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1Chapter 1284: Infiltration
2Translator: Transn  Editor: Transn
3
4When Roland received the report jointly written by the commander of the First Army and the chief of the General Staff, he immediately thought of the spy movies he had watched.
5
6This was apparently a very feasible plan.
7
8He even thought more about the plan than Edith.
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10Spy was an ancient profession, and it had various names in different times, but the spy Roland was familiar with were those in WWI and WWII. Early intelligence collection was simply a two-way communication without a systematic organization. As the government tightened their control over people, spies and agents found it increasingly hard to escape the scrutiny, and that was the time when a well-organized system was established.
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12This also meant that in a feudal country ruled by nobles, spies could be anywhere. Once those agents received some professional training and learned cunningtricksto protect themselves, they would never be found even if the whole city was turned upside down.
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14They were like shadows slinking in the city, whosepresencenever raised the awareness of the people who received their tips. Even Nightingale would fail to get anything out of them upon an interrogation.
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16Roland thus approved the proposal at once.
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18However, he was not planning to entrust this task totally to Edith. This, nonetheless, had nothing to do with trust. Intelligence collection could be time-consuming. He would rather Edith focus more on the big picture of the planthan a specific project.Otherwise, itwould be a total waste of Edith's talent.
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20He would need a professional to deal with this matter.
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22Roland spread open a letter and put Hill Fawkes at the top.
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24The Kingdom of Dawn had been quite peaceful recently. This former ringmaster must be very bored at the moment.
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26After Nightingale handed the letter to Honey, Roland started to consider about another thing.
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28That was an intelligence gathering network.
29
30Before, he had only needed to take care of the war and political matters within Graycastle. However, ever since the expedition to Taquila, it had taken the carrier pigeon a much longer time to commute. Thanks to the support of the "Seagull", Roland was still able to receive information in a timely manner.
31
32Nevertheless, they were now waging a war in the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter, and Rolandnoticeda significant delay in communication.
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34For example, the report he was currently reading had been written a week ago and had been shipped by sea. Although animal messengers would make things a lot faster, he would still need to wait for at least two or three days. More importantly, Honey did not have a lot of messengers that could fly more than 1,000 kilometers. She could only control the behavior of the animals but not change it.
35
36Plus, Honey was not powerful enough to support the communication throughout the entire Western Region even for short-distance messengers, let alone the communication throughout the whole nation and beyond Graycastle. There was actually a limit in the number of the animals she could control. Therefore, how to efficiently deliver messages was also a huge problem that needed to be solved after this intelligence gathering network was established.
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38Roland knew very well that the ultimate solution would be radio communication.
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40The telegraphtechnologies were simple, but like telephones, the communication through telegraphs relied largely on reception. Normally, the signal could only cover a distance of 100 kilometers without a repeater like an electron tube that could amplify signals.
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42However, if he couldinvent an electron tube, he would also be able to create radios. There was no electromagnetic pollution in this era. The sound produced by tuned electromagnetic waves was very similar to the crying of a baby. He would only need to erect an antenna on the top of the Impassable Mountain Range to receive messages thousands of kilometers away.
43
44If he could successfully create radios, it would only take a few minutes to transmit the report from the front to his office. If every soldier in the army was equipped with a portable radio, that would be even more helpful to the war than the Radiation Project.
45
46Nevertheless, Roland had no idea where to start and how.
47
48Perhaps, it was time to ask the Design Bureau of Graycastle to work on more projects.
49
50Roland entered the Dream World at night. After he sent Zero off to school, he drove to the construction site of the Clover Group in the southern suburb.
51
52Garde was indeed an efficient businessman. He fulfilled his promise at once. Not only did he authorize Roland to manage the plant, but the plant was refurbished as well. The rusty wall was painted, and the facilities were renewed.
53
54Had the Clover Group not insisted on demolishing the apartment building, Roland would have loved to deal with Garde and conducted more business with him.
55
56He parked his vehicle and found the yard outside the plant look a bit strange. Normally, few people came here, but today, there were a lot of workers.
57
58He also hearddeep, heavyroar of machineries.
59
60Roland quickly passed through the crowd and saw a queer catepillar machine in front of him. Only the lower part of the machine was currently completed. There was nothing special about the catepillar and the wheels per se. What attracted these workers was the distinctive steam-powered piston at the top and another tractor that produced steam.
61
62Roland burst into a laugh.
63
64So that was Master Xie's idea. To minimize the impact of the imaginary boiler and water tank, he installed this part of the machine onto a tractor so that he could test out both of them at the same time. The tractor not only had to run on its own but it alsoneeded to power the catepillar machine. Th principle was so similar to that of the "solar torch light" that would only work when there was light.
65
66"Ahem... hey, boss," Master Xie, having realized the awkwardness of the machine, greeted Roland in embarrassment.
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68Roland praised him heartily, "Good job. This is exactly what I want!"
69
70He came here to check the progress of the project. Last time when he had come here,Master Xiehad onlycompleted theframe of the tractor. But now,the tractorwas finished. Master Xie indeed had put a lot of efforts into it.
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72"R-really?" Master Xie said while scratching his scalp. "Are you sure your collector friends are interested in this kind of thing?"
73
74"Did you make the parts of the tester with machine tools?"
75
76"Yes, I can assure you about that," Master Xie replied quickly as he massaged his hands. "But I bought the tractor, the boiler and the water tank. They're all second-handed, and it cost me around ï¿¥300,000..."
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78"Money isn't a problem," Roland dismissed his concern while waving his hand. The Clover Group would pay everything. "As long as they were manually made, my friend will be satisfied. Keep up the great work. Once the deal is successfully closed, I'll double your salary as a bonus!"
79
80Chapter 1285: Five Pairs of Road Wheels
81Translator: Transn  Editor: Transn
82
83Master Xie's face instantly split into a bright smile, but the woman next to him heaved an almost inaudible sigh.
84
85Roland naturally noticed her. After he started to absorb the magic cores in the Dream World, his power continuously grew, and he also became more sensitive about the subtle changes around him. Although few people noticed the woman, Roland still caught sight of her in the corner of his eyes.
86
87This woman was the secretary and fiancial adviser sent by Garde. Her name was Qingqing, and she had just graduated from a very prominent university. Qingqing was a pretty, talented and efficient worker, a gifted woman, so to speak. Only she knew that the Clover Group bore all the expenses incurred by this project, and the "actual boss" did not have to pay anything.
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89Perhaps, Qingqing thought Roland was taking advantage of the corporation, so she did not have a very high opinion of him.
90
91Roland, however, did not care about that. He simply needed to give her a raise as well so that she would not complain anymore.
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93"Of course, this is the joint work of all the staff," Roland said while smiling at the secretary. "If we succeed, I'll double the salary for everyone in the plant!"
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95"Yes, quite right. You're very considerate, boss," Master Xie rejoined while nodding vigorously.
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97"No... This is not what I meant...." Qingqing had not expected that Roland would see through her mind. Abashed, she said, "I was just wondering when the corporation could profit..."
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99Roland waved his hand and said, "We will one day. Don't worry. All of my friends have great ambitions. The corporation will definitely profit from this project. Just wait for the raise."
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101"Awesome. Awesome," Master Xie said as though he had realized his long-term dream. All the wrinkles on his smiling face were smoothened.
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103"By the way," Roland said while looking toward Qingqing. "I have a new project to work on. Come with me to the office."
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105"Boss," Master Xie stopped Roland when the latter was about to leave. "Do you have any other requirements for this tractor? For example, the style and the color?"
106
107It appeared that Master Xie really believed that Roland was making props. Roland shook his head in amusement and said, "As long as it functions well, I don't care about such things very much. But..."
108
109"Please go ahead."
110
111"If possible, I wish the final products could have five pairs of road wheels."
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113"Not a problem at all," Master Xie promised while patting his chest. "I thought about the mobility of the machine when I designed it. Place the matter in my hand."
