<h4>Volume 4 Chapter 3, “It’s Decided. I Will Sing So the Swords Will Stop.”</h4>
- The Vige of Wintering, in the Forest
ng! Cling!
The Hero: “…!”
Clink! ng!
The Hero: “Agh!”
The Female Pdin: “…”
Clink! Clink!
The Hero: “Curse of Lightning! Falling Thunder! Oooooohhhh! Lightning Destruction!”
Clink! Clink!
The Hero: “Haah… Hahh…”
The Female Pdin: “Oi, Hero.”
The Hero: “Eh? Ah. Female Pdin.”
The Female Pdin: “You’re working too hard. You’re looking a bit pale, in fact.”
The Hero: “That’s not true. I’m rehabilitating.”
The Female Pdin: “…”
The Hero: “I need to work even harder.”
The Female Pdin: “Hero.”
The Hero: “Eh?”
The Female Pdin: “It’s alright, soe over here.”
The Hero: “It hurts. What’s this!”
The Female Pdin: “Training is forbidden from now on.”
The Hero: “You can’t just say that.”
The Female Pdin: “Watch me.”
The Hero: “What…”
The Female Pdin smiles.
The Hero: “But there’s nothing else worth doing.”
The Female Pdin: “Stop saying that.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “It’s not like you became the Hero solely because of yourbat ability.”
The Hero: “I know. It’s because I received divine sanction from the Holy Spirit of Light, right?”
The Female Pdin: “That is not correct either.”
The Hero: “It isn’t?”
The Female Pdin: “Well… I don’t know either.”
Grass rustling.
- The Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters
The Hero: “It’s be huge.”
The Female Pdin: “We’ve had a few renovations done. I’m back!”
Female Chevalier: “Wee back, Grandmaster, Hero.”
The Hero: “Thanks.”
The Female Pdin: “Is the bath ready?”
The Hero: “O. Let me go, my ear hurts.”
The Female Pdin: “No way.”
The Hero: “Aren’t you embarrassed by this?”
Female Chevalier: “Please proceed to the Crystal Gardens.”
The Female Pdin: “Thank you. Let’s go.”
The Hero: “Hey, hey, wait.”
The Female Pdin: “I can’t wait.”
Female Chevalier: “Victory and Valour, Grandmaster.”
- The Vige of Wintering, the Holy Order of the Lake, the Headquarters, the Crystal Gardens
Door opens.
The Hero: “Wow.”
The Female Pdin: “What?”
The Hero: “What a splendid bath.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s really a greenhouse, we use it to experiment on warm climate crops.”
The Hero: “I see. ”
The Female Pdin: “Is this your first time?”
The Hero: “Yes. I mean, I’ve heard of it.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s a real moneysucker though. I built this thing upon the instructions of the Demon King, , but its operational costs are getting ridiculous.”
The Hero: “I suppose that’s true.”
The Female Pdin: “Alright, here we are.”
The Hero: “Hmm?”
The Female Pdin: “It’s a bath. Part of the hot water that heats the room can also be used as a bath. You want to sweat it out, right?”
The Hero: “Yeah, thank you.”
The Female Pdin: “Undress.”
The Hero: “I will! Alone. So don’te over! You pervert!”
The Female Pdin: “How rude. I never said we would get inside together.”
The Hero: “Then what do you want?”
The Female Pdin: “I’ll just wash your back.”
The Hero: “—!”
The Female Pdin: “It’s fine. Wear a towel over your waist.”
The Hero: “Even so!”
The Female Pdin: “Right, so undress.”
The Hero: “I got it, I’ll undress! Face that way.”
The Female Pdin: “Being straightforward sure is better.”
The Hero: “I feel like I got defeated really easily.”
The Female Pdin: “Are you done?”
The Hero: “Not yet.”
The Female Pdin: “Mmmm.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “Are you done?”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Female Pdin: “Right. Sit here.”
The Hero: “Like this?”
The Female Pdin: “I’m going to pour hot water on you now. If it’s too hot just tell me.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Female Pdin: “—”
Ssh.
The Hero: “Ahhh, it’s hot.”
The Female Pdin: “Does it feel good?”
The Hero: “Yep!”
Ssh.
The Female Pdin: “It’s unfortunate we can’t do this in the winter.”
The Hero: “Why not? Surely this would be fantastic in the winter.”
The Female Pdin: “If we tried doing this in the winter, with all the snow around, the water would freeze too quickly.”
The Hero: “Yeah, that’s true.”
Ssh.
The Female Pdin: “…You could stay here.”
The Hero: “Sorry?”
The Female Pdin: “Nothing.” Scrub, scrub.
The Hero: “What’s that?”
The Female Pdin: “It’s a soft brush. Made from pig bristles.”
The Hero: “It feels great.”
The Female Pdin: “Doesn’t it? I love using it too.”
The Hero: “I see.”
Ssh.
The Female Pdin: “—?” Scrub.
The Hero: “You seem to have really good technique. Are you very experienced at this?”
