Mushoku Tensei (WN)

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I dreamed.

In the dream I am carrying Eris and flying.

Even though my consciousness is hazy, why do I get the feeling that I"m flying?

The scenery in front of me is changing at a frightening speed.

It"s like at the speed of sound or the speed of light, flying up and down irregularly.

I don"t understand why things turned out this way.

I only believe that if I"m not careful, ah, no, even if I"m really careful I"ll lose speed and fall.

I concentrate in this endlessly changing scene and find a safer place to land on.

Even if you ask why, I don"t know either.

I only feel that I will die if I don"t do this.

But I"m moving too quickly, the scenery in front of me changes faster than my eyes can keep up with, almost like a slot machine"s spin.[1]

I concentrate and pour mana into my body.

And then, just for an instant, I slow down.

This is bad, I"m falling.

Just when I think of that, I see the ground. It is a land that"s flat.

Falling into the sea is bad, falling on a mountain is bad also, so is the forest, but if it"s on a level land...

As my hopes rise, I descend.

In any case, I manage to successfully brake and land on the reddish-brown earth.

My consciousness gets interrupted.

The moment my eyes open, I find myself in a completely white world.

There"s nothing in this world, I immediately realize this is a dream.

A lucid dream or something.

And my body is really heavy.

[....... Eh?]

I look down at my body and get a fright.

That"s the 34 year old body that I got used to looking at it.

And at the same time, I remember my past.

Regret, discord, crude, and my naive thinking.

Once I think that those 10 years were like a dream, the despondency in my heart grows.

I"ve returned.

I intuitively realized that.

And I actually accepted that fact so easily.

It was indeed a dream.

Even though it has been such a long dream, I am happy.

Born in a warm and loving family, being together with adorable girls for 10 years.

Still, I want to enjoy it more.

I see.

Everything has ended.............

I can feel my memory of Rudeus getting dimmer.

This dream or whatever, it"s something disappointing when I wake up.

What am I hoping for, really......

It"s unthinkable for a happy and favorable life to be given to me.

I suddenly realize there"s a strange fellow over there.

A blank white face with a grin.

There are no special features.

When I realize that"s a face, my thoughts immediately escape me.

I can"t remember.

Perhaps because of this reason, this person gives off the impression that he"s covered completely with mosaic.

But I feel like he"s a warm person.

[Hey, it"s our first meeting it seems. h.e.l.lo, Rudeus-kun.]

Under my depressed status, I am chatted up by an obscene-like person covered in mosiac.

This person has a neutral voice, I can"t tell whether if it"s a male or female.

This person is wearing mosiac, it should be fine if I treat it as a female and think of the erotic side.

[You can hear me right?]

Ah, of course I can hear you.
h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo.

[Good, good, it"s a good thing you can greet.]

Even though I can"t make a sound, I seem to be able to communicate with this person.
I"ll continue talking like this.

[Not bad, you adjust quite well.]

That"s not true at all.

[Mmfufu. You do have it.]

Well then, who might you be?

[I"m just as you can see.]

As you can see?

Are you the Matchless Warrior Spellman?[2]

[Spellman? Who"s that, is that person similar to me?]

Yes, it"s very similar, he"s even covered in mosaic too.

[I see, your world also has something like that.]

But there"s no one like you.

[Is there no one like me...... Well never mind. I"m a G.o.d. I"m the Human G.o.d, Hitogami.][3]

Haa. Hitogami[4].....

[That"s an indifferent response.]

No.........

Also, isn"t your appearance a little late hm?
Shouldn"t you come out a little earlier huh?[5]

[Come out a little earlier....? What does that mean?]

Nothing at all. Please continue.

[The things about you, I"ve watched them all. That"s quite an interesting life.]

Peeping is a very interesting thing.

[Yes, it really is interesting. That is why I have always been protecting you.]

Protecting me.....

You"re quite condescending hmm.
I feel really irritated that I"m being looked down upon huh.

[That"s really cold. I thought you were troubled so I talked to you.]

The people who talk to someone when they are troubled are not good people.

[I"m your ally.]

Haa!

You"re making me laugh.

Back in my past life, there were people like these.

A bunch of people who don"t have any responsibilities. Just think about what happened after those people chased me out.[6]
Right now your words have this kind of vibe. I can"t trust you.

[I"m a little stumped if you say this much......
Well, in any case, I"ll give a suggestion.]

I don"t need any advice.....

[Whether you want to follow my advice or not is totally your freedom.]

Ahh. This type.

About advice…Guiding my thoughts, not from the inside, but from the outside.[7]

Even if I try earnestly to move then there"s no meaning to it.

Anything positive that you achieved will only be added on in despair and thrown back at you.

Just like this!
What sort of dream are you showing me, what kind d.a.m.ned parallel universe is this!

Doing something like reincarnating me, and making me feel good about life.
Is this your way of doing things? To bring me back to my past life when I"m living my life to the fullest!

[No no, please don"t be mistaken. The things I want to tell you aren"t about your past life, they are things related to your current life.]

... Hm? Then my body now is?

[That"s your spiritual body. It"s not the physical body.]

Spiritual body.

[Of course, your physical body is also fine.]

Then, this is just a dream?
When I wake up, I won"t go back to that s.h.i.+tty body again...... right?

[Yup. This is a dream. When you wake up, your body will go back to how it looks like. Are you relieved now?]

I am relieved. I see, so this is a dream.

[Ah, but this isn"t just a mere dream. I"m talking directly to your spiritual body. I"m surprised, you have such a difference between your spiritual body and physical body.]

You"re really direct.

Because I"m a foreign thing in this world, so you want me to go back to where I am?

[What, how can that be possible? Even if it"s me, outside the 6 surface worlds, I cannot send you back. Don"t you even know such an obvious thing?]

Huh... what"s obvious and what"s not obvious, how should I know that?

[You are quite right.]

Wait. If you can"t send me back then you"re not the one who transferred me to this world?

[Well. In the first place, I won"t do something like reincarnation. This sort of thing is what the evil dragon G.o.d would do.]

Hmm.
The evil dragon G.o.d hmm.....

[So, do you want to hear it? The advice.]

...... I don"t want to hear it.

[Ehh! Why not?]

Even though the situation right now isn"t anything good, you are too suspicious.
I should not even bother to listen to anything at all from someone like you.

[Suspicion.... hm?]

Ah, suspicious. You have the smell of a liar. You"re like a liar that I"ve seen in a net game. If one listens to a liar, one will be manipulated.

[It"s not a scam, really. If it"s really a scam, I wouldn"t say something like if you want to listen to my advice or stuff like that.]

Isn"t that just a strategy.

[Just believeeee me.]

