Chapter 175: Magic Warhorn IV (1/2)

【180th day】

It hits you suddenly when you least expect it.

The time when Irvin died, it wasn't until 49 days had passed that it really hit me.

That time, I had wandered the plain in the middle of the night until dawn broke, passed out, and then found myself at the camp.

He had died inside the dungeon, so why had I wandered the plain, I wonder.

I didn't know then and I still don't know now, but for some reason, I found myself wandering the plain in the middle of the night again.

I had no destination in mind.

The moons were hidden by the clouds and there were no stars in sight. It was a dark night tonight.

Amid the darkness that resembled the depths of the ocean, I relied on a dim light as I walked.

Somehow, I felt calm and relaxed.

Do I actually have fishman's blood in my veins? I wondered.

At this time of night, the city would be alive with revelry. I had tried to distract myself with some cheap alcohol, but now that I had become an advanced adventurer, I was treated differently even in the bar run by the country.

Inevitably, I drew the attention of the people around me.

It was fine when I was with my party members, but when I was alone, it was just too much trouble. Yesterday, I had to fight off three adventurers who wanted to test their skills.

It was also the way I was dressed. The combination of a magician's pointy hat, ancient adventuring outfit, black cloak, glasses, and a foreign katana stood out like a sore thumb to any sharp-eyed adventurer.

I thought about putting on a disguise, but……

『It's unbecoming of an advanced adventurer to sneak about. Act with dignity』

Was what the barkeeper said to me, so I reluctantly left my outfit as it was.

I mean, I can't kill them, I can't hurt them too badly, and I can't take their money or equipment after I defeat them either.

It's really nothing but a pain.

Is this why the other advanced adventurers don't show themselves all that often?

I'll need to figure out a better way to deal with this.

If I don't, the number of opponents will only increase.

I've had my fill of adventurers fighting adventurers. But I'll have to collect my dues from Arcane sometime soon.

「So, Yukikaze」

『What is it?』

I held up Yukikaze to illuminate the surroundings.

All around me, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness and the grass on the plain swaying like seaweed, making it seem like I was standing at the bottom of the sea.

「Where am I?」

I was completely lost.

『North of the old camp, near the ruined dungeon』

「How did I end up here?」

『Who knows? Is this some form of sleepwalking? Yukikaze recommends that you undergo Makina's psychological evaluation when you get home』

「Is that thing even accurate?」

I undergo regular checkups with Makina from time to time, but nothing ever seems to be wrong.

That conversely makes it really suspect.

『Who knows? Misuranika-sama often says, ”It's impossible for even a god to know what's inside a person's heart.” If you feel better after being told that everything is fine, isn't that fine? After all, it's said that all illness begins with the mind, right?』

「You're being rather frank, aren't you?」

She's as sloppy about things as usual.

This is getting ridiculous. I should go home.

「Yukikaze, use the marker to indicate the city's―――――」

『Zi………Zi…Zsa………………Zsa』

Static came out of the mini-pod. It sounded like a busted radio.

「Yukikaze, what’s wrong?」

『Zi………Zsaa………………Zi Zi』

「Come on」

A malfunction? I hadn’t expected my guide to break down in the dark like this. But the lights are still on, and it doesn't seem to be a bad contact with the pod or a problem with its speakers. If that's the case, I'll probably get a message through my glasses soon.

If it's a problem with the aqueous brain, then there will be nothing I can do.

Worst case, she'll have to be reset to factory settings.

「Oh, man」

At any rate, I'll have to let Makina take a look at her. Well, before that, I'll have to find my way home.

I looked around, but it was a night with no stars or moons in sight. I couldn't find my bearings.

As I searched for my portable compass……

「?」

……I heard singing.

I instantly associated it with the songs of mermaids. A magical tune that would enthrall sailors out at sea. Perhaps I was bewitched or maybe it was just curiosity, but I headed towards where the song was coming from.

Just in case, I closed my left eye and searched for presences. This power was given to me by the Faceless King. Even after I had regained sight in my left eye, I could still use it without any problems.

In my mind, I sensed a presence that resembled a mass of smoke fifty meters ahead of me.

There was just one, but it was massive for a person.

It didn't seem to have any malicious intent.

If I were to silence my footsteps too much, it might think I intended it harm, so I made as much noise as I could as I walked.

The darkness made the distance ambiguous.

I had thought that it was fifty meters ahead of me, but it felt like I had walked twice as far.

Perhaps it had sensed my approach, but the singing stopped.

「Oh, I'm sorry」

I apologized for some reason.

The light from the mini-pod illuminated a petite woman sitting on some rubble.

Her long, dusky blonde hair was wavy and voluminous, making her look like a bagworm moth. She wore very little makeup and was dressed plainly in a black robe. There were dark circles under her eyes, probably from a lack of sleep.

It may be rude to say this, but she has a well-shaped nose, so she will probably look much better with a little bit more makeup.

「Eh, no way!」

The woman let out a surprised yelp.

