Chapter 53: The Neighborhood Demon King VII (2/2)

The young lady responded to the maid with a retort. To think that I would get to see such a vibrant retort in the alternate world.

Or perhaps I should say……

「Rana, won’t you introduce your acquaintances to me?」

……it's fresh.

Rana picking a quarrel with someone like this is fresh. Even though she only stands quietly even with people she knew, to think that she would talk unreservedly like this……

「This person is――」

When Rana, looking displeased, tried to introduce her,

「Listen carefully, that mediocre man over there. My name is Frey・Dis・Gastolfo. A descendant of the god of fertility, Gastolfo, and the best magician who holds a graduation certificate from the glorious Hohens School. And finally, I’m an adventurer who holds the title of ”Brave(Yuusha)” that has been recognized for generations by the center continent’s Adventurers’ Guild!」

Frey puffed out her chest extremely smugly.

She was a person who seemed well-suited to laughing heartily.

Gastolfo, that’s a name that I had heard yesterday as well. One of its descendants is the Demon King and the other is a Brave. Is it a coincidence, I wonder? Please let it be a coincidence.

「……a schoolmate from Hohens」

「I see」

Rana's introduction was short.

Frey looked at me. She came up and stared at me.

「Ranyanyaryuna-san, who is this person? I’ve the feeling that I've seen him before somewhere………」

「Ojou-sama, this person was selling pasta in front of the store」

「I see, on a sales trip, I suppose?」

Oh, these two.

They were among the adventurers who had come to sample the pasta when I was selling it.

「He’s my husband」

『Huh?』

At Rana’s words, Frey and the maid raised their voices in unison.

「I got married to this person. His name is Souya, from a foreign land. We have the official documentation from King Lemuria as well」

「Oh, hello」

I felt a little self-conscious when it was said formally. Because it was pretend.

「Wh, wh, what did you say?」

Frey suddenly lost her balance and just when she was about to fall, she grabbed the maid’s twin tails and steadied herself. The maid didn’t budge an inch.

Is it okay to use those in that way?

「To think that I would be beaten to the punch by the Raunyanyan-san whose face said『I’m not interested in something like men』the most. On top of that, for the other party to not be an elf but a human……」

「Hang in there, Ojou-sama」

「So Frey. What do you want?」

Rana looked in a bad mood.

This is the first time I've ever seen her in such a bad mood. This cold feeling is also wonderful. It's charming in a new way.

「Ranananna-san, it seems that you've become an adventurer, right?」

「Yes, I didn’t become one because I wanted to though」

「Urgh, why?! To me! To me, who invited you to become adventurers together! Shouldn’t you have said a word or two to me?!」

「………Not really」

It was really just a word or two.

「Ugugu, you’re as heartless of an elf as before. Toying with me like this……」

「Ojou-sama, in the first place, we came to Lemuria 50 days ago and it was 10 days ago that we learned that Rauaryuna-sama was working as an adventurer. It’s a crucial point, but Lazarissa believes that Rauaryuna-sama hasn’t had the chance to learn that we’re in Lemuria」

「Gugu, but that's when the resonance between friends or the feeling as people from the same Hohens School should sense and lead us to each other」

「Frey, I've never shared such a sickening feeling with you」

Rana had become a cool beauty.

「Ojou-sama, we’ve actually passed by Rauaryuna-sama seven times. Ojou-sama didn’t notice it at all though」

「Lazarissa, tell me! Tell me such things!」

「I’m sorry, Lazarissa thought that you ignored her because you had something in mind. Lazarissa thought too much」

They were a strange pair.

「………So」

Rana whispered in a penetratingly cold voice.

Her eyes looked like they were gazing upon trash.

「What do you want with me?」

「Fufu, Rararanraranra-san」

Come on, that’s really far too wrong, isn’t it?

「For you! For you, who has become an adventurer! I, who holds the title of “Brave”! Will let you participate in a special quest as a special case!」

「I refuse」

「Fufu, it's alright. As friends who have a friendly rivalry and push each other to greater heights, you don’t have to feel indebted to me for something like this. I’ll say this though, the enemy is strong. If it’s the old you, I don’t know about――」

「I won’t participate」

「That's right. I knew that you would definitely say that. After all, in the long history of the Hohens School, you’re the woman who is the fastest to be chased out of the school. The woman who destroyed the most historical buildings. The most calamitous magician who is the only one on par with me. You said………eeeh?!」

「Ojou-sama, it’s regrettable」

「Why?!」

What should I do.

