: “…What are you doing?”

The Hero: “I’m preparing equipment.”

The Female Paladin: “Equipping? What are you looking for then?”

The Hero: “I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t seem to find my Ring of Prayer and my Elvish Tonic Herbs.”

The Female Paladin: “Hmm…”

The Hero: “Well, more importantly, is the food ready?”

The Female Paladin: “That’s all you think about.”

The Hero: “Oh no, I’m not uncivilised.”

The Female Paladin: “Really?”

The Hero: “Really.”

The Female Paladin: “At any rate, it’ll be fully prepared in two hours… Oh, I’ve come for some brus.h.i.+ng, so you can sit over there.”

The Hero: “Hmm?”

The Female Paladin: “What is it? No need to be alarmed. Is this brush too painful?”

The Hero: “Somehow.”

The Female Paladin: “What is it?”

The Hero: “Somehow I feel like I’m no longer being treated as a human.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s all in your mind.”

The Hero: “Really?”

The Female Paladin: “Really.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Hero: “I guess so, then.”

The Female Paladin: (Master sure is accurate!)

The Hero: “Alright.”

The Female Paladin: “Close your eyes, and I’ll manage your hair.”

The Hero: “Shouldn’t it be the other way round?”

The Female Paladin: “I can handle the maintenance of my own hair. It’s a source of pride for me after all.”

The Hero: “You’ve always been proud of it all this while.”

The Female Paladin: “You didn’t even look at it back then, though.”

The Hero: “…Really?”

The Female Paladin: “Mmm…”

Brush, brush.

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “Why are you closing your eyes so tightly?”

The Hero: “Because you’re around.”

The Female Paladin: “Relax more.”

The Hero: “Hehe.”

The Female Paladin: “Don’t be so effeminate.”

The Hero: “Don’t make fun of me!”

The Female Paladin: “Just close your eyes normally.”

The Hero: “Really.”

The Female Paladin: “When you’re acting normal I think you’re quite cool.”

The Hero: “Eh, what? What are you saying!”

The Female Paladin: “I correct myself. You’re always cool.”

The Hero: “…”

Brush, brush.

Kiss.

The Hero: “?!”

The Female Paladin: “What?”

The Hero: “What did you just do?!”

The Female Paladin: “What… skins.h.i.+p.”

The Hero: “This is too weird.”

The Female Paladin: “No, it’s normal. — Is it unpleasant?”

The Hero: “Uhh, well, no, but…”

The Female Paladin: “Then, it’s fine.”

The Hero: “No, it’s not! Please be more modest and think this through.”

The Female Paladin: “I’ll never come out on top like that.”

The Hero: “Why are you so forceful?”

The Female Paladin: “Hero!”

The Hero: “Y-yes!”

The Female Paladin: “With regards to this incident, it’s true that you should be cautious about the modesty displayed by a young maiden, but with the prevalence of mixed signals and wrong messages, it is preferable to avoid confusion. As a result, it is best to be straightforward!”

The Hero: “Y-yeah!” (I’m being dominated!)

The Female Paladin: “Until the Demon King gets back, I want to share a pillow with you.”

The Hero is shocked.

The Female Paladin: “It’s fine. Don’t worry. It may be my first time, but I need to practice doing battle with the Demon King.”

The Hero: (What?!)

The Female Paladin: “I need to show her my burning spirit.”

The Hero: (Now they’re doing battle!)

The Female Paladin: “Now I am on the offensive and the Demon King is on the defence.”

The Hero: (What do you intend to do?)

The Female Paladin: “I want to take a large s.h.i.+p.”

The Hero: “I’m really worried about this!!”

The Female Paladin: “How troublesome.”

The Hero: “I don’t understand your reasoning.”

The Female Paladin: “Mmm, it’s not a joke. At night, we’ll chat about everyday things and then retire to the same pillow. — We’re both of the age to understand what that means, right?”

The Hero: “…Ahh. Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “Your face is all red.”

The Hero: “Don’t say unnecessary things.”

The Female Paladin: “That’s why, if you don’t want to, it’s only good manners to reject me politely.”

The Hero: “It’s not that.”

The Female Paladin: “Then it’s fine.”

The Hero: “—Is it really?”

The Female Paladin: “It is.”

The Hero: “What’s this?”

The Female Paladin: “No, it’s the first stage of my attack.”

The Hero: “Umm, well, umm…”

The Female Paladin: “Please don’t make unnecessary comments.”

The Hero: “Why me?”

The Female Paladin: “So I guess you don’t want it?”

The Hero: “Eh…?”

The Female Paladin: “I’m about to blast fire from my face. You’re so fickle minded.”

The Hero: “H-hey.”

The Female Paladin: “The Demon King surely understands this as well.”

The Hero: “Is that so?”

The Female Paladin nods.

The Hero: “You look very indignant.”

The Female Paladin: “It’s an unpleasant quip.”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “No matter what, it’s a no-go? Well… I don’t want to say this, but, next time will definitely be a big fight, it’ll be a ma.s.sive battle. One which I have no intention to lose, but… but….”

The Hero: “No… Yeah, I understand.”

The Female Paladin: “Is that alright?”

The Hero: “I understand. Completely. I have been awakened!”

The Female Paladin: “That’s my Hero!” Smiles.