Even though you"re a G.o.d, you"re crying in such a shameful voice.

When another G.o.d from another religion says something strange, of course it"s suspicious.

Also, people who keep bringing up things about trust are definitely liars.
A book that I liked to read had that written in it, so it"s definitely not wrong.

[I won"t say something like that, really. Just listen to what I have to say once.]

What?

In the first place I have prayed so many times to the G.o.ds during my past life.
You didn"t come to help me even with my death. Now you"re giving advice?

[No, no, your G.o.d and I are two different beings. I did say I will help you from now onwards right?]

That"s why I said I cannot trust you. It"s not enough with just lip service. If you want me to believe you, show me a miracle and let me see it.

[I"m already doing it. I"m talking to you in a dream right, no one else can do it except me.]

You"re just talking. Even if you don"t use a dream to connect, you can use a letter or something.

[You"re right. You already say you cannot trust me, but you will die if I leave things like that.]

... Die? Why?

[The Magic continent is a terrible place. There"s almost nothing to eat, and in comparison there are many strong monsters there. Though you"re capable of communicating, common knowledge is very different. Are you really able to continue from here? Do you have that confidence?]

Huh? Magic Continent? Wait a moment, what do you mean?

[You got sucked in by that huge area-of-effect Mana calamity, and you were teleported.]

Mana calamity. That light?

[Yes, it"s that light.]

Teleportation. So that"s a teleportation.....

It"s not only me who got involved in this.

Buina should be fine since it"s quite far from there.

... What has happened there?

[You"re asking me, does that mean you"re willing to trust me? You refused to believe me just then.]

You"re right. I got deceived so easily.

[I can only say that everyone is praying for your safety. Praying for you to come back or something.]

That"s .... Anyone will do that.

[Is that so? Somewhere in the corners of your heart, you have the thought that if you disappeared from this world, you would give others relief right?]

......It"s a lie if I said I didn"t think that. I disappeared in my previous world where I wasn"t needed. Even now I still have that thought.

[But you"re not someone who isn"t needed in this world. Please return safely.]

Ahh. You"re right.

[But if you follow my advice, even though I won"t say it"s a definite thing, you have a very high chance of going back.]

Wait. Before that I want to ask about your goal. Why are you obsessed with me?

[You really talk a lot... It"s because the way you"re living is interesting. Isn"t that enough?]

The people who act simply because things are interesting are certainly bad people.

[Is that how it works in your previous world?]

Because the people who act because things are interesting only enjoy manipulating others on the palms of their hands.

[Perhaps I have that part within me.]

Also, what is so interesting about me.

[Rather than say it"s interesting, why not say it"s meaningful. It"s really rare to see a person from a foreign world. Giving you advice and letting you interact with all sorts of people. What kind of ending will it be...?]

I see. It"s like giving a monkey a vague order and watching how it accomplishes the task. That"s really an exaggerated pastime you have.

[Hah.... You. Have you forgotten my first question?]

Your first question?

[Then I"ll ask again. Do you have the confidence? The confidence to live on in this completely unknown and dangerous place.]

...... No.

[Then isn"t it better to listen to my advice? Even though I"ll say this again, it"s your freedom to choose whether you want to follow my advice.]

Fine, I understand. I understand. Advice or whatever, can you just say it already? In the end you"ve said so many things that are long and tedious. Just tell me one-sidedly and end it, isn"t that good enough.

[...... Yes, yes. Rudeus, listen carefully. When you wake up, please rely on the guy beside you, and then help him.]

The mosaic G.o.d only leaves these lines behind, and disappeared while leaving an echo behind.

When I wake up it"s already evening.

What comes into my view is a star-filled sky.

There are wooden branches burning and crackling.

The shadows made from the flames dance from side to side.

I seem to be sleeping beside a bonfire.

Of course, I do not have the memories of making a bonfire, and also do not have the memories of making a camp.

The last memory that I have...... Ah.

The sky"s colors suddenly changed, and we were surrounded by a white light.

And then, it was that dream.

d.a.m.n it.

I saw an irritating dream.

[Hah..........!]

I look down at my body in a panic.

It is not that slow and fat body that was unable to do anything. The young and strong Rudeus has returned.

As I confirm that fact, the earlier memory that was like a dream starts to fade.

I exhale in relief.

[Tch.]

This d.a.m.nable Human G.o.d really makes me feel unpleasant all over.

But this is really good. It seems that I"m still alive in this world.

There are many things that I have not done.... At least let me throw away the proof of being a Magician[8].[9]

I try to get up.

My back really hurts. Is it because I had been lying on the ground since the landing?

Underneath the evening sky, the cracked land stretched out.

There seems to be hardly any plants growing here. There is not even an insect here. Other than the bonfire"s crackling I can"t hear anything.

Where is this?

At least in my memories I didn"t see a place like this.

The Asura Kingdom is full of forests and gra.s.slands.

Did the white light change things to this scenery...?

Aah, no.

That"s not it. It"s not like that.

Hitogami said it before, I have been teleported.

To the Magic continent.

Then, this place should be the Magic continent.

It must certainly be due to that light.... Oh.

Ghyslaine and Eris...!

After I stand up I turn and look behind me. Eris is sleeping while grabbing onto my cuffs.

Why is there a mantle covering her body?

I didn"t wear something like that....

Well, ladies first, I guess.

Behind her is the "The Arrogant Water Dragon King" Magic staff.[10]

In any case, she doesn"t look like she"s hurt, and I feel relieved once again.

Perhaps Ghyslaine did something for her.

Even though I want to wake Eris up, I feel that she will find me annoying so I leave her alone.

Where"s Ghyslaine?

I look around my surroundings once more, and there is someone at the bonfire that I didn"t notice earlier.

I realize in an instant that this person is not Ghyslaine.

He"s a male.

He sits there without moving a muscle, observing and staring at me.

But I don"t feel he"s being cautious of us.

Rather, hmmm, ah that"s right.

Like an Onee-chan walking to a shy cat.

Because we are children, he must be worried that we are afraid of him.

So there are no signs of hostility.

The moment I relax, I notice his appearance.

Emerald green hair.

A ruby-like stone on his forehead that"s like an eye.
Under his arm is a trident.

The Superd race.

His face is full of scars.

His eyes are sharp, his expression solemn, and there"s a look of danger about him.

I think back to what Roxy taught me.

[Don"t get close to the Superd race and do not talk to them.]

In a second I prepare to grab Eris and escape with everything I have, but I remember Hitogami"s words, and stop.

[Rely on the man beside you, and help him.]

That self-termed G.o.d"s words cannot be trusted.

After saying what he wanted to say, a strange man immediately appeared before us, so why should I trust him?