It’s like I’m watching a classic conte(short story of adventure).

Saving the world with a two-man comedy act, contes, and laughs in the alternate world. This is fresh! Yeah, right.

「Now now, Rana, you can refuse even after hearing what she has to say」

「I suppose so」

She had become cold even when replying me.

「Frey, talk. I’ll at least give it a listen. Thank my husband for his high caliber」

「Urgh, you show-off. However, Raunyannyan-san, if you hear what I have to say, you’ll help out with the quest of your own accord――」

「Get on with it. You always take forever to get to the point」

「………Alright」

Oh, she fell silent.

「Lazarissa, change」

She became depressed.

Frey squatted down with her back facing us. The maid stepped forward and took her place.

「Well then, Lazarissa will take Ojou-sama’s place and explain. To the north of here, there is a ruined dungeon in the center of the plain. There was an ancient barrier that had been put up around it, but it was destroyed by someone and a terrifying evil spirit has been released above-ground.

Its name is Gormlaith.

The usurper of three crowns, the king of the small-sized ones, the golden-eyed destroyer, the guide of the setting sun. The “Demon King” that once spread terror across this right continent」

It’s the person eating curry udon with my sister right now.

「Gormlaith? I don’t know that name, and I've also never heard of something like a Demon King in the vicinity of the forest」

Rana tipped her head to one side.

「Gormlaith is a Demon King who was secretly sealed by successive generations of Braves. It’s natural for Rauaryuna-sama to not know about it」

「Secretly……… What’s the reason for that?」

「I cannot answer because of the Brave’s duty of confidentiality」

It feels like I’ve seen an inconvenient truth of this world.

Could it be that the relationship between the Demon King and the Brave is a match-pump[3] or something? Uwaa, you’ve got to be kidding me. I don't want to get involved.

「Well, Frey, there’s something that I want to ask you」

「What is it?」

Frey turned around, looking extremely happy.

「It's been two years since I left Hohens. You should have become an adventurer before me. After inheriting the title of Brave which has been passed down for generations」

「Yes, I traveled around the center continent」

「Don’t you have any other party members besides Lazarissa?」

「………………」

Frey froze with the smile still on her face.

「Rauaryuna-sama, there’s a profound reason for that, you see」

「Lazarissa, please! Anything but that! Don’t tell her that~!」

The master clung to the maid.

She looked like a woman about to be abandoned by her man.

「Ojou-sama」

Frey was repelled with her hands pretty roughly.

「Lazarissa is hungry. Lazarissa will also take this opportunity to say that Lazarissa has had enough of sleeping in stables. If this kind of life continues, Lazarissa will return home」

「Ugugu」

「In other words, what is it?」

Rana remained calm.

「The clearing of the dungeon on the center continent went very well. Rather than Ojou-sama’s abilities, it was because the people in the party were outstanding. However, Ojou-sama let success go to her head, parted with those party members and came to the right continent at great expense.

For the sake of Ojou-sama’s honor, Lazarissa will summarize it simply.

It was a massive failure.

Challenging foolhardy quests and causing the party to disband. Retail therapy, and spending the money for our living expenses recklessly. When we tried selling the expensive works of art that we had bought by mistake because we were in financial difficulty, all of them didn’t fetch much.

Even the paltry amount of money that remained was stolen by the party members as compensation money, and even though we had to earn our daily food expenses, Ojou-sama wouldn’t accept trifling quests because her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Then, Ojou-sama sensed the resurrection of the Demon King.

There is a calamity in the place where the Demon King is, and if left to take its own course, the country will perish. Only a Brave can save the country.

Consequently, by imposing the debt of saving the country on King Lemuria and demanding a huge reward, we obtained a stable life.

However, even with Ojou-sama's idiotic firepower and the capable Lazarissa, subjugating the Demon King with the two of us would likely be difficult. At such a time, we happened to grasp the whereabouts of Rauaryuna-sama.

