Chapter 103: 89

The victory party went on for three whole days.

In particular, those who had fought alongside His Majesty received great acclaim and became part of a legend that would be passed down for generations to come.

After the battle, there were even some who had fainted from being too overwhelmed with emotion.

Truly, I feel that His Majesty is a great man. It was an honor to serve him, even if it was by coincidence.

Having this kind of self esteem is quite unlike me, but……

「Did I do well, I wonder?」

……I muttered to myself as I touched the old sword strapped to my hip.

The royal castle’s dining hall was filled with rowdy warriors and the fervor of flames.

Rana had triumphed against the Myriad Kings' brawny warriors in a drinking contest. Even now, challengers were appearing one after another. As I watched from afar, a man called out to me.

「Wolf of Ashtalia-dono, I hear that you’re the husband of that elf over there」

「None other」

「Why is Princess Rauaryuna here?」

「Hmn」

The man was one of the cavalry who had fought alongside His Majesty. I saw him being honored by Robbs' soldiers earlier.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, and had chestnut brown hair that was oddly dog-like. His features seemed familiar.

「No way, Berhardt・Oru・Lem――」

「Wait a moment」

He had covered my mouth.

「Who did you hear about me from?」

「From the king, of course. Prince」

「Don't call me Prince here. Just Berhardt is fine. Other than King Dugan, no one else knows」

「Alright then, Berhardt. Well, I'm, err, privy to some of the inner workings of Lemuria」

「I see, then it's no wonder you were summoned by Crown Princess Amelia」

「Well, that part is just a coincidence though」

I didn’t really like alcohol, but he offered me a cup, so I put it to my lips and pretended to drink it.

Berhardt guzzled the alcohol down in a manner similar to his father.

「How's my father doing?」

「Well, he's pretty healthy now. The only thing is, Lanseal has been complaining to me that the amount he drinks has been increasing rapidly」

「Are you also close to my sister?」

「We're currently living together」

Oh, I accidentally let that slip.

After a few moments of silence, Berhardt let me drink alcohol from the top of my head.

「Think of my sister's age!」

「She's in the prime of her womanhood!」

「I wanted her to be an ordinary man's mistress!」

「Who cares?! Lanseal's the one making advances on me!」

「Wh, whattt!?」

And so, as one of the events of the party, I got into a fist fight with the Crown Prince of Lemuria.

When I fought the younger brother some time back, I had gotten beaten up one-sidedly, but I won this time around.

I sure have grown since then.

The party ended, and winter was about to start in earnest in the land of the Myriad Kings.

The battlefields would be snowed in, and no blood would be spilled on this land for some time to come. The winters here are harsh. There have been times when more people have died from the cold than on the battlefield.

The perils of nature are even harsher for invaders. In the past, Elysium has never invaded at this time of year.

In other words, there is nothing more I can do in this land.

I did feel guilty towards His Majesty, but I’m bad at saying goodbyes.

The farewells I've experienced in this world have all been due to deaths, and the only one who has parted from me and is still alive is her, who has changed her name and appearance.

I really don't know what sort of face to make at a times like these.

Thus, I disappeared after telling Dugan's trusted vassal, “We're going back." Along with Rana, I had Maria teleport all three of us to the cathedral where Tortch was waiting.

Seeing that Maria was unsteady on her feet, Tortch got angry.

『Souya, Maria has overused her powers. Moreover, the burden on her is more than doubled when more than two people go through her portal』

「What? You should've told me that beforehand」

「No, the fault is mine. I wanted to show off to Rana, so I pushed myself」

Rana hugged Maria and said.

「Maria, if you want me to be proud of you, then you need to take care of yourself. Or else, I'll get angry」

「Ehh, okay. I'll be careful from now on」

Maria was crestfallen when she got scolded. But when she buried her face in Rana's chest, her expression relaxed and she closed her eyes.

It's heartwarming. I'm jealous. ………………Those boobs are mine, you know?