The Female Pdin: “I suppose all knights are very experienced at brushing.”
The Hero: “Is that so?”
The Female Pdin: “Is there anywhere that itches?”
The Hero: “Behind my ear.”
The Female Pdin: “Alright.”
The Hero: “Oooooh.”
The Female Pdin: “Even animals who can speak are easy to deal with in this manner.”
The Hero: “What? I didn’t understand what you just said.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s just an inside joke.”
Ssh.
The Hero: “Ohhhh.”
The Female Pdin: “Did it get in your ear? I’m sorry.”
The Hero: “It’s okay.”
The Female Pdin: “Now for your hands. Pass me your right hand.”
The Hero: “Okay. Here you go.”
The Female Pdin: “—?”
The Hero: “Umm.”
The Female Pdin: “What is it?”
The Hero: “Well, it’s really nothing, but…”
The Female Pdin: “What a strange person.”
The Hero: “…It’s not strange.”
The Female Pdin: “?”
The Hero: “It’s so ticklish!”
The Female Pdin: “You’re a man, right? Endure it.”
The Hero: “Even men have some things they can’t endure.”
The Female Pdin: “Just a bit more.”
The Hero: “Oooooh.”
The Female Pdin: “You’repletely red.”
The Hero: “You’re fully clothed, so you don’t understand.”
The Female Pdin: “?”
The Hero: “It’s hot. Water.”
The Female Pdin: “Got it.”
Ssh.
The Hero: “Ahhh…”
The Female Pdin: “Now for your left hand.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
Brush brush.
The Female Pdin: “I think you work yourself too hard.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “I really want to help you, and you should know I like you. I’m the same as the Demon King, then.”
The Hero: “Ehh…”
The Female Pdin: “Why are you turning red?”
The Hero: “What a sudden thing to say…”
The Female Pdin: “Oh, right. This is my first time saying it straight to your face. But I like you. But that’s why I pledged my sword to you in the first ce.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “It’s no use mming up.”
The Hero: “Umm, I’m sorry.”
The Female Pdin: “No. It’s fine. I understand if it’ll take you some time.”
The Hero: “…?”
The Female Pdin: “You are really powerful. If we were to fight, I’d probably be crushed by you, right? But, because of that, I believe there are limits to how much better you can be by just training.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “By limits, I mean that no matter how good you be at this aspect, it no longer contributes to you winning your opponent. You’re already the strongest. However, you need to be stronger at liking yourself.”
The Hero: “…I couldn’t possibly just do that.”
The Female Pdin: “Yes, you can.”
The Hero: “…”
Ssh.
The Female Pdin: “I believe you definitely can.”
The Hero: “Really?”
The Female Pdin: “The Hero I travelled around with was a very kind person, but you’re a much, much nicer person right now.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “Despite all the troubles and all the pain you hold close to yourself, you’ve be great… But if only you could let go of them, you could be even better.”
The Hero: “That would be nice.”
The Female Pdin: “Alright, let’s wash off.”
Ssh.
The Hero: “Is it over?”
The Female Pdin: “Nope. Get into the tub.”
The Hero: “The tub?”
The Female Pdin: “It’s this big wooden bucket. I’ll pour hot water in it, and it’ll go right up to your shoulders. This is quite like your samurai training, is it not?”
The Hero: “Indeed. Well, I suppose if it’s for samurai training.”
The Female Pdin: “By cooking your body, you can steel your spirit.”
The Hero: “Spirit… That’s exactly what I like.”
The Female Pdin: “And don’t do that thing where you count to hundred and then jump out.”
- The Moors near the ins of Sci
Stomp stomp stomp.
Mercenary Scout: “This is bad.”
Stomp stomp stomp.
Mercenary Archer: “What is it?”
Mercenary Scout: “The Crusaders are moving in our direction with a whole unit of those musket guys.”
Mercenary Archer: “How many?”
Mercenary Scout: “Their ranks are quite wide and I can’t be sure. But seeing as how one toon has about 20-50 men, I would say there are quite a few of them. It looks like they’ve caught on to our attempt to escape with all the saltpetre.”
Mercenary Archer: “There aren’t any refugees that look like this, I suppose.”
Resourceful Young Man: “This is bad! Let’s run!”
Mercenary Survivor: “We can’t do that.”
Small Mercenary: “That’s right. We can’t run.”
Young Mercenary nods.
Resourceful Young Man: “Why not? The enemy has those fire spitting sticks! They’re going to kill us all!”
Mercenary Survivor: “We are no longer mercenaries.”
Small Mercenary: “Yeah.”
Resourceful Young Man: “What are you saying! You are mercenaries!”
Mercenary Survivor: “Based on the promises of our Chief, and the contract from that nobleman, we are now brave knights of the Kingdom of Winter and the Kingdom of White Night.”
Small Mercenary: “That’s right. And knights don’t run away.”