Also, it is the Superd race.

I heard from Roxy all sorts of frightening things about this race.

Even if that G.o.d said something about "Relying on him then help him out", why should I believe him?

Who should I trust?

A Human G.o.d whom I don"t even know, or Roxy.

It goes without saying, the one that I will believe in is Roxy.

So I should run away right now.

No. It"s precisely because of how this situation turned out, that it could be [Advice]. If I had no other information on this situation, I would definitely run away.

With that result, if I run away successfully... What will happen after that?

I take a look at the surroundings. This place is dark and it is somewhere that I have never seen before. The ground is full of cracks and covered with rocks.

[Teleported to Magic Continent.]

If I believe that line, then this is the Magic Continent.

Come to think of it, I forgot about the fact that I saw a strange dream because of that Human G.o.d"s impact.

The dream where I flew everywhere around the world.

Mountains, seas, forests, valleys.... Places where we would immediately die.

If that dream is related to the current situation, then it might be possible that we have been teleported.

Right now I"m not even sure where we are in the Magic Continent. If we run away, it could mean that we are stranded in this vast place.

In the end, there is really no other choice to speak of.

Escaping from this man or winning against him, the end result is Eris and I roaming the Magic Continent alone, which is a bad one.

Or, should I bet on it? When the day breaks, I"ll bet on the fact that there"s a village nearby?

Stop joking.

Don"t I clearly understand how difficult it would be when I don"t know the way?

Calm down. Breathe in deeply.

I will not trust the Human G.o.d. But, how about this guy?

Look closely at him. Observe his face. What"s that expression he has right now?

That"s uneasiness. An expression that"s mixed with uneasiness and resignation.

At the very least, he"s not a monster without emotions.

Roxy says not to approach the Superd Race. But in truth she also said that she has never met with them.

I know the concepts of , and . There"s the possibility that the Superd Race has been misunderstood. Roxy shouldn"t have the intention to tell me something false, but it"s a possibility that they are misunderstood.

From my intuition, he"s not dangerous. At least I don"t feel any questionable vibes like that Human G.o.d from him. Even though, based on his appearance, one will still feel guarded towards him.

Then, I"ll talk to him.

I make my decision.

[h.e.l.lo.]

[... Aah.]

I got a reply from him after I greet him. What should I ask next?

[Are you the messenger of G.o.d-sama?][11]

That man tilts his head after hearing the question.

[Even though I don"t understand the intention of what you asked, you fell from the sky. The children from the Human Race are very weak, so I made a bonfire to warm your bodies.]

The name didn"t appear. Is it possible that the Human G.o.d didn"t speak to this man?

If I believe in the words [Because it"s interesting.], then it"s not just based on my actions.

It is also based on that Human G.o.d"s interest in observing our interactions.

If that"s the case, then this man can probably be trusted. I"ll try talking a little more.

[We"re saved by you. Thank you very much.]

[... Are your eyes unable to see?]

[Hah?]

I suddenly get a strange question.

[No, I can see very well with both of my eyes?]

[Then, you grew up without hearing stuff about the Superd"s race from your parents?]

[Leaving my parents aside, my s.h.i.+shou told me to be alert against the Superd"s race. Something like, do not approach them.]

[... Is it fine for you not to observe your s.h.i.+shou"s guidance?]

He slowly asks, as if to ascertain something.

[You, even when you see me, are not afraid?]

I"m not afraid. I don"t feel fear, but I am suspicious.

However, I don"t need to say that out loud.

[It would be very rude if I were to be afraid of the person who saved me.]

[You"re a really strange child.]

He shows a baffled expression.

Strange, hm.

Well, it"s probably normal to avoid the Superd Race.

I read about the History on Laplace. After the war, the Superd Race was persecuted.

Even though the persecution towards the other Magic races has faded, the Superd Race is very different.

It"s almost like how the American soldiers faced the j.a.panese soldiers, where every race here is prejudiced against the Superd race.[12]

It is almost as if there is a statement like this: If there"s absolute evil in this world, it"s the Superd Race.

He throws the dry branches into the bonfire. It makes a splitting noise. I"m not sure if it is because of this noise, Eris utters a [Nuuu] and seems to wake up. Perhaps she"s already awake.

Uh oh, that"s a bad thing. If Eris wakes up she will definitely make a racket. Before everything turns to chaos, I"ll at least introduce myself first.

[I am Rudeus Greyrat. May I please have your name?]

[Ruijerd Superdia.][13][14]

Specific Magic races will take the Race"s name as their surname.

Using the family name or something is basically only what the Human race will do.

Sometimes other races will ask that out of curiosity.

Just to add on, Roxy"s surname is Migurdia. It was written in Roxy"s dictionary.

[Ruijerd-san. I think that the girl here is about to wake up soon. Because she"s a girl who"s a little noisy, I"ll apologize in advance. I"m sorry.]

[It"s fine, I have gotten used to it.]

If it"s Eris, it will not be strange for her to hit Ruijerd"s face once she sees it. In order not to fight against him, it"s important to stop her early.

[Excuse me.]

I glance at Eris"s face and I think it"s still safe for now.

I look at Ruijerd again.

Under the dim light, I can see he"s wearing something that greatly resembles tribal clothes.

The image is like an American Indian. Both his vest and trousers have embroidery on them.

[Mu.....]

It makes me feel bad.

He has a different feel from that Human G.o.d"s forceful approach, I have a good impression of him.

[Where is this place?]

[This is the Northeastern area of the Magic Continent, Bigoya. It"s near the Kis.h.i.+risu city.]

[Magic Continent...]

If I remember correctly, the Kis.h.i.+risu city is at the Northeastern area in the Magic continent. That is, if his words can be trusted.

[Why did we drop here?]

[If you don"t know it yourselves, I won"t know it either.]

[Hmm, that"s true.]

Because it"s a fantasy world, it isn"t surprising if anything happens......

Even someone as big as Perugius"s follower making an entrance happened, this might not be the result of a coincidence. That is to say, the possibility that it has something to do with the Human G.o.d is very high.

But if this is just a coincidence when we got involved, then we are fortunate to simply survive.

[In any case, I am thankful for your help.]

[You don"t need to thank me. Leaving that aside, where are you heading?]

[The Asura Kingdom in the Central continent, the city Roa in the Fedoa territory.]

[Asura...... It"s very far away, hmm.]

[Indeed so.]

[But you don"t need to worry, I"ll send you home.]

The Northeastern Magic continent and Asura Kingdom. They are at the opposite ends of the world. It"s as far as Las Vegas to Paris.

Furthermore, in this world, s.h.i.+ps only set off at specific areas. That is why we need to travel by land until we reach a suitable location to take a s.h.i.+p.