『Souya, is this your wife?』

「Yeah」

『Rana-sama, I'm Tortch, Maria's father. My daughter has been in your care』

「Not at all. Oh my, what a big person. Are you Makina's relative?」

『Affirmative. I'm a Unit that's seven generations older than Makina』

Tortch is more being more polite to her than he was to me.

It's better than him being rude, but that kind of pisses me off.

「Tortch, we’re going back to Lemuria」

『Is that so? It's an appropriate course of action. There’s nothing you can do to help by remaining in this land』

「But――」

『Madam, please help me persuade Souya』

Tortch interrupted me.

「Yes?」

『Your husband has given up on exploring the dungeon. And it's because of you, madam』

「Eeh, huh?」

「Rana, that’s――」

『Souya has given up on the idea of exploring the dungeon because he fears for your safety, madam. But from what I've learned, madam's strength is comparable to that of an army. The possibility that Souya's fears are unfounded is high』

「Tortch! You don't know anything about the dungeon! Even the strongest of magicians can be captured and held captive by the enemy with no way of saving themselves. That's how it is in the dungeon! Individual strength doesn't matter!」

When I snapped at Tortch, Rana responded without hesitation.

「But, dear, you saved me, didn't you?」

「Huh, yes, I did save you, but――」

「Then there’s no problem, isn’t it?」

「But, I mean, it’s just too dangerous」

Rana's opinion confused me.

I had thought that she would go along with me.

「Our party is strong. We can face any challenge. There is nothing that we cannot accomplish」

I was struck speechless by those words.

They’re the words that Irvin had once said to me.

「To begin with, you defeated a monster that had deceived countless adventurers for 500 years. Please have more confidence in yourself. You're the husband that I'm proud of, you know?」

「Yeah………yeah. You’re, right」

I don't know why, but I started to tear up a little.

It feels like I had been freed from one long curse.

Is it alright for me to be praised by others? Is it not a sin to feel proud of myself in this way?

「Hahaa」

That made me laugh. I want to tell this to the brat who, in the distant past, was always thinking about how to kill himself.

I want to tell him that in the distant future, you will become someone that people will be proud of. That you will become someone's pride and joy.

That the day will come when you can laugh like this.

「Tortch, I can't give you an immediate answer about exploring the dungeon. Let me discuss it with my party members」

『Affirmative. I'm expecting a favorable reply』

「At times like this, you should say, "No problemo”」

『Affirmative. No problemo』

It's a movie reference he's 40 years too young for. [1]

While rubbing her cheeks on Rana, Maria said.

「Souya is amazing. Taking on that giant beast head-on and all by yourself is something beyond the realm of man」

「Dear, you did something so reckless in this land?」

「Well, to a certain extent」

「Next time you do something like that, I'll get angry, got it?」

「Yes」

Even though you're fine with your own recklessness and putting yourself in danger, I'm not allowed to do the same, huh?

「Well then」

As Rana patted Maria's head, she took out a small bottle and swallowed a sip of the liquid inside. It was blood inside the bottle. She then raised her staff, and the other staves flew out from the quiver on her hip and floated in a circle around her.

「Dear, let's go back」

「Yeah」

From among the floating staves, Rana grabbed a familiar-looking one.

It had a design of a large tree and had a pyroxene set in its tip.

She smashed the bottle of blood on the ground. With the tip of that staff, she drew a geometric pattern with the blood. It was a magic array composed of distorted V-shapes and words of an unknown language.

「Rana, that blood…..」

「It's Frey's blood. Since she's a descendant of a god, it possesses very strong magic power. I’ve been using this to control the staves. It's because that idiot put the curse called the crest of the Brave or whatever on you that you were summoned here, so she can't complain about something as small as getting a good amount of blood drawn out of her」

「………」

『………………』

Tortch and me fell silent.

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Almost none of this is Frey's fault, but explaining that would be too much trouble, so I won't.

As for Tortch, he's keeping quiet because he's terrified.

「Alright, that's it」

It looks like the magic array has been completed.

