Chapter 16 Ruri’s dream

“Take him away.”

“Yes sir!”

Terran exited the throne room, taken away by the castle guards.

He was extremely tired when he left; I couldn’t sense any vitality on his face. It’s like you dropped down from the peak of happiness to all the way to the base you know, it was kind of understandable.

“――――――In the end, he didn’t have any decent information. What is that black robe scheming……”

“That’s right…… I wonder what he planned to do by approaching me.”

The first info I got out of that guy is that the black robed man and he as a firm are trading partners . Terran firm primarily deals with a wide arrange of goods, ranging from foodstuffs to miscellaneous goods. Because their quality is reliable, there are many from each nation who favour them. But that is how it looks on the outside. Behind the scenes they seem to be dealing with narcotics and distributing them to the big shots, that kind of work.

And the one supplying the narcotics is the black robed man. It seems that they are doing magic experiments to produce energy and the narcotics were seemingly created as a byproduct by chance.

“An experiment that produces narcotics…… I don’t see anything good about this experiment that make people change like this…… “

I took off the hood of the light brown robes who are lying on the ground.

The head is full of cobs, the cheeks here and there are discolored bluish purple, one eye is swollen so much it protrudes halfway.

They might have been originally an ordinary human, I guess. Now they’re unrecognizable though……

It seems they are the result of the experiments the black robes are doing. Even Terran doesn’t know the full details, but it looks like those guys are attempting to produce biological weapons.

I gently put back the hood. I don’t know what kind of people they were before, but I don’t think they want to be seen in this appearance even after they died.

“These guys…… I don’t know if they’re biological weapons or not, but their strength is real.”

“I’m sorry, we could’ve been able to pull out more information if we captured them alive……“

Ides and Lily, who are beside Desas, said so. It was reasonable that even with their abilities it’s difficult to capture them alive. It may become quite the miracle if those guys are ma.s.s production models.

“I will be troubled if you tried to capture them and receive injuries instead. None of you have any injuries so let us be glad with that.”

Desas lets out her voice to the frustrated two.

Well, the throne room is pretty much ruined though…… Desas is a demon who is considerate towards her friends and subordinates, so she is rather delighted that they don’t have any personal injury I guess.

“In any case, we can’t leave these guys lying down like this I guess…… Brad, can I leave this to you?”

“As you wish.”

As I tell Brad to bury them, he carried the brown robes and left the room.

“With this it should be all right……Hmm? What’s wrong Setsu?”

“ …… Nah, it’s nothing.”

Desas spoke to me worried when I was pondering while looking at the brown robes. What I’m bothered with is the organization t

hat created these brown robes. I couldn’t get Terran to spill out the name of the organization or their plan, but I’m worried about the existence who is called the “master” by the black robed man who left at that time. And he also said “As I thought” when I came to help these guys.

They antic.i.p.ated my return to this world. In addition to that, the “they will summon me, so marry her” plan regarding Desas was brought up to Terran by those guys.

(It’s inconsistent…… but there’s way too little information I guess……)

“What is wrong, Setsu.”

As I was thinking again, Levia, who was next to me, looked worriedly into my face. Next to her was Ruri, who was making a similar expression.

“It’s really nothing, okay…… I’m fine.”

I still don’t know anything, I can’t let them get any more worried about me than this I guess. I showed them a smile to let them know there’s nothing to worry about.

“More importantly Ruri, don’t you have something you have to deliver to Desas?”

“Ah! That’s right!”

In order to change the subject, I recalled the talk about Ruri’s original purpose for coming here. Ruri searched in her pockets in panic and upon finding the object, she rushed over to Desas while holding it.

“Uhm! This is the item my granddad entrusted me with delivering it!”

“I see…… this is……”

Desas received the presented item. It’s the black brooch I once gave to Desas.

“Hm, I see it’s certainly fixed. You have my grat.i.tude, Ruri was it? So, why is it that you came to deliver this? Is the old man……”

“Ah…… because of illness…… he already”

“ …… Is that so, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. It may be lonely, but I’m fine now.”

Ruri smiled as she said so. That smile shows loneliness as expected, but it wasn’t gloomy. It looks like she really got back on her feet.

“You really saved me though, I felt hopeless when the brooch Setsu gave me broke――――――”

“Eh!?”　

Huh? Didn’t I told Ruri about that? To Ruri, who was facing this way with a surprised expression, I said this.

“That’s something I made. I also added the name in the back you see.”

“Whaaaaat!? What kind of person are you mister Setsu!?”

What are you asking me after all this? After all, I was summoned from another world ――――――　

hm? Ah, I see!

“I haven’t told you who I really am!”