[Do you have any clues as to what happened?]

[Clues.... When the sky started to glow, a person called Arumanfi of the Bright came before us, and said he was here to stop the phenomenon. As we talked to him, white light gushed forth suddenly... The next moment I find myself waking up here.]

[Arumanfi... Even Perugius is on the move? If that"s the case, something must have happened. It"s good that it ended with just teleportation.]

[You"re completely right. If that was an explosion or something we would have died immediately.]

Even when Ruijerd heard the name "Perugius" he did not falter. Surprising. Perhaps Ruijerd is a person who is not affected by anything.

[By the way, have you heard of the existence of Hitogami?]

[Hitogami[15]? No. Is that the name of a human?]

[Ah, no, it"s fine if you have never heard of it.]

I don"t think he"s lying.

I can"t think of a reason..... why he would hide the knowledge about the Human G.o.d.

[Nevertheless, Asura kingdom hmm.]

[It"s very far right? It"s okay. You can just send us to a nearby village......]

[No, A Superd warrior will not change any decisions that he makes.]

His words are stubborn but steady.

Even without the Human G.o.d"s advice, on just this point alone I might trust Ruijerd.

But I"m still suspicious.

[But it"s the other end of the world, you do know that right?]

[A child shouldn"t worry too much.]

He timidly places his hand and strokes my head.

He relaxes when he sees that I didn"t refuse him.

This person, I wonder if he likes kids?

But it"s not like the trip is 10 minutes. Even though he said that he will send us back, it is difficult to believe him.

[Are you able to speak the language? Do you have money? Do you know where to go?]

He asks, and I reflect on his words.

I have been using the Human Race language to speak to him, and yet this man from the Magic Race is able to reply fluently in the Human Race language.

[I can speak the Magic G.o.d"s language. I know Magic so I can earn money. If you bring me to a place with people, I can find my own way.]

I try to steer the conversation into rejecting him. Even though this man can be trusted, I feel that things would advance how the Human G.o.d expects them to be, and I think it"s better to avoid that.

But after thinking through my words laden with suspicion, Ruijerd"s steady reply comes back.

[Is that so... Then let me be your guard. It will hurt the pride of the Superd Race if I leave children to fend for themselves.]

[You really are a proud race.]

[It"s a pride that has been scarred.]

With this joke, I laughed with a haha.[16]

Ruijerd also curls the corners of his lips and laugh.

It"s different from the suspicious smile from the Human G.o.d, it"s a warm smile.

[In any case, we should first go to a village that I am familiar with.]

[Yes.]

Even though I don"t really trust the Human G.o.d, perhaps this man can be trusted.

At least until we reached the village, I"ll trust him.

After a while, Eris"s eyes snap open. She sits up in an instant and looks around everywhere. She soon begins to feel uneasy, but shows obvious relief after meeting with my eyes. And then she meets the gaze from Ruijerd"s eyes.

[KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]

A scream that is from the depths of her soul. She retreats backwards while lying down, and then she tries to stand up to flee, but falls down flat onto the ground.

She"s frightened to the point of freezing altogether.

[NOOOOoooooooOOOOOOo!]

Eris falls into panic.

But even if she doesn"t struggle about, she is unable to crawl away.

She crouches there, trembling and s.h.i.+vering, and raises her voice to scream.

[No! Noooo! Scary! Soscaryscaryscary! Help me, Ghyslaine! Ghyslaine! Ghyslaineuu! Why aren"t you coming! No, no! I don"t want to die! I don"t want to die! Sorry! Sorry! I"m so sorry Rudeus! Kicking you or something I"m so sorry! Because I"m such a coward I"m so sorry! I can"t keep my promise So shorrrryyyyyy, wahhhh, wahhhhhhhhhh!]

Finally she curls up like a turtle hiding in its sh.e.l.l and cries.

I shudder after witnessing that scene.

(That, Eris, is so frightened......)

Eris is a strong willed girl. Her motto is most likely [I"m the queen of the entire world].

She"s really violent and selfish, and in any case she will hit you before thinking it through. She"s pretty much that sort of child.

Is it possible that I made a seriously huge mistake?

Is it possible that the Superd Race is someone who absolutely cannot be approached?

I look at Ruijerd. He"s still calm.

[That"s the normal reaction.]

How"s that possible?

[Is it because I"m abnormal?]

[You"re abnormal. But...]

[But?]

[You"re not bad.]

Ruijerd"s face seen from the side looks terribly lonely.

I reflect on that for a moment while I stand up and walk towards Eris. Hearing the footsteps, Eris quivers in fright.

I slowly stroke her back. Thinking back, every time I cried whenever I was afraid of something, Grandmother would stroke me on the back just like this.

[Al---right, don"t be afraid, don"t be afraid.]

[Hicc, what do you mean don"t be afraid! Th-that"s a Superd!]

I don"t know why she"s so frightened. Because, it"s that Eris. She"s the Eris that will bare her fangs when she faces Ghyslaine. There should be nothing that will make her afraid.

[Is it so frightening?]

[B, because, the Su, Superd race will! E, eat children! They will eat children right? Hiccc.....]

[He won"t eat you.]

He won"t eat us right? I look at Ruijerd, and he shakes his head.

[I don"t eat children.]

Right?

[Here now, he says he won"t eat children!]

[B, b, because! Because he"s a Superd! He"s from a Magic Race!]

[Even though he"s from a Magic Race, he knows how to speak the Human Race language.]

[It"s not the language problem!]

Eris raises her head up and growled at me. She"s back to normal. As expected, this expression belongs to the real Eris.

[Oh, are you fine with that? If you don"t curl yourself up, you will get eaten right?]

[Don"t treat me like an idiot!]

Eris glares at me after I speak to her with the tone of treating her like an idiot.

And then she maintains her expression and stares at Ruijerd sharply.

She shakes violently. Her eyes are also wet. If she stands up like her usual self, she will shake her knees, probably.

[P, p, p, pleased. To meee-et you. I-I"m, Eris, Bo, Bo, Boreas... Greyrat!]

Eris half cries while introducing herself.

Introducing herself while acting haughty is a little funny.

Ahh, no, if you put it that way I possibly taught her something like that. When meeting someone else, just introduce yourself to launch a preemptive strike.

[Eris Boboboreas Greyrat? The human race has started to use funny names that I don"t know of.]

[No! It"s Eris Boreas Greyrat! I just stuttered slightly! Compared to that, introduce yourself too!]

After shouting, Eris goes [Ah!] and shows an uneasy expression. She finally realizes who she is yelling at.

[Is that so? My apologies. I am Ruijerd Superdia.]