114
115As all the workers in the plant ran out to watch the testing of the tractor, the whole plant became exceptionally quiet. Roland noticed that Qingqing had distanced from him after they entered the workshop. She had moved a little farther from him, and the distance between the two increased from the initial two meters to five meters.
116
117Roland was quite amused at her action. It seemed that Garde had not told her that Roland was actually a martialist. Otherwise, she should have known that when a martialist attempted to sexually harrass a girl, the girl would not be able to escape even if she was 50 meters away from the former.
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119But Roland did not care about his personal image among his employees, as he only wanted his workers to work hard.
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121Roland sat straight in his seat after getting into the messy office. He jumped right into the business and said, "Well, I have a friend..."
122
123"Here it goes."
124
125Qingqing thought to herself. Every time he talked about a new project, he started with a friend of his. Who would like to squander thousands of hundreds of dollars on tons of rubbish? Qingqing knew that some wealthy people did have strange hobbies, but the boss in front of her did not look remotely like a successful entrepreneur from an affluent family. She was confident of her own judgement.
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127She graduated from a top university and knew a lot of wealthy people, but she had never seen anyone dress so simple as the boss. True rich people always treated themselves well even if they wanted to keep a low profile. They might purchase clothes by an indie brand, but what they wore and used must be expensive andof good quality. Many young people tended not to, in fact, exhibit their wealth to the public, but this Mr. Roland was wearing the cheapest clothes normally sold by street vendors, without wearing any accessories. Even his vehicle was a battered mini van. He was not keeping a low profile at all...
128
129He was simply poor!
130
131How was that possible that he had wealthy friends?
132
133Qingqing was hired by the Clover Group, the biggest corporation in this city, right after her graduation. She wanted to add some impressing work experience to her resume, but she had not expected that her boss would send her to this small factory to look after so many weird projects. She even started to suspect whether Mr. Garde was scammed, or whether he intended to use this plant to do some shady business.
134
135She was astonished after hearing Roland mention radio communication. Qingqing massaged her forehead while letting out a sigh. This kind of walkie-talkie only cost less than ï¿¥100 online, and they could also directly purchase an antique telegraph machine without necessarily making it by themselves. However, Roland wanted to produce them from scratch like the tractor. Everything must be hand-maded, including all the parts.
136
137This was purely wasting money!
138
139"I don't need professionals. New graduates or people who love radio technologies would do. You can set up a room outside the plant as their office so that I don't have to travel back and forth," Roland explained in detail. "Whatever equipment they need, just approve it. Remember, however, that all the parts should be produced here. They don't have to be perfect though. In fact, the worse the quality is, the better. Make them as desolate anddilapidatedas possible. My friend likes that kind of stuff."
140
141"That's different than giving a raise. I'll have to report to Mr. Garde."
142
143"That's fine," Roland said indifferently. "I think he'll agree."
144
145Just then, his cell phone rang.
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147It was from the Martialist Association.
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149Roland picked up the phone after Qingqing left.
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151"Hello, Mr. Roland," Rock, the Defender's calming voice came over the line. "I have a new task for you. Are you available to pay a visit to Greenleaf Sanatorium this afternoon?"
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153SincetheDesign Bureau of Graycastle entirely relied on Rock's support, Roland could not refuse the request.
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155AsRoland had eliminated the magic creatures coming out of the Erosion last time,the Fallen Evils had been pretty quite recently as if they had sensed the danger and withdrawn from this city. As such, the Taquila witches did not find many Fallen Evils to fight.
156
157Roland believed that thingswere not that simple.
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159The Fallen Evils were aiming for the Forces of Nature of the Awakened, through which they could further weaken the Dream World.With the attack of the Prism City and the beginning of the Martialist Contest, many martialists had gathered here, so the Fallen Evilshad no reason to leave.
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161It would save Roland a lot of time if the Association obtained new information regarding the Fallen Evils.
162
163Posing to say that negotiations are possible
164
165 Previous Chapter  
166“Long time no see, Amamiya. Well, if we count the time I had only my soul with no body, then I think we’ve seen each other’s faces a year ago,” said the ‘Mage Masher’ Asagi Minami with a bitter smile on his face.
167
168Behind him were the ‘Ifrit’ Shouko Akagi and the ‘Clairvoyance’ Tatsuya Tendou.
169
170Unlike Asagi, these two were clearly being very cautious of Legion.
171
172“… Ugh. Why are you people here? I thought that we came to a previous agreement that you wouldn’t interfere while we made contact with him if we got to him first,” said Kanako.
173
174Indeed, according to the promise that had been made in Rodcorte’s Divine Realm before everyone was reincarnated, Asagi’s group shouldn’t have interfered while Kanako’s group made contact with Vandalieu.
175
176But Asagi seemed unconcerned that Kanako was blaming him for breaking this promise. “That’s not the kind of tone a former idol should have,” he said. “We made that promise with Murakami, so we don’t need to be so considerate towards you now that you’ve left his group… I have no intention of arguing something unreasonable like that. The truth is, if Amamiya didn’t notice us, we would have kept quiet until you guys were finished.”
177
178“Then you should have just left instead of coming out,” said Kanako.
179
180“Don’t ask us the impossible. If we didn’t come out, we would have been mistaken for enemies and attacked,” Asagi pointed out. “Isn’t that right, Amamiya?”
181
182“Of course! We don’t know anything about the rules you have decided between yourselves! Even if we did, we have no reason to play along with them!” said the voice of Legion’s Valkyrie.
183
184Hearing these words, Kanako stopped hounding Asagi. She wanted to complain that he was being unreasonable, but she thought that Vandalieu’s impression of her and her group would become worse if she continued this futile argument in front of him.
185
186“So, why have you people come here?” Legion asked.
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188“The voice before was Valkyrie, and the one just now was Pluto…” Asagi murmured. “We came because I knew these guys would try to curry favour with Amamiya. And we wanted to make sure that they hadn’t fabricated some convenient-sounding information lies to tell us so that they could use Venus’s power to try and manipulate Amamiya.”
189
190Asagi’s group had learned of Kanako’s movements by using Familiar Spirit Descent to hear from Rodcorte’s familiar spirits, Aran and Izumi. They had headed towards the former Scylla territory and used Tendou’s Clairvoyance to search for them and keep an eye on them.
191
192When Asagi’s group summoned Aran, he had strongly warned them to not fight Vandalieu. Asagi had been unconcerned, as his original objective was to persuade him to change his ways. In fact, he was confused as to why Aran would bother re-emphasizing this to him.
193
194Shouko and Tendou had a bad feeling about Aran’s warning; they were watching Asagi and Vandalieu’s every move, ready to stop Asagi at any costs if anything happened.
195
196“That’s not what we were intending, but… I suppose being doubted like this is just me getting what I deserve,” said Kanako.
197
198She was speaking admirable words, but she felt very bitter on the inside. That was how inconvenient it was for her group that Asagi’s group was here.
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200Asagi’s group were people that her group had betrayed in Origin, and they possessed all of the information that her group did.
201
202In fact, they were the ones with the information advantage, as they had received information from the familiar spirits even after being reincarnated.
203
204“’Mage Masher,’ did you think that we would come here without having measures in place against the abilities of Kanako and her group?” Legion asked Asagi.
205
206Vandalieu and Legion were unaware that the true power of Kanako’s Venus was the copying and pasting of emotions and memories. However, they had determined that it was an ability that affected the target’s mind. That was why only Vandalieu and Legion, who would be immune to such effects, had come here.
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208They had also determined that the fragments of the Demon King, which had barrier-nullifying properties, could pierce through Melissa’s Aegis Ability.
209
210The telekinesis granted to Doug by his Hecatoncheir ability wouldn’t be a problem. It would be ineffective against pathogens created with the Disease Demon Job and Dark King Magic that he couldn’t perceive.
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212And in preparation for the possibility of there being more reincarnated individuals present than the three whose names were written on the letter, Vandalieu had brought fighting forces with him, including the ‘King Slayer’ Sleygar. They were in the surrounding area and inside Vandalieu’s body.