“Mister Setsu is the great hero who stopped the war five years ago……”

“Well, I wasn’t at the level of a great hero though”

“To us, Setsu is not only the person who saved our lives, he is also our country’s benefactor I tell you!”

Why is Desas interrupting the conversation with a triumphant look? To these guys I may be that kind of person, but it’s only making me itchy.

…… Now that she told me, I even came to feel glad that I did my best in my fight to the point it changed the topography though.

“Setsu was amazing…… like with that devilish hero, he―――――”

“Desas”

“h…… I see, my apologies”

I stopped the conversation with Desas who looks like she’s heating up. Ruri doesn’t have to know more than this. It’s a story I don’t really want to remember.

“In, in any case! I should give you something as a reward, Ruri!”

Desas herself changed the somewhat awkward mood. Ruri opened her mouth while still confused from suddenly changing the subject back to work.

“No, I can’t accept that! I have already received the reward along with the request after all……“

“That doesn’t matter right? Just take what’s been given to you, okay?”

“Even you, Mister Setsu!?”

To be able to receive a reward directly from the honorable demon king, I don’t think she has any reason to refuse it though……

“To receive more than the original reward is, you know…… as a merchant, I……”

I see, it seems like she thinks she’s not qualified to receive it. Even though she looks like a little kid, her way of thinking is praiseworthy.

“Hey, what do you know, you can hold yourself back unlike the brats from before. Just take everything you receive.”

I compromised with Ruri and patted on her head.

Her face became extremely unhappy. What is this, how fun.

“Gununu…… even though I’m already thirteen……”

“Aren’t you even an adult yet?”

In this world you’re considered an adult when you’re fifteen years old. Alcohol becomes available at that age…… whether there’s someone to protect you or not is another story. By the way, marriage is only possible from the age of seventeen. If you marry as soon as you come to age, you won’t be able to work sufficiently and something like a bankruptcy could happen.

“Yo-you too, mister Setsu! You’re not that much older than me you know! I don’t want to be treated like a kid by someone like that!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you la.s.s, but I’m well over thirty if you count my past life”

“Counting your past life is unfair you know!?”

Fuhahaha, how about that! This is a little kid grandpa―――――― or not, yeah. Impossible. (T.N. He says ジジショタ, literally jiji shota, ie grandpa shota)

“In my case you’re both children though……”

“Your mental age is at the level of a high school girl so shut up, you!”

Even though she lived for several hundred years she doesn’t have a shred of impression of an old hag, how did she spend her life to stay like that? It’s not just her voice is it?

“I don’t know what this being called high school girl is like…… but I feel like I’ve been made a big fool of aren’t I?”

Tsk, your intuition is sharp, as expected of the demon king.

I know I’ve been making a fool of her, but I’ll be troubled if I have to yield myself, so I start changing the subject again.

Hey you! Don’t tell me I have to reap what I sow!

“Well, leaving aside the whole age thing, isn’t it easier for Ruri to accept it if you decide what to give her?”

“It feels like the subject was changed…… Well, certainly that’s also true…… umumu, I thought that properly bestowing her a medal would be fine at a time like this, but…… that is not what you want, now do you Ruri?

Hey, that’s what a highschool girl would say.

Some people in this country would cry if they know what reward you’ve given properly until now, without a doubt.

“Isn’t there anything you wish for Ruri?”

“You mean, what I wish for?”

Ruri is suddenly asked and looks at me while trembling. Her face seems to want to say “What should I do!?”

As expected, bluntly refusing here would leave a bad taste, so I decided to give her an acceptable advice.

“Try to just say it, everything’s fine as long as it’s not outrageous”

“Even if you say that……”

“Look, isn’t there anything? Like…… a dream or something”

When I mentioned dreams, Ruri’s shoulders twitched.

She may have some dreams. Before I thought about asking her, she opened her mouth herself.

“If it’s a dream…… then I do have one”

While saying so, Ruri faced Desas with determination and conveyed her dream.

“I――――――would like to have my own store.”

Torches were lit inside the pitch black room. Even though those attached on the walls are lit, the room is still dim and the feet are hard to see.

A long desk is placed in the middle of the room and sitting around it are several men and women wearing a black robe.

Those robes were identical to the man who fought Setsu with shadow magic several tens of minutes ago.

“ …… My clone body was taken down”

“Is that so, how was it?”

“It is just as you said, my master; that man lives”

“Hahaha! So he does! I knew it!”

The first black robe who opened its mouth had the same voice as the man who fought with Setsu. The man who was in the demon continent was a clone body manufactured here.

And the one conversing with him is the man sitting in the first seat. His voice was neutral so it was difficult to know his gender and with the black robe hiding both his face and physique, it’s increasingly more difficult to know whether he’s a man or a woman. However, it is obvious that this person is the master of the group from that strange aura.