Eris relaxes her tense expression, and shows off triumphantly.

A "How about that, I"m not scared of him." expression.

[So, I said it will be okay right? As long as we can communicate, everyone can become friends.]

[Yeah! It"s just like what Rudeus said! Okaa-sama lied to me!]

So it"s Hilda who taught her? It"s just a folklore to express how scary it is. Oh, wait, even if it"s me, if I see a spirit without legs or some namahage, I"ll be frightened too.

[What did Hilda say?]

[If I don"t quickly go to sleep the Superd race will come and eat me.]

I see, to get a child to sleep she used superst.i.tion. Something like s.h.i.+macchau Ojisan.[17]

[But he won"t eat children. Why not become friends with the Superd race, so you can brag to everyone.]

[I can brag e-even to Oji-sama and Ghyslaine...?]

[Of course.]

I look at Ruijerd, and he"s showing signs of surprise. Good.

[Ruijerd-san seems to have very few friends, I think if Eris requests to be friends with him, he will be on good terms with you.]

[B, but..]

Did I say something too much like a child...

As I think back on what I said, Eris hesitates.

Contemplating further, Eris doesn"t have any friends, and... I"m a little different.

Perhaps she"s a little scared of the vocabulary word "Friend". Looks like she still needs a push.

[Hey, Ruijerd-san too!]

As I urge him, Ruijerd finally seems to understand the current situation.

[Eh? Ahh. Eris.... Please treat me favorably.]

[W, well it can"t be helped! I, I"ll become your friend!]

Seeing Ruijerd lower his head, something in Eris crumbles apart.

That"s great.

But seeing this, Eris is really simple. I feel stupid for thinking about this and that.

But, if I don"t mind the naive part about Eris, hmmm...[18]

[Phew, in any case, let"s rest for a little while today.]

[What, you"re sleeping already?]

[Yes Eris, I"m very tired right now. I really feel sleepy.]

[Is that so? Then it can"t be helped. Good night.]

I lie down and Eris stays beside me, laying a mantle-like thing (I believe it"s probably Ruijerd"s) over my body.

I"m really exhausted.

Before I lose my consciousness,

[Are you not scared anymore?]

[I"m fine if I"m with Rudeus.]

I hear some lines.

Hah, even if it"s only Eris, I must send her back safely.

As I consider that, I fall asleep.

I saw a dream.

A dream where angels were descending from the sky.

It was different from yesterday, I was certain it was a good dream.

But as I thought of that, there was mosaic covering over their crotch, and they were giggling with their repulsive faces with a [Fufufu].

It seemed like a nightmare.

As I became aware of that fact, I woke up.

[It"s a dream...]

Recently I have been having bad dreams...

In front of me is a world filled with rocks and earth, extending endlessly towards the horizon.

The Magic Continent.

A fragment of the Gigantic Continent that had been split apart due to the Human-Demon war. It had once been the domain where the Demon G.o.d Laplace gathered the Demon races.

The area of this continent is about half the size of the Central Continent.

But there are almost no plants here. The earth is covered with lots of cracks, the highs and lows of the land have a huge height difference. There are incredibly big boulders that hinder visibility, making this place a natural maze.

Also, the Mana concentration in the Magic Continent is very dense, and there are a lot of strong Monsters. It had been said that if you go across the Magic Continent, you will take 3 times longer than crossing the Central Continent.

It"s going to be a long journey.

When I am thinking of explaining it to Eris, I find her to be very energetic. Her eyes seem to be filled with stars when she looks across the Magic Contintent"s land.

(Rudi) [Eris, concerning this place, it is the Magic Continent...]

(Eris) [Magic Continent! Then our journey is about to start!]

She"s really happy.

Full of composure.

Anything I say now will not make her insecure.

Eris and Ruijerd became very close together. It seems that when I was asleep they were still chatting.

Well, it"s better than quarreling.

Eris happily talks about the stories of her home, the stuff about Magic and sword lessons.

Even though Ruijerd talks very little, he always makes an agreeable reply when she"s talking.

What happened to that frightened behavior at the beginning?

Eris has actually became unafraid of this frightening man.

Even though Eris occasionally says something dreadfully rude, which at times makes my back turn cold, Ruijerd doesn"t particularly become angry.

No matter what she says, Ruijerd turns it aside without hesitation.

Who"s the one who spread the rumors that the Superd race gets violent easily.

But even though I put it that way, the current Eris is more or less capable of reading the mood now.

Regarding this, I think Edona taught her properly not to mention things that might make people angry.

I hope that"s the case.

But I don"t know how much tolerance he has in regards to unfamiliar people, and I wish that Eris would be more prudent about it.

Of course, Eris"s patience is also very low and I hope Ruijerd is careful too.

Just as I"m thinking about this, I can hear Eris"s voice getting louder.

[Is Rudeus your brother?]

[No!]

[But, isn"t Greyrat a family name?]

[Even though it"s his name, he"s not my brother!]

[Half-sibling from the mother"s side? Half-sibling from the father side?]

[He doesn"t belong to either side!]

[Even though I"m not very clear about the Human race, but you should treasure your family member.]

[I already said you"re taking things the wrong way!]

[It"s fine, just cherish him well.]

[Uuu..]

Eris falters and uses a strong tone.

[I, I"m cheris.h.i.+ng him....]

Well, even though we"re not real siblings.

Eris is older than me.

The Magic Continent is nothing but rocks, and the land elevation is very steep. The ground is also very hard.

If you dig at the soil, it will splatter everywhere.

There"s no nutrients in it at all.

The land is one step short of becoming a desert. If you keep living in this land, even the Demon races will fight amongst themselves.

There is almost no vegetation and occasionally I see rocks that are like cacti.

[Hmm. Wait a while. Absolutely do not move from here.]

Ruijerd will do that every 10 minutes, and runs to the direction in front of us. He jumps lightly over the hills that are full of rocks, and disappears within moments.

What incredible physical ability he has.

Even though Ghyslaine is also amazing, if you were to convert their agility into numbers, then Ruijerd"s agility points might be even higher than Ghyslaine.

Ruijerd comes back within less than five minutes.

[Sorry for the long wait, let"s go.]

Even though he didn"t say anything there"s a faint scent of blood on the tip of the trident. I guess he went ahead to clear the monsters blocking us from moving forward.

Indeed, in Roxy"s dictionary, the ruby-colored stone on the Superd"s race has the use of a radar. With this ability, they are able to quickly find their enemies.

Ruijerd preemptively kills the Monsters in an instant before they notice us.

[Hey! What have you been doing since the beginning?]

Eris rudely asks.

[I cleared the Monsters in front of us.]

