Chapter 75.2

That was dangerous. They didn’t notice me even though I was only about 20 meters away from them. Well, I guess I should follow them for now.

Hmmー, I wonder if they’re going after that Mason guy? Oh, I should just recover my shovel first.

They called this guy Jackson, huh? It looks like his wounds have closed. I should just tie his hands behind his back to make sure. While I’m at it, I’ll have him take on the same pose I made the pirate captain that we turned in awhile back.

With that done, I collected my shovel, covered the shiny parts with mud, then wrapped it in grass and vines. After that, I went off to find the two while making sure to not make a noise.

I chased after them while crouched and constantly under the shade of the trees. I made sure to maintain a reasonable distance while keeping in mind the closest tall grass that I can hide in a pinch. Fortunately, they were being vigilant and were walking slowly so it didn’t take long for me to find them.

「Masonー! Jackson is safe for nowー! Let’s link upー!」

The hero shouted but there was no reply from Mason.

Well then, I wonder how I should separate him and that woman.

After a while, the woman started to be cautious of what was behind her. Taking advantage of that, I flung a stone towards a nearby bush to get her attention.

The instant she noticed it, she immediately shot out an arrow and screamed.

「Something moved in that bush!」

Because of that, the hero slowly approached the bush. While he was doing that, the woman was being vigilant in the opposite direction so I put her in a sleeper hold to render her unconscious.

After that, I immediately hid in another bush and waited.

「Oi Sofia, there’s nothing…… Sofia!」

The hero ran towards the woman called Sofia and realized that she only fainted.

「So you didn’t go after Mason huh! I’m alone now so come out!」

『Mason-san is still around somewhere you know? Also, Sophia-san is just unconscious and I don’t know when she’ll come to so I apologize but I’ll have to refuse』

After I said that, the hero remained vigilant while slapping Sofia’s cheeks but it didn’t look like she was waking up anytime soon.

A while later, she finally came to.

「Did you see where he went?」

「The Demon Lord? Huh? What happened…… Ah. I was suddenly choked from behind」

「You fainted. I can’t believe that I didn’t notice even though he came so close. Is Concealment 3 really that amazing for him to be able to do that?」

It is a skill that has the approval of an elf after all.

Rather than that, I really want to separate him from that woman. It would have been great if he had just left her there and acted alone.

After they got themselves together, they slowly made their way through the forest once more. I don’t know if she was traumatized from being choked but the woman started shooting her arrows at all of the bushes that showed any signs of movement. She’s either panicking or starting to see things.

I haven’t gotten close to them up until I silently choked her from behind though I guess she doesn’t know that.

Well, at any rate, I deemed that it would be better for me if I reduced the risks so I readied a small 【Wind Cutter】 and aimed it at the bowstring the moment she tried to shoot again. With the string cut, I’ve rendered her weapon useless.

It would have been a different story if she had brought a replacement string but I don’t think there’s any in that small pouch by her waist.

I waited to see how they would react and then suddenly Sofia started shouting and raging. It seems like she’s panicking even more. Looking closely, there was a small wound on her cheek. It seems like I injured her when I used the wind cutter.

A while after that, the hero could no longer calm the woman down and she finally ran off with a dagger in hand towards the opposite direction that Mason ran to.

She probably couldn’t handle being in a foreign environment while under extreme stress. What she did was unexpectedly helpful though.

『Ah, I guess we can talk now』

「Shut up! I’m alone now so come out!」

『I’ll give you some time to cool your head off before I do that. Let me know when you’ve calmed down』

「Damn it!」

With his back against a tree, the hero equipped his sword and started looking around.

Ten minutes after that, his breathing became rougher and he was sweating buckets. It would be bad if he got any more stressed out than this, wouldn’t it? I guess I should break the silence.

『You, you were summoned here right?』

「Ha? What are you suddenly talking about?」

『Are you Japanese?』1

This time, I used Japanese to speak with him.

The hero had a surprised look on his face upon hearing that.

「That’s right.」

He replied in Japanese as well.

『Throw away your weapon so that it will be out of reach. I’ll show myself once you do that. If you don’t comply, I’ll get rid of it myself』2

「This should be fine right?」

As he said that, he sheathed his sword then threw it away.

「Thanks」

I stood up as I said that then came out of a nearby bush to approach the hero.