Resourceful Young Man: “What stupid things you say! Aren’t you going to run away?! That guy may be a nobleman, but he’s plenty quick on his feet too!”
Mercenary Survivor: “You’re not a knight, so go ahead and run away.”
Small Mercenary: “Indeed.”
Young Mercenary: “They’re still some distance away. You can make it if you run now.”
Mercenary Archer: “How far away are they?”
Mercenary Scout: “We’ve probably got another day or two.”
Resourceful Young Man: “Then…”
Mercenary Survivor: “So, what should we do?”
Small Mercenary: “…”
Young Mercenary: “Should we sally out and fight or should we stay and defend this fortress?”
Mercenary Archer: “We’ll have to strike while the enemy is still disorganised.”
Mercenary Survivor: “But judging by their numbers, this is not a strike we can effectively carry out.”
Small Mercenary: “We’ll think about it when the timees, in the meantime, we just need to fight while singing our hearts out.”
Resourceful Young Man: “Don’t be stupid. This is just foolish. This will be your third consecutive fight. Are you all out of your minds?!”
Small Mercenary: “Don’t call the Chief a fool.”
Resourceful Young Man: “He is! He’s a fool! To fight in such a ce does nobody any good, you’ll all just get ughtered like dogs. That’s very uncool for knights. So stop being such fools and let’s get out of here, alright?”
Mercenary Survivor: “Knights don’t run away.”
Resourceful Young Man: “What exactly are you protecting? The Kingdom of White Night doesn’t exist anymore. You’re fighting without any real objectives!”
Young Mercenary: “…”
Mercenary Archer: “That’s why I said, if we let the enemy seize what we’ve got, it’ll be really troublesome!”
Mercenary Survivor: “That’s right. There’s a reason why the nobleman wanted this hidden away. This saltpetre has got something to do with the mystery of that fire spitting cylinder.”
Resourceful Young Man: “Yes, it probably does, so…”
Mercenary Survivor: “That’s why we can’t let them have it.”
Small Mercenary: “Exactly.”
Young Mercenary: “We really have to fight.”
Rustling.
Mercenary Archer: “Who is it!”
Disciple Nobleman: “It’s me.”
Elder Sister Maid smiles.
Resourceful Young Man: “It’s you! You came back!… Who is this?”
Mercenary Survivor: “Nobleman!”
Disciple Nobleman: “That was my intention from the start. Sorry to have to meet you in such a ce.”
Small Mercenary: “No, this is work after all.”
Young Mercenary nods.
Mercenary Archer: “We’re being chased by the Crusaders. They’ve clearly got their eyes on the stuff, but even with all the carriages, we’re going to have a hard time moving this stuff.”
Mercenary Survivor: “Even if we move, they’ll catch up to us from behind for sure.”
Resourceful Young Man: “That’s why I told you to run. Please, convince them to run away.”
Disciple Nobleman: “What do you think? Second Chief?”
Elder Sister Maid: “…”
Small Mercenary: “Second?”
Young Mercenary: “?”
Disciple Nobleman: “Yes, it would be really troublesome for this unit to operate without a leader. So after intensive searching, I present to you… your new Chief.”
Small Mercenary: “Eh? But… she’s a girl.”
Young Mercenary: “Is this some kind of joke.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, it has been requested that I be your leader.”
Small Mercenary: “We have only one Chief.”
Mercenary Archer: “Even without the Chief, we can still go on.”
Elder Sister Maid: “I understand the situation. However, for the purposes ofmunication and representation with the Kingdom of Ice, you will require a certain personage. Think of myself as a figurehead, if you will.”
Disciple Nobleman: “So in the meantime, this girl is my rmendation. Please do not take offence by it.”
Elder Sister Maid: “…”
Small Mercenary: “We’ll leave you to it then.”
Young Mercenary: “…”
Mercenary Archer: “More importantly, what are we going to do about the uing fight?”
Resourceful Young Man: “Run away!”
Mercenary Survivor: “Why don’t we let our Chief decide that?”
Disciple Nobleman: “Why not?”
Elder Sister Maid: “Firstly, I have no intention of actually bing your Chief. — You can just call me the Substitute. It is my hope that a proper Chief will be selected from within your ranks. Moreover, I am terrible at fighting. All I know are the basics of swinging a sword around, and I’ve nevermanded anyone before.”
Mercenary Archer: “Then you’repletely useless.”
Mercenary Survivor: “What’s the point of having her as amander?”
Elder Sister Maid: “Because I am a civilian… I believe that you knights will protect the people here.”
Small Mercenary: “Eh?”
Young Mercenary: “…”
Elder Sister Maid: “Secondly, I will be able to offer you my expertise in areas other than fighting. And I will require your protection to achieve that. There is a ce I need to go, and for that, I must be protected.”
Small Mercenary: “I don’t get it.”
Young Mercenary: “…”
Mercenary Archer: “Is your head alright, nobleman?”