Ruijerd tersely replies.

[How do you know where they are when you obviously can"t see them!]

[If it"s me I can see them.]

Ruijerd says that and moves his hair out of his face. His forehead is revealed and we can see the ruby-colored stone.

Even though Eris retreats slightly for an instant, she carefully looks at the stone, finding it pretty. She then shows an interested expression.

[That"s really convenient!]

[It might be convenient, but I have thought of countless times where it"s better that I don"t have this.]

[Then I"ll help you wear it! Here, take it out!]

[That"s impossible.]

Ruijerd laughs wryly. Eris has started to learn how to joke......

It"s a joke right?

They seem to be having a lot of fun, I"ll partic.i.p.ate too.

[On that subject, I have heard that the Monsters here are very powerful...]

[There aren"t many powerful ones here. The numbers of the creatures here might be on the high side because it"s far away from town.]

Indeed, there are a lot of them.

From the start, Ruijerd would clear the monsters every ten minutes. If it"s in the Asura kingdom, you won"t even meet a single Monster even if you ride in a horse carriage for hours.

For the Asura kingdom, the knights and adventurers will clear the Monsters at fixed intervals.

But even if it"s here, the number of encounters for the Magic continent is just too high.

[From the beginning you have been fighting by yourself, are you really alright?]

[It"s fine. I killed all of them with one strike.]

[I see... If you"re tired please tell me. I can support you as I am able to use Healing Magic.]

[There is no need for children to worry too much.]

As he says that, Ruijerd places his hand on my head and strokes it timidly.

Perhaps this person really likes to stroke children"s heads?

[You only need to stay beside your younger sister"s side to protect her.]

[I already said! Who"s his younger sister! I"m the older sister!]

[Hmm, is that so? My apologies.]

Ruijerd says that and strokes Eris"s head, but the conclusion ends up in his hand being smacked away.

Poor Ruijerd.

It has been almost 3 hours.

Because of the road"s elevation difference, we stopped countless times. To cross the snake-like roads, we also spent a lot of time.

If you calculate it in a straight line, we probably have not even reached 1 kilometer.

I"m exhausted. I was like that yesterday as well.

I don"t know why my body feels so tired. Is it because of the teleportation? Or simply because I don"t have the stamina?

Under Ghyslaine"s guidance, I should have been properly trained to raise my physical abilities...

[It"s a village!]

Eris looks as if she"s not tired at all, and looks at the place with great interest. I"m jealous of her stamina.

Even though Eris says it"s a village, but this place feels more like a hamlet. A dozen houses gathered together and surrounded by roughly made fences. Beside the fence is a small cultivated field.

Even though I"m not sure what it"s growing, I think it"s probably barren.

With a place like this where there is no river water or something similar, it"s probably a futile attempt.

[Halt!]

The entrance is being blocked. As I look closely, there seems to be a youth around the age of a middle schooler. His hair is blue, and reminds me of Roxy.

[Ruijerd, what"s with all these people!]

He"s speaking in the Demon G.o.d language. Looks like my listening ability for Demon G.o.d language is okay. I"m able to properly understand it, OK.[19]

[It"s the aforementioned shooting star] [20]

[They are suspicious, you can"t let these people into the village!]

[Why. Where do they look suspicious?]

Ruijerd"s face tightens, and closes on him to press for an answer.

What an earth-shattering bloodl.u.s.t.

If I saw him for the first time displaying that bloodl.u.s.t, I would immediately run away without second thoughts.

[T, they look suspicious no matter how you look at it!]

[They were merely dragged into Asura"s Mana calamity and teleported here.]

[B, but-]

[You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, are you forsaking these children......?]

Ruijerd"s clenches his fist. I grab his hand by reflex.

[This is his job, please restrain yourself.]

[What......?]

[I mean, for an underling like him, he won"t be able to solve the problem. Isn"t it better to find someone whose position is higher?]

The youth"s eyebrows knit together when he hears the word underling.

[You"re right. Robin, call the chief.]

Ruijerd glares at the youth with his eyes stating, .

[Ahh, I"m also thinking of the same thing.]

The youth called Robin closes his eyes, and keeps this appearance for over 10 seconds...

What"s this guy doing? Start going already.

Closing your eyes or something, are you dozing off right here!

Or are you waiting for a kiss?

[Ruijerd-san, this is...?]

[The Migurd race can talk with one another even if they are not at the same location.]

[Ah, now that you mention it, I remember that my s.h.i.+shou also taught me this.]

To be more accurate, it was written in Roxy"s letter. The Migurd race can correspond with each other if they are close by.

Adding on to that, Roxy also wrote in order to get away from that ability, she left the village.

Poor Roxy....

That being said, this means this is the Migurd community.

It might be better if I said Roxy"s name. Ah, no, I still don"t know what"s the relations.h.i.+p between Roxy and this village, it"s a possibility that I"m bringing unneccessary trouble to myself.

[The chief should be coming soon.]

[It"s okay if we can go ahead to find him too right?]

[How can I let you enter the village!]

[Is that so?]

Temporarily, the atmosphere turned uncomfortable. Eris softly pulls on my sleeves.

[Hey, what"s happening?]

Eris doesn"t understand the Demon G.o.d language.

[He says that we"re very suspicious, so he"s letting the chief check the situation.]

[What, where do we look suspicious...]

Eris frowns and looks at her own clothes. It"s the same clothes as when she goes out to the town and attends sword lessons.

Even though it might seem to be a little light for dressing, but it"s not strange at all.

At least I don"t think she"s very different from Ruijerd. If she was wearing a dress or something, that would actually be suspicious...

[It will be fine right?]

[What do you mean by fine?]

[If you ask me what it is, I also find it hard to explain clearly..... That is, you know....]

[It"s fine.]

[Ye-s....?]

As expected, when we had the argument at the entrance, Eris seems to feel a little uneasy. But after I told her it will be fine she immediately turns meek.

[The chief seems to be coming now.]

There seems to be a boy-like adult walking with a cane coming out from the village. And there are two girls who look like they are from middle school holding on to him.

Everyone looks young.

Perhaps, even when a Migurd becomes an adult they still look like they are in middle school? Roxy"s dictionary didn"t mention something like that.

Oh wait, the drawings on the dictionary resembles middle schoolers.

I thought it"s Roxy"s self portrait, even her chest looks a bit fuller.... Perhaps that"s actually the appearance of an adult Migurd Race?

As I keep thinking, the chief starts talking with Robin.

[These are the children right...?]

[Yes, it seems that one of them can speak the Demon G.o.d language, no matter how you look at it, it feels suspicious.]

[Language or whatever, anyone can speak it if they learn it right?]

