Weâve decided to go to a human town but Iâm starting to get a bit worried . According to the pirates, it seems like the humans of this world are pretty religious . I remember Johnson from Clinochlore saying something like that .
Come to think of it, is that guy still going after Celesso-san I wonder? Well, I guess it doesnât really matter to me .
Anyway, since we went through all the trouble to get a ship, I thought of using that to go to the human port city thatâs closest to the island .
The main reason for our trip is to sell Orca and his crew but while weâre there, Iâll try to recruit people to fill our overwhelming lack of technically skilled workers and medical personnel . We could also invite someone whoâs affiliated with the religious people .
At the corner of my mind, Iâm thinking of adding an establishment related to religion on our island to improve the humansâ motivation but will they actually come to an island that is known to be under the control of a Demon Lord? In the first place, I still have to worry about getting subjugated if the country or the church finds out my true ident.i.ty .
I can just ignore that and make an appeal to the country by showing them that Iâm not a bad Demon Lord but even if that works, I still canât guarantee my safety when it comes to the church .
Because of that, I guess Iâll just try to invite people who donât seem to be too involved with their faith .
ăCaptain, can I have a moment?ă
ăYes . What is it?ă
ăSince you guys were previously pirates, did you have a G.o.d you believe in?ă
ăYes we do . Even small villages in the outskirts have at least a priest after all . As for us pirates, we worship the G.o.d of the seasâŚâŚă
ăSo? How many people are required to worship that G.o.d?ă
ăHmmăź, either an apprentice priest or a nun I guess . At least one of those twoă
ăThanks . Sorry if I interrupted your workă
After I said that, he went back to doing maintenance on Orcaâs ship that we acquired recently .
Does that mean that they have several G.o.ds? Well, itâs possible that they just made up one on their own though . Itâs the mystery of faith or so they say . If I ask, the person himself might appear in my dream again . I havenât seen them recently but if itâs important, theyâll probably do just that .
In the end, if it doesnât work, I can just temporarily give up on the idea of recruiting medical staff and religious workers .
ăMaou-san . The preparations are complete!ă
ăOkay . I understandă
After saying that, I looked up and saw that it was about 4 in the afternoon soâŚ
ăItâs a little early but letâs end it here for today . Just save up your energy for our departure tomorrow morningă
ăăăăRoger!ăăăă
ăThanks for the hard workă
ăăăăYou too, bossăăăă1
Hmmăź these guys seem to have already grown accustomed to this kind of life . I guess Iâll be able to trust them with even more things from now on . Iâm going to sleep early so I guess Iâll go eat .
â
ăItâs been a while . I felt like calling you so here you are . Itâs been five years, hasnât it?ă
ăAhăź, yesă
I was woken up from my sleep . I looked around and although I havenât been here that often, I recognize it as the same empty white room that Iâve been in before .
ăI apologize for waking you up from your sleep . I would also like to congratulate your wives for the safe delivery of your childrenă
ăThank youă
I bowed my head down as I said that .
ăThe childhood friend and the young lady who fell for you at first sight⌠Isnât that like Bianăźă[TL: The author really likes this DQ reference doesnât he?]
ăStop it! Donât say it or it will lead to war!ă
I hurriedly stopped G.o.d from finishing his sentence .
ăMm! My apologies . You are heading to the nearest port city after you wake up from this dream right? This world doesnât have another G.o.d besides me but there are plenty of made-up G.o.ds that the humans have created . However, most of the churches worship me so you donât have to worry . You might be concerned that the church and the country might be connected but if you just hide the fact that you are a Demon Lord, itâll sort itself out . Youâll be able to invite over a few people by just being an ordinary demonkin . I could also just tell them to send an apprentice priest to that aforementioned island by telling them that there are humans on that islandă
ăArenât you already giving them an oracle at that point?ă
ăThereâs no problem if itâs to raise their spirits so please feel free to take advantage of it . And besides, what you were thinking about earlier today was actually correct in a way . 2 Well, thereâs also the town where humans and demonkin get along so there should be no problems . If the worst happens, I can just act as your shield by saying that we think you act more like a human than them and ask them to stopă3
ăYou unexpectedly went with the worst course of action huhăź? I mean, I donât really want to resort to that you know?ă
ăWell, donât you think that clergymen who just use me as a means to fatten themselves up are just the worst? They only think of how to earn money to keep appearances . They find innocent orphans to take as an apprentice, adopt them, then forcibly use them as an outlet of their l.u.s.t . It wouldnât be a loss if they perished . They canât even get the believers to donate to the orphanages and there are even some sc.u.m out there who put their hands on the nunsă
ăIs that so? Thatâs rough . Wouldnât it be fine to just talk to them in a dream like what weâre doing now?ă
He looked slightly disappointed as he replied .