Disciple Nobleman: “Yes. I guarantee it. Since this person is like a sister to me, I personally guarantee that she is good. She may have some strange ideas, but if you see them through to their fruition, we will be able to achieve something spectacr. That is the result of those who are taught by our teacher. Please take care of her.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Please.”
Small Mercenary: “Even if you were to say such a thing…”
Mercenary Archer: “So just tell us, do we fight or do we run? If you want to run, we will never recognise you.”
Resourceful Young Man: “If you don’t run you will die!”
Elder Sister Maid: “Why are those the only options?”
Mercenary Archer: “…Huh?”
Elder Sister Maid: “We could run while fighting. Or we could not run, but still not fight. You need to open up your imagination a bit.”
Young Mercenary: “Hmm?”
Mercenary Archer: “What are you saying?”
Elder Sister Maid: “We’ve got a lot more options that just running or fighting.”
- The Human World, the Pr Continent, a Frozen Wastnd
Scout of Light: “There are no people within sight.”
Soldier of Light: “We can’t see very far anyway. It’s too white, so our eyes hurt too.”
Musketeer of Light: “That’s right. We’ll have to leave it to you.”
Marine of Light: “Heh. That’s fine too, I suppose.”
Scout of the Light: “It’s a lot less cold and less snowy than I expected.”
Soldier of Light: “It’s just that the ground below us is frozen.”
Musketeer of Light: “Do we continue advancing into this frozennd?”
Marine of Light: “Of course.”
Scout of Light: “It goes up to 150km even.”
Musketeer of Light: “However, it seems like the road used by merchants is close to here.”
Marine of Light: “It’s a priority to find it.”
Scout of Light: “What do we do if wee across any merchants?”
Soldier of Light: “We’re here on a secret military mission. They can’t be allowed to know about us.”
Musketeer of Light: “Man, it’s been a really long time since Ist had a hot bowl of meat soup.”
- The Kingdom of Mist, the Capital City, a Deserted Market
Wind blows…
Coughing Boy: “Sir… Sir… Spare a slice of bread for a poor boy…”
Thin Citizen: “…”
Coughing Boy: “Sir… Sir… Ahem. Ahem. Please… I haven’t eaten in four days…”
Middle Aged Woman: “My my! You’re covered in boils. Don’te any closer!”
Coughing Boy: “Ahem, ahem. Please… Please…”
Wind blows…
Thin Citizen: “How about five new silver pieces?”
Travelling Merchant: “That will get you half a sack, sir.”
Thin Citizen: “What’s with this price! I’ve got six children to feed, you know.”
Travelling Merchant: “I’ve also got children of my own I need to feed.”
Wind blows…
Sundry Merchant: “Come! Come! I’ve got all kinds of beans, from mung beans to peas! Come get your beans!”
Middle Aged Woman: “How much is one sack of peas?”
Sundry Merchant: “Three silver pieces.”
Middle Aged Woman: “That’s really expensive.”
Sundry Merchant: “In times like this, everything is expensive. I’ve got no choice. Are you buying?”
Middle Aged Woman: “Ah… One sack then. Give me the nicest ones, please. It’s to help some sick people recuperate.”
Sundry Merchant: “Ehh.”
Middle Aged Woman: “How troublesome. Oh, it’s already evening.”
Sundry Merchant: “Yeah.”
Middle Aged Woman: “Why aren’t the churchbells ringing?”
Sundry Merchant: “Don’t you know?”
Middle Aged Woman: “What about?”
Thin Citizen: “Oh, you’re talking about the churchbells?”
Sundry Merchant: “The churchbells have been melted down for copper.”
Middle Aged Woman: “Melted down?”
Sundry Merchant: “Yeah, by the Church. It is the will of the Holy Spirit; at times like this, every single weapon counts, and the copper gained from those churchbells will be used to kill some Demons.”
Middle Aged Woman: “Demons… I haven’t even seen them before.”
Thin Citizen: “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten my fill, I hope the Spirit can bestow such blessings upon us again.”
- The Kingdom of Copper, a Farm
Thin Old Man: “…”
Starving Serf: “I’m hungry…”
Female Serf: “Why can’t we eat barley and wheat even in the autumn?”
Supervisor: “They’ve been dispatched to the soldiers at the front.”
Thin Old Man: “There aren’t any soldiers in this vige.”
Starving Serf: “Then how are we supposed to get the energy to nt wheat in the summer?”
Female Serf: “If we don’t, we’ll starve in the spring.”
Supervisor: “Alright, get to work.”
Thin Old Man: “Heh…”
Starving Serf: “I’ve got no energy.”
Female Serf: “Yeah… We’re way too depressed.”
Supervisor: “Hmm?”
Female Serf: “Cremation* ash.”
Supervisor: “Yeah. They’re burning down the hut to the South. There’s a family there who’s caught the boils.”
Thin Old Man: “Smallpox…”
Starving Serf: “How scary.”
Female Serf: “Let’s leave this topic. We never know when we might suddenly catch it as well.”
Supervisor: “It’s true. My son caught it too.”