[Why would a human at that age learn the Magic G.o.d language!]

Seriously.

The chief pats Robin"s shoulders.

[Well, well. You should calm down a little.]

The chief walks slowly to my side. In any case, I lower my head.

Not the n.o.bilities" etiquette, it"s the j.a.panese ojigi[21].

[It is my pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Rudeus Greyrat.]

[Oh, you"re very polite. I"m the chief of this community, Rocks.]

I make an eye signal at Eris. He looks like he"s the same age as her, but the chief"s mannerisms is completely different to her, and she doesn"t know what to do.

She crosses her arms and then places it down, and she looks like she"s unable to calm down.

She"s hesitating whether to cross her arms and take on an imposing stance.

[Eris, go ahead and make your greeting.]

[B, but, I don"t know the Demon G.o.d language?]

[Just do the same thing that you"re taught in etiquette cla.s.s. I"ll translate for you.]

[Uu- I, I"m pleased to meet you, I am Eris Boreas Greyrat.]

Eris follows what she had learned in the etiquette cla.s.s to make a greeting. Rocks smiles after seeing that.

[The young lady over there, is she making a greeting?]

[Yes, this is our way of greeting in our hometown.]

[Hoh~ But it is different from you?]

[It is different from males and females.]

Rocks nods in a [I see, I see] manner, and and imitates my example and lowers his head to Eris.

[I"m the chief of this community, Rocks.]

Eris looks at me in a loss when she sees the chief suddenly lowering his head.

[Rudeus, what is he saying?]

[He says, "I"m the chief of this community, Rocks."]

[Is, is that so. Hm, Hmph. It"s just like what Rudeus said, we can communicate with each other.]

Eris says with a smile on her.

Alright, it"s fine with this right?

[So, can you let us go into the village?]

[Hmmmm...]

Rocks looks all over my body as if he wants to lick me.

Please stop.

If you look at me with such pa.s.sionate eyes, I"ll feel like I need to strip...

Rocks"s eyes stop in front of my chest.

[Where did you get this pendant?]

[s.h.i.+shou gave it to me.]

[Who"s your s.h.i.+shou?]

[Her name is Roxy.]

I honestly state her name. Thinking it over, this is my respected s.h.i.+shou"s name, why do I need to hide that fact?

[What!]

Robin yells loudly. He hurriedly grabs onto my shoulders.

Did I dig my own grave?

[Y, you, j-just said Roxy!?]

[Yes, she"s my s.h.i.+shou...]

As I reply him, I see in the corners of my eyes that Ruijerd is raising his fist, and I immediately stop him.

Robin isn"t showing anger but anxiety.

[W-where is Roxy now?!]

[I haven"t seen her for a long time so I...]

[Tell me quickly! Roxy, Roxy is my daughter!!]

I"m sorry, what was that?

[My apologies, I didn"t hear what you said just now.]

[Roxy is my daughter! Is she still alive?!]

Pardon? No, I heard it clearly.

Wait, I"m more concerned about this guy who looks like a middle schooler. Just looking at his appearance, you might say that he looks like Roxy"s younger brother.

But, I see, hm----.

[Quickly tell me, she left this village 20 years ago, and there has been no word ever since!]

It looks like Roxy has secretly left her home. I didn"t hear this matter from her. Sheesh. My s.h.i.+shou"s explanations aren"t detailed enough.

Erm, he said 20 years.

Huh? How old is Roxy now?

[I beg you, please stop being silent, quickly tell me something.]

Oh, please excuse me.

[Roxy is now...]

I just realize that my shoulders are still grabbed by Robin. It feels almost like I"m being threatened. Although it"s somehow different from being threatened.

It"s almost as if you"re making me yield to violence right!

If you want me to crack under violence, you need to at least use a baseball bat to destroy my PC, smack me with karate, and break my heart with profanities!

If I don"t show this firm att.i.tude, I"ll make Eris uneasy right?

[Before that, please answer my question. How old is Roxy now?]

[Age? No, compared to this...]

[This is a very important thing! And please tell me the life span of the Migurd race!]

This is something that I absolutely must hear.

[Ah, ahh... If it"s Roxy... She should be 44 years old. The life span for a Migurd is around 200 years. Even though there are those who die due to sickness, but if they grow old they should live till around this age.]

She"s the same age as me. I"m slightly happy.

[I see... Ah, please stop grabbing me.]

Robin finally releases his hands. Very good, very good, we can finally talk.

[Half a year ago, Roxy should still be at s.h.i.+rone. Even though I never meet with her face to face, but I communicated with her by exchanging letters.]

[Letters...? That child knows how to write the Human race language?]

[At least from 7 years ago, she was able to perfectly write in that language.]

[I, is that so... Then she"s alright?]

[If she hasn"t run into any accidents or gotten sick, she should still be very healthy.]

As I say that, Robin kneels shakily on the floor. He shows a relieved expression with tears in his eyes.

[Is that so... She"s safe... She"s safe.... Haha.... That"s great.]

That"s great, Father-in-law.

But looking at him reminds me of my father Paul. If Paul knows that I"m safe, he will probably cry out too.

I feel like sending the letter out to Buina as soon as possible..

[Well then, will you allow us to enter the village?]

I look at the crying Robin with the corners of my eyes, while talking to chief Rocks.

[Of course. How can we be cold to the people who informed us of Roxy"s safety?]

The effect of Roxy"s pendant is extraordinary. If I knew this would happen I would have shown it at the start.

Ah, no, based on the dialogue"s progression, there"s the possibility where they suspect me of killing Roxy and stealing the pendant.

The Demon race is really long lived, and there must be people whose appearances are different from their age.

If my real age of over 40 years old gets revealed, no matter how much I look like a 10 year old child, it will be suspicious right?

I need to check myself. Do more actions befitting of a child.

And with that, we enter the [Migurd race"s hamlet.]

If you use a single term to describe the Migurd"s hamlet, it will be "extreme poverty".

There are ten-odd houses. It is difficult to describe their appearances.

It feels like the earth had been dug up and then covered up with tortoise sh.e.l.ls.

The architecture in the Asura Kingdom is much more advanced compared to here.

Still, even if you get the Asura kingdom"s architects to come here, there would be no way to gather the lumber required to build and they would also give up hope on this land.

Even the neatly planted field outside the hamlet only contains shriveled vegetation.

I wonder if it is alright for the plants to look so withered.

There were no specific details in Roxy"s dictionary at all in regards to agriculture. It was only written up till this part where she stated "The vegetables are bitter and not tasty at all."

Incidentally, at the side of the field, there are flowers with teeth which looked similar to pakkun flowers[22], planted there.