“Thank you for going there to confirm it, Kagerou.”

“It is no problem if it is at the request of my master.”

The man who handles shadow magic appears to be called Kagerou. Kagerou returned the words of grat.i.tude curtly. He thinks that it is natural to fulfill his master’s requests, so he considers words of grat.i.tude as unnecessary.

The master knows of his mood from his loyalty, so he delightfully opened its mouth.

“Just by using that demon king’s dilemma as a bait, we skillfully lured him out like that.”

“There was the possibility of him not coming, but what do you intend to do if that were the case?”

“If that happens then we will manipulate Terran from the shadows and only recover our objective, which is the demon king.”

”It is a backup plan that doesn’t create any gaps”――――――the master says with a blank look.

“I understand now, as expected from master”

“Don’t praise me so much, Kagerou”

As the two people are having a conversation, a knock resounded suddenly.

The sound comes from an iron door, which is the only entrance and exit of this room.

“Oh, you can come in.”

“――――――My apologies for my rudeness”

The one who entered together with the permission of the master is a young girl with blond hair which is shaking by the wind. Wrapped in a high cla.s.s dress, her facial expression is slightly red, as if she’s a girl whose cheeks are reddened from love.

“This is Margaret, first princess of the kingdom of Destinea. I’ve come to report the present condition.”

“Why Margaret, you are as beautiful as always.”

“Such, such flattery is, you see……”

Margaret’s cheeks are colored even more and she agonizes. No matter how you look at it, it was the face of a woman who fell in love. That should be expected, since this master is Margaret’s hero, he is a Hero after all.

“And so? How are the summoned brave Heroes doing?”

“They are growing favourably. The and his group are even able to dive into the .”

“Oh really now……”

This Cavern of sorrow is one of the existing dungeons in this world. Several adventurers have established a rank for each dungeon and this cavern’s difficulty is considered A rank.

“Since they were able to capture dungeons as far as B rank, even S rank dungeons should be within their grasp before long don’t you think?”

“That would be nice! If that is the case they may soon become useful to us.”

The master talked as he got ahold of new toys and started laughing. When the laughter lessened, he said that to Margaret who showed a delightful face from seeing the laughter.

“I would like to receive reports from you again okay? Margaret”

“Please leave it to me――――――Sir Touma” (冬真; kanji is winter and truth)

Touma…… That is the name of the man who was summoned together with Setsu before and also the name of the man who was buried by Setsu.

After Margaret left the room, he called one of the black robes in the room.

“Say Shironeko, won’t you head towards the beastmen country for me?” (T.N. シロネコ; shironeko)

“ …… I understand -no desu”

As the black robed person called Shironeko was told this, she begins to head towards the exit without asking for the reason. It’s as if to say she wants to leave this place immediately.

“Wait, wait! I haven’t told you your job yet!?”

Touma was fl.u.s.tered and stopped her. As a matter of fact, Shironeko has not pledged loyalty towards him so there were various problems with her att.i.tude.

“Shironeko! Please pay more respects to Master Touma!”

There was one person who felt angry from that att.i.tude. The person who shouted with a woman’s voice grabbed Shironeko, who didn’t even look at her, by the collar.

“Calm down Luna. Let go of Shironeko.”(ルーナ; ruuna)

“Master Touma……”

As Luna was told by a quiet voice, she did as she was told while she glared at Shironeko from within her hood.

“Shironeko, your job is to attack Setsu when he is in the beastmen country. He went to the demon country, so the next place will be the beastmen country after all. Attack during his sleep if possible, I want him captured alive. In the case he responds to your attack, retreat okay? He is someone you absolutely cannot defeat from the front you see.”

“ …… I understand -no desu.”

“Don’t think about escaping just like that, okay? I don’t particularly care what becomes of your little sister in the beastmen continent you see…… “

“I’m not planning to run away -no desu. I will do as I am told -no desu.”

“ …… right, that’s a good kid.”

After being conveyed the contents of her work, Shironeko calmly left the room. Even though he threatened her with her weakness, he saw her off with a good smile.

After Shironeko’s presence is completely vanished, Touma gave orders to the other black robes.

“ …… Kuroinu, keep an eye on Shironeko. You can kill her if she betrays us.” (クロイヌ; kuroinu; yes, these names)

“Yes, my liege.”

The black robed person called Kuroinu left the room as well.

Inside the room that decreased in numbers, Touma was pleased with the fact he was able to let the course of events go the way he had planned.

“Hahaha…… I will surely get my hands on you, isn’t that right?…… Setsu.

――――――――――My beloved.”