ăI tried that in the past but they didnât believe me since I look so different from the statues they pray to . I was unsure what would be the best way to interfere or not but it would be great if those having intercourse with orphans would die all of a sudden which would cause all of their deeds to be exposed then all of the top bra.s.s will get executed . They might just cover it all up though . Ahhăź, it would be nice if at least all of those trash priests just dieă
ăI see . It would be nice if that happens, wouldnât it?ă
Thatâs not something a G.o.d should be saying though . 4
ăAhăź, thatâs right . About the heroâs movements, theyâre taking a wait-and-see approach and they only move once the rumors start blowing up so you donât have to worryă
ăHaaâŚâŚ Thank you very much for such valuable information . To be honest, I didnât really want to hear your complaintsă
ăIyaăź, I just thought that if it was Nagi-kun, he would do something about ită
ăThatâs impossibleă
I feel like he was actually hinting something different but I might be imagining things .
ăToo bad . For the time being, Iâll just hara.s.s them . Iâll curse them by giving them three mouth ulcers that last for a monthă
ăThatâs quite a terrible curse, isnât it?ă
ăI donât want to hear that from someone who had someone walk non stop while they were imprisoned and let them eat moldy pudding and soupă
ăI shall keep my mouth shut thenă
ăAhăź, I remembered something else . I thought your children were interesting so I gave them my divine protection while they were still in their mothersâ bellyă
ăAhăź . Thanks, I guessă
ăWhy do you sound like youâre not happy about thată
ăWellâŚâŚ Itâs just that itâs hard to be grateful for something that sounds like itâs easy to slap on someone and take it awayă
ăAs for the effect, from now on, they will not suffer from any illnesses . Even if they are seriously injured they would be placed in a form of suspended animation so they wonât waste blood making their chance of survival increase so please rest a.s.sured . This divine protection will last until five generations you know?ă
ăEven if you say that, itâs stillâŚâŚă
ăAh, our timeâs up . Farewellă
A few years ago, they showed me a compilation of the best moments of my life that lasted for what felt like 48 hours but this timeâŚâŚ
He definitely seems like heâs running away, isnât he?
Chapter 68: That time when we went to the humanâs continent to canva.s.s and procure 1st part
TL: kizen
ED: Filip/Gecko
ăAhăź, this is the worst way to wake up . My head hurtsâŚâŚ Well, I am glad to know that the children have divine protection though . I guess I should say a little prayeră
As I said that, I didnât know how they pray in this world so I just faced my bed then bowed twice, clapped twice, then bowed one more time like what they do in shrines .
ăAhăź, such good weather today . Itâs a fine day to set sail . I feel like thereâs no wind thoughă
After breakfast before we departed, I told the old men to just talk to me through Fleur-san . As for the humansâŚâŚ
ăDonât overdo things and end up getting hurtă
I told them to keep that in mind and of course, take breaks whenever necessary .
After that, with a potted plant in hand, I boarded the ship .
Hmmăź, thereâs nothing as far as the eyes can see so I have nothing to do during this voyage . Oohăź, theyâre fishing on the deck . How niceăź . Should I try it out as well?
ăDo you have spare rods?ă
ăYes we do . Iâll go and get our spare rod so please use thisă
After he said that, he handed me the fishing rod he was using then went off somewhere . Thereâs probably a storage room here or something .
ăHowâs the catch?ă
ăWe were able to catch Maou-sama you know?ă
ăHa ha! What the heck are you talking about? Weâve only caught plenty of smaller fish till nowă
Ahăź, thatâs a relief . They were a bit reserved because of the incident the other day but it seems like it was only a temporary thing .
The silk-making technology in this world is nonexistent so weâre only using a string that has low tensile strength since there are no nylon lines . Because of that, I decided to use magic to reinforce the fishing lines .
Itâs nice to just let the line hang like this and relax .
ăItâs amazing how we can hear the captainâs bellow all the way over here when heâs at the backă
ăHaaăźăź . The sound of sea birds is somewhat soothingăźă
ăAnd Maou-san over here is too carefreeăźă
The captain was really lively like a fish that has found water . He might have just yelled in excitement since itâs been a while . Pirates really do belong on the sea as expected .