This is the first time I've seen Rana do this much prep work. Maria invokes the magic in an instant, but I guess it must be an incredible magic after all.

Maria stepped away from Rana and went to stand beside Tortch.

She said goodbye with a somewhat lonely look on her face.

「Souya, Rana, should you have some free time, you can come back to this land again. Both of you will always be welcome here」

Tortch pushed her from behind.

「?」

『Maria, here's some changes of clothes and your stuffed toy. There's emergency rations as well』

Pinched in-between Tortch's large fingers was a bulging bag.

「Huh?」

Maria was having trouble understanding the situation.

『You're going with Souya and Rana-sama to Lemuria』

「What’s going on, dear?」

「What? No way! Won't Daddy be all alone if I go?!」

『That's not true. So long as you wish it, you can always come back to where I am. That miracle is the very power that God has given you to keep our bond unbroken』

「I’ll………be lonely」

『You have to become stronger. All I know is only war. People are not weapons. Knowing about battles is not enough to make a person stronger. Besides, when Elysium is destroyed, if you continue to fight even after you've won the battle, you will always be sad. In order to find happiness, you have to meet all sorts of people. I want to raise you to become a strong and kind person』

「………But I don't want to!」

Maria embraced Tortch's arm.

『Souya, madam, I need your help to persuade her』

Tortch asked for help, so I started first.

「The food in Lemuria is delicious, you know? They have bacon that's so tasty that it makes spam seem like leftovers. The weather there is also warm and pleasant」

Rana went next.

「My sister and Lanseal will also treat you kindly. My husband is acquainted with a lot of interesting people, you know? Believe it or not, he even knows a fishman! That fishman brings us delicious seafood every morning」

「No! Noo~!」

Maria, who was clinging to Tortch, had completely become a spoiled child.

Like a child in a toy store, it feels like she won't let go even if forced to.

『Th, this is an unexpected reaction』

Torch was the one most perplexed by her behavior.

I'm not sure what to do either. If I leave Maria in this land like she wants, she will likely continue to grow up as she is. She'll grow up to harbor madness, just like me.

Her budding madness will eventually become the real thing.

I don't know if the new Vindoobunikuru army will be able to defeat Elysium.

However, even supposing they were to win, if Maria, their leader and figurehead, remained the same as she is now, she would be in danger.

People only follow madness in times of war.

Once there is peace, people will crush the madness and obey those who are outwardly sane.

It would give me grief if Maria were to lose her life after winning the war. Not to mention that Rana and I might get embroiled in it as well.

As Tortch had proposed, we have to show Maria a world where there is peace.

Unless they are exposed to it, people may never understand what peace is.

「Alright, Maria, let's look at it this way」

In my own way, I did my utmost to persuade her.

「Let's take a trip to Lemuria. It's a vacation」

Tortch went along with my idea.

『Dugan and I can handle the building up of our forces and the formulating of strategies with no problem. Maria, you’ve been working too hard. You need to take a vacation』

「A trip」

Oh, it worked.

「That's right, Maria. It's a trip. We'll all sit around a bonfire and eat canned beans」

「I hate beans」

「Then I'll give you thick bacon and fried eggs」

「Bacon. …………gulp」

Rana brought things to a close.

「Maria, won’t it be fine if you come back here once every three days?」

「Oh………………Mmm, I guess that's true」

Persuasion complete.

「Then I'll come back to Daddy once every two days. If I get lonely, I'll be right back」

『Yes, that's fine』

Good grief, His Majesty and Rana included, why are the people around me all so difficult to deal with?

………Could it be, I’m like that too?

『Souya, I've prepared some armaments for you. They should come in handy on your adventures』

Tortch held out a bag full of firearms and ammunition.

「I don't need them」

『What, have you lost your mind?』

「It's dangerous to use firearms inside the dungeon. Many of the enemies detect by sound. It's a different story if you have suppressors, but either way, keeping them safe is a problem. If they get stolen and the technology makes its way to Elysium, we'll be fastening the noose around our own necks」

Suppressors shouldn't yet be a part of US military equipment right after World War II.