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214Legion’s tongue grew sharper the more Kanako and her companions flattered Vandalieu, which Kanako and her companions seemed to mistake for hostility.
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216“I’ll say it to make it clear – We had absolutely no intentions of working with these guys; we didn’t cooperate with them to draw you out with a false letter,” Kanako said hastily.
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218“It’s true. In the end, we did bring them here as a result, but… we apologize for that,” said Melissa.
219
220But Vandalieu and Legion nodded.
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222“I know that. There were no signs of you having done such things,” said Vandalieu.
223
224“We knew that those three were hiding there from the very beginning,” Baba Yaga explained.
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226“That’s why we were observing you for a while as you were talking and came to the conclusion that it doesn’t seem like you’re working together,” said Ereshkigal.
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228Before Vandalieu and Legion called out to Kanako’s group, they had realized that Asagi’s group had been hiding in order to keep an eye on Kanako’s group.
229
230On top of that, they had come prepared for the unlikely event that it was all a trap.
231
232“I’ll warn you again, but don’t try anything funny,” said Ghost. “There are countless forces surrounding you, including the head-hunting demon. You don’t want your head cut off a second time, do you?”
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234The facial expressions of Asagi’s group changed clearly as they heard the voices of Baba Yaga, Ereshkigal and Ghost coming from Legion – the voices of their killers. Asagi looked bitter, Shouko looked angry and Tendou turned pale.
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236“‘Anything funny’ includes fighting each other. Vandalieu has come to hear what you have to say. We’ll eliminate anyone who interferes with that,” said Pluto. “So, we’ve already heard what Kanako’s group wants. Were you intending to do nothing more than observe them, ‘Mage Masher?’”
237
238“Of course that’s not all,” said Asagi, facing Vandalieu. “Amamiya, I’ve come to stop –”
239
240“Wrong,” said Vandalieu, interrupting him.
241
242“What are you saying is wrong, Amamiya? I’ve really come to stop you.”
243
244Up until this point, Vandalieu had remained silent even when Asagi spoke to him, and their eyes hadn’t even met. But he accepted that he had to say this now.
245
246“I am not Amamiya Hiroto. Now, I am Vandalieu Zakkart,” Vandalieu said.
247
248He had hoped that Asagi would realize this without him having to say it.
249
250“What are you saying? You’re our buddy, Amamiya Hiroto. Isn’t that right?” said Asagi, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
251
252Vandalieu’s shoulders fell. “It’s true that I was once ‘Amamiya Hiroto.’ But that was over thirty years ago, and I feel no attachment towards that name. Please call me Vandalieu from now on,” he said. “Also, I am not your ‘buddy.’”
253
254The current Vandalieu felt so little attachment to the name ‘Amamiya Hiroto’ that he could no longer consider it his own.
255
256It wasn’t that he was trying to deny his past or forget it. However, he felt an unavoidable sense of discomfort when he was referred to by that name.
257
258“You… Are you serious? Even if you were reincarnated in another world, the fact that you were Amamiya on Earth doesn’t change –” Asagi began, his voice raised in anger.
259
260Tendou and Shouko stepped in to calm him down.
261
262“Asagi, he is Vandalieu. It’s fine that way, isn’t it?” said Tendou.
263
264“Most of us haven’t changed our names since we were reincarnated, but he’s different. I’m sure there are all kinds of reasons for it,” said Shouko.
265
266Perhaps accepting this for now, Asagi fell silent for a moment and took a deep breath. “Alright. You want me to call you Vandalieu, right? I’m curious as to why your surname is Zakkart, but… I’ll leave that aside for now,” he said. “Vandalieu, we’ve come to stop you. You have to stop using death-attribute magic, right this moment if possible.”
267
268“That’s impossible. Do you have any other business here?” Vandalieu asked.
269
270“… I’m being serious,” said Asagi, his shoulders shaking as if he were trying to hold himself back. “Please give it some more thought.”
271
272“… Please give it some more thought? I want to ask the same of you.”
273
274The other two, standing beside Asagi, were wearing expressions that seemed to say, “As we thought.” Vandalieu looked at them with an expressionless, calm-looking gaze, but he felt irritated and mentally exhausted.
275
276On the inside, he thought that it would be much easier to just fight them here, but if he did that, it would likely become even more troublesome when more reincarnated individuals were reborn in Lambda from Origin.
277
278The situation was still just a discussion, and Asagi and Vandalieu merely held opposing opinions and viewpoints.
279
280If Vandalieu were to eliminate Asagi for that reason alone, he would become the villain.
281
282While Vandalieu was enduring this stressful situation, Asagi seemed to be deep in thought.
283
284“Could it be…?” he whispered to himself, and then he lowered his head towards Vandalieu. “If you resent us because we failed to notice you and couldn’t save you in Origin, then I’m sorry. This will sound like nothing more than an excuse at this point, but… we really didn’t know that you were a reincarnated individual,” he said.
285
286It seemed that he thought that the reason for Vandalieu’s attitude towards him was the events in their previous lives.
287
288Shouko and Tendou, as well as Kanako’s group who had been watching this conversation unfold, seemed to realize this; they followed Asagi’s lead and lowered their heads.
289
290“That’s right, the first thing we should have done was apologize.”
291
292“I’m really sorry. If we had found out earlier, things wouldn’t have turned out like that.”
293
294“I’m sorry. We were so desperate that we forgot to apologize.”
295
296“Yeah, I’m sorry.”
297
298But Vandalieu shook his head. “I don’t care about what happened in our previous lives. It’s troublesome, so please just forget about it.”
299
300Asagi and the others raised their faces and looked at him in surprise.
301
302“You don’t care? You didn’t resent us? I heard that you wanted to kill us,” said Doug.
303
304Vandalieu instinctively looked away. “Please forget the words I shouted in front of Rodcorte after I died in Origin,” he said. “Those were words of hatred spoken when my mind was very strained and I had lost half my sanity.”
305
306Vandalieu had thought things through calmly afterwards and realized that the one at fault was Rodcorte for reincarnating him without granting him anything, and that the other reincarnated individuals were not to blame.
307
308Of course, that didn’t mean that he had no hatred for the other reincarnated individuals at all, but… over ten years had passed since then. All kinds of things had happened during that time, and Vandalieu’s place in the world had changed dramatically.
309
310Thus, the fact that the reincarnated individuals failed to save him and ended his life in Origin was not a big deal to Vandalieu. Part of it was that he simply didn’t have the time to actively hunt down the reincarnated individuals and kill them, however.
311
312“I-is that right? Well, that’s definitely a relief to hear,” said Doug, looking surprised and confused at the same time.
313
314Vandalieu had said the same thing to the ‘Gungnir’ Kaidou Kanata, but perhaps the other reincarnated individuals hadn’t heard the message, or perhaps they had interpreted it as a lie to make them lower their guards.
315
316“That’s right. Ah, could it be that the other reincarnated individuals can hear me if I say it to you?” Vandalieu said, using Flight to fly towards Doug and deliver his message to the other reincarnated individuals. “Hello, can you hear me? I don’t care about the fact that you killed me or even about your existence. It would be more problematic for me if you actually went out of your way to apologize to me.”
317
318“Uoh?! You’re too close, you’re too close!” Doug shouted, instinctively trying to get away from the dead-fish-like eyes that were now in his face.
319
320“Vandalieu, calm down. His eyes aren’t camera lenses,” said Legion.
321
322This was a comical conversation, but Kanako and Tendou found themselves unable to laugh.
323
324He doesn’t even care about our existence… That means that rather than having forgiven us, he’s just not interested, doesn’t it?! thought Kanako.
325
326They say that the opposite of liking something is being completely indifferent, but it’s really true, thought Tendou.
327
328Vandalieu’s words weren’t spoken out of forgiveness, but out of complete disinterest.
329
330“Asagi, you should give up after all. Let’s get out of here,” Tendou whispered into Asagi’s ear.