「Why do you look like that?」

「You don’t know? If that’s the case then I’ll just let it stay that way. I’m going to use magic to wash away the grass so is that alright with you?」

「……sure」

Since I got permission, I made a 【Water Ball】 overhead then dropped it on my body to remove the grass.

「I apologize for doing this while soaked but let’s introduce ourselves first. I was called Nagi in my previous life. If there’s anything you want to ask, I’ll try to answer it if I can」

You need to tell them a bit of the truth if you want to be trusted after all.

「It’s Takeru. Looking at your status, it says you’re 14 but what is your true age?」

「Ah, that’s correct. I am 14」

「What is the capital city of Japan」

「At the time I died, it was still Tokyo but did it end up being Fukuoka?」

「Hm? Why would it change to Fukuoka?」

「It’s nothing. Just forget about it.」

It seems like he didn’t get it. Unfortunate.3

「I feel bad for asking but how old were you when you died?」

「I was 30 at the time. Don’t ask for the cause of death」

「So you’re older huh? I apologize」4

「Don’t worry about it」

His tone immediately changed upon learning that I was older so he’s probably the earnest type.

「Reincarnating is good, isn’t it?」

「Well yeah. The first memory I have was being breastfed by my mother though. That was when I remembered my previous life」

「I see. I now understand why you had gun-like magic and nonlethal weapons」

「That’s right. I want to avoid killing as much as possible after all. I’m sorry for scaring you earlier」

I bowed after saying that. It’s a way of apologizing that you don’t typically see in this world.

「It’s alright, we were the ones who came here to kill you after all. We don’t have the right to complain if you had killed us back there」

「When you hear of a Demon Lord, you would usually think they have to be subjugated, right? Well, I don’t know if I was just unlucky but I wasn’t reincarnated as a human. I was born a demonkin instead. It was rough in all sorts of ways. I was born in a small and poor village so, in order to live a comfortable life, I had to take the village’s administration into my own hands using the knowledge I had. I was able to make bricks, walls, and stone furnaces because of that」

I was actually reincarnated into a demonkin because that god thought it would be interesting but I’ll just keep that to myself. You need to mix a bit of truth into a lie to sound convincing after all.

「You sure had it rough」

「Although I say that, it’s fine since it was fun. I also have a family now after all」

「Eh? Wait…… But you’re still 14 years old……」

「Oi oi, don’t be surprised by that. The demonkin mature earlier than humans so it can’t be helped」

「I guess that’s true. By the way, why were you so imminent on isolating me from the rest?」

「Can you guarantee that your comrades would just stand and watch while the Demon Lord and the hero are talking in a language they couldn’t understand in front of them?」

「……I can’t. Especially Mason」

「That’s why. I’d like to apologize to your friends once all of this settles down though. Why don’t we move to a different place? Well. I guess we should find your companions first. Fleur-sanー, are you nearby?」

「Here~」

「Please tell the hero over here where his companions are right now」

「Alright」

「Ah, let me introduce you. This red flower is Fleur-san. Once you find them, you can just let me know by relaying them to any similar-looking red flowers nearby. I’ll be waiting at the tent by the coast. The magician…… Jackson-san, was it? I’ll carry him back so I’ll leave the other two to you」

「Got it」

After that, I went back to where I left my shovel to retrieve Jackson. That was the plan but I suddenly found myself in front of Mason.

「「Ah」」

At that moment, the two of us prepared ourselves for battle then Mason immediately charged to attack.

Why in the world is this guy here!?

I managed to recover my shovel but because he was quick, I didn’t have enough time to dodge his attack.

I held the shovel in my left hand and used it to block his horizontal slash. It managed to stop it but his sword cut through half of the shovel handle.

That sword isn’t cheap, is it……? This is bad.

He didn’t immediately go for his next move so he must have not expected for his sword to not cut through the shovel. Because of that, I kicked him away then tried to throw the now useless shovel towards his shin hoping that it would hit him or at least delay him for a bit.

He managed to avoid the flying shovel but I was able to take out my machete and crowbar.

「I’ve already reconciled with the hero. Although we ended up like this, can’t we put down our weapons and make up?」

「After what you’ve already done, do you seriously expect me to believe?」

「I guess you have a point. Sorry about that. Please forget about it」

After saying that, I kicked up the ground towards his face to try and blind him while I targeted the joint of his armor with my machete but he easily brushed it off with his sword. There should have been dirt in his eyes…… I guess that should be expected of someone in the hero’s party.