It would be troublesome if they were discovered by sharp-eyed adventurers, and even more troublesome if that information was leaked to the merchants of the center continent. Worst of all would be if King Lemuria found out about them.

『Won't you need them to protect yourself?』

「I won’t. I've come this far without them」

My skills have improved to the point where I can kill without using such things. I can still remember how it feels.

『But surely there will be unforeseen situations……』

「Firearms are the very things that will lead to unforeseen situations」

『But still……』

It feels like we're going to have another argument.

There may be times when they would be invaluable against normal people, but after liberally getting rid of all of them, I cannot see myself using an older generation firearm now.

「Then I'll only bring my pistols. That won't be a problem, right? Since they're laced with my blood, even in the worst case where they fall into the enemy's hands, I can simply teleport them back」

「That's really convenient」

「Look」

Maria proudly showed me the two nostalgic Colt Government pistols that she carried in shoulder holsters. They disappeared with a flash of light, and then dropped into Maria's hands.

「Then I guess they won't be a problem. But don't discharge them accidentally」

「As if I would. I'm very careful」

Really?

「I'd like to analyze that magic and be able to use it myself too」

Rana was watching with a fascinated look.

Maria bragged to Rana with a smug expression on her face.

「This is my gift. In exchange, I can't use any~ other magic at all」

「I see, it's an innate magic of the caster's lineage, I'm guessing. That's probably why the consumption and efficiency are unusually good. ………Interesting」

「But there's a trick to it」

『Well then, Maria』

Tortch interrupted Rana and Maria's discussion of magic.

It was a good thing he did, as these two would go on for a long time once they got started, perhaps because they really hit it off with each other.

He held a rugged and crude finger out to Maria.

『Have a good trip』

「Yeah, I'm off, Daddy」

On the cold steel hand, she rested her small hand.

「I'll be right back when I get lonely!」

『Uh-huh』

「I'll have lots of stories to tell you when I come back!」

『I see』

「And also, umm……」

『Go and enjoy yourself』

「Okay!」

Maria took the bag from Tortch, slung it over her shoulder, and then saluted.

Tortch saluted her back.

After seeing the parent and child say their goodbyes, Rana began chanting.

「Space, light, darkness, ship. As time, raise the sails over the boundless waves!」

Rana struck the space with her raised staff. A tremendous sound rang out, and a crack formed.

Following suit, the ancient mediums also struck the space. The crack shattered, light burst forth, and a portal appeared.

「Dear, it won't hold for long. Hurry!」

Maria was about to jump in, but she turned and looked back once more at Tortch.

Tortch waved his hand silently.

With a smile, Maria jumped into the portal.

「Goodbye」

『Please take care of Maria』

I also headed for the portal of light. Taking Rana's hand, I returned to my home in the alternate world.

[1] Credit to the site manager of FT Zhaernon for finding this reference for me haha. It’s from Terminator 2, the scene in the car where Arnold says “Affirmative” and Conner tells him he has to listen to the way people talk and he should say “No problemo” in times like that. That conversation ends in him teaching Arnold that iconic line “Hasta la vista, baby”.

Ahh, for him to win a fist fight, our Souya has grown… However, this is the third release in a row that author has been hinting that he has grown, not just metaphorically, but in a physical sense, isn’t it? Yes, this is going somewhere, but…you’ll have to wait.

And I know that it might not resonate with everyone, but the part where Souya finally gets validation makes me tear up like crazy. It’s also the first time where the author outright tells us Souya was suicidal in the past instead of just hinting at it. And with the support of his grandpa’s teachings gone, Rana comes right in time to give him the support, validation and self esteem he needs. And of course, setting this up with Irvin’s words beforehand is such a low-blow…yes, I was bawling my eyes out at the end of this section.

So, our MC has returned to Lemuria at long last. 2 more releases until the volume ends. Stay tuned!

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