331
332But Asagi was not a man who could accept this. “No, I’m different from how I was when I was in Origin. I’m definitely going to stop him with my words this time,” he said, brushing Tendou’s whispered warning aside. And then, with a strong-willed tone, he called out once more to Vandalieu, who seemed to be messing around with Doug. “Vandalieu, listen to me! The situation is worse than you think! There’s going to be huge problems in this world because of you at this rate!”
333
334“… Well, I suppose that’s right,” said Vandalieu, his weariness audible even in his flat-toned voice.
335
336“You’re aware of it?!”
337
338“Just what do you think I’ve done, fought against and defeated up until now?”
339
340The restoration of the fallen nation of Talosheim, the occupation of this former Scylla territory. Most importantly, the release of Vida, the goddess of life and love, who had been sealed away by Alda’s divine authority. The acquisition of the surname ‘Zakkart’ by clearing the Trial of Zakkart.
341
342The enemies he had defeated included believers of Alda like High Priest Gordan and four members of the Amid Empire’s Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords. On the Orbaume Kingdom’s side, there was a knights’ order of the Hartner Duchy and one of the resistance organizations that had been trying to recapture the Sauron Duchy.
343
344Among the gods, he had defeated the Pure-breed Vampires Ternecia and Gubamon, as well as Ravovifard, the evil god of release. He had also apparently consumed a god whose name he didn’t even know.
345
346If Vandalieu tried to think of the things he had done that would affect the world outside the Boundary Mountain Range as well, there were this many that just came off the top of his head. Even Vandalieu wasn’t so carefree as to think that these actions wouldn’t cause large problems.
347
348Of course, it wasn’t that Asagi and the other reincarnated individuals knew all of this. Vandalieu doubted they had even figured out that he had revived Vida and conquered the Trial of Zakkart.
349
350“If you’re aware, why haven’t you stopped?! I’m not even joking; at this rate, the entire world will become your enemy! The gods and people of this world will not accept you, someone who creates and manipulates Undead!” Asagi shouted, feeling a sense of danger.
351
352His words were the conclusion he reached after experiencing a little over a year of life in the Orbaume Kingdom, in the human society of this world.
353
354In this world, the existence of Undead was deemed unacceptable by the followers of the Alda religion, which made up the majority of the population. But it wasn’t just them; even a small number of Vida’s followers did not accept Undead. In fact, every single church taught that creating and manipulating the dead out of one’s own selfish desires were evil acts that desecrated life.
355
356No matter how useful Vandalieu’s death-attribute magic was, the people of this world would not accept him as long as he continued to use Undead as his servants.
357
358This conclusion that Asagi had made was surprisingly not far off the mark. Emperor Marshukzarl of the Amid Empire had come to a similar conclusion regarding Vandalieu’s future as well.
359
360They were slightly different, however, as Asagi’s conclusion was based on the people’s emotions towards Undead while Marshukzarl’s conclusion was based on the fact that Vandalieu’s actions up until this point were not compatible with the desires of human nations.
361
362“No matter how extraordinary your Mana is, you won’t be able to defeat the entire world! Even the Demon King whose fragments you’ve absorbed was defeated in the same way!” Asagi continued.
363
364Indeed, the Demon King Guduranis had possessed far more power than Vandalieu, destroyed four of the eleven great gods, completely polluted an entire continent, destroyed the souls of four champions and pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. And yet, he had been defeated by the remaining three champions.
365
366“Like I said, I’m aware of that. I’m doing my best to not make the entire world my enemy,” said Vandalieu.
367
368The reason he was still continuing this conversation with Asagi and not attacking him was for that reason, too.
369
370If there was a dangerous being wielding some of the greatest power in the world who killed others for no other reason than them having different opinions, values and religions… the people of the world would become desperate to eliminate that dangerous being.
371
372But even if a being wielded great power, as long as he could be reasoned with, then things shouldn’t come to that. There would be some that he would never be able to come to an understanding with, but cases in which that led to actual conflict should remain within small numbers.
373
374That was what Vandalieu thought… though the world’s affairs were now in an odd situation as a result.
375
376“That’s not enough,” said Asagi. “It’s true that the death attribute is convenient, and countless people were saved by it in Origin. But there isn’t anyone who will accept someone toying with the dead –”
377
378“Asagi, there are more people who accept it than you think,” said Legion, denying his words directly.
379
380“… I can’t trust the words of you people who worship him fanatically,” said Asagi. “And this is a conversation between us people who have been reincarnated from Earth. Sorry, but stay out of this –”
381
382“Hold on!” said Melissa, cutting Asagi off.
383
384Asagi looked irritated at having been cut off, but he had bigger things on his mind after Melissa spoke her next words.
385
386“That voice, is it you, Hitomi? The ‘Gazer’ Minuma Hitomi?!”
387
388“That’s right, Melissa. I’ve stayed quiet and left the talking to everyone else up until now, but I’ve been here from the beginning and heard everything,” said Hitomi’s voice from beneath Legion’s hood. “Asagi-kun, I can join the conversation, right? I’ve been reincarnated from Earth, too.”
389
390Asagi looked surprised, but he nodded. “Yeah.”
391
392It seemed that he hadn’t noticed Minuma Hitomi inside Legion, as only the members of the Eighth Guidance had been speaking so far.
393
394“Now then, let me continue… Asagi-kun, there are quite a few gods who accept what Vandalieu does,” said Hitomi.
395
396“Gods?! Accepting the creation and manipulation of Undead?!”
397
398“That’s right. The famous ones are Vida, Ricklent, Zuruwarn… You can assume that all of the gods in Vida’s faction are Vandalieu’s allies.”
399
400“… Those are all big names. But how can you be so sure? Nobody knows what the gods are thinking unless they meet them directly, right?” Asagi asked.
401
402“I haven’t met them, but Vandalieu has. Right?” said Hitomi.
403
404“Yes, I met them. I questioned them directly and confirmed what they think,” said Vandalieu.
405
406Asagi and the others opened their eyes wide in surprise as they heard what was already widely known inside the Boundary Mountain Range.
407
408They had already met and exchanged words with Rodcorte, the god of reincarnation, in his Divine Realm multiple times. But they had always assumed that this was an exception, and that it was impossible to meet gods no matter how much one wanted to.
409
410This assumption was actually largely correct. The gods of Lambda were closer to their world than the god of Earth was to its own, but even chosen clergymen could only receive messages from their gods through Divine Messages. Meeting them directly and exchanging words with the gods was impossible unless they became familiar spirits or heroic spirits after they died. This was a commonly-known truth.
411
412But this commonly-known truth didn’t apply to Vandalieu.
413
414“From the time when Zuruwarn and Ricklent refused to hand the souls of Pluto and the others to Rodcorte, I could guess that a number of gods were accepting us, but… Well, I’m sure Rodcorte didn’t tell you everything, so I won’t blame you,” said Vandalieu. “It’s not like I know all of the circumstances that the gods face, either.”
415
416“But from what I heard at the Church of Vida, there wasn’t a single word of that…” Asagi muttered.
417
418“It’s not like the gods of this world are constantly sharing their will with every church and priest. I think it will still take some more time before the Church of Vida changes,” said Legion.
419
420“I-I suppose you’re… right?”
421
422“Asagi-kun… ‘Mage Masher.’ Do you understand now that Vandalieu will not turn the whole world against himself? If you don’t believe him, then that’s fine, too.”
423
424If Asagi were to be honest, he was still half in doubt. If possible, he wanted to hear just how Vandalieu had met the gods, and exactly what they had discussed, but…
425
426“We believe you! So, we’d like to defect to your nation,” said Kanako, using this small break in the conversation to change the topic.
427
428“Rather than defect, it would be immigration in this case, wouldn’t it?” said Vandalieu. “I have a suggestion regarding that. Will you hear it?”
429
430Since Vandalieu was addressing Kanako’s group now, Asagi wasn’t able to ask about the details.
431
432“Alright, I’ll believe you for now. But even gods can make the wrong decisions. If you continue using death-attribute Mana, which is a foreign substance in this world, there might be irreversible consequences,” Asagi said. “Amami… Vandalieu, you’re not thinking about taking over the world with a kingdom of Undead or anything like that, right?”