After a while, as I was relaxing, another sailor came over in a panic .
ăMaou-san! Orca and his gang are throwing a fit in their room! The door isâŚâŚ!ă
ăHaaăź . They just had to do that while I was relaxing . I guess Iâll go scare them a little . Please lead the wayă
ăAhăź, yes . Please take it easy on themâŚâŚă
The sailor who was guiding me didnât make any eye contact with me the whole time . Itâs fine, okay? Iâm just going to threaten him after all .
The room in question is a narrow one in the innermost part of the ship . Itâs the room with a keyhole outside where all the women were locked up . Well, you reap what you sow I guess .
Once we got there, I didnât know what exactly was going on inside but it seems like someone was throwing themselves at the door .
Because of that, I continued letting them hit it ten more times in order to grasp the rhythm theyâre using . After the eleventh time, I carefully unlocked the door and turned the doork.n.o.b which caused them to come tumbling out of the room when they tried to ram it again . Once I confirmed that we got the perpetrator who was actually Orca, I immediately closed it again before anybody else could attempt to get out .
ăI was told that you guys were rampaging so I came here and although there was only one culprit, I have to punish all of you to prevent the others from getting any ideas . Skipping a meal or increasing the meat in your soup, which one do you prefer?ă
I made sure to say that as loudly as I can so that Orcaâs comrades inside could hear me .
ăWhich one do you think is better? Tap the floor two times in succession if you want to have your meals taken away . If you prefer to have more meat in your meal, tap onceă
He opened his mouth but only air was coming out since he had no vocal cords so I just went with that so he could respond .
ăI donât really like violence so I hope you can decide quicklyă
I could hear the other pirates inside stomping their foot on the floor once then waiting for a while before stomping it again . It seems like they really want meat .
ăSee? Since you didnât decide quickly, your comrades inside are acting as if to say that they want to eat meat from your body . Which one is your dominant arm? Iâll at least spare that and just cut off the other one from the shoulder . Weâll just put that into the soup . Iâm nice for not going with your dominant arm right? So, which is it?ă
I asked him that while having the same smile on my face as the time I cut off their vocal cords which caused him to turn pale and start vigorously shaking his head . The pirates inside fell silent then he frantically tapped the floor twice .
ăI see . You prefer skipping a meal huh? Well, itâs a collective responsibility after all so the mistake of one is the mistake of all . Remember that the next time you feel like trying something . Donât worry though, weâll still give you some salt soup . Iâm going to open the door now so donât get any weird ideas okay?ă
After saying that, I opened the door then threw him back with the rest of the pirates .
The one guarding the door to the room looked like he couldnât believe what just happened so I went in next to his ear and whispered .
ăThat was just a threată
That way, the people locked inside couldnât hear what I said .
ăAnyway, as for the breadâŚâŚ Since itâs their first offense, theyâll only be skipping out on it onceă
ăYes . I will inform the kitchen staff about it!ă
ăWell then, Iâll leave the rest to youă
ăUnderstood!ă
He started responding briskly againâŚâŚ
ăHaaăź . Fishingâs nice, isnât ităź?ă
ăWhat happened to those guys?ă
When I got back to the deck, I went back fishing as if nothing happened . After five minutes or so, the sailor next to me must have gotten curious since he finally asked .
ăTheyâll be skipping their next meal . Theyâll still get some salt soup though . The body would weaken if they donât take any fluids after all . Ooh! I caught one!ă
As I said that, I raised the fishing pole . I was met with a brightly colored fish that was struggling violently at the end of the line .
ăHaha! That oneâs poisonous you knowăź?ă
ăSo I can eat it but you guys canât, huh?ă
I reluctantly released the colorful fish back to the sea .
While the cook was preparing dinner, I asked him if I could handle the cooking of the small fish instead . He seemed to be controlling the use of ingredients but since I was only going to use a small amount of flour, a couple of eggs, salt, sugar, and the seaweed that also got caught, I got his approval .
He even told me that I can do whatever I want as long as itâs only that much . Just how much ingredients does he think I usually use up?