My weapons were lighter and had a shorter reach compared to the opponent’s so I kept the fight up close to maintain the advantage. If he forcibly tried to create space, I was planning to attack him with my magic but he was somehow managing even with the limited capability of his long sword. He must have thought of the same thing that’s why he won’t distance himself even if he was at a disadvantage.

In order to settle things quickly, I raised my strength by 10%, increased the number of attacks, added more weight to my slashes, and added kicks whenever there was an opportunity. When he lost his balance, I rammed into him which caused him to fall to the ground.

His hands ended up under his knees so I straddled him then kept hitting his forehead with the machete’s handle. To finish him off, I aimed the handle at his nose to knock him out.

He had a look of despair while I was hitting him with the machete’s handle but I resolved myself to continue with the attack since I would have been in danger instead if he didn’t lose the will to fight.

I tried to even the playing field and tried to see how far I could go without using offensive magic but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. It was really scary, to be honest.

My beloved partner(shovel) that I named 『Mora』 fulfilled its purpose but now I don’t have a shovel. I guess I should get myself a 『Mora Mk.2』 the next time I go to the port town.

「This is getting out of hand. Now I’ll have to carry two of them」

I complained then went to a nearby red flower to report.

「The two men have been secured, I’ll leave the woman to you」

After saying that, I tied up Mason securely, then carried him over my shoulder. As for Jackson, I just carefully dragged him along as I made my way back to the tent.

□

I was looking for Sofia when a red flower that was nearby suddenly changed into the naked upper half of a woman.

「I have a message from Caam. He said that he’s found the two men and is leaving the recovery of the woman to you」

「I understand. After I’ve found her, I can just talk to a red flower-like this to let him know right?」

「Yes. I’ll have a red flower that’s near Caam change into this form to convey your message. Also, based on where you’re facing right now, you need to head left to get to the woman. She’s about 300 paces away. Maybe more but it won’t exceed 400 paces. She looks pretty broken down and is in panic so be gentle okay? Later~」

After saying that, the tiny woman turned back into a flower.

「So Nagi-san knew what we were doing at all times huh? I can now understand why he lured us into the forest. Damn……」

□

I set the two of them down then put a wet towel on my forehead and drank some barley tea. 5

When I cast recovery magic on Mason’s face to fix his nose, he woke up.

「Guh…… Where am I?」

「The tent by the beach. I’ll serve you some tea if you don’t cause a fuss. How about it?」

「Kuh…… Just kill me!」6

I spat out my tea when I heard that. Who would have thought I’d hear such a famous line, and it came from a man no less.

「If you’re going to kill us, do it quickly」

After I recovered from my coughing fit, I asked for another cup of barley tea while they kept spouting such nonsense.

「Ah, Caam-san. I see that they have woken up」

「That’s right. I was thinking of serving them tea if they didn’t resist but since they’re telling me to kill them, I’ll just leave them be for now. I’ll have the hero talk to them when he comes back」

「Why are humans speaking normally to a Demon Lord!?」

「Caam-san freed us from slavery, gave us warm meals and beds after all. He’s also kind to us. We’re even living better lives right now than before we became slaves. That’s why please don’t talk about horrible things like subjugation and killing」

「But……」

With that said, I continued to drink my barley tea while waiting for the hero.

After a while, the red plant on the table suddenly changed into a small woman then said.

「He’s heading here now he says. He might be exiting the forest soon」

「Thank you for letting me know」

Since her task was done, Fleur-san went back to her flower form.

「It seems like the hero will be here soon. Ah, I’m sorry but could you please bring four more cups of tea?」

「Okay~」

After saying that, the woman went into a house that was nearby.

「Good work. Barley tea is being prepared right now so please have a seat」

He did as I asked and took a seat.

「Mason-san over there still doesn’t trust me so I’ll leave his persuasion to you. Let me know if you prefer cold tea so that I can make ice for you okay?」

As I was saying that, Sofia-san kept glaring at me but I just ignored that and continued drinking my tea.

「Thank you for waiting」

She placed four cups, poured the barley tea from the kettle then went back.

「Ah, go ahead and drink it before it cools down」

「Alright」

「Rock! What if it has been poisoned!」

「This Demon Lord won’t do that so go ahead and drink first. I’ll go and persuade Mason before I drink mine」

「Rock huh? Did you get that from “Iwa” in your surname?」

「What are you saying?」「That’s right. That’s where I got it from」

「It doesn’t matter, does it? Just drink your tea before it gets cold, Sofia-san」

I resumed drinking my tea while Sofia-san sipped on hers.