433
434“Uh, of course not,” said Vandalieu.
435
436As he gave this answer, he wondered why Asagi was so fixated on getting rid of the death attribute in the first place.
437
438After thinking about it, he concluded that it was because Asagi was unable to accept the existence of Undead due to his personal and religious beliefs, which led to a hatred for the death attribute. And from this hatred, he viewed the death attribute as something dangerous, as dangerous as a weapon of mass destruction.
439
440If that’s the case, then this is troublesome, he thought. I can’t do anything about the former, and the latter isn’t wrong. But with the amount of Mana I have, even if the magic I used wasn’t death-attribute magic, I don’t think I would be any less dangerous.
441
442Vandalieu currently possessed over five billion Mana. With that much Mana, he would be able to create a small sun on the world’s surface with the fire attribute, freeze entire nations with the water attribute, cause lightning to rain down from the sky with the wind attribute or cause movements in the planet’s crust. Even if he was only able to use the light or life attributes, he would likely be just as dangerous.
443
444And even without any attributes, he was able to punch holes in space itself.
445
446In other words, Asagi’s fears would not be addressed even if Vandalieu were to stop using death-attribute magic.
447
448I doubt he’ll understand even if I explain that, so I won’t bother. And I should keep quiet about the Undead breeding experiments, too.
449
450“I have to make it clear that it would be impossible for me to stop using death-attribute magic,” said Vandalieu. “It would not affect only myself; it would cause the collapse of the nation that I rule.”
451
452Talosheim’s infrastructure and industries were all dependent on Vandalieu’s death-attribute magic.
453
454Talosheim’s defensive walls, buildings and the moving parts inside its factories were all Golems. The crossbows that were in position to fire at enemies outside the city’s walls were Cursed Weapons.
455
456Magic Items using death-attribute Mana were responsible for everything from preserving food in warehouses and manufacturing fermented food products to creating antiseptics to maintain Talosheim’s hygiene standards and lighting the streets with Demon Fires.
457
458If all of these were to stop working, the nation would face extreme difficulties. Ghouls would face particularly harsh troubles – if the Magic Items that increased their reproductive functions and improved the survival rate of their fetuses stopped functioning, it would become difficult for their species to continue.
459
460If Asagi’s request included purging the currently-existing Undead, the population would fall sharply as well.
461
462It was impossible to comply with this request, and if someone were to continue to insist on it, a fight to the death was inevitable.
463
464“You said you want to stop the death attribute, but what specifically did you even have in mind?” Vandalieu asked.
465
466It would be simple to just stop using magic, but affinity for an attribute was no different from any other physiological function. To Vandalieu, Asagi’s request was equivalent to saying, “Don’t ever sweat again for the rest of your life.” It was realistically impossible.
467
468“There are several ways,” said Asagi. “First, you could die a pseudo-death… a temporary death, enter Rodcorte’s Divine Realm and receive an affinity for another attribute –”
469
470“Ah, please keep it limited to methods that don’t involve Rodcorte,” said Vandalieu.
471
472“… So, it’s impossible after all,” Asagi muttered.
473
474He had been planning to explain the various methods of sealing away Vandalieu’s death attribute that he had heard from Rodcorte, but Vandalieu was rejecting them.
475
476There was no way that Vandalieu would trust Rodcorte, the one who had made a mistake as simple as mistaking him for someone else. It was only natural to be wary of a god who was trying to kill him.
477
478“Then… It can’t be helped for now,” Asagi sighed.
479
480When he was first reincarnated in this world, he had intended to convince Vandalieu to trust Rodcorte once more. But when they had consulted Aran and the other familiar spirits to gain information on Kanako, they had emphasized over and over: “Don’t ever trust Rodcorte.”
481
482In his fear of Vandalieu, Rodcorte had tried to cut off multiple worlds from his circle of transmigration system, including Lambda and Origin.
483
484As the details of this event were related to the circle of transmigration itself, Rodcorte’s familiar spirits had been unable to share them with Asagi’s group, who had already been reincarnated in Lambda as humans.
485
486But they had done their best to try and convey the message that Rodcorte, who had kept his promises up until this point, was now completely untrustworthy.
487
488Given the warning from the familiar spirits and the information he had just heard from Hitomi, Asagi had lost his will to force his intentions on Vandalieu.
489
490As Tendou said, it’s best to leave at this point. It doesn’t seem like he will respond to me unless I learn more about this world, find a way to seal the death attribute away without relying on Rodcorte’s power and explaining this method to him, Asagi thought.
491
492He still believed that the death attribute was something that should not exist, and his objective of convincing Vandalieu to see that hadn’t changed.
493
494Vandalieu, unable to see these intentions, was puzzled by the fact that Asagi had given up on this so quickly. But he didn’t say anything.
495
496“But let me warn you, Vandalieu. You should probably give up on the idea of accepting these guys as your allies. They betrayed not only the Bravers, but the Eighth Guidance as well. There’s no doubt that they will betray you as well,” said Asagi.
497
498“What?! You want to speak badly of us now?!” Kanako exclaimed.
499
500“You bastard, you want to interfere with our business just because your business didn’t go so well?!” Doug shouted.
501
502“Don’t try to drag others down, it’s quite pathetic,” said Pluto.
503
504“I think it’s questionable behavior as an adult,” said Hitomi.
505
506Even Vandalieu chimed in. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said.
507
508Not just Asagi, but Kanako’s group as well, froze in surprise; it seemed that they hadn’t expected the support of Legion, the ones who had actually been betrayed.
509
510“Wait a second, why are you guys siding with them? They betrayed Pluto, took advantage of Hitomi and said that they don’t care about Vandalieu, didn’t they?” asked Shouko, speaking in Asagi’s place as he was unable to speak.
511
512Legion’s personalities spoke in turn to reply to this question.
513
514“It’s true that in practice we Eighth Guidance members were betrayed by them… We don’t really resent them for it.”
515
516“We knew that Murakami, Kanako and the others would betray us from the beginning, after all! Things just turned out as we expected!”
517
518“In fact, they were really helpful in luring you guys out so that we could kill you. We even owe them our thanks.”
519
520“I’m not happy that they took the bodies of Pluto and the others away, but it can’t really be called resentment. That only happened after we all died, anyway.”
521
522“Grrrr.”
523
524“Eh? The fact that you don’t resent us is so convenient, but it’s so unexpected that I’m confused,” said Kanako.
525
526That was how much of a lack of resentment there was between Legion and Kanako’s group.
527
528“It’s kind of problematic for you to be confused about it, but… Our final objective in our previous lives was just an elaborate suicide,” explained Baba Yaga’s voice. “In order to make sure we would have no more regrets, we prepared a stage, went wild to our hearts’ content and agreed to meet again in our next lives. Kanako, you and Murakami helped us with that, so we don’t resent you.”
529
530“I see,” Melissa murmured, nodding in understanding.
531
532But then, why are Legion’s words towards us former Bravers so sharp? Tendou wondered.
533
534Hitomi noticed the doubt on his face and began speaking. “Shouko… ‘Ifrit,’ ‘Clairvoyance,’ the Bravers also took advantage of my ‘Gazer’ ability that let me see into the future,” she said. “It was my own weakness that caused me to start using drugs after that, though. Thanks to Kanako and the others getting me out of that hospital room, Pluto was able to treat me and I got to meet Jack.”
535
536“That’s why Murakami and Kanako were like Cupid for Hitomi-chan and Jack!” said Jack. “Well, we won’t forgive you if you try to kill Vandalieu, though!”
537
538It seemed that Legion’s favorable impression of Kanako’s group was related to Hitomi and Jack’s thoughts.
539
540Incidentally, Vandalieu’s attitude was a result of Legion’s influence and the fact that he had simply disliked Asagi ever since his time on Earth.
541
542“To add onto that, the reasons we killed each other were different,” said Baba Yaga, addressing Asagi’s group. “These guys tried to take advantage of us and kill us out of their own desires, but for you guys, it was for justice or something like that, right? Their desires happened to overlap with our desires, but your justice doesn’t have anything in common with ours.”