After making water and ice using magic, I soaked the fish into a flour and egg mixture, wrapped them in seaweed then fried them in oil to complete the small fish isobeage . I didnât have a lot of oil since I only used the olive oil I had so I just kinda sautĂŠed it but the cook who was next to me still seemed to have liked it . [TL: Just google Isobeage . Itâs usually made with fish paste I think]
ăSince the fish are so small, you can just eat it whole . If it was a bigger one though, you have to open it up, take out the internal organs, season it, then dip it in egg and breadcrumbs before you fry ită
As I said that, I also got a fork, put a bit of salt in it, and tasted my cooking . The cook was writing down what I said but I donât think he has to though since itâs nothing special .
After dinner, I went to the captainâs quarters .
ăCaptain . I have something I want to ask . Do you have time?ă
ăWhat is it?ă
He opened the door as he said that . Looking at his room, I saw a compa.s.s, a nautical chart, and a ruler on top of his desk .
ăHow many days does it take to reach the nearest town from the island? Also, please tell me the name of the port town weâre heading toă
ăLetâs see . If itâs from the island and we donât encounter any problems, it would take about seven days at most . Since a day has already pa.s.sed, weâll be there in six days . As for the port town, itâs called Corundumă
The captain pointed at the nautical chart and with his compa.s.s, he showed me our approximate location after a day of sailing then easily gave me the duration of our trip .
Sorry captain, but all I know about that kind of thing is from a movie Iâve seen so I could only somewhat understand .
ăHow would you describe that town?ă
ăHmmâŚâŚ Itâs a fairly large port town where all sorts of goods and people gather I guessă
ăHow about the lower cla.s.s district?ă
The captain started wrinkling his eyebrows and looked at the upper right part of the room . Heâs probably trying to remember what it was like .
ăThere are plenty of vagrants and orphans there . The public order is also badă
ăThank you very much for the information . I might have other things I want to ask so Iâll come again but only when things donât seem to be busyă
ăYes . thank you as well for your considerationă
ăAt any rate, you sure were lively today, werenât you? Itâs like you were a fish that was back in the water you know?ă
After a bit more small talk, I went back to my room .
â
As usual, I had nothing to do on the ship .
The efficiency would plummet if an amateur starts messing about so the things I can do are limited . Laze around, go fishing on the deck, cook the fish the sailors caught, visit Orca and his group when they start making a fuss . Thatâs all I can do during this trip . As for today, Iâm lazing around waiting for fish to bite .
Behind me, everyone else is busy . Thatâs because the captain ordered the sailors to lower the sails so that we can get efficiently propelled by the tailwind . While they were doing that though, they still were taking turns fishing next to me so I always had someone to relax with .
ăMaou-san, how are you feeling? Are you feeling seasick?ă
ăIâm alright . It seems like Iâm pretty resilient when it comes to that . Doesnât seem like I have any talent for fishing thoughă
ăWhat a shame . Iâve heard that the ones who easily get seasick never get used to it no matter how much time pa.s.ses after allă[TL: Iâm not really sure who this is and if they are just pulling on his leg so to speak]
After spending the time peacefully for five days, we finally arrived at the port town Corundum .
The ship was docked at the harbor then everyone gathered on the deck .
ăWell then, Iâll go ahead and do what I have to do so feel free to rest while weâre in this town . Captain, about what we talked about last nightâŚâŚă
After saying that, the captain gave me a bag filled with money .
ăThis bag has enough to provide everyone here 10 silver coins each . You can use that in the taverns to buy some drinks . You may even go and spend it at the red light district so enjoy yourselves as much as you want but please make sure you donât become the cause of the delay in our departureă
As I said that, the sailors started whispering among themselves .
ăPlease donât cause any problems and be on your best behavior . I wonât take any responsibility if you get caught . If someone picks a fight with you, please just ignore them like how you would a stray dog barking at you . Endure it even if they provoke you . If they start bringing out the pointy stuff, then just shout as loudly as you can to get the attention of the people maintaining the peace in the town .
I would be troubled if you cause problems after all . Your pride? Please leave that thing here on the ship . Remember, you guys are no longer pirates, you are sailors from my island . Ahăź, you should be careful with women who might have any illnesses as well . With that said, Iâll leave this with the captain so please get your share from himă
I returned the bag to the captain after I said that .
ăIâll leave it to your discretion on how youâll distribute thisă
I said that loudly so everyone could hear .
If he acts selfishly and doesnât distribute it evenly, heâll be resented and everyone would complain . If that happens, Iâll just have to make him step down as captain .
With that settled, I put some money into my rucksack then entered the town .