Starving Serf: “Speaking of which, there’s nothing to do except wait until the whole vige gets wiped out.”
One-Handed Serf: “No, that’s not exactly true.”
Starving Serf: “Eh?”
One-Handed Serf: “Before I lost my arm, I spent quite a lot of my time travelling. In my travels, I’ve heard that the Kingdom of Reeds has a medicine for the boils.”
Female Serf: “Medicine?… So it’s curable?! The boils?!”
Supervisor: “Really? I’ve never heard anything like this before!”
One-Handed Serf: “If this information were to spread, all the serfs would run away. But it’s true. Well, it’s not so much an herb or anything, and it doesn’t actually cure it. Moreover, people who have contracted smallpox are being taken care of by the people of the Holy Order.”
Thin Old Man: “Medicine…”
Starving Serf: “The Holy Order looks after them? For real?!”
One-Handed Serf: “For people like us with no families, no one will even look for us until we die.”
Female Serf: “…”
Supervisor: “The Kingdom of Reeds? That’s very far. Why don’t they share their medicine with us?”
Starving Serf: “It’s medicine. What does it have to do with soldiers or trade or whatever, why do the noblemen not help us?”
Thin Old Man: “…How true… Sigh. How pitiful we are, oh merciful Spirit…”
--
Exnation
Cremation: In Buddhist tradition, both burial and cremation are permissible. In fact, Buddha himself was cremated. In the Christian faith, it has been forbidden to cremate bodies, only to bury them, until recently. The Holy Church of Light cremates its dead.
-
- Somewhere in the Holy Empire, a Secret Metalworks
ng! ng!
Labourer: “Agh! Agh!”
Floor Supervisor: “What’s wrong! The stove is slowing down! Bring more charcoal over!”
ng! ng!
Floor Supervisor: “Get the fire going!”
ng! ng!
Master Craftsman: “What is it?”
Craftsman: “No, we’ve reached the limit of our charcoal stocks…”
Master Craftsman: “What? Where are the ounts!”
ounting Officer: “Guild Master, here I am.”
Master Craftsman: “We don’t have enough charcoal!”
ounting Officer: “Well, we got as much charcoal as the permit allowed.”
Master Craftsman: “Really?”
Craftsman: “At the pace we’re consuming, we’ve cleared our entire stockpile.”
Experienced Craftsman: “To begin with, stockpiling charcoal requires more space than stockpiling ores, so at full production, we only have enough for about a week.”
ounting Officer: “I see. Ahh, it’s hot.”
Master Craftsman: “Then we’ll need to find new merchants.”
ounting Officer: “That’s going to be a bit challenging.”
Master Craftsman: “Hmm?”
ounting Officer: “Following several days ofpetitive charcoal buying, the price has gone up immensely. It is presently three times the price than it wasst week. In addition, our stocks were bought in summer, but we’re halfway through autumn right now. Every vige throughout the continent is trying to stockpile charcoal so they can tide through the rough winter, so it won’t be an easy matter to get any more…”
Master Craftsman: “But that means we won’t be able to meet the production quota for muskets and gunpowder set by his Royal Highness. Ummm. That’s right! What about the strategy we were talking about before? Have we managed to get coke from the coal?”
Experienced Craftsman: “Didn’t you tell us to reject all that? You said it would affect our rtionship with the Forestry Guild.”
Master Craftsman: “But right now, circumstances have changed. We can’t continue with just charcoal. It’s a new method we can’t rely on, but it’s worth a try.”
Experienced Craftsman: “In that case, we can give it a shot… I hear we now need extensive permits for the Kingdom of Dunes and the Kingdom of Cliffs to obtain coal from their mines.”
Master Craftsman: “What do you mean?”
Experienced Craftsman: “The merchants have been pushing up the prices aggressively, I hear.”
Master Craftsman: “Why! But before that, why didn’t we stop them!”
Experienced Craftsman: “Don’t you remember? You made the decision to stop pursuing the coal matter. We don’t buy anything, but we still have to pay for it, why would we maintain such an expensive contract?”
ounting Officer: “Well, well.”
Craftsman: “In that case, we have no choice but to buy charcoal. How about those countries with rich stockpiles? We represent his Royal Highness the Crown Prince Marshal after all. Surely that’ll be enough to make the noblemen and feudal lords give up their charcoal.”
ounting Officer: “That might actually work out.”
Master Craftsman: “Alright! Then I’ll write a letter right away. ounting Officer, we’ll need you to negotiate with them. Form a consortium and request for charcoal from the neighbouring countries.”
Craftsman: “Yeah, we’ve had great results from the Kingdom of Elm with regards to their forestry.”
Experienced Craftsman: “We can definitely make good steel with the charcoal from the Kingdom of Elm!”
ounting Officer: “I’ll see what we can do.”
Walks off.
Master Craftsman: “How about the flintlocks?”
Experienced Craftsman: “The craftsmanship involved in making one of those is much, much higher; at present we can only manage 50 pieces a month on our production line.”