Huh……this high-pitched anime voice……I've heard it before somewhere.

「Could it be that you're Gormlaith-sama?」

「Eh, yes」

It was the Demon King.

「Emm, what's with your current appearance?」

I'd never have thought that the dignified(in appearance only) Demon King would be such a drab-looking girl.

The alternate world is full of wonders.

「This is what I looked like before I died. On nights like tonight, when the moons are hidden, dark beings like myself are at their most powerful. As an effect of that, my body turns back to the way it was. I don't really like this appearance though」

「No, I think you’re so-so cute」

「………………So-so」

I'm sorry.

My eye for women's looks has become very discerning because I've been surrounded by so many beauties.

「I apologize. I heard some beautiful singing, so I just………I'm sorry to have disturbed you」

I bowed and then turned away.

I had gotten a rough idea of the direction I needed to go. I should be able to walk back to the city.

「If you'd like……… Hey, wait!」

「Hmm?」

I paused and looked back when she stopped me.

「Shall we talk for a bit?」

The Demon King moved a little to the side to make some space on the rubble and then patted it with her hand.

Well, when a woman says something like that, there's really no good reason to refuse. I was just wandering around aimlessly to begin with, so I have the time anyway.

「Well then, if you insist」

I sat down next to the Demon King.

Then, she subtly shuffled a little further from me. That hurt my feelings somewhat.

「Wh, what are your hobbies?」

The Demon King asked me a question that sounded like one heard in marriage interviews.

「I cook a little. That said, I enjoy it, but I'm not very good at it. I'm only as good as a guy who lives alone and cooks in his spare time」

「Even so, Makina still got jealous」

「Well, I just got lucky sometimes. It's just luck」

Is she holding a grudge against me?

「………………」

「………………」

It got silent all of a sudden.

I, I can’t think of anything to talk about……

「By the way, Demon King-sama」「By the way, Souya-san」

We ended up opening our mouths at the same time.

「No, you first, Demon King-sama」

「No no, you first, Souya-san」

As we asked each other to go first, the atmosphere got a little weird.

Are we middle schoolers on a first date or something?

「What’s your occupation, Souya-san?」

「I'm a bit of an adventurer」

「R, right. Of course. That's not what I meant though. I've been a Demon King for a while now, but before that, I was an adventurer, and before that, I was a magician who specialized in mixing potions. At first, I rented a small corner of another store, but my potions became quite popular. An elf came to me with a proposal for setting up my own store. We started to explore the dungeon together to gather materials, and then we formed our own adventuring party. Naturally, I trusted him with everything, including my life, and well, I developed a huge misunderstanding. I mistook the heart-pounding from danger with the hear-pounding of love. I was warned by the other two members of our party when I quit the party to get married to him, ”Don't go with that elf. He only cares about what's in it for him.” Hahaha, I completely ignored their advice. I had completely lost my head. At his behest, I sold the recipes for the potions and used up all the money I had earned adventuring. By the time I realized that I had been tricked, it was already too late. Without a single word, I was suddenly barred from the forest and never got to say goodbye to his face. I tried to earn a living as an adventurer, but my involvement with the elves had earned me a bad reputation. Eventually, it reached the point where I couldn't even afford my daily bread, and I mistakenly blamed it all on the world. Oh, but the king at the time was really a bad king. He kidnapped a clan of goblins and used them to establish a despicable system of slave adventurers. So, umm, having finally given in to despair, I killed the king」

Speaking incredibly fast, the Demon King gave me a self-deprecating account of her past.

「That must have been tough」

As someone who has elven family members, this is a bit painful to hear.

I feel like it's usually the elves who are at fault.

「To be honest, the hardest part was after I had killed the king. I had to secretly re-build the city I had blown up, free the goblins, teach them the concept of hygiene, increase their literacy rate to 100%, develop farming methods that could be used inside the dungeon, and teach them how to use and create tools, which was something they were originally good at, so that was no problem. It took me ten years to create a stable living space.

And then, I had a real adventure with a party of people I truly trusted.

The unknown and the unusual that went on forever. Exploring the forbidden dungeon was so much fun. I was never healthy to begin with, so my lifespan ended before I turned thirty. Though they weren't human, it was the first time in my life that so many people felt saddened and grieved for me.

The moment I thought, ”I'm so glad to have lived this life～”, I suddenly didn't want to die anymore, so I held on with willpower and developed a way to anchor my soul to my body. My appearance became terrible, but………………well, as you can see, my original appearance was never much to look at anyway」

「That's not true. If you work hard at polishing yourself up, I believe you will shine」

I meant that sincerely.

I mean, I've always been into plain women. Rana's the only one for me now though.

「Souya-san, has anyone told you that even the way you speak is starting to resemble the elves?」

「No way」

For a moment, the face of that asshole Melm flashed across my mind, making me sick to my stomach.

It's just that I've had to acquire communication skills whether I liked it or not after coming to the alternate world. I have no intention of ever reaching the level of the elves, who hit on women as easily as they breathe.