543
544Asagi sighed, his shoulders dropping. “… If possible, I want to avoid fighting you guys to the death again. Alright, I’m going to leave now without saying anything more,” he said. “See you later, Vandalieu.”
545
546With those words, he turned around and started walking away.
547
548“That time when ‘Death Scythe’ tried to kill you, he was taking advantage of me. I had no intention of complying with him. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but…” Tendou muttered. “About Asagi, I’ll do my best to try and convince him to not get involved with you guys, so let us go this time.”
549
550Those were Tendou’s parting words, and Shouko followed him in silence.
551
552The mountain road had become quite dark, the three of them didn’t notice Sleygar and Vandalieu’s other allies trailing them.
553
554A short while passed, and then Vandalieu spoke again.
555
556“He just said, ‘See you later,’ didn’t he? … I wonder if it would be bad for me to dispose of him now,” he muttered.
557
558“If you do that, won’t it increase the risk of the Bravers who will be reincarnated here later feeling endangered and forming a group to stand against you?” said Enma.
559
560In small numbers, reincarnated individuals with cheat-like abilities were not much of a problem, but it would be extremely problematic if they formed a large, trained fighting force. If Vandalieu eliminated Asagi here, it was possible that the other dozens of reincarnated individuals would overcome their personal differences and unite against him. He wanted to avoid that scenario.
561
562It would be most convenient if they broke up as a result of their conflicts in Origin, and stayed that way.
563
564“You’re right… Now then, let’s return to the topic of immigration,” said Vandalieu, agreeing with Enma and redirecting his gaze to Kanako.
565
566Kanako raised her hand enthusiastically. “About that, there is something that I would like to suggest! Though even I don’t know why I would suggest this!” she said.
567
568“What is it?” Vandalieu asked.
569
570“I think you should turn us into members of Vida’s races, like Vampires or something!”
571
572Vandalieu blinked in surprise at this sudden suggestion.
573
574“We never agreed to this, Kanako!” Melissa exclaimed.
575
576“Oi, what is the meaning of this?!” Doug demanded.
577
578It seemed that they didn’t know anything about this suggestion.
579
580“Because I never mentioned it. But I think it will be easier to trust us if he accepts this proposal. I’ve forgotten the details about it, though,” Kanako said, giving the two of them an explanation that couldn’t even be called an explanation, showing no signs of hesitation.
581
582“That is surprising,” said Vandalieu. “The truth is, I was going to suggest the same thing and make it one of the conditions of your immigration to Talosheim. You don’t have to be a Vampire, though.”
583
584Melissa and Doug were shocked once more by Vandalieu’s words.
585
586“It’s good that the discussions have gone smoothly,” said Legion.
587
588After it was decided that I would be staying at Pioro-san’s place, he brought me to the spice store of the Saionji firm. Apparently, the store and their house was connected.
589
590“Welcome. Oh, it’s just dad.” [Miyabi]
591
592“What do you mean it’s just dad? Besides, it’s not just me, you know? Ryouma’s here too.” [Pioro]
593
594“Sorry to disturb.” [Ryouma]
595
596“Ryouma-han, the guest room has been prepared. Make yourself at home.” [Miyabi]
597
598Miyabi was tending to the store just like this afternoon.
599
600But how did she know that I would be staying over? It was decided just now, wasn’t it?
601
602“Oh, are you not staying over?” [Miyabi]
603
604“No. Thank you for having me. I was just wondering how you found out when we decided it just a while ago.” [Ryouma]
605
606“The guest room needs to always ready so that it can be used whenever necessary, so I’m always tending to it. Besides, it’s dad we’re talking about. I figured he’d offer you to spend the night at our place.” [Miyabi]
607
608“I see. Thank you.” [Ryouma]
609
610“Don’t mind it. Want me to show you to your room?” [Miyabi]
611
612“Sure.” [Ryouma]
613
614Pioro-san would be going back to work, so it was Miyabi-san who accompanied me to the guest room.
615
616“Think of it as your own place.” [Miyabi]
617
618The room she brought me to was big for one person and was furnished with high quality furniture. It had a warm feeling to it.
619
620“I’ll be sure to cook you up a supper that won’t shame the Saionji name, so look forward to it!” [Miyabi]
621
622“Thank you. I’ll look forward to it.” [Ryouma]
623
624Miyabi-san nodded in response, apparently satisfied by my reply.
625
626“I’ll be going then. You rest up until supper.” [Miyabi]
627
628Miyabi quietly left the room.
629
630…And now, I’m all alone. I wonder what the supper is going to be.
631
632…I had nothing but those preserved food last night, so I’m a little hungry. I wonder if they’ll be serving meat. Or maybe fish? But this country doesn’t have a lot of seafood dishes. It’s an inland country, so it doesn’t have its own sea. And the only fish it’s able to procure are either those from the river or dried fishes. Fresh marine products are either expensive or just straight up impossible to purchase.
633
634An exception to that would be the towns situated near a lake like Shikumu. Places that have marine products as their main industry tend to have more seafood dishes.
635
636But when it comes to seafood, the first thing that really comes to mind is Japanese cuisine. But, dang… I haven’t eaten any since coming here..
637
638I was thinking it would have spread to some extent considering how many otherworlders have been brought here, but I couldn’t find even a single Japanese dish in Gimuru. Maybe I should try asking Pioro-san if they sell soy sauce and miso around here. They deal with food products, so in the worst case, they might have something similar.
639
640I rested in my room while thinking about food. After a while, a male servant told me that supper was ready.
641
642 
643
644“Ryouma, you came. Please. Have a seat.” [Pioro]
645
646When I got to the dining room, Pioro-san, Miyabi, and another fox-tribe woman were all already seated. The fox woman looked like Miyabi-san, so she’s probably Pioro-san’s wife. She sure is pretty…
647
648“Excuse me.” [Ryouma]
649
650“You don’t have to be so formal. And I think you’ve noticed her already, but this here is my beloved wife and Miyabi’s mother, Kurana [1].” [Pioro]
651
652“Kurana Saionji. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” [Kurana]
653
654“Ryouma Takebayashi. The pleasure is mine.” [Ryouma]
655
656“I’ve heard the rumors. Word says you’re quite the promising young man.” [Kurana]
657
658“Not at all. My luck just happened to be good. I’ve also been blessed with good people. All I’m doing is hiring talented people and relying on them.” [Ryouma]
659
660No, really. If not for everyone, I probably wouldn’t even have a store.
661
662The only reason I’m where I am today is because of the people I met.
663
664“If you can say that from the bottom of your heart at that age, then you’re already a brilliant young man.” [Kurana]
665
666“Indeed. When the young see some success, sometimes there are those who let it get to their heads. They stop seeing what’s around them and they start thinking there’s nothing they can’t do.” [Pioro]
667
668“Business consists of the customer and the employees. Business exists because there are people. If a merchant were to ever forget those around him and act as if they don’t exist, then it’s the end of for that merchant. When you hit the bottom, regardless how much talent you have, you’ll be forced to turn to dubious means. The fact you understand that means you’re plenty brilliant yourself, Ryouma-han.” [Miyabi]
669
670Is that how it is?
671
672“You can learn how a merchant should conduct himself in the future. Right now, just being able to talk politely is already amazing. Just look at Miyabi. She doesn’t talk politely at all.” [Pioro]
673
674“Dad! What are you comparing us like that for all the sudden!?” [Miyabi]
675
676“Well, there was an easy comparison nearby, so…” [Pioro]
677
678“Miyabi, you don’t have to force yourself, you know? You can just talk like you normally do.” [Kurana]
679
680Oh, so she really was forcing herself?
681
682“You noticed too, right, Ryouma? That Miyabi is forcefully changing the way she talks.” [Kurana]
683
684“A little. I didn’t think much of it though since it’s normal to change the way you talk to customers.” [Ryouma]
685
686“See? Even Ryouma, whom you just met, saw through you. Like this you’re just being a shrewd child who’s trying to talk in a dialect she doesn’t really know .” [Kurana]
687
688“This is so mortifying…” [Miyabi]
689
690Ah, she’s down… Still, is it really something to mortified about?