Master Craftsman: “Right, let’s get this month’s production to the docks for shipping!”
- The Demon World, the Borders, Silver Sand River
sh!
The Demon King: “Alright, here we are.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes, your Majesty.”
The Hero: “Is this the correct ce?”
The Demon King: “Yep, it’s exactly it. It’s not far from here.”
The Chief Maid: “You can return now, Hero.”
The Hero: “Really?”
The Demon King: “I’m sorry. It’s something of a secret, after all.”
The Hero: “The Library, right?”
The Chief Maid: “Yes.”
The Demon King: “Entry to the repository of our Tribe is forbidden to people from our Tribes.”
The Chief Maid: “Well, is this alright? I suppose it’s good for you to umte experience by entering the room of a young maiden.”
The Hero: “Is it such a wonderful ce?”
The Demon King: “Ah—It’s nothing really.”
The Chief Maid: “It’s just filled with books.”
The Hero: “Really.”
The Demon King: “We won’t be able tomunicate inside, so I’ll set an appropriate rendezvous.”
The Hero: “Appropriate?”
The Demon King: “I fear I may have to spend three days in there for research. I predict my researching skills are enough to achieve this.”
The Hero: “Hmm.”
The Demon King: “If I finish early, then I’ll spend some time walking around this area, so just look around for me. If I’m not here on the third day,e back on the fifth day.”
The Chief Maid: “That’s good.”
The Hero: “Understood. What are you researching?”
The Demon King: “Metallurgy and engineering. Right now we’re tied up in production issues.”
The Hero: “So there are things even you don’t know about?”
The Demon King: “Many, many things. This isn’t my field of speciality. I can’t bring the books with me, so it’s not like I have the information everywhere I go. To shape the metal to such precise specifications will surely require a higher level of technology than we have now…”
The Hero: “Is that alright?”
The Demon King: “The situation is as such. We won’t be able to control the spread of technology once we release it, and the world is not exactly ready for the sort of impact this may have. I suppose it’s best that we don’t spread the technology. To begin with, the next crucial advancement in nuts and bolts has not even begun.”
The Hero: “I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’ll leave it to you.”
The Demon King: “Take care of things while I’m gone.”
The Hero: “Got it!”
The Chief Maid: “Then let’s go, your Majesty.”
The Hero: “Got it! Chief Maid, you too!”
The Demon King: “Bye bye.”
sh!
- The Holy Crusaders, Reserve Camp
Strum ? Strum ?
Disciple Bard: “White hawthorn, roses singing in the wild.
Violets which sparkle in the dead of the night — ?
Flowers, which bloom as summer pays a visit.
With the sweet blue of anise.
The ancient king listens and learns — ?
Under the light of the moon, the moths are singing.
In the forest of spirits
Your voice opens the doors of magic.
Lonely is the chest
That with sweet warm blood wilts — ? “
Auxiliary of Light: “What a nice song.”
Spearman of Light: “It was somehow pleasing, yet sad at the same time.”
Strum ? Strum ?
Disciple Bard: “It’s a song from my hometown.”
Auxiliary of Light: “Is that so?”
Spearman of Light: “That was very nice, Miss Bard.”
Disciple Bard: “Yes?”
Spearman of Light: “If we just continue at this rate, we’ll cross the massive hole and be on our way to the Demon World. It sure would be heartwarming if you coulde along with us, Miss Bard…”
Disciple Bard: “Well, if I can lighten the burden of war.”
Auxiliary of Light: “…”
Spearman of Light: “If youe with us, you’ll probably get caught by themanders though.”
Disciple Bard: “I’ll just run away then.”
Spearman of Light: “Don’t say such things!”
Auxiliary of Light: “That’s right. It’s not something you should take lightly.”
Disciple Bard: “I have no intention to y around.”
Auxry of Light: “Why…”
Disciple Bard: “I ampletely serious about singing.”
Auxry of Light: “…”
Disciple Bard: “You guys train to swing your hundreds of swords, I sing to stop these hundreds of swords.”
Auxiliary of Light: “That’s…”
Disciple Bard: “It’s decided.”
Strum ? Strum ?
Spearman of Light: “Miss Bard.”
Disciple Bard: “It’s decided. Just like how I came here on my two feet, I will return home singing.”
- The Vige of Wintering, the Kitchen
The Hero: “Tadaa!”
The Hero: “Now it’s Hero cooking time! Without the Demon King, I’m all alone! Everybody! Apuse!”
Silence.
The Hero: “First! Slice bread.”
Slice, slice.
The Hero: “It’s a bit lopsided, but that’s fine too.”
The Hero: “Now add cheese, sprinkle some salt, and sandwich it in between!”
The Hero: “Cheese bread is ready! It’s so easy!”
Flop.
The Hero: “…It’s a bit squishy.”
Squish.
The Hero: “It’s salty, but that’s fine! What’s the next recipe! That Chief Maid didn’t teach me enough?!”