「This island is pretty far from the humans’ and the demonkin’s side of the continent so we have no choice but to rely on merchant ships for things that we don’t have. In order to be able to acquire such things, we need to exchange them with the things we do have. One of those things is this tea that’s made from wheat. Rock-kun should be familiar with it but what do you think? Does it suit your tastes?」

「I’ve always drunk it during summer so I haven’t really had it warm. Put ice on mine please」

Rock interjected while he was persuading the others. I dropped several adequately sized【Square ice】 in Rock’s drink then gave it to him.

After a while, he said.

「I’ve already convinced him so is it alright if I cut the ropes?」

「Go ahead」

I just gave him a brief reply.

「Ahー, once Jackson wakes up, I’ll have to talk with him as well」

Rock complained while downing the iced barley tea.

「I apologize for the hassle but I’ll leave it to you. I’ll have to retaliate if I’m attacked after all」

「Haha, it’s something that can’t be helped in a world like this. By the way, Jackson-san lost a lot of blood earlier didn’t he? I’ve never seen one in this world myself but are there any medicine that increases blood?」

「There’s no such thing. If there was, I would have bought some for cases like this」

「Should we have him eat wakame and liver then?」

「That’s the only thing we can do right now」

「We don’t have any wakame though since even the pirates can’t digest them. Rock is probably the only one here who could…… Well, we have plenty of liver though」

We just quietly drank our tea after that.

As for Mason, he was just glaring at me the entire time without touching his tea. I plan on apologizing once they’re all awake so I wish he would stop giving me that kind of look.

It got quite awkward so I chatted with Rock for a while and exchanged information with him. Then, just as it was about time for lunch, Jackson woke up.

「U-ugh. I…… Am I alive?」

「You are. Everyone is safe so you don’t have to worry」

「Where are we? Did you kill the Demon Lord?」

「……we lost. I made peace with the Demon Lord」

「……I see. I can see your feet from under the table but you’re there right?」

「Yep~」

「So we were kept alive huh? It was quite obvious that we lost considering that I’m still tied up but I just couldn’t get my head around it since I wasn’t bleeding」

「If you won’t attack the Demon Lord, we can get the rope removed. How about it?」

His persuasion is getting kinda sloppy.

「It can’t be helped. Take it off since it hurts」

Rock looked at me so I just gave him a small nod.

Unlike the other two, he might be able to think rationally.

「Well then, now that we’re all here, first of all, let me apologize. I apologize for injuring you. I only did it to protect myself」

「O- ou」「Eh?」「……」

「Since the merchant ship has already left, we will be escorting you back to Corondum after a few days. In the meantime, we’ll treat you as guests. Until then, you’re free to do what you want as long as it is within the bounds of decency. Let’s see, it’s almost time for lunch so please eat first」

With that done, we decided to have lunch. The preparations were already finished so everyone gathered together. We were having bread, meat, and fish.

「Jackson-san, you lost a lot of blood so you should eat plenty of liver and this sea plant called Wakame okay?」

I forcefully served the dish to him.

「Did anyone else bleed? Please, feel free to take as much as you like」

Or so I said but aside from Rock, no one else was eating.

「Ahー, The dish doesn’t seem to suit their tastes so can you serve them something else?」

「Okay~. I can give them the potatoes I just harvested today」

「That’s right, we still have potatoes. Give me some as well please」

「Sure, of course, but we’ll serve the guests first. This is the mayonnaise that Caam-san taught me how to make so please have it together with the potatoes」

「……okay」「O-ou」

「Sorry but we don’t have any butter or soy sauce」

「It’s fine. I don’t particularly mind」

「No problem」

「What is this Demon Lord saying?」

「I also don’t know」

「He seems really close with Rock, don’t you think?」

I can hear you guys you know…… I’ll pretend that I can’t though.

□

After lunch, everyone went back to their work while we went around the village.