691
692Chapter 107
693
694‘Eli and Kururi’s Blacksmith’ had set off to a pretty smooth sailing, to say the least. Even today, the number of customers crossing the gate between the pig and the racoon wasn’t coming to an end. The amount of customers who are nobles also increased and it turned into a rumor which made even more nobles visit. Unlike the commoners, they didn’t hesitate to spend money on good stuff. Thanks to that, the shop was running really well.
695
696That is a really good thing but, to be honest, all of our products are more or less expensive. And when we consider the location of our shop, it is even more so.
697
698There are a very small number of customers wealthy enough to buy from the shop regularly and it’s hard to establish a customer base.
699
700Of course, we are also doing repairs but I recently found out that the swords don’t really get damaged easily and when they do, it’s only to a degree which they can fix by themselves.
701
702Even though reputation of the swords is growing, it is sad to not see a customer a second time.
703
704Even amongst all that, our shop now had a few regular visitor, although very few.
705
706First, the old, blacksmith man, Barol. He decreased his amount of work and was showing up at our shop frequently. His objective is to watch me work and that seems to be something he looks forward to the most these days. He is always very cheerful when gazing at my work. Although I am happy that he comes and has fun, unfortunately, he is a regular visitor but not a customer.
707
708The other one is Ms. Poly. She is person who we are indebted to since coming out of that mysterious cocoon. We can’t thank her enough. She also comes over when she is on a break at her parent’s liquor shop. Her objective is to talk about love with Eli. While there are customers in the shop, she cleans up the interiors so as to not get in our way. But when there are no customers, she and Eli talk about love affairs and go ‘kyaa kyaa’. About how the shoemaker’s 2nd son Van makes good sake, or that the 3rd son of a furniture dealer is good at cooking, she is always searching for her future husband everyday without rest. I am also happy that she looks like she is having fun but, unfortunately again, she is a regular visitor but not a customer.
709
710And the last person is the little boy who came with the madam the other day to buy a sword. His name is Riot Norris. He is the 3rd son of the Norris family and it seems like his mother is forcing him to learn swordsmanship to overcome his shy personality. It was her way of thinking about her son since his elder brothers would be inheriting the territory.
711
712However, it seems like Riot didn’t get on well with the instructor his mother hired and so he has been running away from sword training every opportunity he gets. And that’s when it popped up in his head, about the blacksmith who made his sword the other day. That if that blacksmith can make such a good sword, he might be a good swordsman. Although I didn’t have any memories, once I gripped the sword, I was surprisingly able to use it quite well and so after being asked by the young boy Riot, I became his instructor. The madam also agreed to it and paid me to be his instructor.
713
714It is fun teaching the boy swordsmanship and it also feels quite good to be relied upon. However, unfortunately, once again, while he is a regular visitor, he isn’t a customer.
715
716And as such, there were basically no regular ‘customers’ in this shop. And that was what was on my mind recently and, before I realized, I had informed the old man Barol about it, as well.
717
718“You have got such a shop, after all, there probably aren’t many customers that well off who would come visit every now and then. There aren’t many prominent dealers who have a nice shop and have regular customers so you don’t really need to be so depressed about it. You will get some soon enough.”
719
720And such was the answer of the man who has been in the smithing business for many years. It might have also taken quite some time before that strong swordsman came along old man Barol’s shop.
721
722If so, then I have no other choice but to keep on doing my job until such a good customer comes by.
723
724“Master! Is it really okay like this? We have been doing basics training all week…”
725
726“Not only this week. I will have you do basics training for half a year. Once we are done with that, we will enter such hellish training that you will feel like the basics training was heaven.”
727
728“Hiee…… I am fine with the basics training!”
729
730After watching over young Riot practice admirably, I decided to return back and do my own work. Even so, it’s not a bad feeling being called master. And for some reason, it also doesn’t feel like this is the first time. Perhaps I had done some master-like things in my lost memories. As expected. I might have been quite an amazing person.
731
732“Your nose is extending, you know.”
733
734Old man Barol pointed out as I was getting ahead of myself. I can’t even have a wicked thought in front of him ‘cause he observes me so well.
735
736“Oh, right. That reminds me, there’s quite an interesting guy in town at the moment.”
737
738Interesting guy? Like a street performer?
739
740“He’s one of the regular customers of my shop. Maybe he will become a regular customer here, as well.”
741
742Old man! So you were really listening to my story, huh?! Who is it? Who is it? Who is that super interesting guy?
743
744“He’s a well-raised guy but he probably doesn’t have the money to be able to buy swords from here at the moment.”
745
746Geh! A regular customer who doesn’t even have money?! Geh!
747
748“Now don’t look so clearly displeased. He only doesn’t have money at the moment. That man will surely go big in the future. If you make some swords for him at a low cost now then you will be able to make him owe you one and if he likes the sword, this will probably turn out to be a long relationship.”
749
750An initial investment, eh? For old man Barol to say that he will definitely become someone great in the future… What kind of a person is he? I am pretty excited.
751
752“Where is that person now?”
753
754“Good that you catch up quick. He’s a doctor in the making. He’s going around travelling and gaining skills. And now he is in this town practicing. He said he would be leaving in a month or so.”
755
756“You talked to him in person?”
757
758“Yes. It seems like he is going around offering examinations and self-made medicines at a cheap price. I had him look at my hurting shoulder. His skills are too good for a doctor in training. My everlasting pain in the shoulders has since disappeared and from what I heard from a friend, his cheap medicines are also really effective. It seems like he is fine if he can just earn enough for his travels and so the price is very low.”
759
760“Ohh, what a wonderful person. Like a saint or something.”
761
762I spoke of what I thought honestly.
763
764“And on top of that, he’s still young. He also looks very fresh and refreshing so the word saint really goes with him. His age is probably the same as yours too. Seriously, I also heard this country’s prince is also doing really well and he’s very young. New talents just keep emerging one after another. When I look at you people, the word retirement crosses my mind.”
765“You can still keep going, old man Barol.”
766
767And in fact, I do think that his skills are quite high in this city.
768
769“Either way, how about catching that doctor as your customer? He will probably become a great doctor in the future, maybe personally employed by the country. His personality is also excellent.”
770
771“No, no, he’s a doctor, right? He doesn’t need a sword.”
772
773“Idiot! Even though your skills as a smith is top class, you’re still lacking as a merchant. I told you he was travelling, didn’t I? When considering the dangers along the way, it is better to carry a sword or two. What will you do, not even thinking at least that much?! Seriously, you already have a wife but you’re still very naive…”
774
775That last bit is a complete misunderstanding but I feel like I will receive a severe counter attack if I say something now so I decided to stay silent. It is true, that one should definitely carry a sword while travelling. As expected of someone doing this for a long time. Seems like I can still learn a lot from this person.
776
777“From what I had seen, he still didn’t have a sword. Go catch him before other smithers do!”
778
779“Yes. Then I shall head out to secure the doctor.”
780
781“That’s the spirit. You also have a wife, you must take these opportunities to earn properly…”
782
783That last bit is still a super misunderstanding but well, okay.
784
785I informed Eli I was going out to secure the doctor and headed out. Eli looked like she didn’t understand a bit of what was going on but it felt like a pain to explain from the start so I decided to leave it at that for now.
786
787I hurriedly came out but where should I actually go? And just then, young Riot came slipping out of the shop.
788
789“Master, you’re going to catch that doctor, right? I might be of use.”
790
791Unexpected fortune. Young Riot was surprisingly well-informed.
792
793“He also comes up as a topic in our house these days. There are quite a lot of rumors going around, that he is actually someone of quite a high position. His name was, if I am not wrong, Rain… yea, a name like rain. My mother said he was splendidly handsome so I somehow remember the name.”
794
795“Is he that good looking? And a doctor on top of that. He is unmatched at this point.”