I am uncertain whether this thing is a plant or animal, the uneven teeth are making a chattering sound. They are definitely used to deter harmful creatures that invade the field.

At the end of the hamlet, there are a few girls who look like they are in middle school surrounding a fire and grilling something.

It looks like an outdoor school or something similar.

The girls are preparing a meal and as they finish making it, they go to distribute it to everyone.

There are nearly no men and there are only very young children playing around.

Other than that, there"s the gatekeeper Robin and the chief.

If I"m not mistaken it should be like this: The men will go out to hunt, and the women shall stay at home to keep watch.

The community"s positions should be something like this.

So it probably means the men are out hunting now.

[Is there anything nearby that can be hunted?]

[Monsters.]

Even though that reply did answer my query, it falls a little short.

It is akin to asking a fisherman what he caught, and his reply is, I caught seafood.

Well, I"ll continue asking questions.

[Hmm. Is the stuff covering the rooftops also from monsters?]

[That"s from the Great King Land Tortoise (Grand Tortoise). The sh.e.l.l is very hard, and the flesh is delicious. You can even make bowstrings from their sinew.] [23]

Is their meat delicious?

But I can"t imagine the size of the tortoise. The biggest house in the hamlet is covered with a sh.e.l.l that looks like it"s over 20 meters wide.

Ruijerd and Rocks enter that same house as I entertain that thought.

Biggest house = the chief"s house, it seems that this world has the same rule too.

[Please excuse us.]
[T, thank you for inviting us in...]

In any case, Eris and I make a greeting as we enter the house.

The insides look wider compared to how it looked from the outside. The floor is lined with fur pelts, and there are colorful ornaments hung on the walls.

The center of the house has something that looks like a fireplace, and a fire is slowly burning in there, lighting the house.

The rooms are not separated, and one can simply cover up with the fur pelts at night and just sleep on the floor.

At one end of the house, a sword and a bow are placed there, and it appears that this is certainly a hunting tribe.

The two women who followed the chief earlier did not enter the house. Why did they follow the chief to the entrance just then?

Well, whatever.

[Then, let us hear your story.]

Rocks sits down near the fireplace with a plunking noise and says that.

Ruijerd sits in front of him, and I sit cross-legged at his side.

I look at Eris standing up idly who does not know where to sit.

[Are we going to sit on the floor even in the house too?]

[Didn"t you sit on the floor properly too during sword lessons?]

[T, that"s true.]

Eris isn"t the type to hesitate over whether to sit on the floor.

But, it"s probably because she"s perplexed over this "gap" in the etiquette cla.s.ses she had.

She observes the etiquette rules in front of others, but the situation currently is different from the things that were taught to her, so she is confused.

I really hope that these bad influences do not affect her when we go home...

Before I start to describe my future goals, I dictate my name, age, profession and the location of our home.

I also state the relations.h.i.+p between Eris and myself, Eris" social status, and how we mysteriously ended up in the Magic continent to the chief.

I did not say anything pertaining to the Human G.o.d. I am not sure what position this G.o.d has with the Demon race. If he is treated as an evil G.o.d, then we might be suspected of something.

[... And this is what happened to us.]

[Hm....]

Rocks holds a hand against his chin, contemplating as he listens to the things I said.

His expression looks like a middle schooler being troubled by a difficult question.

[...... I see.]

Eris has already started to fall asleep while waiting for Rocks" conclusion.

Even though it looks like she is still energetic, she has indeed expended a lot of energy because she is not used to the journey.

It was the same as yesterday"s night, and it seems that she has been awake ever since she met Ruejird.

As I expected, she has nearly reached her limits.

[I"ll properly listen to the discussion, you can go to sleep if you want to.]

[... What do you mean by going to sleep, how do you sleep here?]

[Probably by using the fur pelts to cover up and sleep.]

[But there"s no pillow...]

[You can use my lap for sure.]

I said that like the Anpanman and smack my thigh, emitting a pa-pa noise.

[W, what do you mean by lap ...?]

[It means you can use my lap as a pillow.]

[..... Is that so? T, thank you.]

If it was the usual Eris, she would definitely say something about this and that.

But it seems that her sleeping status bar is at MAX, as she brings her head down and lies on my lap without hesitation.

She shows a tense expression and clenches her hands tightly, closing her eyes. It doesn"t take more than a few seconds before she"s sleeping like a log.

Just like I thought, she"s really exhausted. I gently stroke Eris"s red hair and she twists her body as if she is itchy.

Fuhaha.

Suddenly I feel someone gazing at me.

[... What is it?]

Rocks"s grinning eyes pierces me and I feel a little embarra.s.sed.

[Your relations.h.i.+p is really good.]

[That"s true.]

But I"m banned from touching her.

Our Ojou-sama has a strong sense of virtue.

So I"ll also respect her wishes.

[Then, how do you intend to go back?]

[We will earn the money and go back by foot.]

[You two children will be earning the money?]

[No, it will simply be me alone who"s going to earn the money.]

I cannot possibly let Eris who is completely ignorant of the ways of the world earn money right?

Well, I am almost the same in regards of being ignorant of the ways of the world.

[Not these two alone, I"ll be going as well.]

Ruijerd cuts into the conversation.

He"s really a rea.s.suring ally.

Even though I really want to trust him, due to the incident with the Human G.o.d, it is better for us to bid our farewells here, and rid ourselves of any future troubles.

Still, how should I go about refusing him?

[Ruijerd, why do you want to go with them?]

Rocks displays his disapproval with a troubled expression.

Ruijerd looks like he has been offended.

[There"s no reason to it. I will protect them and simply bring them safely to their hometown.]

The conversation doesn"t seem to mesh together in a subtle way.

Rocks sighs.

[You"re going to enter a town right?]

[Hmm.....]

"Hmm"?

You"re not going to enter a town?

[What"s going to happen if you bring the children near a town? Didn"t you get chased out by the soldiers 100 years ago, and even had a party formed to subjugate you?]

100 years ago?

[That... But.... if I wait outside the town.]

[Then you"re not going to be responsible for the things that happen in the town?]

Rocks looks at him with an amazed expression.

Ruijerd firmly grinds his teeth.

The Superd race is hated by everyone. This fact is not changed even in the Magic Continent. But to form a party to subjugate or something is a little too much. Are they treating him like a Monster?

[If there"s something that happens in the town...]

[What will you do if there"s something that happened?]

[Even if I have to kill everyone in the town, I will rescue the two of them.]

His eyes are serious.

Frightening.

This is really too frightening.

This man will do anything and he has that resolution.

[You have no discrimination at all when it comes to children..... Come to think of it, the beginning where you"re accepted at this village was because you saved the children from the Monsters" attacks.]