「There are quite a lot of crops in these fields. Looks like they’ve cleared quite a lot of land huh? This wasn’t here when we came previously」

「Aren’t these freshwater fish? Why are they here?」

「They’re keeping bees too!? Do they have honey?」

「Look, they’re feeding the livestock we brought with us」

「Water is constantly flowing into this bathing area so it’s clean. You can’t see the people bathing from the outside as well. It also seems like they’re raising chicken, ducks, and rabbits」

「Let’s try following that road. That’s where the previous Demon Lord was trying to build his castle right?」

「Yeah」

「What’s this?」

「It’s marked out. This is probably where they plan to build houses. There’s a well right at the center after all」

「A church!? That’s a church, isn’t it!?」

「What is that building with white walls?」

「There’s a place that looks like a workshop at the back」

「Oi, just how are we going to report this?」

「Just as we see it I guess?」

「Do you think they’ll believe us?」

「That depends on the higher ups」

「I really don’t understand what this Demon Lord is thinking」

Idle Talk

Evening conversation of the Demon Lord and the hero.

「Hey, Takeshi-kun」

「What is it, Nagi-san?」

「You…… what year was it when you were summoned to this world?」

「It was 20xx」

「So it was already 13 years since I died huh?」

「It also has been six months since I arrived in this world」

「I see…… Did anything change in the last decade since I died? You don’t have to name everything, just the important changes since I want to know」

「Nothing really. No wars, no large scale calamities. There might be civil wars here and there though. There were also new releases of famous games」

「Is that so? It’s great that nothing bad happened. Do you like coffee? I was able to find some in this world by chance you see. I was thinking of making it one of the export items of this island」

「It has been a while since I’ve drunk any I guess. I tried searching for it when I came to this world but I couldn’t find any. I’d be happy to have some」

「You can add sugar if you like, but unfortunately, we don’t have any milk」

As I said that, I gave him a cup then drank my own.

「Since I have no filters, I just used cloth instead but it’s difficult since I have to wash them with each use. It might be unsanitary as well but in order to increase its popularity, I’m going to open up a coffee shop in Corundum and see how it’ll go.

……I was suddenly given an uninhabited island with 50 slaves so it was rough. I mean, I was Japanese in my previous life so there’s no way I would just be alright with that. I’m not some kind of farmer noble who came out here to pioneer the land after all. Right from the start I already had to think about everyone’s daily necessities. I was desperate just from trying to turn this place into a habitable area. What were you expecting from this old man who’s already over forty, is what I thought. There are other demonkin I can vent out to but there were still some parts that I couldn’t let out up until now. That’s why, if you have some too, I can listen to them」

「……ehh」

「It really saved me knowing that you were a nice person」

□

「Ahー, I feel better letting it all out. Thank you Takeru-kun」

「It was nothing」

「I have one more question. This might be a pretty tough one to answer but is that okay with you?」

「Go ahead」

「Since you were summoned, will you be able to go back? Have you heard of someone who can do that?」

「……no, not even the slightest hint」

As he said that, his mood suddenly became sullen.

「So there’s a possibility that you won’t be able to go back. I died and reincarnated so the thought of going back hadn’t even crossed my mind but it’s different for you since you were summoned. Have you ever thought of what’s happening back in your world……?」

「……I sometimes think about it」

「It might be better for you to hope for the best but prepare for the worst」

「……」

「I’m sorry for bringing up such a heavy topic. It’s just that when I thought that you might have family, friends, or a lover waiting for you, I got curious about your thoughts that I had to ask」

「……」

「I’m such a bad old man. I’m really sorry」

「It’s fine……」

Iwamoto-kun managed to squeeze out a quiet reply before we finished our conversation.

Idle Talk 2

Named a shovel and took so much care of it that I got attached!

「Uoー! My lovely Mora(shovel)~!」

I rolled around on the floor while saying that.

「Uwaaー. You were so youngー. Even though I made sure to polish you every day since I was a kid, you’re now in such a sorry stateー」

Wulf, who was also in my room, was starting to look at me weirdly so I stopped rolling around and lied down prone with my chin on top of the shovel.

Since I won’t be able to do anything about it anymore, I just pat my head to calm myself down then went outside where I receive strange gazes coming from the islanders.

Is it that strange to name objects so that you can get attached to them?

Eh? Am I in the minority?

Extra: Rejected idea for the stats

HP On the verge of death upon receiving a hit from Suzuran

MP Can shoot Fr*zz Cracker several times 7

STR Have to adjust when wielding two-handed weapons

VIT Cardboard box

INT Pretty clever

AGI can finish 100 meters in 12 seconds

DEX Pretty dexterous

LUK The type to find small change on the road

「Why is the status not numbers!? And who is this Suzuran!?」