796
797“Yes, it seems like he truly is a wonderful person. He seems to be denying it, but they say there are countless people wanting to pay him tons of money and give tribute. And while he is going around doing medical examinations, I heard there’s also a group of girl guards accompanying him.
798
799This kid is really informed, huh? I shall give him the label of an informer officially. A group of guards also follow him, eh… I don’t know if I should be feeling envious or scared. No, scared is correct, I think.
800
801“That’s troubling. It seems like it will be a pain to drag him to our shop even if we do find him. Moreover, from what you’re saying, he also doesn’t accept any tribute. Swords also fall in that category.”
802
803“Isn’t it okay if you just take a fee for it? It would be presumptuous of him to get a hold of your swords for free.”
804
805“That’s true but is it really?”
806
807Well what do you know, he can say some nice things.
808
809“Even still, all these info makes it feel like even getting close to him will be hard.”
810
811“That’s true. Our house had also officially invited him over as a guest but mother said he declined…… That’s right! Master, I just thought of something good. It would be fine if you meet him as a patient.”
812
813“That sounds like a good plan but I am eerily healthy though. Too much, unfortunately.”
814
815Although I didn’t remember anything about myself in this short period after waking up, I did get to understand quite a few things. First of all, this body is really strong.
816
817It moves well, it works well, it doesn’t need much food and there’s next to no chance of being in a bad condition.
818
819Wonderful, it really is wonderful but it is too unfortunate in this case.
820
821 “That person is a really good doctor, right? If we go about this the wrong way, we might offend him. It would destroy all chances of a relationship.”
822“Hmmm, he’s a tough opponent, isn’t he?”
823
824I feel deadlocked. It would be reckless. But going back without doing anything will probably make old man Barol angry.
825
826“I guess I will just try meeting him. Do you know where he could be, Riot?”
827
828“When I think of the path he has been following these past few days, I can make an assumption. Let’s go!”
829
830With Riot leading, we headed towards the area the skilled doctor is supposedly at at the moment. I must thank this informed disciple of mine later.
831
832The place Riot led me to was a place with many buildings. It was far from the noise of the marketplace and the time there felt calm. It was also probably because it was during the day and a lot of the dwellers were heading to their workplaces. In a corner of such a quiet residence, we found them.
833The girl group. A group of people swarmed around them. They were all looking at one building.
834
835Ah, that’s it. We found out immediately. That girl group is probably the guard group Riot was talking about. The people surrounding them are probably the next patients or maybe just curious onlookers. Our doctor is probably inside that building they are looking at.
836
837“I see, so it has become like this.”
838
839“It seems getting close is going to be hard.”
840
841“Let’s try going to their side. We might learn something new.”
842
843We excitedly mixed in the group of people. All the talk I could hear around us were about the young doctor. About how he saw that guy and cured him, how he cured this other guy and what not.
844
845Amongst all that, Riot and I had made it all the way to the front of that group. I wanted to go in front of the building and take a look at the doctor’s face but a woman in the guard group looked at me in such a way that I understood she wouldn’t let me.
846
847They are an elite guard group. They have quite the vigor.
848
849One of the woman there took a step forward and stood in front of me.
850
851“I am Casa, the elite guard squad leader. What business do you have with Mr. Rail.”
852
853She glared at me and introduced herself and probably the doctor.
854
855“Is Rail the doctor? I came here thinking I could meet him.”
856
857“Are you seriously ill? If not, then stay quiet and watch over Mr. Rail as he goes around the city.”
858
859“I am not. I just want to talk a bit, can I not?”
860
861“You can’t! Mr. Rail is incredibly busy, after all.”
862
863The pressure from the guard squad increased at once. It looked like they won’t let us get closer than this.
864
865Being overwhelmed, Riot and I slowly backed off.
866
867“A verbal message. Can you at least give him a message?”
868
869“I can’t.”
870
871There’s no use arguing, eh? They act as if he’s their belonging or something. I once again thought that this Rail guy is something else.
872
873“It’s nothing bad. That travelling doctor doesn’t have a weapon, right? He’s doing such wonderful things so it would be sad if he were to get injured in a journey. And so, I wondered if he would buy a sword. I am a blacksmith, you see.”
874
875“I see, so you came to do business? But what you are saying does make sense. I guess I can convey that much at least. Which blacksmith do you run?”
876
877“‘Eli and Kururi’s Blacksmith’ is the shop’s name.”
878
879“Eli and Kururun’s Blacksmith, eh? Got it.”
880
881You completely don’t get it, do you? That’s totally not it. The last bit.
882
883“Ah, I know that shop.”
884
885One of the guards at the back said.
886
887“The shop with the pig and racoon with a sword, right? I also know the place.”
888
889Translations by AsianHobbyist Website
890
891“I see. Then I will leave you to convey the message of ‘Eli and Kururun’s Blacksmith’.”
892
893Being appointed a job from the leader, that guard hopped happily.
894
895Talking with a doctor might be a very glorious thing. At least to them.
896
897I wanted to fix the name but since she knew about the pig and the racoon, I guess there’s no need for that. If that doctor seriously wants a sword, he will find the shop soon enough.
898
899
900“Then, I will leave it to you.”
901
902As we were done with our job, Riot and I went back to the house.
903
904The doctor didn’t come to the shop that day. Maybe the message was conveyed very late. Or maybe they did convey and he didn’t feel like getting a sword. Either way, it seems like there won’t be a relationship with the doctor old man Barol talked about.
905
906Rail Rain was tired.
907
908He was travelling and helping people suffering from diseases as a doctor in training. This was the first assignment his master, who taught him medical science, gave him. He feels the significance to this training itself. It was also worth doing.
909
910However, unrelated to that, he was also worrying about something else. He was aware that his appearance exceeded that of a regular person in a good way. Even today, a group of elite female guards followed him around. He didn’t have any spite towards them so it was also hard for him to tell them not to follow him. However, being tired after a whole day of medical examination, he just wants to get to bed as soon as he can but he has to talk with those guards and he felt that to be a very heavy burden. A similar situation occurs no matter which town he travels to so one could say he is used to it at this point.
911
912“Mr. Rail. Shall we begin today’s debriefing?”
913
914The debriefing began at a restaurant he randomly entered. To not get in the way of the shop’s business, they sat at a corner of the shop.
915
916They debriefed about the seriously ill people of this city. He was honestly thankful to them for this. Because of their information, his schedule was set, so it helped him a lot.
917
918After that, though, the discussion changes to the guards’ individual talks. Since he also got something from them, Rail properly listened to what they had to say, as well.
919
920Amongst that, one of the guards came forward, and conveyed the message of a certain blacksmith’s shop. It seems like they want him to buy a sword as it is dangerous travelling alone. They won’t give it for free, they want him to buy one. Strangely enough, he felt good about that.
921
922Even still, when he hears the word ‘blacksmith’, Rail naturally thinks of the friend he lost 3 years ago. It was also thanks to that friend that he seriously started learning medical science and is now doing this. He probably also had a lot of dreams. But those couldn’t be fulfilled. Because he sacrificed himself to save many people. Rail believed that if it was him, he was surely alive but his whereabouts were still unknown even after a year. Such days continued and everyone gave up on him being alive. Rail was amongst that group of people.
923
924Locking away those nostalgic memories in his heart, Rail asked that guard.
925
926“What is the name of the shop?”
927
928The girls couldn’t hide their surprise as Rail normally never shows interest about anything other than the ill people. The girl who was questioned probably never even dreamed of it. As she was too surprised, her mouth didn’t move. Instead, the squad leader answered.
929
930“‘Eli and Kururun’s Blacksmith’, they said. Shall we also find where it is located? If you are busy, we will also go in your place to get the sword!”
931
932Rail chuckled a bit.
933
934He felt a weird connection of fate to that name which resembled the name of the friend he lost and that friend’s lover 3 years ago.
935
936“No, of course the examinations are first. If I get time, I might go, I guess. Either way, good work today, everyone. Then, see you tomorrow.”
937
938Rail said his goodbyes and started eating the soup on his table.