The Female Pdin: “Well, would you like an honest review?”
The Hero: “Eh?! How long have you been here?!”
The Female Pdin: “Since you said that it was so easy.”
The Hero: “…It failed.”
The Female Pdin: “Alright.” Holds hand.
The Hero: “…Uhh.”
The Female Pdin: “Did I surprise you?… Well, I suppose I shouldn’t touch you so suddenly. That’s to be expected.”
The Hero: “You’ve been acting strange for quite some time.”
The Female Pdin: “That’s not true, I’m very normal.”
The Hero: “That calmness is most strange.”
The Female Pdin: “I brought this with me, so should I make it?”
The Hero: “…Yeah.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s meat stew with bacon and cabbages.”
The Hero: “Ohh!”
The Female Pdin: “Is there still a fire going?”
The Hero: “No… The Chief Maid told me not to start any fires.”
The Female Pdin: “Are you a kid!”
The Hero: “No, I’ve been trying my best! My very best! Dammit!”
The Female Pdin: “You really act like a kid sometimes.”
The Hero: “I want to eat some hot food.”
The Female Pdin: “Well… Make me a small me on your hand.”
The Hero: “Spell of me!”
The Female Pdin: “Now hold this sk and hang on for a bit.”
Whistling—
The Hero: “Wow, what a great smell!”
The Female Pdin: “Because I’m boiling it with red wine. I’m not as good as the Little Maid Sister, but it’s probably not that bad, right?”
The Hero: “No, no. Thank you so much.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s done. Shall we eat?”
Clunk.
The Hero: “Ohhh!” Slurp, slurp.
The Female Pdin: “…”
The Hero: “You’re not eating?”
The Female Pdin: “I ate in the Headquarters already.”
The Hero: “Really… This is good.”
The Female Pdin: “Are you happy with it?”
The Hero: “I am.”
The Female Pdin: (I see… So a girl in the world still needs to rely on her cooking to get the guy’s heart… I seem to have forgotten to simple things thest time.)
The Hero: “…I’m full.”
The Female Pdin: “You sure ate a lot.”
The Hero: “They didn’t leave me anything to start a fire with, huh.”
The Female Pdin: “You’ve got fire magic for that, so don’t worry.”
The Hero: “Yeah, I guess so.”
The Female Pdin: “Here, I’ll write you the recipe.”
The Hero: “Eh?”
The Female Pdin: “The Chief Maid left you some food and recipes, didn’t she?”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Female Pdin: “I guess I’ll prepare them for you while they’re gone.”
The Hero: “Is that alright?”
The Female Pdin: “Don’t hesitate right now.”
The Hero: “Okay. Here they are.”
The Female Pdin: “…Bread and water. Cheese sandwich and water. Cabbage, bread and water. Sliced ham, bread and water. Buy more bread. Bread, ham and water. Cheese sandwich and water…”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “…This is worse than a Pdin’sbat rations.”
The Hero sobs.
The Female Pdin: “Don’t cry, Hero?!”
The Hero: “It’s tragic, isn’t it? Isn’t it?!”
The Female Pdin: “You could call it tragic… It’spletely just bread and water.”
The Hero: “It’s their n to bully me.”
The Female Pdin: “Is that so?”
The Hero: “If I’m looking after the ce, I should just have all my meals at an inn, right!”
The Female Pdin: “Well, that’s true, I suppose…”
The Hero: “I’m sure the Chief Maid still bears a grudge against me continuously having dinner with the Demon King at the inn thatst time.”
The Female Pdin: “Really?”
The Hero: “Definitely.”
The Female Pdin: “I see…”
The Hero: “That’s why, please make some things for me.”
The Female Pdin: “Well, that’s alright, but please don’t expect my culinary skills to be anything wonderful.”
The Hero: “Oh! Anything is fine as long as it’s not a cheese sandwich…”
The Female Pdin: (He must be really lonely…)
The Hero: “All done!”
The Female Pdin: “Alright, take a break and then we can do some sword practice.”
The Hero: “Eh?”
The Female Pdin: “It’s your payment for the food. Or are you afraid of some exercise?”
The Hero: “I really don’t mind.”
The Female Pdin: “We can go brush the horses after that too.”
- The Vige of Wintering, the Demon King’s Manor, the Hero’s Room
Door opens.
The Hero: “Ahhh.”
Throws things around.
The Hero: “Nope, not this… Where did I put it?”
Shing.
The Hero: “des and armour are really troublesome to prepare.”
ng! ng!
“Hey!”
The Hero: “Oh, it’s the Female Pdin. Over here! What is it?”
Door opens.
The Female Pdin: “…What are you doing?”
The Hero: “I’m preparing equipment.”
The Female Pdin: “Equipping? What are you looking for then?”
The Hero: “I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t seem to find my Ring of Prayer and my Elvish Tonic Herbs.”
The Female Pdin: “Hmm…”
The Hero: “Well, more importantly, is the food ready?”