If two of the people who are called the “guide of the final flame” in the history of the Hohens School come together, there aren’t many people and the like who cannot be destroyed」

Maid-san,

You're also a pretty no-good person, aren’t you?

「Please, Rauaryuna-sama, cooperate with us」

The maid lowered her head in a bow.

「W, well, that's how it is, Unyaunya-san. I’ll share the fame of subjugating the Demon King with you」

「Ojou-sama, if you don’t ask properly, Lazarissa will return home. It’s “Rauaryuna”-sama」

「Ra, Rana-san, pl, ea, se………」

Her face still impassive, Rana answered.

「I see, I refuse」

「Why?!」

Frey, who was trying to grab Rana, was caught by the maid and held under her arm.

Without budging an inch, Rana spoke.

「Lazarissa, as well as the destitute, fallen Hemu Brave, the two of you have misunderstood something. My body is my husband’s, and my husband is also my party’s leader. I cannot participate in the quest without his permission」

Lazarissa and Frey looked at me with a glint in their eyes.

First, from Lazarissa,

「Have a peek」

She pulled open the neck of her maid outfit to expose the skin on her left shoulder.

「Come now, Ojou-sama too」

「I can't tempt men using my body before I marry」

I think that way of thinking is good.

Well, let me share my opinion.

「There’s something that I want to ask. First of all, the Demon King in question. What happens if you guys leave it alone or if you can't defeat it?」

Freeing herself from the maid’s hands, Frey answered.

「It’s vexing, but I’ll have to ask for help from the League of Braves of the center continent’s Adventurers’ Guild. As a person holding the title of Brave, I cannot overlook the Demon King」

The Demon King and her subordinates, the goblins, have no intention of invading the surface at all. Those people only want to live peacefully.

Moreover, like the fishmen, the goblins can make ends meet only in their underground city in the ruined dungeon. It’s thanks to the Demon King's agriculture magic.

Because their living spaces don’t neighbor each other, there won’t be fights unless the humans disturbed them.

However, in the unlikely event that the Demon King is subjugated and the goblins’ livelihood is disturbed………

As far as their true nature is concerned, I can't read it. But is there a race that will starve and perish without doing anything?

The history of the Demon King Gormlaith and the goblins had been peaceful for 390 years. Until I spread the curse and destroyed the barrier.

I have responsibility for this, don’t I?

It can’t be helped.

「I see. As an adventurer of Lemuria and for the sake of the country’s peace, the Demon King cannot be overlooked. I’ll cooperate with the Brave, Frey・Dis・Gastolfo. Let's defeat the Demon King」

[1] The Japanese word, “delicious(美味しい)” has several meanings. One is in reference to food tasting good of course, but others include “good” or “appealing” as in “this turn of events is good(美味しい) for us” or “this proposal is appealing(美味しい)”. Hence, Rana isn’t actually commenting on the taste, though she uses that word, but is commenting that the situation is good/appealing. It makes you wonder if she also meant the same thing every other time as well.

[2] It’s the action of gesturing with both hands before you, usually when speaking or explaining. Like this:

[3] A match-pump is when someone creates a problem, solves it himself, then takes the credit for it without revealing that he had caused it in the first place. Or in this case, Souya is suspecting that the Gastolfo family is doing the match-pump, being both the Demon King who threatens the world and the Brave who saves the world.

I love curry udon… And of course, it’s sorta a running joke in Japan that it’s impossible to not get splattered by curry when eating it. The moment you get careless, that udon is gonna flick the curry onto you. XD

Eggs over rice(Tamago kake gohan or TKG) is a dish where egg is mixed with rice. The egg can be beaten, not beaten or just the yolk. The rice can be cooked, reheated or cold. As you can tell, a very simple dish.

It’s kinda hilarious how much Frey mangles Rana’s name. If you look carefully, there’s a lot of “nyan”s and “unya”s all around. But of course, if there’s a Demon King, there’s got to be a Brave, right?

Btw, Lazarissa is holding Agathion on the cover of volume 3.

We’re seeing a few new sides to Rana, but were you expecting that, after all that has happened, Souya would cooperate to take down the cutesy Demon King? What about Ea and Makina? Stay tuned to fine out!