The Female Pdin: “That’s all you think about.”
The Hero: “Oh no, I’m not uncivilised.”
The Female Pdin: “Really?”
The Hero: “Really.”
The Female Pdin: “At any rate, it’ll be fully prepared in two hours… Oh, I’vee for some brushing, so you can sit over there.”
The Hero: “Hmm?”
The Female Pdin: “What is it? No need to be rmed. Is this brush too painful?”
The Hero: “Somehow.”
The Female Pdin: “What is it?”
The Hero: “Somehow I feel like I’m no longer being treated as a human.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s all in your mind.”
The Hero: “Really?”
The Female Pdin: “Really.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “…”
The Hero: “I guess so, then.”
The Female Pdin: (Master sure is urate!)
The Hero: “Alright.”
The Female Pdin: “Close your eyes, and I’ll manage your hair.”
The Hero: “Shouldn’t it be the other way round?”
The Female Pdin: “I can handle the maintenance of my own hair. It’s a source of pride for me after all.”
The Hero: “You’ve always been proud of it all this while.”
The Female Pdin: “You didn’t even look at it back then, though.”
The Hero: “…Really?”
The Female Pdin: “Mmm…”
Brush, brush.
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “Why are you closing your eyes so tightly?”
The Hero: “Because you’re around.”
The Female Pdin: “Rx more.”
The Hero: “Hehe.”
The Female Pdin: “Don’t be so effeminate.”
The Hero: “Don’t make fun of me!”
The Female Pdin: “Just close your eyes normally.”
The Hero: “Really.”
The Female Pdin: “When you’re acting normal I think you’re quite cool.”
The Hero: “Eh, what? What are you saying!”
The Female Pdin: “I correct myself. You’re always cool.”
The Hero: “…”
Brush, brush.
Kiss.
The Hero: “?!”
The Female Pdin: “What?”
The Hero: “What did you just do?!”
The Female Pdin: “What… skinship.”
The Hero: “This is too weird.”
The Female Pdin: “No, it’s normal. — Is it unpleasant?”
The Hero: “Uhh, well, no, but…”
The Female Pdin: “Then, it’s fine.”
The Hero: “No, it’s not! Please be more modest and think this through.”
The Female Pdin: “I’ll nevere out on top like that.”
The Hero: “Why are you so forceful?”
The Female Pdin: “Hero!”
The Hero: “Y-yes!”
The Female Pdin: “With regards to this incident, it’s true that you should be cautious about the modesty disyed by a young maiden, but with the prevalence of mixed signals and wrong messages, it is preferable to avoid confusion. As a result, it is best to be straightforward!”
The Hero: “Y-yeah!” (I’m being dominated!)
The Female Pdin: “Until the Demon King gets back, I want to share a pillow with you.”
The Hero is shocked.
The Female Pdin: “It’s fine. Don’t worry. It may be my first time, but I need to practice doing battle with the Demon King.”
The Hero: (What?!)
The Female Pdin: “I need to show her my burning spirit.”
The Hero: (Now they’re doing battle!)
The Female Pdin: “Now I am on the offensive and the Demon King is on the defence.”
The Hero: (What do you intend to do?)
The Female Pdin: “I want to take arge ship.”
The Hero: “I’m really worried about this!!”
The Female Pdin: “How troublesome.”
The Hero: “I don’t understand your reasoning.”
The Female Pdin: “Mmm, it’s not a joke. At night, we’ll chat about everyday things and then retire to the same pillow. — We’re both of the age to understand what that means, right?”
The Hero: “…Ahh. Yeah.”
The Female Pdin: “Your face is all red.”
The Hero: “Don’t say unnecessary things.”
The Female Pdin: “That’s why, if you don’t want to, it’s only good manners to reject me politely.”
The Hero: “It’s not that.”
The Female Pdin: “Then it’s fine.”
The Hero: “—Is it really?”
The Female Pdin: “It is.”
The Hero: “What’s this?”
The Female Pdin: “No, it’s the first stage of my attack.”
The Hero: “Umm, well, umm…”
The Female Pdin: “Please don’t make unnecessaryments.”
The Hero: “Why me?”
The Female Pdin: “So I guess you don’t want it?”
The Hero: “Eh…?”
The Female Pdin: “I’m about to st fire from my face. You’re so fickle minded.”
The Hero: “H-hey.”
The Female Pdin: “The Demon King surely understands this as well.”
The Hero: “Is that so?”
The Female Pdin nods.
The Hero: “You look very indignant.”
The Female Pdin: “It’s an unpleasant quip.”
The Hero: “…”
The Female Pdin: “No matter what, it’s a no-go? Well… I don’t want to say this, but, next time will definitely be a big fight, it’ll be a massive battle. One which I have no intention to lose, but… but…”
The Hero: “No… Yeah, I understand.”
The Female Pdin: “Is that alright?”
The Hero: “I understand. Completely. I have been awakened!”
The Female Pdin: “That’s my Hero!” Smiles.